were both busy.
As she was determined to be.
She was so successful, she almost didn’t notice the men’s footsteps until they reached the office. She looked up, a smile on her lips. “Good morning.”
“Hi, Carrie,” Will called out cheerfully. “Come see Jim’s new car!”
“Oh! I forgot— Was I supposed to drop you off to pick it up? I didn’t think—”
“It’s okay, Carrie,” Jim responded. “Will volunteered to drive me.”
“Wait until you see it, Carrie. It’s great. I’m thinking of getting one just like it,” Will said.
“Will Vivian like that?” She couldn’t quite picture the delicate and elegant Vivian climbing into an SUV.
Will grinned wryly. “Probably not. But you’ll like it. Come see.”
She couldn’t refuse Will’s enthusiastic invitation, unless she wanted to look like a sourpuss. So she followed them down the stairs to the parking lot, where Jim had parked his new blue SUV. He unlocked it and insisted Carrie get behind the wheel.
“Jim, I’ll never be driving it. Why should I—”
“You never know, Carrie,” Will said. “Jim could borrow your car for surveillance and you’d have to drive his. But it wouldn’t be a problem for you. See? You’re a perfect fit.”
“It’s very nice, Jim,” she assured him as she slid down from the high-profile vehicle. “Now I’d better get back to work.”
Will shot Jim a puzzled look. “Did something happen last night?” he asked when Carrie had left them.
“What do you mean?” Jim replied, his gaze fastened on the door through which Carrie had disappeared.
“Come on, man, you know what I mean. Did you and Carrie have another argument?”
Jim turned to look at Will, pulling his thoughts together. “No, not at all. In fact, our grocery shopping was quite successful.” Then, crossing his fingers that he’d manage to distract Will, he said, “She suggested I ask Betty for cooking lessons. What do you think?”
“Good idea. Betty will like that.”
“Oh, terrific. Well, as Carrie said, we’d better get to work. My week is almost up. I’d like to have something to show for it.”
“V IV, IS V ANESSA THERE ?” Will asked when his wife answered the phone.
“Why, yes, she is. Why?”
“I need to ask her something.”
As soon as her mother passed the phone to her, Vanessa asked, “Hello, Will. What’s up?”
“Honey, have you talked to Carrie lately?”
“Sure. I saw her night before last when she and Jim got in from shopping. It was like Christmas, they had so many packages.” She chuckled.
“Did you talk to her alone?”
“Not really. Why? Is something wrong?” Vanessa asked, alarm rising.
“I don’t know. But she hasn’t seemed the same since Jim got here. I want him to work with us, but…I owe my loyalty to Carrie. Can you try to find out what’s going on?”
“Sure. I’ll ask her to lunch today. Is that all right?”
“That would be great.”
After hanging up the phone, Vanessa turned a puzzled face to her mother. “Will is concerned that there’s something going on between Jim and Carrie.”
“Did he indicate anything in particular?”
Vanessa frowned. “He said Carrie hadn’t been the same since Jim got here. He wants them all to work well together, but…”
“And I thought my husband was a smart man,” Vivian said with a laugh.
“What, Mom? What do you mean?”
“Have you looked at your brother lately?”
“Well, of course I have. He’s so handsome— You’re saying Carrie is attracted to him?”
“Is she alive?” Vivian drawled. “Any red-blooded American woman would be.”
“But that would be perfect!” Vanessa exclaimed. “Then Carrie would really be part of the family!”
“That would certainly be a happy ending. But are you sure Carrie would risk that ending?”
“What do you mean, Mom? Why not?”
“Because if she misjudged Jim’s response, what would happen? They would have to work together. Spend their free time together if they
As she was determined to be.
She was so successful, she almost didn’t notice the men’s footsteps until they reached the office. She looked up, a smile on her lips. “Good morning.”
“Hi, Carrie,” Will called out cheerfully. “Come see Jim’s new car!”
“Oh! I forgot— Was I supposed to drop you off to pick it up? I didn’t think—”
“It’s okay, Carrie,” Jim responded. “Will volunteered to drive me.”
“Wait until you see it, Carrie. It’s great. I’m thinking of getting one just like it,” Will said.
“Will Vivian like that?” She couldn’t quite picture the delicate and elegant Vivian climbing into an SUV.
Will grinned wryly. “Probably not. But you’ll like it. Come see.”
She couldn’t refuse Will’s enthusiastic invitation, unless she wanted to look like a sourpuss. So she followed them down the stairs to the parking lot, where Jim had parked his new blue SUV. He unlocked it and insisted Carrie get behind the wheel.
“Jim, I’ll never be driving it. Why should I—”
“You never know, Carrie,” Will said. “Jim could borrow your car for surveillance and you’d have to drive his. But it wouldn’t be a problem for you. See? You’re a perfect fit.”
“It’s very nice, Jim,” she assured him as she slid down from the high-profile vehicle. “Now I’d better get back to work.”
Will shot Jim a puzzled look. “Did something happen last night?” he asked when Carrie had left them.
“What do you mean?” Jim replied, his gaze fastened on the door through which Carrie had disappeared.
“Come on, man, you know what I mean. Did you and Carrie have another argument?”
Jim turned to look at Will, pulling his thoughts together. “No, not at all. In fact, our grocery shopping was quite successful.” Then, crossing his fingers that he’d manage to distract Will, he said, “She suggested I ask Betty for cooking lessons. What do you think?”
“Good idea. Betty will like that.”
“Oh, terrific. Well, as Carrie said, we’d better get to work. My week is almost up. I’d like to have something to show for it.”
“V IV, IS V ANESSA THERE ?” Will asked when his wife answered the phone.
“Why, yes, she is. Why?”
“I need to ask her something.”
As soon as her mother passed the phone to her, Vanessa asked, “Hello, Will. What’s up?”
“Honey, have you talked to Carrie lately?”
“Sure. I saw her night before last when she and Jim got in from shopping. It was like Christmas, they had so many packages.” She chuckled.
“Did you talk to her alone?”
“Not really. Why? Is something wrong?” Vanessa asked, alarm rising.
“I don’t know. But she hasn’t seemed the same since Jim got here. I want him to work with us, but…I owe my loyalty to Carrie. Can you try to find out what’s going on?”
“Sure. I’ll ask her to lunch today. Is that all right?”
“That would be great.”
After hanging up the phone, Vanessa turned a puzzled face to her mother. “Will is concerned that there’s something going on between Jim and Carrie.”
“Did he indicate anything in particular?”
Vanessa frowned. “He said Carrie hadn’t been the same since Jim got here. He wants them all to work well together, but…”
“And I thought my husband was a smart man,” Vivian said with a laugh.
“What, Mom? What do you mean?”
“Have you looked at your brother lately?”
“Well, of course I have. He’s so handsome— You’re saying Carrie is attracted to him?”
“Is she alive?” Vivian drawled. “Any red-blooded American woman would be.”
“But that would be perfect!” Vanessa exclaimed. “Then Carrie would really be part of the family!”
“That would certainly be a happy ending. But are you sure Carrie would risk that ending?”
“What do you mean, Mom? Why not?”
“Because if she misjudged Jim’s response, what would happen? They would have to work together. Spend their free time together if they
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