didn’t expect to run into a zombie at work.”
“As opposed to on the street where they belong.” He grinned. “What a day. Burned cookies and zombies.”
At least he didn’t know about Harvey and his closet nookie. That was Reid’s and my secret, along with the pain I’d seen ripple across Reid’s face when I’d told him the truth about Aunt Zoe’s romantic interest in her date last night.
“Is life always this entertaining here in Deadwood?” Jerry asked.
Besides the murders, ghosts, mediums, and albinos? “No. It just has your normal, small town fun.”
He stood and stretched all the way up. I crooked my neck to see if he could tickle the high, tin-plated ceiling. Not quite. Damn, he was big. Where had Jane found him? Why had they split? I’d have to ask Mona. Judging from her actions and his words, she’d known him for a while.
“Are we ready to get our ‘huddle’ on?” I asked, wanting to get his critique of today’s open house and my lack of success over and done.
He shook his head. “No. You look like hell, Violet.”
Ouch. I cringed. He could use some coaching on his delivery.
“How about we skip the huddle,” he continued. “We can talk about it in the morning.”
I wasn’t going to fight him on that. All I wanted to do was go home, put on my pajamas, grab the half-gallon of peanut butter fudge ice cream from the freezer, and slip into a dairy coma on the couch while Humphrey Bogart filled the screen. On second thought, skip the ice cream and bring on that tequila.
Thinking of Bogart made my chest ache for Natalie, my fellow Bogart groupie. I wished she’d give me a chance to explain what had happened with Doc. That I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t stop myself from playing with fire even while knowing I was going to get good and burned. After the whole mess with Doc and Jeff and the kids yesterday, what degree burn was yet to be determined.
I collected my purse from my desk drawer, my knees no longer knocking when I stood. “Tomorrow it is.”
Jerry walked me to the back door, holding it open for me.
“Oh, Violet,” he said as I stepped out into the warm, late afternoon breeze. “Do you know a Benjamin Underhill?”
A feeling of dread fell like an anvil, landing in the bottom of my gut.
Benjamin was Ray’s nephew, who also happened to be a real estate agent—the very agent that Ray had been trying to replace me with for the last three months. Because Jane had hired me instead of Ben, Ray had had it in for me since my first day on the job. His continued attempts over the months to get me fired had helped our relationship remain thorny.
I’d actually gone to dinner twice with Ben. He was the kind of guy my mom would hook me up with—one who pulled out chairs and held doors and never claimed to smell ghosts. While I liked Ben in a let’s-just-stay-peers way, his name on Jerry’s lips roused my fear of being kicked to the curb.
“Sure, I know Ben. He’s Ray’s nephew. Why do you ask?”
Please don’t say you’re hiring him.
“I’m meeting Ray and him later for dinner.”
Ray! That rat bastard!
I tried my best not to let my loathing for Ray spill out through my eyes. “Oh, yeah?”
“What can you tell me about Benjamin Underhill? Is he a team player?”
“A team player?” I repeated his question, stalling.
I didn’t want to slander Ben. He’d never been anything but nice to me, although a little creepy with his undivided attention at times. On the other hand, Jerry getting chummy with Ben could mean the end of my job at Calamity Jane’s, especially if Cornelius wasn’t able to come up with the funds for the hotel deal and I was suddenly a one-sale agent again.
“I haven’t worked with Ben enough to answer that.” I decided dodging and weaving was my best strategy this early in the game since Jerry might be testing me on some level.
“All right. I’ll find out for myself tonight.” Jerry pointed at me. “Tomorrow, let’s talk
“As opposed to on the street where they belong.” He grinned. “What a day. Burned cookies and zombies.”
At least he didn’t know about Harvey and his closet nookie. That was Reid’s and my secret, along with the pain I’d seen ripple across Reid’s face when I’d told him the truth about Aunt Zoe’s romantic interest in her date last night.
“Is life always this entertaining here in Deadwood?” Jerry asked.
Besides the murders, ghosts, mediums, and albinos? “No. It just has your normal, small town fun.”
He stood and stretched all the way up. I crooked my neck to see if he could tickle the high, tin-plated ceiling. Not quite. Damn, he was big. Where had Jane found him? Why had they split? I’d have to ask Mona. Judging from her actions and his words, she’d known him for a while.
“Are we ready to get our ‘huddle’ on?” I asked, wanting to get his critique of today’s open house and my lack of success over and done.
He shook his head. “No. You look like hell, Violet.”
Ouch. I cringed. He could use some coaching on his delivery.
“How about we skip the huddle,” he continued. “We can talk about it in the morning.”
I wasn’t going to fight him on that. All I wanted to do was go home, put on my pajamas, grab the half-gallon of peanut butter fudge ice cream from the freezer, and slip into a dairy coma on the couch while Humphrey Bogart filled the screen. On second thought, skip the ice cream and bring on that tequila.
Thinking of Bogart made my chest ache for Natalie, my fellow Bogart groupie. I wished she’d give me a chance to explain what had happened with Doc. That I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t stop myself from playing with fire even while knowing I was going to get good and burned. After the whole mess with Doc and Jeff and the kids yesterday, what degree burn was yet to be determined.
I collected my purse from my desk drawer, my knees no longer knocking when I stood. “Tomorrow it is.”
Jerry walked me to the back door, holding it open for me.
“Oh, Violet,” he said as I stepped out into the warm, late afternoon breeze. “Do you know a Benjamin Underhill?”
A feeling of dread fell like an anvil, landing in the bottom of my gut.
Benjamin was Ray’s nephew, who also happened to be a real estate agent—the very agent that Ray had been trying to replace me with for the last three months. Because Jane had hired me instead of Ben, Ray had had it in for me since my first day on the job. His continued attempts over the months to get me fired had helped our relationship remain thorny.
I’d actually gone to dinner twice with Ben. He was the kind of guy my mom would hook me up with—one who pulled out chairs and held doors and never claimed to smell ghosts. While I liked Ben in a let’s-just-stay-peers way, his name on Jerry’s lips roused my fear of being kicked to the curb.
“Sure, I know Ben. He’s Ray’s nephew. Why do you ask?”
Please don’t say you’re hiring him.
“I’m meeting Ray and him later for dinner.”
Ray! That rat bastard!
I tried my best not to let my loathing for Ray spill out through my eyes. “Oh, yeah?”
“What can you tell me about Benjamin Underhill? Is he a team player?”
“A team player?” I repeated his question, stalling.
I didn’t want to slander Ben. He’d never been anything but nice to me, although a little creepy with his undivided attention at times. On the other hand, Jerry getting chummy with Ben could mean the end of my job at Calamity Jane’s, especially if Cornelius wasn’t able to come up with the funds for the hotel deal and I was suddenly a one-sale agent again.
“I haven’t worked with Ben enough to answer that.” I decided dodging and weaving was my best strategy this early in the game since Jerry might be testing me on some level.
“All right. I’ll find out for myself tonight.” Jerry pointed at me. “Tomorrow, let’s talk
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