“Who knows what kind of lies Sherry Hillman will make up, or how she’ll prove it.” Sam’s tone was glum, his voice hollow with defeat. “Jesus, I hate this.”
“Whatever Sherry fabricates, I’d bet more than half the town and all of your students will have your back.” Rikki slipped her hand from his, long enough to wind it through the crook of his arm and snuggle close as they walked up to her front porch. “I’m sure it will be okay.”
Sam leaned away from her, a wide grin pressing his dimples into his cheeks, warming his eyes with some emotion she couldn’t identify. “Hello, Pollyanna. I love that you can see the bright side of everything. You did it last night with Katie, and now again, for me.”
“That’s my motto—stay positive but be prepared.” She paused and dug for her keys at the bottom her purse. Clutching them, she inserted the house key in the lock and looked over her shoulder as she twisted her wrist. “Are you staying?”
“I’d like to. Are we good now?”
“I don’t know. Do you feel better for having talked about what’s troubling you?”
Sam looked at his feet, considering her question. “Yeah, I do. Thanks.”
“Then you’re staying.”
She pushed the door open, pulled him inside, and closed the remnants of an awful night behind her.
Chapter 17
When Sam had left Sunday evening, after a long, drawn-out kiss at her front door, Rikki returned to her regularly scheduled life. She chatted with her parents, who’d called from a ski chalet in Switzerland. It was just like her carefree gypsy parents, neither of whom knew slalom from a snowplow, to vacation at a ski resort. Rikki was still shaking her head when Gunnar texted her. That could go on all night, so she dialed his number from memory.
“You really hate to text, don’t you?” he complained when he answered.
“If you hated auto-correct as much as I did, you’d be more patient. Besides, texting is too impersonal. You are my brother.”
“Yeah, but…”
“Give over, Gunnar. I won’t make you talk too long.” His snort told her how much he believed that. “What’s going on with my brother, the king of the gyms?”
“I’m glad you asked. I have a line on a building in Granite Pointe. Can you believe that?”
“Really? Why here?”
“The demographics and location are right for the business model. You like it there, don’t you?”
“It’s a nice community. Great location.”
“I’m going to be there on Friday to look at the building. I’m meeting with the realtor and a contractor to evaluate the site. Have you heard anything about Kerrigan Brothers Construction?”
“I’m kind of dating one of the brothers, so yeah.”
“No fooling? Wait a sec! Is this the guy who didn’t know you’re Marguerite? How did he take it when you dropped that little tidbit into a conversation?”
“Yeah, about that...I still haven’t figured out how to tell him.”
“Christ, Rik-a-rak! Don’t sleep with the guy until you figure out how.”
“Oops. Too late, I’m afraid.”
“What the hell were you thinking?”
Gunnar’s voice boomed and Rikki pulled the phone away from her ear. “Um…heat of the moment? Let’s just say my body took over thinking for the logical part of me,” she confessed.
“Oh, Jesus, you did not just tell me that. Ew. I’ve gotta go wash out my ears and sanitize my brain.”
Rikki sensed his shudder over the cell phone connection.
“Seriously, Rik, do not get too involved until you tell him. He’s going to think you’ve deceived him on purpose.”
Gunnar’s words knocked hard against what Sam had confided in her about his teenage years. Anxiety rose through her ribcage the way water bubbles up from a natural spring, roiling and churning for release.
She admitted, if only to herself, that she’d been a coward the whole day. Numerous opportunities had arisen to confess her secret to him. But their day had been so perfect, she’d refused to ruin it. Her hesitancy did nothing but grow her guilt to monumental proportions in her gut.
She exhaled harshly, the breath surging up from her toes, tasting sour, like deceit. “I know. I keep trying and he keeps bitching about what a shirker she is…I am. This is the first time I’ve been seriously interested in a man, and look what a mess I’ve made of it, Gun. Can you tell him?”
