I had to laugh. "Oh, yeah? Well it seems shady as hell. You're telling me it's not?"
Instantly, her shoulders relaxed. "Thank God. I was worried you'd think I was being dramatic."
Before that impromptu research I'd done in Chicago, I could've gone either way.Not anymore."There's nothing dramatic about the truth. So go on, tell me the rest."
"Well, it's alittledramatic," she said. "I moved to an island for God's sake."
"Yeah, but why? For your safety? Or because you were embarrassed?"
"Well, Iwasembarrassed. How could I not be? But actually, I came here fortworeasons."
"Which are…?"
"The first was because the island is kind of remote, you know? So I figured it would be a decent place to regroup."
I knew a spin-job when I heard it. "Regroup? Or hide?"
"Fine, call it both. But that's still only one reason."
"And the second reason?"
"Well…if you want the truth…" She hesitated. "It involves someone else."
I cut to the chase. "Your sister."
Again, she stopped walking. Turning to face me, she said, "I really do suck at this, don't I?"
"At what?"
She made a little fluttering motion with her hands. "This whole corporate espionage thing."
"So that's what you were doing? Corporate espionage?"
"Not hardly," she said. "You know who I worked for, right?"
I nodded. "Thatcher-Hale."
"Right. Well, you know what we specialize in."
"PR, right?"
"Yes and no. Some of our clients…" But then she gave a bitter laugh. "I meantheirclients. It's not like I still work there."
"So you quit?"
A rueful smile crossed her face. "Remember that kiss?"
Softly, I replied, "I remember."
"And remember that debate about who kissed who?"
I nodded.
"Well, that's how it was with my job.Iwould probably say I quit. Butthey'dprobably say I was fired, so I guess it depends on who you ask."
"Screwthem," I said. "I'm asking you."
Her chin lifted. "Well, in that case, I quit."
