The Perfect Proposal Read Free

of a new day had put an entirely new
perspective on Edward’s defection. After all, she’d planned to
sever the dead-end relationship herself. A small smile curled her
lips. Shallow though it may be, her only regret was that she hadn’t
beaten him to the punch.
    Just as quickly, her smile fell. Given the
state of her career, she didn’t have the time or the energy to be
thinking about Edward—or, for that matter, the handsome stranger
who’d driven her home.
    Besides, thinking about William’s impending
retirement only worsened her headache. Once her boss was no longer
at Hightower on a day-to-day basis, Annie knew she would miss him
terribly. He was more than a dear friend, he’d become her family
and she’d been under the impression that he’d felt the same way
about her. She really couldn’t think about that right now. It was
too depressing. She’d take the Scarlett O’Hara approach and think
about it tomorrow.
    Determined to salvage her Saturday, Annie
shoved her hair out of her eyes and wobbled to the bathroom.
Necessary business finished, she showered and tried to make herself
semi-presentable. She should have taken painkillers before combing
her hair, she decided, wincing with each rake of the brush. Good
grief, how much had she had to drink last night?
    Too much, obviously. Hair
secured in a clip and minimal makeup applied, Annie pulled on a
T-shirt, slipped into a pair of shorts, then went and retrieved the
paper. Coffee and paper in hand, she padded back to the living room
and curled into the recliner. She unfurled the Journal , flipped to the Lifestyle
section and…froze.
    It was her!
    And him!
    Them!
    The picture was grainy and
at a bad angle, particularly for her, Annie noted, scrutinizing it
more closely. Nevertheless, it was them. In the picture, the
striking man was helping her into his car. Vaguely she remembered
that. Her brow puckered. But why would anyone want a picture of
them? The thought had no sooner flitted through her mind when she
read the caption . Hightower Nabs a Southern
Belle.
    Hightower? Annie’s heart began to race. Her
palms slickened. Nausea welled in her throat and tickled her
tonsils. Mitch Hightower? The soon-to-be bane of her existence?
    “ Oh, no,” Annie groaned even
as a sickening wave of adrenaline pounded through her veins. She
simply couldn’t believe it. Was she ever going to have any good
luck? Of all the men who might have driven her home, she had to
climb into his car?
    Shock triggered another surge of panic. Heat
climbed her neck. This morning she’d fancied herself being saved by
a knight in shining armor, when in reality she’d let the devil
drive her home! And to top it off, he’d seen her naked! Oh, Lord,
what had she done? How could she have let something like this
happen? she wondered morosely.
    Annie felt like kicking herself. Were it
physically possible she might have tried. No wonder he’d looked
familiar. Though they’d never met, she’d seen enough pictures of
him—usually accompanied by a gorgeous model—in different celebrity
magazines that she should have recognized him. If she hadn’t had so
much to drink, she probably would have.
    Then a worse thought occurred to her. Annie
stilled. Mitch would tell William. He’d have to explain the picture
to his uncle. While it was true that Williams’ hearing had suffered
over the past year, his eyesight was still quite good. He’d
undoubtedly recognize her. Annie bit her bottom lip, worrying. Oh,
that was not good. Not good at all, she thought as all the possible
ramifications darted through her mind. A mental picture of her life
being flushed down a giant commode flashed through her frenzied
thoughts. A hysterical burst of laughter bubbled of her throat.
    Well, Annie thought, she couldn’t allow Mitch
to unwittingly sabotage her case before she’d even been given the
opportunity to present it. She wasn’t supposed to see William until
their customary Sunday dinner tomorrow, but this was an