Spying on the Boss

by Janet Lee Nye

  “A man I used to work with. I know it won’t be very exciting for you, but it won’t take long. Then we can go out to a real restaurant and have dinner.”

  “I haven’t done my homework yet.”

  “You can start it while I have my meeting. We won’t be out late. You can get it done before bed.”

  She nodded and it brought another tug. Maddie had been the same way. Always had her homework finished. Always had clothes for the next day picked out before bedtime. He reached across the seat and took her little hand. “Did you have fun with Shiloh?”

  “Yes. We colored and her mom let us put glitter on our pictures. Mine is still drying so Shiloh is going to bring it to me at school.”

  He smiled. One woman had come close to settling him down, but it was this little girl who captured his heart and had him rushing home. “Where to you want to eat?”

  “Can we go to McDonald’s?” she asked.

  “Yuck, no.”

  “Wendy’s?”

  “How about Ladles Soups? You can get soup and a sandwich.”

  * * *

  HENRY MOODY’S OFFICE was on the fifth floor of a newish building off I-526 on the North Charleston side of the Westmoreland Bridge. His secretary greeted Wyatt with an amused smile. “Now this is a sight. May I take a picture?”

  Wyatt supposed it was a different look for him to be toting an eight-year-old girl. He grinned at Susie, who was a neat, efficient woman in her midforties. She had pictures of her family—four kids, two dogs and a husband—on the wall beside her desk. She was determined to get everyone she knew married off and having kids as soon as possible. Wyatt’s single status at thirty-one was a horror she couldn’t imagine.

  “Hey, Susie. This is my niece, Julietta. Can you keep an eye on her while I talk to Mr. Moody?”

  “Of course. Honey, you can help me, if you want.”

  Jules held up her backpack. “I have to do homework.”

  “Of course you do. What a good girl.”

  She came over and helped Wyatt clear off the coffee table in the waiting area. She touched Wyatt on the shoulder. “Mr. Moody is ready for you. Go on in. I’ll get Miss Julietta set up.”

  Henry Moody came from a long line of insurance men in Charleston. He was approaching seventy with no signs of retiring anytime soon. He had such an easy Southern grace and charm that a competitor might miss the sharp business acumen that had transformed a sleepy family company into a large corporation.

  “Good to see you, Wyatt. Tell me you are done with this other business and are ready to come back to work. I’m losing money without you.”

  He said it with a smile and waved Wyatt to a chair, bolstering his confidence in what he had to say. The good-old-boy system was alive and well, but it was never spoken of directly. He was going to break an unspoken rule. Best to do it and get it over with.

  “I wish I could say I was. One more week at the most. Think your bottom line can hold out that long?”

  “We’ll try. So, if you aren’t here for to give me good news, what is it?”

  “I want to talk to you about Marcus Canard.”

  Moody’s lips twitched, as if something bitter had touched his mouth. It was gone quickly and if Wyatt hadn’t been looking for a reaction, he would have missed it.

  “How is Marcus?”

  Wyatt shifted in his seat, feeling his pulse rise and a touch of sweat at his hairline. “I have some concerns.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. This investigation he hired me to do? I’m not sure it was legitimate.”

  “Meaning?”

  The word was spoken mildly enough, but Henry had leaned forward slightly and his gaze was direct. Wyatt shifted forward in his chair and clasped his hands together. He’d better be right, or he was going to blow everything.

  “He wanted me to find some sort of illegal activity at a rival cleaning company. His suspicion was that it was a front for a male prostitute ring. I went in undercover and took a job there. It was fairly obvious from the beginning that nothing illegal was going on. He didn’t like my results.”

  “I’m not surprised. Marcus can be...difficult.”

  “That’s the thing. I started wondering where his interest in this lay. There is very little overlap between the two businesses. Some, but the Crew’s clientele tend to be upper middle class to wealthy. They weren’t Marcus’s clients to begin with. And why was he so adamant that I do this investigation?”

  Henry smiled. “Because I told him you were the best.”

