The Soldier's Sister by Giusti Debby

Author:Giusti, Debby [Giusti, Debby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dpgroup.org, Fluffer Nutter
ISBN: 9781460319062
Publisher: Harlequin Sales Corp
Published: 2013-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

TWELVE

Unable to face Brody, Stephanie called a cab early the next morning. She had slept fitfully, her slumber punctuated with dreams of his strong hands and dark eyes and a horde of police officers that wandered through her yard. She’d awakened with a headache and puffy face from the tears she’d cried before she’d fallen asleep. All the emotion she’d kept bottled up for so long had spilled out as she’d sobbed into her pillow.

The ride to post made her head hurt even more. She blew her nose and applied lipstick before the cab pulled into the WTB area. After paying the driver, she hurried into her office.

By the time the other workers arrived, Stephanie had completed a stack of paperwork that had piled up in her in-box.

A civilian clerk who worked in the records section knocked twice on the door to her office and then entered. With a wide smile, she placed a box of oatmeal-raisin cookies on Stephanie’s desk.

“These arrived for you. They’re from the Cookie Palace on Fourth Street. They deliver in town and on post.”

Stephanie was touched by the thoughtful gesture. “The WTB must have sent them as a welcome gift. I bet Ted told them oatmeal raisin is my favorite type of cookie.”

Noticing the clerk’s eagerness for her to open the box, Stephanie quickly added, “Are the cookies from you?”

The woman shook her head and pointed to an attached envelope. “The card should tell you who sent them.”

Stephanie read the note silently. “Sorry about last night. Brody.”

She smiled. “They’re from a friend.” Evidently he had asked Ted about her preference. Or maybe Nikki.

After removing the outer wrapper, Stephanie handed the box to the other woman. “Would you like to pass them around the office?”

“Don’t you want one?” she asked.

“Maybe later.”

The clerk returned after a few minutes. “Everyone said to thank you.” She placed the remaining cookies on Stephanie’s desk and headed back to work.

Unable to resist any longer, Stephanie reached for a particularly large cookie packed with plump raisins. Smiling at Brody’s thoughtfulness, she bit into the soft sweetness. Maybe she had reacted too quickly last night.

There was so much she liked about the special agent.

Her office phone rang. She pulled the receiver to her ear, expecting to hear Brody’s voice. Instead, the call was from her regional director.

“Ms. Upton, we’ve had a complaint from one of the soldiers on your caseload.”

Her stomach tightened.

“Private Upton has lodged a formal grievance against you. I’ll fax over a list of forms you’ll need to fill out. Please return them to me promptly. We take something like this very seriously.”

“Yes, sir. I’m not happy about it, either.”

When the director hung up, Stephanie dropped her head into her hands. Her cheeks were hot and a bitter taste filled her mouth.

She glanced again at the box of cookies. Surely, they didn’t contain peanuts. She was very careful to never eat ones that did, yet the way her throat was feeling, she wondered if she could be having an allergic reaction.

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