LITMIR.BIZ

       Nine

      Max finished interviewing the last of the candidates Rachel had sent him. His respect for her ability to match employer to employee had increased over the last two days. She’d even scheduled the four women in order of their compatibility for both him and the type of work he would have them do, starting with the most likely candidate first and finishing with the woman he liked least.

      They were all beautiful. Single. Intelligent. A month ago, fantasizing about any one of them could have occupied him for hours.

      Today, his thoughts centered around one woman. Rachel. With her wise and witty opinions of the four candidates melding with his impression of them, he couldn’t help but appreciate their similar thought patterns. Already he missed her sitting outside his door. He hadn’t realized how often he’d walked past her desk so that he could deliver a remark guaranteed to make her grin or frown at him.

      “Thank you for coming by on such short notice,” he told the last candidate as he handed her off to his temporary assistant. A capable woman in her fifties, she’d been sent by Rachel to fill in for a few days. “Cordelia, can you show her out?” To his chagrin, he’d already forgotten the candidate’s name.

      “Of course.” Cordelia stood. “And there’s a young woman waiting for you in the lobby. Hailey Lansing.”

      Curious why Rachel’s sister would have come to see him, Max headed for the lobby.

      “Hailey?” He approached her with a smile. “To what do I owe the honor of your visit?”

      Rachel’s sister rose to her feet and took the hand he extended. Her brows darted together. “Thanks for seeing me like this. I probably should have called.”

      Something about Hailey’s grave expression and obvious agitation put Max’s instincts on red alert. Here was his chance to find out what was really going on with Rachel. She might never forgive him for going behind her back, but if he had to lose her, at least he could say that he’d done everything he could to straighten out whatever had gone wrong in her life.

      “Let’s get out of here.” He gestured toward the elevator. Whatever Hailey had to say involved her sister and he thought it might go down easier with a single-malt scotch.

      As the elevator door closed on them, Hailey twisted her engagement ring around and around on her finger and shot him an uncomfortable half smile. “You’re probably wondering why I came to see you.”

      “You could say that.”

      Given Rachel’s proclivity for keeping her problems hidden from everyone in her life, he was dying to know what had brought Hailey to his doorstep. And why she was wringing her purse strap like a dishcloth.

      He escorted her across the lobby to the restaurant that occupied a large chunk of the first floor. Known for its fabulous cuisine and rich ambiance, it was a favorite place for those in the surrounding buildings to bring clients. It was also packed for happy hour, but at three in the afternoon, it was early enough that Max was able to find them a table in a quiet corner of the bar.

      The waiter brought his usual and Hailey surprised him by ordering a martini.

      At his expression, she offered him a weak smile. “It’s been a long week.”

      Even though it was only Wednesday, Max agreed. “What can I help you with?”

      “My sister.”

      Of course. “I thought that might be why you came by.” He let an ironic smile kick up one side of his lips. “She’s no longer working for me directly.”

      “I know.”

      “Then, I’m not sure what I can help you with.”

      The waiter placed their drinks before them. Hailey took a long sip of her martini before answering. “I found out from our neighbor last night that someone slashed Rachel’s car tires.”

      Max stared into the amber depths of his drink. “Yes, I know. It happened sometime between Friday night when I picked her up and Sunday evening when I dropped her off.”

      “I knew it.” Hailey flashed her straight, white teeth in a triumphant grin.

      “Knew what?”

      “That you two were involved. The sexual tension between you that night at dinner was hot.”

      Max leaned back and redirected the conversation where he wanted it. “Rachel said the neighborhood kids slashed her tires.”

      “That’s what she told me, too, but I know better.” Hailey’s hunched shoulders suggested she was worried.

      Alarm sizzled along his nerve endings. “Then who do you think is responsible?”

      “Her stupid ex.”

      “I didn’t realize he lived in Houston.” Why hadn’t Rachel told him? Why did he even bother asking? She held secrets tighter than a cold-war spy.

      “As far as I know, Brody still lives in Biloxi. And my sister doesn’t like admitting past mistakes. Brody was a big one.”

      “Why is that?”

      “Because he was a complete jerk. You’d never know it to look at him. He dresses like he’s harmless and he can turn that boyish charm of his on and off like a faucet, but beneath the surface, he’s creepy.”

      Something beyond sisterly loyalty tightened Hailey’s expression into a stiff mask. Seemed she had a few secrets of her own. But it was the fear that Max glimpsed in her eyes that pumped him full of adrenaline.

      “You’re not as good at hiding things as your sister. Tell me why he was a complete jerk.”

      “I didn’t spend much time around him, just my last year of high school. And even then, I was cheerleading and on the yearbook staff so I wasn’t home much.” She took a deep breath and continued. “I didn’t like the way he treated Rachel when I wasn’t around.”

      “How did you know how he treated her if you weren’t there?”

      “Sometimes they didn’t know I was home. I spent a lot of time in my room with the door closed. Brody was always on her about putting me first. He said that he was her husband and she should make his needs her priority. I’m ashamed to admit that I was really glad to head off to college. And once I was gone, I stayed away as much as I could, taking summer courses and working.” Her chin sank toward her chest. “Part of me hated to leave Rachel alone in that house,

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