It Takes Three

She thought for a moment and then said, “Think of it as hearing her cry for help. If she knows you’re listening instead of lecturing, she’s more likely to tell you what you want to know.”

“How can I just listen when I need to make her understand that if she’s not careful, she could ruin her life?”

“If I could answer that question, I’d be a financially independent woman.” Thea shrugged and smiled a little sadly. “Goodbye, Scott. Good luck,” she added.

It was odd, but when he’d found her in his kitchen, he’d been irritated. Watching her leave irritated him even more. And the implications of that didn’t sweeten his temper.

Chapter Three

The following morning Thea parked her car in front of her office, then went to let herself in. She found the door was unlocked, which meant her workaholic partner was already there.

“Connie?” she called out, setting her purse and briefcase on her desk.

“Back here,” came the reply.

She’d been best friends with Connie Howard since the seventh grade. They’d gone through everything together—their weddings, the birth of her friend’s two children and the death of Thea’s husband. She would have gotten through it without Connie, but probably not with her sanity intact.

Thea walked through the doorway separating the front office from the kitchen/work area in the back. She’d leased this space when her business outgrew her condo. Sometimes she cooked for a job at home, but mostly she and Connie prepared food here.

They’d furnished this office with a top-of-the-line double oven, a microwave/convection oven, a large side-by-side refrigerator and the best set of pots and pans their budget allowed. The drawers and cupboards were stuffed with the latest gizmos to make a cook’s heart go pitter-patter.

Connie was industriously wiping down the counter-tops. As Thea approached, her tall, redheaded friend glanced over her shoulder. “Hi, T.”

“Hi, yourself. It’s only eight-thirty. What are you doing here so early?”

“It’s not that early. Besides, I had a day off.” She faced Thea and put her hands on her boyishly slim hips. “So how did your appointments go yesterday?”

The image of Scott Matthews instantly popped into her head. Not surprising, since thoughts of him hadn’t been far from her mind since leaving his place yesterday. She’d wondered whether his daughter was going to have a baby. Some appointment.

“I took deposits for several parties,” she said vaguely.

Connie’s green-eyed gaze narrowed on her. “And?”

“And nothing.”

“Don’t blow me off, T. You’ve got a funny look on your face.”

Thea sat on one of the tall stools outside the U-shaped work space and looked at her friend. “One of my appointments got a little weird. The initial contact was made by a teenager who didn’t have parental permission for a catered graduation party.”

“Bummer.”

“Yeah,” Thea said, sighing with what felt like regret. And she wasn’t sure why. Like she’d told Scott—it wasn’t as if they needed the catering job to survive. This business was thriving and word of mouth was their best free advertising.

Connie leaned forward and rested her elbows on the counter. “It’s just as well you found out she was pulling a fast one before putting time, effort and money into the event. How did the underhanded little stinker get caught?”

“Kendra’s father came home unexpectedly while she and I were discussing the party.”

“What about the kid’s mother?”

“Out of the picture,” Thea answered. “And I get the feeling Kendra is having some feelings about it. She accused her father of ignoring her.”

“I was going to high-five you on your perception, but most teenagers are giddy with happiness when their parents ignore them. I’d say that’s a big clue she’s got issues.”

Thea laughed. “There’s more.”

“How can there be more? Is this kid in training for America’s Most Wanted? How old is she?”

“She’s eighteen, getting ready to graduate and go to college. Scott wants—”

“Scott?”

“Her father. He wants her to go away to school and she was talking up the local junior college. Reading between the lines, I think maybe she’s getting cold feet.”

“So she’s acting out? Masterminding a covert event to get even with a pushy dad?”

Thea shook her head. “Your flair for the dramatic comes in handy for planning themed events. But in everyday life, not so much.”

“I’m not the one trying to pull a fast one,” Connie protested.

“Maybe she has reason. She was upset about her father getting ready to sell the house when she goes to college. He hadn’t said anything to her about it yet. Selling, I mean.”

“Still, he’s the grown-up. I don’t think a failure to communicate is cause to take him out back and beat the crap out of him. So to speak,” she added.

Thea shrugged. “I think he’s guilty of premeditated failure to communicate. He didn’t want to deal with his daughter’s emotional fallout until it was absolutely necessary.”

“Chicken,” Connie said.

“I can’t say I blame him.”

“Now you’re defending him?” her friend questioned.

“I guess it’s my tragic flaw that I can see both sides of an issue. He was somewhat hostile in the beginning. But then I began to feel sorry for him.”

“Why?”

Thea rested her chin on her knuckles. “I guess it was the pregnancy test he found.”

“Whoa.” Connie shook her head as if to clear it. “You’re going to need to back up and explain that one.”

“It’s not that complicated. Joyce took a tour of the house for the market evaluation and I tagged along. It’s a great place, by the way. Just what I’ve been looking for.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get back to the test.”

“Kendra’s bathroom looked like a beauty supply store threw up all over it. He was shocked and appalled in equal parts and instinctively grabbed the bag of trash. When he was dumping it, the little stick fell out.”

“Is she pregnant?”

Thea lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Inconclusive because it’s only accurate for a certain length of time. He didn’t know how long ago she’d done the test before tossing it in the trash.”