life."
"Perhaps 'hustle' was a bad choice of verbs," Jett conceded and loosened the enclosing circle of his arms to permit more breathing room between them. "But I know when I'm being primed."
Glenna felt a prickle of discomfort because she knew it was true. "I'm not certain that I know what you mean by that, but my father is an honest man." She could look him in the eye and say that.
"I don't recall implying that he wasn't," he returned evenly and let his gaze run over her face. "Mainly I'm curious what part you play in his plans."
"None. I'm just here if he needs me," Glenna shrugged because moral support was the limit of her involvement. She had never taken an active part in his business affairs. It would be a poor time to become involved now when skillful negotiations were required, and she was a bungling amateur.
Jett didn't appear totally convinced by her reply, but seemed willing to withhold judgment. The corners of his mouth deepened in a dry smile as his arms slid from her to let her stand free.
"Do you think he will need you?" he mused.
Without the warmth of his body heat, Glenna shivered. She was beyond coping with his double-edged questions. "It's getting cool. I think I'll go in now."
If she expected a protest from Jett there was none forthcoming. "I'll walk with you."
They retraced their path to the inn in silence. He stayed at her side until she reached the elevator. He saw her safely inside and punched the button to her floor.
"Good night, Glenna." He used her given name easily, but she didn't have time to reciprocate before the doors slid closed.
In her room Glenna knocked once on the connecting door to her father's suite. There was only silence on the other side. She hesitated, then opened the door to look in. She tiptoed to the bed where her father was sleeping peacefully, so she didn't waken him. It was a while before she fell asleep.
THE RINGING of the telephone wakened her the next morning. She groped blindly for the receiver as she tried to shake the sleep from her senses.
"Yes?" Her voice sounded as thick as her tongue felt.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," her father's cheerful voice admonished. "Rise and shine."
Glenna let her head fall back on the pillow while managing to keep the phone to her ear.
"What time is it?" She frowned drowsily.
"Eight A.M."
"Why did you call me? Why didn't you just knock on the door?" She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe the sleep out of them.
"I'm downstairs, that's why. I've been up for a couple of hours, took an early morning stroll. I thought I might run into Coulson, but I understand he ordered breakfast in his room." The reference to Jett blinked Glenna's eyes open wide with the memory of last night. "Are you going to join me for breakfast or do I have to eat alone?"
"I'll be down, but dad…" Glenna hesitated. "Don't try to see Jett until I've had a chance to talk to you."
"Why?" There was a puzzled note in his voice.
"I'll explain it all when I come down. Just give me a few minutes to wash my face and get dressed."
In all it took Glenna a fast twenty minutes to wash, put on fresh makeup, and don a pair of wheat-tan slacks with a matching knit top in narrow stripes of cream and tan. Her father was already seated at a table when she joined him in the restaurant for breakfast.
"What did you mean on the phone? Why do you need to talk to me?" her father queried almost before she had scooted her chair up to the table.
Briefly Glenna explained about Jett accompanying her on the walk last night, leaving out the intimate details of the kiss. "He suspects that you're setting him up for something," she concluded.
"He said that?" A troubled frown puckered his brow.
"To be precise, he said he knew he was being primed."
"Mmm." Orin Reynolds thought for a moment. "I don't want him to get the impression that I'm some kind of shyster, so I'll have to be more direct with him. Otherwise he won't believe that I want to make a legitimate business
"Perhaps 'hustle' was a bad choice of verbs," Jett conceded and loosened the enclosing circle of his arms to permit more breathing room between them. "But I know when I'm being primed."
Glenna felt a prickle of discomfort because she knew it was true. "I'm not certain that I know what you mean by that, but my father is an honest man." She could look him in the eye and say that.
"I don't recall implying that he wasn't," he returned evenly and let his gaze run over her face. "Mainly I'm curious what part you play in his plans."
"None. I'm just here if he needs me," Glenna shrugged because moral support was the limit of her involvement. She had never taken an active part in his business affairs. It would be a poor time to become involved now when skillful negotiations were required, and she was a bungling amateur.
Jett didn't appear totally convinced by her reply, but seemed willing to withhold judgment. The corners of his mouth deepened in a dry smile as his arms slid from her to let her stand free.
"Do you think he will need you?" he mused.
Without the warmth of his body heat, Glenna shivered. She was beyond coping with his double-edged questions. "It's getting cool. I think I'll go in now."
If she expected a protest from Jett there was none forthcoming. "I'll walk with you."
They retraced their path to the inn in silence. He stayed at her side until she reached the elevator. He saw her safely inside and punched the button to her floor.
"Good night, Glenna." He used her given name easily, but she didn't have time to reciprocate before the doors slid closed.
In her room Glenna knocked once on the connecting door to her father's suite. There was only silence on the other side. She hesitated, then opened the door to look in. She tiptoed to the bed where her father was sleeping peacefully, so she didn't waken him. It was a while before she fell asleep.
THE RINGING of the telephone wakened her the next morning. She groped blindly for the receiver as she tried to shake the sleep from her senses.
"Yes?" Her voice sounded as thick as her tongue felt.
"Wake up, sleepyhead," her father's cheerful voice admonished. "Rise and shine."
Glenna let her head fall back on the pillow while managing to keep the phone to her ear.
"What time is it?" She frowned drowsily.
"Eight A.M."
"Why did you call me? Why didn't you just knock on the door?" She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to wipe the sleep out of them.
"I'm downstairs, that's why. I've been up for a couple of hours, took an early morning stroll. I thought I might run into Coulson, but I understand he ordered breakfast in his room." The reference to Jett blinked Glenna's eyes open wide with the memory of last night. "Are you going to join me for breakfast or do I have to eat alone?"
"I'll be down, but dad…" Glenna hesitated. "Don't try to see Jett until I've had a chance to talk to you."
"Why?" There was a puzzled note in his voice.
"I'll explain it all when I come down. Just give me a few minutes to wash my face and get dressed."
In all it took Glenna a fast twenty minutes to wash, put on fresh makeup, and don a pair of wheat-tan slacks with a matching knit top in narrow stripes of cream and tan. Her father was already seated at a table when she joined him in the restaurant for breakfast.
"What did you mean on the phone? Why do you need to talk to me?" her father queried almost before she had scooted her chair up to the table.
Briefly Glenna explained about Jett accompanying her on the walk last night, leaving out the intimate details of the kiss. "He suspects that you're setting him up for something," she concluded.
"He said that?" A troubled frown puckered his brow.
"To be precise, he said he knew he was being primed."
"Mmm." Orin Reynolds thought for a moment. "I don't want him to get the impression that I'm some kind of shyster, so I'll have to be more direct with him. Otherwise he won't believe that I want to make a legitimate business
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