Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank

Author:Dorothea Benton Frank [Frank, Dorothea Benton]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2008-08-13T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Dirt on Everyone

He’s pretty fabulous,” Sandi said after J.D. left and my mental and emotional equilibrium had been partially restored. “If you don’t mind me saying so.”

“I don’t mind, and that’s the problem.”

“He’s married, right?”

“Yeah, to a complete nincompoop.”

“They got kids?”

“Nope.”

“Does he know that you do?”

She had guessed.

“Nope, and let’s keep it that way, understood?”

“Understood.”

“Sandi? Wonderful as you are? Indispensable as you are to me, especially now? Letting that news hit the streets would be an instantaneous deal breaker for us.”

Sandi removed her eyeglasses and stared at me while she cleaned them with a tissue.

“I have no knowledge of your personal life,” she said. “No knowledge whatsoever.”

“Right. Okay, it’s after five-thirty. I’m going to meet my father for an early dinner at O’Farrell’s. Why don’t you get out of here and go have a nice evening?”

“Good. Thanks.” She pulled open her bottom drawer to remove her purse.

“And Sandi?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for everything—the office, the makeover, the lunch, your discretion…”

“Look, this is a great deal for me. I get to stay with my brother, even though he lives like you don’t want to know. And decorating was actually fun. Who doesn’t love to spend somebody else’s money? But your makeover? That was like doing a rescue mission—”

“Stop! You’re so fresh!”

“Ha! Gotcha! Lunch was just a phone call, and that discretion thing? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I gave her a wave and left the office for the first time that day. The heat had broken and the skies threatened to burst. Classic. I knew we would be bombarded by rain and crackles of lightning for an hour or so and then it would seem like midday again. I couldn’t have cared less.

I drove Sela’s car over to the parking lot closest to her restaurant. As I made the turn onto King Street, I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a man in a car across the street staring at me. What the hell? Was I being followed? Was this the long arm of Vinny following me around through the cell-phone camera of some hired thug? How stupid! What did he expect to learn? I told myself it was all my imagination and to get over myself.

The first pelts of rain began to fall as I pushed open the door to Sela’s place. She was behind the bar.

“Hey!” she called. “I haven’t heard from you all day! How’s it going?”

I climbed on a bar stool and gave her a half hug across the bar.

“Whoo! I came early because Daddy’s meeting me here at six. I thought we could grab a fast glass of wine or a Coke or something.”

“‘Daddy’s coming at six.’ Um, you said that like this is an everyday occurrence for you. So you called him, huh? White wine? Bottle with a straw?”

I laughed at that and nodded in agreement. “Sure. White’s good. Anything. I don’t care as long as it’s got a big splash of alcohol in it. Oh, Sela. What a day. I feel like I’ve been here for a year.

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