Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“Thank you. Yes, thank you for this consideration,” Dr. Case stated.
“No, that consideration is in Shonna’s hands now.”
I started for the door but paused and turned back. “One last thing, though—this will have no bearing on what Shonna’s decision. I believe you should move heaven and earth to rehire Dr. Rose. I may not understand all the behind-the-scenes work that goes on here, but he was brilliant with the children. They hung on his every word when he was teaching them about fossils and extinctions. He’s a brilliant man, and any university or research facility would be lucky to have him.”
“No! No! I agree with you completely. I never wanted to lose him. Since he left, I’ve called and emailed him every day, but he won’t take my calls or return my messages. I’m at my wit’s end trying to get in touch with him.”
Well, that was interesting. At least Dr. Case wasn’t a total lost cause. She knew a good thing when she found it. My fingers were crossed that Liam would rejoin the museum, and she would learn a good lesson from this.
With a final nod to Shonna that she was now in control, I left the office and casually strolled to the elevator that would take me to the main entrance of the museum.
“Psst…psst…”
I jerked around, trying to locate the source of the sound. Had someone let a snake loose in the museum because I did not do snakes?
After two turns, I spotted a short Asian woman in a white lab coat peeking out from a corner down the hall.
“Are you Rome?” she asked in a loud whisper.
One corner of my mouth quirked higher. “Are you Emily?” This had to be the coworker that Liam spoke of so fondly.
She squeaked and hurried closer on tiptoes. As she reached my side, the elevator doors opened, and she pushed me inside. She frantically punched the Close button and only relaxed against the wall when we were alone.
“I didn’t want Dr. Case to see me and ask if I’m meddling,” she groaned.
“Are you meddling?” I teased.
She held up one hand with bright pink fingernail polish and showed her thumb and forefinger only a centimeter apart. “Do you know if she’s going to hire Liam back? Have you talked to Liam? Is he planning to return? Is he okay? Wait. Answer that last one first.”
“I saw Liam on Saturday, and he was okay. He said that he had a lot to think about. I’m trying to respect his need for space, even though all I really want to do is put him on a plane and take him somewhere for a relaxing vacation. Maybe the Maldives. Do you think he’d like the Maldives?”
“Yes, I do, and I think he’d like it even better if you brought along his coworker bestie and her girlfriend. For moral support. Totally for moral support.”
And now I understood why Liam liked her so much. She was a wonderful friend, plus the kind of fun Liam needed in his life.
“Dr. Case says she’s trying to rehire him, but he’s not taking her calls.”
Emily’s smile melted away, and she glared at the doors as they slid open. “Yeah, I’m hoping he’s just letting her sweat for a while, but he plans to return. We talked briefly Friday night, and he said he needed time to think. Should I try calling again?”
“Give him another day or two. But if you talk to him ahead of me, can you tell him that Rome misses him a lot?”
She stared at me for a couple of seconds, her expression very serious, before thrusting her fist between us with her pinky extended. “Only if you tell him that I miss him and wish he’d come back to work.”
“Deal!” I agreed as I wrapped my pinky around hers. We shook on it, sealing the deal.
“I should head to the lab.” She walked away but didn’t get more than a few steps. She spun and continued to walk backward away from me while calling out, “But you should consider that Maldives idea. My girlfriend and I would be happy to adjust our schedule for you and Liam.”
Yep, I liked her.
She needed to be included in the next friends’ Christmas. Friendmas?
And maybe the Maldives too.
24
ROME ASHBRIDGE
After trying to help Declan out with Parker not that long ago, it seemed fitting that I’d end up on Declan’s doorstep. Except I was surprised by who opened the door.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Parker greeted as he stepped aside to allow me in.
“Nor was I expecting you to open the door. Franks busy?” I inquired, mentioning the assistant-slash-housekeeper-slash-babysitter that Declan had on staff.
“Chef Donovan ran to the market to pick up a few things for the week, and Franks tagged along. He also offered to pick up Joy from daycare on the way back. I think he wants to take Joy shopping because he’s mentioned twice this week that she’s growing out of several outfits.” Parker led the way through the foyer to the lounge, where white sheets covered all the furniture. There was a ladder, a stepladder, and lots of buckets of paint and brushes. “I keep telling them to stop going so over the top on Joy’s wardrobe. She’s a baby. She’s going to grow out of everything in a month. But what do I know? I’m just the dad.”