Page 22 of Karma

Before Bianca responded, a teenager with a big sign readingZEPPOLI 50 CENTShanging from his neck walked by.

“Oooh, fried dough!” Bianca exclaimed, obviously distracted. “I’m meeting friends, but I got here early. I’d love to hang with you guys until they get here. Can you wait until I grab something to eat first?”

Liza nodded, grateful to have another woman with her.

“Thanks!” Bianca darted off to the zeppoli stand behind them.

Jeff didn’t say anything, but his silence and lack of a smile spoke for him.

“Umm, Jeff, is everything okay?” Liza asked.

He tipped his head to the side, looking a combination of confused and embarrassed. “This isn’t a date, is it?”

Liza opened her mouth, then closed it again, searching for the right words. “Date?” was the best she could do.

“When you asked me to meet you here…never mind,” he said, shaking his head.

Liza was mortified, both for herself and for him. “No, it’s not a date,” she said softly. “I only meant it as an offer to introduce you around and ease your transition to town. I’m so sorry if you thought otherwise.”

His face flushed red. “It’s the hick in me, I guess,” he said sheepishly.

“No!” she said, meaning it.

“Okay, I’m back!” Bianca returned, interrupting the embarrassing moment. “Bought extra.” She waved the zeppoli in front of Liza and Jeff.

He accepted the offer, taking one. Liza decided she’d just earned the treat.

“Guess who I ran into over by the fried-dough stand?” Bianca asked. “Peter from accounting,” she said before they could offer a guess. “And he was alone. Even at a social event like this one, he’s such a loner. Sad.” She shook her head and bit into her doughy treat.

“Did you ask him to join us?” Liza asked.

Bianca nodded. “He said he’s more of an observer than a joiner, but thank you anyway. Whatever that means,” she said with an eye roll. “He’s an odd duck.”

“But good with numbers, and that’s what matters to me.”

Bianca nodded. “I can’t believe how hot it is today,” she said, changing the subject.

“But it’s not raining, so that’s a good day off in my book,” Jeff said, finally speaking and obviously eager to move on from their misunderstanding.

Liza took his cue and tried to forget about it too. It wasn’t easy. She’d never meant to lead him on. As nice as he was, Liza wouldn’t date someone from the office. She wasn’t interested in dating period.

Oddly, that didn’t stop her interest in a certain police officer she hadn’t run into yet today. On the heels of that thought came a surge of disappointment and she couldn’t help wondering if Dare had thought about her at all, if he’d looked for her today the way she was looking for him.

“Liza? Are you coming?” Bianca asked.

She shook her head hard. “Sorry. Am I coming where?” She’d been too lost in her own thoughts and had stopped paying attention to Bianca and Jeff.

“The dunking booth. It’s a chance to nail the cops!” Bianca waggled her eyebrows, laughing.

Taking in the other woman’s miniskirt and cropped tank top, so different from her office attire, Liza figured there was a good chance the cops would be eager to let Bianca have a shot at them. As long as it wasn’thercop, Liza thought, and immediately stifled the thought.

“I wouldn’t miss this.” Liza followed them to the far end of the area where the dunking booth had been set up.

Jeff kept his distance from Liza, focusing more on Bianca, allowing her to chat away like they were old friends. And though Liza was relieved, she was still uncomfortable. The last thing she wanted was any awkward office moments.

The walk to the dunking booth took a while since Bianca was stopped often. They passed Peter Dalton, and though Liza waved, he merely watched them, nodding as they passed. Bianca was right. The man was an odd duck.

The rest of the people they stopped to talk to were Bianca’s friends, most of them younger than Liza’s twenty-nine. Bianca herself was only twenty-three, coming to work for Liza straight out of college. She’d been with Liza for a little over a year and despite her chatty demeanor, she handled her phone calls professionally and kept Liza’s work and appointments well organized.

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