First chapter = disclaimers
Yup, short update with a cliffhanger ending.
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Ellen smiled at Dr. Alvin Tremble as he sat across the table from her. A simple investigation for Dr. Sloan had turned into a dinner date with a very handsome doctor. At least, Ellen would have called him handsome if she had not been spending all of her time fantasizing that she was with Steve.
Alvin's brown eyes crinkled at the corners as he completed his joke. They sparkled in amusement as Ellen laughed at the punch line. They were beautiful eyes. Ellen wanted nothing more than to poke them shut so she could pretend to be with a cop.
With a polite smile, Alvin excused himself to the bathroom. Ellen waited until the man was almost out of sight before she pounced on the contents of his jacket pockets. Hidden amongst the man's pocket lint and grocery receipts was the corner of a napkin with a phone number on it. Ellen quickly stuffed the contents back in Alvin's jacket pockets and jotted down the number in her notebook.
Seconds later, Alvin returned from his jaunt to the bathroom. Ellen smiled politely as he sat back down.
"You know, I would never have pegged you for a woman with an appetite for ribs," Alvin said as they were served, "I would have thought you to be more of a salad girl. You're so lady like. I must admit I was dumbfounded to learn you liked joints like this."
"What can I say?" Ellen shrugged and smiled politely before she could gag on the overwhelming 'compliment.'
"Ellen, I know this is our first date, but I can't help but wonder. Would you see me again on Friday?"
"Of course, I mean, you're such a fascinating person. What girl could resist?" Ellen fought back her gag reflex. The man oozed superiority. Another date would be murder, but she had to do it. Helping Mark was as close as she could get to Steve, and she would die before she gave up that chance.
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Carol watched as her friend listlessly stirred her coffee. After eating her third éclair of the morning, Ellen had ordered a sack of donuts to go. Something was bothering the reporter.
"What on earth is bothering you so much?" Carol finally blurted out.
"I have a date," Ellen replied morosely.
Carol fought back a wave of panic before she responded, "Isn't that a good thing?"
"Not when you spend the whole time wishing you were with someone else. Not when the only reason you're going is because your ex's father asked you to do some investigating, and especially not when the guy is completely full of himself."
"Why don't you treat it like just another story?"
"I can't. I feel like I'm cheating on him."
"But you aren't you're just getting information."
"Easy for you to say."
"Oh, really, you are being overly dramatic. You can't be cheating when it isn't truly a date."
"Then that makes me a liar because I told the guy that it was a date. So I'm either a cheat on a fantastic guy I broke up with, or I'm a complete lying floozy to a jerk."
"I think I prefer lying to the jerk. It doesn't sound as malicious."
"Carol…"
"What do you want me to say? You're miserable because you're going out with someone you don't like. Any woman would feel that way."
"Are you trying to tell me this is normal?"
"Your feelings? Yes. This situation? Not in a million years. You are a seriously warped individual. The good thing is I have a feeling that 'Mr. Perfect' is too."
Ellen laughed, "I thought that you were my friend."
"Friends have an inherent duty to tell the truth."
"Well in that case, I have an inherent duty to tell you that that top looks terrible."
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Jesse smiled as he shamelessly flirted with an overweight middle aged woman. Steve was going to owe him soooooo much. Jesse had heard a rumor that a certain paper was looking for a reporter. That certain paper's human resource manager happened to eat at bob's every other night.
He knew it was very risky to pull this sort of thing, but he was going insane. So, Jesse Travis had given the manager a free pass on anything on the menu, flirted outrageously, handed her Ellen's resume, and proceeded to beg like a five-year-old for a new toy.
The older lady laughed, "This has got to be the strangest plea for a job that I've ever had. You want me to hire a woman you aren't related to because she is your best friend's ex? I should hire her simply because of your story. Are you certain she isn't your girlfriend?"
"You come in here often enough. Who looks like he's been dumped me or Steve?"
"True, but that doesn't mean that this Ellen was the woman that dumped him."
Jesse turned on his best puppy dog eyes, "Would you at least read her résumé? Please?" Jesse's lip quivered just slightly.
"Oh, for heaven's sake! I would have read it without the free meal. I'll keep you posted, Dr. Travis. By the way, if you ever get tired of being a doctor and business owner, you might try theatre. You looked just like my malamute when he needs to go."
Jesse sighed in relief as the woman left. She was going to consider the application.
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Ellen frowned as she went through her phone messages. Her contacts still had not been able to track down the owner of the unlisted number that she had taken out of Dr. Tremble's pocket.
Well, it was past time that she told Mark about her progress.
She flopped onto her couch and dialed Mark's number from memory.
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Steve grinned as his father shoved him out of the kitchen. There really was nothing like burning toast to motivate your father into cooking.
The ringing telephone cut short Steve's gloating.
"I'll get it," he called as he went to pick up the receiver.
"Hello?" Steve queried as he answer the phone.
"Steve?" Came the surprised voice on the other end.