Chapter Eight
Reagan
“Want to come in for something to eat? I have a few things I need you to test out,” Dana said over the phone.
“No can do. Sadly. I would like nothing more than to sample your food right now, but I’m actually in the office.”
“In the office? Today?”
“I know. I know. But there’s so much to do before the big day.”
“Hardest worker I know. So, are you enjoying it? Is it what you hoped for?”
I looked around at the empty office and a strange feeling came over me. A feeling that I hadn’t had in a very long time. I couldn’t figure out exactly what it was. A sense of purpose perhaps? “I’m happy here. It’s all a little crazy, though, hence the Saturday work. But you know how I like a challenge. And this is definitely a challenge.”
“And what about that Josh guy. What is he like? Is he there?”
I laughed. “No. It’s Saturday. Nobody is here but me. He’s probably on the golf course or something. He’s . . . well, to be honest, he’s kind of a prick.”
Dana laughed. “I had a feeling he would be.”
“Yeah. It’s a pity because if he lost the attitude, I’m sure he’d be very nice. But right now, he’s more annoying than nice. And part of the reason why I’m working so hard is because he’s not the easiest person to speak to. I tried to get information out of him the other day, and instead of giving it to me, he asked me out for dinner.”
“What? Are you serious? Did you go?”
“Of course I didn’t go. The idiot. I’m not here to go out for dinner with him. I think he’s so used to flirting with women that he doesn’t know how else to act around them. But it’s okay. I can do my job without him. Somehow.”
“Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Dana said.
I laughed. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Well, don’t work too hard. And if you feel like a break, come over.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks, Dana.”
I put the phone down and continued working. I actually liked having the office so quiet. Unfortunately, I didn’t get an office to myself, which meant I had to put up with all the chaos from around the room, which seemed to grow with each passing day. I would have to figure out a way to drown it out, but for now, I was making the most of the silence.
I was trying to dig up as much dirt as possible on Josh, not because I wanted anything against him but because the more I knew about him, the better. I thought back to the scandal that Kason had cheated on his wife. If Josh had known about it, he could’ve handled the press a lot better that day, but he had been out of the loop and left looking like a fool. Now, the media was zoning in on him, wondering what sort of person he was. After all, if he was such good friends with Kason, there was a chance that he was a cheater too. At least that was what the media was saying. It wasn’t fair, but since when had the media been fair? The problem was that without Josh telling me about himself, I was left to learning about him through searching online. And I was sure there was more to him than what I was discovering. An idea came to me, and I quickly fished my phone back out from my bag.
I dialed the number from an old college friend, Mack, who had since become a private investigator. I’d always laughed about one day needing his skills and expertise, but I never truly thought that I’d need it.
“Reagan? Good to hear from you. Let me guess; you need my detective skills.”
I laughed. “How did you know?”
“Oh. I was just kidding. Are you serious?”
“I’m serious.”
“I knew you’d need my help one day.”
I chuckled. “Well, here I am.”
“So, what can I do for you?”
“I need you to dish up as much dirt as possible on Josh Maxwell.”
“Josh Maxwell? Isn’t he running for the Senate? He’s that senator that everyone is always talking about. The one all the girls love.”
I pulled a face. “The very one.”
“Why on earth do you want to know about him? Don’t tell me you’re in love with him too. I didn’t think he’d be your type.”
“Gross. He’s not my type. He’s much too full of himself. I could imagine we’d spend our dates with him looking at himself in the mirror. No, this isn’t about me liking him. Actually, I’m working for him now.”
“No way!”
“Yeah. I got the job the other day. I’m here as the public relations officer to help them with the upcoming election. And to get them out of the mess they have found themselves in. I’ve also been asked to help clean up Josh’s image, because right now he’s both loved and hated by the media. I need them to all love him.”
“Good luck with that one. He doesn’t sound like the kind of guy that takes well to orders.”
“Oh, he’s not. But then again, I’m not the sort of girl that takes well to orders. So maybe he’s met his match.”
“Good for you,” Mack said. “So, you want as much information on him as possible?”
“Yes please.”
“Why do you need a private investigator for someone you’re working with?”
“Because I need to be a step ahead of the competition at all times.”
“And that’s why you’re the right person for the job,” he said. “Although, I’m not sure you’re going to want to tell Josh what you’re doing. He doesn’t strike me as someone that will take kindly to this. Then again, I don’t think anyone would take kindly to knowing that they are being investigated.”
