Foul Play - By Janet Evanovich Page 0,4
day.”
Jake wanted to punch out that principal. In fact, Jake was ready to punch out anyone who didn’t appreciate Amy.
Good Lord, he silently groaned, how could he be so besotted by someone he’d only known for ten minutes? He made a conscious effort to relax, loosening his white-knuckled grip on the wheel, easing the tension at the base of his neck.
There had been strong feelings for a few other women in his life, but nothing like this. Nothing that hit him so fast and so hard. This was scary. Four hours ago he was in surgery, happily operating on Tommy Hostrup’s cat. Four hours ago he’d been contented, well adjusted, a respected member of the community … and now he was sweating bullets because he was afraid he was going to attack the delicious little morsel sitting next to him. If she knew what he was thinking she’d probably jump out the window.
Amy indicated that he should take a right-hand turn, and continued. “Anyway, when the school year came to a close I decided maybe I wasn’t destined to teach first grade. I loved working with children, but I needed something with more personal freedom … more action. The idea for a TV show came to me in the middle of the night. I woke up in a sweat, thinking, holy cow, wouldn’t it be great to entertain hundreds of kids at a time instead of just twenty-five! So, the next day I got dressed up in my clown suit and marched into the studio.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “I still don’t believe I had the nerve to do that! I read The Little Engine That Could to the station manager. He sat there the whole time, smoking a cigar and looking at me as if I was from outer space. I was into the second round of singing ‘I’m a Little Teapot’ when Gilda Szalagy, the Morning Cooker, walked in and announced she was leaving to take a job in Atlanta. They gave me her slot on a trial basis, and I’ve been Lulu the Clown ever since … until four o’clock today.”
“Didn’t you have a contract?”
She shook her head. “Nope. It’s a mom-and-pop-type station. We just went day by day. It was always very low key. Very pleasant.”
“Did they say why they were replacing you?”
“Two weeks ago Sam, the station manager, retired. The new station manager said the show needed a fresh face.”
“Yeah, but a fresh beak? Hard to believe a chicken could entertain kids for a whole hour.”
“The chicken comes with a trainer. I suppose she’ll read the stories and sing the songs.”
“And the chicken will do the dancing?”
Amy grinned. “Listen, I’ve seen the chicken dance—it’s pretty good.”
“I bet its legs aren’t nearly as nice as yours.”
“Thank you.” It was a funny little compliment, but it made her feel better. Now that the anger was subsiding she was left with an empty sadness. It had been the injustice and the suddenness of the action that had stung her heart. She’d worked hard to entertain and educate her young audience. She felt a responsibility to those children. What would they think when she simply didn’t appear tomorrow? How would they know that she loved them … that she hadn’t willy-nilly abandoned them?
That rotten new manager hadn’t even given her a chance to say good-bye. She couldn’t believe he’d even been hired. Who needed to have the highest ratings on the air? Amy thought they’d been doing just fine. She felt a tear catch in her lower lashes. “Damn.”
Jake covered her hand with his. “It’s okay.”
“I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. I asked them for one more day. Just one more day, and they said no.”
He didn’t know how to comfort her. He saw the brightness in her eyes and was scared to death that she was about to burst into tears. He waited a moment. “So now what?”
“I don’t know.”
She had rent to pay, car payments, utility bills. Thank goodness, she had a savings account, but that wouldn’t last forever.
“If I could find a temporary job to get me through the summer, I could go back to teaching school in September,” she said.
Jake didn’t even hesitate. “You’re in luck. I could give you a job. I happen to need a receptionist.” He needed a receptionist like a hole in the head, but he’d do anything to be near her. He quickly reviewed his budget and determined he’d be able to pay her a modest salary. The