Come Fly With Me (61 page)

"I
know
about
a
lot
of
things.
Tell
Allison
her
dignity
would
best
be
preserved
if
she
didn't
hide
from
me
like
a
runaway
teenager.
I
guess
I'll
take
my
leave
now."
He
flashed
her
a
toothy
smile
and
made
for
the
door.

A
minute
later
Emily
poked
her
head
into
Allison's
office
and
found
her
sitting
at
her
desk
with
her
hands
covering
her
eyes.

"He's
gone,"
Emily
said.

"I'm
so
humiliated.
I'm
supposed
to
be
smarter
than
this,"
Allison
replied.
She
started
rummaging
around
in
her
drawers.
"Where's
my
secret
Tootsie
Roll
stash?"

"You
said
to
hide
them
and
not
reveal
their
whereabouts
under
penalty
of
death."

"Well,
I'm
about
to
die
from
embarrassment
and
only
sugar
can
save
me
right
now."

Emily
opened
the
bottom
of
the
filing
cabinet
and
pulled
out
a
bag.
"Only
take
two.
He
didn't
know
you
were
here;
he
was
just
bluffing."

"He
knew,"
Allison
said
drily.
She
grabbed
five
chewy,
taffy
rolls
from
the
bag
before
Emily
yanked
it
back.

"What'll
you
say
the
next
time
you
see
him?"

"There
won't
be
a
next
time.
I'm
joining
a
nunnery."

"Speaking
of
time;
shouldn't
you
be
leaving
to
get
ready
for
the
concert?"

Allison
looked
at
her
watch,
"It's
five-thirty
already.
I
have
a
nice
evening
planned
with
a
great
guy,
not
some
manipulative
mind-reading
delinquent
and
I'm
about
to
blow
it
before
I
even
gave
it
a
chance.
Why
don't
you
go
instead
of
me?
I
don't
deserve
a
guy
that
treats
me
right,"
Allison
mumbled,
her
mouth
stuffed
with
Tootsie
Rolls.

"I
would,
but
I
like
and
respect
you
too
much
to
allow
you
to
beat
up
on
yourself.
Go
and
have
a
good
time
with
the
sexy
cowboy.
I'll
be
rootin'
for
ya!"

It
was
Saturday
once
again,
and
Allison
could
not
believe
how
the
week
had
flown
by.
She
was
expecting
Kaitlin
Essex
to
come
at
any
minute
for
her
next
session.
Allison
started
to
think
of
them
as
sessions
because
it
was
important
to
form
a
bond
with
the
young
girl
before
she
could
attempt
to
capture
her
on
canvas.
Kaitlin
was
an
intelligent
and
composed
young
girl—far
more
composed
and
serious
than
most
girls
her
age
were.
She
had
grown
up
without
a
mother
and
it
had
left
its
scars.
Allison
was
determined
to
draw
her
out
and
see
if
she
had
a
playful
side.
She
must
be
entirely
different
around
her
friends,
Allison
thought,
it
might
be
an
idea
to
observe
her
in
their
company
the
next
time.

She
heard
voices
and
footsteps
outside
the
loft
and
went
to
open
the
door.

"I
hope
it's
okay
that
we
came
up
unannounced.
Your
neighbor
was
coming
into
the
lobby,
and
he
let
us
in,"
Kaitlin
said.
She
looked
fetching
with
her
pink,
wool
ski
cap
pulled
over
her
lustrous
strawberry
blonde-colored
curls.

"It's
perfectly
fine,"
Allison's
eyes
were
busy
following
Michael
who
had
walked
into
the
room
and
was
making
a
circuit
around
it,
much
in
the
manner
that
his
daughter
had
done
the
week
before.
This
time
he
was
wearing
jeans
and
a
leather
jacket,
but
he
was
still
immaculately
groomed.
She
found
herself
staring
at
him,
wondering
how
he
could
enter
her
sacred
workspace
and
command
it
for
his
own.
It
took
a
certain
amount
of
brio,
and
she
found
herself
bristling
at
the
unintentional
transgression.

Michael
lifted
up
a
charcoal
sketch
of
her
grandparents
and
turned
to
look
at
her,
a
question
in
his
eyes.

"I
did
that
from
memory,
several
years
after
they
passed
on."
She
did
not
enjoy
having
to
explain
herself
to
him.
Her
back
stiffened,
but
she
kept
her
mouth
shut.
It
would
not
do
to
piss
off
a
man
as
powerful
as
Michael
Essex.

He
set
the
sketch
down
and
walked
over
to
her.
His
sharp,
almost-black
eyes
looked
intently
at
her,
through
her,
it
seemed.
"Well,
I'll
leave
you
to
your
work."

She
stared
dumfounded
after
him
as
he
left
and
let
out
a
shaky
breath.