The Naughty List by L.A. Kelley Page B

for all of us.” Marissa sighed. “I can’t shake the feeling we’re all a bunch of dinosaurs oblivious to the asteroid hurtling down on our heads.”
    “Don’t go,” Rosalie pleaded. “Life will get better.” Except it won’t, her heart argued otherwise. Rosalie knew without a doubt every warning David spouted was the absolute truth. The Book was gone. Life for all of them would spiral into chaos.
    “Leaving is just a thought. I’m not gone, yet. I whined enough about my problems. Now tell me, did you find the mysterious David?” Rosalie squirmed. “Aha!” crowed her friend. “You did! Tell me all about him. Who is he?”
    “H-He’s nice.” Rosalie swallowed. “He lives out of town.”
    “Not a Sneaky Shopper?”
    Her lips twitched in a smile. “Definitely not a Sneaky Shopper.”
    “How did you find him?”
    “We, um, sort of bumped into each other. He bought dinner.”
    “That’s great! Will you see him again…what’s wrong? You don’t seem happy.”
    “The situation is complicated.” Her voice grew tight. The words were difficult to get out. “He left because of family responsibilities. He won’t be back.”
    Marissa eyed her sympathetically. “You really like him, don’t you?”
    Rosalie’s breath faltered. “More than I believed possible.”
    “Like who?” Ross bounded up with Miss Delia in tow.
    Rosalie greeted Mittens warmly. “I thought you’d be with family for the holidays.”
    “My daughter and her fiancé are in town to help with the packing. You wouldn’t believe how much stuff a person accumulates over a lifetime. I need another week simply to sort through everything. My realtor says I need to stage the apartment which is sales-speak for toss the junk but,” she explained with twinkle, “she doesn’t understand I love my junk. Tina and Evan are ruthless, making me discard the crappiest crap. Ross kindly invited us for dinner, so we wouldn’t have to cook.”
    Ross winked at her. “Don’t change the subject, Miss Delia. What did you say about a young man, Rosalie? You need to bring him by so we can pass judgment. He may not be good enough for you.”
    Rosalie fought to maintain an indifferent expression. “He returned to New York. We weren’t meant to be.”
    Mittens eyed her shrewdly. “True love always finds a way, my dear. As long as he’s not another Randall Penrose, everything will work out.” She gave a disparaging sniff. “I always felt so sorry for his wife.”
    Ross flashed a wicked grin. “Fess up, Miss Delia. He had a thing with Stephanie, didn’t he? She blackmailed him for the promotion.”< Sromfy"/p>
    Rosalie suspected the same, but to her surprise Mittens didn’t agree. “She may have blackmailed him, but not because of any affair with her. I heard talk about others, mind you, but Ms. Crowder’s name was never mentioned.”
    Rosalie gaped at her. “How do you know all this?”
    “I told you before, I’ve been around for a while. Also, Arthur left me stock in Penrose’s so I attend the shareholder meetings. You go. You meet people. You hear things. Randall was suspected of a roving eye for a long time, but he covers his tracks well. At least well enough to keep his wife from filing for divorce.” She lowered her voice and glanced around. “I could snoop around more if you like.”
    Marissa hugged her. “Don’t worry about us, Miss Delia. You have more important things to do.”
    “Nonsense, snooping is way more fun than cleaning out a closet. Everyone expects little old ladies to be nosey. No one will suspect a thing.”
    “Well, I want to know,” Rosalie declared stoutly.
    “Then the matter is settled. I’ll report back when I uncover some big, fat, juicy gossip.” Her daughter called her over and Miss Delia excused herself.
    Marissa shook her head in mock despair. “You corrupted her.”
    “I feel absolutely no guilt,” protested Rosalie. “If Stephanie has a Sneaky Shopper, then I can recruit Secret Agent