After convincing David to hand over the keys to an automobile worth nearly fifty thousand pounds, she hadn’t even changed her clothes when she climbed into the Ferrari. Wearing jeans, trainers, a loose-fitting vest, and a faded blue cloth jacket, Joanna had gotten behind the wheel, and after David quickly installed a portable GPS unit, she left The Oaks in search of the only friend she thought could help her out of the predicament she found herself in. Now, the only person who stood between her and Fran was a needle-nosed man who apparently liked to judge books by their covers. The only problem was Joanna’s cover had a name on it...and it was engraved in gold.

“I think I’m about to prove you wrong,” Joanna said with a grin.

Kenneth rocked back in his chair. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Joanna said, placing her hands on the desk. “That is unless you want to tell Fran why you kept Joanna Kane waiting.”

It had only taken a second for the name to register, but it was the longest second of Kenneth’s life. Unable to bring himself to look Joanna in the eye, he cleared his throat and picked up the phone. “Yes, sorry to disturb you, Miss Neary, but there’s a...a Joanna Kane out here to see you.”

A moment later, the door leading to Fran’s office flew open. “Joanna!” Fran said, striding across the room. “What in the world are you doing here?”

Before Joanna could answer, Fran took her by the elbow and guided her into her office, closing the door before saying another word. “Now, what’s this all about?”

“I need your help.”

“My help? With what?”

“I need some new clothes.”

Fran leaned her head to the side as she stared at Joanna. “You need some new clothes?”

“Yes, but I have two problems, and I was hoping you could help me out with them.”

“Okay, I’ll certainly try. What are they?”

Joanna lowered her eyes, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “Well, I know you’re a busy woman and maybe...um...well, maybe you’re not the person I should be speaking to, but trying to talk to Addison is like trying to talk to a wall, and I doubt Evelyn would know anything about—”

“Joanna, you’re rambling,” Fran said. “Now please, just say it. I’m sure whatever it is won’t be a problem.”

“Well, like I said, I need some new clothes, but I’m not sure how I’m supposed to pay for them.”

“How to pay—” Fran’s mouth snapped shut. Stomping over to her desk, she picked up the phone. “You know that woman really gets on my nerves at times,” she said, punching in a number.

“What?” Joanna asked.

Fran held up her finger hearing the call go through. “Hi Millie, it’s Fran.”