Body Double Read Online Free PDF Page B

Phil will give you a tour of the two shelters, introduce you around, and walk you through the processes we have in place. He’ll also assign your cases.”
    Andrea tucked the cash into her purse and stood. “All right. Thanks for the lunch.”
    “Thanks for considering my offer. Either way, welcome aboard.”
    She shook hands with both women and headed back to the lobby, every step heavy with the burden resting on her shoulders. With a wave at Tracy, she exited the building and went to her car. This was a lot to take in.
    And a million bucks was a lot of money.
     
 

     
 
    Blake Thomas, standing in his navy Jockey low-rise briefs in front of the bathroom sink, slapped on a bit of Old Spice. The strong smell made him wince more than the sting of alcohol on his freshly shaved skin, but it would fade to a subtle musk and cedar wood scent by the time he finished dressing. He dressed in a pair of navy Dockers and a gray polo shirt, tucked the shirt in, buckled his belt, and put on a pair of black socks and sneakers. He pulled his cell phone off the charger and scrolled through the text messages and emails as he headed downstairs. The smell of bacon lured him into the kitchen, where he found Isabelle in front of the stovetop, scrambling eggs.
    “Good morning, ma cherie ,” Blake said, planting a kiss on her cheek.
    “ Bon matin , Benjie,” she sang in her French accent. She’d called him Benjie since he was a boy, short for Benjamin, his middle name. “Toast will be ready—” Two slices of rye toast popped out of the toaster. “Now.”
    Blake laughed. “You have a way with that toaster, I swear.” He put the toast on a plate and spread strawberry jam on each slice.
    Isabelle scooped the eggs onto a plate beside three slices of lean turkey bacon. He reached to take it from her, but she pulled it from his grasp. “Sit, sit.” The old woman had her quirks, and it was easier to accommodate her than argue. “You need to save your strength for your honeymoon.” She widened her eyes and tucked her lips between her teeth in an I-can’t-believe-I-said-that expression.
    Blake winked at her. “Don’t worry, Isa. I’ll be fine.” Once he was seated at the table in the nook just off the kitchen, she served him his breakfast and poured coffee into the empty mug in front of him. “Everything looks terrific as always. You spoil me.”
    “It’s my job to spoil you,” she said with a laugh. She kissed his forehead and shuffled back to the kitchen, where she began cleaning up.
    The newspaper was folded on the table to his left, beside the fork and cloth napkin, but a text from his mom took priority.
    Noon T time with Harold @ Lakeview. Nine holes. Hope you can join us.
    The last thing he wanted was to spend two hours golfing with his future father-in-law, but whenever his mother invited Blake to join her in some meeting or event involving Harold Gentry, Blake did what he could to attend. Though his hackles went up whenever he glimpsed Harold looking at his mother’s butt, that wasn’t his biggest concern. He wasn’t confident Harold would honor his promise to keep certain information under his hat. Any man who blackmailed another into marrying his daughter had no honor. Luckily, that daughter had a moral compass that pointed north—the polar opposite of her father.
    Will Sarah be there? he texted back. He set the phone down and started eating.
    Ha ha , came the reply with its accompanying chime. She might come if you invite her .
    He didn’t think Sarah would drop everything to spend time with her father. From what he observed, she preferred not to even acknowledge his existence. Blake didn’t know whether to be more worried about marrying a woman who might grow resentful toward him for entering into a marriage of convenience, or a woman whose father had behaved so poorly over the years that he’d alienated his only child. Either way, he’d sat at this table, and he would play the hand he was dealt.
    After