Heart of Ice by T.B. Markinson & Miranda MacLeod

Author:T.B. Markinson & Miranda MacLeod [Markinson, T.B. & MacLeod, Miranda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: T.B. Markinson
Published: 2020-08-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

It was a blustery Friday afternoon when Jack escaped across the street to the coffee shop. The window was covered in an explosion of pink hearts in honor of Valentine’s Day’s approach, but the rawness of the weather made it feel more like January. She cracked the door as little as possible, sliding through the opening with care so as not to blast the patrons inside with a sharp stab of icy wind. It was partially out of thoughtfulness, but mostly from a desire to avoid heads turning to see who the idiot was who didn’t know how to open a door properly in the dreary months when everyone was dying for warm summer days.

The café was quiet and only about half full, the noise level barely above a whisper as people focused on tablets and laptops while they sipped their drinks. Carmen sat in the back corner, her head down, scanning something on her phone. As Jack approached her friend, she felt some of the spring return to her step. It had been almost two weeks since Toby’s return to the office, which had initiated a full-out feud between the two heads of the company. The atmosphere at Emerson Management seemed permanently altered, contributing to Jack being in a constant state of walking on egg shells, even more so than if she’d only had her complicated relationship with Laurie to maneuver. With another long night of work ahead of her, Jack was desperate for some caffeine.

“Hey there. Do you need a refill?” Jack stopped beside Carmen’s table but didn’t sit down, instead motioning to her friend’s empty cup.

Carmen slid the cup to the edge of the table, batting her eyelashes. “I’ll love you forever if you bring me another cappuccino.”

“Just for you, I’ll make sure they get the heart in the foam perfect.”

Jack winked at Carmen and got into line behind a man in a suit, a standard sight in the financial district, except everyone else was dressed in their casual Friday attire. His jacket and tie felt out of place in a sea of polo shirts and khakis, and Jack found herself staring until the man abruptly turned around. He gave her the once-over, clearly unimpressed by what he saw, judging by the derision etched into the lines around his dark eyes. Uneasiness prickling the back of her neck, Jack wondered what his deal was.

After the man ordered, he took a seat facing Carmen. He watched her with an unrelenting gaze for several seconds and then switched his attention back to Jack, not attempting to disguise his stare. If his goal was to unnerve Jack, he’d succeeded. Jack, though, desired to know the reason behind his nefarious actions. She’d think corporate spy, but he lacked the suaveness of anyone trying to act covertly.

Jack placed her order and stood to the side, still trying to figure out what was up with mister super spy. Was he someone she knew? It was so hard to say for certain. With

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