Chapter 2
Friends and Dates

The next morning, Toni was in her office at the usual time, early. She'd already accomplished half her tasks for the morning by the time Leif Yahn sauntered through her office door and took a seat, uninvited. She deliberately ignored him.

"All right," he said finally. "How did you do it?"

She stopped and looked at him as if she had no idea what in the world he was talking about. "Did what?" she turned her attention back to her typing.

"How did you give Mrs. Capp money without her knowing it?"

"Why would I give Mrs. Capp money?"

"So she could afford the lawyer fees."

"Can she afford her lawyer fees now?"

"Of course! You know that she does!" his tone was of irritation.

"That's wonderful. I'm glad. She was a sweet lady."

Leif stared at her in unbelief. "You had to of given her the money!" he demanded. "I know you had to!"

"How do you know she just didn't work to raise the funds? Maybe she has some friends who didn't think it was fair?" Toni had swiveled her chair to face him and was now leaning forward on her desk. "Have you thought of that?"

He glared at her, and she stared right back. Leif began to feel uncomfortable. Her blue eyes were icy and made him wish he had not confronted her. He had no way of saying that she was behind this, no proof. Mrs. Capp had said it was money she'd saved up and as far as he could tell there was no way to prove otherwise.

Throwing his hands up in the air he stood up and fled the room, thankful to be away from her eyes. She had a way about her that was almost mesmerizing at times. But it seemed that anything unexpected could be expected when she was around. It unnerved him.

"Something wrong?" Martin Charles asked as he passed him in the corridor.

"No, nothing," Leif said quickly, pasting a smile on his face. His expression must have been reflecting his present thoughts. He shook his head and shivered. That's what being so close to Toni Nelson did to one, he reflected.

After nodding to Darlene who was busy typing at her computer he swung open the door to his office and entered with a sigh. He stopped short when he realized the room was occupied. "KD," he managed a smile.

"You look like you've just been tackled," Keith Dalton Lance joked. He was a tall young man, slightly taller than Leif with a jovial personality that was hard not to like. They'd been friends ever since high school and even when KD had dropped out of college they'd still remained close buddies.

Leif had often pondered over their friendship. They were not alike. In fact, they were almost opposites. KD was always happy, cheerful and almost irresponsible. He had held down his latest job the longest: almost a year. The longest before that was four months. But some of this had changed when he met his girlfriend. They seemed to be perfect for each other. She seemed to have given KD an anchor to hold on to, and Leif wouldn't be surprised when KD waltzed into his office with a big announcement.

"Actually," he forced his mind back to the present. "I've got this co-worker who's…well, it seems like strange things happen around her. I mean yesterday the drink machine ate my change…"

"Doesn't it always?" KD rolled his eyes.

"That's my point. I've never received a refund back from it but yesterday not only did I get my money back, but I got all the change in the machine!"

"Must have been your lucky day," KD shrugged as if he didn't really understand what Toni had to do with this. Leif continued and related the incident with Mrs. Capp. Again he shrugged. "Maybe she has friends that believe in her son and they helped get the money together?"

"That's exactly what Toni said."

"I think you're just making a bigger deal about this than you ought to," he shrugged again. Leif looked at him and sighed.

"I guess you're right," he ran his fingers through his thick blonde hair. "I'm just edgy."

"Maybe you should go on a vacation?" KD suggested. "By the by," he pulled out a set of four tickets from his pocket. "I have the reservations and the tickets. Have you got your date?"

Leif stared at him blankly. "Tickets?" suddenly he felt his face grow warmer. "I forgot all about it!" he slapped his head with his hand.

"Don't tell me you didn't ask Elaine out?" KD's voice had risen to a high pitch. "We're counting on you to join us and I bought four tickets. It is your money, but still, do you realize how hard it is to get these?" he waved them in front of him.

"As a matter of fact…" Leif picked up his phone and began dialing. "I'll ask Elaine right now." KD sighed.

"Okay, but this is awfully short notice."

"I suppose you have your date already to go?" Leif almost snarled.

KD looked at him seriously. "Of course! Glenda's been waiting for this day for weeks."

With that his friend left and the phone continued to ring in Leif's ear. He began rummaging through his files piled on his desk. Surely he'd picked up the Johnson file from Placid. He distinctly remembered seeing it on his desk.

"Hello?" a sultry voice answered the other end of the line.

"Elaine? Hi, it's me," there was a pause. "Leif?" He was sorry he refreshed her memory as she began to yell at the top of her lungs. Leif buzzed his secretary.

"You couldn't have called me before now?" Elaine demanded. "I mean, what's it been? Two weeks? And you wait until now to call me? What do you think I am? Your laundry to be tossed aside when you don't need me any more?" He marveled at the woman's set of lungs. She'd been shouting through the entire tirade.

"Yes?" Darlene asked as he put his hand over the receiver.

"Have you seen the Johnson case file?"

Darlene rolled her eyes in thought. "I believe the last time I saw it was on your desk," she responded squinting her eyes in thought.

"Well it's not here now," he sighed, throwing a file across his desk in frustration. "Try looking out front in the file cabinets for me, would you?" Darlene turned to leave, but glanced over her shoulder as the woman at the other end of his line continued to yell at the top of her lungs.

"Elaine?" he tried to make his voice sound sweet. "Would you just hold on a moment and listen?"

But listen she would not.

