your work once in a while. Perhaps you could even loan it out to a friend now and then,” Emily hinted.
“As much as I don’t trust Lucas,” Isabel said, “the thought of a weekend retreat does sound enticing.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Skiing and snowboarding in the winter, sipping hot cocoa by the big stone fireplace in the Lodge. Golf, tennis, swimming and boating the rest of the year,” Emily suggested.
“And don’t forget the hiking, biking, and picnics. Oh, and the upscale restaurant they’re planning to build up there,” Isabel added.
“Listen to us! We sound like we’re making a commercial to promote this resort,” Emily chided.
“I can see why this project could be a huge hit around here. There are a lot of people with money in this town just burning a hole in their pockets. No doubt they’ll be lining up to plunk down their twenty-five percent for a piece of that mountain, just as fast as Lucas can rake it in.”
“We’ll see tomorrow night, won’t we?”
“Say, how did your stakeout go tonight?”
Emily giggled.
“What happened?”
Just then Emily noticed another call coming in on her cell phone. “Hey, Colin’s calling me. Can I get back to you later?”
“No fair, you can’t leave me hanging like that!”
~*~
“Hello, Colin,” Emily answered, the lilt in her voice giving away how happy she was to hear from him.
“Hello, my hot lady PI.”
Colin’s deep, sexy voice always made Emily sigh. “What happened to smokin’ hot?” she joked.
Colin’s police detective buddy in New York City had dubbed her the smokin’ hot lady PI when they had flown there to interrogate a suspect a few months before. Somehow the nickname stuck for a while, until Colin’s departure to San Francisco.
“Well, I didn’t want to go overboard, give you a big head or anything,” Colin replied.
“I’m hurt.”
“I bet you’re pouting, aren’t you?”
She giggled.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t still think of you as smokin’ hot , Emily.” He laughed, then his voice turned sensually serious. “If I was there with you, you couldn’t stop me from showing you how hot I think you are. I ache for you, woman.”
“Okay, okay. You’re making me blush.”
“Glad to know I can do that even from a long distance. All joking aside…I do ache for you, Emily. I’m hoping I’ll be able to come and visit before too long.”
“I would love that. This long-distance relationship is excruciating.”
“Agreed. I’ll let you know when I can work things out. But until then, tell me how your gig went tonight?”
“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”
“Try me.”
She explained the case of the suspected philanderer and how she discovered the truth, including her disguise. Between laughs and giggles, she did her best to describe the man’s red negligee and slippers, as well as the advice she gave him to come clean with his wife.
Colin laughed deeply as she painted the visual image—the kind of thoroughly satisfying belly laugh that gave Emily pleasure just hearing it.
Then their conversation took a serious turn. Emily explained to Colin what she had observed in the hotel bar between Maggie’s new man and his assistant, and how it seemed suspicious to her, even though it might have been completely innocent.
“I have a bad feeling about it,” she said, pulling her car into her driveway. “Isabel is going to do a background check in the morning, see if we can dig anything up on him.”
“I hope for Maggie’s sake she doesn’t find anything,” Colin replied. “From what you’ve told me, she’s been waiting for a good man for a long time.”
“She has. Maggs raised Josh alone and now he’s off to the Navy. Even though she’s late for just about everything and she doesn’t know how to keep a secret, she is one of the sweetest, kindest people I know. She’d do absolutely anything for a friend.” Emily turned the engine off, set her Bluetooth in the console, and raised
“As much as I don’t trust Lucas,” Isabel said, “the thought of a weekend retreat does sound enticing.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Skiing and snowboarding in the winter, sipping hot cocoa by the big stone fireplace in the Lodge. Golf, tennis, swimming and boating the rest of the year,” Emily suggested.
“And don’t forget the hiking, biking, and picnics. Oh, and the upscale restaurant they’re planning to build up there,” Isabel added.
“Listen to us! We sound like we’re making a commercial to promote this resort,” Emily chided.
“I can see why this project could be a huge hit around here. There are a lot of people with money in this town just burning a hole in their pockets. No doubt they’ll be lining up to plunk down their twenty-five percent for a piece of that mountain, just as fast as Lucas can rake it in.”
“We’ll see tomorrow night, won’t we?”
“Say, how did your stakeout go tonight?”
Emily giggled.
“What happened?”
Just then Emily noticed another call coming in on her cell phone. “Hey, Colin’s calling me. Can I get back to you later?”
“No fair, you can’t leave me hanging like that!”
~*~
“Hello, Colin,” Emily answered, the lilt in her voice giving away how happy she was to hear from him.
“Hello, my hot lady PI.”
Colin’s deep, sexy voice always made Emily sigh. “What happened to smokin’ hot?” she joked.
Colin’s police detective buddy in New York City had dubbed her the smokin’ hot lady PI when they had flown there to interrogate a suspect a few months before. Somehow the nickname stuck for a while, until Colin’s departure to San Francisco.
“Well, I didn’t want to go overboard, give you a big head or anything,” Colin replied.
“I’m hurt.”
“I bet you’re pouting, aren’t you?”
She giggled.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t still think of you as smokin’ hot , Emily.” He laughed, then his voice turned sensually serious. “If I was there with you, you couldn’t stop me from showing you how hot I think you are. I ache for you, woman.”
“Okay, okay. You’re making me blush.”
“Glad to know I can do that even from a long distance. All joking aside…I do ache for you, Emily. I’m hoping I’ll be able to come and visit before too long.”
“I would love that. This long-distance relationship is excruciating.”
“Agreed. I’ll let you know when I can work things out. But until then, tell me how your gig went tonight?”
“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”
“Try me.”
She explained the case of the suspected philanderer and how she discovered the truth, including her disguise. Between laughs and giggles, she did her best to describe the man’s red negligee and slippers, as well as the advice she gave him to come clean with his wife.
Colin laughed deeply as she painted the visual image—the kind of thoroughly satisfying belly laugh that gave Emily pleasure just hearing it.
Then their conversation took a serious turn. Emily explained to Colin what she had observed in the hotel bar between Maggie’s new man and his assistant, and how it seemed suspicious to her, even though it might have been completely innocent.
“I have a bad feeling about it,” she said, pulling her car into her driveway. “Isabel is going to do a background check in the morning, see if we can dig anything up on him.”
“I hope for Maggie’s sake she doesn’t find anything,” Colin replied. “From what you’ve told me, she’s been waiting for a good man for a long time.”
“She has. Maggs raised Josh alone and now he’s off to the Navy. Even though she’s late for just about everything and she doesn’t know how to keep a secret, she is one of the sweetest, kindest people I know. She’d do absolutely anything for a friend.” Emily turned the engine off, set her Bluetooth in the console, and raised
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