The Otter Bay Novel Collection by Julie Carobini

Author:Julie Carobini [Carobini, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dolphin Gate Books

BACK IN HIS OFFICE, Gage rubbed the heaviness from his eyes. They stung, which usually meant he had worn his contact lenses far longer than he should. He’d planned to remove them when he slipped home for his late lunch and replace them with glasses, but became distracted by Callie’s undeniably alluring presence on his flat screen TV. That and the way she so confidently answered the reporter’s questions while staying fully intent on burying his career.

His office phone jarred him with its ring. “Gage Mitchell.” “Gage, my man. Rick Knutson here.”

Gage glanced at the clock on his desk. Its digits glowed red, much like his eyes. “Yes, Rick.” He had no patience for the nettlesome realtor’s games tonight.

“You’re working late. I’m impressed. What say you shut it down for the night and come join the boss for a nightcap and some good old-fashioned conversation?”

He had to be kidding. Was he beckoning me? And at who’s behest? Redmond’s? “Thanks for the invitation. Maybe some other time.”

“Whoa-whoa-whoa. C’mon, man. Take a break. No one can work all day and still be a prince.” The man’s voice oozed like butter through the phone. Nauseating.

Gage scraped his fingers over his scalp. “I really do not have the time—”

“Better make the time for this. Wasn’t easy setting up this soiree tonight. Your boss’ll be there along with various townspeople who have clout around here, if you get my drift.” Rick snarled. “And if we’re going to crush this merry band of revolutionaries trying to carve us out of jobs, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page. Capiche?”

The cloak and dagger routine was getting old. If this meeting was that important, why hadn’t Redmond phoned him himself? No sooner had this thought come to mind when a new e-mail popped onto the screen.

Rick sounded impatient. “So we’ll see you at the Jamison house, then.”

Gage clicked on the bold-faced message calling from his inbox. It was from Redmond, inviting him for drinks and conversation tonight on Cascade Court. He clicked “delete” and, reluctantly, gave Rick the answer he wanted to hear.

Twenty minutes later Gage made the drive up the hill toward the Jamison home, still kicking himself for not removing his contacts. The mixture of moist air and approaching headlights blurred his vision, causing him to squint. He had hoped to be home by now, tucking Jeremiah in for Suz and hearing about her day working on Callie’s cottage. The kinds of things he’d be doing once his business took off—hopefully with a wife and child of his own.

No time for that. The custom homes perched on this undulating land were visions, the kind that pulled him out of the bed in the mornings. High-end, well-designed beauties, all of them. He checked the address highlighted on the curb with the one he’d memorized.

This was the one. The driveway was filled with expensive cars, sleek and dark, but polished so well that they glowed in the moon’s light. He parked his truck on the street and weaved his way up the drive, recognizing Tori’s car parked at the front.

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