"What makes you say that?" A tone of incredibility crept in her friend's voice.
"He kept glancing at the clock. Then right as I left, this gorgeous island goddess flung herself at him and he hugged her back. So he was probably trying to get rid of me so he could just move right on to the next woman in line." Christine shredded a tissue.
"You don't really believe that." Maddy scoffed her tone normal again. "Bloody call him."
"I can't. I don't have anything to say." Christine tossed the covers aside and stood up. She would not be one of those crybaby types sobbing over a man. "Nothing to make a difference, anyway."
"You never had any bloody trouble talking to him before," Maddy pointed out. "Just bloody call him and straighten everything out."
"I'm not sure I can straighten anything out." Christine started to unpack. With the unexpected delay, she started work again tomorrow, had loads of laundry to do, things to put away. She stopped. Inside her suitcase was a lei. It smelled wonderful and instantly brought Hawaii, the balcony, and gorgeous sunset into her house. "Oh God, oh, Charlie put a lei in my suitcase as a surprise."
"Aw. He leied you."
Christine read the accompanying note and ignored her friend for the moment.
The Journey begun, yet the Paths now divide
You go your way and I go mine
The Light still burns and glows for You
And the door is always open.
"Hello?" Maddy tapped on her phone receiver. "Are you still bloody there?"
"Oh, hey, sorry, I got distracted." She held the note to her face and smelled his scent. Oh, she wanted him, wanted to be with him so badly. "He wrote me a poem too."
"Of course he did. Read it." After Christine complied, Maddy whistled. "You bloody wonder if it's just sex when you get poems. Did it ever occur to you maybe he didn't have a clue what to say either so he wrote it down?"
"It would never be just sex for me. But maybe this is normal for Charlie."
"Sure, don't listen to me and bloody muddle through all on your own lost bloody way. Mark's out of bed, in the shower singing about love, sweet love and all this talk of sex has put me in a romantic mood." Maddy gave a giggle. "Glad you're back safe. Talk to you later."
"Later." Christine hung up. Should she call him? She wandered to the kitchen, saw the flashing light on the answering machine and pressed play. After deleting calls from charities asking for money and routine calls from friends, she heard a surprise.
"Hey Mom, it's Adam. The owner of our apartment building sold to some developer who is tearing everything down to make condos. I have nine months left on my lease, so the developer said if I waited for the new places, I could have my pick, rent free, for a year. Course, I have to wait until they finish construction and it could take a while. So I need a place to live. So, um, want a roommate in about two or three months? I promise not to make you wash my clothes and cook my meals every day. Call me when you get back and let's talk. Love you."
Interesting. Very interesting. Christine heard the clock strike. Adam would still be at work, but she'd call him later and they could discuss it. His old room had been converted to a guest suite, but there was no reason he couldn't move in for a while and help with things.
Christine wandered back to her room to gather dirty clothes and saw the lei. A six hour time difference between them, so it was early afternoon in Hawaii. She considered a second longer, heard Maddy say, "bloody muddle through all on your own" and grabbed her cell. As expected Christine reached Charlie's voice mail, cleared her throat and tried to speak in her normal friendly tone. "Hi. I'm back. Hope we can talk later, maybe Skype or IM or whatever. Just, um, call or leave a message or something. Take care."
There, now he had the next move. Guess she'd find out if 'seer' Maddy truly nailed it. Christine sighed and began her chores.
Chapter Seven
Charlie stared at the figures on the papers and shook his head. "There's no way she's involved in something like this." Mrs. Margaret Bensen, the corporate supervisor of accounting, raised a brow at him, her no-nonsense-I'm-correct-don't-argue appearance. Famed for her skill with all things numbers, her professional record remained flawless. The CEO and Board considered her word and opinion solid gold. Margaret Bensen never made an error, but she had made one today.
"The figures don't match. Nor do the routing numbers." She pointed at the papers he held. "There can be no other explanation."
Charlie shrugged to try to relieve the pressure on his shoulders. "I understand your position, but to suggest Christine Howell is involved is ludicrous."