Read Online Tempted Again by Cathie Linz - Free Book Online Page B

“Here.”
    “No.” Connor refused to take the pages she handed him. “You don’t get to make up the list. That’s my job. I do that.”
    Marissa pointed to the paper. “See rule number one. It says I make up the list.”
    “That’s wrong.”
    “I suggest you direct your attention to rule number two. When you don’t agree with me, you may say so but not by stating I’m wrong or stupid or any other derogatory comments.”
    “Telling you that you’re wrong is not derogatory,” he said. “It’s simply a stating of fact.”
    “No, it’s not a fact. It’s merely your opinion.” Seeing the attention they were garnering, she said, “I suggestthat we continue this discussion in one of the empty conference rooms.”
    “How about your office?”
    “I don’t have an office. I have a small cubicle, where we can be overheard.” At times it felt more like a partitioned prairie dog enclosure where every so often people popped their heads up to see over the wall.
    “A conference room then.”
    As they entered the room, she realized it was in effect a glass fishbowl that provided little privacy aside from preventing them from being overheard because the door closed. Anyone walking by would see them talking.
    Which was okay. There was no problem with that. She had to get out of the mind-set she had from her time dating him in high school when her parents had warned her about the dangers of going out with a college boy.
    The warnings had started from her mother the instant Marissa turned thirteen. The idea had no appeal to her at that age. But when she’d first met Connor at the pizza place, she’d instantly felt the connection. A glance from him meant more that she could have imagined.
    She’d worked hard to keep their time together a secret from her friends and family. Even her co-workers didn’t realize that things had turned intimate with Connor. Marissa had really gotten into the whole secret rendezvous thing.
    But those days were long over and she needed to remind herself of that fact. “If this is going to work we need to pool our resources,” she told Connor in a very professional voice.
    “Or you could just step aside and let me do my work as I’ve been doing for several years now,” he suggested.
    “I’ve been working with at-risk kids for a number of years as well.”
    “Doing what? Telling them to read a book?”
    Anger crept into her voice. “You are so full of it! Why are you so threatened?”
    He stared at her in disbelief. “Me? Threatened? By you?”
    She nodded.
    “That’s funny. But I don’t have time for humor.”
    “Your sense of humor used to be one of your strong suits.”
    “That was a long time ago,” he said flatly.
    “I asked around. People still think you have a good sense of humor and a commonsense attitude.”
    “See? That’s what I’m saying. I have common sense.”
    “You just said you don’t have time for humor.”
    “I take this part of my job seriously.”
    “So do I.” She paused to give him an I’m-not-backing-down look. “That’s something we can agree on. We both take working with at-risk kids seriously.”
    “Yeah but our approaches are totally different.”
    “You believe in tough love “
    “I believe in showing them that the risks they take now have consequences. For example, they try huffing and they could die. The very first time. The kids don’t get the potential risks, including brain damage and death. Huffing is breathing fumes from household products to get high,” he added for her benefit.
    “I know what huffing is. One in five kids will abuse inhalants by the eighth grade. The library is working with local schools and high schools to educate students and parents about the signs and dangers of inhalant abuse.”
    “Great. You keep working on that and stay out of my way.”
    “I wish I could stay out of your way and that you’d stay out of mine. But we’re stuck here so we have to make do. Getting back to the rules, number three