Read Online Her Man Friday by Elizabeth Bevarly - Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Bevarly
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Contemporary, Mystery & Detective, Man-Woman Relationships, Love Stories, Authors; American, Romance fiction, Embezzlement, Women Authors; American
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reaction.
For a moment, he didn't think she'd heard him, then she jerked her head up and looked at him. "What? Oh. No, no, there's no problem at all." Her face cleared then of its clouds, and she smiled, but somehow the gesture seemed forced. "I'm just trying to remember if we have any maraschino cherries, that's all."
Somehow, Leo doubted that was really what was on her mind at the moment. After all, what kind of self-respecting billionaire would run out of maraschino cherries? It was unheard of. No, he'd wager that Miss Rigby's apprehension came from something else entirely, something that had nothing to do with sangria.
"Can I—" he began.
"Have a cookie? Why certainly, Mr. Freiberger," she cut him off. She circled the desk again and reached for the plate where someone had artfully arranged a half-dozen different varieties of baked goods. "Mrs. Kaiser is particularly proud of her springerlies," she said as she extended the plate toward Leo. "I'm sure you'll love them."
Hoo-kay, he thought. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she wanted to change the subject. And speaking of geniuses, that reminded him of something he wanted to ask her about.
"So what's the deal with Mr. Kimball's sister and IQs?" he asked as he closed the program housing the billionaire's sangria recipe and reached for a cookie.
Miss Rigby chuckled. "You've met Janey, then, have you?"
He nodded. "A little while ago. She gave me a spelling test."
The secretary perched herself on the edge of Kimball's desk, a posture that resulted in the hem of her already short skirt shrinking even more. Somehow, he suspected the gesture was deliberate, that by revealing a little extra thigh, Miss Rigby was hoping she might make him forget all about her odd reaction to the sangria recipe.
As far as Leo was concerned, she succeeded. Really, really well.
"Did you pass the exam?" she asked.
"Of course," he told her, reaching for his coffee again, but keeping his gaze trained on the smooth skin of her thigh. Wow.
"Janey suffers from second child syndrome," Miss Rigby said after sipping her tea. "And when the first child is someone like Schuyler, well… Needless to say, Janey was somewhat overlooked in her youth. Not only was Schuyler a hellion, but her IQ, you see, is terribly,
terribly
, just above average, something that didn't alarm her teachers or her mother into taking drastic measures with her."
"And what's so terrible,
terrible
, about being just above average?" Leo asked. Frankly, there had been times when he was growing up that he would just as soon have been terribly, terribly just above average himself. It would have made things a hell of a lot simpler. For everybody.
"Absolutely nothing," the secretary said, reaching for a cookie that was—somehow he contained his shudder of disgust—pink. "But Janey seems to feel diminished by it. She's the only one in the family who doesn't rank genius, and it bothers her enormously. Even Schuyler's mother, for all her… eccentricities—"
"Eccentricities?" he interjected. "What kind of eccentricities?" This ought to be good.
Miss Rigby sipped her tea. "Well, for example, right now, Miranda is in her room having tea, too, except that her companion is much less, um… substantial than my own tea companion is."
"Substantial?" Leo asked curiously, not certain he liked the sound of that.
But Miss Rigby only nodded without elaboration.
"As in… skinny?" he asked.
This time she shook her head. "As in… not there."
"Not there?"
She sighed fitfully. "Well, all right, if you must know, she's having her tea with Hedy Lamar."
"Oh."
"At any rate," Miss Rigby hurried on, "in spite of that, Miranda Kimball is, in fact, a card-carrying member of Mensa. Mensa just doesn't like to advertise the fact, that's all."
Leo nodded, but his thoughts circled back to Janey Kimball instead of her mother. His own brothers had certainly used his accelerated IQ as an excuse to beat the hell out of him on more than one
For a moment, he didn't think she'd heard him, then she jerked her head up and looked at him. "What? Oh. No, no, there's no problem at all." Her face cleared then of its clouds, and she smiled, but somehow the gesture seemed forced. "I'm just trying to remember if we have any maraschino cherries, that's all."
Somehow, Leo doubted that was really what was on her mind at the moment. After all, what kind of self-respecting billionaire would run out of maraschino cherries? It was unheard of. No, he'd wager that Miss Rigby's apprehension came from something else entirely, something that had nothing to do with sangria.
"Can I—" he began.
"Have a cookie? Why certainly, Mr. Freiberger," she cut him off. She circled the desk again and reached for the plate where someone had artfully arranged a half-dozen different varieties of baked goods. "Mrs. Kaiser is particularly proud of her springerlies," she said as she extended the plate toward Leo. "I'm sure you'll love them."
Hoo-kay, he thought. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she wanted to change the subject. And speaking of geniuses, that reminded him of something he wanted to ask her about.
"So what's the deal with Mr. Kimball's sister and IQs?" he asked as he closed the program housing the billionaire's sangria recipe and reached for a cookie.
Miss Rigby chuckled. "You've met Janey, then, have you?"
He nodded. "A little while ago. She gave me a spelling test."
The secretary perched herself on the edge of Kimball's desk, a posture that resulted in the hem of her already short skirt shrinking even more. Somehow, he suspected the gesture was deliberate, that by revealing a little extra thigh, Miss Rigby was hoping she might make him forget all about her odd reaction to the sangria recipe.
As far as Leo was concerned, she succeeded. Really, really well.
"Did you pass the exam?" she asked.
"Of course," he told her, reaching for his coffee again, but keeping his gaze trained on the smooth skin of her thigh. Wow.
"Janey suffers from second child syndrome," Miss Rigby said after sipping her tea. "And when the first child is someone like Schuyler, well… Needless to say, Janey was somewhat overlooked in her youth. Not only was Schuyler a hellion, but her IQ, you see, is terribly,
terribly
, just above average, something that didn't alarm her teachers or her mother into taking drastic measures with her."
"And what's so terrible,
terrible
, about being just above average?" Leo asked. Frankly, there had been times when he was growing up that he would just as soon have been terribly, terribly just above average himself. It would have made things a hell of a lot simpler. For everybody.
"Absolutely nothing," the secretary said, reaching for a cookie that was—somehow he contained his shudder of disgust—pink. "But Janey seems to feel diminished by it. She's the only one in the family who doesn't rank genius, and it bothers her enormously. Even Schuyler's mother, for all her… eccentricities—"
"Eccentricities?" he interjected. "What kind of eccentricities?" This ought to be good.
Miss Rigby sipped her tea. "Well, for example, right now, Miranda is in her room having tea, too, except that her companion is much less, um… substantial than my own tea companion is."
"Substantial?" Leo asked curiously, not certain he liked the sound of that.
But Miss Rigby only nodded without elaboration.
"As in… skinny?" he asked.
This time she shook her head. "As in… not there."
"Not there?"
She sighed fitfully. "Well, all right, if you must know, she's having her tea with Hedy Lamar."
"Oh."
"At any rate," Miss Rigby hurried on, "in spite of that, Miranda Kimball is, in fact, a card-carrying member of Mensa. Mensa just doesn't like to advertise the fact, that's all."
Leo nodded, but his thoughts circled back to Janey Kimball instead of her mother. His own brothers had certainly used his accelerated IQ as an excuse to beat the hell out of him on more than one
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