One Summer Evening - One Summer Evening Part 42
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One Summer Evening Part 42

"I understand."

Austin placed the phone back on the receiver just as a knock sounded on

his door. He turned just as Mary Jane Lunsbury walked across the

threshold, her face swollen from crying.

His blood chilled, but for her sake he remained calm. "Before you say anything, sit down," Austin said, closing the distance between them and helping her to a nearby chair.

"Would you like something to drink?"

When she was seated, Mary Jane shook her head. "Thanks, but not right now."

She appeared almost in shock.

"What happened?" Austin demanded, leaning against his desk and facing

her.

Mary Jane blinked hard then raised her eyes, "He ... he's cleaned out

our savings and our checking account." She began sobbing.

Another chill shot through him.

"Do you know where he is?"

"No," she whispered.

"I just know he didn't come home again last night."

"You mean he doesn't have the flu?" Austin didn't bother to mask the

sarcasm in his tone.

Mary Jane gave him a bewildered look.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Austin told her about his conversation with the partner.

"That doesn't surprise me. Since he took our money, I'm worried about

your deal with him."

This time a nasty expletive polluted the air.

Mary Jane wiped her nose with a tissue.

"I didn't ... don't know what to do."

"Well, I sure as hell do." Austin's features were grim.

"I'm going to find the son of a bitch."

The front desk clerk was clearly frazzled.

Cassie rubbed her temple, feeling a headache coming on.

"What's wrong, Luke?"

"It's Mrs. Fortenberry again, in 1219. She's raising Cain about her

room, says housekeeping left a hair in the tub." He paused and pulled one end of his black mustache.

"She's not happy, of course, and insists on talking to you."

Cassie wanted to tell him that she didn't give a damn if Mrs.

Fortenberry was happy or not. And furthermore, the hair was probably the woman's own.

Instead, Cassie smiled at Luke, who had been unlucky enough to get caught in the cross fire.

"Get the head of housekeeping. Let him handle her."

Luke gave her a polite smile.

"I understand."

"I don't know what this hotel would do without you."

Luke turned red from his neck to his ears, but Cassie could tell her compliment had pleased him. Suddenly she wondered if Austin ever spoke personally to the employees.

Feeling her own face turn red, Cassie banished such thoughts from her

mind.

After that disastrous trip to New Orleans, a week ago today, she hadn't seen him.

Apparently he'd spent his time seeing to the other hotels. His absence had given her the opportunity to regroup. She had promised herself that she would sort through her emotions, dig deeply to see if anything salvageable lay hidden underneath a heap of pain, guilt and anguish.

However, she had reneged. She couldn't bear to think about how he'd manipulated her mind and her body with his kisses, his hands, his fingers.

God, his fingers, inside her. More than that, she couldn't bear to think

about the fact that she'd let it happen, knowing what was at stake.

And she hadn't wanted him to stop. That was the awful part. If he had jerked her panties off and taken her there, she wouldn't have stopped him.

What did that say about her?

"Ms. Sullivan?"

"Huh, sorry, Luke, I was wool-gathering. Anything else?"

"No, ma'am. I was just wondering how Ms. Wortham's doing. We sure miss her, not that we don't like having you around."

"Mother has her good days and bad." Cassie gave him a sad smile.

"I'll tell her you asked about her, and thank you."

Fifteen minutes later, Cassie was out of the hotel, sitting on a shaded park bench. She was due to meet Jo Nell here for lunch, an outing they both needed.

Cassie looked up at the moving clouds, thinking they had picked a good day, since the sunless sky made it cooler. Hopefully it would rain, which was the norm on these long summer days.

"Hey, what's up? You look like you're on another planet."

Cassie peered at Jo Nell, who plopped down on the other end of the bench, dropped her purse, then stretched her legs out in front of her.

"Jeez, I'm tired."

"Lots of blue-haired ladies already, huh?"

Jo Nell mouth curved down.

"Actually, it's been a mixture of pains in the butt. Nothing I've done

so far has pleased anyone."

"I can identify with that. The natives are restless at the hotel, too."

"At least your face is back to normal." Jo squinted her eyes on Cassie.