Home Is Where the Bark Is (30 page)

“Does
he
have to be here?” Kylie asked, indicating Nick with a toss of her head.

Serena looked questioningly to him. He nodded.

“Yes,” said Serena.

“That figures,” she said. Nick remembered her fears that he was out to steal her job from her.

Kylie stroked the brindle fur of the so-ugly-she-was-cute little dog without seeming to realize she was doing it. Tinkerbelle gave little grunts of pleasure, lapping up the attention.

“C’mon, Kylie, what was it all about?” said Serena.

“I didn’t tell the bank about the shoplifting charge when they employed me. I knew that wouldn’t look good and I really needed the job. Finn was only five, and I’d been left with debts when his dad and I split.”

Serena nodded.

“I had a real asshole of a manager. He started coming on to me straight away, you know, flirting, innuendo.”

“You mean sexual harassment,” said Serena.

“Yeah. Though it took me a while to realize that’s what it was.”

“Why didn’t you report it?” asked Serena.

“He was my manager. I really needed that job. It had security, good health insurance. I thought he’d stop when he didn’t get anywhere.”

“But he didn’t . . .”

Nick felt anger rise in his throat on Kylie’s behalf.

“Believe me, I tried to stay out of his way,” she continued. “But he wouldn’t take no for an answer. To cut a long story short, he found out about the shoplifting charge. When I didn’t give in to blackmail he sacked me before I had a chance to resign. How good does that look? Sacked from a bank without references, even though I’d only been there two months.”

Nick felt sorry for Kylie. But even working at a bank three years ago she could have picked up enough knowledge to use in an identity fraud. Kylie was in a position of trust at Paws-A-While. She had access to Serena’s computer.

Serena looked up to him with imploring eyes, then back to Kylie. This was a difficult situation. Neither he nor Serena could tell Kylie why she was being grilled. Not when there was a chance—no matter how remote—that she could be involved with the fraud.

“Kylie, I wish you’d trusted me enough to tell me this before,” Serena began. “You’ve been so great and—”

Kylie’s face flushed deeper and her eyes glittered. She got up, so abruptly Tinkerbelle yelped her surprise. Kylie handed the little dog over the desk to a startled Serena. “I’m not hanging around to get sacked. This is just what Mr. Muscles here was angling for.” She glared again at Nick. “Well, my job’s vacant now, and you’re welcome to it.”

Serena’s eyes were huge with alarm. She stood up and quickly cleared the few steps to get to Kylie’s side. “No. I wasn’t going to fire you. I understand what happened. I don’t want to lose you.” She was hindered from reaching out to Kylie because she was holding Tinkerbelle in her arms.

Kylie’s mouth twisted. “Yeah. Sure. Then anytime the books don’t balance or there’s something missing from stock, you’ll think it was me, and
he
will be here to remind you of what I did when I was sixteen.”

Nick took a step forward. “No, Kylie.You’re wrong about that.”

“No. I was wrong about you,” Kylie hissed. “I told Serena you were a good guy.”

“Kylie, it doesn’t have to be like this,” said Serena. “Please.”

Serena thrust Tinkerbelle at Nick. “Take this wiggle butt, will you,” she said. Tinkerbelle, fed up with being passed around like a parcel, yipped and scrabbled with her claws to get down but Nick held her secure.

Kylie stripped off her Paws-A-While shirt and flung it on the chair, leaving her in a T-shirt. “I’ll miss you, Serena, and I’ll miss the dogs. God, how I’ll miss the dogs. But I can see things are going to change around here and there’ll be no place for me.”

“Kylie. No. Please.” Serena’s voice rose.

Kylie shook her head. “Watch out, Serena, while he takes over here. He’ll be lording it over you as well as everyone else before you know it.”

Serena, distraught, looked up at him. “Can I tell her—?”

“No.” His gut feel said Kylie was innocent of any wrongdoing, but the investigation could not be compromised at this stage.

He had to admire Serena’s professionalism. She let Kylie know she was valued, but she didn’t implore her to change her mind. “Kylie, you’re upset. Go home and have the rest of the day off. Come in tomorrow and we can talk about it.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m outta here, Serena, and I won’t be coming back.” Kylie turned and stomped toward the door. She turned to give Nick a final glare, then slammed the door hard behind her.

