Page 24 of Greed

I steal a glance at her. I recognize her immediately as one of Rook’s long-standing clients. She owns a chain of yoga studios in the city.

Her gaze wanders from my face down to my hand. “I use those too. The color is perfect, isn’t it?”

I curl my fist around the pink sticky note in my left palm. “I use the standard yellow ones. This was stuck to a package I received a few minutes ago.”

“From a lovely lady?” she asks while Eamon places a call to one of the attorneys on Rook’s payroll.

“You know it.”

Abigail left the note. It was stuck on the toe of my left sneaker. I hadn’t noticed them missing, but it makes sense that she ran out with a pair of my shoes after our night together. It would have been torture for her to shove her feet back into the tight resin shoes she was wearing when she arrived at my apartment.

“It’s a love note,” Cheryl declares with a bat of her eyelashes.

I laugh that off. “It’s not.”

The note is far from that.

It contains four words and only four words.

Thanks for everything – Abby

I laughed aloud when I opened the cardboard box on my desk and found the note.

It’s both a compliment and a brush-off.

I came to the source to invite her for a drink after work.

“Declan!” Rook’s voice comes at me from the left.

I turn to see him buttoning his navy blue suit jacket. “Hey!”

“I need to grab Kirby from school.” He rakes a hand through his black hair. “She has an earache.”

“She’s okay, though, right?” I ask because that little girl ranks right up there with Hailey. I consider Kirby my niece, too, since I’ve been a part of her life from day one.

“The school nurse checked her over.” He glances at Cheryl. “Good to see you. Helena is on her way. Give her another two minutes.”

“Thanks, Rook.” Cheryl’s smile widens. “I heard you mention Kirby. The little sweetheart must be as tall as me by now.”

Rook lets out a laugh. “Not quite, but she’s headed in that direction.”

“Rook?” Eamon presses the receiver of the desk phone to his chest. “I have a call for Abby, but I saw her leave. When will she be back?”

I look at Rook because I want an answer to that question too.

“Tomorrow,” he answers without hesitation. “I expect her back tomorrow. She twisted her ankle, so I gave her the rest of the day off.”

Dammit.

Eamon grimaces. “Ouch. I’ll let them know.”

He turns his attention back to the caller while Cheryl takes off toward the smiling face of Helena Gaffin, a senior lawyer with the firm.

“Walk me out,” Rook says as he starts toward the elevator.

I fall in step beside him. “Let me know how Kirby is when you get a chance.”

He pats my shoulder. “You know I will, Uncle Declan.”

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