Eleanor flips another page and then looks up at me over the top of the papers. “Are you actually going to read those or are you just staring at me?”
I lean back in my chair. “Can’t I do both?”
Her lips twitch.
God, I’ve missed that smile.
I toss my pen onto the desk. “You know, you sitting in my office like this is dangerous.”
“Oh?” She arches an eyebrow. “Dangerous for who?”
“For me,” I tell her honestly. “I keep thinking about bending you over this desk.”
She bursts out laughing and points at me with the file in her hand. “See? This is why nobody takes you seriously.”
I scoff. “Everybody takes me seriously.”
“Mm-hm.” She glances around the office dramatically. “You know, I never thought I’d see the day Robert Kingston willingly asked for someone else’s opinion.”
“Tsk tsk,” I warn her automatically.
She grins. “Sorry. Bobby.”
My chest tightens hearing the nickname again.
She taps the papers against her knee. “But seriously. You asking for input? That’s huge.”
I shrug one shoulder. “I’m evolving.”
She laughs again. “No, you’re desperate.”
Fair.
I rub my jaw and study her. “You were right about Bennett.”
Her expression immediately sharpens. “I knew it.”
I point at her. “See? This is exactly why I need you in here.”
She shifts in her chair, suddenly looking too pleased with herself. “What did I tell you?”
“That something was going on with him.”
“And?” she presses.
I sigh heavily. “And maybe there’s more to this Audrey Sterling situation than I originally thought.”
Eleanor sets the papers down in her lap. “You still think she’s dangerous?”
“I think she’s a Sterling.”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s not what I asked.”
I glare at her, but she just smiles knowingly because she’s been reading me better than anyone for thirty-five years.
“I don’t know,” I finally admit. “But Bennett’s acting differently.”
“Interesting different or stupid different?”
