Best Be Prepared by Gwen Florio

Author:Gwen Florio [Florio, Gwen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2023-07-04T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-NINE

In a nod to Nora’s migraine, or whatever it was attacking her skull from the inside with tiny buzzing drills, she and Luke turned in early.

He fell asleep almost immediately, his easy soft snores echoed by the dog on the floor beside them. But the cat picked up on Nora’s agitated wakefulness, pacing the bed with measured footfalls, stopping occasionally to arch his back and hiss a warning to the unseen threat.

Nora told herself Luke’s unconcern was warranted.

But something about her students’ seemingly innocuous project had stirred Templeton’s wrath.

Which didn’t make sense. As far as she could tell – a sense underscored by her students’ reporting – people generally liked the project. None of the objections people lobbed at the hotel – its huge footprint, its thirsty heated swimming pools just yards from the ocean, the shitty service-industry work required to run it – applied to the tower. Their taxes weren’t even paying for it.

But Spencer essentially had declared war over it.

Maybe she should drop the project. Invent some stupid excuse for Everhart, and come up with a bullshit, last-minute replacement. She picked up her phone from the nightstand and typed into her search engine: ‘easy fast middle school projects social studies’ and the Internet predictably spat back dozens of possibilities.

She started scrolling. Quickly at first, then slower and slower still.

Dough maps. Timelines. Flip books.

Baby stuff compared to what her kids had turned their project into.

She thought of Abby James, handing out assignments and directing her reporting staff with such confidence. Damien, who became almost human when aiming his camera phone and, later, swiping through the results, holding up the phone to show Abby different shots for her approval. Zeke, solemnly shaking his head at a classmate’s attempt at a headline and advising him to ‘kick it up a notch’. Jeannie, moving stories and photos around on her screen to design the perfect page.

Bowing to Spencer’s threats would take all that away from them.

She remembered Ron Stevenson, looming over her, underscoring the difference in size and strength. Everhart always picking at her, looking for ways to discredit her. Now here came someone else, trying to push her around.

What if she pushed back?

But Spencer’s threat was so much worse than the others. Just hearing Eberle’s name brought her back to that night in the van, the full-body terror of it. But there’d been something else. She’d fought back then, too. And she – along with Luke – had won.

For some reason, Spencer wanted her to look away from the tower. What if she probed deeper? Found whatever it was that so provoked him?

Nora sat up in bed.

‘Fuck you, Spencer Templeton.’

Mooch leapt to the floor and yowled.

Murph started from his sleep, rose halfway to his feet, and muttered a warning to the invisible foe.

Luke rolled over and snored anew.

Nora smiled into the dark.

First order of business: get back to the architect.

Nora was committed to battle, but that commitment didn’t extend to driving all the way to Portland again.

She’d call, and if he hung up on her, she’d call right back again.

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