Free Taking Courage by S.J. Maylee Page B

countless times. She logged into the system built into the conference
table and brought up her presentation.
    “Janna.”
    She
looked up and found Keller hovering over her.
    “Can
I have a word with you in my office?”
    “Sure.”
What could he have to take about now? Her presentation was supposed to be begin . Nerves from all over her body took off at a sprinter’s
pace making her stomach turn.
    They
walked in silence to his office. Keller opened his door, and she slid past him,
almost afraid he'd bite by the look he threw her way. He continued his silent
treatment while he closed the door and sat at his desk.
    “How
would you describe your relationship with your parents?”
    “I'm
not sure why that should be your concern.”
    “Well,
usually it isn't.” He watched her for a minute. “I know you left your family
back in Detroit, which isn't out of the ordinary of course, but sometimes it
can be a sign of problems to come.”
    Shit, what does he
know?
    “I
have a good relationship with my mom. My father is a bit opinionated. I think
some time apart is good on both sides.
    “I
received a few calls from him this week.”
    “You what?” Her mouth dried,
and colors blurred across her vision. She should have guessed when he called today
that she wouldn’t be able to dismiss him that easily. Her father usually had a nasty
trick up his sleeve.
    “I've
never gotten a call from an employee's father, especially one that insisted I
fire his daughter. He claimed this move was just a way to negotiate more in
your allowance.”
    Tears
swam in her eyes, and her body turned cold. It was like a slap in the face.
Janna hadn't asked for an allowance since she took on her first job in high
school. She'd always wanted to pay her own way.
    Her
fairytale crumbled around her. Was she to get shucked back to her family and
never know the life she wanted?
    “Have
you talked to him recently?”
    No
wonder Keller had called her into his office. She had a lunatic for a father,
which must make her foolish as well. She was foolish to think she could ever
get what she wanted. No matter what she did, or how far away she got, her
father would try to find a way to put her back under his thumb.
    She
stared out the window and dreamed of the life that was almost hers.
    So close.
    “Janna?”
    “Yes,
sorry.” She shook her head. “We talked this morning. He tried to convince me to
come home with the promise of a great position at his friend's company.”
    “I
see.”
    “My
father has always run my life. He decided which high school, which college,
which major. He used his connections to get me my first job. Not one thing did
I do on my own.”
    “That's
no longer true. You were offered this job on your own merits. I interviewed you,
and that conversation convinced me to offer you a career here. Also, you made
the decision to come here.”
    She
looked up at Keller. Did he understand? Could he possibly understand what this
change in her life meant to her?
    “Yes,
I made the decision to take this job and move here.” Her shoulders relaxed, and
she sat up straighter. “My father’s worked hard for everything he has, and he’s
made a comfortable life. I was walking blindly behind him until he negotiated
my marriage.”
    She
looked at the walls of Keller's office and tried to distract herself with the
intricate pattern of the panels. Memories flooded her thoughts. She knew now
that her sham of a marriage had only one up side, and it was all business.
Mike's dad was on the board of a country club her dad wanted to join, and Mike
wanted to do business with her dad. She tried not to think of it much, but now that
she did, she felt sick. Used.
    “Mike?”
    “You
know about him?”
    “Just from the background check.”
    “Right.” She hadn't
thought how her bad decisions would be on display for every employer here on
out. How humiliating.
    “Janna,
with your history and his actions, things can play out in two ways. One, you
can go home to