Read Online QUEENIE BABY: On Assignment by Christina A. Burke - Free Book Online
Authors: Christina A. Burke
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Pyres?”
“He took me to lunch,” I said.
“Vegan lunch?” she asked.
“Yep. And he wants me to work on a special project paying double.”
“That sounds promising. What’s he want you to do?” she asked.
“Find him a soul mate online,” I replied.
“Good one, Diana,” she replied sleepily. “You had me going for a minute there.”
“I’ll give you the details when you’re less loopy,” I said.
We hung up just as I pulled up to my condo. No sign of police officers, firemen, or paramedics. That was a start. Mrs. Kester’s condo looked dark and deserted. I crept past quietly. In the hallway I detected an odor that smelled suspiciously like fried bacon. I opened my door and found Granddaddy happily munching on a sandwich. Max was sitting on the couch next to him eating a piece of bacon. My kitchen was trashed, but everything appeared to be intact.
“Hey, there Queenie Baby!” he said. “Join us for a bacon and cheese sandwich.” He patted the couch. Max looked at me and growled. He knew his bacon and couch moments were numbered.
“No thanks,” I said and shooed Max off the couch. “I need to take him for a walk before we head to Ashley’s.”
Granddaddy nodded in agreement. “I talked to your sister a while ago. She said to tell you Dan’s grillin’ tonight so yer welcome to stay to dinner. They got his friends over workin’ on her screened-in porch this afternoon.”
“We’ll see,” I said as I went off to change out of my work clothes. Dinner at my sister’s was not for the faint of heart. Three kids, a psychotic dog, and a redneck husband made for an interesting time on a regular day. Add a bunch of Budweiser drinking, tobacco chewing contractors and who knew what could happen.
C HAPTER S IX
THE RIDE TO Delaware was thankfully uneventful. Granddaddy was more quiet than usual, probably in anticipation of my sister’s wrath at his latest antics. The view from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was particularly beautiful in the late afternoon. We were a little ahead of the five o’clock rush hour, so the trip to my sister’s house west of Dover went smoothly. My thoughts turned again to Mark. Will I see him again? Probably. Do I even want to see him again? Definitely. I wondered how he was holding up at the staffing agency without Carol. I bet that was something to see. My phone rang. I clipped on my Bluetooth and answered.
“Diana?”
“Yes,” I said.
“This is Mark at Greene’s Staffing.”
My stomach fluttered. How did he do that to me? “Yes,” I said again.
“Look,” he said, “I know you’re not happy with me, but I need your help.” He sounded sincere enough.
“With what?” I asked.
Granddaddy leaned over. “If that’s yer sister tell her I want some deer tenderloin on the grill.”
I tried to cover the headset. “It’s not Ashley.”
“Who is it then?” he asked. I waved my hand at him to hush.
“I’m sorry, Mark. You were saying?”
Granddaddy cackled to himself, “Jes’ what I thought!”
“Shhh! No, I wasn’t speaking to you. I’m talking to Granddaddy,” I said.
“You sure spend a lot of time with your Granddaddy,” Mark said.
“I’m driving him home to Delaware right now.”
“I know it’s asking a lot, but since Carol is out with her back the rest of the week she suggested I call you to see if you could fill in during the mornings before you go to your assignment.” He sounded desperate. I’m pretty sure I heard cussing in the background.
It would be fun to torture him for a while, but I let him off the hook. “I’ll be there tomorrow at eight, but I have to leave by nine forty-five to be on time for Mr. Pyres.”
“Great! I’ll see you then. Thanks, Diana.” He sounded relieved.
We pulled up into my sister’s long gravel driveway. I think her husband put their double-wide so far back from the road so that he would have a reason to buy a snow plow attachment for his pickup. Dirt and
“He took me to lunch,” I said.
“Vegan lunch?” she asked.
“Yep. And he wants me to work on a special project paying double.”
“That sounds promising. What’s he want you to do?” she asked.
“Find him a soul mate online,” I replied.
“Good one, Diana,” she replied sleepily. “You had me going for a minute there.”
“I’ll give you the details when you’re less loopy,” I said.
We hung up just as I pulled up to my condo. No sign of police officers, firemen, or paramedics. That was a start. Mrs. Kester’s condo looked dark and deserted. I crept past quietly. In the hallway I detected an odor that smelled suspiciously like fried bacon. I opened my door and found Granddaddy happily munching on a sandwich. Max was sitting on the couch next to him eating a piece of bacon. My kitchen was trashed, but everything appeared to be intact.
“Hey, there Queenie Baby!” he said. “Join us for a bacon and cheese sandwich.” He patted the couch. Max looked at me and growled. He knew his bacon and couch moments were numbered.
“No thanks,” I said and shooed Max off the couch. “I need to take him for a walk before we head to Ashley’s.”
Granddaddy nodded in agreement. “I talked to your sister a while ago. She said to tell you Dan’s grillin’ tonight so yer welcome to stay to dinner. They got his friends over workin’ on her screened-in porch this afternoon.”
“We’ll see,” I said as I went off to change out of my work clothes. Dinner at my sister’s was not for the faint of heart. Three kids, a psychotic dog, and a redneck husband made for an interesting time on a regular day. Add a bunch of Budweiser drinking, tobacco chewing contractors and who knew what could happen.
C HAPTER S IX
THE RIDE TO Delaware was thankfully uneventful. Granddaddy was more quiet than usual, probably in anticipation of my sister’s wrath at his latest antics. The view from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was particularly beautiful in the late afternoon. We were a little ahead of the five o’clock rush hour, so the trip to my sister’s house west of Dover went smoothly. My thoughts turned again to Mark. Will I see him again? Probably. Do I even want to see him again? Definitely. I wondered how he was holding up at the staffing agency without Carol. I bet that was something to see. My phone rang. I clipped on my Bluetooth and answered.
“Diana?”
“Yes,” I said.
“This is Mark at Greene’s Staffing.”
My stomach fluttered. How did he do that to me? “Yes,” I said again.
“Look,” he said, “I know you’re not happy with me, but I need your help.” He sounded sincere enough.
“With what?” I asked.
Granddaddy leaned over. “If that’s yer sister tell her I want some deer tenderloin on the grill.”
I tried to cover the headset. “It’s not Ashley.”
“Who is it then?” he asked. I waved my hand at him to hush.
“I’m sorry, Mark. You were saying?”
Granddaddy cackled to himself, “Jes’ what I thought!”
“Shhh! No, I wasn’t speaking to you. I’m talking to Granddaddy,” I said.
“You sure spend a lot of time with your Granddaddy,” Mark said.
“I’m driving him home to Delaware right now.”
“I know it’s asking a lot, but since Carol is out with her back the rest of the week she suggested I call you to see if you could fill in during the mornings before you go to your assignment.” He sounded desperate. I’m pretty sure I heard cussing in the background.
It would be fun to torture him for a while, but I let him off the hook. “I’ll be there tomorrow at eight, but I have to leave by nine forty-five to be on time for Mr. Pyres.”
“Great! I’ll see you then. Thanks, Diana.” He sounded relieved.
We pulled up into my sister’s long gravel driveway. I think her husband put their double-wide so far back from the road so that he would have a reason to buy a snow plow attachment for his pickup. Dirt and
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