Page 13 of Naughty Heart

This day had certainly taken a turn. I wasn’t exactly in the position to be selective. This was an opportunity I didn’t expect to get today, and there wasn’t a chance I was going to turn it down.

“I’d love the opportunity.”

He smiled, and I could have sworn I saw a hint of mischievousness in his expression. “Great. How does nine o’clock on Monday morning sound?” he asked.

I’d have to check the bus schedule. In a worst-case scenario, I’d see if Pam could give me a ride. “Nine o’clock is perfect.”

“Wonderful. Well, I’ll let you go now. And I really am sorry about the way I behaved in there,” he apologized again as he pointed over his shoulder toward the coffee shop.

I offered a friendly smile and insisted, “It’s okay. I accept your apology.”

Following a brief pause, he said, “It was nice to meet you, Evelyn. I look forward to seeing you on Monday.”

“It was nice meeting you as well. Thank you again for the opportunity, Mr. Westwood. I’ll—”

“Malcolm,” he corrected me.

“Right. I’ll see you on Monday, Malcolm. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

“Oh, I will now,” he replied.

His eyes narrowed slightly, like he was busy trying to come up with some devious plan to take over the world. Maybe he was. I didn’t know, and truthfully, it didn’t matter to me if he was.

He had just offered me a chance to interview at his company. I didn’t care what his other plans were.

After giving myself another few seconds to take him in, I turned in the opposite direction and started making my way back to my apartment.

And on the way there, I started feeling the best I had in a long time. This was my first stroke of good luck. Or maybe that wasn’t it.

Maybe Santa realized I was on the nice list and deserved an early Christmas gift.

No matter what the reason was, it was safe to say my weekend wound up going far better than I’d expected it would when I left my old job on Friday evening.

4

EVELYN

As a kid,I had always enjoyed walking around the house in my mom’s high-heeled shoes. I spent most of the time wearing them while in the kitchen, where I’d be able to hear theclack, clack, clackthey made on the tiled floor. It was one of my favorite things to do, and I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to get my own pair.

It made me smile just thinking about the day that happened. It was the end of summer before I was set to start eighth grade. My parents took me out for school shopping. And while they didn’t have a lot of money, they still found a way to make sure I got some new clothes and shoes before school started.

That year, I’d begged my mom to let me buy my first pair of high-heeled shoes. While she didn’t necessarily agree right off the bat, she allowed me to pick out a pair I thought I might like.

Once I had them on, I was in my glory. They weren’t stilettos like she wore. The style at the time had been thick, chunky heels. I found my size, slipped them on my feet, and began showing them off to her.

The look on her face had indicated she didn’t want to be the one to tell me I couldn’t have them, so she suggested I locate my father in the store and ask him what he thought. At the time, I hadn’t realized it, but looking back, I think she was hoping he’d be the one to tell me I was too young for them.

I went in search of my father, who’d gone off to look at the shoes in the men’s section, and asked him what he thought. My dad stared at my feet for a few beats before he returned his attention to my face and said, “I don’t think I’d recommend wearing your socks with them.”

I’ll never forget the way it felt to have his approval or the way the color drained from my mother’s face when she realized he hadn’t responded the way she thought he would.

That day was one of the most exciting days of my life.

And now, as an adult, I had to remind myself of just how much I had wanted to be able to wear those shoes back then, especially at a time like this.

Without a working car, it was easy to tell myself I hated heels.

Coming in for an interview, I thought it was best to look professional this morning. I didn’t have a lot of nice things, but I had a few items that were proper for something like this. So, I stepped into a plain black dress that stopped just above my knees and hugged my body before slipping my feet into a pair of black pumps. I had a long black peacoat to wear outside and keep myself from freezing.