Something to Prove Read Online Free Page A

getting into. My
     guess, you’re gone inside a week.”
    He had no idea how tenacious she could be. There was no way she was leaving until
     she’d accomplished her goals. She pulled out the checkbook and wrote his check.
    He snatched it from her hand, turned on his heel, and left.
    “Nice doing business with you,” she called after him. She dragged herself to the front
     door and locked up. Tomorrow would be a fresh start. Both of the men she had coming
     in were experienced bar managers. It had to be an improvement over Mitch.
    She looked back over the darkened room and wondered what she was doing. She’d made
     employment decisions for other jobs, but this felt different. Doing it on her own
     made the difference. She really had no backup here, and preventing Mitch from calling
     her brother was the deciding moment. She was going to do this.

    Early the next morning, her phone rang. Groggy, her blurry eyes attempted to focus
     on the screen. Dad. She’d known this call would come; she’d hoped it would’ve taken
     longer, though. She had to make a quick decision about what to tell him. She knew
     she wouldn’t be able to disappear without being noticed.
    “Hi, Dad.”
    “Hey, sweetheart. Where are you? I haven’t seen you for days, and I don’t remember
     sending you to a job.”
    “I’m in Chicago. I’m visiting with Janie. You remember her, don’t you? I was feeling
     burned out from all the work travel, so I decided to take a break.” It was only a
     partial lie. She was burned out; she really did want a break. Unfortunately, Dad never
     truly heard her desire to take over the company and stay at home. He was always more
     focused on her social life.
    “Oh. Why didn’t you say something?”
    “It was spur-of-the-moment.” She sat up and scrubbed her hand over her face and waited
     to be busted for that. Spontaneous wasn’t her style. Dad didn’t seem to notice her
     lapse.
    “When do you plan to come home?”
    “I’m not sure.” She knew what was coming next, and her stomach turned.
    “I have a new property I’m considering. If I get it, it’ll be ready for takeover within
     two months.”
    Two months? Too bad this wasn’t really a vacation. She didn’t want to head to another
     job, in another city. “Can’t Keith do this one?”
    She heard fumbling on the other end. She’d caught him off guard since she’d never
     turned down a job before, but she had a feeling about this bar. This project would
     surprise her father. She would prove that she had the ambition and initiative to take
     over his spot. She could be him.
    “Well, if that’s what you want. But you know I try not to send him out of town for
     too long. The kids miss him. It’s hard on a family.”
    She flopped back on her pillow. And there it was, the accusation beneath it all. Didn’t
     she know how hard it was on a family to have a dad who traveled? She’d lived it. It
     was hard on her nieces when Keith was gone, which was why Dad leaned toward giving
     the company to Keith. But she shouldn’t be knocked out of the running because she
     didn’t have a family.
    “We’ll see how it goes. If you get the property, send me a timeline.” She hesitated
     and then pushed forward. What was a little more truth stretching? “I’m actually looking
     into some options here myself.”
    “You are?” More shock.
    “Yeah. I’m pretty tired, Dad. I was out late and I’m an hour earlier than you.”
    “Sure, honey, go back to sleep.”
    “Give Mom my love. I’ll call you soon.” She turned over with the intention of getting
     more sleep, but her mind wouldn’t cooperate. She hated lying to her dad. That wasn’t
     the kind of relationship they had. She picked up the phone again and brushed her fingers
     over the buttons, but didn’t engage a call.
    No, she’d started this and she’d see it through. If she hadn’t made significant progress
     within a couple of weeks, she’d tell Dad the truth. All she had to do