Ramey's meeting with her client went about as well as expected. She delivered the photos, and the client delivered her righteous indignation and tears. Dealing with people directly was definitely the hardest part of her job. That even took into account those times she had to chase her marks or, worse, when she was in actual danger while investigating. After the meeting, she had a few loose ends to tie up with another case she was working and finished up the paperwork on this most recent one. Ramey was very glad she would not be visiting that motel for a while. It was so seedy, her skin would crawl without even entering the room. She shuddered thinking about it and rubbed the invisible bugs off her arms.
On the way home, she stopped off at the bank to deposit the cashier's check she collected at her morning meeting. While she was steadily decreasing the balance of that check against a stack of bills, the phone rang.
"Ramey, it's James." Good grief. "I feel really bad about this morning. I didn't mean to creep you out. I hope you know I had the best intentions."
This was the first inkling of insecurity she'd seen from him. "It's ok, really. It's kind of flattering, if you can disregard the creep factor. Just don't do that again. If you want to see me, just ask."
"Ok. Can I see you again? Soon?"
"That would be ok, I think." She smiled. "I'd like to see you again too. I wouldn't want you to think of me as you saw me this morning, anyway-all sweaty."
"Hmm," he purred. "I have a meeting tonight with a firm, but how about tomorrow night, say, 7ish?"
"That's fine with me. I just wrapped up the case I was working on. It would be a nice way to celebrate."
"See you then. Goodbye, Ramey," and he disconnected. His voice was just as sexy over the phone. There was that warm and tingly feeling again. She could really get used to this. The anticipation was lovely and nerve-wracking all at the same time.
She shook off the flush that colored her face and fnished the task at hand. She was throwing away the invoices and putting away the checkbook when the phone rang again.
"Ramey, it's Ray Samson." Ray was a good friend of hers who also happened to be on the police force, senior detective, specifically.
"Ray! It's good to hear from you. Is this a social call or a professional one?"
"Well, a little bit of both. I wish I had more time for pleasantries, but I actually need your help."
"Whatever I can help you with, I'm happy to do it, Ray."
"Great. I knew I could count on you. I have a certain business man I need you to keep an eye on for me. You don't have to do anything but observe and report. I'm sending you a pic of the business man now."
"Aw, Ray. You always take the fun out of things." She laughed. "Of course I can do that for you."
"Good. He will be at the Duck and Clam Club tomorrow for happy hour. I need a visual on who he is meeting there to match a face with an alias. I think the mark is involved in a case I'm working."
"Sure thing, Ray. I'll send you what I get."
"Great. Thanks again, Rame. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Ray." She hung up the phone and stared at it like it was a foreign object. Ray was a very attractive man, and he had been more than a friend at one time. Neither he nor Ramey could make time for the other, so they eventually stopped expecting each other to be available and stopped asking. She remembered the way he breathed her name and the smell of his soap and closed her eyes just for a moment. When she opened them, she was back in her own house, with only the smell of last night's tv dinner and Rotti, who was staring at her with his head cocked to one side.
"Forget it, Rotti. I've lost my mind completely, I think. Either that, or I'm getting desperate. It's time for a nap. Last night is catching up to me." She walked out of the room, shedding clothes as she went. She was asleep as soon as she hit the pillow.
When she woke, the afternoon was well on its way to evening. The nap refreshed her, and she decided it was time to take a walk. She grabbed the leash and she and Rotti set out to see what interesting things they could see and smell. As she walked, she thought about tomorrow's assignment for Ray. She wondered who the business man was and who the mark was. She'd forgotten to check her email for the picture Ray sent. She put that on her mental to-do list for later. The rest of the walk was occupied with thoughts of Ray and their previous relationship. Those thoughts were best confined to very strict daytime parameters. On the way home, she picked up dinner. She just couldn't stomach tv dinners two nights in a row.
When she finally opened her email, the picture in her inbox almost caused Ramey to choke on her meal. Those dreamy green eyes she had been lost in were staring at her from the computer screen. "What the...." she breathed. "Just who are you hanging out with, James?" She reminded herself he was merely meeting a client. That's what businessmen do. Since when did she justify others' behavior. What was happening to her, Ramey mused. Well, at least she would have no trouble identifying the businessman in the bar. When in doubt, humor has always come to her rescue. This would definitely make her social life more complicated. She ended the evening torn between remembering the warm fuzzy feelings and trying to figure out why she even bothered trying to have a love life at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment