Philby was curled up on a basket full of yarn in the corner of the shop, sound asleep. Suzanne locked the door behind us and turned the sign to Closed. I hadn't realized it was so late.
"So…Suzanne…" I said as I scooped the heavy cat into my arms. He stretched and opened his eyes. As soon as he saw me, he fell back asleep. I couldn't tell if that was a good or bad sign.
"I don't know that much about you." I set the cat back down on the bed of yarn. "How long were you actually with the CIA?"
Riley shot me a look. I ignored it.
"Not for very long." Suzanne looked like a bored flapper. She had a knitted cloche cap on over her severe, black bob, and she was wearing a long, vintage dress and mid-heeled leather shoes tied with bows.
"Why did you leave?" I asked. Riley was glaring at me.
Suzanne waved her hand distractedly. "It wasn't what I wanted in the end."
"So you decided to chuck it all for a craft store in the middle of Iowa?" I tried not to let that sound sarcastic, but I don't think it worked. I know I'd asked her this before, but sometimes you have to ask the same question again just to see if you get a different result.
The girl trained her dark eyes on me. "I like the fiber arts. I grew up here."
I thought about that. She'd mentioned before that she'd lived here. I didn't recognize the name Aubrey. But then it was a large town, and I hadn't lived here in a while. Suzanne was definitely younger than I. It was all possible.
"Why did you come back?" She was challenging me. That meant she was smart, which was good since she was watching my cat.
There was no way I was giving her anything, and we were running out of time, so I nodded. "Okay. You passed. You can watch my cat." For now.
Riley filled Suzanne in on the evening's plans, and she agreed to wait with Philby in the back room until we picked him up.
"What was that all about?" Riley growled once we were in the car.
"What?" I asked.
"You know what I'm talking about, Wrath! Why were you grilling my operative?"
I looked at him. "I thought she was just a contractor."
"I vetted her. She's fine. End of discussion," Riley said.
"Whatever." And that was all I said to him as we went home and got ready for dinner.
I took a quick shower and changed into a silk blouse and black skirt. I paid some attention to my short, curly blonde hair, and wondered what kind of disaster the evening would bring.
Rex was pissed at me for liberating my cat in the middle of the night. Riley was pissed because I'd questioned Suzanne. Angela probably hated me because I was dating Rex. Yeah, this was going to be fun.
Riley and I arrived a few minutes early, out of habit, to scope the place. After we checked the bathrooms and found the back exit, we returned to the host's stand to wait for Rex and Angela.
I was having trouble standing next to Riley. He was decked out in a black suit, French blue shirt, and dark gray silk tie. His wavy, blond hair glowed under the dim lighting and he smelled like the ocean. My heart was pounding, and I wondered if he'd spiked his cologne with pheromones. You know, that would be just like him to cheat with science. I couldn't remember ever being more attracted to him. This was seriously getting out of hand. If he was doping me with pheromones, I was going to kill him.
"You are beautiful." Riley grinned. "Absolutely stunning."
Oh, wow. He was really pouring it on tonight. And I was surprised to find that I liked it. Oh, yeah. Definitely pheromones.
"Thanks. You look amazing," I replied, trying to sound cool.
So what did I actually think was going to happen here when I'd invited my former boss? It was all a blur. I think I'd wanted to make Rex jealous. But now I wasn't so sure. I really cared for Rex and was very attracted to him. But he seemed so distant lately. And with Angela in town I was feeling threatened. Spies—even former ones—should never feel threatened.
But now I was spending a lot of time with Riley. And he seemed interested. And he was certainly a hottie who just happened to live with me. Well, for now he did. Riley knew all about my past, and we'd been through a lot together. Only Kelly knew me better. Maybe I should've brought her instead. Although the way she's been acting lately, that wasn't a safe bet either.
"Hey! I didn't know you were coming." Rex arrived and held out his hand to Riley, who shook it. The two men liked each other. But did they suspect that they were two sides in a Merry Wrath romance triangle?
"You must be Merry." Angela stepped around Rex and smiled. Wow. If I thought she was pretty from a distance, she was a serious beauty close up.
"Hi. You must be Angela." I held out my hand and tried my best at an I don't care at all if you steal my boyfriend smile.
Angela took my hand firmly and shook. I matched her firmness and held on, my eyes locked on hers. Unfortunately I couldn't seem to let go. I just kept shaking her hand.
"You can let go now, Merry," Rex laughed.
I dropped her hand like it was nuclear waste and stepped back. Riley was using his full charm on Angela. He shook her hand and smiled with his panty-melting grin.
Rex checked in with the hostess while the three of us sized each other up. Angela was stunning. Flawless skin, glittering green eyes, honey-gold hair that shimmered—she was the complete package or a cyborg. The host checked our coats, and I studied my new nemesis.
The woman had a body that could stop traffic in mid-day Cairo. Tiny waist, impressive chest, shapely legs, and the ultimate female Holy Grail—a little black dress that played it all up like a drag queen on a Miami stage. I was doomed.
Five minutes later we were seated at a table near the fireplace. Rex sat on my left, Riley on my right, and Angela across from me. I should've brought a gun. I pictured her falling dead, face first into her salad. The imagery made me start to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Rex asked.
Angela and Riley stared at me. I'm such an idiot.
"Oh, it was just something funny Philby—my cat—did today. Just popped into my head." I lied. Why did I say that? Now I had to come up with something Philby could've done.
