Maggie Undercover (8 page)

"Thank you, Mrs. Olsen."

He listened with half an ear while Lacy
assigned the women to different jobs. As the only male parent to
volunteer, he'd already been co-opted to build sets.

"Sorry I'm late."

Maggie's voice jolted him out of his
daydream. He bolted up and cracked his knees against the desk. Pain
shot through him.

Lacy and Mrs. Olsen acknowledged her arrival
with smiles then continued talking. She plopped into an empty seat
next to him and grinned.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered.

She didn't seem to notice his antagonism. "I
was involved in drama at my previous school, so Ms. Moran asked me
to help with the set design."

Her brief explanation didn't take the edge
off his reservations. Lately, everywhere he turned she was there –
in class, after school, the grocery store, the bank. He told
himself that's what came from living in a small town, that maybe it
was his imagination. But he didn't notice any other students
turning up everywhere he went. Now she was invading this part of
his life as well.

Alexandra's growing attachment to Maggie
McCade made him uneasy. He refused to consider his unwanted
interest in the young woman. No matter the temptation, that was a
path he refused to travel.

"Mr. Blake," Lacy said. "I'd like you to
consult and work with Ms. McCade on the sets. She's shown me some
of her designs and she's talented. I'm sure between the two of you
you'll be able to come up with something wonderful." Lacy turned
her attention back to the whole group. "That's about all for now.
Thank you all for your time. This is going to be a lot of fun. Both
you and your children will enjoy the experience. I'll be calling
you each with further information."

With grunts and clanking of desks the group
filed out of the classroom, until he and Maggie remained. Ms.
McCade. He couldn't let himself start to think of her as Maggie.
Danger lay that way.

"I've got some drawings with me. Want to
see?" she asked.

Before he could say no, Mrs. Olsen popped her
head back in the classroom. "You need to leave now, so the
maintenance people can come in."

Mrs. Olsen continued as they all walked
toward the entrance. "It good to have you back in town, Jared. You
were missed. And thanks for volunteering to build the sets.
Alexandra's excited about the play. She did tell you we cast her in
the lead? She showed me a picture of her Halloween costume. If it
holds up, it'll be perfect for the play."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Olsen. If not, I can
always whip up another one for her," Maggie said.

"Don't let anyone know or you'll end up
working on the costumes as well as the sets." Mrs. Olsen
laughed.

"Too late. Alexandra's been broadcasting Ms.
McCade's talents all over town," Jared said. "She's already been
shanghaied into making costumes for Alexandra's friends, Lisa and
Bobby."

Mrs. Olsen nodded. "The twins. The three of
them have become triplets."

"I don't mind. Being an only child I miss
having little brothers or sisters. I like kids. I'm going to major
in early childhood education in college," Maggie said.

That explained her easy way with Alexandra.
Some of his qualms faded. Her fondness for his daughter was why
Maggie spent so much time around him. It wasn't wise, but it was
understandable.

Ms. McCade. Not Maggie, he reminded
himself.

"Good night, Jared. Maggie." Mrs. Olsen
headed toward her car leaving them standing alone in the growing
twilight.

A cool breeze made Jared shiver. Wearing her
normal jeans and tank top, this one a pale baby blue, he noticed
she didn't have a jacket again. Internal heat made the night seem
tropical as he watched her nipples grow hard and press against her
top. She wrapped her arms around herself hiding those tempting
peaks. "Brrrr. Guess it's not summer anymore. Let's walk over to
Max's Diner. I could use a cup of hot coffee and I'll show you
those sketches."

"Here. Take my jacket." Eager to shield her
from himself, he lifted her hair and draped his sport coat over her
shoulders.

The heated touch of his fingers brushing
against the back of her neck sent a shudder through Maggie. The
scent of wool and woodsy cologne filled her nose as she huddled
into the warmth that lingered from his body.

"You need to start dressing for the weather,"
he chided.

Leaves crunched beneath their feet as they
headed the few blocks to Max's Diner. A faint smoky smell wafted on
the crisp night air. From somewhere a child's laugh rang out then
fell silent. Circles of light from the street lamps lit their way.
They walked in silence, not touching but linked by a shared
appreciation of the moment. Unwilling to break the rare
companionship between them, she didn't speak.