“Oh, hell no! I’m not getting in the middle of this. You’re on your own here, Rik.” The sympathy in Gunnar’s voice was unmistakable. “Is he any good? I mean, I wouldn’t expect you to know about the other guy and I’m not asking about…you know. Oops, I might need to rephrase my question. Are the Kerrigan Brothers a good bet as builders? Are they decent contractors?”
Gratitude for her brother’s attempt to put her at ease erupted in the form of laughter. “I haven’t seen any of their work yet, but they’re building the extra panels I need for the exhibit.”
“I’ll be there Friday. Can I bunk with you for the weekend?”
“Silas might be here. He’s planning to come for the exhibit opening. You’d be sharing a double bed with him. “
“Again, oh, hell no! Do you have the number for the Granite Pointe Inn?”
By the time she’d finished talking to her brother, Gunnar’s laughing attitude made Rikki feel better about the situation with Sam. She had to figure out how to “introduce” him to Marguerite. And soon. Definitely prior to Grandfather’s arrival.
Most of Monday was spent on the phone with calls back to the office. Jenni had loads of messages and questions about invoices for supplies and space rental at a couple of the museums the Sims exhibit would travel to this summer. She also had updates on statistics from their social media accounts.
They’d launched a marketing campaign to gain more followers just before Rikki had taken off for Granite Pointe, and it appeared to be working. They’d linked their website to their social media accounts and the numbers were encouraging. Jenni wasn’t fond of using Facebook or Twitter. Her argument was that those sites were a public relations nightmare waiting to happen.
Katie knocked on Rikki’s front door shortly after three. Light rain had fallen all day long and Katie huddled inside her coat, as if trying to stay warm and dry, even on the large covered porch. She’d come directly from school and greeted Rikki with a shy smile.
“Hey, Katie. Right on time.”
Rikki returned the smile and stepped aside, gesturing for the girl to come inside, then shut the door against the cool, humid breeze accompanying the misty conditions. Katie dripped on the hardwood floor, toeing off her wet shoes.
“How are you feeling? Did you make it through the whole day?”
“I slept most of the day yesterday, so I feel good. The kids at school were pretty great, too. Stephanie invited me to sit with her and some of her friends at lunch. They’re all jealous that you asked me to help you.” The girl’s smile had transformed from shy to beaming.
Katie’s smile was infectious and Rikki returned it warmly. “Are you ready to work?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“First things first, call me ma’am again—or even Ms. Salerno—I’ll trade you in for one of your new, but probably disrespectful, friends. You can call me Rikki.”
“Yes, ma—er, Rikki.”
“Better. Now, how are your research skills?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“We’re going to feature a photographic history of every community the exhibit is scheduled to stop in. Bianca, an intern we have this semester, proved hopeless at finding local resources for the type of pictures we can use.” Describing Bianca as hopeless was being generous. But because Katie would need to interact with the college student, Rikki opted for diplomacy. “I’d like you to search the Internet and find some good, useable images. Preferably ones we can borrow.”
“Like the newspaper?”
“That’s an obvious source and a good place to start, but I kno
w there must be others.”
Katie thought for a moment, then her eyes brightened. “Our neighbor owns an antique store on Front Street. They sell framed photos from the area. Some of them are really old.”
“That’s exactly what we need.”
“And I know there is a permanent exhibit in the Elder Pointe. They have sick people there, but it’s mostly a retirement place.”
Gratification settled with heady emotion over Rikki. In spite of having hired Katie on the spur of the moment, the girl had just confirmed that her choice was solid.
“I can see you’re going to be a model employee. All right, you make a list of the places you can think of here in town, then get online and find me contact names, phone numbers, and addresses? Once we have that, you can move on to research Philadelphia. That’s the next stop.”
Katie nodded and turned toward the desk by the front window. Rikki followed, grabbed a pad of paper, and scrawled the details of what the Foundation would agree to in exchange for lending the photos. Katie sat down in the padded roller-chair, scooted up to the laptop, and tapped the space bar to wake the machine from its technology-induced hibernation.
