doing that?" Margie said, and Suze looked in her rearview mirror and saw a nondescript gray sedan behind them flashing its lights. Suze slowed and the car pulled up beside them.
Nell leaned over her to look. "Oh, no. Pull over."
"I don't think so," Suze said. "On a dark road and we don't know who he is? I don't want to be tomorrow's headline in the Dispatch."
"I know who he is," Nell said. "Pull over."
Suze pulled to the side of the road and parked, and the other car pulled in front of her. "Who is he?"
Nell shook her head and rolled down her window, and Suze squinted out the front. Whoever he was, he was big. Hulking even. "You sure about this?" she said to Nell, but then the guy reached the car and bent down to look in Nell's window. Suze couldn't see him clearly in the dark, but she got an impression of a lot of jaw made larger by a lot of frown.
"You are dumb as a rock," he said to Nell.
"I am out for a drive with my friends," Nell said politely. "You are not invited."
The guy looked past Nell and saw Suze and looked stunned for a minute, and then he scowled, not the reaction Suze was used to from men. Usually they looked stunned and then smiled.
"You can go now," Nell said.
"You are out to steal a dog," the guy said, transferring his disapproval back to Nell. "That is illegal. Turn around now or I'll call the cops."
"You wouldn't really, would you?" Nell said, and the guy sighed.
"There's a Chili's out on 161, right before you make the turn into this place. Go there. I will follow you. If you take any fancy turns, I'm hitting 911 on the cell phone. And yes, I really will."
"No, you won't," Nell said, but she turned to Suze and said, "Drive to Chili's, please."
When they were back on the road, the gray sedan following them every inch of the way, Suze said, "Give. Who is that?"
"Riley McKenna," Nell said. "One of the guys I work for."
"He looks familiar," Margie said from the backseat. "Have I seen him before? Maybe he came into Chloe's. I learned how to do the cash register today."
Suze ignored her to concentrate on the essentials. "Would he really call the police on you?"
"No," Nell said, "but he'd follow us and make it all impossible. So we're going to have to convince him to let us go."
Suze shot her a glance. "What do you have on this guy?"
"Nothing," Nell said. "We're just going to appeal to his better nature. I'm fairly sure he has one."
When Riley followed them into Chili's, Suze got a better look at him. Tall, blond, and broad, with plain, nonflashy Midwestern good looks and enough jaw for two people, he frowned with exasperation and still drew glances from the women who passed him coming in. He wasn't her type Jack was her type-but Suze could understand the attraction.
When they were sitting in a booth, Riley next to Margie who looked pleased to be there, he said to Nell, "You are not going to steal a dog," and Suze felt her temper spurt.
"Sure she is," she told him. "Who died and made you God?"
"This is my sister-in-law Suze," Nell said, and Riley nodded at her, not impressed. That was irritating, too.
"And this is my other sister-in-law, Margie," Nell said, and Riley turned to Margie and smiled down at her.
What the hell? The world was getting strange if Margie was going to get a job and all the men.
"Very nice to meet you," Riley said to Margie and turned back to Nell. "Three rules and you want to break them all. Gabe'll fire you, you know. He has no sense of humor about this stuff."
"Three rules?" Nell said. "I thought there were two, and I didn't tell them who the client was, and rescuing an abused dog should not be against the law, so I think I'm still in clear." She lifted her chin at him as the waitress came for their drink order, and Suze thought, Nell?
When the waitress was gone, Nell added, "What's the third one? I don't want to trip over it by accident." She sounded cheeky, almost flirting with him, and Suze sat back to watch.
"You already tripped over it," Riley said.
Nell leaned over her to look. "Oh, no. Pull over."
"I don't think so," Suze said. "On a dark road and we don't know who he is? I don't want to be tomorrow's headline in the Dispatch."
"I know who he is," Nell said. "Pull over."
Suze pulled to the side of the road and parked, and the other car pulled in front of her. "Who is he?"
Nell shook her head and rolled down her window, and Suze squinted out the front. Whoever he was, he was big. Hulking even. "You sure about this?" she said to Nell, but then the guy reached the car and bent down to look in Nell's window. Suze couldn't see him clearly in the dark, but she got an impression of a lot of jaw made larger by a lot of frown.
"You are dumb as a rock," he said to Nell.
"I am out for a drive with my friends," Nell said politely. "You are not invited."
The guy looked past Nell and saw Suze and looked stunned for a minute, and then he scowled, not the reaction Suze was used to from men. Usually they looked stunned and then smiled.
"You can go now," Nell said.
"You are out to steal a dog," the guy said, transferring his disapproval back to Nell. "That is illegal. Turn around now or I'll call the cops."
"You wouldn't really, would you?" Nell said, and the guy sighed.
"There's a Chili's out on 161, right before you make the turn into this place. Go there. I will follow you. If you take any fancy turns, I'm hitting 911 on the cell phone. And yes, I really will."
"No, you won't," Nell said, but she turned to Suze and said, "Drive to Chili's, please."
When they were back on the road, the gray sedan following them every inch of the way, Suze said, "Give. Who is that?"
"Riley McKenna," Nell said. "One of the guys I work for."
"He looks familiar," Margie said from the backseat. "Have I seen him before? Maybe he came into Chloe's. I learned how to do the cash register today."
Suze ignored her to concentrate on the essentials. "Would he really call the police on you?"
"No," Nell said, "but he'd follow us and make it all impossible. So we're going to have to convince him to let us go."
Suze shot her a glance. "What do you have on this guy?"
"Nothing," Nell said. "We're just going to appeal to his better nature. I'm fairly sure he has one."
When Riley followed them into Chili's, Suze got a better look at him. Tall, blond, and broad, with plain, nonflashy Midwestern good looks and enough jaw for two people, he frowned with exasperation and still drew glances from the women who passed him coming in. He wasn't her type Jack was her type-but Suze could understand the attraction.
When they were sitting in a booth, Riley next to Margie who looked pleased to be there, he said to Nell, "You are not going to steal a dog," and Suze felt her temper spurt.
"Sure she is," she told him. "Who died and made you God?"
"This is my sister-in-law Suze," Nell said, and Riley nodded at her, not impressed. That was irritating, too.
"And this is my other sister-in-law, Margie," Nell said, and Riley turned to Margie and smiled down at her.
What the hell? The world was getting strange if Margie was going to get a job and all the men.
"Very nice to meet you," Riley said to Margie and turned back to Nell. "Three rules and you want to break them all. Gabe'll fire you, you know. He has no sense of humor about this stuff."
"Three rules?" Nell said. "I thought there were two, and I didn't tell them who the client was, and rescuing an abused dog should not be against the law, so I think I'm still in clear." She lifted her chin at him as the waitress came for their drink order, and Suze thought, Nell?
When the waitress was gone, Nell added, "What's the third one? I don't want to trip over it by accident." She sounded cheeky, almost flirting with him, and Suze sat back to watch.
"You already tripped over it," Riley said.
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