Page 10 of Carler

"I'll have to check, but I believe we have one piece left." The waitress hurried off and came back with one piece of gooseberry cheesecake.

Viv was in heaven. She wasn't paying much attention but heard Carler order a piece of chocolate cherry cheesecake. That made her feel good because she didn't want to share her piece of cheesecake with anyone. Did that make her bad? No, he had just been talking about the wonderful chocolate cherry cheesecake, so he didn't need any of hers. The first taste exploded in her mouth, and she knew she would have to remember this place to return often and get what was now her absolute favorite dessert.

She'd never had gooseberry cheesecake, but she had eaten gooseberry dumplings. It was a special favorite in her family. Her dad's father was wonderful, and they visited with him often. At least, she had been left there often, and that was where she had gooseberry dumplings.

When he died, it had burned her whole world. Things had only gotten worse when her grandmother had remarried. Her new husband was the grandfather from hell.

At sixteen, Viv often stayed with her mother's parents. After she graduated from high school and went to college, her grandmother died. Her grandfather followed soon after. He was unwilling to live without the love of his life.

Viv and her parents only communicated through Christmas cards and birthday cards. They had their jobs, and after college, she'd had hers. It didn't matter. Viv no longer felt like she had a family.

She had been an only child, and once her grandparents died, her father's family didn't seem to be so close anymore. Doug had been her family, and then he left her, too. Not that he'd wanted to, but he was gone anyway, and she was alone.

Viv was lost in thought again, and Carler didn't say a word. He probably knew what she was thinking about, and it surprised her that he said nothing. Most men would have interrupted and tried to turn the conversation to themselves.

"This dessert was amazing. The only problem was that it was eaten too quickly," Viv chuckled.

"We can come back, and you can get it again."

"That would be nice to come back sometime."

She didn't want to give him the impression that she was available anytime he asked. Yet, she didn't want to tell him she wouldn't return.

It was an exciting meal, and they had dealt with their most recent issue. Viv felt the issues would continue until they took out Joe Senior. She hated the whole mess and was already tired of Joe Senior.

She peeked up at Carler and wasn't sure if he had taken the meal as encouragement. Viv knew he was interested in her, but she told him how she felt and that she wasn't looking for a relationship and might never be. Why did she feel so bad about that?

Viv liked Carler most of the time and was attracted to him. Who wouldn't be? The man was a gorgeous hunk.

When they were done, Viv went to her room to rest. She was tired from the long trip and the big meal.

It was like they both had the same thought and got up at the same time. Carler escorted Viv to her room, but before he allowed her to enter, he gently pressed her back to the wall and gave her a sweet kiss.

All that did was make her want more, but she would only lead him on. That wouldn't be fair. So, without a word, she opened her door, slipped inside, and shut it behind her, leaving him in the hall.

Viv undressed. A hot shower was just the thing to help relax her and prepare her for a good night's sleep. A bath might be better, but she didn't feel like it. It always seemed to take longer, and she wanted to get to sleep so she could get up early in the morning and return to work. She was even more tired than she thought because she was asleep as soon as she got in bed.

She felt a little achy when she woke, which was no surprise after the long trip there and back. She stretched, hoping to ease the ache. It was time to get up and hopefully have a good breakfast before she pulled her computer out and started plotting the next plan to take down Joe Senior.

Once dressed, she headed down the hall to the closest restaurant. She got a tray of food that she could take to her office to eat there. Viv rarely ate in any of the restaurants. She frequented the cafeteria on the same level as her office. It had many entrees that were easy to take with her.

She couldn't really say she was surprised when she got to the office and found Carler already working.

"Good morning," he greeted.

"Good morning," she returned the sentiment, setting her tray down and starting her computer.

As she began to work and drink her coffee, it was impossible not to glance at her boss. Every once in a while, he caught her looking at him and smiled. It bothered her that she couldn't avoid watching him, especially when she was supposed to be doing research on Joe and those who helped him.

She finally found something useful, but she wasn't sure if it was true. It was a picture of Joe arriving at the airport near them.

"Do you think this might be right? I have a picture that shows Joe boarding a plane heading here."

"What?" Carler asked. Do you think that's possible? He's never done anything in person before. Could he be sending someone who just looks like him?"

"Anything is possible. We need to watch carefully since Joe Senior is wanted by multiple national governments. If he arrives, we could arrest him on sight. That's one of the reasons why I can't imagine him taking such a chance. If he has found someone that looks like him and is willing to do what he asks, it could get us in trouble if we arrest the wrong person."

"Do we have ways of determining if it is him or not? While he thinks we are dragons, he is unaware we have that technology. We work with top scientists worldwide to get the best of whatever is available. We even found a scientist in Australia who is working on some crazy sci-fi things that can send a person from here to Australia in seconds. I'm unsure how far along their research is, but we are funding it. Can you imagine how amazing that would be?"

---