Foreign Éclairs

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Authors: Julie Hyzy
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they suspect Margaret was killed
because
she worked at the White House.” He lifted an eyebrow in an unspoken question.
    “Take it seriously, okay? Be careful. You and Brandy both have ties to the White House. If you think anything seems a little wonky, don’t hesitate to call for help.”
    “What aren’t you telling me?” he asked.
    I placed a finger to my lips. “You know the drill.”
    He frowned.
    “Just promise you’ll be extra vigilant, okay?” I asked.
    “You got it, Chief.”
    *   *   *
    When I returned to the kitchen after my second trip to Sargeant’s office that day, Bucky perked up. “How did it go?”
    I shook my head, sorry to disappoint him. “I didn’t think hiring a chef would prove this difficult,” I said. “Wait, let me rephrase that: I knew it would be impossible to replace Cyan, but I never thought we’d have such a hard time finding a qualified person to do the job.”
    “I thought our human resources team vetted all these candidates before setting up interviews.”
    “They did,” I said. “It’s not that these individuals aren’t accomplished, or that they aren’t capable of handling the job, it’s the personality quirks that won’t work here.”
    “Oh, come on. You’ve run this kitchen with amazing efficiency no matter who worked here. Even when dealing with the likes of Virgil.”
    “My point exactly,” I said as I donned a fresh apron. “We were all miserable with him around. There’s no way I will allow that kind of negativity in my kitchen again. I had such high hopes for this Audrey Lund, too.” About to scour the grill, I stopped and looked around. “Wow. Already done. You’ve been busy.”
    “Getting there,” he said as he sanitized the center worktop.
    “Looks like all that’s left is the sink,” I said, turning the faucet on. “I’ll take care of this.”
    “I understood your hesitations about that James Bond wannabe, but what was up with the woman you interviewed today?”
    “Where do I begin?” I asked with a laugh.
    “How about by telling your husband how much you’ve missed him?”
    I spun. Gav stood in the doorway. I took a second to shut off the flowing water, then wiped my hands on my apron. Before I could start toward him, he’d crossed the kitchen to wrap me in a hug.
    “I’ve missed you,” I said. “More than you know.”
    He pressed his face into the top of my head and made an indecipherable noise. “I needed to get back. To see for myself that you were safe.”
    “For the record, I’m safe, too, Agent Gavin,” Bucky called from across the room.
    Gav lifted his head, chuckling. “Sorry, Bucky. Good to see you.”
    As we parted, Bucky grinned. Waving the dish towel he was holding, he said, “Oh, please. Don’t let me interrupt the happy homecoming.”
    “When did you get back?” I asked.
    “Not long ago,” Gav said. “I stopped in to talk with Neville. He’s agreed to allow me to take over escort duties while I’m here.”
    “Makes it sound as though you expect to be called away any minute. Do you?”
    “Hard to say.” Gav shot a fleeting glance toward Bucky.
    My assistant waved the dish towel again. “Go,” he said. “You two have a lot of catching up to do, and you clearly can’t talk in front of me.”
    “Are you sure?” I asked.
    “I’ll finish up here, no worries.”
    “Thanks, Bucky. You’re the best.”
    “Yes, I am.” This time he shook the dish towel. “And don’t you forget it.”
    *   *   *
    I was surprised to see Gav’s car parked just beyond the Southwest Appointment Gate. “Not a government-issue vehicle today?” I asked.
    He smiled at me as he settled behind the steering wheel. “Nope.”
    “Can I surmise that you stopped back at the office and picked up all your personal belongings before you came to meet me?”
    “Surmise at will,” he said.
    He pulled out into traffic, and I didn’t even attempt to tamp down my good cheer. “Can I further surmise that this means

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