“Don’t say it.”
Daphne sighed. “Still that bad?”
She filled her in on the barbecue, her talks with her mother, and her still iffy feelings on the subject of Arlen.
“Well, now that you mention it, I might be able to shed some light on that, or possibly just add to the creepy factor.”
Lauren clutched her phone a bit more tightly. “How do you mean?”
“Nothing awful, don’t panic or anything, but you’re telling me you’re getting off vibes about this guy and I’m just saying that maybe your gut isn’t so far off.”
“Why, what do you know?”
“Well, after we talked and I realized you knew nothing about the headhunter who called me, I happened to have a meeting with Todd and I was able to bring it up—”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing, other than to ask if he’d put any feelers out on you, job-wise. He was happy to know we’d talked; I told him you were doing well and that you’d talk to him next week, and he said he was looking forward to it. He also said he was absolutely still willing to help you with the job search, but out of respect for your wishes he hasn’t stepped in.”
Lauren’s shoulders rounded a little. “Hunh. I really figured it had to be him. Who else would—”
“Well, I thought so, too, so I did a little digging. I went back to the call logs for that day. With all the new security measures, they keep track of all incoming and outgoing calls, including all numbers dialing in. So, out of curiosity, and because I was so swamped when the call came in that I didn’t take any notes like I usually do, I checked the logs for that headhunter call.”
“And?”
“And the area code is Colorado. Cedar Springs, to be exact.”
Lauren’s eyebrows lifted. “Really? Did you call it? Whose is it?”
“I didn’t call the number because I wasn’t sure what to say and I wasn’t sure what all was going on in your world there, so I figured I’d just call you and let you know about it; go from there.”
“Do you have the number?”
“Do you have a pen?”
Lauren simply tapped open a notepad document on her computer screen. “Shoot.”
Daphne recited the number. “So, what are you going to do with it?”
“Not sure yet. Do a little digging here. What I wonder is how anyone here had our direct office line? I haven’t given it to anyone. Well, my mom has it, of course, but she wouldn’t—”
The pause lengthened, then Daphne said, “I’m pretty sure we’re thinking the same thing here.”
“But what purpose would he have in calling and pretending to be a headhunter? What kinds of questions did you get asked?”
“Well, firstly, you should know, the caller was a woman.”
Lauren got up and paced. “A woman.” And she hated where her thoughts went from there. Was this the little problem that Jake was having? Had Arlen, for whatever reason, put his personal executive assistant—Jake’s sister—up to calling her private office line disguised as a recruiter? And either Jake had gotten wind of it, or Ruby Jean had told him about it, but either way, it put Jake squarely in the middle. It explained a lot. Too much, really, for it to be anything else. “So…do you think it was Arlen putting Ruby Jean up to the call?” she asked Daphne after explaining her thoughts. “But, if so…why? What would he hope to gain out of it that he couldn’t get just by asking me directly? What kinds of questions did she ask?”
“I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to remember exactly, but it was standard stuff. Job performance, compatibility with coworkers, confirming you’d voluntarily left and hadn’t been fired, that sort of thing.”
“They knew that you weren’t my superior, right? Did they ask to speak to Todd?”
“I’m not sure about the first part, but on the latter, no, but I thought that was because he was the one who recommended you for the job, and I was a reference you gave them.”
“Did they ask you personal questions? I mean, as if you were a personal rather than business reference?”
“Other than the trustworthy, dependable, loyal type stuff, no. She did ask if you were fielding other offers, which is a bit unethical, but not entirely out of line if she’s being aggressive. I told her I didn’t know.”
Lauren fell silent, trying to find a linear path through the course of events that made sense. “You know, Arlen told my mom about me quitting my job before I did.”
“Seriously? How did he know?”
“My mother says he follows political news and the Hill quite closely.”
“Okay, but your leaving Todd’s team wasn’t exactly big news on the media circuit, so how would he know that?”
“I know, I thought about that, too. I’m not really sure, unless, after marrying my mother he was keeping specific tabs on me.”
There was a pause, then Daphne said, “Well, that could either be really sweet and conscientious…or kind of creepy.”
“I’ve met him, and I’m voting on the latter. Maybe creepy is too strong. He’s not horrible or anything, but there’s just—”
“Something about him. That’s gut instinct talking; don’t ignore it.”
“I’m not. I’m just not sure what, if anything, there really is to do about it. I’ve looked into his political leanings, his business dealings. I’ve just begun on the latter, really, but nothing is leaping out at me. It might just be that I don’t like the guy and my mom does—end of story.”
“So, she’s crazy about this guy? I guess she must be given the elopement, but if you’re this naturally averse to him, what do you think she sees in him? No offense, just—”
“None taken, truly. I’ve been wondering the same thing.”
“Have you been able to discuss it with her? I know you two have really had it rough this past six months, but I was hoping with you being there face-to-face…”
“We’ve definitely patched things up. And she’s done her best to explain Arlen’s appeal to her. It’s certainly not the love match of the century, and she says she’s okay with that. There are certain things she gets from him, or from being married to him, that have enhanced her life.” Lauren went on to recap the highlights of her conversations with her mother, prompting a few surprised comments from Daphne who had met Charlene on numerous occasions during the time they’d worked together.
