Heart of Gold - B.J. Daniels Page 0,49
into his pocket and thanked Wagner again as he left. The man had been more helpful than he knew.
* * *
CHARLIE LOOKED UP from her desk to find Daniel standing over her. Startled, she tried to rise from her chair when she saw that Amanda was right behind him.
“Look who’s come to see you,” Amanda said and gave her a huge smile, eyes glinting maliciously. Charlie remembered Greg telling her that the woman had seen her with Shep—not that she’d known his name. She’d thought it was another, newer boyfriend. So the smile meant that she was hoping for fireworks.
“Daniel.” Charlie met his gaze. He looked upset. What had Amanda said to him? She could only guess. “What are you doing here?”
“I figured if I wanted to see you, it was going to have to be here,” he said.
She could hear anger in his voice. “I was going to call you.”
He looked as if he didn’t believe that. She could see that Amanda was hanging onto their every word.
Charlie’s cell phone rang. She fumbled it out, meaning to simply turn it off, but then she saw who it was. Shep couldn’t have picked a worse time to call. She hit Accept, quickly put the phone to her ear and turned her back to Daniel and Amanda. “I can’t talk right now.”
“Bad day?” he asked. “Sorry. I have some good news and thought you might need some.”
“You have no idea.”
“Can you take a break? Meet me at that coffee shop on the corner near your office and I’ll tell you everything.”
“I...I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“I get the feeling there’s someone standing next to your desk?”
“Uh-huh, but thanks for calling.” With that she disconnected and turned to Daniel, pasting a smile on her face. “I can take my break. Why don’t we go next door to the coffee shop?”
“There’s coffee in the break room,” Amanda pointed out. “You can certainly visit in the conference room.”
“I could use the fresh air,” Charlie said and gave Daniel a pleading look. She’d told him enough about Amanda that he had to know how uncomfortable this was making her.
“Fine,” he said, and turning, he headed for the front door.
“He seems upset,” Amanda noted with no small amount of glee. “Maybe he heard about...the other man.” She gave Charlie a grin.
“There is no other man,” Charlie snapped.
“Tell it to Daniel,” Amanda said as Charlie hurried after her boyfriend, passing Greg on his way into work.
* * *
SHEP COULDN’T HELP being disappointed. He’d called on his walk down to her office moments ago hoping to share the good news with her. Lindy had never been locked out. It had been a ruse, just as Charlie had suspected it was. He couldn’t wait to tell her that she wasn’t responsible for her stepsister’s death, just as he’d been telling her. But now he had solid evidence.
It was late afternoon, the downtown busy with the holidays so close. He’d almost reached her office and had started to turn away when he saw Daniel come storming out of the building scowling. Shep stepped back into the shadows of the building next door as Charlie came out right after Daniel. She’d sounded so harried on the phone. This could explain it, he thought.
From where he stood, he watched Charlie catch up with Daniel and, grabbing his arm, turn him to face her. Shep was only yards away so he couldn’t help but hear their argument.
“Why would you come by my office knowing that I’m working and can’t talk to you?” she demanded.
“I already told you. I figured this was the one place I might be able to see you. I want to know what’s going on. Why have you been putting me off?”
“I want to explain, but not out here on the sidewalk.”
“Well, I don’t want to talk in a coffee shop. Let’s go back to your place—”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both. I have to finish work and then—”
“Forget it,” Daniel snapped. In the reflection in the shop window, Shep saw him step back from her as she reached for him again. “Just forget it.” With that he stormed away.
For a moment, Shep thought she’d go after him, but when her cell phone rang, she swore and pulled it out. Dodging shoppers on the sidewalk, she took the call. Whoever was on the other end of the line, they seemed to be asking her questions, which she answered with either a yes or a no. “I’ll meet you there.”
He watched her disconnect. He thought