Page 54 of Lorna's Savior
“Miss Lorna,” came a gruff voice from the side. Lorna whipped around and didn’t have to fake the enormous grin on her face.
“Mr. Marvin, so nice of you to make it. I’m sorry if I didn’t see you before the tours. How did you like it?”
“It was fabulous. I never expected something like that was right in our own back yard. Fascinating.” Marvin looked around and smiled at the crowd. “And it looks like you had a good turn out.” At his laugh, he puffed up his chest. “Maybe I should lure you away from the Larson Foundation, and hire you to come work for me.”
Finn walked up just then, and shook his head. “I think not. Lorna is my best employee. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“It was worth a shot.” Marvin laughed. He looked at Lorna and patted the hand he still held. “If you ever want to come work for me, all you have to do is call. I’ll take you in a heartbeat, even double the pay your getting at Larson’s.”
“Now wait a minute,” Finn said in mock anger.
Lorna laughed and put her hand on both Finn and Marvin’s forearms. “Now, now, boys, no fighting. I’m happy right where I am, but I’ll keep my options open.” She laughed when they tried to say something. “Nope, not discussing it here. Now is the time to enjoy the rest of the evening. Tell me, Marvin, have you tried any of the buffet yet?” She walked away with Marvin in tow, and Finn looked over at Andy as he joined them, with two drinks.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing,” Finn laughed. “I think I’ve just been played.”
“Why? Or how?”
“Lorna was talking to Marvin, forgot his last name, and he played me. Trying to recruit Lorna, offering her double the salary I pay. I played right into his hands.” Finn shook his head and looked over toward the buffet. He saw Marvin there, but Lorna had left him and Finn nodded to Andy. With a grin, Andy held up the two glasses of champagne and headed in her direction.
“Hey,” Andy said as he handed Lorna one of the glasses he held. “Talked to Finn. He said a guy by the name of Marvin played him.”
“He did,” Lorna laughed as she took the glass and sipped the cool liquid. “Mr. Marvin is a harmless old man. Well, he’s not that old, maybe in his late fifties, or early sixties, but we have this same conversation at every fundraiser we attend together. This time, Finn happened to walk in on it.”
“So, there’s no chance you’d leave Larson?”
“None, I love what I do. I can’t see myself working any place else. Besides...” She grinned. “With the money Finn pays me, I don’t think Marvin could even match it, let alone double it.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” Lorna said, and together they turned to the next group. They spent the next few hours at the party. At one point, Andy stood in line at the buffet, when a voice came from behind.
“Mr. Ball, I didn’t think this would be your cup of tea,” Marvin said, from behind him.
“I’m here with my girlfriend.”
“Good, good. I know now isn’t the time, but how are you doing?”
Andy took that as the older man asking about the case. “Good, I’ll call next week. Waiting for one more piece, then I can put it all together.”
“Sounds good, enjoy yourself,” Marvin said as the line moved along. Andy breathed a sigh of relief when the other man turned and talked to the person behind him. He wasn’t looking forward to having Lorna find out about his case until absolutely necessary.
It was after midnight by the time the people from the Larson Foundation walked out of the aquarium. The fundraiser had been an absolute success, and everyone had left on a high. Before climbing into Andy’s SUV, Lorna hugged Ronnie, Silver, and even Patch and Finn. After they began driving down the road, she put her head back and released a huge sigh.
“Tired?”
“Yeah, but in a good way. How are you holding up?”
“I’m good. Yes, I’m tired, but not exhausted. You did such a fabulous job tonight. From the conversations I’ve overheard, everyone was suitably impressed. Hell, I was impressed with what they were saying.”
“Which was?”
“How they enjoyed the fundraiser being at the place asking for the money. Not hours away in a stuffy hotel, eating dry chicken, and listening to boring speeches, all the while dressed to the nines. No, the consensus I got was that they liked this much, much better. I know it’s none of my business, but do you have any idea how much was donated?”
“No clue. At functions like this, I work the room, and the patrons pay the Larsons. It’s been like that even before Finn came on board, and I got the job I have now. Next week, Finn and I will sit down and discuss what we’ve brought in.”
“Oh.” Andy nodded. He reached over and took her hand in his, and held it the rest of the way home. After he parked, he hurried around and helped Lorna from the vehicle. With his hand on the small of her back, he escorted her to the elevator. Once inside, he wrapped his arms around her, and let her lean on him. Having her lean on him for anything had him feeling ten feet tall. As they walked down the hallway, he only raised his brow to silently ask which apartment.