“Wow, I never really figured her for wanting an escape hatch. I thought she reveled in her life, her world. I was always a bit envious of how certain she was about her…point, I guess, for lack of a better word.”
“I know, right? But I tell you, Daphne, she’s happier than I’ve ever seen her, almost gloriously so. So, it makes it hard to fault her judgment on marrying Arlen when it’s brought her joy and contentment.”
“So…what are you going to do?”
“About my mother? Nothing. She’s happy and I’m happy for her. We’ve mended fences, and I’ve more or less told her that I’ll come to terms with my own feelings about Arlen and deal with that on my own.”
“And she’s okay with that? She’s not pushing you to have a chummier relationship with him?”
“No. She’s—we’re—just respecting each other’s decisions and feelings.”
“All good. Except he still gives you the heebies.”
“Exactly. So I figured I’d just keep digging until I at least figured out where those feelings are coming from. For myself, at least. If I can put my finger on something, then maybe it will lead to a better understanding.”
“Or not.”
Lauren sighed. “I know. You’re right. But should I just pretend all is hunky-dory and not try and figure it out for myself?”
“No, no. I’m all for figuring things out. So, are you going to investigate this latest wrinkle?”
“Yes, of course. If someone is making phone calls, asking questions about me, I want to know who it is and why they’re doing it. I’m just not exactly sure how to proceed.”
“I think you should talk to Jake
. Sounds like he’s rational and pragmatic. And maybe this will resolve the other issue at the same time. If you let him know that you know about Ruby Jean’s dilemma, then perhaps it can all be put on the table and dealt with, once and for all.”
“That might not be a bad idea. I didn’t want to chance making it worse, but it might be the best way to just get it all out there.”
“When do you see him again?”
“We just got back from Vegas—”
“Excuse me? Now you’re running off to Vegas? Do not tell me—”
“No, no,” Lauren said, laughing. “Nothing like that.” She explained about the race and the investors.
“So, where was I during this lovely plane ride filled with rich, single men?”
“I know, what’s up with that?”
“Maybe I need to book a few vacation days myself.”
“I wouldn’t turn down the company, or having another voice of reason. You could even bunk with me.”
Now it was Daphne’s turn to laugh. “Right. I’ll just pretend I don’t notice you and Jake in the other bed.”
Lauren actually felt her cheeks heat up. She really had to learn to control that, but with Jake, she seemed destined to become a blusher.
“I’d say you already have enough bunkmates.”
“You might be right about that.” Lauren was grinning again. It was hard not to when she thought about a certain pilot who would be sleeping beside her that night.
“I’m glad I’m right about that, by the way. Besides, I can’t book any time off right now. My best friend went and ditched her job, so I’m stuck trying to train her replacement.”
“Very funny. Natalie is like the bionic woman. I’m sure she’ll be better in my job than I was.”
“She certainly has the right barracuda tendencies for the job.”
Lauren laughed. “See? I knew there was something lacking in my approach.”
“Mine, too, if that’s what they’re looking for.”
“How is the dynamic with her and Todd? I thought she’d be good for him. I don’t think I realized how badly I’ve been burning out until I worked with her briefly, prepping her, before I left. She’s—”
“Bionic. You’re right. And yes, she’s working with him fine.”
“You don’t sound overly enthused.”
“Oh, I’m fine. She’s good, great even. But we won’t be best buds. Hard to make friends with a machine. I just miss you and I’m whining a little. I’ll get over it. When are you coming back?”
Lauren paused. And then the silence lengthened.
“Seriously?” was all Daphne said.
“I don’t know,” was all Lauren could say.
“Well, and I mean this, despite the fact that I already know there’s a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in my immediate future at the prospect of losing you forever, I’m happy for you. And I hope things work out, whatever that means. Your mom is out there now, and your man is there, too. No reason on earth why you shouldn’t join them, if it’s what you want.”
“It’s not that simple. I have to figure out who and what I want to be when I grow up. Again.” She laughed. “But, in the meantime, while I’m working that part out, no, it’s not a bad place to be at all.”
“If there’s anything I can do to help with the other little detail, please let me know. I don’t mind doing some digging of my own, if you need me to. Or making calls to Cedar Springs for you, so you don’t have to be obvious about tracking down whoever is making calls about you. Just give me the word.”
“Thanks, Daphne,” she said, never more sincere. “And, for the record, I don’t miss my job, but I miss you terribly. And I do wish you were here.”
“Ditto. Hey, I have to run. Let me know how it all shakes out.”
“I will.” They hung up and Lauren stared at the computer screen and the phone number she’d typed in. She slid in her air card and went online to the reverse directory, but the number came up as unlisted or unknown. “Of course, it couldn’t be that simple.” She was tempted to just use her motel room phone and call the number—see who answered. But she wasn’t sure the direct approach, in this case, was the wisest. Someone was making calls about her and she’d rather not tip them off that she knew about it until she knew a little something about them.
