Plum Girl (Romance) Read Free Page A

adorable practically-semi boyfriend named... Terry? Terry, that was it.

 
     
     
    Chapter 2
     
    "Working hard?"
    Lonnie looked up and smiled. Her favorite attorney, Macey Green, was taking the time to make conversation with her when she virtually never offered that opportunity to anyone else in the firm. It wasn't that Macey was rude. She was simply all business. Crisp and articulate, she was a shark of an attorney who, for some reason, had taken a special liking to Lonnie—who, in return, respected her tremendously.
    "Hi!" she said cheerfully, and then noticed the black leather coat and briefcase in Macey's hand. "Are you heading out?" she asked.
    "Yes. I have a few errands to take care of before my court appearance tomorrow." With her free hand, she combed some pale blond hair neatly behind her ear. "What are you working on?" she asked.
    "Macey!"
    Lonnie glanced over and saw Lunther Bell barreling down the hall toward her desk. In truth, she never knew quite what to make of Lunther. His I'm-just-a-humble-good-ol'-boy demeanor always seemed more like a well-honed shtick than a genuine personality. There was something else, too. Lonnie couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something odd about Lunther Bell that she just didn't trust.
    "Macey, hold up!" he called as he jogged the last few steps to get beside her. He had a big smile on his face, not that it enhanced his physical appearance all that much. On a good day, he resembled a less stylish version of The Penguin. "I wanted to talk to you before you left tonight."
    Lonnie couldn't help noticing Macey's expression change. The changes were subtle—a slight tightening of her full mouth, a barely perceptible squinting of her blue eyes—but her reluctance to speak with Lunther was clear.
    "I'm afraid I don't have the time," she replied in a clipped tone without even looking at him. Instead, she shifted her briefcase to her other hand and smiled at Lonnie. "Have a nice night, Lonnie," she said, and walked briskly through the main doors. Lonnie assumed that Lunther would follow her out so he could catch her before the elevator came. But instead he stayed planted where he was, surveying the papers in his hands.
    Abruptly, he glanced at Lonnie and gave her a forced smile. "Well, I guess I'll go fax this." He walked past her and set his papers on the large white machine. He punched in a number and hit send before turning around to attempt chitchat again. "Modern technology," he announced. She could only assume he was referring to the fax machine. "Gizmos, gadgets, you name it, they've invented it. It all gets a little confusing to me." He inserted an artificial-sounding chuckle, and Lonnie just smiled amiably.
    The fax machine started beeping, indicating a confirmation sheet was coming out. But when Lunther turned back to grab it, it slipped out of his chubby hand and floated out of reach. He clapped his hands together in an effort to catch it midair, but the flyaway sheet continued to elude him, until it landed on the floor not far from Lonnie's chair.
    "Here, I'll get it," she offered, and wheeled her chair a little closer to the piece of paper.
    Lunther came up alongside her just as she was reaching for it, and shooed her hand away. "No, no," he insisted. "Now don't pay me any never mind. I've got it." Despite his words, he was gritting his teeth as if he were just barely containing his rage. He bent down to pick up the sheet, and ended up shoving his behind in Lonnie's face. She almost gasped.
    She didn't mean to stare. Honestly, she didn't, but... Good Lord. Okay, yes, Lunther weighed around two-eighty, so that, in and of itself, suggested a large rear end. But still... the bulbous monstrosity in her face seemed disproportionate even to his body. She'd never noticed it before; his suit jackets obviously worked wonders. Only now his jacket had ridden up and flapped over across his back, allowing a completely unobstructed view. Hell, he looked like a beaver,