Rikki dropped the pen onto the desk, grabbed her cell phone, and stepped away to place a call. Walking into the kitchen, she cradled the phone under her chin and filled the kettle. She called out, “Katie, would you like a cup of tea or a soft drink? All I can offer is diet soda or water.”
“Do you have hot chocolate?”
Rikki’s call went to voice mail, so she left a message while opening cupboard doors looking for instant cocoa mix.
“Bingo! It doesn’t have marshmallows, but I can probably find a peppermint to drop in.” She walked to the kitchen door and waggled the packet invitingly in Katie’s direction, pleased when the girl’s eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
When the kettle whistled, Rikki emptied the contents of the packet in the cup and unwrapped a red-and-white striped disk. It looked delicious, so she put away her tea bag and grabbed another packet of the chocolate to fix a second serving.
Carrying the mugs to the living room, she deposited one on the desk. She picked up a file and walked to the sofa. She and Katie had worked in companionable silence for nearly an hour, only interrupted by the teen’s occasional questions.
Rikki’s phone chirped a text notification.
A message from Sam. Are you working at home? I need to talk to you.
She keyed in an affirmative response and his reply was almost instant; he was on his way over. A scan of the room resulted in a quiet satisfaction that she hadn’t managed to trash the area with her usual disregard for order and tidiness. Good news, she wouldn’t have to set aside the financial report she had to review and pick up after herself.
The doorbell pealed within ten minutes of Sam’s text. Katie, apparently taking her assistant responsibilities seriously, scurried to answer the door before Rikki could jump off the couch. “Hi Mr. K. What are you doing here?”
“Katie. Crap, I forgot you were working here. I came to see Ms. Salerno.”
From her seat across the room, Sam’s face was a thundercloud. Brows drawn together in an angry, black line over turbulent eyes. A muscle jumped in his jaw, his usual happy grin glaringly absent. His entire demeanor was grim.
“Uh-oh, Mr. K. She doesn’t like to be called Ms. Salerno.” The look on Katie’s face was priceless. One part cheeky and three parts oh-no-I’ve-corrected-my-teacher mortified.
Whatever bothered Sam had him brushing off Katie’s attempt at a joke. He sent a silent glance at Rikki and jerked his head, gesturing toward the porch, then walked out the front door without a word. Through the front window, she watched him lean against one of the columns, his back to the window, head raised toward the ceiling, squinting his eyes.
Rikki scrambled off the couch and slid her feet into the loafers she’d left under the coffee table. She grabbed a light jacket off a peg by the door and slipped her arms into the sleeves. Her hand on the door handle, she caught sight of the stricken look on Katie’s face. Sam’s brusque behavior must have crushed the girl. She had a serious case of hero worship for her favorite teacher.
“Hey, he’s not mad at you, or about anything you said. You know that, right?”
Katie’s shoulders drooped and she studied the floor in front of her. “Are you sure?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m sure he didn’t mind your teasing. He’s upset about something else.” She spared a glance toward Sam, a hard, cold statue staring into the dusk. There wasn’t time to set Katie’s mind at ease when it was clear that Sam’s problem was more pressing. “Katie, it’s almost quitting time. Why don’t you shut everything down and head home. I’ll be expecting you at the same time tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The girl’s meek tone and disregard for Rikki’s request to not be called “ma’am” gave her pause. “Katie? You didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t retreat back to the girl who let others bully her. Please. You have way too much going for you to backslide now. You hear me?”
“Okay.”
“I’m serious, Katie. Don’t come back tomorrow unless you plan to bring your confidence with you.”
The girl shrugged her shoulders and pulled on her coat, preparing to leave.
Rikki couldn’t tell if Katie’s simple response was agreement or not. But she couldn’t pursue it now, not when Sam had dropped his chin to his chest and his shoulders shook visibly with each inhalation.
His anger was palpable, even through the window glass.
