Read Online Murder in the Air by Ellen Hart - Free Book Online Page B

come to stay with her, even if his reasons had been simple expediency. He was a confused young man, in most ways a stranger to her, in need of a safe place to stay while he figured out what to do next. It had been a hard road back to each other, but they'd finally made it.
    Checking her watch with growing impatience, she saw that it was almost six. Bram had called around five to say he'd come across some important information he needed to discuss with her right away. He'd suggested that they meet at Manderbach's for a quick dinner. Sophie had tried to beg off, explaining that she had a ton of work to do before she could call it a night, but Bram had insisted, and reluctantly, she'd agreed. Since he was now half an hour late, she was beginning to regret her decision.
    Sophie did have to admit that she was curious about what this important information might be. Bram wouldn't discuss it on the phone. He relished life's little dramas, wherever he could find—or create—them. It could be just about anything. His afternoon radio show had become a kind of gossip central for all the hot dish in the Twin Cities. Callers phoned in from all over the state with tidbits of this and that newrumor. As a matter of fact,
The Bram Baldric Show
had been instrumental in breaking the Prostitution-gate scandal at the state legislature last year. All in all, Bram liked his status as the guru of Minnesota gossip. It certainly kept his radio show at the top of the ratings.
    By six-thirty, Sophie was completely out of patience. As she was about to call for the check, she saw Bram breeze through the front entrance and snake his way through the dark, oak-paneled room toward her. He approached the table with a harried look on his face, tossed his coat on an empty chair, and sat down with a sigh.
    “Sorry I'm late. The driving's getting nasty out there. I'll bet we got three inches of snow this afternoon. The roads are a mess.”
    “Five, according to the weather report.”
    “Really. Well, it's coming down again. And the wind's picked up.” He smoothed back his hair. “But I still look pretty as a picture, right?”
    Her smile was thin. “Right.”
    He eyed her a moment, then glanced down at the menu. “I meant that. Soph—about being sorry.”
    “I know. It's just … I'm really under the gun right now, Bram. This was kind of a bad night for me to go out to dinner.”
    “It's been a bad night for the past two months.”
    His frustration instantly put her on the defensive. “Look, you're the one who was an hour late. Why are you trying to make
me
feel guilty?”
    “Because I hardly see you anymore, Sophie. And I don't like it.”
    She lowered her head, knowing this was a no-win situation. If she didn't work extra hours at the hotel, she would end up making mistakes—maybe even big mistakes. But if she didn't back off from all her overtime, her marriage would suffer.
    Bram had made her a deal early in their relationship. His first marriage had ended because of all the hours he'd spent building his career in radio. He had no time for anything but work. Taking the job at WTWN had been a compromise, a wedding gift to Sophie. He wanted to put their relationship first. Sophiewas thrilled—it was what she wanted, too. Bram worked now for less money, but it was also less of a time commitment. He didn't want to make the same mistake twice.
    Sophie never dreamed that she would be the one swept up by a career move, and yet she couldn't exactly turn her back on the hotel, or give it over to some flunky to manage. She knew, given enough time and experience, that she was the best person for the job. Running the Maxfield Plaza was the most absorbing work she'd ever done. Bram would simply have to understand. He surely didn't doubt her love. And besides, all these extra hours wouldn't last forever. “Things will change, honey, I promise—just as soon as I get my feet on the ground. The more I learn about the hotel business, the more I realize how much I