  “Besides that. I’ve checked him out. He took a huge loss in the real-estate market when the bubble broke. The cleaning company is the only thing keeping him afloat, and it’s going under. He’s not just hoping to find something dirty to boost his business. He wants me doing corporate espionage. He isn’t happy that I’ve refused.”

  “If you’ve found nothing, why are you continuing? I need you back here.”

  “There’s one more angle I want to look at. After that, I can honestly say I did everything I could for Marcus. That I gave him my best effort. But he’s not going to like it.”

  There was a long, painful silence while Wyatt willed Henry to pick up on the implication of his last sentence.

  “And you worry he may want some revenge on you for not reporting on their operations?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How? He’ll pull all his dealings with me? Since I recommended you?”

  “He’s threatened me with that.”

  Henry stared at him for a long moment. Then a quick smile crossed his lips. “Promise?”

  Wyatt let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and sank back in the chair. He should have come to Henry much sooner.

  Henry leaned forward. “Son, do you know how much money you have saved my company?”

  “Exactly? No.”

  “Last year alone, it was close to three hundred thousand dollars. I trust you. I trust your instincts.”

  The number surprised him. He whistled. “Maybe I should raise my rates.”

  “Maybe you should. Maybe I should put you on the payroll.”

  “Are you offering me a job?”

  “Would you want one?”

  Wyatt thought. Would he? Running his own business was a pain at times but it gave him flexibility with his schedule. He needed that now with Jules. On the other hand, a steady job, a steady paycheck with benefits would help him ensure the stability he needed for her.

  “I might.”

  “How about I put together an offer?”

  Moody glanced at his watch and stood. Wyatt did also. “Can I think about it? Let you know?”

  “Of course. And if you can get Marcus out of my company, I might give you a sign-on bonus.”

  Wyatt shook his hand and left, feeling better than he had in days. Now he could move forward. Put in his resignation and disappear from Sadie Martin’s life. The light feeling of relief left him, replaced by something suspiciously like sorrow.

  * * *

  LADLES SOUPS HAD begun in the West Ashley location. Wyatt was pretty certain he had eaten there enough to have funded at least one of their expansions. He loved the simplicity. Soups, salads, sandwiches. Perfect. He and Jules sat at one of the high tables along the windows because she wanted to. He pretended it was the sun in his eyes that had him rubbing them, not the sight of Jules swinging her dangling legs back and forth in the air beneath her chair.

  She was cracking him up with her food. One bite of grilled cheese, one slurp of chicken noodle soup. Back and forth. Just like her mother. He turned his attention to his loaded potato soup and BLT before the lump in his throat grew any larger. Nice. Big tough former cop, two-war-zone-tour vet and private investigator almost reduced to tears by an eight-year-girl acting like an eight-y
ear-old. You’re getting soft, man.

  “Can we go see Ms. Sadie and Jack?”

  Whoa. Where did that come from? Jules didn’t know this was temporary. He set his spoon down and leaned forward so he was eye to eye with her.

  “I think we should wait for an invitation.”

  “Can you ask her to invite us?”

  He smiled; he couldn’t help it. “I’m only working at Ms. Sadie’s place for a few more days. It’s a temporary job. Do you understand?”

  The touch of sadness in her eyes tore at his heart. That there was nothing he could do about it hurt worse. “Then you’ll be catching cheaters again?”

  “Yes.”

  She sighed and seemed to deflate in her seat. She picked up the crust of her sandwich and bit into it. She chewed then her face lit up with a smile. “We might see them at the park again!”

  Problem solved. In her mind. The sting of guilt and remorse faded. “That’s always a possibility.”

  He pushed away the remnants of his meal, his appetite gone. The past six months of adjusting to Jules being in his life, he’d put almost everything else on hold. Including women. Victoria had walked out and he’d had no desire to start dating. Until he met Sadie. Now he realized even the simplest of dates would have an impact on Jules. He’d have to be very careful who he let into his—no, their—life. He couldn’t have her bonding with women who came and went, echoing the loss of her mother over and over.

  “You about done there? Let’s get home, and I’ll help you finish your homework.”

