Page 112 of Panty Dropper

CHAPTER 48

Reagan

“Hello, Miss York.”

A deep, booming voice filled my office and I nearly jumped right out of my skin.

“Mr. Abernathy!” I exclaimed when I lifted my head and saw him standing there. The surprise was not only from him appearing out of nowhere, it was also that he was here at all. Since I’d been hired, this was the first time I’d seen him in the office. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I can see that,” he said in his usual fake-hearty way.

He stepped up to my desk and began picking up papers randomly. Then, he rounded the desk to where I sat, leaned back against it and crossed his arms. I had to recline back in my chair so that I wouldn’t have to bend my neck to look up at him. It was a power move on his part. He was staking claim to my personal space. The invasion was his way of owning the room. His body language had a very clear message: This is my house. You are a guest here. Don’t forget that.

That was all conveyed silently, of course.

When he actually spoke he said, “I just wanted to stop by and check-in on ya. I hear you’ve been quite the busy bee lately.”

Was he talking about my work here, or was this about me seeing Billy? I had no idea.

I plastered a benign smile on my face at his strange, vague comment. “As I’m sure you know, my caseload is intense. But I thrive having a lot on my plate. As my stepfather used to say, ‘I’m blessed with work.’ And, honestly, it’s nice to know it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Thank you for that.”

“I’m not talking about your work here, Miss York.”

“What are you talking about, Mr. Abernathy?” If he wanted to discuss my private life he was going to have to come right out and ask me.

He narrowed his eyes a little and tilted his head to the side.

We were playing a chess game. It was common practice among lawyers. I knew it and so did he. The key to winning was not to move before you had a good idea what your opponent’s next move was going to be. I’d found the easiest way to do that, was just to keep an innocent, open look on my face and wait. Which is what I did.

Finally, he leaned forward, putting a faux-paternal “concerned” expression on his face. “You know, Miss York, Firefly is a small town. I understand that you’re used to the big city, but let me give you a piece of advice. People round here don’t like outsiders coming in poking their nose where it doesn’t belong. We like to live in the present and focus on the future. The past is behind us for a reason. Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.”

Sleeping dogs lie?That’s the same thing Chief Dawson had said to Billy this morning at the police station. Suddenly, this impromptu check-in made perfect sense. This had nothing to do with my work or seeing Billy. Abernathy had heard about me going to the police station and he didn’t like it.

The question was why?

Was he warning me as a favor to the chief?

Or was this more personal for him? Was he worried about me finding something that would incriminate him or someone close to him?

“My granddaddy started this firm sixty years ago. It’s a family business, and everyone that works here is part of that family, whether you’re blood or not. Once you walk through those doors, you’re one of us.”

I wasn’t sure if he was describing Olive Garden or the mob.

“I know that you didn’t have much in the way of family growing up. It must’ve been hard, just you and your mama for so long. I don’t think I’m talking out of school when I say your mama wasn’t exactly June Cleaver.”

I could feel my eye twitch at the mention of my mother, but I hoped it wasn’t noticeable. Abernathy was doing his best to push my buttons, and the last thing I wanted was for him to know it was working.

“From what I hear, she was more like Peg Bundy.”

He was obviously letting me know that he’d done his homework when it came to my background. For all I knew, he’d spoken to my mother. The question was why? Why was he making sure I knew that?

My mind was swimming with questions when there was a sharp knock on my door. I glanced up and saw Daisy standing in my doorway. She was wearing the same sour expression that she always did when she spoke to me. It looked like she’d just sucked on a lemon as she spit out, “Your two o’clock is here.”

“Thank you.” I smiled sweetly. “I’ll be right with them.”

Abernathy waited for Daisy to leave before he rapped his knuckles on my desk twice. “Better get to it. We don’t want to keep our clients waiting, do we?”

His condescending tone was like nails on a chalkboard. Fortunately, I’d had my fair share of dealing with pompous assholes. I kept my smile in place, not allowing him the satisfaction of knowing his subtle dig had gotten under my skin.

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