That was Daniel’s laid-back approach to everything. He worked at a local video gaming company where he could wear shorts all year and skateboard around inside the building. She doubted he was putting money into his 401 plan—if the company even had one.
Besides it wasn’t like she was ready for anything serious. She enjoyed having a boyfriend maybe a little more than she enjoyed Daniel some days. She feared there might be something wrong with her.
From as far back as she could remember, she’d had this feeling of doom as if a black cloud followed her around and one day lightning would strike her dead. She had good reason to expect the worst given her life so far. Maybe that was why she read her horoscope every morning. Was today the day?
After who she’d seen standing across the street this morning, she feared it was.
“I missed you, too,” Charlie said into the phone, deciding not to say anything to Daniel about what had happened this morning. She’d never told anyone about Lindy, and she decided to keep it that way, even though there were times she yearned to share her worst secret.
“See you tonight?” he asked. “Anywhere special you want to go for dinner?”
“Surprise me.”
He laughed. “You do realize that you’re giving me the thumbs-up to select the nearest drive-through...”
“Daniel?” asked the designer in the cubicle next to her when the call was over. Tara was a petite blonde in her midthirties, married and very pregnant with her third child. “I love living vicariously through you,” her friend said as she patted her huge belly. “It beats waiting for this baby to make an entrance.”
Charlie smiled at her. “It will all be over soon.”
Tara laughed. “Spoken like a single woman without children. Delivery is the easy part.”
“Daniel just wanted to know where I might like to go for dinner,” she said. She’d dated in college and some after, but most hadn’t lasted long. When Daniel came along, it had been a while since she’d had a boyfriend. Often, that made him seem too good to be true.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of doing that with Bud,” Tara cried. “Who knows where he would take me. He’s tried surprising me with a home-cooked meal. The man can’t boil water. He set the kitchen on fire.”
Charlie laughed. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
“That’s what the firemen said.”
“Daniel doesn’t apparently cook either or know the way to a grocery store. So don’t be too jealous.”
They went back to work when Amanda walked past, giving them both The Look. Once she was gone, they shared a conspiratorial headshake.
“I used to think that she just needed to get laid,” Tara whispered. “But apparently not even that can change her disposition. Did you see the ring?” She laughed. “How could you not see it? She waves it in everyone’s face. That diamond set Greg back plenty.”
Charlie wondered if everyone in the building saw how much Amanda disliked her. “I heard she’s quitting work after the wedding.”
“And the wedding is less than a week away.” Tara pretended to thank God and they both chuckled.
For a moment, Charlie felt as if everything was right in her world again as she went back to her work. She loved her job. She loved her coworker, her friends, and she had Daniel. She thought about how lucky she was and pretty much convinced herself that everything was fine.
Of course she hadn’t seen Lindy. It was just an optical illusion. Maybe a reflection from the snow and Christmas lights that made her think that was Lindy’s face, Lindy’s pale eyes, Lindy’s smile.
Taking her cell phone, she went to the ladies’ room to find it empty and placed the call. It had been years since she’d been given the emergency telephone number to call if she was ever in trouble again. Again she got voice mail.
“It’s Charlie again. I’m sorry about calling earlier. I feel so silly. I’m fine. It was nothing. Just my overactive imagination. Sorry to have bothered you.”
She disconnected. She didn’t need any help. Her horoscope had been wrong. She hadn’t seen Lindy. If it wasn’t for the pain in her skinned knee, she could pretend she hadn’t fainted.
Charlie took a deep breath and she left the ladies’ room. She assured herself that her good luck wasn’t so fragile that one little thing—like thinking she’d seen the dead woman she’d gotten killed—could destroy it.
Copyright © 2020 by Barbara Heinlein
ISBN-13: 9781488057182
Double Action Deputy & Hitched!
Copyright © 2020 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Double Action Deputy
First published in 2020. This edition published in 2020.
Copyright © 2020 by Barbara Heinlein
Hitched!
First published in 2010. This edition published in 2020.
Copyright © 2010 by Barbara Heinlein
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