Spying on the Boss

by Janet Lee Nye

  Wyatt nodded. “Seems straightforward enough.”

  “Questions?”

  Only about a hundred, Wyatt thought. “I’m still a little concerned about the whole ‘guys cleaning your house’ aspect of this. I know about the behavioral contracts, but there’ve been no problems, have there?”

  DeShawn shook his head as he stood and gathered the day’s books. “It’s a thing with some of the newer clients. Most of the people who’ve been with Sadie for years know it’s all about the job we do, not who’s doing it. It’s an attention-grabbing gimmick, nothing more. Our service is beyond excellent. Now, come on and let me show you how to properly clean a house.”

  Wyatt, who had been cleaning house since he was twenty and his mother became ill, was a bit offended by that...until they started. He’d known the work would be mostly physical: mopping, sweeping, vacuuming. He wasn’t prepared for the military-level precision with which DeShawn went through a house. He could clean a house twice as well in half the time Wyatt could do his own home.

  By lunch, Wyatt was beginning to wonder what he could report to Marcus. Every client they’d seen so far had been an elderly couple. Surely they weren’t buying drugs or sexual services. Even the idea that Sadie was running the cleaning service as a front to some criminal business was hard to believe. Front operations were usually poorly run. Most attention went to the criminal activity as it was the more lucrative. Fronts were only that—fronts, barely functioning covers. The Cleaning Crew was no front. It was a thriving business.

  “So, how’re you liking it so far?” DeShawn asked over lunch.

  Wyatt smiled at him. “It’s good. Pretty much what I expected.”

  “You’re picking it up very quickly. Better than most, trust me.”

  “Probably the military training. I like order and plans.”

  DeShawn’s eyes lit up. “You were military?”

  “National Guard.”

  “Did you get sent over?”

  “Two tours in Afghanistan.”

  “Can I ask you some questions?”

  “Sure.” He braced for the usual questions from young men who thought war some exciting real-life version of the video games they’d grown up playing.

  “I’m thinking of joining after I graduate next year. I can go in as an officer but I can’t decide which branch. The air force appeals to me, but with my engineering degree, some have said the army might be best. What do you think?”

  Wyatt dropped the french fry he was holding. Whoa. Okay. This kid was serious. “I’m not an expert on all the different branches. I was in the Army National Guard. There was a demand for engineers. Mostly for rebuilding. What do you want to do with your degree? Say you enlist, do your twenty years and retire. What experience would you want to have to transfer to a civilian job?”

  “Structural engineering.”

  “So compare what’s available in each branch to what jobs are comparable in the civilian market, and go with that.”

  DeShawn lifted his hand. “Boom! Right to the center of it. Thanks, man.”

  Wyatt did the fist bump thing and grinned. This made him feel a little better about the whole undercover-and-lying thing. He’d maybe helped this guy. “Let me ask you a question now.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Sadie said everyone went out with a partner. But you don’t. Neither does Josh. Why’s that?”

  “There are only a few of us who go solo. The ones who’ve been here the longest. We have the older client lists. The clients Sadie had back when she worked alone. Before there was a Crew.”

  Wyatt nodded. That wasn’t going to help him much. He needed to get in with the newer clients and newer employees. See what was going on with them. He gathered up the remains of his lunch and followed DeShawn to the trash bin. This is only day one; give it some time.

  They finished up just after three and headed back to the office. Sadie was in the back room, filling out the next month’s calendar when they went in to put the books away. Wyatt felt his heart rate amp up a few notches at the sight of her. The jeans and T-shirt hugged her curves and her hair was down, loose curls spilling to the center of her back. She turned and smiled as they walked in.

  “Hey. How’d it go?”

  “Good job with this one, boss.”

  Sadie’s gaze moved to him and he felt every inch she looked over. “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yeah. Picking it up so fast, he probably doesn’t need a full two weeks. In a month, he’ll be ready to go solo.”

  Wyatt grinned at DeShawn. This was good. Yes, take me off orientation early. Put me on a team with one of the new guys. “It helps when you’ve got a great teacher.”