  She held her arms out. “Piggyback!”

  He swept her onto his back and carried her out of the restaurant. In the parking lot, he spun them around and around in circles as they made their way to the truck. Her squealing laughter was making his ears ring, but it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. Face it, man. She’s going to be your number one girl for quite a while.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  SHE KNEW SHE should stop crying and let go. The guys were going to start showing up soon. But she needed this right now. The early-morning light flowing soft through the kitchen windows and Josh’s arms around her were exactly what she needed. The peacefulness of both. The tears she never let others see came freely in his arms. He didn’t say a word. Just held her.

  A 5:00 a.m. phone call from Lena had awakened her. If she wanted to say goodbye, come now. She’d sat paralyzed with fear on the edge of her bed for a full fifteen minutes before she was able to force herself to move.

  She’d come home to find Josh making coffee. He’d taken one look at her and asked what was wrong. And the tears had come. What was wrong? Everything was wrong. Her heart was a bruise in her chest and every beat hurt. It was real. He was going to die. Soon. Today. She’d been calm and dry-eyed once she reached his bedside. Had been able to whisper “I love you” and kiss his pale cheek. Josh didn’t need to say anything because he knew. He knew Abuelito was the first person Sadie had loved. She pushed back and he let her but didn’t take his arms from around her.

  “Sorry,” she said, swiping at her face with both hands. “Your shirt is ruined.”

  He reached to rip a paper towel from the holder and handed it to her. “It’ll be okay. Snot is pretty washable.”

  She snorted out a half laugh. “Let go. I’m going to be unladylike.”

  He let go. She turned away while she took care of her drippy nose. She hated crying. Hated it with a passion. But this morning she recognized the catharsis in tears. She did feel better, as if she’d worked out a nasty splinter. It still hurt, but in a cleaner, more focused way. She’d faced her fears. She hadn’t run away from pain. She hadn’t left things unsaid. Losing Abuelito was terrible, but she didn’t have the underlying emotions of guilt and shame to make it even worse.

  Josh handed her a cup of coffee and touched her cheek. “You going to be okay? I can shift things around and take over if you need the day off.”

  She shook her head and slurped down half the cup of coffee. She was going to need to mainline it to get the boost she needed this morning. “No. I’m okay. If I sit around all day waiting, I’ll lose my mind. Lena’s going to call me when...”

  She stopped because the tears were there again. She polished off the coffee instead. She moved to pour a second cup, but Josh caught her and pulled her into his arms again. She pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

  “Call me if you have to, Saff. Don’t play tough girl,” he said. His hand rubbed along her spine, warm and comforting.

  “Okay.”

  “Promise?”

  She hugged him tight. “Promise.”

  Letting go, she stepped back to get to the coffeepot. Wyatt Anderson stood in the doorway. Damn. She’d never heard the door open. Her eyes met his. Her cheeks burned at the intense speculation in his eyes.

  “Coffee’s fresh,” she said. She turned to pour a cup, breaking the eye contact.

  “Something going on?” Wyatt asked.

  His tone was casual, but his eyes were on her face where she was sure the ravages of her little crying jag were still visible. Some women could cry pretty. She was not one of them. Her eyes probably looked as if she’d been toking weed all night. Her red nose was surely highlighted by the blotches on her face. She turned away.

  “No, everything’s cool. I’m going to let Jack out.”

  She gave Josh a look as she headed to the stairs. Keep your big fat mouth shut. She didn’t want her business bandied around. Didn’t want people’s sympathy. Didn’t know how to handle it. She had enough to handle right now, thank you very much.

  Upstairs, she ducked into the bathroom to check her face while Jack whined and walked in circles around her legs. She leaned close to the mirror. Yep. Bloodshot eyes and red nose. The rest wasn’t too bad. She splashed cold water on her face. You need to pull it together. It’s going to be a long day. You’ve done all you can do for now. Get through this day. Focus on getting Wyatt checked off on his orientation.