 

 

Serena
was so shocked by the confrontation with Kylie, she shook all over. She gripped the edge of the desk so tight her knuckles went white. No way had she expected anything like that to happen.

“Should I go after her?” she asked Nick. “I really don’t want to lose her. I don’t give a damn about the shoplifting thing, and I believe her about the bank.”

He shook his head. “Let her cool down. She loves this place. She got a shock. Though she must have known her past would come out sooner or later.”

“You don’t think she’s a crook, do you?”

“My gut says no. I believe her. Her story about the bank is easily checked.”

“What about Adam?”

“He was . . . surprised.” He’d been amazed at how shaken Adam had been at the discovery. “But we have to be professional. Not let personal feelings affect our work. She could be a clever con woman.”

“Like you thought I was?”

“I happen to know that all you have is a few parking tickets to your discredit.”

“Paws-A-While won’t be the same without her.” Everything had gone so wrong since she’d got that call from the bank. Well, not quite everything. One part of her life had gone very right. Nick.

“What was that Kylie said about you being after her job?” she asked.

“Just that. In her words, she thought once I started boinking the boss—as she put it; I’d rather a less crude term—I’d lord it over the staff.”

Serena flushed. “Ohmigod, did she say that? About, uh, boinking the boss? Is that what everyone here thinks?”

“Do you care if they do?” Nick said, pulling her to him.

“Of course not.” She looked up into his face. “But the . . . uh . . . about the boinking . . .”

“You’re wanting to know when?” His voice deepened to an even huskier tone of sexy rasp.

“Oh yeah,” she said.

He claimed her mouth in a swift, hard kiss that sent her heart racing. Effortlessly, he picked her up and sat her on the edge of her desk. He bent his head to kiss her again. She kissed him back with passion, her lips parting, her tongue darting in to meet his. She slid her arms up around his back. Frantically she tried to remember what was behind her on her desk. Folders. Her snow globe. Scissors? Were there scissors?

For the first time, she wished she had a sofa in her office.

He broke away from her mouth to plant kisses along her jaw, down the column of her neck, to nudge aside the fabric of her shirt and nuzzle against the sensitive hollow of her shoulder. His hands slid over her shoulders and skimmed the side swell of her breasts. His hands felt so good on her body, so right.

The nagging worries were still there—remorse for Kylie, fear for Jenna, anxiety over the future of her business. But the magic of Nick’s kisses somehow pushed them to the back of her mind.

Nick groaned. “Dammit! I have to go to San Diego.” He straightened up so that he looked down into her face, his hands on her shoulders while hers rested at his waist. His eyes were a shade darker with passion and regret, expressions she thought were probably mirrored in her own eyes.

He was right. This was not their time. She knew she should slide off of the desk and agree that he should go. But the temptation to keep him with her for just a few more minutes was too strong.

“Did I give you permission to go to San Diego?” she said, in her best boss-lady voice, trailing a finger down his face, from his cheekbone to the angle of his jaw.

“You want me to beg?” he said, his eyes narrowed. He captured her finger, kissed it before releasing it.

“I kinda like the idea of you begging.”

“Depends on what I’m begging for,” he said in that deep, gravel voice.

“I’ll think of something interesting,” she said, with a little shiver of excitement.

“In the meantime I do have to go to San Diego to track down Eric Kessler.”

“I know,” she said.

“Now,” he said, without making any attempt to let her go.

Serena sighed and slid off the desk. “You go get him. Don’t forget to take the collar with you.”

He hugged her tight, then let her go. “Can you take Mack home with you tonight?” he asked.

“Sure, I’ll get Kylie to help me . . .” She stopped. “Darn. I’ll miss Kylie in more ways than one. Please be right about her coming back.”

“She has a child to support; that’s a powerful incentive.” Nick tilted her chin up so she had to meet his gaze full-on. “I know you feel bad about Kylie. But Kylie should have told you about that bank job.”

“She would have been worried I wouldn’t have employed her.”

“Yeah. I understand that. But she would have saved herself a lot of grief if she had told you about it once you’d gotten to know and trust her. Don’t blame yourself.”