“Good point. Yeah, I’m not telling him a thing. Ooh, I hear a noise. I think someone is in the office. I better go.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I have some more information,” he said.
I put the phone down and frowned. I was certain that I had heard a noise coming from outside the office, but I didn’t see anyone. I was just about to stand up and investigate when I saw Josh walk through the doors. Oh, great. He was heading straight to his office, but when he saw me, he stopped in his tracks.
“Working on a Saturday?” he said.
“Yep. I don’t think we can rest right now,” I said. “And anyway, I always work better without people around me.”
“Yeah, so do I,” he said in a way that suggested he wanted me to go.
I put my head down and continued with my work, but when I looked up, I saw that he was still staring at me. It had been a very long time since anyone had exasperated me as much as he was at that moment.
“Do you need help with anything?” I asked as sweetly as possible. Kill them with kindness had always been my motto.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t need anything, but there’s no need for you to be here.”
“No need? I’m working,” I said and gestured to the papers all around me. Surely I could be there if I wanted to? Wasn’t it a good thing that I was working so hard for him during this busy time?
“And I’m about to start working too. Thanks for coming in and I hope you got some work done, but it’s probably better if you go home now.”
“It’s okay; I don’t mind staying here. I still have a few things I want to go over.”
“That was not a request.”
I looked back up at him and shook my head. What an idiot. I was there to help him. I had no idea what his problem was. I didn’t say a thing. I just stood up, gathered my papers, put on my coat, and headed out without giving him another look. He was lucky that I didn’t just quit on the spot. If I weren’t so desperate for the job, I would’ve done that, but he didn’t need to know that.
I went straight to the diner, still fuming mad. When Dana saw me, she seemed surprised.
“Oh, I didn’t think you were coming over,” she said.
“I wasn’t. I still had tons of work to get through at the office. But that idiot told me to go home.”
“Josh?”
“Yeah. He has such a chip on his shoulder. I swear, he just hates the fact that I’m not all giddy around him. He’s obviously never met a woman that wasn’t interested in him before. It’s so childish. I’m here to help him, and he asks me to leave the office. Seriously? He’s so annoying.”
“He sounds awful.”
“He is. Want to join me for something to eat?”
Dana shook her head. “I wish I could. But it’s a madhouse here. I’ve been running around like a headless chicken all day. I’ll bring something out for you, though.”
“Thank you, that would be great. And that’s okay. I have some notes to go over, anyway. Seeing as though I didn’t finish what I wanted in the office.”
I was irate about what had happened with Josh, and when Dana brought me a cup of coffee. I took it from her gratefully and took a few big sips before carrying on with my work. It helped, although what I really needed at that moment was a big glass of wine. I spread my notes over the counter and started going through them, and worked that way for the next ten minutes before I was interrupted. I almost jumped out of my chair when a man sat down next to me.
“You look busy.”
I jumped and turned to see Josh’s competitor sitting next to me. Frank Hirshman was smiling at me, with teeth that seemed a little bit too white for someone his age. He’d clearly done something to them. No wonder he always looked so good on camera. I quickly gathered up my notes and smiled back at him.
“I am busy. But thankfully I’ve got some food coming my way,” I said.
“This place makes the best food, doesn’t it?”
I smiled. “It sure does. The owner is my best friend, so I tend not to go anywhere else but here.”
“Your best friend? Lucky you. She sure knows what she is doing. I come here all the time too. Well, how about you break protocol for once?”
“What do you mean?”
“How about I take you out for dinner tonight? We can go somewhere else and complain about how much better the food is here.”
I laughed. “Thank you for the offer, but I’m actually not dating right now.”
“You’re not dating at all, or you just don’t want to date me?”
“I’m not dating at all. I’m too busy.”
“I can see.”
“I’m sorry. But thank you, that’s very nice of you to ask.”
He smiled at me with those extra white teeth. “Such a pity. But I understand. Good luck with everything. I hope life gets a little less busy for you soon.”
I looked at the papers in front of me and shook my head. No chance of that happening. Dana came back with the food and asked me what that conversation was all about.
“He asked me out on a date.”
“The silver-haired fox asked you out? Tell me you said yes.”
I chuckled. “Of course not. He’s Josh’s competitor.”
“I thought you said Josh was an idiot.”
“He is. But I’m not exactly going to date his competition. Anyway, I’m seriously too busy to date right now.”
“Are you too busy to eat?”
I looked at the steaming bowl of curry that she’d put down next to me and grinned. “I’m never too busy to eat.”