9

It Had to Be You

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Chapter 9

"She's special, Jack, very special," Bobby said seriously as he picked at his lunch.

"Have you considered she might be using you to get over her jerk of a fiance?" Jack hated bringing up the possibility of a rebound relationship but Bobby had to consider it

"It's not," Bobby said adamantly, "I know it's not."

"You've known her two days," Jack pointed out, "two days, Bobby. Not two months…not two years but two days…forty-eight hours. How can you be so sure?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "I just am."

Initially skeptical, the more Bobby talked, the more Jack realized his friend believed himself to be in love with this woman, Sue Thomas. He never mentioned the words, but it was plain in the way he spoke about her, the tone he used, the look on his face. In the ten years he'd known his friend, with the exception of Darcy, Bobby's relationships tended to be short-lived and heart free. His father's early rejection of his family had left lasting scars making Bobby wary of personal entanglements.

But this time, he could sense the difference in Bobby. He exuded the quiet confidence of a person really and truly in love. He envied his friend.

"So what's next?" asked Jack.

"We realize we need to spend more time together before we make any drastic decisions," began Bobby, "so we're both requesting some vacation time. Either she'll fly here or I'll fly there."

"That's a good first step."

"And then there's always email and the phone."

"How does that work?" Bobby had shared almost as an afterthought that Sue was deaf.

"She has a Blackberry and at home she has this special phone. Damn!" said Bobby suddenly.

"What?" Jack asked in bewilderment at the sudden change.

"I forgot to get either of her numbers," Bobby frowned.

"Maybe you were too busy doing other things," smirked Jack.

"Maybe." Then Bobby brightened. "But she does have mine. When she calls I'll just remember to ask her."

"Get it before you get sidetracked," advised Jack.

"Sidetracked?"

"Before you get all mushy whispering sweet nothings to her," kidded Jack.

"That, Jack Hudson may be your way of wooing a woman," Bobby stated with a grin, "but I have a style all my own."

"Well, let me know if it works," Jack responded. "I'm always willing to learn a thing or two."

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"More flowers, Sue?" asked Terry when he spotted her carrying a vase.

She nodded happily.

"From that Manning guy?"

Again she nodded.

"Is there a note?"

Another nod.

"Gonna share?"

"Nope." Smiling, Sue headed towards her office to drop off her bouquet.

Terry's gaze followed her. He sure hoped that guy deserved Sue. He liked what he saw the day Manning came to find her but you just never knew. Maybe he'd put out some discreet inquiries. He had his sources.

If she didn't get home too late and didn't feel too tired, maybe she'd make another batch of chocolate chip cookies for Bobby and his friends, she thought as she set the vase on her desk. Should she double the recipe? With a smile, she read the card once more.

"Sue,

It was a perfect day. Looking

forward to more of them.

Bobby."

She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Terry said to stop mooning over your flowers and get back to work," grinned Jesse. "Otherwise we're gonna be behind schedule…and you know how he hates being behind schedule."

"I'll be right there," promised Sue. She tucked the card back into its envelope. She would definitely double the recipe.

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It had been a long day and she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She was just too tired to do anything more than take a shower and crawl into bed. Maybe she'd make those cookies for Bobby tomorrow, thought Sue as she parked her car. Or maybe she'd make him an apple pie. Didn't he say he liked apple pie? But how would she pack it? The problem kept her occupied as she headed for her apartment.

Busy with her plans, she didn't notice the car parked across the street. It had been there last night and the night before and the night before that. The driver sat patiently taking pictures whenever she appeared. He'd been instructed to pay particular attention to any visitors…any male visitors. He'd taken a lot of pictures yesterday as he followed the target around.

He'd wondered why the woman needed to be followed and had asked. Divorce was the explanation. The wife wanted an arm and a leg so the husband needed evidence that she was having an affair. Until this guy showed up, the PI didn't think his client had a chance to prove his suspicion of infidelity. This guy had come in the morning and stayed until the next morning. He'd left after the woman.

The private investigator shook his head. He felt sorry for the woman. It looked like she wouldn't be getting the divorce settlement she wanted. She seemed like a nice enough person and worked long hours at that hotel. Oh well, he wasn't paid to feel sorry for the people he investigated. He'd drop off the pictures to his client tomorrow.

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"How's that new girl working out?" asked Sue.

"She's a hard worker," answered Jesse. "She does whatever you tell her and if she doesn't know, she asks."

"Think we should keep her?"

Jesse nodded. "I think so."

"I'll let Terry know we'd like her to stay on."

"Good."

"When you finish that tray, both of you can take off. Maia and George should be here soon," she instructed.

"Thanks."

As Jesse went to finish his task, Sue headed to her office. She wanted to address the box to Bobby so she could send it today. She'd gotten up extra early to bake this morning. She hoped they turned out all right. Her eyes hadn't been quite open when she'd measured the ingredients.