At 8:00 o'clock on an October Thursday night,
except for the lights flowing out of Max's Dinner, Main Street
Council Falls was dark and quiet.

Though sparsely occupied Maggie welcomed the
public forum the diner offered. Her feelings for Jared Blake were
too confusing. He was a suspect in her investigation. She shouldn't
– couldn't allow herself to be swayed by his charm. It could be an
act.

What if it wasn't? She pushed away the
thought. She needed to be alone with him, to push him into
revealing evidence. But not tonight. Tonight she wanted to be what
she appeared, a high school girl.

No, that wasn't true. She wanted to be a
woman in the company of the attractive man who stirred buried
longings within her. With grim determination, she squashed those
thoughts. What she wanted didn't matter. What mattered was closing
this investigation and starting her own firm.

The warmth and appetite stimulating smells of
the diner enveloped her. Murmured hellos from the few patrons
greeted them. She knew each one of the people. How quickly she'd
been accepted as a member of this small community. From behind the
counter Maxine, the diner's owner waved them toward an empty booth
toward the back of the small restaurant.

Before Jared could claim it, Maggie slid into
the seat facing the front. She was always more comfortable sitting
with her back to the wall where she could see what was coming at
her.

Chrissie Wells, a classmate and fellow
cheerleader, came over to take their order. "Hi, Maggie. Mr. Blake.
What can I get you?"

"Hi, Chrissie. A cup of coffee, black,
regular," Maggie said.

"Coffee with cream, decaf," Jared said.

"Oh," Maggie added. "If you've got some
that's been around for a while, give me that." Chrissie grimaced,
but nodded.

Jared gave her a questioning look.

"I like it strong."

"It'll stunt your growth."

"I've been drinking the stuff since I was
ten. Hasn't stunted anything yet." A sudden warmth made her throw
back her shoulders to shrug off his jacket. The motion thrust her
breasts forward. The way he struggled to keep his gaze from
following the movement made her nipples pucker. She watched as his
tongue eased over his lower lip. Imaging how it would feel to have
that moist member lave over her made her heart race.

"Here's your mud." Chrissie set the steaming
cup of thick, dark coffee in front of her.

To ease her parched throat Maggie took a big
swallow then sputtered as the hot liquid scorched her mouth.

"Easy there Mad Maggie. Haven't I always
warned you to test the temperature before you jump in?"

Unable to speak for the throbbing of her
tongue, she gulped ice water as Daniel slid into the booth next to
her.

"Mr. Blake. I'm Daniel McCade, Maggie's
daddy. Pleased to meet you." He stretched out his hand to Jared.
They'd agreed to use the McCade name for this charade rather than
risk any of the suspects connecting them with Sterling
Securities.

She kicked his leg under the table. Jared
jumped and looked at her. Oops! Wrong leg.

Jared didn't flinch as Daniel gripped his
hand and shook, but grinned when she saw him wiggle his fingers to
check for broken bones after Daniel released him.

"What are you doing here, Daddy?" she asked
when she could move her tongue again.

"Your mother had some ladies' meeting, so
since my daughter doesn't cook for me." He gave her a poor me look.
She glared back. "I came to get some dinner. I've been meaning to
get over to school and meet Mr. Blake."

Maggie aimed her kick better. Daniel didn't
react, but her toes ached.

"And all my little Mad Maggie's
teachers."

"Mad Maggie?" Jared asked with a grin.

"Just a nickname her mom and I have for her.
Her given name is Madeline Margaret. But she always got so mad when
we called her Madeline or Margaret; we just dubbed her Mad Maggie.
Family joke."

She smothered her groan in another sip of
coffee. The thick bitter brew didn't soothe her irritation. What
was Daniel up to?

She remembered the first time she'd met
Daniel Sterling. Mad Maggie didn't come close to describing the
hellion she'd been.