She started to close her computer, then remembered why she’d gotten it out in the first place. She clicked to her desktop, but her neat little rows of shortcut icons were all still lined up, right where she’d left them. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, really. Other than the file she’d scanned some of the articles into, she wasn’t actively working on anything, and her e-mail account was security coded. She clicked on that, typed in her password, but nothing new popped up. She went ahead and opened the scanned files one at a time. All of them were there, just like she left them. She sighed. “This is silly.” She was playing like she was some kind of super sleuth. “And acting like there’s something to be sleuthing.” So the maid moved her computer, so what. Stranger things had happened.
Her hand paused on the lid before clicking the screen shut. Stranger things…like her bike being stolen, mangled, then returned anonymously to her hotel room. Like someone from Cedar Springs calling her former coworker and asking a bunch of questions about her. Strange things, indeed. She propped the screen back and right-clicked on one of the scanned files, then clicked on Properties. Her fingertips stilled on the mouse buttons. There was the date when the file was last saved. And it was after she’d left her motel room yesterday with her mother…but before she’d returned last night.
She curled her fingers inward and moved her hand away from the keyboard, as if it might suddenly bite or something. Her heart rate picked up some speed, but she tried to ignore that and think rationally, calmly. There was an explanation. A simple one. She was sure.
She turned her gaze toward the door to her room. “Yeah,” she murmured, “and the easy explanation is that someone has been in my room. More than once.” First the bike, now this.
Her first instinct wasn’t to call Daphne back, or even her mother, the two go-to people in her world. No, her first instinct was to call Jake. Or better yet, go see him. Only this time it wasn’t a flimsy excuse to be in his personal space, nor was it to talk to him about the fact that his sister might be the entire shortlist of who Lauren suspected was behind the disturbing goings-on, or at least strongly involved. Although both of those things were definitely in play. No, her instinct to turn to him was precisely that. She was confused and had some questions, and regardless of what they were about, he was the one she wanted to talk to about them.
“So…how about that.” She did close the computer then and stood up, needing to move, to think, to not do something foolish because she was thinking with her heart instead of her head.
Should she try to discover the owner of the phone number first? Go to Jake only when she had something concrete to tell him or show him? Would he tell her the truth if confronted without any actual proof?
Wearing a track in the carpet, pacing, wasn’t doing anything to solve her dilemma. Jake was trying to protect his sister from something. And he’d also said he was trying to protect her. If she went around digging and inadvertently caused more trouble, for any of the three of them…“I need to talk to Jake.” One way or the other, that was where whatever happened next had to begin. She crossed to the bed, slid her computer back in the bag, and hefted the shoulder strap over her shoulder. The phone number was there, as were the accumulated articles she’d scanned and the ones she’d copied. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had.
She wasn’t sure if he was up in the air with a lesson or working on the ground at the moment, but that was okay, she’d wait.
Just as she was heading to the door, someone knocked on it. She froze, then shook her head at herself. “You’ve got yourself spooked now.” She went to the door and peeked through the hole. This time when she went still, it was with reason. She recognized the blond woman on
the other side of the door, but only because she’d seen pictures of her when she was much younger. Standing with her grandfather, next to the planes they’d flown in air shows when she was twelve.
She wasn’t twelve anymore.
Lauren took a calming breath, squared her shoulders, undid the lock, and opened the door. “Hello, Ruby Jean.”
Chapter 21
Jake sat in the front office, looking through the stack of newspapers Lauren had checked out of the library, waiting for Roger to come back on the other end of the phone. She’d meant to return the papers on her way back to town, but had forgotten them with the flight to Vegas.
He flipped through several of them. Most were recent, the past few years, but some were dated some time ago. He’d looked through them once before, when he’d first taken them from her when her mother had unexpectedly shown up. He hadn’t done much more than realize that the stories were about various business dealings Arlen had been involved in locally, as well as a few things he’d accomplished as the mayor.
“Hey, Jake, sorry to keep you on hold.”
“No problem,” Jake said, frowning as he thumbed through one of the older issues Lauren had checked out to read the rest of a smaller front page article. “I hate to bug you with something like this, but I thought you or one of the guys might know something about it.”
“Nothing immediate is coming back, but I’m waiting to hear from a few others who might be more connected to what his party is doing in Denver—what their plans are for the upcoming election.”
“I really appreciate you looking into it.”
“Hey, listen, no problem. Happy to help. So, you looking to back the old man? Because if you think he’s a good candidate—”
“It’s not that. He’s recently married to Lauren’s mother. I’m just doing a little background check, is all.”
“Ah, I see.”
Jake knew that Roger didn’t really see that much, and he wanted to keep it that way. “Just trying to figure out the lay of the land, that’s all. Lauren’s mother is pretty well connected herself…”
“Right,” Roger said, picking up on his drift. “You just want to make sure the new stepfather isn’t taking advantage of the new wife.”
A Great Kisser Page 32
