Wrong Place, Right Time(91)
I don’t know what it is about that silly little canine couple, but they instantly calm me down. I don’t need to worry about where I’m parking or what that means right now. I can get my puppy cuddles on, give the team my report, and then go to the mall. That’s my kind of Friday. No need to freak out.
May comes down the stairs after the dogs at a more sedate pace, meaning she doesn’t fall into a pile of legs and fur at the bottom of the staircase, unlike the pups. Felix goes ballistic, trying to untangle himself from his girlfriend. Sahara stands there looking dazed as he bounces around her ankles, barking like he’s being shocked by a Taser or something.
“You made it!” my sister exclaims.
“Is he okay?” I ask, gesturing at Felix.
“Oh, he’s fine. He hates it when Sahara bowls him over. He’s scolding her right now.”
Hilarious. Is that what I look like when I yell at the kids? I shut my car door and walk around to the passenger side so I can grab my things. “I made it on time. It’s a miracle.”
She looks inside the car. “Is Sammy okay?”
“Yes, for now. I still have to find him a permanent spot somewhere, but he’s fine for today.” I make a mental note to place a few phone calls after I leave here.
“Hey, Toni,” May says to her coworker.
“Hello. Everything good?”
“Yep, couldn’t be better. Excited to hear what Jenny has to say about what she and Lucky found.”
Toni apparently has nothing to say to that. She climbs the stairs in front of us, not looking back.
She’s a tough nut to crack, but if my sister is to be believed, worrying about whether she likes me is a wasted effort. The only thing I can hope for, probably, is mutual respect. Hopefully after she sees my report, we’ll be halfway there.
May lowers her voice to keep our conversation private as we look up the stairs. “Are you nervous?”
“Do bears poop in the woods?”
“Yes. Because bears are busy being farmers—haven’t you heard?”
“What?”
May is grinning up at me as I ascend the stairs sideways. “You know, how they plant acorns and seed stuff with their butts?”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, ha, ha.” I lean down and whisper at her with as much threat in my voice as possible. “Don’t you dare tell anybody about my Animal Planet obsession.”
“I can be bribed.”
“Want to come to the mall with me? I have a gift certificate to spend.” I wiggle my eyebrows at her.
“Animal Planet? Who watches that dumb show? Not my sister.” She grins. “I’m there. Lunch hour?”
I nod. We’re at the top of the stairs now, and Toni is pressing in the code that will give us entry to the sword room. She pushes the door in hard enough to let it swing open for all of us, but she doesn’t bother holding it.
In any other circumstance I might consider this person rude, but being forewarned by May makes me a more charitable person today. Plus, I can’t afford to make any of these people into bad guys in my mind. What if they offer me a job? What will I say? Will I chicken out because I’m worried there’s a mean girl in our midst? I hope I’m not that person, so easily frightened away.
The dogs run past me, almost knocking me over in their enthusiasm to get back into the meeting area. “Damn,” I shout, trying to catch myself before I fall, grabbing the door handle for all I’m worth. My briefcase swings around and whacks me in the stomach. “Holy hell, someone’s in a hurry.” I stand there in a hunched-over position catching my breath, praying no one saw me. When I look up, I notice Toni looking at me strangely. Great.
“Somebody needs to train those dogs,” May says grumpily.
I bug my eyes out at her. “Yeah, somebody needs to.”
“Oh look! Swords!” May says. Clearly this is a distraction designed to keep me off the dog-training subject, but I go ahead and look at the swords anyway. They are impressive, even though I’ve already seen them a couple times. And Dev owns them. What I wouldn’t give to watch him swinging one of those around . . .
Voices from the other room stop me from commenting or going any further on that train of thought. May’s silliness had helped me to relax a little, but now that I hear the men, I’m back to being nervous again. Will I ever feel comfortable here?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
May gives me a gentle shove on the back. “Hurry up. I don’t want to be late.”
I walk in and nod at Lucky from across the room. He gestures at the empty seat next to him. There’s also an extra seat next to Dev, whose back is to us, but I’m not brave enough to take that one. I head over to the other side of the table to sit next to my partner in crime, fellow computer-cloner Lucky. As I take my seat, Dev looks up at me and smiles, his warm gaze soothing my nerves in an instant.