Weep In The Night Read Free Page B

she said next surprised his socks off.
    Hands cradling her coffee mug, Debra corrected him. “Central High’s mascot isn’t a cougar. It’s a panther.”
     
     
     
     

3
     
    Sadie couldn’t believe she’d fallen for Sam’s trick. Did he deliberately choose the wrong mascot or was he flying by the seat of his well-fitting pants?
    Once safe inside her apartment, she lingered in the shower and tried to wash away the slip of her tongue. It had been a long time since she’d accidentally divulged details of her previous life. Why to Sam? Obviously he wasn’t who he claimed to be. Although he’d covered his goof by saying he remembered the mascot as a cat of some kind. Still, his answer gave her further proof of his brand of truthfulness. She needed to maintain her guard around him.
    At work the next day, Sadie kept busy in her department, surrounded by sweet scents from young spring flowers and primordial whiffs of damp earth. She hadn’t heard back from Griff since supplying him with the new guy’s last name, so she made a point of sitting with Sam at lunchtime.
    Swallowing a bite of pasta, she studied him. In another blue shirt, his eyes mirrored the early morning sky. “You said you worked up north. Which state?”
    “Indiana. Ever been there?”
    She shook her head and stabbed a piece of chicken onto her fork. “What kind of work did you do?”
    With his last meat filled sandwich in hand, Sam took a bite and chewed. “Construction.” He drained his soda and then squeezed the can, collapsing the middle. “Where did you live before moving to Austin?”
    One more lie wouldn’t hurt. “Miami.” That was far enough away from Seattle.
    And so the questions continued. By the end of the break, she hadn’t learned much and had been extra cautious about what she revealed. If only her traitor heart would ignore his dimple, his eyes, his charm.
    Immersed in purple verbena and blue plumbago, her cell phone rang. Caller I.D. indicated Griff. “What did you find out?” she asked.
    “First off, I couldn’t get anything on a Sam Boudine in Ohio. Are you sure that’s the right name? Without a Social Security number or driver’s license information there’s not a whole lot I can do.” Griff’s slow drawl filled her ears.
    “That’s the name on his time card, but I’ll try to get something else on him. Even though he was raised in the foster system, kids usually keep their family name. But I think he’s lying about his background.” She related the mascot incident from the previous evening, and Griff said he’d investigate further. Sadie terminated the call and concentrated on the gold lantana display.
    The professionally landscaped yard from her home in Los Angeles flashed in her memory. Undulating rolls of nostalgia crashed over her, crushing her already weary soul and sapping her energy. All this business of keeping her guard up around Sam hurled her back to the past and made her stomach churn.
    Julian Geis, the floor manager, found her sitting on bags of river rock with her chin resting in her hands.
    His brow furrowed. “What’s up, Debra?”
    Embarrassed to be caught slacking, she jumped to her feet and brushed dust off her blue jeans. A deep gulp of air helped ease the band squeezing her heart. “Sorry, I was taking a breather.”
    “No problem. I know you give a hundred percent every day. And that’s what I want to talk to you about. Come to my office before you clock out today.”
    “I get off at three.”
    “See you then.” Julian plucked a couple of dead leaves off a potted honeysuckle before departing.
    One hour to wait. What did he want to discuss? Thinking up possible scenarios added to the volcano in Sadie’s gut. Preoccupied with the meeting, Sam slipped from her mind.
    Close to three o’clock, she knocked on Julian’s door. He told her to enter, smiling from behind his desk.
    He motioned towards a chair and opened a brown folder. “Have a seat, Debra. I see in your record