  Wyatt was sitting at the conference table with the day’s books in front of him when she came back downstairs. Jack whined at the back door. Grateful for the distraction, she went to let him out. She stood on the back porch watching as Jack made his perimeter inspection before selecting which plants to water. The sun, now fully up, was bright and warm on her face. The air was still cool and the birds sleepy in their nests. She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a ponytail holder.

  “Ready when you are, boss,” Wyatt said from behind her.

  She remained with her back to him and finished securing her hair. She didn’t want to look at him. She knew he would see the sorrow in her eyes. He saw everything. Then he’d ask questions and she didn’t want to answer them. Because she didn’t know what the answers were. She clapped her hands. “Come on, Jack. Daylight’s wasting.”

  Jack scurried past her and she had to turn and face Wyatt. He stood at the conference room doorway, one shoulder propping up the jamb, arms crossed, biceps popped. The smile and dimples were missing in action and she had a sudden longing to see them. To see the little glint in his eyes that made her think of fallen angels. His gaze held concern and a hint of a question. Yeah, that look. Exactly what she was trying to avoid.

  She turned away and headed for the conference room table, careful not to touch him when she passed through the door. She dived into her most comfortable role: all-business. Focused on the issue at hand. She sifted through the books. They had five cleanings scheduled for the day. Two deep cleans and three regular. Big houses. The day was going to need serious organizational skills. Well, let’s see what he can do with it.

  “You went through the books. What are you thinking for the day?”

  “It’s going to be tight. There’s a lot of square footage here. There won’t be time for a resupply run. I’d say double the usual to make sure we’ve
got everything we need. Looks like DeShawn had them on an alternating schedule. Regular, deep, regular. If we hustle on the regulars, we’ll have enough time to do proper deep cleanings.”

  She flipped through the books as he spoke. He had it. The most important detail was the supplies. It was normal to break the day in half and resupply for the afternoon appointments. She liked the critical thinking and planning he’d shown. He was going to do well. Perhaps too well. Not for the first time she wondered why he was here. He had a college degree. Even if he hadn’t wanted to be a cop anymore, he could have found something other than a manual-labor-type job. But maybe that’s what he wants. Not everyone wants to sit at a desk all day.

  “Perfect,” she said, closing the books and tucking them under her arm. “Let’s go check the inventory and see what we need.”

  She made it through the first cleaning. It was a big house, but the owners were a retired couple who traveled frequently. She’d bet they hadn’t even been home since the last cleaning. Wyatt had the routine down. He still carried a little cheat sheet tucked into his back pocket, but he was quick and thorough. She did a walk-through inspection.

  Once she was satisfied, she gave Wyatt the go-ahead to start packing up. She pulled out her phone. Nothing from Lena yet. She sighed and tucked it back in her pocket.

  “Are you okay?”

  She jumped. Seriously! He was too quiet on his feet. She picked up a container of cleaning supplies and pushed past him.

  “Yes. Fine. We need to hustle, like you said. This next one is going to be a doozy.”

  He followed her out with the rest of the supplies. “You’ve checked your phone every five minutes, and it looked like you were crying this morning.”

  She put the container in the hatch and moved aside for him to do the same before closing it. “What? You want to talk about my feelings or something?”

  She gave him the scowl designed to strike fear into the souls of the crew. Didn’t seem to faze him. “Thought maybe I could help.”

  He moved away to wait at the car door. Feeling like a complete jerk, she hit the unlock button. She wasn’t a people person. She wasn’t a feelings person. Trying to deal with the loss was sapping every resource she had. She wanted to run and hide. She wanted to lash out. She wanted to be with the family as they waited, but didn’t feel worthy. She wanted to cry, but couldn’t. She wanted to stop hurting. Most of all, she wanted this scared-little-girl feeling to go away. The part whispering to her that Abuelito was the only one in the family who loved her and once he was gone, she wouldn’t be welcome. She knew it wasn’t true. But she’d thought she’d had a real family once before and that had all been a lie. All those familiar feelings of rejection and abandonment were floating to the surface. She had more experience with abandonment than love, so it was winning out at the moment.