“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of doing that with Bud,” Tara cried. “Who knows where he would take me. He’s tried surprising me with a home-cooked meal. The man can’t boil water. He set the kitchen on fire.”
Charlie laughed. “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
“That’s what the firemen said.”
“Daniel doesn’t apparently cook either or know the way to a grocery store. So don’t be too jealous.”
They went back to work when Amanda walked past, giving them both The Look. Once she was gone, they shared a conspiratorial headshake.
“I used to think that she just needed to get laid,” Tara whispered. “But apparently not even that can change her disposition. Did you see the ring?” She laughed. “How could you not see it? She waves it in everyone’s face. That diamond set Greg back plenty.”
Charlie wondered if everyone in the building saw how much Amanda disliked her. “I heard she’s quitting work after the wedding.”
“And the wedding is less than a week away.” Tara pretended to thank God and they both chuckled.
For a moment, Charlie felt as if everything was right in her world again as she went back to her work. She loved her job. She loved her coworker, her friends, and she had Daniel. She thought about how lucky she was and pretty much convinced herself that everything was fine.
Of course she hadn’t seen Lindy. It was just an optical illusion. Maybe a reflection from the snow and Christmas lights that made her think that was Lindy’s face, Lindy’s pale eyes, Lindy’s smile.
Taking her cell phone, she went to the ladies’ room to find it empty and placed the call. It had been years since she’d been given the emergency telephone number to call if she was ever in trouble again. Again she got voice mail.
“It’s Charlie again. I’m sorry about calling earlier. I feel so silly. I’m fine. It was nothing. Just my overactive imagination. Sorry to have bothered you.”
She disconnected. She didn’t need any help. Her horoscope had been wrong. She hadn’t seen Lindy. If it wasn’t for the pain in her skinned knee, she could pretend she hadn’t fainted.
Charlie took a deep breath and she left the ladies’ room. She assured herself that her good luck wasn’t so fragile that one little thing—like thinking she’d seen the dead woman she’d gotten killed—could destroy it.
CHAPTER TWO
HOURS LATER, CHARLIE glanced up from her work to find the office empty. This time of night, the place took on an eerie feel with all the empty cubicles and only dimmed exit lighting. She hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. That often happened when she was involved in her designs. She lost all track of time.
As she glanced around for her purse to leave, she figured everyone had left at five. Stretching her tired back, she vaguely recalled Tara saying goodbye much earlier. Now she saw that the only light still blazing was in Amanda’s office at the far end of the building.
The office manager had probably left her light on since she never worked late, Charlie thought as she turned off her lamp and rose. The pain in her knee reminded her of the incident that morning with Lindy’s look-alike across from her apartment. For a while, she’d gotten so involved in her designs, she’d been able to put thoughts of the woman out of her mind.
The memory brought back a stomach-knotting sense of fear even as she assured herself it couldn’t have been Lindy. People didn’t come back from the grave either figuratively or literally. But if anyone could perform such a feat to mete out retribution, it would be Lindy Parker.
Finding her purse, she pulled on her coat and scarf and started out of the building, which meant going past Amanda’s office. She planned to turn out the woman’s light on the way.
Charlie wasn’t looking forward to going home to her apartment. Who knew what could be waiting for her in the dark? The thought sent a chill through her and she pulled her coat more tightly around her.
Partway down the hall she heard voices. One voice. Amanda’s. It sounded as if she was on the phone. Darn, so she hadn’t left.
Charlie cursed her bad luck. She had no desire to run into her. Amanda had never seemed to like her from the start. Charlie had never understood it entirely. After the morning she’d had, she didn’t want to have to deal with the woman this evening.
As she hurried down the hallway, she saw that Amanda’s office door was open, which would make it even harder to slip past. But with relief, she noticed that Amanda had her ear to the phone and her back to the hallway. Charlie figured with a little luck and if she was really quiet, she might be able to slip past without the woman noticing her.
She moved stealthily down the hall, keeping her gaze ahead of her. As she passed the open door, she heard Amanda nearly purring on the phone.
“Baby, I know. But I can’t. I want you, too. It’s been too long.”
Charlie felt an eyebrow shoot up. She’d never understood what a nice guy like Greg saw in Amanda. According to office gossip, Greg had gone through a bad relationship a few years ago. When everyone had heard that he and Amanda were dating, a shock wave had gone through the building. It was far worse when they heard about the engagement.
“He can’t know what she’s really like,” Tara had said when she heard the news. “Like on those television bachelor shows where all the women know that the man is about to make the biggest mistake of his life, but he won’t listen. You should try to warn him. He likes you.”
Charlie had been adamant about staying out of it. She needed this job and she had enough trouble with Amanda. The woman threw fits if Charlie was even two minutes late in the morning, not aware that Charlie was often among the last out of the place at night.
Now, if she could just get past the door and out of the building without being spotted... She did not want to hear any more of this particular phone conversation.
“Royce, I’m an engaged woman.” A chuckle. “Oh, if you really can’t live without me, okay. But just for a quickie. I told Greg I had to work late, but he’s no fool.” Another snicker. “Not that much of a fool.”
Charlie felt shock and distress ricochet through her. Amanda was cheating on Greg? She increased her step, wanting to run as she tried to ignore what she’d heard, but the words were echoing in her ears.
She heard Amanda disconnect from her call, and the woman’s chair squeaked as she turned around to face her desk and the hallway.
Almost to the exit, Charlie felt the woman’s gaze pierce her back as if Amanda had picked up a gun and shot her. She practically ran the last few steps, shoved open the door and fought looking back for fear the woman would chase her down—literally. At the last moment before the door swung shut, she couldn’t stand it any longer. She looked back.