  DeShawn held out a fist and Wyatt bumped it. “Tomorrow.”

  “How’s Julietta doing?” Sadie asked after DeShawn left. “I’ve been thinking about her. Is she okay after what happened?”

  Wyatt blinked and stared for a moment. People usually avoided talking about Jules. It was messy and painful. “Yeah,” he said. “She’s okay. I was expecting it to be like a dam breaking but she hasn’t said anything more. I called her therapist and told her what happened. She said to let Jules lead the way on when she wants to talk about her mother.”

  Sadie pressed a hand over her heart. “Good. I was so afraid I said something wrong and made it worse.”

  “No. The therapist said you did perfect. Didn’t make a big deal out of it. So thank you again.”

  “You’re welcome, but it wasn’t anything I did. She chose the moment. I haven’t forgotten about the curls. I’ll grab something from Walmart and show you how to use it sometime this week.”

  “That’d be great. Anything else I can do for you?”

  The faint blush on her cheeks was interesting, but he only caught a glimpse before she turned back to the calendar.

  “No. See you tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  FOUR DAYS INTO the job and Wyatt was starting to feel really horrible about this investigation. Between the morning interactions and midday resupply runs that allowed him interaction with other teams, Wyatt was getting a better idea of how the Cleaning Crew operated. There wasn’t anything going on. Better work ethic, better gimmick, better management and leadership. That was it. Marcus was going to have to accept the facts.

  He consulted his kitchen cheat sheet. Clean microwave, inside and out. He glanced around to find it. They were in a large, gorgeous home on Albemarle Point overlooking the marsh and the Ashley River. The kitchen was huge. It had two stoves and the biggest refrigerator he’d ever seen in his life. So, this was how the other half lived.

  The front door opened and his pulse kicked up a beat or two when Sadie called out. She could really get him going. For all the good it did. Sure, I know I was lying to you and spying on you, but do you want to catch a movie or something? He shook his head. She was the first woman to catch his eye since Victoria had walked out on him. And with the way she’d responded to Jules, a little chunk of his heart was trying to get in on the action.

  “Hey, boss. What’s up?” DeShawn called from what he’d told Wyatt was the atrium. Looked like a sunroom to him, but fancy houses needed fancy rooms, he supposed.

  “Checking in on you. How’s it going?” Sadie’s voice.

  “It’s going. No problems.”

  “Great. Where’s the FNG?”

  Wyatt snorted out a laugh, one echoed by DeShawn. “Where’d you learn that?” DeShawn asked.

  “Josh. He said it meant former National Guard.”

  DeShawn came into the kitchen with Sadie trailing behind him. DeShawn was laughing too hard to say anything. Sadie stopped and put her hands on her hips, her cheeks going from pink to red. Black eyebrows drew together over those denim blue eyes. Good God, she’s gorgeous. And sexy. And completely out of the questio
n.

  “Damn it. I’m going to kill him. What does it really mean?”

  “Fucking new guy,” Wyatt said, not bothering to contain his own laughter. DeShawn collapsed against the counter, laughing so hard tears were leaking from his eyes.

  “Oh, you guys think you are so funny with your jokes. Maybe I’ll add dumping kitty litter and washing litter boxes to the weekly chore list. Who’s funny now, huh?”

  DeShawn sucked in a loud lungful of air. His hands clamped down on his stomach. “Stop. Stop, you’re killing me.”

  She crossed her arms and tapped a foot. The look on her face would have scared Wyatt straight if he’d been a kid DeShawn’s age. Then the corners of her mouth began losing the battle with her own laughter.

  “Former National Guard. Who even calls anyone that? I cannot believe you fell for it,” DeShawn said between gasps for air.

  “Oh, Josh is dead meat. Dead. Meat. Go scrub a toilet or something. Let me talk to the fucking new guy.”

