Page 27 of Mr. Dangerous

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Naomi

My mom calledwhile we were idling in traffic. I’d pulled forward too optimistically, and now I stared guiltily at thedon’t block the boxsign that hung alongside the traffic lights. She told me that one of our biggest corporate accounts had just canceled theirservice.

"No, Mom, I don't know what happened! I thought they were happy." My mind raced forward to what that meant. We would have to hustle for new accounts, or we wouldn’t be able to keep all ouremployees.

"What's wrong?" Rob mouthed at me. I held my finger to my lips,shushinghim.

"I'll call them once I get to the hotel. Find out what's wrong." She asked where I was, and I felt myself blush. "I drove Rob into Boston. I thought I told you guys about that. We're staying for a few nights while he seesfamily."

I glanced over at him, my voice dropping to a whisper even though there was no way he wouldn’t hear me. "Yes, two hotel rooms. Mom. What do you thinkthisis?"

Rob smiled to himself, and as usual, I wondered whathethoughtthiswas.

"Hold on, we're moving, finally," I said, pressing my cell phone against my cheek with my shoulder as I changed gears. "I should let yougo,Mom."

But my mother apparently had a lot more to say; she was anxious about the business, and I tried to reassure her as we eased through theintersection.

"I'll call," I promised again. I tried to steer around a car that was turning left, out in the middle ofthebox.

"Look out," Rob said sharply. Suddenly in my rearview mirror, I saw the car that was speeding up behind us. I dropped the cell phone, slamming on my brakes, and the car whizzed around us with an inexplicable honk ofitshorn.

"I haven't missed Boston,"Robsaid.

He was talking about the traffic, so why did that hurt my feelings? "Or RhodeIsland?"

He leaned down to get the cell phone, but when I reached out to take it, he put it to his own ear instead. "Hi, Mrs.Papadopolous?"

"Yes?"shesaid.

"This is Rob Delaney. We are in crazy traffic. Naomi will call you back when we get to the hotel, okay? I want to keephersafe."

"Oh," shesaid. "Okay."

Rob said goodbye and hung up. When he dropped the cell back in the cup holder, I stared at himcoolly.

"What?" heasked.

"You're being awfully high-handed."

He shrugged. "Sorry, I spend my days being incharge."

"Well, you're not in chargeofme."

"Believe me, I've noticed." He scratched the skin just above the edge of his cast absently. "What's going on with yourbusiness?"

"That's my business,"Isaid.

"Naomi, I wanttohelp."

"How are you going to help?" I asked. "We lost one of our commercial cleaning clients. Commercial clients are our money-makers. We employ three people just because of that contract alone. So I have to find something else for them,A.S.A.P.or...."

"I know people,"hesaid.

"I thought you tried not to talk to anyone from home except yourbrothers."

"And you," he said lightly. "I could make anexception."

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