Page 85 of Positively Pricked
Chapter 29
My visitor was big, bearded, and burly. He was gripping a vase of flowers with his right hand and the handle of a brown briefcase with his left.
It was Professor Lumberjack, except today, he'd ditched the flannel in favor of tan slacks and a brown sports coat with dark elbow patches. For once, he looked more like a professor than a guy who cut down trees for a living.
When he spotted me emerging from the door behind the reception desk, his face broke into a wide smile. "There you are."
I stared at the guy.Yes. Here I was.
But where was Paisley?
Not here, apparently.
I hadn't seen her in days, probably because the rent was due the day after tomorrow. For once, my checking account contained more than enough to cover it, but that didn't mean I was willing to pay Paisley's share on top of my own.
Aside from catching up on my own bills, there were too many other people who could use a little something extra. There were my parents, who hadn't gone on a vacation in forever. And then, there was Charlotte, who was working her way through nursing school. As soon as I got caught up on my finances, I vowed, I'd treat all of them to something special.
But when it came to Paisley, I couldn’t afford to be stupid. Sure, I had a great incomenow, but how long would it last? For all I knew, Zane would be tellingmeto fuck off tomorrow. Or next week. Or whenever the mood struck him.
After all, he did have that history.
In the executive lobby, Professor Lumberjack – Istilldidn't know his name – thrust the flowers out in my direction. "For you."
I blinked.Huh?
We were still several paces away from each other, with the tall reception desk acting as a barrier between us. I glanced at Carla, who'd returned to her usual spot behind the desk.
She was making an obvious effort to look at anything but me or my flower-toting visitor. I could see why. After all, I was pretty darned uncomfortable myself.
Reluctantly, I looked back to the professor and said, "For me? Why?"
He lifted the flowers a fraction higher. "An office-warming present."
I'd had this job for two months now. My office was plenty warm already. Still, I reluctantly circled the reception desk and summoned up an awkward smile as he handed me the vase.
Trying to be polite, I gave the flowers a perfunctory sniff and murmured the appropriate noises about them being lovely or whatever.
In truth, I hardly knew what I was saying. Against all hope, I told myself that maybe the flowershadto be from Paisley, too.
After all, stranger things had happened, right?
The professor leaned closer and said, "So, you got time for lunch?"
I felt my brow wrinkle. "With who?"
I wasn't even playing dumb. This little visit was so out-of-character that I felt certain I was missing something. Like maybe Paisley would be joining us?
In front of me, the professor gave a hearty smile. "With me. So do you like Chinese?"
"Withonlyyou?"
"Yeah. There's a place down the street. I hear they have great egg-rolls."
Screw the egg-rolls.I felt my gaze narrow. "Where's Paisley?"
He shrugged. "I dunno."
Shit.
