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“So I should use extortion to get my job back?”
He shrugged. “Extortion. Justice. Call it what you wish.”
She bit her lip, looking down at the half-eaten burger going cold on her plate. He figured she had lost her appetite. He knew he had.
“You said Andrew’s coming tomorrow?”
She nodded. “He said he’d be here by noon. And he’s bringing the report for me to take back to my firm.”
“You’ll want to do that soon, I assume.”
“The sooner the better.”
It was what he had expected her to say, but it still stung. “I don’t blame you. I’d want my name cleared, too.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“So we have one more night together.”
A muscle jumped in her cheek, as if she had tightened her jaw. “Yes.”
“Then we should make the most of it, shouldn’t we? Are you through with your dinner?”
His matter-of-fact tone must have surprised her. “Um. Yes, I’m finished.”
“Then how about we go enjoy that hot tub again?” he asked, beginning to clear the table.
She looked at him a moment, then gave him a misty smile. “I’ll pour the wine.”
Natalie watched as Casey put her suitcase in the trunk of her car and closed the lid. “Thanks,” she said, tightening her fingers around the keys gripped in her hand.“You’re welcome. Are you sure you have everything?”
“Yes. I’ve been through the cabin three times. There’s nothing left of mine in there.”
She watched him swallow as he nodded. “Okay then.”
She had already said her goodbyes to her aunt and uncle and to Molly and Kyle. She’d done so that morning before she’d returned to the cabin to load the car and say a more private farewell to Casey.
Putting that moment off just a bit longer, she knelt to pet the dog who sat at Casey’s side, gazing up at her in what she would have sworn was anxious confusion. “You’re going to be fine, Buddy,” she said, her voice thick. “Casey’s going to take care of you until he leaves and then you’re going to live in Kyle and Molly’s backyard. You’ll like it there. The kids will love you and play with you. You’ll probably even like playing with Poppy.”
Buddy whined, sensing something in her voice he didn’t like. She rested her cheek on his head for a moment, then rose, ordering herself not to cry over parting with a dog. She wasn’t even a dog person, she reminded herself.
“You’re sure he’ll be okay?” she asked Casey.
He nodded, his face grim. “I’ll make sure that he is. I’m taking him to the vet tomorrow for his shots and then I’ll introduce him to Kyle’s family. You know they’ll love him. He and Kyle already get along very well.”
&n
bsp; “I know. I just…”
“He’ll be fine, Natalie.”
She forced a smile. “Yes, of course he will be. Much better than living in the woods this winter, scrounging for a meal.”
“Definitely better. Kyle and Molly have that big, fenced backyard and I’ll buy a comfy, warm doghouse before I leave. He’ll probably become Kyle’s dog, since Kyle’s never really bonded with Poppy.”
She assured herself that was the best thing that could happen for Buddy. Kyle would take excellent care of the dog.
“I guess I’d better go, then,” she said, shifting the keys again. She had a little over a four-hour drive ahead of her. She wanted to unpack, get a good night’s sleep, and be prepared to stalk into Herb Schroeder’s office first thing in the morning with the evidence that he had allowed himself to be thoroughly fooled.
