She returned Julietta’s wave and sank back on the ground. She looped an arm around Jack. “Why’s he gotta be so damned nice on top of all that gorgeous, huh, Jackie Boy?”
* * *
NORMALLY, WYATT WOULD pick a spot where he could see the entire room. But the seating had been decided for him. Molly directed him to the same small classroom where he’d taken the personality tests. The building had obviously been a private residence, and Sadie had kept much of the layout intact. Her office and this room had once been bedrooms. There was another room down the same hall and a bathroom between them. A young man sat at the round table in the center of the room, sifting through a folder. There was another folder on the table with his name on the front. The guy looked up as he approached.
“Morning,” Wyatt said as he took his seat.
“Hey. You starting today, too?”
He held out a hand. “Wyatt.”
“Aaron.”
He shook the kid’s hand and opened his own folder. More forms. Great.
“You don’t seem the type.”
Wyatt met his eyes. The kid looked to be all of eighteen. If he was twenty, Wyatt would eat the candles off his next birthday cake. “What do you mean?”
The kid shrugged. “You’re a little older, I guess.”
Wyatt stared at him until the kid’s cheeks showed a little color. He was only thirty-one. Not exactly ready for the nursing home. He gave his own shrug. “I guess.”
“It’s a great gig, though. A couple of my buddies work here.”
“What’s great about it?”
“It’s better than flipping burgers. Pay’s decent. Work’s not bad. And you can rack up some serious tips.”
“Tips?”
That was interesting. He’d have guessed a tip at Christmas would be normal. But tips, plural? What would earn a tip and how often? Was there something going on behind Sadie’s back? Boys would be boys, after all. And a college kid turning down strings-free sex seemed a little much to believe.
“My buddy Noah, he gets tons of tips.”
“What’s he gotta—”
There was a clatter on the hardwood floor and flash of black-and-white fur streaking through the room. The dog jumped to put its paws on the table across from them, tongue falling out of a doggy grin. Wyatt had to smile back.
“This our teacher?” Aaron asked.
The dog let out a playful yip.
“Jack!”
The dog dropped to all fours as Sadie came in. She frowned at Jack, whose tail wagged hard enough to shake the entire back end of his body. Sadie pointed out the door.
“Bed!”
Wyatt brought a hand up to cover his smile. She was sexy as sin. She wore that wildly curly black hair loose this morning, and he wondered how it would feel in his hands. Those full pink lips formed an irritated pout and made him want to make them smile again. She’d never have to order him to bed, that was a fact. She was dressed in jeans and a white Cleaning Crew T-shirt. The uniform looked much better on her. Especially the jeans. Especially her ass in those jeans. He shifted in the chair and dropped his gaze to the dog. Walking slowly out of the room with his nose pointed at the floor, he was a canine con artist of the finest sort.
“Good morning. Sorry about that,” she said. She took the seat across from them.
While she seemed perfectly composed with a smile lingering on her lips and her hands folded on the table, Wyatt could see the pulse point at the base of her throat fluttering. Why the nerves? Her hands were clasped tightly and her entire body was taut. Her gaze met his and a faint pink stain touched her cheeks, so he concentrated on the folder in front of him. Was he making her nervous? Why? Did she suspect something? Was he not acting his part well enough?
Maybe you should stop drooling over her. That might be what she’s picking up on.
“Today, we’ll go over the information in the packets. Most of it has to do with policy and procedures. Pretty dry stuff. Since there’s only the two of you, I hope we can get through it quickly. I’ll give you a tour. Then I’ll introduce you to your preceptors. You’ll spend at least two weeks with them—more if you or your preceptor thinks you need it—then you’ll be assigned to a partner. You’ll be on probation for three months.”
She rolled her eyes in Aaron’s direction and gave him a skeptical look. “But since Noah recommended you, I should keep you on probation for a year or so.”
Aaron laughed and so Wyatt did, making note of the name. Was Noah actually a troublemaker? As much as he disliked Marcus, he was a professional. He’d do a thorough investigation. Even if he was sure Sadie wasn’t the madam of a male prostitution ring, he had to make sure the guys weren’t supplementing their incomes with some hanky-panky. Which meant he was going to be hanging around for a while.
The morning passed slowly. There was no way to make going over policy and procedure interesting. Wyatt amused himself by watching Sadie. She had a snarky, sarcastic sense of humor she tried to keep hidden, but it slipped out in unguarded moments. Several times he’d made her laugh and had been rewarded with a conspiratorial smile. He found himself looking for ways to earn more of them.
“Okay,” Sadie said after they’d gone over how to sign up for their free Planet Fitness membership. She tilted her phone to look at the time. “I’m getting hoarse, and it’s close enough to lunch. Let’s take a break. Meet back here at twelve-thirty.”
Wyatt walked the few blocks and risked his life crossing Savannah Highway to have lunch at Gene’s Haufbrau. The Avondale burger with bacon, pimento cheese and a fried green tomato was worth the risk. While eating, he tried to devise a game plan. Whoever he was put with for initial training would most likely be someone who’d been there a long time. And he was sure the partner he’d be assigned to would be experienced, also. He’d have to gain their trust enough for them to talk freely around him. The age thing might be a problem. While it wasn’t a problem for Sadie, these college kids were looking at him like some sort of relic and it might make them reluctant to let him in on their secrets. If there are any. He dumped his trash and headed back.
The door was unlocked but Molly wasn’t at the receptionist’s desk when he let himself in. He almost called out when a small sound stopped him. He took a few quiet steps toward the hall. Funny how quickly the stealth came back. How familiar the feeling of adrenaline flooding the system, enhancing sight and hearing. A sense of dread drifted through him when he saw Jack sitting quietly in the hall. The dog turned his head toward Wyatt and let out a low whine. Before he could say anything, the dog stood and padded quietly into the room.
Wyatt froze and listened. Another whine from Jack, then the shuffle of feet and a sniff. Then Sadie’s voice.
“No, Lena. I’m okay. It’s just that I was hoping for...” A sigh drifted through the room. “I don’t know what I was hoping for. Not this.”
Silence again. She must be on the phone. He stepped into the hallway.
“I understand. I know it’s the right thing. I wish there was another way.”
More silence. Wyatt frowned, trying to put together the pieces of conversation. It certainly didn’t sound like anything criminal.
“I’m okay. Yes. That sounds good. Tell everyone I love them.”
Personal call. What did you expect? To overhear her booking one of the guys for a sex act? Plans for a drug buy? “Hello?” He stepped into the kitchen and spotted her leaning against the counter. He was suddenly, absurdly unsure of what to call her. Sadie? She was about his age, but also was now his boss.