Chasing pearl, p.19
Chasing Pearl, page 19
“Don’t bother. I couldn’t pay to fix it, anyway. I’ll just get it towed to a junk-yard. It’s where it belongs.”
Sami raised an eyebrow. “And then what?”
Realizing she had started to grit her teeth, she intentionally relaxed as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath and held it. In with the good, out with the bad. Letting out a long, slow sigh, she said, “Then I ride the Metro until I can get out of the hole my stepmother has so graciously dug for me.” She reached into the pocket of Sami’s shirt and snatched her phone. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll get out of that hole faster once you press charges,” Sami said. When Calla opened her mouth to protest, Sami held up her hand. “I know. I won’t say it again. That’s between you and God and the local police.” She looked at her watch. “Get back to work. No reason to add trouble at work to your load. I’ll take care of this. I have personal time saved, and you don’t.”
Calla hugged her, tightly, knowing God had blessed her with a true friend. She retrieved her bag from the back seat, made sure she didn’t have anything in the glove box she didn’t need, and rushed to the elevator just as Ian Jones reached it. Feeling the clumsy awkwardness that he always invoked overtake her, she smiled an uncomfortable smile and pressed the button for the second floor. “Thank you. Sorry to block your way.”
He turned to look directly at her. “Glad you had a small enough car that it was easy to move. What brings you to Dixon this morning Ms.…?”
She stammered a reply, “Vaughn. Calla. Calla Vaughn.” Realizing Ian didn’t even know her name made it even worse. Did he think she was married? “It’s, uh, Miss. Not Mrs.” Had she really just said that? “Not Miss, either. Don’t call me Miss Vaughn. It’s just that I hate that Ms. nonsense and I’m not married. So I’m not Mrs. Vaughn. But don’t call me Miss Vaughn. I mean…” She closed her eyes one heartbeat after she shut her mouth. She took a breath, exhaled through her nose, raised her head, smiled, and said, “Call me Calla. And I, uh, file.”
The dimple had reappeared. Throughout her entire babbling introduction, he hadn’t so much as moved. He cleared his throat and nodded. “You file?”
“Here. I file here. At Dixon. I, uh, work in the file room.”
“Ah.” He nodded as the elevator stopped on her floor. When she just stood there, he held the elevator door open with his left hand and gestured with his right hand. “I believe the files are that-a-way.”
She glanced through the open doors and saw the oversized glass doorway that provided access to the rows and rows of filing cabinets surrounding the cluster of cubicles. “Right,” she said, stepping off the elevator. “Thanks. Uh, thanks for everything.”
He extended his right hand toward her and said, “My name is…” but when she placed her fingers lightly into his right palm he stopped speaking.
“I know who you are, sir,” Calla whispered, trying not to think about how nice his fingers felt beneath hers, though staring at his dimple didn’t distract her from that thought very much. She jerked her hand back and stepped further out of the way of the elevator doors. “I see your name all the time.”
“Right,” he acknowledged. “Well, you’re welcome. No problem at all.” He gave her a single wave goodbye just as the doors slid shut.
ABOUT AUTHOR HALLEE BRIDGEMAN
www.halleebridgeman.com
With more than half a million book sales, Hallee Bridgeman is a USA TODAY best-selling and award-winning Christian author who writes action-packed romantic suspense focusing on realistic characters who face real world problems. Her work has been described as everything from refreshing to heart-stopping exciting and edgy.
An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee finally settled in central Kentucky with her family so that she could enjoy the beautiful changing of the seasons. She enjoys the roller-coaster ride thrills that life with a National Guard husband, a college sophomore daughter, and two elementary aged sons delivers.
A prolific writer, when she’s not penning novels, you will find her in the kitchen, which she considers the ‘heart of the home’. Her passion for cooking spurred her to launch a whole food, real food “Parody” cookbook series. In addition to nutritious, Biblically grounded recipes, readers will find that each cookbook also confronts some controversial aspect of secular pop culture.
Hallee is a member of the Published Author Network (PAN) of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) where she serves as a longtime board member in the Faith, Hope, & Love chapter. She is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the American Christian Writers (ACW) as well as being a member of Novelists, Inc. (NINC).
Hallee loves coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her. She prays her work here on earth is a blessing to you and would love to hear from you. You can reach Hallee at hallee@halleebridgeman.com
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Hallee Bridgeman, Chasing Pearl
