Read Online Trouble In Spades by Heather Webber - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Heather Webber
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not in me to be a home wrecker. You're married, and I won't cross those lines."
"But Nina, I—"
I hung up before he said something to make me change my mind and question my morals.
Almost immediately the phone rang again. I sprinted to Tam's desk. "Don't answer it!"
Her hand inched toward the receiver.
"Don't!" I warned.
"You're being chicken," she said.
Another ring.
I grabbed Sassy off her desk. "If you answer that phone, Sassy's gonna be nothing but a stem," I said, holding a leaf between two fingers.
The phone rang again. Tam gasped. "You wouldn't!"
I tugged.
"No!" she shouted, eyes all wide. "Fine! I won't answer. Just put her down."
The phone kicked over to voice mail. "And if he calls again, you're going to say what?"
"You're busy," Tam mumbled, not taking her eyes off her prized African violet.
Carefully, I set Sassy back on the desk and backtracked into my office before Tam hole-punched me.
Back at my desk, I opened my bottom drawer and stared at the stack of Almond Joys. Robert had been sending me them once a week since the day I'd almost passed out in his office from hunger.
I plucked one out of the drawer, tore open the wrapper, and tried really hard to get Robert MacKenna off my mind. Work. I needed to focus on work.
Verona Frye wanted a mini. Leaning back in my chair, I could just imagine what she considered mini. I seriously needed to learn how to tell my baby sister no.
Part of me wanted to pawn this project off onto Deanna, an up and coming designer, but I had the feeling Maria wouldn't stand for anyone other than me doing the job. As I wondered how to get out of doing the mini, I doubleclicked to check my e-mail. It took a few minutes to delete spam. Served me right for not checking my mail for a few days.
One e-mail in particular caught my attention: [email protected] . It wasn't unusual for Nate to e-mail me. We'd been sending backyard plans back and forth for a while now.
This e-mail, however, had come in yesterday, which made me hurry to double-click it open.
First off, I checked the time: 8:45 a.m. My gaze then jumped to the text.
Nina, no time to explain—my boss is waiting for me.
I've messengered a package to you. Could you bring it
with you this afternoon when you meet Maria and me
at the house? Whatever you do, don't open it, and
don't tell Maria about it. Thanks much. Nate.
Two things struck me. One, that Nate had fully intended to meet with Maria and me yesterday. Second—I looked around my office—I hadn't received any package. I found Tam, clipboard in hand, pencil between her teeth, taking stock of the fridge in the lounge area.
There didn't seem to be any lingering hard feelings about Sassy as she looked up, removed the pencil. "There's a Mountain Dew missing."
I didn't even want to know how she knew that. "I bet he drinks Mountain Dew."
Oh. We were back to being paranoid about Leo Barker. "I drink it too, once in a while."
Her gaze narrowed. "Maybe, but I'd know if you drank it."
I didn't want to know how she'd know that either. I think maybe I was too predictable. "Tam," I said, "did I happen to get any packages yesterday? Something by messenger?"
"Lyle."
"Who's Lyle?"
"The messenger."
"Oh."
"Do you know what happened to the package Lyle brought?"
Her eyes widened. "With those men here yesterday, I forgot to give it to you. Then you left and I didn't want to leave it here overnight, because if it was special enough to be messengered, then well, it must be important, right? I didn't want Leo to put his sticky fingers on it." She stood up slowly, wobbled slightly. "Now look! Look what he's done! He's making me incompetent at my job!"
I'd never seen her so angry. It was the first time she hadn't sounded like Queen Elizabeth in the three years I'd known her. "Tam," I soothed. "It's okay. It's not important at all. Just something from Nate."
She walked over to her desk, rifled through her tote. "I forgot I had it."
Which said a lot. Tam
"But Nina, I—"
I hung up before he said something to make me change my mind and question my morals.
Almost immediately the phone rang again. I sprinted to Tam's desk. "Don't answer it!"
Her hand inched toward the receiver.
"Don't!" I warned.
"You're being chicken," she said.
Another ring.
I grabbed Sassy off her desk. "If you answer that phone, Sassy's gonna be nothing but a stem," I said, holding a leaf between two fingers.
The phone rang again. Tam gasped. "You wouldn't!"
I tugged.
"No!" she shouted, eyes all wide. "Fine! I won't answer. Just put her down."
The phone kicked over to voice mail. "And if he calls again, you're going to say what?"
"You're busy," Tam mumbled, not taking her eyes off her prized African violet.
Carefully, I set Sassy back on the desk and backtracked into my office before Tam hole-punched me.
Back at my desk, I opened my bottom drawer and stared at the stack of Almond Joys. Robert had been sending me them once a week since the day I'd almost passed out in his office from hunger.
I plucked one out of the drawer, tore open the wrapper, and tried really hard to get Robert MacKenna off my mind. Work. I needed to focus on work.
Verona Frye wanted a mini. Leaning back in my chair, I could just imagine what she considered mini. I seriously needed to learn how to tell my baby sister no.
Part of me wanted to pawn this project off onto Deanna, an up and coming designer, but I had the feeling Maria wouldn't stand for anyone other than me doing the job. As I wondered how to get out of doing the mini, I doubleclicked to check my e-mail. It took a few minutes to delete spam. Served me right for not checking my mail for a few days.
One e-mail in particular caught my attention: [email protected] . It wasn't unusual for Nate to e-mail me. We'd been sending backyard plans back and forth for a while now.
This e-mail, however, had come in yesterday, which made me hurry to double-click it open.
First off, I checked the time: 8:45 a.m. My gaze then jumped to the text.
Nina, no time to explain—my boss is waiting for me.
I've messengered a package to you. Could you bring it
with you this afternoon when you meet Maria and me
at the house? Whatever you do, don't open it, and
don't tell Maria about it. Thanks much. Nate.
Two things struck me. One, that Nate had fully intended to meet with Maria and me yesterday. Second—I looked around my office—I hadn't received any package. I found Tam, clipboard in hand, pencil between her teeth, taking stock of the fridge in the lounge area.
There didn't seem to be any lingering hard feelings about Sassy as she looked up, removed the pencil. "There's a Mountain Dew missing."
I didn't even want to know how she knew that. "I bet he drinks Mountain Dew."
Oh. We were back to being paranoid about Leo Barker. "I drink it too, once in a while."
Her gaze narrowed. "Maybe, but I'd know if you drank it."
I didn't want to know how she'd know that either. I think maybe I was too predictable. "Tam," I said, "did I happen to get any packages yesterday? Something by messenger?"
"Lyle."
"Who's Lyle?"
"The messenger."
"Oh."
"Do you know what happened to the package Lyle brought?"
Her eyes widened. "With those men here yesterday, I forgot to give it to you. Then you left and I didn't want to leave it here overnight, because if it was special enough to be messengered, then well, it must be important, right? I didn't want Leo to put his sticky fingers on it." She stood up slowly, wobbled slightly. "Now look! Look what he's done! He's making me incompetent at my job!"
I'd never seen her so angry. It was the first time she hadn't sounded like Queen Elizabeth in the three years I'd known her. "Tam," I soothed. "It's okay. It's not important at all. Just something from Nate."
She walked over to her desk, rifled through her tote. "I forgot I had it."
Which said a lot. Tam
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