another five degrees. Which had nothing to do with the ridiculously masculine pheromones Ethan was giving off, and everything to do with the fact that after a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest, Toni still hadn’t become acclimated to the Bay Area’s sun-drenched summers.
She refused to acknowledge the low hum of the air conditioner and the fact that it kept the house at roughly sixty-five degrees.
A trickle of sweat rolled down Toni’s neck, and she shifted uncomfortably, careful to keep herself from erasing the millimeter of air Ethan had left between them. Hadn’t the guy ever heard of personal space?
His breath wafted over her ear as he read Kara’s posting aloud. “Just dropping by to say hi. Nothing new to report. More later.”
“She posted that at eleven thirty-eight this morning,” Toni said. Almost an hour after she’d left the Kramers.
“That’s good news, right?” Joyce said as she came back into the kitchen. On her arm was a handbag roughly the size of Canada. “If she’s posting on the Internet she can’t be in too much trouble.”
Toni nodded absently. She thought of Kara’s computer, missing from her room. Could be Kara took it and really had posted the message. But there was always a darker possibility Toni couldn’t avoid.
“It wouldn’t be hard for someone to use her computer or hijack her account,” Ethan said, echoing her thoughts.
Okay, she had to concede points for his being more than prime eye candy. “Mind if I post something really quick?”
Joyce closed her eyes in exasperation. “Fine, but then I’m afraid we really have to go.”
Toni leaned over the table and used Laurie’s account to post a quick message:
This is Toni, looking for Kara. Call or text me ASAP. Your folks are worried and so am I.
She straightened up, only to finder herself flush against Ethan, her back to his front. She shot him a glare as her butt made contact with his thighs.
“Sorry.” For a split second, something gleamed in his eyes, a mischievous spark that told her he was messing with her, that he enjoyed making her uncomfortable. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by a perfectly bland and deferential look.
“Thanks for your help, ladies,” Ethan said, turning to Joyce as he stepped out of Toni’s way.
In her hurry to get away from him, Toni took another step to the side, mortification bursting in her stomach as she stumbled over her own feet. At least she was wearing sneakers and was able to catch herself before she fell on her ass.
Joyce Friedland spared a glance for Toni, barely masking her scorn, then refocused one hundred percent of her energy on Ethan. “You’re so welcome, Ethan,” her tone almost breathless as she placed an earnest hand on his arm and stuck out her ample cleavage. It took a Herculean effort for Toni not to roll her eyes. But she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Laurie to see if she was as embarrassed as she should be to see her mother blatantly flirting with Ethan.
If anything, Laurie looked even more enthralled with Ethan’s square jaw and buff body than her mother did. And to think we give men a hard time for being blinded by big boobs and a pretty face.
“If there’s anything we can do, please don’t hesitate to call me,” Joyce continued. “And I mean anything.”
Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Toni stepped bodily between Ethan and Joyce and stuck out her hand, which Joyce shook reluctantly. She dug a couple of business cards from her pocket and handed one to Joyce and one to Laurie. “If you can think of any other information, anyone else she might be with, call or text me anytime. Or e-mail me. I’m always online.”
“No surprise there,” she heard Ethan mutter as she showed herself to the door. She could hear the muffled sounds of Joyce’s laughter and Ethan’s answering chuckle and had no doubt that by the time he left Ethan would have another job offer—investigating the contents of Joyce’s pants.
Before she
She refused to acknowledge the low hum of the air conditioner and the fact that it kept the house at roughly sixty-five degrees.
A trickle of sweat rolled down Toni’s neck, and she shifted uncomfortably, careful to keep herself from erasing the millimeter of air Ethan had left between them. Hadn’t the guy ever heard of personal space?
His breath wafted over her ear as he read Kara’s posting aloud. “Just dropping by to say hi. Nothing new to report. More later.”
“She posted that at eleven thirty-eight this morning,” Toni said. Almost an hour after she’d left the Kramers.
“That’s good news, right?” Joyce said as she came back into the kitchen. On her arm was a handbag roughly the size of Canada. “If she’s posting on the Internet she can’t be in too much trouble.”
Toni nodded absently. She thought of Kara’s computer, missing from her room. Could be Kara took it and really had posted the message. But there was always a darker possibility Toni couldn’t avoid.
“It wouldn’t be hard for someone to use her computer or hijack her account,” Ethan said, echoing her thoughts.
Okay, she had to concede points for his being more than prime eye candy. “Mind if I post something really quick?”
Joyce closed her eyes in exasperation. “Fine, but then I’m afraid we really have to go.”
Toni leaned over the table and used Laurie’s account to post a quick message:
This is Toni, looking for Kara. Call or text me ASAP. Your folks are worried and so am I.
She straightened up, only to finder herself flush against Ethan, her back to his front. She shot him a glare as her butt made contact with his thighs.
“Sorry.” For a split second, something gleamed in his eyes, a mischievous spark that told her he was messing with her, that he enjoyed making her uncomfortable. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by a perfectly bland and deferential look.
“Thanks for your help, ladies,” Ethan said, turning to Joyce as he stepped out of Toni’s way.
In her hurry to get away from him, Toni took another step to the side, mortification bursting in her stomach as she stumbled over her own feet. At least she was wearing sneakers and was able to catch herself before she fell on her ass.
Joyce Friedland spared a glance for Toni, barely masking her scorn, then refocused one hundred percent of her energy on Ethan. “You’re so welcome, Ethan,” her tone almost breathless as she placed an earnest hand on his arm and stuck out her ample cleavage. It took a Herculean effort for Toni not to roll her eyes. But she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Laurie to see if she was as embarrassed as she should be to see her mother blatantly flirting with Ethan.
If anything, Laurie looked even more enthralled with Ethan’s square jaw and buff body than her mother did. And to think we give men a hard time for being blinded by big boobs and a pretty face.
“If there’s anything we can do, please don’t hesitate to call me,” Joyce continued. “And I mean anything.”
Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Toni stepped bodily between Ethan and Joyce and stuck out her hand, which Joyce shook reluctantly. She dug a couple of business cards from her pocket and handed one to Joyce and one to Laurie. “If you can think of any other information, anyone else she might be with, call or text me anytime. Or e-mail me. I’m always online.”
“No surprise there,” she heard Ethan mutter as she showed herself to the door. She could hear the muffled sounds of Joyce’s laughter and Ethan’s answering chuckle and had no doubt that by the time he left Ethan would have another job offer—investigating the contents of Joyce’s pants.
Before she
Similar Books
