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“She's not—” he snapped, then caught himself, “—going to get away with that.”
Laura frowned, then sat back in her seat. “For a girlfriend, you sure don’t treat her nicely.”
“And I suppose you are an expert in the field of dating?” When she only made a face, he continued, “Too bad you couldn't make a business out of it.”
“I happen to be very good at what I do. The girls trust me, that's very important.” A thought occurred to her. “Is that why you won't invest in my shelter. You think I can't do the job?”
“Only where it comes to the financial aspects.” Vividly relieved they were back on a subject he felt a hundred percent more comfortable, he reached up and wiped annoyingly at the smudge of lipstick. More so to rub away the feel of Laura’s touch.
“I think I managed quite well at Bingo Night, even if you won't admit it.”
“I have my doubts you could pull it off again,” he mumbled more to himself, as he began concentrating on the small book containing the inapt expenditures of her daily accounts.
“Isn't coming here today a good financial move?” Why was the need to have his approval so important?
He stopped reading long enough to look over at her. “I'll give you that. It's about the only sane move you've made.”
She sighed, giving up. What was the use? He simply would not give her credit where credit was due. Instead she sat back in her seat and observed him as he swiveled his oversized chair around and faced a computer perched behind him. His dark brooding face was immersed in the complicated program flickering onto the monitor, leaving Laura an inconspicuous chance to study his profile.
His scowl deepened as he stared in confusion at the screen.
“What’s wrong? Is it that bad?”
He grunted, “Yes, but that isn’t the problem. We had a new computer program installed on the mainframes throughout the building and I’m still trying to get a grasp on it.”
He reached for the phone and pressed the intercom button. “Cara, I think I locked up my screen again. Can you have Daniel come up?”
Meanwhile, without thinking, Laura immediately got up and came around his desk to help. It was a natural reaction. Whenever someone needed something, she instinctively wanted to do anything in her power to help. Which was why she probably chose psychology as a major back in university.
He looked startled at her unexpected presence, so close when she kneeled next to his chair and narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar looking program on the screen. Her brain went into automatic processing mode, trying to identify and execute. Regardless of the fact she knew zero about computers.
“Hmm, what if you select the proem icon?” She pointed to one of the many small squares on the screen with the word LAUNCH on it.
“Do you know anything about computer programs?”
Abashed, she admitted, “No, not really—”
“Then I suggest you don’t touch anything. These programs are highly complex and expensive.”
Chastised, she backed away the same moment the door to his office opened. Laura glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see Daniel Keller enter. A smile immediately crossed her lips. “Hello, Daniel, what a surprise!”
He glanced at her taken aback, confusion slightly creasing the corners of his eyes.
“Laura Witherow,” she offered. “From the bingo charity event last night.”
His stance immediately relaxed and he returned her smile. “Of course. I trust you had a successful night?”
“Yes, as a matter-of-fact, I was just having Dexter—” She glanced at him and noticed a look of alarm in his eyes, before quickly suppressing it from Laura’s gaze.
Snapping, he said, “Let’s get on with this. I have a mountain of workload backed up.”
She frowned. What was that all about?
“I’m certain this won’t take long,” Daniel assured him and approached the computer. As he bent over the monitor, he shot over his shoulder to Laura, “By the way, I’m not sure who donated the blueberry pie, but I took a piece home last night and it was divine.”
Laura beamed, pleased. “Really? That was my contribution.”
He stood up, pushing his glasses into place, momentarily abandoning his task. “Is that right? Well you did a fantastic job. I so rarely get a blueberry pie made with real berries so it was a real nice treat.”
