Page 102 of Romance and Peppermint Lattes
“Did you see her?” she asked with exaggerated patience.
“Not yet,” he whispered back as though they were exchanging top-secret information. “She doesn’t seem to have arrived.”
“Have you talked to Paul?”
“No. Have you?”
“Not really.” Paul had greeted them at the door, but other than that, Cait hadn’t had a chance to do anything but watch him mingle with his guests. The day at the office hadn’t been any help, either. Paul had breezed in and out without giving Cait more than a friendly wave. Since they hadn’t exchanged a single word, it was impossible for her to determine how his date had gone.
It must have been a busy day for Lindy, as well, because Cait hadn’t had a chance to talk to her, either. They’d met on their way out the door late that afternoon and Lindy had hurried past, saying she’d see Cait at Paul’s party.
“I think I’ll go help Lindy with the hors d’oeuvres,” Cait said now. “Do you want me to get you anything?”
“Nothing, thanks.” He was grinning as he strolled away, leaving Cait to wonder what he found so amusing.
Cait limped into the kitchen, leaving the polished wooden door swinging in her wake. She stopped abruptly when she encountered Paul and Lindy in the middle of a heated discussion.
“Oh, sorry,” Cait apologized automatically.
Paul’s gaze darted to Cait’s. “No problem,” he said quickly. “I was just leaving.” He stalked past her, shoving the door open with the palm of his hand. Once again the door swung back and forth.
“What was that all about?” Cait wanted to know.
Lindy continued transferring the small cheese-dotted crackers from the cookie sheet onto the serving platter. “Nothing.”
“It sounded as if you and Paul were arguing.”
Lindy straightened and bit her lip. She avoided looking at Cait, concentrating on her task as if it was of vital importance to properly arrange the crackers on the plate.
“You were arguing, weren’t you?” Cait pressed.
“Yes.”
As far as she knew, Lindy and Paul had always gotten along. The fact that they were at odds surprised her. “About what?”
“I—I gave Paul my two-week notice this afternoon.”
Cait was so shocked, she pulled out a kitchen chair and sank down on it. “You didwhat?” Removing her high heels, she massaged her pinched toes.
“You heard me.”
“But why? Good grief, Lindy, you never said a word to anyone. Not even me. The least you could’ve done was talk to me about it first.” No wonder Paul was angry. If Lindy left, it would mean bringing in someone new when the office was already short-staffed. With Cait and a number of other people away for the holidays, the place would be a madhouse.
“Did you receive an offer you couldn’t refuse?” Cait hadn’t had any idea her friend was unhappy at Webster, Rodale and Missen. Still, that didn’t shock her nearly as much as Lindy’s remaining tight-lipped about it all.
“It wasn’t exactly an offer—but it was something like that,” Lindy replied vaguely. She set aside the cookie sheet, smiled at Cait and then carried the platter into the living room.
For the past couple of weeks Cait had noticed that something was troubling her friend. It hadn’t been anything she could readily name. Just that Lindy hadn’t been her usual high-spirited self. Cait had meant to ask her about it, but she’d been so busy herself, so involved with her own problems, that she’d never brought it up.
She was still sitting there rubbing her feet when Joe sauntered into the kitchen, nibbling on a cheese cracker. “I thought I’d find you in here.” He pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.
“Has she arrived yet?”
“Apparently so.”
Cait dropped her foot and frantically worked the shoe back and forth until she’d managed to squeeze her toes inside. Then she forced her other foot into its shoe. “Well, for heaven’s sake, why didn’t you say something sooner?” she chastised. She stood up, ran her hands down the satin skirt and drew a shaky breath. “How do I look?”
“Like your feet hurt.”
