“Gideon?”
He paused with an expression that combined impatience and wariness. “What?”
“When are we going to discuss the offers from your publisher?”
“We’ll get to it. As soon as I—”
“I know,” she interrupted in resignation. “As soon as you finish the scene you’re working on.”
He looked at her a moment, then turned without another word and left the room. Adrienne stared after him thoughtfully. Something was different about him today. He was just as blunt as usual, but a bit more distant, perhaps. Did it have anything to do with last night? Had he, too, found that interlude a bit too…intimate for professional associates?
A telephone rang, distracting her from that line of thought. At first she thought it was Gideon’s phone again. And then she realized it was her own cell phone, which was sitting on the counter beside her briefcase. Fumbling with the crutches, she got to it on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Sorry to interrupt the vacation.”
Instantly recognizing the apologetic voice, Adrienne settled carefully back into her chair. “Hi, Jacqueline. What’s up?”
“Your father wants to know where you put the tax file he gave you to look over.”
“I gave it back to him.”
“I thought you did, but he swears you didn’t.”
Adrienne rolled her eyes. “Look in his office, on the credenza behind his desk. It’s the red file on the left side of the credenza in a pile of other papers.”
“Thanks. I’ll find it. So are you still in Mississippi?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Are you making any progress with Herman the Hermit?”
Adrienne smiled ruefully at the nickname. “Not really, I’m afraid—though you are not to report that to my father, of course.”
“Is Gideon McCloud as weird as we thought he would be?”
“He’s not weird.” Adrienne kept one eye on the kitchen doorway as she spoke. “Just very private. And very focused on his writing. At least, when he isn’t having to deal with other people’s crises.”
Her own, for example.
“So will you be coming back to New York today?”
“Um.” Looking down at her purply, swollen foot, she said, “No, I won’t be back today.”
“Really? So what will you be doing there in the backwoods of Mississippi?”
“Ah, recuperating, mostly,” Adrienne mumbled. “But only for a few more days. I’ve actually gotten quite a bit of work done. I’ll be sending you an e-mail later this morning with some things I need you to do for me, and a few letters you can mail—”
“Adrienne.”
She sighed. “Yes?”
“From what, exactly, are you recuperating?”
“I was in a minor accident with my rental car, but—”
“Oh, my God, are you—?”
“I wasn’t hurt in the accident,” Adrienne said hastily. “It was afterward. I slipped and fell on wet pavement and sprained my ankle. I’ve been ordered to take it easy for a few days, so it’s probably best if I don’t try to make the trip home before Friday, but other than that, I’m fine.”