“Dinner in twenty minutes,” he said, then wrinkled his nose. “That should give you enough time to go shower and change, you stink, and Stephanie and I have good news, so hurry up.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault I work hard for a living,” he tossed back as he went up the stairs, relief pouring through him, now completely sure they were in the clear. “Give me ten minutes.”
When he came into the kitchen a while later, everyone was either gathered around the table or helping get the food ready, and he jumped in to help. The chaos of having the entire group together made him feel even better, and he was sure his part in the destruction of the stone steps leading to the crypt would forever stay a secret. He heaped his plate when it was time to eat, suddenly hungrier than he’d ever been in his life, and was perfectly happy to eat while the conversation flowed around him.
After they were all finished and the plates had been cleared, Hattie brought out several of her apple pies and presented them with a flourish. “I thought we’d celebrate tonight,” she said. “Cooper and Stephanie have some wonderful news for us.”
He’d almost forgotten and like everyone else, he turned to look over at the smiling couple, almost positive he knew what they were going to announce. “I’m sure you’re all thinking that we’re going to announce our engagement or something like that,” Cooper said, then shrugged his shoulders. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to disappoint you. We’re not quite there yet, but Stephanie is going to be staying here instead of moving onto another project.”
“I had a meeting with Dean Proctor this morning; he’s offered me a full-time job here at the college,” she said. “I’ll split my time between teaching and exploring the ruins some more. I’ve agreed to take the position effective immediately. I’ve already started looking for an apartment. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to stay in one place for long enough to settle down.”
“For now, I’ll stay here with you all. We’re trying not to rush things,” Cooper said, smiling at Stephanie, before lookingaround the table at his friends. “Now for my good news, the architecture firm that’s designing the new stadium offered me a job as soon as I graduate. They want me on the project, so I’ll be staying here in Elmwood Junction for a while, too.”
Their good news brought a burst of conversation around the table and he joined in, glad that everything had worked out for his friends, but relieved when the meal was over and he could go to bed. It felt like everything was settled, and he could put that brief but exciting chapter of his life behind him and get on with fulfilling his own hopes and dreams.
By Monday morning, the dark cloud he’d been living under the week before had completely disappeared, along with his fears of getting caught, and he was about to take the first step toward the future he saw for himself. He’d worked hard to get where he was and was a little sad that there was no one to share the moment with him, but he’d gotten this far on his own; he’d keep going that way. It was far safer than letting himself get tangled up with a woman.
Surprised that’s where his thoughts had wandered, he pushed the idea of romance out of his mind, reminding himself that he was better on his own and focused on the task in front of him. When the realtor pulled up a few minutes later, he was ready with a list of questions and an offer in mind for the property, the first in what he hoped would be an empire built on real estate.
When the man stepped out of the car and Malcolm turned to face him, he couldn’t miss the look of disappointment on the realtor’s face, but ignored it and shook his hand when he introduced himself. He knew exactly what the man was thinking; he could read it in his eyes, but he refused to be insulted. He probably thought Malcolm didn’t have enough money to buy the property, let alone do the repairs it needed.
“Shall we go inside?” the realtor asked. “I’m afraid the property is in pretty bad shape. It’s going to take a sizable investment to repair everything, although the bones of the building are good and strong.”
“I’m counting on that,” he said, stepping inside after the realtor opened the door. “I can do all the work myself and save a ton of money.”
“Well, that’s true, but there’s the initial outlay of cash…” the realtor hedged. “I wouldn’t want to lead you into something you can’t…”
“Just let me worry about the money. If I like this place, I’m prepared to make a cash offer,” he said, enjoying the look of shock on the man’s face. “Now, I have a few questions. Let’s get right to it. I have class in a couple of hours.”
***Rose***
Stomach full of butterflies, Rose walked into the main office of Billings Construction, hoping for a warm reception on her first day of work, all too aware that she’d only gotten the job because the owner owed Chet a big favor. If she were lucky, no one else would know that and would assume she got the job based on her own qualifications, which did fit the position perfectly. The reality was, it was actually a bit of a step down from her last position, but she really didn’t have much choice. It put her squarely where she needed to be to become involved with Malcolm.
The whole business left her with a sour feeling in her stomach, the deception and spying so contrary to her normal personality that she knew it was going to be a lot of work to maintain the ruse. She’d been working on the story she’d tell anyone who asked about her past for days, memorizing everydetail while sticking as close to the truth as she was able. This morning would be the first test of her acting ability, and she was so nervous that all she wanted to do was turn around, go back to her car, and run away from the whole thing.
Instead, she got out of the car, telling herself that it was going to be fine, it would probably be the most boring job in the world and she was worrying for nothing. When she walked through the door into a small, sparsely furnished waiting room, there was a young woman about Rose’s age sitting behind the tiny desk, tapping away at an ancient computer.
She paused when the bell above the door gave a loud jangle, then a smile spread across her face, and she jumped to her feet. “I bet you’re Rose, Sandra said you’d be in this morning,” she said. “I’m Vanessa, welcome to the team.”
“It’s nice to meet you, I’m excited to be here,” she said, putting a big smile on her face. “This is my first job since graduation, and I’m ready to get started.”
“Congratulations, but I wouldn’t get too excited. The job is a little boring,” Vanessa cautioned. “But you’ll see that for yourself. Do you want some coffee or tea?”
She opened her mouth to decline, but before she could, an older woman came stomping into the room from the back hallway. “You’re late,” she barked, stopping and putting her hands on her hips. “I don’t know about how they handled things at your old job, but around here we take punctuality very seriously. That’s one strike already, and it’s only your first day.”
After glancing over at the clock, she looked back over at the woman. “Unless that clock is wrong, I’m five minutes early,” she said, confused. “You did say nine o’clock, didn’t you?”
The woman stared at her for a second, then let out a frustrated sigh. “I knew this was a mistake,” she said, then shook her head. “Any idiot knows that when your boss says nine, it really means ten minutes until nine. If you’re not early, thenyou’re late, and you, Ms. Timmons, are late. I run a tight ship around here, we don’t keep slackers around for long, and there’s certainly no place for spoiled rich girls playing at life. The rest of us have to work for a living, we can’t just come and go as we please.”
Shocked by not only the anger in the older woman’s voice but the completely baseless attack on her professionalism when she’d only been there for a few minutes, she didn’t say anything for several seconds. When her brain finally started working, she still couldn’t speak, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she’d very quickly be out of a job, and she couldn’t risk it.
“Yes, ma'am,” she finally said. “I’ll remember that and do better next time.”
“See that you do, or there will be consequences,” Sandra spat at her. “Vanessa will show you how to get punched in, then come find me, I have a project for you that’s been ignored for too long.”
When the woman was gone, she turned to Vanessa, still too stunned to speak, but the other woman just shook her head. “Well, that was quite a performance, one of Sandra’s better ones,” she said, then plopped down in her chair. “She’s not always like that; she’s just mad that Roger gave the job to you instead of her niece. They’ve been butting heads a lot lately, and I’m afraid we'll get caught in the middle.”
“Oh great, getting in the middle of office politics is the last thing I need, I already have enough to deal with,” she said, then realized she’d said too much. “I mean, moving and a new job is a lot to adjust to, I don’t want to ruffle any feathers here.”
