while Siree couldn’t spare the time from work to meet her mother’s need. Stuffing papers into her attaché, she now understood how emotionally torn her mother must have felt when she had to choose work over her daughter.
Just then her mother came down the stairs into the vestibule of her two-story condo. Overlooking Coal Harbor and Stanley Park, its huge windows offered prime views of the city. Sharon glanced at her watch. Her brows pulled together.
“It’s barely six thirty a.m. Are you leaving already, darling?” Sharon pressed a kiss to her daughter’s cheek and tucked a spill of golden hair back behind Siree’s ear. “I hoped we could eat breakfast together.”
“Would you settle for a quick café au lait?” Siree remembered too well the many times she’d wanted breakfast with her mother, and some embassy duty had kept Sharon from joining her. “I should have time before Janice arrives.”
“Lovely, darling.” Sharon led the way into the kitchen and put milk into the microwave to heat while she turned on the espresso machine to make it European style. “I can’t help but conclude you’re working too hard, Siree. You’ve lost weight and have shadows under your eyes. Is it possible to cut back a little?” Concern rather than censure colored her voice. “I’ve seen enough bodyguards in my day not to recognize that Janice is one. It seems Tyrus and Jake placed you into a dangerous situation.”
Sharon had met Jake, inviting him to a dinner party at her home, at Siree’s request. The large group gave them an opportunity to hide in the open, while she reported her first findings, slim pickings indeed. He had taken the initiative to approach Sharon about acting as go between for Gribbs to reach Siree. When her mother understood the convoluted process kept the press from discovering Siree she replied with a no-nonsense, “Of course.”
“The threat is minimal, Mom. Jake just wants to cover all the bases. I’m sorry I’m causing you concern and can’t spend more time with you, but I’m in a real time crunch and needed results yesterday.” She jabbed the loose strand of hair back behind her ear.
Jake had let Sharon know Siree’s new position as software designer for JDI hid a greater responsibility and Sharon, a shrewd player on the world stage and fully informed on what her daughter’s work entailed, had probably guessed a lot more than she let on. She gave her daughter just what she needed, a change of subject.
“By the way, honey, Ty phoned to say he’s flying in tomorrow. I asked him to stay with us. I hope that won’t cause you any problems?”
“Uncle Ty. Wonderful.” She took her first deep breath in days. Just running things past Ty had helped her see the patterns in the past. Something about this job kept her so tense she seemed to have lost her gift.
“Can you use his visit to get Jake over?” she asked her mother.
She found the constant need to report to him highly stressful, never certain if Gribb’s plan would work, or she’d find herself surrounded by the paparazzi. So far she’d stepped into the back seat of a nondescript town car and been whizzed around the block while she told him she’d found nothing. She’d met up with him at the information counter of the Vancouver airport, stopped to speak to him, as instructed, at an industry luncheon, and actually had one ordinary meeting in his office at headquarters. Each occasion had three things in common: the media hovered on the periphery, his security team hovered a little closer, and she had no leads to report. The role of Mata Hari lacked glamor, she’d concluded. Not finding the answer he needed caused her even more stress. Thus reminded, she took a last sip of her coffee and pushed back from the counter. Her mobile pinged. She read the text. “I’ve got to run, Mom, Janice is on her way up. I’ll plan to be in for dinner tomorrow when Ty arrives.”
“Lovely, darling, and I’ll check his plans and
Just then her mother came down the stairs into the vestibule of her two-story condo. Overlooking Coal Harbor and Stanley Park, its huge windows offered prime views of the city. Sharon glanced at her watch. Her brows pulled together.
“It’s barely six thirty a.m. Are you leaving already, darling?” Sharon pressed a kiss to her daughter’s cheek and tucked a spill of golden hair back behind Siree’s ear. “I hoped we could eat breakfast together.”
“Would you settle for a quick café au lait?” Siree remembered too well the many times she’d wanted breakfast with her mother, and some embassy duty had kept Sharon from joining her. “I should have time before Janice arrives.”
“Lovely, darling.” Sharon led the way into the kitchen and put milk into the microwave to heat while she turned on the espresso machine to make it European style. “I can’t help but conclude you’re working too hard, Siree. You’ve lost weight and have shadows under your eyes. Is it possible to cut back a little?” Concern rather than censure colored her voice. “I’ve seen enough bodyguards in my day not to recognize that Janice is one. It seems Tyrus and Jake placed you into a dangerous situation.”
Sharon had met Jake, inviting him to a dinner party at her home, at Siree’s request. The large group gave them an opportunity to hide in the open, while she reported her first findings, slim pickings indeed. He had taken the initiative to approach Sharon about acting as go between for Gribbs to reach Siree. When her mother understood the convoluted process kept the press from discovering Siree she replied with a no-nonsense, “Of course.”
“The threat is minimal, Mom. Jake just wants to cover all the bases. I’m sorry I’m causing you concern and can’t spend more time with you, but I’m in a real time crunch and needed results yesterday.” She jabbed the loose strand of hair back behind her ear.
Jake had let Sharon know Siree’s new position as software designer for JDI hid a greater responsibility and Sharon, a shrewd player on the world stage and fully informed on what her daughter’s work entailed, had probably guessed a lot more than she let on. She gave her daughter just what she needed, a change of subject.
“By the way, honey, Ty phoned to say he’s flying in tomorrow. I asked him to stay with us. I hope that won’t cause you any problems?”
“Uncle Ty. Wonderful.” She took her first deep breath in days. Just running things past Ty had helped her see the patterns in the past. Something about this job kept her so tense she seemed to have lost her gift.
“Can you use his visit to get Jake over?” she asked her mother.
She found the constant need to report to him highly stressful, never certain if Gribb’s plan would work, or she’d find herself surrounded by the paparazzi. So far she’d stepped into the back seat of a nondescript town car and been whizzed around the block while she told him she’d found nothing. She’d met up with him at the information counter of the Vancouver airport, stopped to speak to him, as instructed, at an industry luncheon, and actually had one ordinary meeting in his office at headquarters. Each occasion had three things in common: the media hovered on the periphery, his security team hovered a little closer, and she had no leads to report. The role of Mata Hari lacked glamor, she’d concluded. Not finding the answer he needed caused her even more stress. Thus reminded, she took a last sip of her coffee and pushed back from the counter. Her mobile pinged. She read the text. “I’ve got to run, Mom, Janice is on her way up. I’ll plan to be in for dinner tomorrow when Ty arrives.”
“Lovely, darling, and I’ll check his plans and
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