Page 14 of Karma

And he could be her buffer. She wanted to see Dare, but she still wasn’t sure he’d want to see her. He’d asked her to dinner, but his demeanor was so at odds with the man she dealt with at the station, she couldn’t imagine why. He’d looked as shocked as she’d felt by the invitation.

“You’d do that for me?” Jeff asked.

She nodded.

She almost felt bad he didn’t know he’d be doing her a favor in return, but no way would she discuss something as personal as her own discomfort in her hometown with someone from work. Or with anyone at all.

Was it any wonder she was so alone?

She forced a more genuine smile at him. “It’ll be fun. Do you want to meet at…one o’clock?”

Late enough to give people a chance to congregate, not too late to miss people who decided to leave early. Liza might not have a lot of close friends in Serendipity, but she did have people she enjoyed being with. People she could introduce to Jeff.

“Sounds great!” Jeff said, obviously looking forward to the day.

Liza nodded. “Good. Now, about the Mystic project…”

They spent the next hour discussing the viability of taking on the restoration and the historical significance of the building involved along with the costs. By the time Jeff returned to his office, Liza was closer to accepting the project and giving Jeff the lead on the design.

She was about to head out for lunch when her phone buzzed, a signal it was an interoffice call. “Hello?”

“Liza, it’s Peter from accounting.”

“Yes, Peter, what can I do for you?” she asked, resigned to waiting a little longer to eat.

“I’m looking at submitted receipts, and there are expenses here I’m not comfortable authorizing,” the other man said.

So what else was new? The man called too often with too many questions about routine expenses, things he should be able to sort through on his own. Peter was about ten years older than Liza and had been with the firm for the last five years, but he always checked and double-checked before making a decision.

“What kinds of expenses?” she asked patiently.

“Lunches at Joe’s Bar. Your brother has submitted a number of them for reimbursement, but the totals are too high for business lunches.”

In other words, there were probably alcoholic drinks on the bill, raising the total.

“I take it Brian’s not there for you to be talking so freely?” Liza asked.

“That’s correct.”

Liza sighed. “Don’t sign off on them. I’ll talk to him. And thanks for being diligent.” It would be all too easy for him to approve, and then Liza would find out too late that her brother was wasting company money. Though after his business lunch excuse for his last bender, she was alert to the problem.

“No problem,” Peter said. “I’m glad you’re happy with my work performance.”

Another thing with Peter Dalton. He had a need for her to excessively praise him, which wasn’t her work style.

Liza said good-bye and hung up, uncomfortable as always after dealing with the man. But she couldn’t deny he was good at his job and he kept Brian from taking advantage of his position there.

She wished she had the fortitude to do the same thing.

***

Wednesday night atJoe’s had become a ritual for Dare and his friends. With Thursdays off and one day a weekend, it was the one weeknight they could kick back and enjoy. Once his brothers had put aside old grudges, even they occasionally began to show up. And Dare had to admit that life was good for the first time in a long time.

He ordered a round and joined everyone at their usual table, passing longneck bottles to his friends. Cara and Sam were there, along with Alexa Collins, who’d grown up in Serendipity and returned after medical school to work with her father in his medical practice.

“Did you all get your assignments for the fair?” Alexa asked.

“Cop car,” Cara said, meaning she’d be giving kids the chance to sit in the back, the front, and run the siren while she talked about being a cop.

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