Christmas Pet

A sense of anticipation buzzed through me. A breakthrough in the divorce case was near. For over a month, we’d been unable to track down Daniel or his mistress. If only I’d known the answer to my quandary sat a few floors below me.

I got out of the car and dashed up the steps. When I reached the front door, Pearl pulled it open, and the sound of Mariah Carey’s warbles assaulted my ears. All I wanted for Christmas was to serve Daniel and his girlfriend with the papers.

Pearl wore her usually pulled-back hair down, and it curled over her shoulders in soft, hazelnut waves. She also wore a ridiculous red and green sweater that jingle and jangled whenever she moved, but it didn’t hide the mouth-watering swell of her generous breasts. Breasts I would kill to get my hands on.

“Come in,” she said and stood back. The tight jeans she wore showed off the delicious curve of her ass and hips.

“Where is she?”

“This way.” I followed her into the sitting room, keeping my eyes glued on her ass.

She glanced all around, then frowned. “She was here. I’ll ask my mom if she’s seen her.”

I followed when Pearl went in search of her mom. The kitchen resembled an explosion at a cookie factory. I didn’t think stuff like this happened in the real world. Why the hell was Pearl working in divorce law? She would have looked more at home fluttering around a bakery or cupcakery.

“Mom?”

A woman wearing a sweater as ugly as Pearl’s turned around. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing a friend.”

“He’s not a friend. He’s my boss. Mom, meet Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews, meet my mom, Sandra.”

She held out a hand and smiled. “Pleased to meet you, Mr. Matthews.”

I took her hand in mine. “It’s James, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Sandra. Pearl told me that Sophia Landers was here.”

Her eyelids fluttered, and her cheeks flushed. “She left through the back door a moment ago. She said someone was picking her up. Something about a cabin in Pennsylvania. Stupid idea if you ask me. There’s a blizzard forecast, and it’s already started snowing. Would you like some eggnog?”

Fury whirled inside of me, but I kept it hidden. “Thanks, but no.” I nodded towards Pearl.

“This way.” We made it to the backdoor in time to see Sofia step into the passenger seat of a Ford Ranger pickup. In the driver’s seat, I saw a man’s silhouette. While I couldn’t be sure it was Daniel, I was ninety-nine percent certain it was.

“If they’re going to Pennsylvania, then they’re going to his cabin in Potter County. My car is out front. Let’s go.”

Pearl held up her hands. “Woah, there cowboy. That’s hours away. We’re not going anywhere. Didn’t you see the weather forecast or hear my mom? It’s supposed to dump like twenty-three inches in the next twenty-four hours.”

I pointed an accusatory finger in her direction. “You let Sophia get away. You’re coming to Pennsylvania with me, and we’re not leaving until these papers are served. You’re the one who said you wanted to prove yourself. This is your chance.”

“Fine,” she said relenting. “I need to tell my mom I’m leaving. I don’t want her to worry I’ve been kidnapped or something. She can go from mild-mannered to momma bear in a split second. I’ll meet you in five minutes.”

A wild goose chase to Pennsylvania when a storm was forecast wasn’t ideal, but if I didn’t take the opportunity, Daniel could disappear again.Chapter Four - PearlWe were an hour into the drive. The wipers worked hard but were failing to keep the windshield clear of whipping snow.

Like a petulant child, I sat in the passenger seat with my arms crossed. This wasn’t how today should have ended. It should have ended with me at my mom’s getting drunk, eating my weight in sugar, and belting out karaoke songs.

I blew out an exasperated breath. I’d bitten my tongue for too long. “If you know where they’re going, I don’t see why we had to rush there tonight. We could have left in the morning, or on Sunday when the blizzard had passed.” James shot me a look, but when he didn’t say anything, I continued ranting, “I could’ve gotten Sophia’s phone number from her grandmother. I could’ve called her and made up some bullshit story like how I was worried when she left suddenly, and I wanted to make sure she was okay. But instead, here we are driving into a blizzard so you can serve divorce papers.”

“I’ll do what it takes to get this over with. The ass has been avoiding me for too long. It’s not like he’s madly in love with Erin. Playing games like this gives him a thrill.”

“Does anyone else on the team know the depth of your hate towards him? What about Mr. Taylor or the Davies brothers?”