Read Online Circle of Shadows by Edna Curry - Free Book Online

had agreed. “I’ll meet you there, in the
dining room.”
    Finally, the moving van arrived.
Two burly men were soon placing furniture and boxes of his possessions in their
proper rooms as Ken directed.
    ***
    Lili took a table near the
windows in the dining room of Landers’ House. She laid her portable phone
beside the red pebbled glass bowl holding a flickering candle and rested her
chin in her hand. A waitress appeared with a glass of water, menu, and a pot of
coffee.
    “The usual, Lili ? ” she inquired, softly.
    Lili glanced up. “Hi, Nell. No,
I’m waiting for Mr. Mills tonight. I’ll probably just have the salad bar, but
you’d better come back when he gets here . ”
    “Sure thing. I’ll watch for him.”
Nell poured Lili’s coffee and set the pot on the table.
    Lili sipped her coffee, keeping
an eye on the street for Ken’s silver Mercedes. She still hadn’t seen it when
she glanced up to see him crossing the dining room. He was dressed casually in
brown slacks and a soft beige sweater that she was sure was cashmere. A soft
gasp of appreciation for his broad shoulders and narrow hips curled in her
throat. Did the man have to be so damned attractive? Why couldn’t he have been
balding with a spare tire around his middle, so that her traitorous hormones
wouldn’t react to him this way?
    Every woman in the place turned
her eyes towards him as he strolled across the room and took the chair opposite
her. Lili swallowed nervously and glanced up to see an envious look on Nell’s
face as she hurried to serve them. Damn. Now she was going to have to put up
with gossip, in addition to everything else. Still, Lili felt pleased at the
idea of other women envying her.
    She and Ken greeted each other
and ordered under Nell’s watchful eyes. He nodded in agreement when Lili chose
the salad bar.
    “I’ll have the same. But let’s
have some meat off that smorgasbord too. I’ve been living on hamburgers for
days. And you could use a bit of fattening up.” His eyes raked over her.
    How dare he !
Heat rose in her face. “My weight is fine,” she began, then met his eyes, and
thought better of antagonizing her new boss. Forcing a smile, she added, “But
some chicken or fish would go nicely with my salad. . ”
    They filled their plates and ate,
chatting about the town, the restaurant, the coming tourist season, and the
house he’d bought on Long Lake and had already moved into. He told her he was
looking forward to trying out the fishing. She half listened, thinking if you
had enough money, you could make things happen with amazing speed. People
always moved heaven and earth to prioritize the wishes of the rich, she thought
bitterly.
    Lili glanced at her watch, noting
that half her dinner hour was gone, and Ken still had said nothing about
business.
    When the waitress had taken their
plates and brought a fresh pot of coffee, he leaned back and met her eyes.
    “Did you have time to look at
those sample reports that I left on your desk last night?”
    “Yes, thank you. They were
similar to others I’ve done.”
    “Good. Then doing some for your
store will be no problem?”
    She shook her head. “No, I’ll do
one the first of the week.”
    “Are you sure that’ll be enough
time? You seemed to be doing quite a housecleaning job in your office.”
    She flushed. “I’m afraid my
father left it rather unorganized. I’m almost finished putting it in order.”
    “Good. I’m sure you’ve done
reports on a computer?”
    “Yes, of course. I did
spreadsheets and reports on computer in St. Louis. But Dad never learned, so we
don’t have one.”
    “I’ve ordered one for you. The
whole setup should be delivered Monday or Tuesday,” he said, that watchful
expression still in his hazel eyes.
    “Just like that? Don’t I get any
say in what kind of computer I’d prefer, or what system I’m used to working
with?”
    His voice stayed calm and quiet, but
now it had a steely edge in response to her angry