Cora ignored the accusatory tone. “Does my sight change how you felt when you were getting a massage? When you were completely comfortable and talking about the job?”
“No.”
His feet shuffled against the wood floors and Cora kept her hand on the back of Heidi’s neck. “I asked Sophie not to tell you. I wanted to be interviewed and judged on my abilities and my professionalism, not my lack of sight.”
Because she’d come here to prove she could live alone, she could work and not worry about being judged or discriminated against by those who were supposed to support her the most. Why did her condition disturb so many, when she was the one who lived with it?
She was the one who’d been robbed of her sight, she was the one who’d had to rebuild her life, to rediscover who she was after the accident that ultimately led to a life-altering diagnosis. And damn it, she refused to let any obstacle stand in her way. Independence was hers, she just had to reach out and grab it.
There was a time when she’d been too afraid to grab hold of freedom—a time when she’d reach out and encounter only darkness. She’d had no idea what all she was losing until everyday activities became difficult.
With each passing day her world had grown dimmer and dimmer. She waited for the anxiety, the panic attacks, but they never came. What consumed her had been so much worse. There was an emptiness she couldn’t even put into words. There were places she wanted to see in this world, but once the diagnosis hit, her family started to withdraw and Cora feared traveling alone.
“I don’t like being manipulated,” he told her, pulling her back into the moment. Why did his tone have to be so low, so sexy? And why were her hands still tingling? She’d given countless massages, many of them for men, but there was something about Braxton’s taut muscle tone beneath her fingertips that would have them zinging for days.
Focus. No zinging.
“I don’t manipulate people,” she defended with a tilt of her chin. “But I also wanted a fair shot at this position.”
The air shifted as Braxton moved. Material slid together in a smooth, quick motion. She pictured him crossing his arms over what she knew was a broad chest. Her heart beat so fast, she had to force herself to take deep, calming breaths. She couldn’t let this opportunity pass her by. She needed this position and the women’s resort sounded absolutely amazing. Financially she didn’t need this at all, but for her sanity, for the life she wanted to have, she wanted this job and she wasn’t letting it slip from her hands.
Cora wasn’t going to hide behind her lack of sight, wasn’t going to use it as a crutch to have people help her through life. Even when she’d been at her lowest point, she’d fought to get back that independence. She’d come so far, and she had no intention of slowing down.
She literally had all the money she could ever want, had a multimillion-dollar company at her disposal . . . but it came with a price, and Cora had to at least try being on her own before deciding what to do with the rest of her life. She wanted—no, needed—to stand on her own two feet, and she damn well would or she’d go down fighting.
“If you need to think about it, or discuss it with your brothers—”
“How would you get to work?” he asked, cutting her off.
Cora pursed her lips. She’d thought of that when first approached by Sophie for the potential job. “If you give me the job, I’ll find a way. I know I’m only a couple miles away.”
Silence filled the room once again. Braxton wasn’t moving, she could barely hear him breathing, but tension filled the room. Cora slid her hand down Heidi’s back, taking comfort in her best friend . . . the only being she’d been able to depend on the past three years.
At first Cora had wondered how much a dog could help, but she and Heidi clicked instantly. Cora recalled that moment when she didn’t feel so alone. When just the slightest brush of fur reminded her she had a companion who understood and maybe, just maybe, they would get through this together.
“You’ll need to see the resort first,” he stated, then muttered a curse and shifted again. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
Story of her life. Everyone was sorry, which only made her angry. Why was everyone sorry? Had they caused the condition her doctors had overlooked for years? A condition her parents were still in denial about. There was nothing to be sorry about. Her condition was something she’d learned to live with, was still learning to live with. Adjustments came every day, but in the three years since she’d lost her sight, she’d become a stronger woman. Just because life threw her a major curveball, didn’t mean she would give up on what she wanted, on what would make her happy.
“Please, from here on out, don’t apologize. Don’t try to watch your words, don’t try to coddle me. I would love to see the house because I can see wi
thout my eyes.”
“I’m sorry . . . what?”
Cora smiled. Typical reaction from a stranger, and just one more way she could show him that she was not some blind woman who planned to sit on the sidelines and have life pass her by. Yes, she’d had to make some major adjustments, and in the beginning it was easier to feel sorry for herself. But Cora wasn’t going to live her life engulfed in self-pity, and she sure as hell didn’t want pity from anyone else, either.
“You’d be surprised how much your other senses are heightened when one of them is taken away.” Nerves swirled around in her belly, but she pushed forward. She couldn’t afford to be nervous now. Strength, independence, and strong will were her new best friends. “I’m guessing you’re about six-three. You either work out quite a bit or you’re into manual labor. You’re nervous since you found out I am blind because you’re shifting more now than you did before.”
His soft laugh slid all over her. “When you were rubbing on me I was relaxed.”
That gravelly voice shouldn’t make her body have such a severe response . . . but it did. “Well, I’m not rubbing anymore, and you’ll just have to adjust,” she retorted. “So. When do I get the tour of this new resort?”
Because backing down wasn’t an option. She was good at her job, and that coveted independence was within her reach. Her parents doubted her, her pseudo-fiancé doubted her. The only person with faith in Cora was Cora.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. This afternoon I’m meeting with an inspector to go over all the wiring in the guest cottages.”
Shocked he’d just volunteered to be her chauffeur, she concentrated on what else he was saying. “Guest cottages?”