“Gallivanting around the countryside—how the hell should I know? She said she had a backup dick or something she would go and get, but she was probably lying.” Charlene planted her fists on her hips and hit him with a quivering lip on top of the anger and frustration. “My parents are scheduled to arrive in less than thirty minutes. I don’t have time to track down your fuck buddy and get her to do her damn job.”
It was easy to deduce there’d been some sort of snag with the media display, though Jack tensed at Charlene’s words—backup dick. The nasty insinuation only pissed him off, but he swallowed his irritation as he pulled out his cell phone and quickly brought up Pepper’s number. “Let me see where she is,” he told Charlene in the most polite tone he could muster.
But all he got was ring after ring, before Pepper’s phone switched over to voicemail. Worry tugged his insides. “She’s not answering.”
“Of course she’s not answering. She’s probably off somewhere laughing her ass off that she’s pulled a fast one on me. Immature little brat.”
His hand shot up in warning. “Stop. Whatever your opinion on my relationship with Pepper, she’s still a professional, and if she said she’s coming back, then she’s coming back.” He stepped to the door. “I’ll go check the parking lot. Maybe she’s just pulling in.”
Charlene followed hard on his heels. “I want to know what you’re going to do if she doesn’t show up. Surely you didn’t trust this entire portion of the program to some wet-behind-the-ears unproven employee.”
Jack didn’t answer. Truth was, they didn’t have a Plan B, and he didn’t think they’d need one. Pepper was a lot of things, but she took her work seriously. If she wasn’t here, then that meant something was wrong.
With concern squeezing his chest, he hurried to the stairwell and dashed down to the lobby, moving slightly slower to avoid attracting attention as he crossed the floor to the front door. Incredibly, even in her spiky high heels, Charlene hit the exit on his heels, rushing outside in a flurry of frilly green satin and lace. She stomped her way toward the parking lot, head dipping from side to side like a bobblehead toy.
She whirled, brow raised, complete disgust in her expression. “Well?”
Jack’s heart plummeted to his stomach like a brick. Pepper was nowhere in sight. Shit.
He glanced at his phone to check if she’d called back, but no luck. “Let me try calling her again.”
Her phone sent him to voice mail just as he spotted Parker marching up. Charlene noticed as well, squaring her shoulders as if preparing for battle.
“Jack, do you need help?” Parker’s wary green eyes shifted from Jack to Charlene. “Gillian said there seemed to be some commotion. Is something wrong?”
“Damn right there is!” Charlene fumed. “Your sister—” she said the word as if it carried a deadly virus, “—just screwed up everything!”
Parker’s body language was all too easy to read. He stiffened like a board, his total annoyance screaming out, and Jack wondered if he was going to have to defend Pepper all over again. Instead his friend turned on Charlene. “I’m sorry you’re upset. Give me a moment, and I’m sure we can straighten this out.”
“We don’t have any time. Your precious Pepper ran off to get some supposed backup file, and if she’s not here in the next—”
As if a higher power had heard her, the sound of a car engine roared through the parking lot. Jack swiveled his head, relief soaring through him when he glimpsed Kendra’s junker speed through the parking lot gates. The little sedan squealed to a stop in a nearby space, and then the driver’s door swung open.
Jack’s relief drained from his chest. It wasn’t Pepper. Just Kendra.
With tracks of tears rolling down her cheeks.
Chapter Sixteen
Of all the unbelievable situations Pepper could have pictured for that day, she was living the most impossible. Technological disasters, being abandoned by her best friend—which was the only freaking explanation she could think of for Kendra’s car being gone—and now add in Adam?
She wasn’t that much of a drinker, but at the end of this day, she was going to tie one on so hard she’d be incoherent for the next week.
Pepper took a deep breath and braced herself. “So. First up, how did you find me? No—first, what the hell were you thinking storming in on me and the guys and swinging your fucking—”
She jerked to a stop. She couldn’t decide what to grill him about first. Rational thought was not working well right now.
In the driver’s seat, Adam drummed nervous fingers on the steering wheel as he stopped at a red light. He glanced over, embarrassment reddening his cheeks. “I’ve been calling and texting you for weeks, Penny. Trying to apologize for it.”
“That’s called stalking, dude. You should have gotten the message I didn’t want to hear from or see you ever again.”
“I did. I mean, I thought I did. But Kendra—” He stopped abruptly.
Shit. “Kendra, what?”