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“What the hell is this?”
Andrea took the printout Troy thrust at her. It was the latest Monarchs Insider blog dated that morning. The heading was MARSHALL’ S SECRET MARRIAGE. Andrea’s lips parted. Her grip tightened on the sheet. How did the anonymous blogger get this information?
She scanned the entry. It was written as though the blogger had interviewed someone with knowledge of Troy’s divorce. Andrea’s frown cleared. The Insider had tried this format before with Jamal and Warrick. But Jamal had denied ever meeting the blogger. Instead, information from the “interview” must have been compiled from the blogger’s eavesdropping.
Who does that remind me of ?
She saw the accusation in Troy’s furious gaze. “You think I’m the Insider’s source?”
“You’re the only one outside of my family and college teammates who knows anything about my divorce.”
Andrea lowered her hand still clutching the printout. A brisk spring breeze combed through her hair and pushed at the paper. “Actually, I’m not. Mindy Sneal told me about your divorce a week ago.”
Surprise replaced the anger in Troy’s gaze. “I’ve never talked to Mindy about my personal life.”
Andrea thought back to her conversation with the former Monarchs administrative assistant. “You didn’t have to. Mindy eavesdrops.”
“How do you know?”
“She told me.” Could Mindy Sneal be the Monarchs Insider? If so, was Troy right? Was Gerald involved? “Was Mindy fired or did she quit?”
Troy leaned into a corner of the fire escape. “She quit.”
Andrea heard his reluctance. “Why?”
Troy shoved his hands into the front pockets of his black Dockers. “Our working relationship had become strained.”
Andrea frowned. “What happened?”
He flexed his broad shoulders with a restless movement. “Why are you asking? What does it matter why Mindy left?”
Her curiosity increased. “Humor me.”
Troy rubbed the back of his neck. “She was coming on to me.”
Andrea blinked. “What?” Mindy Sneal had tried to seduce Troy. Why did that revelation make her want to slap Mindy? Really hard.
Troy looked away almost as though he were embarrassed. “You don’t think men are ever harassed in the workplace?”
“I didn’t say that. I was just surprised. She was coming on to you?” She was definitely jealous. They’d spent one night together and now she was a possessive lover. Andrea wasn’t proud of that.
“She stood too close. She was always touching me. Her offers to work late were becoming more suggestive.” He faced her again. “When I realized she was reading my e-mails and listening to my phone conversations, I’d had enough.”
“If she was reading your e-mails and listening to your phone calls, she knows a lot more about you than you think.”
“Probably.” Troy looked highly irritated.
“And she didn’t quit. You fired her.”
Troy shook his head. “I didn’t want to fire her. Mindy was good at her job. She just wouldn’t take no for an answer. I asked Jackie if we could reassign her.”
Andrea’s eyebrows jumped. “Jackie knows what happened?”
Troy rubbed his right hand over his eyes as though wiping away an unpleasant memory. “I had to tell her. But that’s one conversation I wouldn’t want to relive. Uncomfortable is an understatement.”
Andrea crossed to Troy and rested her hand on his shoulder. “The situation wasn’t your fault.”
His gaze held frustration as well as regret. “I wish it hadn’t happened.”
