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“Well, Anita’s gotten a little sloppy with her affair with Jimmy,” Cynthia offered. “Maybe he found out. I’m sure that would be hard news to handle, especially around the holidays.”
“Could be,” Tucker agreed, “but until we know more, he’s still a suspect.”
“Maybe he’ll be at the cocktail party,” Wendy spoke up. “If he is, I can try to chat with him. See if he’s doing okay.”
“Now we just need to find out more about Jimmy. He’s been pretty much absent, too. In fact, Anita’s really the only one of the three that still goes out publicly.”
“I’ll see what I can find out tomorrow at the spa,” Wendy offered.
“Just be careful,” Erik warned gently. “If she figures out you already know the truth about her little fling, she might shut you out.”
“Don’t underestimate me,” Wendy teased. “You may be a retired spy, but I am a woman. We have our own unique ways of getting information out of people.”
Erik chuckled and put his hand over his heart.
“Apologies. You’re right, of course,” he replied good-naturedly.
“Okay, moving on,” Tucker stated cordially but firmly. “Did you find out anything else?”
Wendy leaned over to the side table next to her seat and picked up a notebook. Once she got into her car and drove away from the outlets, she’d pulled over into a gas station to scribble down everything she thought was of importance. She’d brought everything she’d had written down, except for one, and she couldn’t believe she had forgotten.
“She wants to introduce me to one of her financial advisors tomorrow at the party,” she revealed. “She insisted that now that I have so much money, I need one.”
“A friend of hers, no doubt,” Erik muttered, rolling his eyes. “Trying to talk you into investing in Anita’s properties.”
“That’s what I assumed as well,” Wendy agreed.
“Let’s sweeten the pot for them, shall we?” Erik replied, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Sometime during your spa day tomorrow, mention that you’ve come into an additional five million. See what her reaction is.”
“And if she asks how I got it?” Wendy asked, a little unsure of such a bold lie.
“Just tell her it's a settlement and then leave it at that,” Erik answered. “She’ll be super curious and probably tell you more about her little plans in hopes that you’ll turn around and tell her about yours.”
Wendy nodded her head, grinning.
“Short, sweet, and just enough bait to get her nibbling. I like it.”
The little group hung around a little longer, discussing small details of the plan. Eventually, Tucker and Cynthia said their goodbyes and left, leaving Erik and Wendy to themselves.
“So,” he asked, his eyes going to her still-soaking feet, “today was pretty bad, huh?”
Wendy gave him a wry smile and leaned back into her seat.
“The first thing Anita had me buy was a new pair of heels that I swear were six inches tall. She made me take off my winter boots and walk around the outlets with them to break them in.”
“Oh, gosh.” Erik chuckled, going from his seat to the floor. He knelt beside Wendy’s foot basin, draped the towel over his lap, and reached for one of Wendy’s feet.
“Whatcha doin’ down there?” she asked, half-curious, half-excited. Erik grinned as he gently wrapped her foot in the towel, taking care to dry it completely, then began to massage the bottom. Relaxation spread through her body, and a tingling spread from the top of her head all the way down to her toes. She sighed and closed her eyes.
“You know what? I’m not even going to pretend I don’t want this. This is amazing and sorely needed.”
“I thought as much.” Erik chuckled, working on her foot. “Why does she have you in heels for in the middle of winter anyway?”
Wendy pulled her head up and gave him a sarcastic grin.
“We have established that she’s crazy, right?”
“Right.” Erik laughed. “Silly me for forgetting.”