  After DeShawn left the room, still laughing, Sadie turned to Wyatt. Her coloring had returned to the pink, and he was struck again by how pretty she was. And funny. And tough. And smart. And how much she was going to hate him when this was over. All the joy of the little prank left him and his guts turned to lead.

  “I’m checking in with you. How’s it going with DeShawn?”

  He picked up the rag and returned to cleaning the microwave. “It’s going well. He’s a good teacher. Organized and patient. I can see how good he is, and having a...FNG must slow him down, but he doesn’t show it.”

  Her cheeks pinked again and it made him smile.

  “Good. Exactly what I like to hear. How about you? Is the job about what you expected?”

  “Mostly. I didn’t realize the extent of the planning and record keeping. I can see why you’re blowing away the competition.”

  “We.”

  “Huh?”

  “We are blowing away the completion. The Crew isn’t me. It’s you. You guys do the work. I’m only the ringmaster of this circus.”

  “Whatever you do, your clowns love you. That’s a big part of the success.”

  Her lips parted and she drew in a breath. Her expression showed a bit of puzzlement, as if she didn’t know if she should believe him or not. “Thanks.”

  “I can see why that guy Marcus is floundering, trying to get an idea of how to compete with you. What you are doing is completely different and not just the guy-cleaning-your-house gimmick. You keep your employees happy. And happy employees do a better job.”

  “I try.”

  “I think you’re doing better than trying.”

  Sadie laughed. “I think I’ll have you follow me around all day, giving me pep talks.”

  “Do you need pep talks?”

  A brief flicker of uncertainty surfaced in the blue depths of her eyes. His hand twitched, wanting to touch her porcelain skin. Would it be like silk beneath his fingertips? Would he feel the heat of her easy blushes? She held his gaze as if she couldn’t quite look away. A wave of desire washed over him. No. This was bad. He returned his attention to the spotless microwave and began wiping the inside of it.

  “We can all use a pep talk from time to time. Anyway, I was checking in. If you have any questions or need anything, my number is in the information packet.” She started to leave but stopped at the door. “How’s Julietta?”

  He sprayed more cleaner on the rag and glanced over at her. “She’s doing well. Told me her mother used to make pancakes on Sunday mornings. We tried it for dinner last night.”

  “You made her pancakes? How’d that go?”

  He paused, looked down, laughed. “She appreciated the effort, I think.”

  “Are you bringing her to the first Friday feast tomorrow?”

  “I meant to ask. What is it exactly?”

  “First Friday of every month, Molly and I cook. We have a family dinner.”

  “Not sure how she’d do in a large crowd of strangers.”

  “I understand. If she gets overwhelmed, she can play with Jack up in my apartment.”

  “I’ll see what she thinks about it.”

  “Great. Hope to see you both.”

  Yeah. That’s not going to happen. He had a meeting with Marcus Canard scheduled for later. A meeting during which he was going to end this investigation. He refused to take any more money from Canard. And he was feeling guilty about the money Sadie was spending to train him. Then he’d have to quit the Cleaning Crew. Hopefully without her ever learning what a scumbag he was.

  * * *

  MORE THAN A little angry after Marcus had him wait in the threadbare lobby of his office, Wyatt got straight to the point. “There is nothing illegal going on at the Cleaning Crew.”

  “You haven’t been there long enough. They aren’t going to let you in on everything in your first week. I told you this would be a long assignment. You said it wouldn’t be a problem and you could clear your entire caseload to take this on. I even asked Henry first before appropriating his favorite private cop.”

  Wyatt sat back but didn’t break eye contact. “That’s true. But I have a serious problem continuing an investigation when it isn’t warranted. There is no evidence of wrongdoing. You’re throwing away your money.”

  “What I do with my money is my business. And I didn’t see anything about your training.”

  “Now you are talking about corporate espionage. I don’t do that. Understand? You hired me to find out if there was illegal activity going on. Not to spy on their business practices.”

  Marcus lifted his hands. “Fine. You’ve got principles. I want you in there for at least a week or two more.”

