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I took the stairs to the third floor while I waited for him to answer. By the time I reached the top level it had gone to voicemail. I felt the frown crinkle on my face when I heard the rehearsed message.
“You’ve reached Vaughn. Leave a message.”
I hung up. I couldn’t think of putting anything together that didn’t sound lame. He also didn’t seem like the kind of man who bothered with voicemail.
I turned the key in the lock and dropped my bag on the floor.
“You’re home!” Greer squealed from the kitchen. She was stirring a pot of canned spaghetti sauce with a wooden spoon.
“You’re home.” I looked around for Preston. I didn’t know if I could hide the awkwardness I now felt, knowing his boss was involved in an unplanned pregnancy with my client. I couldn’t discuss it with him or Greer.
“Can you believe a night before nine o’clock? I’m making dinner. Want some?”
I nodded. “Yes, please. I’m so hungry.”
I reached for a plate as she heaped it with noodles and sauce.
“There’s shredded cheese in the fridge.”
I grabbed the bag and dumped a generous amount on my dish. “Deck?” I asked.
“Yes. The lights are already on.”
We walked outside and sat at the small bistro table.
“Wait,” Greer ran inside. “I forgot the wine.” She returned with a bottle of red and two glasses.
“I need that,” I groaned.
“Bad day?” she asked.
“Exhausting day. But I think a good day.” I twirled the pasta on my fork. “Thanks for dinner.”
“No problem. I was starving. We seriously needed to go to the grocery store.”
I was too busy stuffing my mouth to agree.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in two days. What’s going on at the capitol?”
She sighed. “Everything is on hold.”
“What do you mean by everything?” I poured two huge goblets to the top for us.
“The senators on the committee can’t agree on a contract. They are at each other’s throats. No one is budging.”
“What kind of contract is it? Am I allowed to ask that?”
She smiled. “Are you going to sell my secret intelligence information?”
I tilted my head. “To the highest bidder.” I grinned.
“It’s a weapons contract. We’re outsourcing it of course. There are five private companies in the running for it right now. The committee has to choose one before they can push budget numbers forward to the Senate for final approval.”
I nodded. “Wow. Sounds intense.”
“It is.” She took a sip of wine. “And I’ve been working my ass off for them, researching plant locations, how many workers would be involved, what kind of contracts the companies have with other countries. It is endless. I basically have their shoe sizes in a file if someone needed that.”
I laughed. “Could come in handy if you need someone to make…” I looked at her. “What do they make?”