His door opened and he hoped it was Darlene with the file. His hopes were dashed when he saw that it was Toni instead. She had a pile of papers stacked in her arms. "Oh, not you!" he grunted, muttering, but Toni heard. She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as the woman was still yelling.

"What are you looking for?" Toni asked with genuine concern while she took in the disheveled state of his office.

"The Johnson file." Toni's face scrunched up in thought. She'd seen that file somewhere before. She'd handed it back to Mr. Placid after her review of it, but that wasn't the last place she'd seen it. Why did Ace Goldwyn have it again? The thought passed through her mind, but she quickly blinked the file on top of her papers.

"Here it is," she handed it to him. Exasperation colored his face as he deliberately slammed down the receiver. If that was the way Elaine was going to be about things, he'd find someone else to go to the concert with him.

"What were you doing with it still?" he demanded, rising from his seat and staring at her threateningly.

"I didn't have it," she pursed her lips and looked at him doggedly. "Mr. Goldwyn had it, sir." Leif felt the urge to take a step back.

"Oh," the steam escaped from him. "Well," he took it from her and she retreated out of the office.

That evening she was more than happy to be heading to her apartment. She got home earlier than usual. It was such a wonderful thing, even if it was a small studio apartment. Before she had unlocked the door she could hear humming.

"I'm home!" she announced to find Muriel Adams, her housekeeper, sweeping up the kitchen area.

"Afternoon, Miss Nelson," she nodded, her petit rounded body bobbing with her efforts. "You're home early." Toni nodded as she tossed her purse and coat on a chair. She didn't really need a housekeeper. Most genies didn't, but even so her aunt Caroline Gilford had suggested she hire one. "It'll look less suspicious," she'd said. "But then I'll have to worry about not using my powers when she's there," Toni had protested. "Then have her work when you're at the office," Aunt Carrie had suggested.

So far the arrangement had worked quite well, with the exception of days like today when Toni ended up going home early. It wasn't that big of an inconvenience and Toni didn't have to user her powers for the extra work.

"Something wrong?" Muriel asked.

"Nothing," Toni shook her head and glanced around.

"You're cousin popped in twice since I been here today."

"Popped?" Toni tried to hide the high pitch that inadvertently attacked her vocals.

"Yeah, she came by here looking for you," Muriel continued to push the broom across the floor. "I guess she wanted to talk to you about something." She shrugged, Toni let out a slow sigh of relief. Sometimes her cousin was purely reckless. She could pop in at the most inopportune moments…like while she was consulting with a potential client with Martin Charles – at least neither of them had seen her – or getting a cup of coffee in the break room. One of those days, Glenda was going to get her in serious trouble.

She picked up her blue Motorola Razr and dialed Glenda's number. "Hey, did you come by earlier?" she asked when her cousin had answered.

"Sure did, are you there now?"

"Don't come by you're usual way," Toni hurried to caution. "But yes, I'm home."

"Good!" she wondered if Glenda had heard her admonition, but not more that ten seconds later her door bell rang.

"Must have been on her way up," Toni faked a smile to Muriel and went to the door.

"I'm done now," Muriel responded as Toni opened the door up to reveal a young woman about her same height with flaxen blonde hair and a ready smile on her rosy red lips. "Anything else you need before I leave?" Muriel continued, ignoring their intruder.

Glenda's wide blue eyes looked from Muriel to Toni who answered, "No, that's all. You do a really good job," she smiled as the woman inclined her head in acknowledgement of the complement. She had been donning her coat and picked up her purse as she headed for the door.

"I'll see you Thursday then," she bobbed her head as she closed the door. Glenda had watched the woman as she left the room, now she turned her full attention to her cousin.

"How goes it?" Glenda asked smacking on a piece of gum

"Fine?" Toni replied tentatively, eyeing her cousin with suspicion.

"What?" Glenda's eyes bugged out and her tone was exasperated.

"Well, you're mighty bouncy coming in here, all cheerful and chipper, it makes me think that you're up to something, or you want something," Toni responded with her arms folded across her chest.

"Oh! Come off it, just because I did few times ask a favor of you or do something devious doesn't mean I'm always going to be coming in here and doing something like that!" Glenda's tone was offended. "Besides all I wanted from you…"

"I knew it!" Toni waggled her finger under Glenda's nose.

"Hey! Hear me out. All I wanted was to see if you'd like to double tonight? We're going to go bowling and then have dinner at Pizza Hut."

"Me?" Toni was incredulous. She blinked in two cups of coffee and the coffee pot, and proceeded to pour. "Give me one good reason why I should go out, Glenda?"

"It'd be fun," she grinned.

Toni sighed adding sugar and cream with another blink. "You know I don't go out. You know I don't plan on ever getting married, so what's the point?"

"Do you realize, cousin mine, that you're always cooped up here with no friends, and that you have no life?"

Toni's hazel eyes met Glenda's with consternation. "I have a life, Glenda, I go to work and I do good for people with what I do. How can that not be a life?"

"I mean you have no life beyond that Toni. You should loosen up a bit. One day you might have a master, and how will you know what to do then?" Toni stared at Glenda and sighed.

"I don't expect you to understand my feelings Glenda, and I've told you many times that I don't intend on ever having a master. So, I'm all good. How about you?" she finished with a grin, hoping to turn her cousin from her dark mood.

"I guess," Glenda shrugged. "You know how long I've been dating Keith?" she changed the subject and Toni perked up her ears. "Four months. I like him." And with that she blinked out of the room and Toni shook her head. What was her crazy cousin trying to tell her?

(To be continued…)