Seduced by Mr. Right(21)
“They’re real. It’s definitely me. He must have taken them when I fell asleep.”
Anger rose inside her, and as Sharleen listened to Jocelyn’s story unfold, she found it hard to control her temper. No wonder her friend was holed up inside the house, crying her eyes out; Brad was threatening to ruin her life. Jocelyn looked terrified, scared out of her mind, and for good reason. Brad McClendon was a lying, scheming manipulator who preyed on lonely women, and there was no telling what he’d do next.
“I don’t know how much more of this I can take. He’s been calling and texting me nonstop, and I’m sick of it. I’m so stressed-out, I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
A cold wind whipped through the kitchen, and a shiver zipped down Sharleen’s spine. The situation was worse than she’d thought. She had to act; she had to do something, but what? Should I confront Brad with what I know or go straight to Mrs. Fontaine? The answer eluded her, and the more she thought about it, the more confused she was.
“I still can’t believe this is happening. I played right into his hands...”
To comfort her, Sharleen rubbed her shoulders. Watching Jocelyn, seeing the anguished expression on her face, brought tears to her eyes. In all the years they’d been friends, she’d never seen her like this. Never, not once, not even when her fiancé broke things off last year. “This is wrong. We can’t let Brad get away with this.”
Jocelyn kept her head down, didn’t look at her or respond.
“We have to go to Mrs. Fontaine and tell her what happened.”
“I already did. She didn’t believe me.”
“What?” exploded out of her mouth in a deafening shout. “Why not?”
“Because Brad met with her first and accused me of propositioning him at work.”
Sharleen gasped. “He didn’t!”
“Mrs. Fontaine fired me, and when I turned in my keys, she said if I try and contact any of my clients, she’ll sue me for breach of contract. Can she do that?”
“Yes, unfortunately, she can.”
Jocelyn sniffed and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her bathrobe. “This couldn’t have happened at a worse time. I just signed Zoe Archer-Ross—”
“The actress? I didn’t know you were working with her.”
“I was hired to be her sober coach,” she explained. “I balked when her agent first contacted me, but when he told me the studio would triple my hourly rate, I said hell yeah.”
“Twelve hundred dollars a day is fantastic money. You’d be a fool to turn that down.”
“I was planning to use that money to pay off my mom’s medical bills...” Her face crumpled, and tears spilled down her cheeks. “What am I going to do? She’s counting on me.”
Sharleen took Jocelyn in her arms and held her tight. She hated to see her cry, and her own eyes teared up as she listened to Jocelyn sob. She felt defeated, as helpless as a child, but she tried to speak with confidence. “Don’t worry,” she said calmly. “Everything will be fine. I promise.”
“How? Brad’s crazy, and Mrs. Fontaine turned her back on me.”
“We’ll get through this together.” Sharleen didn’t recognize her own voice and feared she was going to break down, too. Pulling herself together, she cleared her throat and forced a smile. “I love you, but if you don’t quit drooling on my Versace blouse I’m out of here!”
Jocelyn laughed through her tears. “Sorry about that.”
“No worries. You can buy me another one when you get a fabulous new coaching gig.”
“Do you think I’ll get hired on at another agency?”
“I don’t think. I know,” she said, with a fervent nod. “You’re an amazing life coach and a savvy businesswoman. It’s just a matter of time before you get another job. I’m sure of it.”
Pride filled Jocelyn’s eyes. “I’m going to go take a shower and get dressed.”
Sharleen plugged her nose with one hand and waved the other in front of her face. “Good idea, girlfriend. You stink!”
Wearing a bashful smile, Jocelyn stood and shuffled down the hallway.
Brad messed with the wrong woman, and I’m going to make him pay! A plan began to formulate in her mind. Sharleen knew what she had to do. She had to get the VP job. It was the answer to her problems, the only way to get rid of Brad “The Snake” McClendon once and for all.
Sharleen envisioned herself signing her new employment contract, moving into the large corner office with the cushy furniture and showing her arch nemesis to the door. The image heartened her, made her more determined than ever to beat Brad at his own game. Because once she was vice president of Pathways Center, she was going to find a way to get rid of Brad and rehire Jocelyn. For the first time since arriving at the house, Sharleen felt as if everything was going to be okay.