"Merry adopted a stray," Rex said to Angela.
"I love cats," Angela purred, making me wonder if she was one. An evil Cyborg cat. "What did Philby do?" she asked.
Riley leaned back and gave me a smile that said, Now what are you going to come up with?
I racked my brain. I needed to invent something charming. Something clever and so witty that Angela would get up and say she was going back home immediately because she couldn't compete.
"He threw up a hairball that looked like Richard Nixon!" I blurted out. Now why in hell did I say that? Maybe I was the one who should get up and throw in the towel.
Rex laughed loudly and, thank God, genuinely. Riley chuckled softly. I looked at Angela and felt a blush climbing my neck toward my cheeks. This was definitely the most humiliating thing I'd ever done. Well, this week at least.
The woman smiled. Then she started giggling. Okay, this wasn't so bad.
"Rex told me you were funny!" Angela said. "Nixon! Really?"
"I'm just hoping he'll cough up a JFK," I added. "Then I'll have a complete set to sell on eBay."
Thankfully, the others laughed, and I relaxed a little. One hurdle jumped…hundreds more to go before this dinner was over.
Our server appeared, and Rex demurred to Riley on the wine list. Riley ordered a French red, in French no less. Was he trying to impress me or Angela? Now I looked at her in a new jealous light. Was she going to steal Riley from me too?
Oh, for the love of Pete! Now I wanted both men? What was wrong with me? When did I become so greedy?
We ordered dinner and the conversation turned to the weather and the restaurant—normal, boring stuff. I took this opportunity to study Angela. She might look like a dragon lady, but in reality I knew I could easily take her in a fight. This woman used words in battle, not fists. I started to fantasize about dropping her. She'd probably come at me like a girly girl—flashing her exquisitely manicured nails and employing tactics like scratching and hair pulling.
I'd grab her by her right wrist and turn it sharply to the left, causing her to flip over her own arm and fall on the ground, where I'd step on her throat and squeeze until she tapped out. And she would tap out…
"…so interesting, Merry!" I heard the tail end of Angela's comment.
Riley seemed to understand what was going on. "Yes, I got to help her with her troop meeting earlier. The kids are really cute."
Okay—he wouldn't say that normally so he's speaking in code to let me know the woman was asking about me being a Girl Scout leader.
"I love it," I said. I told them all about having four Kaitlins—each one spelled differently. They chuckled over that. I sent a mental thanks to Riley. Wouldn't telepathy be awesome for spies?
We ordered dinner, and I listened carefully from then on. Angela talked about the conference she was here for. It sounded boring to me, but apparently it was awesome to her. Rex had to see how much more interesting I was, right?
Both he and Riley paid Angela a ridiculous amount of attention. I didn't like it. But she hadn't been rude to me. No Dragon Lady had emerged. She gave me nothing to actually hate her with, damn her.
"Excuse me for a moment," I said as I stood up. I needed a little alone time. The bathroom was always a good spot to decompress and think. Everyone nodded, and I fled. Yes, fled is definitely the word I'd use to describe it.
The bathroom, like all restaurant, mall, and public bathrooms, was located near the back exit as the perfect opportunity for kidnappers. I wondered if psychopaths had a niche market in designing public places as I plunked my purse on the counter and stared at my reflection.
I wasn't bad looking, was I? I mean, I'd had boyfriends before and more than one double agent try to seduce me. I was the same size as Angela, except for her huge boobs. But I certainly wasn't as polished as she was.
Hating her was useless. Even obsessing over her was just going to make me miserable. I'd just have to face facts. Women like her got whatever they wanted. Women like me were "best friends" for guys. That's it. That's why my relationship with Rex was stalled out in Cuddle Land. That's why Riley blew me off for months. I may be fun to hang out with, but I wasn't girlfriend material, I guess.
This was stupid. A few months ago I'd been happy with my quiet little life. Now I wanted everything from the adoration of two men to more adventure. That seemed to err on the side of stupid. Did I really want that?
I did miss my job because I'd loved it. I'd thought I'd be a spy forever. Now I was getting a little action and enjoyed it. Granted, I didn't like the idea of my cat being in danger, but a little cloak and dagger could be fun.
No. I wanted too much. And it was going to break my heart in the end. Time to tell Rex and Riley I just wanted to be friends, because if they both dumped me at the same time, I'd lose it. Yes. That's what I had to do. I didn't need a man anyway because now I had a cat. That's right—look on the bright side.
"You are very pretty." Angela's voice came from behind me, and I spun around into a defensive position. You really shouldn't sneak up on spies. I tried to assume a casual pose by using my fists to fluff my hair. It didn't work.
"Thanks. But you are gorgeous," I responded awkwardly.
Angela nodded and pursed her lips in the mirror. "Rex is quite taken with you, you know."
I stared at her. "Why do you say that?"
"Because you are all he's talked about for two whole dinners." She took out lipstick and expertly swiped her lips.
"Oh. Really?" I asked a bit too hopefully.
She gave me a strange look. "I don't think he's aware he's been doing it."
I didn't know what to say to that. I was still stunned about her admission.
"Anyway," Angela said as she fluffed her hair. "Don't take it too fast. He's had his heart broken before."
"I didn't know that," I said. "I care about Rex a lot."
Angela smirked. "I know. And believe me, the feeling's mutual." She looked me up and down and then left me standing there wondering what had just happened.