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“I’m sorry for interrupting,” she murmured as she slowly backed away. “I’ll just come back later.”
Miss Sour Puss rolled her eyes on the other side of the desk and if we weren’t in such a busy public setting, I would slit her throat. For now, I’d settle for dropping my mask of civility and hearing her swift intake of breath before I turned toward the door.
My quarry was already speed walking down the hall with her head bent when I stepped into the hallway.
“Miss.” She kept going, and I cursed under my breath as I chased after her. “Miss.”
She sped up, the soles of her flats squeaking, her dark hair covering part of her face.
“I’m trying to surprise my wife, Brandy, for her birthday,” I tried again.
Maybe I was wrong about her and Brandy being similar. This woman was downright skittish, and there was no way for a man like me to appear nonthreatening. I was about to turn around and try torturing the front desk lady when she stopped.
“Does your wife have a twin sister?”
Her soft, soothing voice fit her.
“Yes, Cherry. Do you know them?”
She nodded, her back still turned. “We were in the same grade.”
This couldn’t have happened better if I’d planned it. Fuck old sour puss. All I had to do now was try not to scare this girl off. Which, I was afraid, might be easier said than done.
“That old battle-ax in the front office is a piece of work, isn’t she? Wouldn’t even answer a few questions about what my wife was like when she was younger for the slideshow I’m putting together.”
She snorted. “Ignore her. She’s just bitter because the school is forcing her to retire this year.”
When she turned around, she wouldn’t meet my eyes, but I took it as a good sign that she wasn’t running off. Yet. Better start with something simple and unimportant. Warm her up to what I really wanted to know.
“Tell me. Was Cherry a cheerleader barbie in middle school too?”
Her twinkling laugh carried down the hall and I wished Tweak was here so I could tell him to suck my balls. No sense of humor, my ass.
“You could say that. Cherry must be popular at her kid’s soccer games.”
Cherry had a restless energy about her that made it hard for me to picture her settled down with two kids and a minivan. She was more likely to be the aunt who randomly showed up, took the kids out for ice cream before dinner, then dropped them back off covered in chocolate and hyper. Damn. That mental picture just gave me a chub.
I cleared my throat and discreetly tried to cover my zipper with my hand. “No husband or kids yet for Cherry.”
“Wow. I always thought Cherry would be the one to settle down, not Brandy.” She shifted her weight and played with the stack of papers in her hands. “Oh, dear. That sounded far less insulting in my head.”
“You’re fine,” I assured her, sensing that she was getting ready to bolt. “Cherry’s the more social of the two, so I can see why you might think that.”
“She was, I mean is, but that’s not why. Never mind. It’s not important.” The hand she used to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear shook. She must have noticed it at the same time I did, because she quickly lowered it to her side. “Brandy never pretended like I didn’t exist, so I’ll be happy to help you do something nice for her. Just make it quick because my planning period is about to end in a few minutes.”
Something was wrong here, and I had a feeling this woman had the answers I’d come for. If she thought I gave a fuck about her schedule, or that the end of her planning period would save her, she had shitty survival instincts. Even if I had to kidnap her, she would tell me what I wanted to know. How that happened was entirely up to her.
“When I came across some childhood photos in Brandy’s things, I couldn’t help but notice a pattern. In all the earlier photos, both girls smiled, but starting with the one that was taken in front of this school, only Cherry did. And I think you know why.”
Wide, started eyes met mine for a split second before she looked down again. “You’re not really here to put together a slideshow for Brandy, are you?”
“No. But if you want to help Brandy, and I think you do, you’ll tell me what I want to know.”
She snuck a fleeting glance up at me through her eyelashes, and I stood there, waiting for her decision. For her sake, I hoped she chose wisely.
“Are you even her husband?”
“Yes.” I hissed through clenched teeth.
