HOLY SMOKE (An Andi Comstock Supernatural Mystery, Book 1)
Page 27
Robbie was waiting for her next to Joanie’s desk. She knew his glower wasn’t for her, but on her behalf. She and Robbie had a father–daughter type of relationship. He’d lost his daughter to leukemia years before and Sophie had lost her father as a child. In a building where most people were too busy to acknowledge each other, let alone the lowly security guy, they had filled a void for each other.
“I’m sorry it came down like this,” he said gruffly, once the elevator doors had closed on Floor 12 and ensured a private conversation.
“I am a little shocked by it all,” Sophie admitted. “Jon said they had to cut personnel costs, but a number of people at Adz make a helluva lot more than I do.”
“None of them have any awards, either. At least not like yours.” He patted her box with a satisfied grin.
As expected, Robbie had been instructed to search her box. Apparently Jon didn’t know about their friendship, or he wouldn’t have assigned him the task. Not that there was anyone else on security, but Jon was not beyond hiring someone from the outside to come in and do it.
Downstairs, Robbie invited her to share a cup of coffee with him in the little office he had behind the greeting counter. Sophie agreed. “You don’t have anything to snack on, do you? I haven’t eaten yet today.”
“No wonder you’re so thin,” he said. “Margy baked me some banana nut bread yesterday. Got the whole darned thing in my office. You can eat as much as you want.”
“I’m not thin,” Sophie argued, secretly pleased. In fact, her jeans were showing a little more resistance at snap time. All those hours sitting at a desk had something to do with it. Besides, Robbie was used to some hug time with his wife Margy, who one could describe as pleasantly plump.
Over coffee and the best and most moist banana nut bread Sophie had ever tasted, they chatted. By the time over an hour had rolled by, she knew she had to hot-foot-it to the bus stop, or she’d be SOL for another thirty minutes.
“I know you probably won’t want to come into the building again, but there are people here who will want to keep in touch with you when they find out what happened. And by the way, Margy told me just this morning to invite you for dinner this weekend. Can you make it?”
“If I get the car situation straightened out by then.”
He scowled. “Those bastards are still jerking you around?”
“They’re hoping to wear me out.”
Robbie grinned. “They don’t know you then, do they?”
Sophie laughed for the first time all morning. “Not by a long shot!”
They hugged and Robbie walked her out onto the plaza. She could feel his concerned gaze on her back, and she considered calling over her shoulder, It’s okay. I’ll be all right.
Once she’d calmed down and thought about it, losing the job she’d held for seven years wasn’t all that upsetting. No more deadlines, no more stress, no more worrying. She might not have money for any extras for a while, but the generous severance package Adz had given her to assuage their guilt would keep her off the streets. That is, if she could find another place to live that was reasonably priced and had a landlord who wouldn’t freak because she was temporarily unemployed.
The problem was, Sophie believed in bad things coming in threes. She’d just had her run-of-three bad luck with the car, the apartment, and the washer–dryer pair.
The bad-luck event this morning was the beginning of a new trio. She had no family, so nothing untoward could come from that quarter. Which just left her.
She readjusted the storage box in her hands, flexing her already strained fingers as she did so. Seven years busting her buns for an ad agency, ten, sometimes twelve hours a day, and when it came time to down-size, the only award-winning senior ad executive, even if she was only twenty-nine, was out the door. With one lousy box of personal possessions. Okay, not so lousy. She still had the D&AD Black Pencil, the Gold Clio, and over two dozen other award certificates to show for it.
“Go figure,” Sophie murmured as she stepped into the press of suits, shoppers, and other miscellaneous bodies surging in every direction across the plaza to get where they were going.
She took a deep breath of crisp fall air. Her lungs inhaled too much carbon monoxide as she neared the street and she began to cough. She really hated living in a big city. Always had. She figured she would make a great country girl. A quick tabulation of her savings, the check in her purse, and the balance in her cumulative bank accounts left her wondering if maybe there was a chance….
Thinking about a quiet little town she’d visited up the coast once, Sophie checked the walk signal and stepped off the curb.
A Mustang, running the red light, headed straight toward her.
. . .
HEAVEN SENT
Coming summer 2015!
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About the Author
Ann Simas lives in Oregon, but she is a Colorado girl at heart, having grown up in the Rocky Mountains. An avid word-lover since childhood, she penned her first fiction “book” in high school. She particularly likes to write a mix of mystery-thriller-suspense, with a love story and paranormal elements.
An award-winning watercolorist and a budding photographer, Ann also enjoys needlework and gardening in her spare time. She is her family’s “genealogist” and has been blessed with the opportunity to conduct first-hand research in Italy for both her writing and her family tree. Some of her Italy photos are displayed on the home page of her website, annsimas.com. The genealogy research from century’s old documents, written in Italian, has been a supreme but gratifying and exciting challenge for her.
Contact the author via:
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POB 41634
Eugene, OR 97404-0386
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What others are saying aboutANN SIMAS books…
“I found [CHLOE’S SPIRIT] to be a delightful story and even shed some tears…hard to put it down.”
– Book Lover (Reader, Amazon Kindle)
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– Trish Roberts (Reader, Amazon Kindle)
“…Ann Simas seamlessly intertwines an intriguing murder mystery [in CHLOE’S SPIRIT] with a budding romance [and] a love that spans beyond the grave… Fans of suspense, romance, and paranormal will be drawn to Simas's ability to create a well written, believable story [in CHLOE’S SPIRIT AFTERSTORIES]. She does a remarkable job developing her numerous characters.”
– Stacie Theis, BeachBoundBooks.com
“The characters are so engaging in [FIRST STAR] that you won't want to put the book down.”
– lfb68 (Reader, Amazon Kindle)
“FIRST STAR is a spellbinding romantic thriller that will leave readers on the edge of their seats and have them yearning for more.”
– Stacie Theis, BeachBoundBooks.com
“[BLESSED
ARE THE EAGLES] is a great mystery and love story with some interesting Hopi Indian folklore. Well written and good character development.”
– Gary Wolfe (Reader, Amazon Kindle)
“Warning! [LOOSE ENDS] is hard to put down! May be hazardous to your sleep…No joke…I had to see how it ended!!!”
– Mary Geiger (Reader, via Ann Simas, Author Facebook page)
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– Gary Wolfe (Reader, Amazon Kindle)
“[LOOSE ENDS] is one of my favorite books by Ann Simas.”
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“[Ann Simas] did a great job blending the forensic and investigative elements [in DRESSED TO DIE].”
– Lt. Mike Hurley (Ret.), Director, Oregon State Crime Lab, Springfield
“Just finished DRESSED TO DIE. What a great read!”
– Norma Moore (Reader, via Ann Simas, Author Facebook page)
“THE SUGAR CUP was delightful…the perfect blend of comedy, mystery and old-fashioned enchantment. I loved it.”
‒ Eileen Dreyer, author of Twice Tempted
Available now…
CHLOE’S SPIRIT
RWA Golden Heart Finalist
CHLOE’S SPIRIT AFTERSTORIES
Second Chance & Foolish Heart
ALL’S WELL
An Eclectic Collection of Short Stories
FIRST STAR
RWA Golden Heart Finalist
BLESSED ARE THE EAGLES
RWA Golden Heart Finalist
LOOSE ENDS
A Sexy Thriller
DRESSED TO DIE
A Grace Gabbiano Mystery, Book 1
Coming soon…
HEAVEN SENT
SLICED TO DIE
A Grace Gabbiano Mystery, Book 2
Also by Ann Simas
THE SUGAR CUP
(Written as Annie Sims, Harlequin Worldwide)