While she was in there, she pulled out the menu to see if anything they ordered regularly could be adapted for children’s fussy taste buds. Her latest brainchild was having tea parties for kids.
Chris, the cook, was working out well. Not just on time, but often early. She’d felt badly about his waiting on the sidewalk for her to come down and open the door, so she’d given him his own key.
Let’s see…starting with the brunch menu. Kids would probably like quiche, but not the ones with asparagus or broccoli. She tapped her lower lip with the eraser end of her pencil and thought about what would please both kids and their parents. She ruled out hot dogs the minute that idea popped into her head. A. Choking hazard, and B. She wanted to keep the high-end integrity of the… Wait. Mac and cheese? She scribbled it down and planned to talk to Chris later about the feasibility of adding it to the menu.
The office door opened and in walked Maynard, like he belonged there.
“Is something wrong, Maynard?”
“Not at all. I just thought we should visit while I’m waiting for dinner.”
“I’m kind of busy, and I thought you had friends to visit with.”
Maynard plunked himself onto one of the chairs opposite her desk. “I won’t take much of your time. I just wanted to ask if you were busy Saturday night.”
“Yes. I’m afraid I’m quite busy every night now.”
“Oh, come on. I’m sure you can find a hole in your schedule.”
She was about to protest that “no,” she really couldn’t, when a knock sounded on the door and someone peeked his head around the corner. It was Maynard’s male friend.
“The indicators just went off like crazy out here,” he said.
Maynard jumped up and strode to his friend who showed him some kind of handheld equipment.
Claudia rose and was about to ask what the device was when the pair returned abruptly to the tea room. Curious what sort of “indicators” they had been looking for, she followed.
As soon as she exited the office, Anthony and Nick spotted her and waved her over.
“Hey, guys. How are things going?” Just for good measure, she stood on tiptoe and gave Anthony a peck on the lips.
He smiled…and so did Nick. The PI didn’t look surprised, so either Anthony had told him they were a couple or he’d figured it out for himself.
Claudia glanced over at the trio of geeks and all of them were frowning. Surely they couldn’t all be upset that she had a man in her life. Something wasn’t adding up.
Angie exited the kitchen, carrying a tray with a large teapot and three plates of salad. She grinned in their direction and called out, “Hey, Nick. Hey, Anthony.”
“Hey, yourself,” Nick called back.
Claudia lowered her voice and asked Nick if he’d located the van.
“Not yet. But they’ve got an APB out for it. I expect someone will spot it soon.”
She focused on Anthony. “Can I talk to you in the office?”
“Of course. Is anything wrong?”
She worried her lip as she glanced over at the party of three, all of whom were still staring in her direction. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Do you need my help?” Nick asked.
“No. It would be better if you could hang out here and talk to Angie. I’m sure she’d appreciate knowing what you just told me.”
“Sure,” he said and took a table near the front door.
“Angie, I’ll be in the office if you need me. Get Nick whatever he wants…on the house.”
Anthony smiled but didn’t say anything as he followed Claudia into the office.
As soon as she closed the door, he swept her into a strong embrace and angled his lips over hers. After a long, breathless kiss—even though most of his kisses were nearly breathless—he tucked her head under his chin and stroked her hair.
“Is everything all right?”
“I don’t know.” She took a step back and looked him in the eyes. “One of those guys at Sadie’s table is an old boyfriend of mine. Not that I’m still interested or anything,” she was quick to add.
Anthony’s eyebrows lifted before he could stop his surprised expression. Of course she has old boyfriends. She’s a beautiful girl and could have several. Still, a twinge of jealousy stabbed his heart, and for a split second he wanted to rip the guy’s throat out.
“I’m just telling you this because he asked me out, and I want you to know that will never happen. Even if he was the last man on earth, I’d want nothing to do with him.”
Anthony chuckled. I’m far more apt to be the last man on earth.
“What’s so funny? You don’t think I’m attractive to other men?”
“No! Not for a minute.” He cupped her face. “I know how beautiful you are, believe me. The thing is…I trust you.”
She smiled and her posture relaxed. After a brief hesitation she said, “I trust you too.”
Was it time to say, I love you? It seemed like a golden opportunity. But would she say it back?
As he was pondering, she moved on to another subject. He didn’t hear her at first and had to drag his attention back to what she was saying.
“His friend handed him some kind of metal instrument and they’ve been frowning over it ever since. What do you think it could be? Some kind of air-quality thingy? Maybe they’re measuring our dust mites? I try to keep the place clean…”
“Whoa. What did you say?”
“Dust mites?”
“No, before that. The first thing you said.”
“I said his friend was upset that his ‘indicators were going crazy.’ At least that’s what I think I heard. Now they’re all acting pissed off.”
“Is he a health inspector?”
“No. He’s a research biologist.”
Anthony scratched his chin. “Hmmm… Let me go talk to them.”
Claudia nodded. “Thanks. I’ll wait here, if you don’t mind.”
“I think that’s a good idea. They might not want to say anything if you’re right there.” He grinned. “Especially if he’s trying to charm his way into your pants.”
Claudia rolled her eyes. “So not possible.”
“Good.” He winked and left the office, closing the door behind him.
The three people sitting at Sadie’s table were crowded around some kind of instrument. It must have been the item Claudia had mentioned. It was about the size and shape of a brick, but made of metal. He saw a light and a dial, and the device did seem to be reacting to something. One of the guys muttered, “Off the charts,” under his breath.
“Is everything all right here?” he asked the trio.
One of the men smirked, while the other guy and the woman looked uncomfortable. “Depends on what you call ‘all right.’ The food is edible, if that’s what you mean.”
“Just edible?”
“I assume it’s great. I haven’t eaten yet. I’ve been…distracted.”
“Oh? Does your distraction have to do with that little box you’re studying?”
He grinned. “You could say that.”
“May I ask what it is?”
The other guy gave him a head shake, but the cocky one kept on talking.
“It measures paranormal activity, and this place is a hotbed of it.”
Anthony straightened. “I don’t know what you mean. Are you saying our building is haunted?” He leaned over the object, and it made a ping sound.
“Oh really? You really don’t know what I mean?” He moved toward him and lowered his voice. “Does Claudia know?”
“Know what?”
The guy folded his arms. “You can drop the innocent act.”
But Anthony couldn’t. His only defense was denial, or blaming his abilities on something else. “I’m not acting. I really don’t know what—”