Page 61 of Statler

Eliza cut her father off, which was rare for her, but she wasn’t going to let him dictate her actions where Statler was concerned. She just couldn’t. The man was…nice. And Eliza hadn’t experienced his brand of kindness in far too long to just let it go because her father was a dictator.

Besides, as well as her inappropriate crush on Statler, Eliza already liked Blue, and wanted to get to know the woman better.

“Here’s the thing,” she told her father, keeping her tone even. “I have a slew of fish that we caught last night, which I cleaned and promised to deliver to the cottages tonight,” she lied, crossing her fingers behind her back. Statler had actually ended up taking charge of the trout. “The woman in the group, Blue, has already asked me to join the crew for supper to enjoy the catch. Which I plan on doing.”

Nope. Not Blue. Statler. But there was no way Eliza was revealing that. The second white lie would also have to suffice.

Let the fallout begin.

Her father’s demeanor, however, instead of going ballistic, oddly and suddenly turned on a dime.

An evil smile came to his lips while his eyes narrowed calculatingly.

What was he up to?

“Alright,” he finally responded, but measuredly this time. All signs of anger had disappeared from his voice. “You go. Have a nice time with those folks.” He pinned her with a direct gaze that had her feeling like a bug under a microscope.

Eliza had a feeling she wasn’t going to like the rest of what William was obviously about to say.

He smiled his oiliest smile. “I’ve thought it over. It might actually behoove me to have eyes and ears on that group while they’re here.”

He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. “I tell you what. Feel free, missy, to make friends with them. All of them. Get them to trust you. And while you do that, listen to everything they have to say.”

Great.

This was not the outcome Eliza had envisioned.

“I’ll expect a report on my desk tomorrow morning, relaying everything that is said, tonight. All of it. Transcribed. On my blotter, front and center.”

Eliza swallowed, hard.

“And, daughter dear,” he gloated, “every time you see them, I expect the same. A fully detailed account.”

His nostrils flared when she didn’t respond.

“Am I making myself clear?” he demanded.

“Perfectly,” Eliza nodded, resigned. “You’ll have my report tomorrow, but after that, I’m not sure I’ll be seeing them again.”

She might have to cut her tentative new ties.

“Yes. You will,” he ordered with a new bite to his voice. “Now that I’ve thought this through, I want you to become my unofficial middleman with them.”

He preened, straightening his starched collar.

“Actually, I believe it would be a stellar idea for you to head to the work site every day, starting tomorrow, to follow their progress. Yes. I like that.”

He tapped his lip. “Maybe you can even bring them lunch so they’ll start looking forward to your visits. Hmmm.” He stroked his meaty chin. “I think the company budget will allow for few lunches a week. I’m sure that Granny, being your good friend, will provide the meals at a decent price.”

Every time William cited Granny, Eliza heard the intrinsic threat in her father’s words.

Behave and do as I say, or I can shut the old woman down.

Eliza couldn’t risk that, and she wasn’t happy about it, either.

But that budget of which her father spoke? It could easily allow for a lot more than a few lunches each week, but Eliza wasn’t going to point that out.

At least for now.