Spying On The Boss

DeShawn came into the kitchen with Sadie trailing behind him. DeShawn was laughing too hard to say anything. Sadie stopped and put her hands on her hips, her cheeks going from pink to red. Black eyebrows drew together over those denim blue eyes. Good God, she’s gorgeous. And sexy. And completely out of the question.

“Damn it. I’m going to kill him. What does it really mean?”

“Fucking new guy,” Wyatt said, not bothering to contain his own laughter. DeShawn collapsed against the counter, laughing so hard tears were leaking from his eyes.

“Oh, you guys think you are so funny with your jokes. Maybe I’ll add dumping kitty litter and washing litter boxes to the weekly chore list. Who’s funny now, huh?”

DeShawn sucked in a loud lungful of air. His hands clamped down on his stomach. “Stop. Stop, you’re killing me.”

She crossed her arms and tapped a foot. The look on her face would have scared Wyatt straight if he’d been a kid DeShawn’s age. Then the corners of her mouth began losing the battle with her own laughter.

“Former National Guard. Who even calls anyone that? I cannot believe you fell for it,” DeShawn said between gasps for air.

“Oh, Josh is dead meat. Dead. Meat. Go scrub a toilet or something. Let me talk to the fucking new guy.”

After DeShawn left the room, still laughing, Sadie turned to Wyatt. Her coloring had returned to the pink, and he was struck again by how pretty she was. And funny. And tough. And smart. And how much she was going to hate him when this was over. All the joy of the little prank left him and his guts turned to lead.

“I’m checking in with you. How’s it going with DeShawn?”

He picked up the rag and returned to cleaning the microwave. “It’s going well. He’s a good teacher. Organized and patient. I can see how good he is, and having a...FNG must slow him down, but he doesn’t show it.”

Her cheeks pinked again and it made him smile.

“Good. Exactly what I like to hear. How about you? Is the job about what you expected?”

“Mostly. I didn’t realize the extent of the planning and record keeping. I can see why you’re blowing away the competition.”

“We.”

“Huh?”

“We are blowing away the completion. The Crew isn’t me. It’s you. You guys do the work. I’m only the ringmaster of this circus.”

“Whatever you do, your clowns love you. That’s a big part of the success.”

Her lips parted and she drew in a breath. Her expression showed a bit of puzzlement, as if she didn’t know if she should believe him or not. “Thanks.”

“I can see why that guy Marcus is floundering, trying to get an idea of how to compete with you. What you are doing is completely different and not just the guy-cleaning-your-house gimmick. You keep your employees happy. And happy employees do a better job.”

“I try.”

“I think you’re doing better than trying.”

Sadie laughed. “I think I’ll have you follow me around all day, giving me pep talks.”

“Do you need pep talks?”

A brief flicker of uncertainty surfaced in the blue depths of her eyes. His hand twitched, wanting to touch her porcelain skin. Would it be like silk beneath his fingertips? Would he feel the heat of her easy blushes? She held his gaze as if she couldn’t quite look away. A wave of desire washed over him. No. This was bad. He returned his attention to the spotless microwave and began wiping the inside of it.

“We can all use a pep talk from time to time. Anyway, I was checking in. If you have any questions or need anything, my number is in the information packet.” She started to leave but stopped at the door. “How’s Julietta?”

He sprayed more cleaner on the rag and glanced over at her. “She’s doing well. Told me her mother used to make pancakes on Sunday mornings. We tried it for dinner last night.”

“You made her pancakes? How’d that go?”

He paused, looked down, laughed. “She appreciated the effort, I think.”

“Are you bringing her to the first Friday feast tomorrow?”

“I meant to ask. What is it exactly?”

“First Friday of every month, Molly and I cook. We have a family dinner.”

“Not sure how she’d do in a large crowd of strangers.”

“I understand. If she gets overwhelmed, she can play with Jack up in my apartment.”

“I’ll see what she thinks about it.”

“Great. Hope to see you both.”

Yeah. That’s not going to happen. He had a meeting with Marcus Canard scheduled for later. A meeting during which he was going to end this investigation. He refused to take any more money from Canard. And he was feeling guilty about the money Sadie was spending to train him. Then he’d have to quit the Cleaning Crew. Hopefully without her ever learning what a scumbag he was.

* * *

MORE THAN A little angry after Marcus had him wait in the threadbare lobby of his office, Wyatt got straight to the point. “There is nothing illegal going on at the Cleaning Crew.”

“You haven’t been there long enough. They aren’t going to let you in on everything in your first week. I told you this would be a long assignment. You said it wouldn’t be a problem and you could clear your entire caseload to take this on. I even asked Henry first before appropriating his favorite private cop.”

Wyatt sat back but didn’t break eye contact. “That’s true. But I have a serious problem continuing an investigation when it isn’t warranted. There is no evidence of wrongdoing. You’re throwing away your money.”

“What I do with my money is my business. And I didn’t see anything about your training.”

“Now you are talking about corporate espionage. I don’t do that. Understand? You hired me to find out if there was illegal activity going on. Not to spy on their business practices.”

Marcus lifted his hands. “Fine. You’ve got principles. I want you in there for at least a week or two more.”

Wyatt shook his head. “No. I’ve concluded this investigation. If you don’t like my results, hire someone else to do it.”

He stood to go. To hell with this.

“Well, that’s a real shame, son. If my recollection is correct, when Henry introduced us, he said you did whatever needed to get the job done. A bulldog, he called you. He’s going to be mighty disappointed when I tell him you crapped out on me.”

“I didn’t. You don’t like my findings.”

