Read Online Hotshot by Julie Garwood - Free Book Online Page A

tacos at my place.”
    ______
    Peyton hated going outside, especially in the evening. No matter how many layers she wore, she still froze. The temperature had already dropped well below zero, and the wind chill was so brutal it made her bones feel brittle. The heater in her car didn’t start blowing warm air until she was pulling up to Mimi’s apartment building. Peyton felt as though her toes needed to be defrosted. She didn’t think she was ever going to get used to this kind of arctic cold.
    An hour later she and Lars and Mimi were sitting around a small coffee table in the tiny one-bedroom apartment, coming up with one outrageous plan after another to take Drew down a notch. Mimi and Lars drank beer, but Peyton, still chilled, sipped hot tea.
    “I can’t stay here,” Peyton said. “I’m going to quit, but I wish there was a way to let Randolph Swift and his son know what Drew has been doing. Tell me more about Randolph.”
    “He’s a good man,” Mimi said. “And he’s kind. He built this community. I know the area looks bleak and dreary now, but when it thaws, it’s a pretty place to live. Randolph cares about his employees.”
    Mimi took a drink of her beer and tilted the bottle toward Peyton. “If he ever comes back, you wouldn’t be able to get to him. There’s no way you’ll get past that gargoyle, Eileen.”
    Lars choked on his drink. “Gargoyle? I’ve never heard that one before.”
    “Eventually Randolph will find out what Drew’s doing,” Peyton said. “Someone will tell him. It’s only a matter of time.”
    “I agree, and I’m sure Eileen realizes it, too. But if Randolph retires, and Drew takes charge, it will be easier to handle the women who try to make trouble. Drew might be able to get away with his sick behavior for several more years.”
    “Someone needs to stop him,” Peyton countered.
    And get proof to take to Randolph Swift, she thought. But how?
    ______
    She had time to think about it because Drew was traveling with Eileen on what he called a buying trip and was going to be away from the office for ten days. Surely, in that time Peyton could think of something brilliant to do that would trap the letch. And if it didn’t work out, at least she’d know she had tried.
    It became routine to go to Mimi’s apartment after work with Lars. The three of them would take turns bringing in carryout or buying groceries to cook dinner. Mimi and Lars had become her confidants and her good friends. She was going to miss them when she left. She knew they were miserable and wished they could go with her, but what was the good in that? Then all three of them would be unemployed.
    The office was quiet during the days Drew was gone, but they went by quickly. He was due back the following Monday.
    Thursday night while Peyton was getting ready for bed, she came up with a plan of action. It was riddled with flaws, but she still thought she could pull it off. She had Friday to discuss it with Mimi and Lars, and the entire weekend to work out the details while she packed for her trip back to Texas. Monday, after meeting with Drew, she would get out of Dalton as fast as she could. Once she was finished wrecking his life, she doubted he would want her to give two weeks’ notice.
    Drew surprised her by coming home early. He was back Friday morning. He was in a foul mood and stayed sequestered in his office most of the day. He didn’t want interruptions and, more important to Peyton, he left her alone. She was just closing up to go home when she heard him through the door snarling at someone over the phone. His anger was palpable. She could hear his heavy breathing as he berated whomever he was talking to, and then she heard a loud noise, as though he had just thrown something into the wall. Peyton looked around the office. It was empty. Everyone had just left and she was the only one there. Fear raced down her spine, and her instincts told her to get out of there as soon as possible. If anything