As she wrote the zip code, a hand tapped her arm.

"Envelope for you," announced Chris. "You are a very popular person," he commented as he handed her a small manila envelope.

"I guess so," said a surprised Sue. She wasn't expecting anything. "Thanks again, Chris."

He flashed her a smile. "Like I said, for you…anytime. See you later."

There was no return address and the printed label provided no clues as to the sender. Sue slit open the flap and pulled out the contents. They were photographs—photographs of her…and Bobby. From the time they'd left the apartment until he'd departed the next morning, there were photographs of their day together. And in each picture, Bobby had been crossed out.

Shaken, Sue sat down staring at the handful of prints. What did it mean?

Jesse stuck his head in and waved to get her attention. "Sue? Sue?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a movement and looked up.

"Sue, we're…" began Jesse when he noticed her pale face. "What's the matter?" he exclaimed.

Hurrying over to her, he glanced at the pictures in her hand and on the desk. This was not good, he thought, not good at all. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"You gonna be all right if I leave for a minute?" he asked gently. "I'm gonna find Terry."

Not sure if she read his lips, he knew their boss would be able to take care of the situation. One last worried glance at Sue and he left in search of Terry.

Jesse found him checking the relish trays ready to be delivered to the event upstairs. "Good…good," he said approvingly. "Take 'em upstairs."

"Terry?"

"What?"

"Go see Sue. She's in her office."

"What's the problem? Somebody called in sick? The desserts went wrong?"

Jesse shook his head. "I found her in her office. Somebody sent her all these photographs."

"Photographs?"

"Of Sue with some guy. But the creepy part is the guy's face was blacked out."

"Blacked out?" He didn't like the sound of this. "In her office you said?"

"Yeah. You want me to stay? I'm supposed to be off."

"Go. I'll take care of her." His eyes searched around. "George!"

A tall older man looked up. "Yeah, Terry?"

"Take over for a while. We need to marinate the orange ginger sauce chicken."

"Okay, Terry."

Sue was slowly rifling through the pictures when Terry appeared by her desk. She threw them in front of him.

Silently he picked them up and looked through each shot. Finally, his eyes met hers. "Jeff?"

"Who else could it be?" She stood up and started to pace. "No wonder I stopped seeing his car! He's had someone follow me!" She shivered as the realization of being watched hit her.

"Go to the police."

"What for?"

"You have proof now."

"Proof of what?" she demanded. "There's no return address, no name."

"Maybe they could find fingerprints."

Sue knew what she had to do. She began gathering the photographs and stuffing them back in the envelope.

Terry grabbed her wrist. "What are you going to do?"

"Go to the source," she said simply.

"Are you sure that's wise?"

She shrugged. "I don't know if it's the smart thing to do but I think it's the right thing to do—for me."

"Want me to go with you?"

She shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but no. This is something I have to do myself."

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"Sue!" smiled the receptionist. "How nice to see you! You haven't been around in a long time."

She smiled perfunctorily. "Is Jeff in?"

"He's on a conference call but he should be finished shortly."

"Is it okay if I wait for him in his office?"

"Sure, go right ahead."

"Thanks, Tiffany."

Sue nodded to people as she walked towards her ex-fiance's office. It was obvious from their looks they still believed the wedding was on. Well, she thought grimly, after today it would be clear the wedding was off.

Sue flung open the door of Jeff's office. He spun around in his chair and looked up.

"Sounds like a good idea, Bill. Let me work on it a little more and I'll have it on your desk day after tomorrow. Good talking to you."

He hung up the phone and hurried over, a big smile on his face. "Sue! I knew you'd come!"

He wrapped her in a hug. She did not return his embrace.

"Um…I'm glad you came," he said with contrived warmth. He closed the door.

"I knew you'd forgive me," he stated. "It won't ever happen again."

She handed him the envelope.

"What's this? A present for me?" he asked.

"Why did you hire someone to take those pictures?"

Ignoring her question, he said admiringly, "You photograph beautifully. I can't say the same about the guy with his face scratched out like that. Bad case of acne or were you mad at him?"

"Very funny," she said dryly. "Answer my question, Jeff. Why did you have someone follow me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said with false ignorance. ""I can't help it if other men, and I'm assuming a man took these pictures, think you're beautiful. I know I do."

"It's over between us, Jeff," she said quietly.

"You're just mixed up. As soon as you get that guy out of your system," he said holding up the stack of pictures, "you'll realize you're in love with me."

"Jeff, listen," she stated. "This has nothing to do with Bobby. I'm not in love with you. I'm not marrying you. Leave me alone or I will go to the police."

"I'd never hurt you," he said reproachfully. "Never you, Sue. I love you. I'll always love you."

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