The Precipice by Penny Goetjen Read Free Book Online Page A

see Cecelia fast asleep under the covers. She winced as she flipped the switch on the wall inside the door that illuminated the small ceramic floral lamp on the table next to the bed on the left side of the room. She felt herself breathing a sigh of relief. Her great aunt would have been in bed long before now so she must have taken a different room after all. That was uncharacteristically nice of her. Certainly not the Aunt Cecelia she remembered from her childhood.
    Elizabeth stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. She was so completely exhausted, and feeling the effects of too much wine, that she decided not to bother changing into the comfortable sweats she usually sported at bed time. She tossed her bag onto a small chair with a woven cane seat next to the window looking out to sea on the right side of the room. A faint creaking sound emanated from the obvious antique. It was one of a pair of chairs placed like bookends on either side of the small round table in front of the large picture window. It was the perfect spot to enjoy the start of the day with a strong cup of Earl Grey or to watch dusk creep over the estate with a glass of dry merlot before heading downstairs for a late dinner.
    Elizabeth grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste from the side pocket of her bag and quickly made her way to the bathroom, tucked to the left of the bed. After freshening up, she headed straight for the bed, pulling her shirt out of her slacks and unbuttoning the French cuffs of the white cotton shirt, to give herself more wiggle room while she was sleeping. She turned off the table lamp next to the bed. Slipping quietly under the covers, she felt her whole body starting to relax. She breathed in the faint lilac scent that was ironed into the bed linens for that extra special touch for which the inn was famous. Her eyes closed and she quickly started to drift off. She didn’t notice her great aunt open her door and peek in as if checking on her. The door made a soft click when it closed. Elizabeth opened her eyes for a moment, but was too tired to move, so she closed them again until morning.

Chapter 4

    A fter a restless night’s sleep, Elizabeth awoke to the annoying ring of her cell phone. She was groggy from the long drive and one too many glasses of wine the night before, but she knew who it was. Elizabeth reached for the phone on the bed side table where she had tossed it in the wee hours of the morning. She sat straight up as she read the caller ID.
    “Hey, Vera,” trying to sound up-beat and positive. She cringed in anticipation of what was coming.
    “ELIZABETH! WHERE ARE YOU?” Her voice sent a shiver down her spine. “We have a lot of work to do! I expected to see you in the office first thing this morning so we could get started.”
    Elizabeth had the strange feeling that Vera knew where she was already. She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. Stay calm. She struggled to keep from getting sucked into Vera’s emotions.“Vera, I’m sorry.” She spoke slowly and deliberately. “I forgot to call you last night. My grandmother asked me to come up and give her a hand with some things—”
    “ELIZABETH! Where is your sense of priority? Drescher is our biggest client and a real power broker in this city. This is not someone you ever want to disappoint. He knows how to make things happen and he can make things happen for us. He is entrusting us with one of his biggest projects ever. How can you run off at a time like this?”
    Run off? She is heading for the deep end. She needs a lifeline before she goes over the edge. “Vera. I brought supplies with me to get started—”
    “Get started? You know how we operate. We brainstorm together. We sit in the same room and think out loud together. That’s how we work best. What were you thinking?!” Her voice was loud and grating on her nerves. Elizabeth struggled to remain calm. A tension headache was creeping up the back of her neck. She stood up and