Page 84 of Naturally Naughty


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“Sorry,” Kate said with a rueful shrug. “It’s still in the testing phase. Armand is working on it, though, and I’m sure the store will be carrying them before too long.”

“Armand,” Diane said with a snicker. “He cracked me and Will up the other night. I don’t know what he said to Darren and Angela, but I thought they were going to shit bricks.”

Not knowing what she was talking about, Kate raised a brow.

“Oh, gosh, you and Jack had already left, hadn’t you?”

“I know where they went,” Annie the dispatcher said with a grin. “We got a call about a silver SUV at the lake.”

Cassie jerked her head around to listen, giving Kate a curious stare. Feeling a blush stain her cheeks, she ignored the question in her cousin’s eyes. “Get back to Darren and Angela.”

“I don’t really know what happened, just that Angela was dancing with Armand, getting all grabby and touchy-feely. Darren came up, Armand said something to them both, and they took off like bats outta hell in two different directions.”

Kate winced. She had a feeling she knew what Armand had said. Probably something along the lines of, Sorry, Angela babe, Darren’s much prettier than you and he’s the one I want. Kiss me, big boy. Armand specialized in cutting down homophobics.

Suddenly very glad they’d left the party early, she made a mental note to strangle Armand when she got back to Chicago.

Well, maybe she’d kiss him first. Then, for sure, she’d strangle him.

13

“SO THE PARTY WAS A BIG success and the rumors are already spreading throughout town about how fabulous your store is. Tomorrow’s grand opening will be a hit, I guarantee it. What’d I tell you? You’re going to fail to fail.” Jack couldn’t keep the smug tone out of his voice as he and Kate brushed another coat of varnish remover on the old concession counter at the Rialto on Sunday afternoon.

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Anyone ever told you it’s not nice to say I told you so?”

“Anyone ever told you it’s not nice to stick your tongue out at people? Unless, of course, you’re issuing an invitation.” He caught her mouth in a quick, hot kiss that left them both breathless.

When they reluctantly parted, she looked down at the plastic drop cloth beneath their feet, which was splattered with liquid. “Paint washes off. I think varnish remover would sting, though.”

“There’s no work going on down on the stage,” he whispered. “And our table’s still there.”

“Miss Rose will be back from the hardware store any minute now.” She sounded disappointed. Just like he felt.

They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. No matter how many times he made love to Kate, it was always exciting, always amazing. Like that first time had been, right here in the theater all those weeks ago.

Jack had a hard time believing how much things had changed since then. In the past several days he and Kate had spent hours and hours in each other’s company. He’d told her about his plans to open his own firm, she’d talked about her desire to expand her store. They’d gone through the past relationship comparisons, each trying to one-up the other with stories about some really bad first dates.

They’d even talked about their families a little. She’d told him what it was like growing up without a father. He’d told her of his regrets at leaving Angela alone in a house with his very unhappily married parents.

She’d grown uncomfortable when he mentioned his parents. “I think we ought to change the subject.”

Though he knew she was right, he wished he could tell her what he’d discovered Friday. He could hardly believe it himself and had no one with whom to discuss it.

Dealing with his father’s bank records had been nearly impossible from the beginning. But suddenly, the other day, he began to make sense of things. For the first time in weeks, Jack started to realize that his father had, in his own way, tried to do right by Edie.

For each and every month when there had been an un-cashed paycheck made out to Edith Jones, Jack had found a subsequent payment to a mysterious account at a state bank. Some digging had revealed the truth. His father had made several sizable payments against Edie’s mortgage. He doubted she’d even realized it was happening.

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