Semua Bab Asking for a Friend: Bab 91 - Bab 100

LAYTONOn Friday afternoon, I took Marissa out to lunch. We were at a small Mexican restaurant near the office, bundled up in a booth in the back corner. It was below freezing outside again today and we managed to snag a booth near the roaring fireplace.The restaurant was decorated in rich colors and dark brown wood. A Mexican flag hung above the bar and it smelled like tortillas and spice.Marissa had shrugged out of her black coat and was wearing red jeans, black boots and a fitted black shirt with her usual array of jewelry. She was snuggled under my arm in the back of the booth, smiling and raving about the plate of tacos we’d just demolished.“That was incredible,” she told me, staring wistfully at the empty plate in front of us.“We have another order on the way,” I reminded her and was rewarded by a bright smile.“How could I forget?” She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. “That’s the best news I’ve had all day.”“What about the news we got on the Linderman accou

MARISSAGetting home on Friday afternoon, I found Denise and Annie baking cookies in the kitchen. There was flour on every surface, a half melted block of butter next to the microwave, several mixing bowls filled with batter and a bag of chocolate chips on the counter.But it also smelled divine in the house, so at least that was something. I grinned when I found them wearing the novelty aprons I got them for Christmas last year. Denise’s said ‘Queen of Everything’ and Annie’s read, ‘The Remix.’ The one I got for myself read ‘The Original.’ Annie’s and mine were meant to be worn together, so I immediately got mine out of the cupboard and joined in with making the mess.“How was your day, ladies?” I asked, tying the apron’s strings behind my back.Denise cast an eye across the kitchen and jerked her head in the direction of the oven. “We’ve been baking, so it’s been great. We’ve got bran muffins, chocolate chip cookies and oat-crunchies made so far.”“Who was hungry when you got home?”

LAYTONWhistling cheerfully, I stepped out of the shower. I was due to leave for Marissa’s in twenty minutes and I couldn’t wait to see her and spend some more time with her and Annie.As unlikely as it seemed, I was more excited for the day than I had been for anything in a long time. It sucked that I wouldn’t get to kiss or hold Marissa, or really even touch her while Annie was around, but I was willing to suffer through that particular brand of torture if it meant getting to spend time with them. I told myself there would be plenty of time for all the touching I wanted to do later on. Eventually, I was sure Marissa would feel more comfortable with telling Annie about the true nature of our relationship. All I had to do was be patient.Patience was something I had in spades. I had to learn how to be patient working in the industry that I’d chosen to work in. Having to wait for a building to take shape from the first meeting with a client until the eventual ribbon cutting taught me h

MARISSALayton was supposed to arrive at our house at eleven in the morning. By ten forty-five, Annie was practically bouncing off the walls from excitement. She’d changed her outfit three times, had two different backpacks packed—one for in case we went fishing and another in case she would need toys and puzzles for where ever we ended up going.I was ready to go, too. I’d paired jeans with comfortable knee high riding boots, my red coat and a camel jersey. Feeling relatively confident that I looked good, I left my hair loose to tumble down my shoulders and kept my makeup to a minimum.My purse was on the table in the entrance hall and I had stocked the fridge, just in case we decided it was too miserable to go out and stayed here instead. My eyes dropped to my watch for the fifth time in as many minutes, only to note that Layton was now yet another minute later than he had been a minute ago.That made him twenty-two minutes late in total. In all the time I’d known Layton, I’d known

LAYTONA willowy brunette with a severe bun greeted me when I got to Brice’s floor. “Welcome to Collins, Lee and Mulder. How can I help you today?”She was the furthest thing from a welcoming face I could imagine, but I wasn’t easily intimidated. “I’m here to see Brice Peterson.”“Of course, sir,” she replied briskly. “Do you have an appointment?”“No,” I said bluntly. My answer clearly didn’t sit well with the receptionist.She bristled and picked up the phone. “Mr. Peterson is a busy man. I’m not sure he’s going to be able to fit in a walk-in client, but let me get his assistant on the line. Who may I say is calling?”“An old friend,” I told her. “I’d like to surprise him.”In more ways than one, but she didn’t need to know that. I watched as she put in the call, spoke in low tones to Brice’s assistant and eventually pointed me in the direction of the waiting room.“He’ll be with you as soon as he can,” she promised insincerely. I nodded anyway and made my way to a collection of unc