One Wild Night. Heidi Rice

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СКАЧАТЬ She had no intention of telling him. Unexpected anger coiled in his chest.

      Keys. Phone. That was all he needed. He opened his office door to find Marge and his assistant in the outer office.

      Without slowing his pace, he talked as he passed them. “Good. You’re both here. That saves me time. Marge, tell Pops I’ll talk to him about the Dagny tomorrow. Grace, I’m gone for the rest of the day.”

      Marge recovered first. “Where are you going?” she called after him.

      “Savannah, damn it.”

      Okay, this was getting ridiculous. Morning sickness was for mornings. If she was going to start losing both her breakfast and her lunch every day, she and the baby were going to starve to death long before they made it out of this phase.

      She brushed her teeth for the third time that day and went back to her desk where the rest of her lunch awaited her. One look at the guacamole on her taco salad caused her stomach to heave in protest.

      “What now?” Molly asked around a mouthful of burrito.

      “Can you get that off my desk? Just get it away from me, please. The guacamole is—ugh.”

      Molly, bless her heart, moved quickly, closing the box and carrying it outside without question. Once the offensive condiment was out of sight, her stomach felt much better.

      Molly brought her the peppermints once she returned. “That’s so sad. You love guacamole and it’s so good for you.”

      “But the baby doesn’t love it, obviously, and I’m willing to give in on this.”

      “Since you’re the color of guacamole right now, that’s probably a wise choice. Tortilla chip?”

      That seemed safe enough. It was the craving for something salty and spicy that had led her to suggest they order Mexican for lunch in the first place. She would just omit the guacamole for the foreseeable future.

      “By the way, one of the Kriss brothers called while you were indisposed.”

      The peppermint actually tasted quite nice with the salsa. “Really? That was fast. Their office manager said they were out of town until tomorrow.”

      Molly shrugged. “I think they’re going to come by this afternoon and give us the estimate.” Her brow wrinkled. “He was kinda rude on the phone, though. Are you sure this is the company you want to go with?”

      “Michael Kriss did that work for my mom last year. She raves about him.”

      “Your mom raves about a lot of things.”

      “Yes, but when it comes to updating or decorating the Dingbat Cave, she is remarkably focused.”

      “Then I’ll withhold judgment until we meet them and get the estimate.”

      Ally nibbled on another chip. “Speaking of judgment, Erin kicked me out of the wedding last night.”

      “She didn’t! Why?”

      “Because I’ll be seven months pregnant and she doesn’t want my big belly drawing attention away from her on her ‘special day.’”

      The picture of outrage, Molly nearly sputtered. “That’s insane. What did your mother say?”

      “Oh, she’s on board, but it all kind of got lost in the melee after Steven made his big announcement.”

      “Do I even want to know?”

      It was a good thing Molly understood her family. “My brother is now a Scientologist.”

      Molly spat her water across the desk. “Just like that? He woke up one morning and decided he was converting?”

      “Pretty much. My grandmother swears she’s seconds from a heart attack at the news, Mom is convinced she’ll never make it into the Junior League now, and Erin claims Steven is just seeking attention since he’s recovered from the accident.” Leaning back in her chair, Ally propped her feet on her desk and crunched another chip.

      “And your dad?”

      “Dad went fishing, so he hasn’t weighed in yet.”

      “Erin just wants all the attention on her and the wedding.”

      “You got it.”

      “I’m so glad you passed the edict they were no longer allowed to call here unless someone was bleeding.”

      “Me, too. I finally took the phone off the hook last night and went to sleep around eight. I was just too exhausted to deal with any of them.”

      “Good for you. Can I slap Erin next time I see her?”

      Bless Molly and her loyalty. “At least I don’t have to wear that ugly green dress now.”

      “Small favors.” Molly trailed off into her usual mutterings about Ally’s clan, but was thankfully distracted by the phone before she worked up too big a head of steam on Ally’s behalf. Once Molly got wound up it was hard to calm her back down.

      Ally entered the last few numbers into the computer file, waited for the screen to update, then hit Print. Payroll for other companies was AMI’s bread and butter, and she normally found the process boring. Today, though, the monotony of folding and stuffing checks was just what her mind needed. Between her own problems, her family, and the brain-numbness the baby caused, the simple, repetitive action felt soothing.

      Two hours later she had all the checks for all four of their biggest clients ready. She took a few minutes to log on to her mother’s bank account and pay the bills before she logged on to her e-mail account. Four e-mails from her sister. Ugh. She did not want to deal with that right now.

      She eyeballed the stack of checks. Molly normally took care of delivery, but the prospect of getting out of the office for a little while was tempting. Two businesses were within walking distance, and a walk in the August sunshine would be good for the baby. And she could stop for a smoothie on the way back.

      The sunshine helped clear the cobwebs from her head and being out in the neighborhood improved her mood. She loved the entire City Market district with its variety of restaurants, interesting stores and true community feel. The rent on the office was high, but worth every penny. Ally dropped off both sets of checks, then dawdled in Franklin Square for a little while to enjoy the afternoon. Next year she could bring the baby here when they needed a break from the office.

      She shouldn’t delay getting back any longer. After a quick stop at the vegan deli for a banana smoothie for herself and a mango one for Molly, she rounded the last corner.

      A very sleek red sports car like the kind James Bond would probably drive was parked in front of their building. As she approached, the driver’s side door opened and a tall blond man got out. There was something vaguely familiar about the man…

      Recognition hit a split second before he turned around. Her pulse jumped briefly in excitement before reality hit and her heart dropped like a stone into her stomach.

      Casually, СКАЧАТЬ