He wiggled a finger side to side. “We had a different kind of deal, if I recall correctly.”
Marion shot a horrified glance at him then at Miss Prentice. The secretary was pretending not to listen, but her fingers were poised suspiciously over the typewriter keyboard. Furious at his lack of discretion, Marion breezed past Paul and headed toward the corridor.
“Dr. McKenny, please come with me.”
“Gladly.”
She could hear the smile in his voice, the teasing that she no longer found funny. She wheeled on him after they were in the privacy of the staff room.
“How dare you? In front of Miss Prentice, too. Do you plan on telling the entire building that we went on a date?”
“Hey, a deal’s a deal.”
Her eyes narrowed. “We did not seal any deal on that front. You know that.” She reached for Daniel’s file, but he whisked it behind his back, out of reach. “You are behaving like a child.”
“I enjoyed Thursday night very much,” he said, a glint in his eye.
His charm was not working on her today. “I already said thank you, and you agreed to trade patient files. I told you I would get back to you about the second date, but this morning’s shenanigans have not helped your cause.”
“Sure, they have. They’ve helped you remember Thursday night and how much you enjoyed it.”
“Give me the file. Now.”
He did, so she swallowed her pride and felt her resolve weakening. It wasn’t worth making an enemy out of Paul. Most of the time he was a pretty good guy.
“What were you thinking of for a date?”
“Dinner Friday. Maybe French this time.” He winked. “Cela pourrait être très romantique.”
She opened the staff room door and exited into the corridor. “I will let you know, monsieur. Thank you for the file.”
twelveSASSY
Sassy didn’t recognize the man sitting near the front desk at the police station, but there was no one else, so she assumed he had come for her. She wasn’t sure if she was disappointed that her father had sent someone else to get her or if she was relieved he hadn’t come himself.
“Miss Rankin?”
He stood with a smile and rolled up his newspaper, tucking it smoothly into his jacket’s inside pocket. Sassy focused on playing it cool, but she couldn’t help noticing that the guy was a definite hunk. Way too conservative, and maybe about ten years older than she was, but a girl could still look. His dark hair was cut neat and short, and his eyes were a pale grey-blue.
“I recognize you from your photographs,” he said.
“Beg your pardon? My photographs?”
The corners of his eyes creased self-consciously. “That sounded presumptuous. I apologize. I’m Tom Duncan. Please call me Tom. I work with your dad. I’m his new partner, actually. He has photos of you all over his office. Your mother and brother, too, of course, but mostly you.”
She eyed him with suspicion. His partner? Joey was supposed to have that job.
“I didn’t know he had a partner.”
“He asked me last week, and I was honoured to accept.” He extended a hand toward the front door of the building, and she saw traffic moving steadily beyond. “I took care of the paperwork. Shall we go?”
She’d been in a cell for only a couple of hours, but as she stepped into the fresh air, she took a deep, restoring breath. “What time is it?”
Tom was in the middle of sliding his sunglasses on, and she couldn’t help but think that he looked an awful lot like Sean Connery when he wore those. It didn’t hurt that he was wearing a light brown sport coat over an ivory sweater. She was positive she’d seen a photograph of Sean Connery wearing exactly that. Tom lifted his wrist to check his watch, and the sleeve pulled taut against his upper arms. The man was hiding an outstanding set of shoulders in that jacket.
“Five o’clock. Rush hour. Sorry I took so long, but I had another appointment. Your dad did, too, which is why he sent me. My car’s parked just up here. I’m supposed to take you to his office.”
As they walked, she regarded him covertly. Tom Duncan was taller than average, with straight posture and a confident stride. It was like she was walking beside James Bond. Imagine that. This guy must be smart, too, for her father to bring him in as a partner.
