His Uptown Girl by Gail Sattler

only hired you for the potential financial backing you carry with your name.”
    â€œThat’s not true.”
    â€œWhy else do you think they hired you? For your mechanical skills?”
    â€œYes!”
    Beside her, her father gasped. “Mechanical skills?”
    Tyler continued. “Didn’t you think a background check would turn up who you were?”
    â€œThey don’t have the money for a background check. They hired me because Bart knew the person I used as a reference on my résumé.”
    â€œThen they’re fools.”
    â€œThey’re not fools. They’re honest working men. And they trust people they associate with.” Georgette bit her tongue. She knew her argument would go nowhere with Tyler. Tyler trusted no one. For that matter, neither did her father.
    Her father held up his hand for silence. “What do you mean, mechanical skills? I spoke to Mr. Delanio. He said that Georgette was his administrative assistant.”
    Tyler spun around. “I don’t know what Mr. Delanio calls an administrative assistant. All she does that’s administrative is type up invoices for the repair work Mr. Delanio and his partner do. They’re mechanics. Nothing more.”
    â€œThat’s not true. I do more than that.”
    All the color drained from her father’s face. “You work for a couple of mechanics?”
    Tyler’s smirk returned. “She’s right there. She does do more than type up invoices. She’s also their spare mechanic.”
    â€œSpare mechanic?” her father sputtered, and then his face turned to stone. “Do you know what this looks like, my daughter accepting a job like that?” He buried his face in his hands. “My daughter is a mechanic. I’ll be a laughingstock.” He dropped his hands and glared at her. “How could you do this to me?”
    â€œI didn’t do anything to you. I did something for me for the first time in my life. No one has to know.”
    Her father waved one hand in the air, something he only did when he was very, very angry. “What were you thinking? Of course people will find out. Tyler found out.”
    Only because Tyler had been following her that day he first showed up at her job. His intent had been solely to curry favor with her father by relaying information about her. However, Tyler had discovered a better way to take advantage of his ill-found knowledge, much to her dismay. What she didn’t understand was why Tyler had suddenly decided to divulge what he knew.
    â€œTyler has asked for your hand in marriage, who knows why. Even after what he knows, he’ll still have you.”
    Her stomach sank like a rock. “Have me? That’s not what marriage is all about! I can’t marry Tyler.”
    â€œYes, you can. And you will. You have disgraced our family name and my reputation. If he’ll still have you, this is the only way to maintain my dignity.”
    â€œ Your dignity?” She pressed her palms over her heart. “What about me?”
    â€œYou have shamed me. This is no longer about you.”
    â€œIt’s very much about me. This isn’t the fifteenth century.”
    â€œReputation is more important than anything, particularly in business. You will do as I say. Fortunately people have seen you together often lately, so you can set a date quickly.”
    Georgette’s head spun. “I’m not marrying Tyler. I don’t love him.” She gritted her teeth. “I don’t even like him.” She turned and glared at Tyler. “We had a deal. You weren’t going to tell my father what you knew, and in exchange I did what you wanted me to do. I can’t believe I fell for it. People thought we were actually dating! I played right into your hands, didn’t I?”
    Tyler shrugged his shoulders. “This is really for your own good, Georgette. You can’t believe that you have a future being a