Chapter 18
The storm door squeaked behind him, and he barely acknowledged Katie’s muttered “see ya.” Rikki’s footsteps echoed hollowly on the planks of the porch when she approached. She slid her hand along his shoulder blade, the gesture magically easing some of his anger, a soothing balm for his seething soul.
The nerve of Sherry fucking Hillman. His stomach started to churn again, a slow nauseating roll, like dropping over the first rise of a roller coaster. The way the bitch had sat in front of the principal’s desk, a smug, self-satisfied grin on her face. Looking like the cat that got the cream. He shuddered, remembering the way she’d licked her lips and winked at him, then spewed her lies to Tom Edwards.
He turned toward Rikki as she slid her arms around him. Peace and calm enveloped him, easing the convulsive motion in his gut. He grunted softly against her ear and tightened his arms around her. “God, it’s been a day from hell.”
She stood quietly in his embrace, radiating tranquility. It seeped into him and his heart rate quieted for the first time since he’d gotten the summons from Tom. The familiar scent of her shampoo and the warmth of her body further soothed his soul. Rikki ran her hand through his close-cropped hair; the rasping noise and tenderness of her fingers erased more of his tension.
But not all.
He released her and stepped away. Taking a seat on the porch railing, he crossed his arms in front of him, raising his shoulders toward his ears. Disgust rattled through his body. He huffed it out in a visible puff in the cool evening air.
Rikki seemed to recognize his need for space and edged back toward the porch swing. She pulled a crumpled blanket from the back of the seat, wrapped it around her torso, and sat. Her face was etched with trepidation, the frown marring her exotic perfection. He licked his dry lips. God, he’d love to kiss the frown away. But the news he had to share guaranteed he was about to deepen the frown to a grimace.
“God damn, Sherry Hillman.”
“Tell me what’s going on.” Her tone was soft, anxious.
“Principal Edwards sent a note after third hour inviting me to his office. I hate that feeling. Like the other shoe was about to drop, you know?” He glanced at the ceiling again and blinked hard against the sudden sting behind his eyes. The shame and humiliation of his teen years had roared back to life with the summons.
She nodded, but said nothing, waiting for him to continue
.
“When I managed to track him down, he told me Sherry Hillman had called his cell phone at oh-dark-thirty this morning and demanded a meeting at his earliest convenience. But it had better happen today or she was going to the media. With pictures.”
He shivered, wishing it was due to the cool temperature. Frost had settled into his bones at his boss’s grim look, and it had yet to release its icy grip. Even the warm sympathetic light in Rikki’s eyes didn’t unlock dread’s frigid hold on him.
“Edwards scheduled a meeting with her after students had left the building.”
“What happened?” Alarm filled her voice, making his sense of impending doom swell until it was large enough to choke him.
He swallowed convulsively, giving room for his anger to surge back to life. “She showed up with her damning evidence of my gross misconduct, just like she threatened to do on Saturday. There was a picture from the day we met. At Sims’ Spit, when you fell into the water and I rescued you by your breasts.”
Relief leaped into her eyes. “But that was completely innocent.”
“You and I know it, but the picture showed a different story. It was awkward getting you out of the water, and your hips are pressed pretty intimately against my—” He broke off and gestured to his lap. “The look on my face borders on ecstasy. I won’t lie, you felt amazing. The look on your face…not so much. One of my students was pretty damn quick with their camera.”
Red flooded Rikki’s cheeks. “I can tell Mr. Edwards what really happened. I’ll go talk to him. Once I explain—”
He brought his hand up sharply, cutting her off. “That’s not all. Remember when I fell on top of Suzannah? On Friday night? They got that one, too.”
“And again, I was there. I can talk to the Principal, explain it to him.”
“There’s one more.”
Ah, Jesus, she was not going to like this. The cold that had gripped him since he’d faced Sherry across the conference table in Edwards office dropped to sub-zero range. His lips were slats of ice when he tried to force the words out.
Exposed to Passion (Five Senses series Book 3) Page 17
