Read Online Trust Me on This by Jennifer Crusie - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jennifer Crusie
Tags: Contemporary
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your energy for the weekend. And if you have to eat, it might as well be with—"
"You? No." Dennie disentangled her arm from his grasp. "Nothing personal, but if your aunt's not here, I've got to go back to the library. Thanks anyway."
"The library?" Alec followed her out the doors and into the street. "What are you doing at a library? Wait a minute."
"Alec, forget it." Dennie faced him, while people pushed past them. "You're a lot of fun, and you kiss very well, but I don't have time to toy with you now. I'm busy. Go play with somebody else."
Alec grabbed her arm as she turned away. "Dinner. If you're skipping lunch, you're going to need dinner. I’ll pay. I have—"
"I know. Plenty of money." Dennie frowned at him. "Will your aunt be there?"
"What is this with my aunt?" Alec frowned back at her.
"Will your aunt be there?" Dennie repeated with deliberate patience.
"Yes," Alec said. "If I have to drag her into the restaurant myself, my aunt will be there. I'll meet you at eight in the lobby. What do you say?"
"Fine. I would love to have dinner with you and your aunt . Now go away, I have to work" Dennie pulled her arm out of his grasp and turned down the street toward the university, and Alec watched her go.
She was going to a library? Alec turned the problem over in his mind. What the hell could there be in a library that would interest a con—?
Of course. His aunt was an academic, so Dennie would assume she'd published. She was looking up Aunt Vic's publications so she could dazzle her at dinner. Alec shook his head in admiration. Hell of a woman, that Dennie. It was almost a shame to arrest her. He turned back to the hotel to tell Harry there'd be two more at dinner. And if Dennie really was spending the afternoon at the library, that would give him time to ran some checks and set up the next day. Really, she was just playing into his hands.
Alec thought of Dennie in his hands and grew warm. It really was a shame she was a crook. Then he shoved that thought away, too, and went to lay the groundwork for arresting her.
On her way back through the lobby after a very productive afternoon at the library, Dennie was waylaid by Baxter, the manager, looking even more rabbity than usual.
"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," Dennie said, trying to duck by him.
"She said you watched her give a speech today," Baxter said, trailing her with a hopeless expression.
Dennie stopped. "It was a public speech. I sat in the back. I'm not allowed at a public speech?"
"I tried to point that out," Baxter said; clearly hoping one of the combatants would be on his side. "I asked if you tried to speak to her, and she said no but that wasn't the point." Now that he had Dennie's attention, he began to wax eloquent. "So then I said, 'But Mrs. Meredith, surely she's allowed in a public place,' and for some reason that seemed to make her angrier."
It was probably the "Mrs. Meredith ," Dennie told him silently. Reminders of marriage would have been ill-timed. Baxter, meanwhile, droned on. There must be people at home who loved him very much if he was used to being listened to when he talked like this. Dennie could picture the children gathered round, and his thin little wife holding the latest baby, and maybe Tiny Tim. There was something about Baxter that was really Dickensian in its futility.
"—So I told her I'd make sure you didn't get near her again this weekend," Baxter finished. "That's all right, isn't it? I mean, we agreed about the police and all, so I thought that would be all right with you. Isn't it?"
"Sure," Dennie said, sidling away again. "Listen, I have to go to dinner with some people who are not Janice Meredith, so I'm going now. Give my best to the family."
"What family?" Baxter said, but she'd already turned and was heading for the elevators. Baxter was the least of her troubles. She had to be intelligent and insightful for Victoria Prentice that night so Victoria would see that she was a serious writer and
"You? No." Dennie disentangled her arm from his grasp. "Nothing personal, but if your aunt's not here, I've got to go back to the library. Thanks anyway."
"The library?" Alec followed her out the doors and into the street. "What are you doing at a library? Wait a minute."
"Alec, forget it." Dennie faced him, while people pushed past them. "You're a lot of fun, and you kiss very well, but I don't have time to toy with you now. I'm busy. Go play with somebody else."
Alec grabbed her arm as she turned away. "Dinner. If you're skipping lunch, you're going to need dinner. I’ll pay. I have—"
"I know. Plenty of money." Dennie frowned at him. "Will your aunt be there?"
"What is this with my aunt?" Alec frowned back at her.
"Will your aunt be there?" Dennie repeated with deliberate patience.
"Yes," Alec said. "If I have to drag her into the restaurant myself, my aunt will be there. I'll meet you at eight in the lobby. What do you say?"
"Fine. I would love to have dinner with you and your aunt . Now go away, I have to work" Dennie pulled her arm out of his grasp and turned down the street toward the university, and Alec watched her go.
She was going to a library? Alec turned the problem over in his mind. What the hell could there be in a library that would interest a con—?
Of course. His aunt was an academic, so Dennie would assume she'd published. She was looking up Aunt Vic's publications so she could dazzle her at dinner. Alec shook his head in admiration. Hell of a woman, that Dennie. It was almost a shame to arrest her. He turned back to the hotel to tell Harry there'd be two more at dinner. And if Dennie really was spending the afternoon at the library, that would give him time to ran some checks and set up the next day. Really, she was just playing into his hands.
Alec thought of Dennie in his hands and grew warm. It really was a shame she was a crook. Then he shoved that thought away, too, and went to lay the groundwork for arresting her.
On her way back through the lobby after a very productive afternoon at the library, Dennie was waylaid by Baxter, the manager, looking even more rabbity than usual.
"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," Dennie said, trying to duck by him.
"She said you watched her give a speech today," Baxter said, trailing her with a hopeless expression.
Dennie stopped. "It was a public speech. I sat in the back. I'm not allowed at a public speech?"
"I tried to point that out," Baxter said; clearly hoping one of the combatants would be on his side. "I asked if you tried to speak to her, and she said no but that wasn't the point." Now that he had Dennie's attention, he began to wax eloquent. "So then I said, 'But Mrs. Meredith, surely she's allowed in a public place,' and for some reason that seemed to make her angrier."
It was probably the "Mrs. Meredith ," Dennie told him silently. Reminders of marriage would have been ill-timed. Baxter, meanwhile, droned on. There must be people at home who loved him very much if he was used to being listened to when he talked like this. Dennie could picture the children gathered round, and his thin little wife holding the latest baby, and maybe Tiny Tim. There was something about Baxter that was really Dickensian in its futility.
"—So I told her I'd make sure you didn't get near her again this weekend," Baxter finished. "That's all right, isn't it? I mean, we agreed about the police and all, so I thought that would be all right with you. Isn't it?"
"Sure," Dennie said, sidling away again. "Listen, I have to go to dinner with some people who are not Janice Meredith, so I'm going now. Give my best to the family."
"What family?" Baxter said, but she'd already turned and was heading for the elevators. Baxter was the least of her troubles. She had to be intelligent and insightful for Victoria Prentice that night so Victoria would see that she was a serious writer and
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