Page 82 of One Bad Idea

Maybe Iwasa psycho, because I was almost starting to look forward to his calls. I liked sparring with him, and I had a sneaky suspicion that he felt the same way – probably because everyone else seemed so afraid of him.

It was no wonder.

I had, after all, seen how he'd acted with my ex-boyfriend, and more recently, my old boss. In truth, hehadbeen a little scary.

It was nearly five o'clock when Darla appeared suddenly in my doorway and said, "How's your friend?"

I almost fell out of my chair. She'd been utterly silent – to me, anyway – for three whole days, and now she wanted to pass the time?

I wasn't buying it.

Even now, she had several visitors hanging out near her office. If she only wanted to make conversation, she wouldn’t be bothering withme.

So obviously, there was something more to her simple question.But what?

Carefully, I said, "If you mean Cassidy, she's fine. Why do you ask?"

Darla gave me a look that was all innocence. "Do I need a reason?"

No. What you need is a giant kick in the pants.

But I didn't say it. For one thing, she was wearing a dress. And for another, I'd been working here for only one week, including today. It seemed a little soon to be joking about violence in the workplace. Plus, knowing Darla, she wouldn't take it as a joke.

Rather, she'd use it as one more thing to make everyone avoid me. I could practically hear it now."She threatened to kick me. Can you believe it?"

At the door to my office, she demanded, "Are you gonna answer or not?"

I gave it some thought. "Nope."

She was glaring now. "Why not?"

"Because I figured the question was rhetorical."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Well, it wasn't."

I sighed. "Alright, fine." Using my overly patient voice, I said, "No. You don't need a reason to ask about her, but I know that you're not fond of her, so itisa bit curious."

Darla gave me a thin smile. "Yes. Itiscurious, isn't it?"

Something in her tone was setting off warning bells. I asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, "it'sreallycurious that your friend was offered a job when she didn't even apply. Don't you think?"

I leaned forward in my chair. "Wait, how did you know that?"

She smiled again. "I know lots of things."

My gaze narrowed. "Like what?"

"Well, for starters, I know who owns the place where she works."

"Really? Who?"

Darla made a show of looking around. "Who do you think?"

Oh, no."Don't tell me…theyown it?"

"Maybe. But you didn't hear it fromme."