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"I don't doubt it." In fact, he rather admired the maneuver. Business was no place for the squeamish.
"But the fact is, I don't have any secrets." He frowned, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his
handkerchief. "More to the point, I can't believe our fresh-faced Miss Maggie would be seeking them
out," he said, mopping his brow.
Tony looked over his shoulder at the monitor. "She may not seek, but she may find."
"Thank you, Confucius," Michael said, in no mood for jokes.
"I just mean that your little innocent flower might be just that. But that doesn't mean Goodman or
Palmer won't be using her to get information they might find useful."
Michael shoved his glasses up his nose, then ran the handkerchief over his face one more time. As
much as he hated to admit it, Tony had a point. But the problem was easy enough to solve. He could test
this girl. He just needed some bait something tender and juicy and completely false.
He smiled, realizing the perfect setup was hanging on the dressing room wall.
"The picture," he said.
"Huh?"
"That charity benefit. Remember? The one where I actually put on that dress and did the skit with
those two other guys."
Tony shrugged. "Yeah. So?"
Michael grinned. "There you go. That's my deep dark secret." And that was how he would test
Maggie. If the bait made it back to Goodman's ear and the bargaining table, then he'd know for sure they
were pumping her for information.
Assuming, of course, that she ever made it to her damn audition in the first place.
With a jerk, Nick shifted the car into park and pulled up the emergency brake. "Okay, everybody
out." He looked at his watch. Nine o'clock. "An hour and a half late. Hell, he's probably already cast the
part and shot a month's worth of footage."
"Get a grip," Hoop said. "If he wants our girl, he'll wait."
Nick shot his friend a warning glare. "You're skating on thin ice, considering you're the reason we're
late." He slid out of the car and opened the back door for Maggie. Behind Hoop, Deena was scrambling
out as well.
"Wait, Mags," Deena yelled, holding a tube of lipstick out like a weapon and skirting the back of the
car. "Just one more coat."
Hoop's door slammed and he circled the sedan, finally lounging against the trunk. "My fault? How do
you figure? I was completely vegged out watching Mad Max and catching up on my beer sampling when
you called."
Nick shrugged, enjoying baiting his friend. "Maggie wanted you along, but I'm sure as hell not gonna
blame her for being late. So I'll blame you. Though why she'd want a wild card like you along is beyond
me."
Hoop grinned. "You're an ass, Goodman. You know that?" He fingered imaginary lapels. "I'm a
veritable fount of moral support. Of course Mags wants me around." He pointed toward Deena and
Maggie, who'd already reached the far side of the parking lot. "You wanna blame somebody, blame the
traffic report queen. Shortcut, my Aunt Fanny."
"I heard that," Deena called. "How was I supposed to know they'd closed off a lane?"
Hoop grinned at Nick. "I just love baiting her."
From what little he'd seen, Deena was pretty keen on being baited if it was Hoop doing the fishing.
On a normal day, in a normal week, in a normal month, Nick would have been suffering heart palpitations
merely from the idea of his sister cozying up to a man whose idea of planning for the future was sticking a
box of Twinkies under his bed. Deenie needed stability. Sense. Normalcy. Today, however, Maggie's
audition took precedence over Deena's love life.
"Hurry up, Nicholas!"
"I'm coming," he called, rushing to catch up with the girls.
No, it wasn't just Maggie's audition that was distracting him. It was Maggie herself. Little by little she
was unraveling the fabric of his life. That alone he could have handled. He could have used the craziness
as a shield to keep her away from his heart. The problem was, she kept managing to knit the strands
back together, and the end result was so much warmer and cozier than the life he'd had before she'd
appeared on his doorstep a lifetime ago.
With a grin, he realized that he was already planning on asking her if she'd noticed anything developing
between Deena and Hoop. Maggie might have an innocent perspective on the world, but she also called
things like she saw them. And she was honest. With her there was no game-playing and no backhanded
maneuvering. She wanted him, and she'd told him so. And, though she hadn't exactly taken no for an
answer, she seemed to at least respect his decision. She was easy to talk to. She was funny. She was . . .
Special.
He sighed. No two ways about it. Maggie was one special woman.
He pulled the door open, then followed Maggie and Deena in as Hoop hustled up the steps.
"If she doesn't get this job, we're back to square one," Hoop said.
Nick nodded. Worse than that, without this job, Angela would throw a fit if Maggie continued to stay
on at his house. And Nick had no intention of letting Maggie stay anywhere else. Not anymore.
His stomach twisted at the mere thought of midnight rolling around without Maggie beside him on the
couch. She'd get the job. If he had to get down on his knees and beg Michael Ferring-ton, Maggie would
get this job.
"She's a natural. I just knew it." Michael Ferring-ton slapped Nicholas on the back, and Maggie
jumped when he almost fell into the camera.
"I knew she would be," Nicholas said.
Maggie sat up straighter at the compliment. When Michael he'd insisted she use his first name had
told her to act natural, she'd felt awkward and unsure. Especially since she wasn't wearing her cat suit.
She'd wanted to, but since Deena had spent an entire day buying outfits, it seemed only fair to wear one
of them. Still, she'd opted for all black, taking a tiny bit of comfort from that piece of familiarity.
As soon as Michael had started talking to her, though, she'd known it would be okay. He'd told her to
pretend that the furniture on the platform was her real house, and to read out loud the words on a card
near the camera. It had seemed silly, but she'd obeyed, telling Nicholas and Deena and Hoop all about
something called a Veg-E-Fryer. It wasn't until after she'd finished reading the card that she realized she'd [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]