Marcus leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands across his gut. He smiled, exposing his teeth, but his eyes stayed cold. “Henry does my insurance. Gosh, if he was so off in his judgment of you, maybe he’s off with his judgment of my assets. Maybe I’ll have to tell him I’m going to move my business elsewhere.”

Wyatt’s hands clenched along with his jaw. “That’s blackmail,” he said.

Walk out, part of him screamed. Tell him to shove it and walk out. And six months ago, he would have. He would have banked on his relationship with Henry being strong enough. He couldn’t believe Marcus paid more in premiums than he saved for Henry by proving fraud. Surely he was a bigger asset. But now he had Julietta to consider. Keeping her in therapy. And a stable environment.

“I’m not blackmailing you. I’m stating how disappointed I am in a business associate’s judgment.”

“Fine. One more week. If I don’t get a hint of anything by then, then there isn’t anything. Agreed?”

“Sure. Thanks. I always appreciate someone who can see the big picture. Because we all depend on each other, don’t we?”

Wyatt managed to not slam the door as he left. He wanted to drive straight home and take a shower. Dealing with Marcus always left him feeling dirty. He sat in the car, trying to calm the anger before he went home to Julietta. He needed a plan to get out of this. He was beginning to see that Marcus was a vengeful man. Exhibit A: his fixation on finding anything to ruin Sadie’s reputation in return for nothing more than her being a better businessperson. He needed to set up a meeting with Henry and feel him out about his relationship with Marcus. He’d get that done and put in another week.

Then what? Back to his usual life of following insurance cheats around. Back to focusing on Julietta’s recovery. Back to sleeping alone every night. He cranked the engine. He didn’t miss Victoria, not really. His love for her had been squelched in a single moment.

She had gone with him to Asheville after Maddie’s death. He’d found Jules stunned and scared in the care of Maddie’s best friend, Kate. She’d put her little arms around his neck and told him her mommy was dead. He remembered sinking to the floor, Jules in his lap as they cried together. After her tears tapered away, she had whispered a question to him. Who’s going to take care of me now? He’d told her he was. A movement in the doorway caught his eye and he saw Victoria standing there. The words Victoria and I will died on his lips at the expression on her face. Horrified. Furious.

That night, they’d argued. She told him to let Kate keep Jules. That she had no intentions of starting their marriage with a half-grown kid. And he had no business even trying to take on a young girl. He’d listened to her with a dizzying sense of stunned relief. It was as if a mask had slipped and he was seeing into her soul. And it was ugly. When she said if he was going to take custody she might as well leave him, he told her to go home and pack her things. To be out of the house before he and Jules came back.

In the time between burying her mother, settling her affairs and coming home to Charleston, Jules asked if Aunt Victoria was going to live with them. He told her no. He told her he and Victoria had decided they didn’t love each other enough to get married. And he prayed Jules would never hear or figure out the truth. Because she’d been disappointed with his answer. Another woman gone from her life. Maybe when they got through this first year, he’d look into that Big Sisters program. Something to get a stable female presence in her life.

He dropped the truck into gear and backed out of the parking space. This is exactly why you shouldn’t be thinking about Sadie Martin. There is no way to make this work. He shook his head. Damn, he was attracted to her. And he suspected he wasn’t the only one feeling the sparks. Guilt squirmed in his gut. He was lying to her. Spying on her. It’s your job. It’s what you do. Somehow, he didn’t think she would see it that way. And even if he quit, he could never do anything about this attraction and not tell her. And she’d never forgive him. Do the job. Secure your relationship with Henry. Get out. Nothing else to do.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“WHY ARE YOU so nervous?”

Sadie frowned at Molly. “What? I’m not nervous.”

“You are. You’re running all over this kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off.”

Sadie pointed at the stove with the knife in her hand. “I’ve got three different spaghetti sauces going. I’m trying to chop up this stuff for salads. I’m not sure if we have enough noodles. And we haven’t even started dessert yet.”

“Yes? And how is this different from any other Friday Feast? You’re about to vibrate out of your skin.”

Sadie scowled and returned to slicing tomatoes. “You’re imagining things.”

Truth was, she was nervous. Wyatt had called to let her know Julietta was very excited to come to the dinner and see Jack again. Now she was acting like a geeky high school girl who had the captain of the football team coming to her house. And she hated it. Hated the out-of-control feeling that left her both scared and hopeful. Wyatt was an employee, and her giddy little heart needed to wake up to the fact.

“Are you slicing those tomatoes or slaughtering them?”

The beautiful locally grown beefsteak tomatoes she bought at the farmers’ market were now a goopy mess on the cutting board. She put the knife down. “You do it. I’ll get the bread ready.”

Molly hip checked her away from the counter and began to salvage larger bits of tomato. “Maybe you should go sit down with your jelly-bean jar for a little bit.”

“Ha-ha. So funny.” Sadie began opening bags of French bread.

Molly looked up from the tomatoes. “Remember, we need slices, not bread crumbs.”

“You’re killing me with your razor-sharp wit today, Molls, killing me.”

“Come on. Spill it before the guys start showing up. It’s Wyatt, isn’t it? You two could short out a power grid with the sparks flying off you.”

Sadie froze. No. It wasn’t noticeable. But Josh had noticed. Now Molly. This had to stop. She was setting a horrible example. If she couldn’t control herself, what authority did she have to tell the guys to control themselves? Rule number one: no fooling around in word or deed. None. Not even in jest. She took in a deep breath and let it out. Wrapped her jangly nerves up tight and pushed them deep down where she kept her fears and tears. Don’t act the fool. She stood up straighter.

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