Page 85 of Positively Pricked

Chapter 29

My visitor was big, bearded, and burly. He was gripping a vase of flowers with his right hand and the handle of a brown briefcase with his left.

It was Professor Lumberjack, except today, he'd ditched the flannel in favor of tan slacks and a brown sports coat with dark elbow patches. For once, he looked more like a professor than a guy who cut down trees for a living.

When he spotted me emerging from the door behind the reception desk, his face broke into a wide smile. "There you are."

I stared at the guy.Yes. Here I was.

But where was Paisley?

Not here, apparently.

I hadn't seen her in days, probably because the rent was due the day after tomorrow. For once, my checking account contained more than enough to cover it, but that didn't mean I was willing to pay Paisley's share on top of my own.

Aside from catching up on my own bills, there were too many other people who could use a little something extra. There were my parents, who hadn't gone on a vacation in forever. And then, there was Charlotte, who was working her way through nursing school. As soon as I got caught up on my finances, I vowed, I'd treat all of them to something special.

But when it came to Paisley, I couldn’t afford to be stupid. Sure, I had a great incomenow, but how long would it last? For all I knew, Zane would be tellingmeto fuck off tomorrow. Or next week. Or whenever the mood struck him.

After all, he did have that history.

In the executive lobby, Professor Lumberjack – Istilldidn't know his name – thrust the flowers out in my direction. "For you."

I blinked.Huh?

We were still several paces away from each other, with the tall reception desk acting as a barrier between us. I glanced at Carla, who'd returned to her usual spot behind the desk.

She was making an obvious effort to look at anything but me or my flower-toting visitor. I could see why. After all, I was pretty darned uncomfortable myself.

Reluctantly, I looked back to the professor and said, "For me? Why?"

He lifted the flowers a fraction higher. "An office-warming present."

I'd had this job for two months now. My office was plenty warm already. Still, I reluctantly circled the reception desk and summoned up an awkward smile as he handed me the vase.

Trying to be polite, I gave the flowers a perfunctory sniff and murmured the appropriate noises about them being lovely or whatever.

In truth, I hardly knew what I was saying. Against all hope, I told myself that maybe the flowershadto be from Paisley, too.

After all, stranger things had happened, right?

The professor leaned closer and said, "So, you got time for lunch?"

I felt my brow wrinkle. "With who?"

I wasn't even playing dumb. This little visit was so out-of-character that I felt certain I was missing something. Like maybe Paisley would be joining us?

In front of me, the professor gave a hearty smile. "With me. So do you like Chinese?"

"Withonlyyou?"

"Yeah. There's a place down the street. I hear they have great egg-rolls."

Screw the egg-rolls.I felt my gaze narrow. "Where's Paisley?"

He shrugged. "I dunno."

Shit.