A Bad Boy is Good to Find - By Jennifer Lewis Page 0,91
exploding in my face.
“It’s imperative that I speak to her. I’ve been trying to schedule some time with her for weeks now. Months, in fact. She’s been so busy I haven’t been able to… Anyway, I’m coming down there. I’m flying into New Orleans early this evening, and I’ve chartered a car to bring me there. I’m on my way to the airport right now, in fact.”
“Okaaay.”
“According to my itinerary, I should be arriving between 7:00 and 7:15 p.m. central time.”
“I’ll let her know.” Lizzie tried not to laugh. Maisie with her clipboard and Dwight with his “itinerary” really were a perfect match. So self-satisfied and snooty they deserved each other. “See ya later, Dwight.”
He’d love the lack of electricity. And the heat and the bugs. She chuckled. And Maisie probably wouldn’t be too excited about being distracted from her work either. How long had they been engaged? They couldn’t schedule time to have sex, let alone get married. In fact the very idea of them having sex… She shuddered as a vision of reptiles mating crowded her brain.
She pushed up the lower sash of the window. It went up smoothly. The sash-cord must have been replaced in the money-hemorrhaging renovations.
“Maisie!” she called out. About forty feet away, Maisie squinted at her, her phone still pressed to her ear. “Dwight called. He’s flying down today. Got something important to tell you.”
Maisie muttered something into her phone. She strode toward the window. “Today? You mean he’s arriving tonight?”
“Yup. On his way.” She smiled cheerfully.
Maisie’s perfectly smooth forehead wrinkled. “What on earth for? It’s not like I won’t be back next week.”
“He said he’s been trying to schedule time with you for ages, but you’ve been too busy.”
“He knows my job is demanding.” Standing right under the window, Maisie glanced at her clipboard. “It’s my time to build my career. He understands that.”
“He sounded very anxious to see you.”
Maisie’s face brightened and got a strangely distant look. “I have a funny feeling he’s finally going to set the date.”
“Of your wedding?”
“Yes. We’re always waiting until the timing is just perfect, and then of course we’re both so madly busy—” She paused and pressed her pen to her mouth. “I wanted to get married last June, but his company was in the midst of a merger and he had an important bond deal to close. Of course it’s given me more time to research and plan and develop a truly impressive guest list…”
Lizzie glanced sideways into the drawing room, where opened boxes of linen napkins and fine stemware lay gathering dust.
“That’s it, I’m sure of it. We’re going to set the date.” Her eyes gleamed like ice cubes.
“Speaking of which, um, what day are we planning to do my wedding?” Lizzie’s voice came out kind of high and squeaky.
“Um,” Maisie tucked some hair behind her ear. “Has, um Con said anything about…No?”
“Con? What are you talking about?” The knot in her intestines tightened a notch.
“He has been terribly busy. Well, I must go. I need to get directions to the storage facility as we’re driving out there right away. As I said there’s no need for you to come.” Maisie was already turning away and fingering her phone.
“I’m coming.” She slammed down the window for emphasis. Suddenly she didn’t feel like letting Con out of her sight for a single instant.
Con had planned to tell Lizzie the wedding was off on the way over to wherever the hell they were going. Maisie had the okay from Don, and he wanted to get that one mess straightened out. Things were so out of control right now he didn’t know which way was up. People were talking about the house like it was his, and the story about his father and what he’d done to his mom was out there in the news and complete strangers with cameras were asking him questions about things he’d never even dared to think about let alone talk about and…
“So you guys think it’ll be a big chest of treasure or something?” Roger’s jovial voice from the backseat drew him back to reality. As soon as Rog climbed into the car, Con knew his news for Lizzie would have to wait.
“What exactly is it supposed to be?” Lizzie looked distracted and nervous, playing with her watch.
“I don’t know. Some stuff in a lockup. The documents they found didn’t have a list of specifics, just a key.” Con drew the key out of his pocket and dangled it from its