watering can key chain Riley had given me for my last birthday.
There was hope for me. Hope that once Greta had a chance to think things through, she would change her mind. Would let me finish the yard.
Wouldn't sue.
I pushed open the TBS door, and the set of chimes announced my presence.
Ana jumped up, out of Tam's throne chair.
The chimes continued to jangle, snapping my last nerve. I yanked the set off the door and flung them outside into the row of boxwoods lining the path.
Ana's eyes went wide. "Bad day?"
"No, no. Not at all." My gaze swept over the reception area. Five people I didn't know looked back at me, all wearing the same expression. Wide eyes and open mouths.
Probably I didn't make a good first impression, what with chucking the chimes out the door and all.
Sue me.
Sue me. I laughed, cracking myself up.
"Um, Nina. I set up some interviews with some prospects for Tam's job. To fill in, while she's gone."
I checked them out. All still wore that W arning! Warning! In the same room as a crazy lady look.
Two men, three women. All looked respectable, and I had trouble figuring out what they'd done that landed them in Ana's world. I'd never gotten a single guess right, so I didn't try too hard.
All in all, Ana's probationers had worked out for me. I'd gotten burned only a few times. Like the time Pedro Cho drove away on one of my John Deeres, never to return. Or the time Ike Hughes took a deposit for a job and disappeared. The authorities tracked him to a Disney Magic cruise ship, where he'd been whooping it up with Mickey on my dime.
I thought again about not hiring any more probationers. "Ana, I don't think—"
"What's a few interviews?" she asked, hands on hips.
All I wanted to do was wrap up a few loose ends, go home, shower, and crawl into bed for the next three days.
Then I spotted a box of Almond Joys on Tam's desk, with a bow on them.
Bobby. He sent me Almond Joys on a regular basis.
I sighed. What was I going to do about him? The last time he'd dropped me off at home after dinner, he looked at me with those big blue eyes and asked, "Can I come in?"
I'd lied and told him Riley was home.
Ack.
I'm sure he knew I lied, but he didn't call me on it. He just kissed me till I couldn't breathe and walked away.
"Nina?" Ana asked.
Thinking of Bobby lightened my mood. It always did. "All right," I reluctantly agreed. "Send someone into my office."
"Mary Hernandez?" Ana said. "You're first."
A petite woman with long dark hair and darkly tanned skin stood up, walked hesitantly toward the office. "I'll be right in," I said and offered her a drink. She shook her head no.
"So," Ana said as I walked toward the fridge for a Dr Pepper fix, "the dead guy . . . did you really kill him?"
Heads snapped up, stared at me. "I didn't kill anyone!" I cried. "He just happened to . . . well, die while I was there."
Mary hustled out of my office, saying something to Ana in Spanish. She hurried out the door and was followed by three others.
One man stayed, a B etter Homes and Gardens magazine forgotten on his lap as he stared at me.
"Really, I didn't kill him," I said to him. "He had a heart attack."
"Did he turn blue?" Ana asked.
Ana had a sick fascination with dead people. She wanted to know all the details.
"Ana," I warned.
"Purple? Did he get all stiff?"
I thought about Russ lying there, a prostrate stick figure, and shuddered.
"Foaming at the mouth?"
"I am not having this conversation."
"You," I said to the man on the couch. "What's your name?"
"Harry von Barber."
"Nina, I'm going to head out now." I jumped as someone came out of the conference room to my left.
"Jeez! A little warning. A slight cough or something! I didn't even know you were here."
Jean-Claude apologized, then said, "I was hiding out after . . . well, you know."
Yeah, I did know. But maybe Kit wouldn't kill him after what happened with the dead guy and all.
He went on. "I've been working on the next job, doing some
There was hope for me. Hope that once Greta had a chance to think things through, she would change her mind. Would let me finish the yard.
Wouldn't sue.
I pushed open the TBS door, and the set of chimes announced my presence.
Ana jumped up, out of Tam's throne chair.
The chimes continued to jangle, snapping my last nerve. I yanked the set off the door and flung them outside into the row of boxwoods lining the path.
Ana's eyes went wide. "Bad day?"
"No, no. Not at all." My gaze swept over the reception area. Five people I didn't know looked back at me, all wearing the same expression. Wide eyes and open mouths.
Probably I didn't make a good first impression, what with chucking the chimes out the door and all.
Sue me.
Sue me. I laughed, cracking myself up.
"Um, Nina. I set up some interviews with some prospects for Tam's job. To fill in, while she's gone."
I checked them out. All still wore that W arning! Warning! In the same room as a crazy lady look.
Two men, three women. All looked respectable, and I had trouble figuring out what they'd done that landed them in Ana's world. I'd never gotten a single guess right, so I didn't try too hard.
All in all, Ana's probationers had worked out for me. I'd gotten burned only a few times. Like the time Pedro Cho drove away on one of my John Deeres, never to return. Or the time Ike Hughes took a deposit for a job and disappeared. The authorities tracked him to a Disney Magic cruise ship, where he'd been whooping it up with Mickey on my dime.
I thought again about not hiring any more probationers. "Ana, I don't think—"
"What's a few interviews?" she asked, hands on hips.
All I wanted to do was wrap up a few loose ends, go home, shower, and crawl into bed for the next three days.
Then I spotted a box of Almond Joys on Tam's desk, with a bow on them.
Bobby. He sent me Almond Joys on a regular basis.
I sighed. What was I going to do about him? The last time he'd dropped me off at home after dinner, he looked at me with those big blue eyes and asked, "Can I come in?"
I'd lied and told him Riley was home.
Ack.
I'm sure he knew I lied, but he didn't call me on it. He just kissed me till I couldn't breathe and walked away.
"Nina?" Ana asked.
Thinking of Bobby lightened my mood. It always did. "All right," I reluctantly agreed. "Send someone into my office."
"Mary Hernandez?" Ana said. "You're first."
A petite woman with long dark hair and darkly tanned skin stood up, walked hesitantly toward the office. "I'll be right in," I said and offered her a drink. She shook her head no.
"So," Ana said as I walked toward the fridge for a Dr Pepper fix, "the dead guy . . . did you really kill him?"
Heads snapped up, stared at me. "I didn't kill anyone!" I cried. "He just happened to . . . well, die while I was there."
Mary hustled out of my office, saying something to Ana in Spanish. She hurried out the door and was followed by three others.
One man stayed, a B etter Homes and Gardens magazine forgotten on his lap as he stared at me.
"Really, I didn't kill him," I said to him. "He had a heart attack."
"Did he turn blue?" Ana asked.
Ana had a sick fascination with dead people. She wanted to know all the details.
"Ana," I warned.
"Purple? Did he get all stiff?"
I thought about Russ lying there, a prostrate stick figure, and shuddered.
"Foaming at the mouth?"
"I am not having this conversation."
"You," I said to the man on the couch. "What's your name?"
"Harry von Barber."
"Nina, I'm going to head out now." I jumped as someone came out of the conference room to my left.
"Jeez! A little warning. A slight cough or something! I didn't even know you were here."
Jean-Claude apologized, then said, "I was hiding out after . . . well, you know."
Yeah, I did know. But maybe Kit wouldn't kill him after what happened with the dead guy and all.
He went on. "I've been working on the next job, doing some
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