Leave It to Cleavage by Wendy Wax Read Free Book Online Page B

China.”
    “China, huh? Business or pleasure?”
    She blushed, which he found interesting. And then she batted her eyelashes.
    “Business, of course. He’s attempting to develop new suppliers.”
    “And when are you expecting him back?”
    She laughed, a hollow sound that sent his law enforcement antennae quivering.
    “Why, I do believe you’re interrogating me, Chief Summers. And here I thought you were just passing by.” She aimed her gaze at the uniform shirt now clinging to his chest.
    Her tone intimated this was nothing more than a casual chat, but he sensed the tension in her body. And she kept making eye contact with him, which felt distinctly odd.
    When he didn’t respond, she pulled herself halfway out of the water and twisted to sit on the edge of the pool, her long legs dangling.
    “Why the sudden interest in my husband?”
    He didn’t hesitate, eager to see how she reacted to the truth. “Because somebody called my office claiming your husband had met with foul play.”
    He studied her carefully as her whole body went still. He waited for the outrage, the fear, some sort of admission of . . . something. But she just threw back her head and laughed.
    “I imagine the foulest thing Tom’s met with so far is a lack of cheeseburgers, and poor potty facilities.” She brought her knees up and pushed upward to a standing position, and he did the same, trying not to watch the droplets of water slide down her body. “But I promise I’ll let him know people are worried about him the next time he calls.”
    She was very damp and dewy, and her legs pretty much demanded a second look. But her smile was too bright and her shoulders too stiff. And she didn’t even ask him who the caller was. For some reason he didn’t yet know, she was lying to him.
    She glanced up at the clock and reached over for the towel hanging on the wall. “I’m out of time, Chief, and I really need to shower and change. Is it all right if I go now?”
    He nodded and tried not to watch too closely as she swept past him on the way to the locker room.
    Something
definitely wasn’t right. Every instinct he had—both personal and professional—told him so. But it wasn’t the way Miranda Smith looked in a bathing suit.

chapter 6
    M iranda stayed in the locker room until she was sure Chief Summers was gone. Her whole body shook from the effort of trying to act normal under his sharp-eyed regard. God, she hoped she’d been convincing.
    She sat in the sauna and thought about who might have reported Tom missing. Then she thought about the fact that she had lied to the chief of police. Surely that wasn’t an arrestable offense?
    Her hands continued to shake as she showered and dressed. What if he started investigating? What if he found out the CEO of Ballantyne was guilty of fraud? What would happen to them all then?
    She dried her hair and clubbed it back in a French braid, too preoccupied to bother trying to smooth it. Why had she told Helen and Carly she was filling in for Tom? Why hadn’t she just told the truth and let the chips fall where they may?
    Her personal finances were nonexistent; her husband had come close to bankrupting the company and then apparently committed fraud to hide what he’d done. And no one at Ballantyne was likely to be reassured to know a Miss Rhododendron was stepping forward to save the day.
    Slipping on her coat, Miranda took her car from the valet and drove slowly toward her parents’ house trying to analyze her options. Things had changed. This was no longer a straying husband and the need to steer the ship until a new captain was named. This was a failing company and bank fraud and a chief of police sniffing around. She was in so far over her head, they were all likely to drown.
    As she pulled into her parents’ driveway she made her decision. As much as she’d like to do the right thing, and as embarrassing as it would be to tell her parents the truth, her father was the logical choice to put the