them.
Eileen dabbed her mouth with a paper napkin. âTell us all the news thatâs fit to print. Whatâs happening with your home state connection?â
âForget that. Skip to the fine hunk from your old âhood.â Jasmine put down the empty yogurt container.
âYeah,â Eileen said with enthusiasm. She swung her chair around to face Talia fully. âI hear heâs six feet four inches of the worldâs finest chocolate.â
âOh grow up, will you,â Talia said, wearing a staid expression. âDonât the high-powered folks in this town have anything better to do than engage in petty gossip?â
Eileen and Jasmine looked at each other, then at Talia. âYouâre joking!â they said together. All three burst into laughter.
Talia wiped her eyes. âI plead temporary insanity.â
âOkay, now that youâve come to your senses,â Jasmine began.
âDish it, darlinâ,â Eileen picked up.
âStart with him being a private dick,â Jasmine said with a smirk.
Eileen let out a howl of laughter. âI just got a mental picture.â
âDerrick is notââ Talia started.
âHmm, sexy name. Derrick Guillory. Suits the brother to a tee.â Jasmine leaned over and tapped Eileenâs arm.
âSure does. Wait, I havenât seen him.â Eileen looked at Jasmine.
âTall, dark, and oh-so-handsome. Girl, heâs one delicious Happy Meal!â Jasmine nodded vigorously.
âSince you know all about him, I can let you tell it.â Talia pressed her lips together.
âSorry. Go on.â Jasmine waved at her.
âItâs a short story. Derrick is primarily an investigator with the Pointe Coupee Parish DAâs Office. Heâs also a licensed private investigator .â Talia shot Jasmine a heated look before she went on. âHe does a few jobs on the side. Civil stuff only, of course.â
âCool,â Eileen said.
âSo heâs here with his boss trying to fix this mandatory-sentencing outrage. Good man.â Jasmine gave a curt nod of approval. âKeep him.â
âI hadnât looked at all the ramifications. Criminal justice resources are being used up on small fry. The big guns are tossing sacrificial lambs to the cops and getting away.â Talia took a swig of water.
âAn excellent point that may appeal to conservatives.â Eileen smiled.
âIâve been meeting with Pete mostly.â Talia took thelast bite of her sandwich. âHeâs meeting with Perrilloux, not me.â
âRight, and having dinner with sexy Derrick is part of the job.â Jasmine winked at Eileen. âYou were spotted, sweetheart. You know this is a small town.â
Talia sighed. Her attempt to deflect Jasmineâs probing into more personal areas had failed. âWe knew each other in grade school.â
âAnd?â Jasmine prompted.
âWeâre just catching up on old times. Thatâs all.â Talia tossed the paper napkin she held into a trash can.
Jasmine threw up both hands. âOh come on. Iâm a cynic. Make me believe in romance again.â
âBuy a romance novel because thereâs nothing more to it,â Talia tossed back. She stood, brushed crumbs from her skirt, and put on her shoes. âIâve got a ton of things to do.â
She grabbed her soft leather briefcase and strode out before they could say anything more. She went down the hallway, passed by Jasmineâs small office, and turned a corner. The door to Billâs office was open. He waved at her as he talked into his phone headset. Talia waved back. Her corner office looked out on Wisconsin Avenue.
âSafe at last,â she mumbled, and kicked the door closed behind her.
An interesting choice of words, she mused. Once again sheâd danced around attempts to find out more about her personal life. Talia worked behind the scenes for that very