Worth the Challenge Read Online Free PDF

jumped in her stomach, making it hard for her to get the words out. How would he react? What might he say? Would he be pleased or angry?
    “Well, go on and tell me then. I assume it is much good news, no?”
    “It is, at least to me.” She took a deep breath before blurting, “Worth Luxury has offered me a position.”
    “A position as what? What do they want you to do?” He was, as usual, completely oblivious.
    Or completely self-absorbed. She could take her pick.
    “They want me to work as their in-house perfumer. It’s temporary, you see. They want to ensure I have what it takes to create their new fragrance, and I don’t blame them for the trial basis. But isn’t it wonderful, the opportunity they’re giving me? I’ll start right away. Rhett Worth seemed most eager to have me.” She was babbling, she sounded like a fool, but she couldn’t help it. The opportunity was exciting. The best she’d ever had.
    Silence greeted her, went on for so long she thought they’d been disconnected. But then she heard the song of a bird in the background, faint and sweet. She could imagine her father standing in the midst of his garden, the sun warming his balding head, the bees swarming around him in search of pollen.
    “They can’t have me so they take you instead, eh?” he finally asked, his voice gruff. He didn’t sound pleased.
    And his words hurt. Disappointment washed over her. No matter how much she’d told herself his opinion didn’t matter…
    It did. Tremendously.
    “Like I mentioned, Rhett Worth seemed excited to hire me.” She hadn’t spoken with any of the other Worth brothers and now that she thought of it, it did seem odd. Shouldn’t they all come together when making such an important decision?
    “Rhett Worth has something to prove. I am not as unobservant as I appear, you know. I understand the machinations of Worth Luxury somewhat. I keep up on news in the industry and I remember their father. That youngest Worth brother will do whatever it takes to look as responsible as his big brothers. This opportunity has been handed to him, much like yours has been handed to you.”
    Her heart sunk into her stomach. Were Rhett’s motives pure desperation? Was she fooling herself into thinking this could really happen? The terms for employment were only for a measly six months. She could sink her everything into this project only to have them reject her after one hundred and eighty days.
    But it was a chance she was more than willing to take.
    “I will prove to him I am more than capable of the job,” she said firmly, not about to let her father bring her down. He didn’t mean to, after all. He’d always encouraged her, pushed her into the career that had made him a well-known and respected name in the fashion and beauty industry.
    He was the one who brought on his own fall from grace. If he would only work again, earn back the respect and a little money, then maybe she wouldn’t feel so desperate, so worried all the time…
    “And I am sure you will impress him.” She heard the smile in his voice, the song of the birds again in the background. His moods turned and twisted with the breeze. She could never be sure how he might feel or react from one moment to the next.
    It was a delicate balance, talking to her father, spending time with him, even after all these years. She hadn’t moved out of his home for fear of disappointing him. Plus, he could be scatterbrained. He rarely locked the doors to the house and tended to wander off, only to reappear a few hours later, always seemingly happy, always smiling.
    While she paced the house, worried out of her mind thinking something awful had happened to him.
    Guilt assuaged her. She shouldn’t leave him. He needed her. What if something happened? She’d never forgive herself.
    But she wasn’t a child anymore. She needed to live her own life, branch out and pursue her career. She couldn’t take care of her father forever…
    “I will impress him.