“I feel terrible about it. She must be so upset. I’ll call her tonight.”

“No. Wait until after I’ve spoken to that bank.”

“But, Nick, I—”

“No buts. We’re talking fraud worth a hell of a lot of money here, Serena. Your money, your business. Until we know she’s innocent as opposed to suspecting she’s innocent, Kylie is still a suspect.”

“You’re tough, Nick,” she said, unable to keep the hiccup from her voice.

“In my world you have to be tough.”

“I guess,” she said. She was glad he was on her side. “What you said last night about Jenna. I’ve thought about it and I don’t agree. I have to warn Jenna about Tony.”

“Serena, I—”

“Nick, I’m not going to just sit back and do nothing while you and Adam go chase the bad guys. This is my business, my future. I’ll be careful. I have to talk to Jenna about Tony. She’s my friend; I would never forgive myself if something happened that I could have prevented. But I might also be able to find out more about Tony.”

“I’ll never forgive myself if Tony takes revenge on you. Be careful, Serena.”

“You be careful, too. You’re doing something far more dangerous than I am. Take care, okay?” She leaned up and kissed him on that sexy, sexy mouth. “I . . . I’ll miss you.”

He enfolded her in a big hug that made her feel warm and secure and excited all at the same time. But bereft when he released her.

“I’ll miss you, too, Serena,” he said. “But I’ll be coming home to you as soon as I can.”

“To me and Mack.”

He groaned and laughed at the same time. “To you and Mack.”

“And Bessie.”

This time it was more groan than laugh. “Anything else in the menagerie?”

“Of course I have Snowball and Thelma, my kitty.”

“Okay. I’ll be coming home to you and Mack and Bessie and Snowball and Thelma.” He gave her another swift hug. “Goodbye, Serena. I’ll keep you posted.”

He was laughing as he went out the door.

Serena
stifled a yawn as she hurried to her breakfast date with Jenna. When she’d arranged to catch up early at a favorite cafe on Union Street, she hadn’t counted on Mack keeping her awake for so much of the night with his whining and snoring.

Jenna was already sitting at a table with an open newspaper in front of her and two coffees. She looked up and smiled. “Your granola and yogurt with a side of sliced strawberries is on its way,” she said, folding the newspaper away. “I’m waiting on cinnamon bagels.”

This wasn’t the first time Serena had met with Jenna for breakfast. With her schedule at Paws-A-While and Jenna’s study commitments and doggy treat business, early was often their best meeting option. It was a joke between them that they each always ordered the same thing.

“Thanks,” said Serena as she slid into her chair opposite Jenna. The cafe was popular and the tables packed close together. “I so need that coffee. I hardly got a wink of sleep last night.”

“Oh,” said Jenna with a lascivious lift of one eyebrow. “So things are heating up with the new employee.”

“No! Not that . . . uh . . . not yet.” Serena paused, puzzled. “Hey, I was going to tell you about Nick this morning. How come you already know that we . . . well, that we’re together?”

Jenna rolled her eyes. “Hello? Brutus’s party? It was pretty obvious. Even Tony noticed something was going on between you two.”

Tony
. Now was her chance. But the words choked in her throat. She needed to build up to telling her friend that the man she loved was a convicted criminal. She’d crunch through the granola first. Maybe by her second coffee she’d muster enough courage.

“Kylie said the same thing,” she said. “About Brutus’s party. Funny, as I wasn’t sure myself then about Nick.”

There had been no word from Kylie. Serena had half expected she would just show up at Paws-A-While as if nothing had happened. No such luck. She’d told the other staff that Kylie had taken a personal day and their reactions made her believe that Kylie had not told them what had happened. Heaven knew what she’d tell them if Kylie didn’t return to work soon.

She missed Kylie and wanted her back, had spent the time since their meeting yesterday wondering how she could have handled the confrontation better. This morning she was going to be darn careful she didn’t offend Jenna. While at the same time warning her that her live-in boyfriend had a serious criminal record.

“Nick’s not even here. He’s in San Diego—”

Great PI she made. Already she’d spilled Nick’s whereabouts when it was meant to be kept hush-hush.