She zeroed in again on the college kid, pointing in warning.“Now just because I posed for that thing, don’t be getting any ideas.Blaire doesn’t wear push-up bras out in public.She’s a nice girl.”
“Okay, I get it.”Roux lifted his hands in defense.“So, what are you going to do for marketing now that the billboard has been taken down?”
Roxie’s head whipped around.“Taken down?”
Roux went still, feeling the tension that had just dropped over the room.“Yeah.They ripped it down today.”
Roxie wrapped her fingers around the edge of the bar, one by one.“Who ripped it down?”
“I thought you had it done.Maybe it was the sign company?”He eased back.“I just noticed it.”
“No.”Roxie refused to believe it was true, yet the urge to move came over her so suddenly, she literally bumped into the bar.“No, no, no.”
Leaving her post, she stepped out into the main bar area.She quickly pivoted back to grab her computer.There had to be some mistake.
“Rox?”Billy said softly.
Right.Why would she need the computer?
Spinning around again, she headed to her office like a locomotive on rails.Heads were going to roll for this.Was that preachy little librarian behind this?Had activists gotten up there and defaced her sign?Because if they had, by God, for the first time in her life, she was going to go to the police.
What had that patrolman’s name been?The tough-looking one?
Her laptop hit the desk with a none-too-gentlethunk, and she whipped open her lower desk drawer so fast, she hit herself in the shin.“Ow, damn it.”
“Roxie.”
Billy filled her doorway, blocking the light with his wide shoulders.Roxie swore under her breath as she grabbed her purse.It swung around and nailed her in the back as she headed towards him.
This was wrong.Had the sign company taken it down?They’d be in violation of their stinking contract if they’d let themselves be goaded into it.
“Contract,” she hissed, turning again.
Tearing open a file cabinet, she flipped through papers until she found what she was looking for.Lowering her chin, she let her gaze cut through Billy as she bore down on him.
He held up his hands and cleared out of the way.
“I will take them to court for freedom of speech,” she hissed.Flames were flying on the grill as she passed, but even they shied away as she stomped her way into the bar.
Her heels clomped against the wood flooring, and she deliberately kicked her feet down to get the sound she wanted.Damn backup boots.
“Roxie,” Billy said more firmly.
A solid tug on her purse pulled her up short, and she whirled around on him.He deftly swiped the keys from her hand.
“I’ll drive.”
“Fine.”It would give her time to bitch out whomever was responsible for this.
Tearing down her sign!
Anger bubbled up inside her, hissing through her veins.She was so riled; she could barely see the words on the contract she was poring through as Billy settled her into the pickup.
A phone number.Ha!
She dialed it with stiff fingers.Her temper only got darker when nobody answered.
She tracked down the advertiser’s personal cell number as Billy was driving across the bridge.Twisting in her seat, Roxie peered across the lanes to the billboards on the other side of the road.
