Rory: Hope City, Book 7 by Maryann Jordan (uplifting books for women txt) 📕

Wanting to be close but not intrusive, he said, “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation. Please, go ahead.”

She nodded slowly, a little crinkle in her brow still evident, then turned back to the women. “You said you were working on a story about abuses with contracts in City Hall, Bekki. Do you remember a couple of years ago about a scandal with Perkins Electrical? They got contracts by under-bidding and then didn’t follow regulations.”

“That was before I was working at the station, but it sounds familiar.” Bekki grabbed her phone and began tapping. “Any particular reason you’re thinking of them?”

“They have the contract to do the wiring in the Partridge Tower that I’m working in.” Sandy shook her head. “I like the elder Mr. Partridge and his son. I just hate to see them taken advantage of by having someone unreliable working there.”

“Well, I’ve got great contacts and resources. I’ll see what I can find.”

“My insurance company didn’t cover any of the buildings they’d worked on, but I do remember a couple of fires being attributed to their poor work.” Harper was an arson investigator for an insurance company. “I can probably get some information for you as well. Electrical fires are a real concern.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Sandy said. “I don’t know that it’ll make a difference, and I certainly don’t want to make trouble, but I’m already seeing some shoddy work that makes me concerned.”

Rory shifted slightly to her side. She twisted her head around and chuckled. “Look, guys, if you’re going to insist on guard duty, why don’t you sit down and have a drink with us? We look sort of ridiculous with three men standing over us as though you expect someone to swoop in and carry us off.”

“Look around, Sandy,” Rory said. “The whole place is like this.” He had noticed that many of the police and EMS patrons were keeping a sharp eye on the women sitting at the bar or tables. Torin still appeared furious as he served at the bar, cautioning the women to keep an eye on their drinks.

“Oh…” Her breath rushed from her lungs and she swallowed audibly.

Rory caught Harper’s eyes pinned on Sandy, and he dropped his gaze back to her, noting the tension radiating. He moved closer, shooting Sean and Blay a pointed look. “But there’s no reason we can’t have a drink with you ladies as long as you’re sure we’re not intruding.” He grabbed a chair from a nearby empty table and scooted it close to her. Sean slid in next to Harper and Blay next to Bekki.

Sandy’s fingers clutched the stem of her Lemon Drop glass, and as she brought it to her lips, the liquid jiggled as her hand shook slightly. He stretched his arm out and placed it on the back of her chair, his thumb barely skimming her back. Not wanting to take liberties, he breathed easier when she relaxed against his hand.

She shot him a glance, a tiny smile curving her lips. It was so fleeting he wondered if he’d imagined it, but her hand was no longer shaking, so he took that as a good sign.

Sean had been silent during the women’s earlier conversation but now joined. “I was one of the investigators on the Perkins case. It was determined that they used shortcuts when wiring the city’s new billing and accounting building over on Watson’s Street. They were fined for negligence and damages, but no criminal charges were filed. I never heard what happened with their contact at City Hall or how they managed to get the city contracts.”

“Does it affect your job, Sandy?” Harper asked.

“No, not directly. But as an office interior designer, I determine everything on the inside, including how many and where the electrical, phone, cable, and internet outlets need to be located. For the offices that are being built per my designs right now, I am in there making sure everything is exactly where it should be.”

Bekki shook her head. “I had no idea you did all that. I confess that I thought you handled the decorating.”

Smiling, Sandy shrugged. “It’s a common misconception. As an interior designer, I design the space. Since I own the company, I can also do decorating as well, but I prefer the architectural design aspect of my job. I hire an interior decorator to work with the clients.”

Rory tried to appear nonchalant as the women continued to chat but listening to Sandy talk about her business surprised him. In truth, he’d never considered what she did for a career. The words of one of the men came back to haunt him. “… her daddy’s rich… she lives off her dad’s money.”

Bekki looked at her phone and said, “I hate to drink and run, but I’ve got a lead on a story that I need to follow up with. Sandy, I’ll let you know what I find out about Perkins.” She looked at Blay and grinned. “Okay, bro, you’re officially off duty.” With a finger toss, she walked out of the pub, and Blay offered a chin lift to the others as he headed to the bar.

“We should be going, too,” Harper said, smiling at Sean before turning toward Sandy, searching her face. “Will you be okay—”

“I’ve got her.”

Sandy turned to look at Rory, a silent question on her face, and he held his breath.

Sean just smiled, but Harper kept her gaze on Sandy. “Are you sure?”

She looked back toward Harper and nodded slowly. “Yes, I’ll be fine.”

With more hugs and chin lifts, it was soon just Rory and Sandy at the table. Her gaze stayed on her now-empty glass before finally moving to look at him. Their gazes held before another small smile curved her lips.

“You are the most beautiful woman here.”

Eyes widening, she tilted her head to the side. “Is that one of your cheesy pick-up lines?” Her voice held no mirth.

“Oh, no,” he assured, his voice carrying the