To this day she wasn't sure why he'd helped
her. She certainly hadn't expressed any gratitude or made the job
of keeping her out of trouble easy. But then and now she felt she
owed him a debt that could never be repaid. Still, it was time for
her to move on with her life. She couldn't remain forever his
assistant. She needed – wanted to create something all her own.
This job was her chance. Why was Daniel butting in? He was supposed
to investigate from inside Reed Software and leave Jared Blake and
the computer club end of it to her.

"Strange nickname," Jared said. "With her
blonde hair and blue eyes, I'm sure as a child she looked like a
little angel."

"Looks can be deceiving. I could tell you
tales that would curl the hair on your head. Why one time…."

"Daddy!" Maggie shouted her warning.

A couple heads in the diner turned in
curiosity. She bit her sore tongue and continued, "I'm sure Mr.
Blake doesn't want to hear about my childish escapades."

"Quite the contrary. As the father of a
nine-year-old little girl I'm very interested in learning just what
kind of trouble they can get up to. But perhaps another time." He
glanced at his watch. "I told the babysitter I'd be back before
nine. It's nice to meet you Mr. McCade."

"I'd like to talk to you some more. Maybe try
and convince you to give up teaching and join the team at Reed
Software? The perks have got to be sweeter than dealing with a
bunch of hormone driven teenagers like my little Mad Maggie here."
Maggie cringed as Daniel ruffled her hair.

Jared's laugh sounded strained and his eyes
flickered over her. "Jackson Reed already made his pitch. Thanks,
but no thanks. I'm not interested."

"Can't blame a guy for trying. And I reserve
the right to try and change your mind."

Jared rose to leave.

"But what about the sketches for the play?"
Maggie asked. "You need to approve them before I give them to Ms.
Moran."

"I'll take them with me and get them back to
you in class tomorrow with any changes I think necessary."

Outmaneuvered, she handed over the drawings
and watched Jared leave then she turned on Daniel. "What was that
all about?"

"Keep your voice down, Mad Maggie. People are
getting curious."

"I'll shout if I want to." Anger heated her
blood, whether because he'd interrupted her investigation or teased
her in front of Jared she wasn't sure. Either way she didn't like
it, but she dropped her voice to a whisper. "I need to get close to
Jared. And don't call me that stupid nickname."

Daniel threw some bills on the table and took
her arm. "Let's go. There've been some developments you need to
know about."

Chrissie gave her a sympathetic look as he
hustled her out of the diner.

Once home he turned to her. "Maggie I think
you're losing your objectivity on this case."

"What are you talking about?"

He sank onto the couch and patted the seat
next to him. She chose to perch on the edge of a chair. He sat
forward and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I wanted you to investigate Jared Blake and
the high school computer club, not ruin his life. This is a very
small town. If he's not guilty of anything his association with you
could reflect badly on him. He's already been through the mill once
before because of a relationship with a student."

"So you think he's innocent? Then or
now?"

"My gut tells me along with everyone in town
that he was innocent back them. As to now. Maybe. Maybe not. That's
what we're trying to find out. But I don't want to sabotage his
life in the process."

"If he's guilty of hacking into Reed
Software's computers I may need to push him over the edge to get
the goods on him."

"And if he's not guilty?"

"Then he's not. We move on. Our job is to
find the culprit. The rest is unavoidable collateral damage." The
words sounded cold and hard. Could she use Jared and then leave his
life in shambles? If necessary, maybe. But what about Alexandra?
Would a scandal give her grandparents the ammunition they needed to
sue for custody? Maggie rubbed her eyes. No, she couldn't hurt that
little girl. Still, she couldn't let Daniel go unchallenged.
"You're getting soft in your old age. This whole scenario was your
brainchild. What's changed?"

"Jackson Reed thinks he's innocent."

"If he thinks the man is innocent, why did he
put us on his scent?"

"He didn't. It was my call. Jackson didn't
know what I had planned."

"So, why back off now?"

"I trust my instincts about people. Plus the
evidence doesn't point to Blake."

"Changing the plan at this stage is a
mistake. What if I keep a tight rein on what goes on between Blake
and me? Use it as leverage if the investigation stalls?" Did she
think Jared was guilty? That this plan was the best? Or did she
just not want to back away from what she felt developing between
her and Jared? What nonsense. There was nothing between them.