“Panache. I’ve been running short on that lately.”
Silvia put a hand on her chin. “I’d forgotten what lovely curves you have. Charlene’s right. You’re not showing yourself to your best advantage.”
“Who am I going to show myself to for the love of Pete!”
Charlene pursed her pretty mouth and pointed her finger at Marla’s nose. “I plan to take care of that. I booked another single’s dinner for next week.”
“Charlene!”
Dad’s voice echoed from the hall, “Can I see what my money bought?”
“No!” the three of them shouted.
Chapter Seven
What’s with the boss lady today?” Cluny asked when he entered the door of the construction trailer. “She actually smiled at me just now.”
Ignoring the question, Dwayne looked up from the scribbled note. “Did you take this phone call?”
“Huh? What phone call?”
Dwayne held up a piece of paper. “This note was beside the phone when I got here. It’s dated today.”
“What’s it say?”
“I’m in town. I want to see the kid.”
Cluny had his jacket off and was reaching for the coat peg when he stopped. For a second he stood like a department store mannequin. “Are you shittin’ me? It’s from Francine?”
He shrugged and furrowed his brow. “Doesn’t say.” Head swimming, he slumped in the squeaky desk chair. It couldn’t be Francine, could it? He hadn’t heard a peep from her since Amber was an infant. He’d hired private investigators to search for her and lawyers to handle the mountain of paperwork to get his divorce from her. She’d vanished as if she’d never existed. “I don’t know who took the message.”
Cluny stuck out his hand. “Give it to me.” He held the bright pink “While You Were Out” note and squinted. “This is Slim’s pathetic scrawl.”
“Get him in here.”
“He just left for the warehouse to get some pipe fittings. I told him to check with me when he got back.” Cluny stared at the note and paced. “Crap. What if it is Francine? What are you going to do?”
Dwayne rubbed his temples. His neck and head pounded like they were in an enemy bombardment. “I don’t know. I don’t want her to see Amber.”
“You got sole custody of Amber in the divorce. She has no parental rights.” Cluny handed him the Styrofoam cup he’d just bought off the Gaggin’ Wagon. “Here, you need some coffee.”
“Thanks, bud.” Dwayne blew on the cup and took a tentative sip. His stomach clenched when the hot coffee hit, but he took another swallow. “This’ll help.”
“I’m goin’ back out to get myself another cup before Luis leaves to poison the next construction crew down the road.” He put his jacket on and opened the door. “Be right back.”
“Get a couple of those greasy doughnuts,” Dwayne called before the door closed.
Worrisome thoughts bounced through his mind. What if it was Francine? Cluny nailed it—she had no legal right to see Amber, but did he have the moral right to deny his daughter the chance to meet her mother? Scalp tingling, he set the cup on the desk and raked his fingers through his hair. Scrubbing hands over his unshaven chin, he studied the note again. Slim hadn’t written down a callback number.
Francine, she wanted something. Francine always wanted something. A relentless user, he remembered how she manipulated everyone around her into doing her bidding, including him.
He swiveled the chair around and pulled out a drawer in the file cabinet behind his desk. This is where he kept all the legal stuff. He didn’t leave any of it at home where Amber might come across it.
The door opened and he stayed hunched over the drawer looking for the file. A gust of cold wind hit him in the back. “Did he have any doughnuts left?”
“What?”
He slammed the drawer shut and swung around, wincing when he twisted his left knee.
Marla dropped a pile of mail on his desk. He saw right away that she looked at his hand where he rubbed his leg.
“Nothing, I thought you were Cluny.” He looked through the stack. “Where’d all this come from?” If she got any more beautiful he’d have to join a seminary and take a vow of celibacy. Her glorious hair tumbled around her shoulders in windblown waves. Please, God, I want a handful of that.
“I stopped in to see Miss Emmaline. She asked me to bring this to you. It’s probably junk. It’s addressed to Big D Construction here, not your company address.”
Dressed for business, there was still no way she could hide her fabulous rack and lush hips. He clenched his hands into fists to stop the itching in his palms. Quit it, you idiot. Get your mind around what you’re going to do if Francine is back in the picture!
He cleared his throat. “You going someplace special?”
She followed his gaze and glanced down at her blouse. Her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink. “Um, yes, I’m meeting Pete and Rosie at the escrow office. The seller accepted the offer and we’re signing the papers on the house. I, uh, just wanted you to know I won’t be around today.”
“I’ll try to survive without you breathing down my neck.”
“Like you said at that fiasco called Singles Dinner Only, ‘you’re a jackass.’”
He grinned. “I need to work on that.”
“No kidding.”
She turned toward the door and gave him a good view of her curvy behind in clingy black slacks. He needed a bite of that.
“Shit!” Cluny bobbled the coffee and doughnuts when Marla flung the door open and nearly knocked him off the steps.
She stomped down the stairs. “Watch where you’re going, McPherson. You nearly knocked me over.”
“I nearly—?” He backed up, huffed, watched her leave, and stepped inside. “You must’ve said the right thing, Gunny. Her smile is gone.”
“Yeah, I seem to have a knack for it.” Dwayne reached for the paper-wrapped doughnuts. “What’s taking Slim so long?”
“That’s his truck pulling in now.”
“Give him a shout. I need him to translate this note.”
If there was a
