Page 42 of A Little Summer Sizzle

Cordelia waggled her phone. “The word of some minimum-wage receptionist against mine? You’re making a very serious mistake, dear.”

“No doubt, Mrs. James, but it’s my mistake to make.”

“I’ll call the chief right now, shall I? Wait here until he comes to take my statement? You wouldn’t want that kind of scene at your place of employment.”

“Mrs. James, you do whatever you want. I can’t stop you. But if you disrupt the Ranch’s business, security will remove you. If you decide to call Chief Stanley, that’s your prerogative. If he needs my statement, tell him our Chief Berringer will escort him to the pool where I’ll be teaching lessons.”

Saoirse rose and dusted off her uniform shirt. Her fingers were trembling, but she wasn’t worried about a seizure. She knew what an adrenaline rush looked and felt like.

“Walking away from me right now will not go well for you, Miss Fay,” Cordelia sneered. “Theft, drug trafficking, attempted extortion. You’re in terrible trouble. I could be a very good friend to you or your worst enemy. Make the smart choice.”

Saoirse wanted to snap at her. Wanted to rage at her pettiness and cruelty. Wanted to taunt her with Sutter’s reaction when he heard about the depths to which his mother had descended to try to get rid of a woman she didn’t approve of.

But a decade of pain and frustration and disappointment had taught Saoirse a few lessons in how to hold her tongue and bide her time.

“Have a good day, Mrs. James.” She turned her back on Sutter’s mother and walked over to Carrie. “If she says anything untoward to you or anyone else, call security.”

“Saoirse, the things she said…”

Saoirse shook her head. “Nothing to worry about.” She tapped her fingers on the heavy wood of the reception desk. “If she’s disruptive in any way, call Chief Berringer.”

“I-I think I should call Master Derek.”

Saoirse swallowed, not relishing that conversation. “Go ahead. I’ll be in the pool.”

“Are you sure you should go back to work?”

She reached across the desk and put a steadying hand on Carrie’s shoulder. “Yes, I am. You okay?”

Carrie heaved a few deep breaths and nodded. “I’m good.”

“See you later.”

Without a backward glance at Sutter’s mother, Saoirse strode through the doors toward the pool.

Chapter 15

The summons came while Saoirse was cleaning up from the last open swim session of the day.

Carrie poked her head through the doors as Saoirse was fishing the inflatable toys out from the middle of the pool. She’d just caught that damn duck ring when Carrie’s face, unusually pale with two spots of color on her cute cheeks, appeared.

“Saoirse, the police chief is here. He’s in Master Derek’s office.” She wrung her hands. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do.”

Saoirse pulled the duck to the side of the pool and popped it into the mesh toy caddy, this time without falling in. She set the hook beside the mesh bag, brushed herself off, and went to Carrie. She untangled one of her friend’s hands and squeezed it.

“You did nothing wrong,” Saoirse said. “The thing about people like Mrs. James is that they thrive on making everyone around them feel like they’ve done something wrong. I’ve seen it lots of times. Don’t be afraid of her and don’t worry for me.”

Carrie nodded her head, but the fear remained in her eyes.

Saoirse held her hand as they walked back into the Main Building. Carrie headed back to the reception desk while Saoirse went to Master Derek’s office. She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and knocked.

“Come in,” her boss’ deep voice called to her.

Inside Derek’s spacious, warmly-furnished office, Derek himself sat behind his desk with his arms crossed over his chest. Saoirse had liked and respected Derek from the moment they met, and his presence helped keep the fluttering in her tummy from breaking into a galloping panic.

A man in a dark blue uniform, with a shiny badge on his chest and “Hamilton Police” embroidered on the arm, sat across from Derek. Although the lines around his eyes, above full cheeks, said he was no stranger to smiles, he wasn’t smiling as Saoirse entered. He balanced a spiral-bound notebook on his knee and tapped a ball-point pen on it as he gestured toward a spare chair with his other hand.

“Saoirse, I’ve told Chief Stanley that I’ll be present while he questions you if you’d like me to stay,” Derek said.

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