A Fatal Appraisal by J. B. Stanley Read Free Book Online Page B

leave
a message," the girl replied with evident satisfaction.
    "Did he leave his number?" Molly demanded
testily.
    "Let me see here." The girl shuffled papers loud
enough for Molly to hear. Then she picked up a message pad and ripped off the
top sheet containing Matt's number in Ohio. Luckily for her, Molly couldn't see
the malicious smile that sprouted on her young face as she balled up the paper
and threw it in the trash. "Nope, no number. Sorry."
    Molly sensed the girl was lying. "Let me speak with
Clayton, please."
    "Oh, he's out. My ..." The girl giggled.
"We're not doing too well here, are we?"
    "What's your name?" Molly asked, trying to control
her temper.
     "Brittani, with an i."
    "Well, Brittani with an i, I am going to leave my
number again, since it must have walked away from your bulletin board, which is
where I hung it yesterday." Molly recited her number and roughly placed
the phone back into the cradle. Brittani sounded like a manipulative,
vindictive little twerp. Molly would have to call Clayton at home to find out
more about her.
    Before she could get any more worked up about the new
receptionist, there was a knock on her door. Molly took a quick peek at her
reflection in the mirror over the dresser and, satisfied with what she saw,
grabbed her purse and opened her door.
    Garrett stood outside, looking refreshed and incredibly
handsome. He wore white pants with a salmon-colored shirt and a tan suede
jacket that begged to be stroked. He smelled of an earthy cologne and a hint of
hazelnut coffee. Molly stared at him and tried to ignore the heat rushing
throughout her body.
    "Can I offer you a lift?" he asked brightly.
"I've got to head over to the set and I know you want to meet up with
Frank and the gang to poke through his mum's digs."
    Before Molly could open up her mouth to accept his offer her
stomach issued a loud growl. Trying to stifle the sound with her hands, Molly
covered her soft middle in embarrassment.
    But Garrett only laughed and held up a small berry basket
filled with an enormous blueberry muffin, a banana, and a glass of orange juice
in a lidded cup. "I thought you'd be too short on time to join us for breakfast,
so I asked Mrs. Hewell to pack you a picnic basket."
    "Oh, thank you." Molly inhaled the muffin's scent
gratefully, amazed over Garrett’s thoughtfulness.
    "And I wouldn't forget your coffee." Garrett
pulled a small thermos from the basket and handed it to her, brushing her
fingertips with his own over the warm metal. "Light and sweet,
right?"
    "Right." Molly smiled, once again unnerved by her
attraction to this man. Matt was trying to reach her, and she resolved
to keep that close in mind and Garrett Huntington more at a distance. Still, it
was difficult to get her mind to listen to reason when her body was longing to
throw itself into his strong arms.
     Garrett chatted amiably over how well he expected the Civil
War exhibit to impress the American home viewing audience. He enthusiastically
described some of the rare artifacts while smoothly maneuvering the car around
slower drivers.  Molly was too busy enjoying the freshly baked muffin while
trying not to get crumbs down the front of her shirt to focus on much else. As
they pulled up in front of the museum in record time, it was Victoria, not
Frank, who awaited the group of appraisers.
    "Good morning," Victoria greeted Garrett and Molly
flatly. She was dressed in a gray suit with a light blue blouse. A triple
strand of pearls dangled from her chest and once again, a black and white
handkerchief stuck out of her jacket pocket. Molly thought that Victoria was
wearing one of her better outfits. At least it was an improvement over
yesterday’s ensemble. For a moment, Molly lost herself in a fantasy in which
she was given Victoria’s clothes budget. In her mind, she entered Nordstrom’s
and came out again seconds later, wearing large sunglasses, a fabulous black
dress, and carrying armloads of shopping bags. In the fantasy, Molly