"Hmm. Jake left you a note."
She took the piece of paper Kim held out and unfolded it.
I hear the job was canceled-what happened to "playing nice?"
And you have a tattoo?"
"Fuck," she muttered.
Kim gave her a sympathetic smile. "He talked to Dave when he got back yesterday."
Oh well, she'd known it was bound to happen. But no way was Gary getting her promotion. She'd find another way to prove she was nice. If it killed her. She peered up at her best friend as she leaned against the desk. "Am I nice?"
Kim snorted. Then coughed and cleared her throat. "Of course you're nice. Would I be best friends with someone who wasn't … nice?"
"You're lying." Christ, even her best friend didn't think she was nice. Was she aiming too high? She flung herself into the chair. Actually, there was something she needed Kim's help with, might as well make use of her while she was here. "Have you got a few minutes?"
"As long as you need."
She took a deep breath. "I joined a dating agency."
"When? Where? How? I don't believe you."
"It's really your fault-well, yours, and Dani's. I figured if the two of you could find someone, then so could I. But it's a load of crap. The guys I've met so far are … boring."
"And you want … exciting?"
"No, I've done exciting and I've no plans to repeat the experience."
"Declan, I presume."
"Yeah. Anyway what I want is nice." Oh God, that word again. It was taking over her life. "But I need to be able to spend time with them and stay awake. Anyway, I'll give it one more try, but I thought I'd adjust my criteria."
"And strike boring off the list."
"Something like that."
Kim shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't tell me. First the tattoo, now this." She peered at her closely. "What other secrets are you hiding?"
"None. And I'm telling you now. I thought you could have a quick look at my questionnaire on the dating site, see where I'm going wrong."
Kim rubbed her hands together. "No problem. Get me in there."
Jess sat in Jake's chair and pulled up the dating agency forms on the screen in front of her, then stood up so Kim could take the seat.
"So what I thought-"
Kim cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Just leave it to me. I've got this."
Jess paced the room, hands shoved in her pockets as Kim's fingers flew across the keyboard. What the hell was she writing? Maybe this was a huge mistake. After all, Kim was hardly an expert on the subject of dating. One abusive husband and then Jake-hardly a wealth of experience.
She peered over her shoulder, but Kim waved her away again. "You are such a total fibber," she said.
"Am not." Well maybe just a little. But who'd want her if she told the truth?
"I can't believe you've put cooking down as an interest," Kim muttered.
Jess scowled. "I can make really good coffee. And I thought I'd attract a better class of man if I came across as domesticated."
Kim snorted. "There, done. No don't look. Just see what you get and if you're still bored, then you can change it back."
"Or dump the whole idea." Maybe she'd go speed dating instead. Five minutes with a guy. Even she could manage that.
"Are you all set for Sunday?" Kim asked.
She groaned. She'd been doing her best to forget about Sunday. "How could you let me agree to that? Why didn't you stop me? Or at least stop me drinking before I got to the stage where I said I'd do it. You know I'm terrified of heights."
"It's for a good cause, and it will be fun."
"Of course it will." She pushed Sunday to the back of her mind. She'd agreed to do it, but that didn't mean she had to think about it. "Right, work. I've got to find Dave the most horrible job I can for being such a tattletale."
Half an hour later the phone on the desk rang. It was Jake's assistant. "There's a call for you, a Mr. McCabe."
She hated the little zing of excitement that flashed through her at the name. She swallowed, breathed in, breathed out. "Put him through," she said.
"Jessica?" The zing fizzled to nothing as she recognized the voice. Rory McCabe.
"Yes."
"I'm calling to ask you to reconsider."
She frowned. "There's nothing to reconsider. Your son does not want our protection. There's nothing I can do."
"There's been another attempt on his life."
Shock slammed her in the stomach. She swallowed her fear. "Is he okay?"
"Fine, a few cuts and bruises. It was a letter bomb, sent to his apartment. Something went wrong and it exploded without being opened, early this morning. Destroyed the apartment, but luckily Declan was just arriving home. He was getting out of the elevator when it happened."