  Wyatt shook his head. “No. I’ve concluded this investigation. If you don’t like my results, hire someone else to do it.”

  He stood to go. To hell with this.

  “Well, that’s a real shame, son. If my recollection is correct, when Henry introduced us, he said you did whatever needed to get the job done. A bulldog, he called you. He’s going to be mighty disappointed when I tell him you crapped out on me.”

  “I didn’t. You don’t like my findings.”

  Marcus leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands across his gut. He smiled, exposing his teeth, but his eyes stayed cold. “Henry does my insurance. Gosh, if he was so off in his judgment of you, maybe he’s off with his judgment of my assets. Maybe I’ll have to tell him I’m going to move my business elsewhere.”

  Wyatt’s hands clenched along with his jaw. “That’s blackmail,” he said.

  Walk out, part of him screamed. Tell him to shove it and walk out. And six months ago, he would have. He would have banked on his relationship with Henry being strong enough. He couldn’t believe Marcus paid more in premiums than he saved for Henry by proving fraud. Surely he was a bigger asset. But now he had Julietta to consider. Keeping her in therapy. And a stable environment.

  “I’m not blackmailing you. I’m stating how disappointed I am in a business associate’s judgment.”

  “Fine. One more week. If I don’t get a hint of anything by then, then there isn’t anything. Agreed?”

  “Sure. Thanks. I always appreciate someone who can see the big picture. Because we all depend on each other, don’t we?”

  Wyatt managed to not slam the door as he left. He wanted to drive straight home and take a shower. Dealing with Marcus always left him feeling dirty. He sat in the car, trying to calm the anger before he went home to Julietta. He needed a plan to get out of this. He was beginning to see that Marcus was a vengeful man. Exhibit A: his fixation on finding anything to ruin Sadie’s reputation in return for nothing more than her being a better businessperson. He needed to set up a meeting with Henry and feel him out about his relationship with Marcus. He’d get that done and put in ano
ther week.

  Then what? Back to his usual life of following insurance cheats around. Back to focusing on Julietta’s recovery. Back to sleeping alone every night. He cranked the engine. He didn’t miss Victoria, not really. His love for her had been squelched in a single moment.

  She had gone with him to Asheville after Maddie’s death. He’d found Jules stunned and scared in the care of Maddie’s best friend, Kate. She’d put her little arms around his neck and told him her mommy was dead. He remembered sinking to the floor, Jules in his lap as they cried together. After her tears tapered away, she had whispered a question to him. Who’s going to take care of me now? He’d told her he was. A movement in the doorway caught his eye and he saw Victoria standing there. The words Victoria and I will died on his lips at the expression on her face. Horrified. Furious.

  That night, they’d argued. She told him to let Kate keep Jules. That she had no intentions of starting their marriage with a half-grown kid. And he had no business even trying to take on a young girl. He’d listened to her with a dizzying sense of stunned relief. It was as if a mask had slipped and he was seeing into her soul. And it was ugly. When she said if he was going to take custody she might as well leave him, he told her to go home and pack her things. To be out of the house before he and Jules came back.

  In the time between burying her mother, settling her affairs and coming home to Charleston, Jules asked if Aunt Victoria was going to live with them. He told her no. He told her he and Victoria had decided they didn’t love each other enough to get married. And he prayed Jules would never hear or figure out the truth. Because she’d been disappointed with his answer. Another woman gone from her life. Maybe when they got through this first year, he’d look into that Big Sisters program. Something to get a stable female presence in her life.

  He dropped the truck into gear and backed out of the parking space. This is exactly why you shouldn’t be thinking about Sadie Martin. There is no way to make this work. He shook his head. Damn, he was attracted to her. And he suspected he wasn’t the only one feeling the sparks. Guilt squirmed in his gut. He was lying to her. Spying on her. It’s your job. It’s what you do. Somehow, he didn’t think she would see it that way. And even if he quit, he could never do anything about this attraction and not tell her. And she’d never forgive him. Do the job. Secure your relationship with Henry. Get out. Nothing else to do.