The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection by Patricia Kiyono Page B

kids
cooperated.
    A half hour later, she had a better idea of
the songs and moves that would work. Now all she had to do was put
them together into a pageant.
     
    ~~~~
     
    “ I haven’t heard anything from you in weeks. Are you still on the
case, or shall I have my accountant take you off my
payroll?”
    Duncan grimaced. Too bad he hadn’t checked
the screen before he’d connected the call. If he’d known it was his
demanding client, he wouldn’t have answered.
    “ There’s nothing to report.
He takes pictures, he sleeps, he spends time with his girl. I
haven’t seen him do anything shady.”
    “ There must be something.
Does he care for his daughter himself, or does he hire people to do
it?”
    “ He does it himself. The
only time he’s not with her is when she’s at school or at
church.”
    “ He’s going to
church?”
    “ Twice a week, it
seems.”
    “ What about female
companionship? He’s a healthy male, and I’m sure he’s begun keeping
company with someone by now.”
    “ There’s a local girl I’ve
seen him with twice. She had coffee with him at the grocery store.
And she goes to that church he takes his daughter to.”
    “ There must be more to it
than that. Keep a close watch. And don’t forget to contact me the
moment you find anything.”
    “ Yes, ma’am.” He
disconnected before he could say anything that would get him fired.
Those rich women thought they owned the world and everyone was
their servant. He wondered if her husband knew what she was doing
with his money.
    It would be interesting to find out. But for
now, he needed to keep the lady happy.
     

Chapter Nine
    T he sun shone brightly into her
east-facing window, and Sophie didn’t need to turn on the bedside
lamp to write her to-do list. The first thing, as always, was to
work on her script. The one that would make her an in-demand
scriptwriter for a prime-time drama. Or comedy. She had the
outlines for some of each. She just needed to finish them to have
in her portfolio. Production companies didn’t buy scripts, she’d
learned, but if they liked things you had written they would hire
you to write scripts for their shows. All she had to do was finish
them.
    Second on her list was to brainstorm ideas
for the Christmas play. She had her list of needs from the
Wednesday night rehearsal. Joanie had come up with some new ideas,
and she’d found some others in an Internet search.
    She paused before writing the third item. It
had been weeks since she’d gotten some exercise. The weather
forecast for the day was bright clear skies. Maybe she could get
some cross-country skiing in. She could do that first thing, before
her sister made plans that included her. It was Saturday, so Dave
would be around if Joanie needed anything.
    After putting Exercise at the top of
her list, she hopped up and dug through her wardrobe for some warm
clothing. She couldn't remember the last time she’d gone skiing,
but the woods around the house were perfect — and she knew the area
like the back of her hand. She’d have her cell phone with her in
case she ran into problems.
    Opening the storage closet, she checked her
ski equipment. Still looked good, despite being packed away for a
few years.
    She got dressed and went downstairs for her
daily coffee. Joanie sat on the couch, working on yet another
knitting project. This one was a sweater in a bubble-gum pink
color.
    “ New sweater?”
    Joanie looked up and
smiled. “Yup. This little sweetie is going
to need lots of warm stuff, arriving in December.” Her hands paused
and she frowned. “I’m hoping it’s not until December, but Joey was
two weeks early, and the doctor is saying it could be any time.”
She sighed. “I get so bored not doing anything but sitting here
knitting — or cross-stitching, or reading. My scrapbooking is
caught up. New baby has two sweaters and two afghans. I’ve made
scarves and hats for everyone in the family. I know the longer the
baby stays in, the better, but