Page 90 of The Austen Escape
“You were in there almost an hour, and when Karen came storming out, people got scared and scattered. Dottie cut your cake up to calm the troops.” Moira pulled her lips tight in mock fright. “Word is you were shouting.”
“I think I might have been at one point. It was not my finest moment.”
Moira lifted her eyebrows as if to say,Debatable. I suspected she was weighing the shouting against my e-mail. Both looked bad.
“But I’m staying.”
“How? Karen won’t forgive you after that...” As her statement trailed, she drew a breath. “The Wicked Witch of the West?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
Moira nodded like a small child waiting for cake.
“Going.”
She yelped and leapt at me, catching the cake before it toppled. “I can’t believe it.” Her hug caught me in a half laugh, half hiccup.
“And you said you hated me.”
“I already said that was a lie.” She pushed me away, then punched me in the arm with her free hand. “Girl, I didn’t know how I was going to survive without you, and now... It’s like Christmas.”
“I feel the same.” I pulled her into another hug. “Hey—Craig said to send Nathan in. Is he here?”
“He was earlier, I guess. Benson just said he talked to him.”
The excitement and the air seeped away. As I stepped back, Moira shot me a questioning glance.
“I wish I’d gotten to see him, that’s all, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll let Craig know he’s gone. How late are you staying?”
“I’m not.” She glanced at her phone. “The usual suspects are headed to Z’Tejas. A friend of mine works there and is holding a big table on the patio for us. It was supposed to be your good-bye party.”
“Go. I’ll tell Craig and be right behind you.”
“You don’t mind? I want to make sure we get our table.” Moira hoisted her bag onto her shoulder.
“We’d take two cars anyway. Go.”
Moira headed one direction and I the other.
Chapter 28
Iarrived at Z’Tejas an hour late.
When I’d told Craig that Nathan wasn’t around, I got only a quick wave before he started tapping on his phone. He was most likely calling Nathan—which is exactly what I wanted to do. I sat at my desk staring at my phone for fifteen minutes, ordering myself to call him. I finally gave up. My self-recriminations and MoPac ate the next forty-five.
Moira ordered another round of nachos upon my arrival, and we sat back and listened to Benson tell the team how Golightly was going to set WATT on fire—figuratively this time.
He glanced at me and hesitated. “It’s your work, Mary. You should talk.”
I shook my head. “It’s all you. Moira and I are perfectly content over here.”
He grinned and returned to their discussion. Work never ended with this crew—and that was part of the fun.
Moira slid me a margarita. “I ordered it when you said you were looking for parking.”
“Thank you.” I took a sip of the top layer, which had already melted.
“There’s tons to cover here, but first things first. You’re staying, Karen’s going?”
