“Thanks. Come in.”
I pointed at her shoes. “How can you wear those all day?”
“They’re part of my Intimidating and Powerful Boss Lady uniform,” she said with a smile. “It used to be shoulder pads, remember? Now it’s stilettos.”
“I remember those awful jackets. I looked ridiculous in them.”
“Everyone did.” She led the way into her kitchen, where she slipped the plate into her dishwasher. “I take off my shoes as soon as I get to my office. With any luck, I can go a few hours without having to put them back on.”
“Good. I hope today’s one of those days.”
“We’ll see.” We walked to her front door. “Hey, I meant to tell you, my firm received an invitation to Edward Strathmore’s party Saturday night, so I’ll see you there. I can’t wait to check out his house.”
“Oh, that makes me happy. And Derek will be glad to hear it, too. Would you like to ride with us? Unless you’ve got plans for afterward.”
And if she did, I so didn’t want to know what they were.
“I’d love to,” she said. “I have no other plans that night.”
“Great.” But in an instant my smile turned to a frown. “Oh, ugh. I have to go shopping for something to wear. I always wear the same thing to any dressy event we go to and it’s so boring.”
“Why?”
“Because shopping is my least favorite job in the world.”
“It’s one of my favorites,” she said, grinning. “In fact . . .” She gave me a quick once-over from head to toe. “We’re pretty close to the same size. You can borrow something of mine. Why don’t you stop by tonight after work and try on a few things? I’d do it right now but I have a staff meeting this morning.”
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable borrowing from you. What if I spilled something all over it?”
She waved her hand at me. “Oh, please. You won’t spill. And I have a thousand different outfits you can choose from.” Seeing my doubtful expression, she added, “I’m serious. My third bedroom is my closet. You’ll see.”
“The whole room?”
“Yeah. I go out a lot.”
My shoulders slumped. “I can’t believe I said I might spill something. Now I absolutely will.”
She laughed. “That’s why God created dry cleaning. Come on, it’ll be fun. More fun than shopping, right?”
That was all she needed to say to get me to agree. “Okay, I’ll stop by after work tonight.”
“See you then.” She started to close the door but stopped. “Wait, Brooklyn. I almost forgot! I made something for you.” She ran to her kitchen and picked up a large pink box tied securely with pink string. “Today’s your last day at work, right?”
“Yes. What is this?”
She smiled at my suspicious tone. “I made cupcakes for you and your work friends.”
“You did not.”
“Well, they’re actually mini cakes, so they’re small, but they’re still yummy. This box holds thirty-six. I hope that’s enough. Some people might have to share.”
I gazed at the box, then at Alex. “You are so good.”
“I like having you for a friend.” She handed the box to me.
I stared at the box again, almost embarrassed in the face of her warm generosity. “Thank you. This is so sweet. I wish there was some way I could pay you back.”
“Just come over tonight and try on dresses. We’ll have a totally girly-fun time.”
“Okay.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I like having you for a friend, too.”
? ? ?
“Why would Lug Nut break into Edward’s home?” Derek wondered aloud as we drove to the studio.
“Now that he’s dead, I refuse to call him Lug Nut anymore,” I said. “The name just bugs me.”
“I’m not calling him Lawrence,” Derek drawled.
I chuckled at his tone. “Larry will be sufficient. So, back to your question. Why would he try to break into such an obviously well-secured home?”
“Perhaps he’s done it before.”
I glanced at him. “You think he stole The Secret Garden from Edward and sold it for three dollars in a garage sale?”
“Possibly.”
“I like my old scenario better. Grizzly stole the book from Edward, and Larry found it and stupidly sold it in the garage sale to make a little money. When Grizzly found out, he threatened to kill Larry if he didn’t get the book back.”
“So, now what? He went to steal another book from Edward?” Derek scowled. “Seems a ridiculous plan.”
“It is,” I said. “It’s like painting the white roses red instead of planting new red roses.”
“That’s a simplistic analogy,” Derek said, shaking his head. “And yet I understood it completely.”