Page 22 of Her Hidden Smile

“That’s how you ask for favors, you just blurt them out? No warmup? No niceties ahead of time.”

“Hi, Millie, what are you up to today?”

I looked around my living room and grinned. It smelled and looked like spring. “I might have gotten carried away and picked a lot of peach blossoms and filled every vase I owned.”

“Only your vases?”

“You got me. Maybe I filled up my pitchers, my watering cans, my mayonnaise jars, and my orange juice bottles.”

“Now this I have to see. And smell. I bet the scent of snickerdoodle cookies would blend nicely with the peach blossoms.”

Damn, he’s right!

“Maybe.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

I frowned. “Sure.”

“Why are you so much more comfortable on the phone than you are in person?”

“Caught that, did you?”

“I’m observant, what can I tell you. So why?”

“I handle gifts and grants for the International Burn Alliance.”

“You’re not a newbie, are you?”

I twisted my hair, then answered. “No.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

“I’ve been working for them since I was seventeen. I got my masters in nonprofit administration online, while I kept working for the NBA. Eventually I worked my way up the food chain.”

“How far?”

Ouch!

I let go of my hair.

“Director,” I admitted.

“How much money do you bring in each year?”

I definitely wanted to sidestep that question. “Let’s talk about you. I hear you have a degree in architectural engineering from University College in London.”

“Been asking around about me, have you?” I could hear the satisfaction in his tone. He sounded smug.

“People around here gossip.”

“I thought you didn’t go into town.”

“I have to get groceries, and sometimes I order food from the restaurants, so I talk to people. I hear things. Speaking of which, are you going to stay and work for Harvey?”

“He and I are talking about things. Right now I’m doing some work for him, and that’s fine. But staying on and working with him is a whole other thing. So far, we still haven’t got things hammered out so that we’re both happy. It’s a work in progress.”

“I heard that he’s chomping at the bit to bring you on. Trust me, you have the upper hand.”