Britta burst into laughter again.“No.”
Tempi shrugged.“But you never know.”
“I think I would know.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“I really wouldn’t.”
Twister’s voice floated in again.“You girls done celebrating not spilling coffee?”
“Yes!”I called.I threw my hands in the air and headed back toward the common area.
Tempi caught my wrist.“If you’re going to sell that story...”She nodded toward my empty hands.“...you should probably have coffee.”
“Oh, good thinking.”I reached for a cup and then grabbed the coffee pot.
I glanced toward Wheels, still standing on the stairs, and immediately sloshed coffee over the side of the mug.
A dark splash landed on the counter, and my eyes bugged out as if Twister would be able to hear me spill.
Britta doubled over again, and Tempi pointed at the spill.“I thought you said you were celebrating not spilling coffee,” she whispered.
I groaned.“This morning officially hates me.”
Still laughing, I wiped the counter, filled my mug again—this time successfully—and walked back into the common room, trying my best to look completely normal.
Wheels’ eyes were still on me, and that damn smirk was even bigger now.
I very intentionally didn’t look at him.
If I did, I’d probably smile, and then everyone really would know.
Thankfully, Twister got right down to business.He motioned toward the table.“Goldie.”
I sat with my coffee securely in hand.
“You ever meet Gene Kettler?”he asked.
I frowned.“I...”I thought back through years of working for the city.Permit meetings.Contractors.Inspectors.Developers.Council members.“I met a lot of people.”
Twister waited.
“I honestly can’t remember him specifically.”I shrugged.“He wasn’t somebody I worked with regularly.”
“But?”
“There is a chance we’ve met.”
Twister snapped his fingers toward Podge.“See what you can find on Gene.”
Podge looked up from his laptop.“Picture?”
“Anything.”
“If I saw him,” I said, “I’d probably know.”
Britta raised a finger.“I’d know him.”
