Emily thought about it for a minute. “Patrick is sanctimonious, bordering on pompous, but he has moments of almost being a real person.”
“Real is good. And he is attractive in an intense way.”
“Why are we even having this discussion?” Emily knew she needed to nip this in the bud or her friend would be in all-out matchmaking mode. “I’ve decided dating isn’t for me. My children are my focus.”
“Aw, Em, I hate to see you give up on having that happily-ever-after. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
Emily suppressed a twinge of envy. “I’ve never seen a couple that fits together like you and Beau. It’s like you two were made for each other.”
“But I didn’t always think that way, remember? As I recall, a very good friend encouraged me to give him a chance.”
“Beau’s a good man. He just took a few wrong turns on his way to finding you.”
“Maybe Patrick’s taken a few wrong turns, too. Maybe he regrets the whole episode with Jason as much as you do.”
“He hasn’t said anything. He even saw Jason the other night. Although it probably looked to him as if my kids were raised by wolves.” Rolling her eyes, she described their arrival.
Nancy laughed till she had tears in her eyes. “Oh, Em, but that’s the beauty of your home. It’s never boring and there’s always lots of love and laughter.”
Emily grumbled. “Just once, I’d like people to think of me like they thought of Tiffany Bigelow. How together and smart I am.”
“You are together and smart.”
“Till I stick my foot in my mouth. Like with that edible panty distributor who always hounded me for a date. He asked what he could do to increase our order, and I suggested they develop an edible panty that didn’t taste like the fruit chewy snacks I put in my kids’ lunches. I don’t care how much men like the things, women aren’t going to feel sexy if they associate the aroma with sack lunches.”
Nancy sputtered and set down her soda. “You had a valid point.”
“Probably, but the guy never asked me to dinner again. Why couldn’t I just come up with something cute and classy?”
“You actually did the man a favor. You gave him solid feedback on how crummy his product was. Unless, of course, he’s so wrapped up in his work, so to speak, he identified his product with his, um, equipment.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Oh, great, now I’ve probably left the man impotent for life, when all I was trying to do was help.”
Nancy leaned back in her chair and laughed. “See, Em, you make me laugh. We just need to find a man who understands your sense of humor and isn’t intimidated.”
“Like such a man exists.”
“How about Parents Flying Solo? Any new guys there?”
“No, though I have to admit, I haven’t made many meetings lately. I’ve been too busy. Besides, it’s not the same now that you and Beau aren’t there anymore. Did you hear who was elected president?”
Nancy shook her head.
Emily updated her on the latest happenings at the parenting support group. The next half hour flew by as they moved on to other topics, chatting about their children and Nancy’s real estate business.
Emily was still smiling when she returned to work.
Her smile faded when she saw two police officers in the waiting area.
Olivia immediately came out of her office as if she’d been watching for Emily’s arrival. Good thing she hadn’t taken a long lunch.
“Emily, these officers are here to see you.” Olivia frowned, her eyes warm with concern. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”
Emily’s stomach tensed with dread.
The older officer introduced them and got straight to the point. “A report has been filed about certain irregularities in the Elmwood Elementary School PTO account. I spoke with Brad Bigelow this morning. He indicates you went by his house last night and asked for a computer file?”
“Um, yes. I’ve taken over as PTO president and I hoped the, um, disk might clarify some questions.”
“Principal Ross filed a report this morning about the missing funds. Kind of coincidental that you spoke with her yesterday and retrieved the disk last night. Interfering with an investigation is serious business, ma’am.”
“But there wasn’t an investigation yet.”
He nodded. “Technically, you’re right. But you were aware there would be. There could be a question of whether you tampered with the disk.”
“I did not tamper with it.” But her conscience twinged. Should she tell them she’d made copies of the disk? No. Tampering meant changing or destroying—copying hadn’t changed the original one bit. “I was hoping there might be information that would clear all this up and the police wouldn’t have to be involved.”
The officer held her gaze. “How closely did you work with Mrs. Bigelow?”
Emily forced herself not to blink, not to glance away. “I might have said hello to her at a PTO meeting, but for the most part, she didn’t think I was quite up to her standards.”
The officer’s eyes twinkled for a moment and he almost cracked a smile. “Yes, I understand she could be very, um, particular.”
Emily glanced at his badge. Officer G. Kirk. Jason played basketball with a Kirk. That must be his son. And she recalled hearing that his wife had had words with Tiffany over a school slogan contest or something. Nodody’s ideas had ever been as good as Tiffany’s.
“The word I had in mind started with a B, but I guess particular will work,” Emily commented dryly.
Officer Kirk coughed. “Do you have the disk with you?”
“Yes. In my purse.” She rummaged through her large bag and produced the disk. “Do you need some sort of affidavit that I haven’t changed anything on it?”
“If you’d handwrite a quick note, that would be helpful. We might need something more formal later.”
“Sure.” She pulled out a yellow note pad and quickly wrote the note. Tearing off the sheet, she handed it to him. “I’m sorry, officer, I didn’t intend to interfere with your investigation.”
“It looks like there was no harm done.” He sealed the disk and her note in separate bags. “Thank you for your time.”
“You’re welcome.”
Emily breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut behind him. Only then did she realize her knees were shaking. She’d put herself and her children at risk listening to Patrick Stevens.
It was hard to concentrate the next few hours, but somehow she managed. Finally, Olivia left for a meeting.
Picking up the phone, Emily dialed the number for Elmwood Elementary. She knew it by heart after having kids enrolled there so long. She punched in Patrick’s room number and was surprised when he picked up.
“Don’t you have classes to teach?” she demanded.
“My students are in Art. And this is?”
“Emily Patterson. The woman who went out on a limb for you. The same woman police interviewed at her place of employment because she did a favor for you.”
“You’re kidding. What did they want?”