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papers from his hands and slapping them on the table. Kevin, still chuckling, raised his hands as if to ward off her blows, and took his seat again.
    When Deacon was able to tear his eyes away from her, he saw Doug watching him. The man didn't look pleased, and could Deacon blame him? If he had a daughter, and some man was looking at her the way Deacon had been... Yeah, he guessed he could see why the old man might be mad.
    "Sorry," Lisa said a little breathlessly. "I wasn't expecting... I mean..." She stopped to clear her throat, awkward silence hanging in the air like the unpleasant odor of burnt bread.
    "It's all right." This was probably a mistake. Obviously nobody had told Lisa he was going to be working here. From the nervous way she plucked at her papers and avoided his eyes, he could tell she wasn't too thrilled with the surprise either. "Maybe I should just go."
    "No," Lisa cried at the same time her father said the same word.
    With a bemused look at his frazzled daughter, Doug said it again. "No, Deacon. You're part of the team now. I took the opportunity to look over your resume and portfolio yesterday afternoon, and I'm really impressed. I think you're going to bring a lot to this meeting today. We have some new clients I think you're going to be perfect for."
    Deacon sat again. So did Lisa. Now her papers were straight, he thought she might risk a glance at him. Still nothing. She was acting like he was going to leap across the table and bite her, for crying out loud!
    "Let's get started," Doug said.
    As they discussed the regular clients' needs and went over the list of potential new business, Deacon warmed to the work. Self-confident by nature, he jumped right in with his opinions and ideas for many of the land plots shown in the photographs Doug and Kevin presented. It occurred to him at first that he might be expected to sit back and listen, but after both of the other men nodded and agreed with his thoughts, Deacon relaxed. Doug had said he was impressed with Deacon's work, despite it being three years out of date. Maybe working here wouldn't be so bad after all.
    Except for Lisa. Throughout the entire meeting she'd spoken in a monotone and studiously avoided looking at him while passing around the sheets of upcoming promotions. When his hand had accidentally brushed against hers, she'd jerked away so suddenly it was like he'd burned her.
    The meeting ended and Lisa excused herself quickly. Kevin followed her, his backward glance at Deacon just short of hostile. Deacon waited stiffly as Doug gathered his reports, not sure what he was supposed to do next.
    "Let me show you your workspace," Doug offered. "Since neither Kevin nor Lisa seems to be available."
    Deacon followed the older man through a series of short hallways and out into the greenhouse again, then among the rows of lush foliage to another door. It led to a spacious potting shed, well-lit and comfortable, with an architect's table in one corner. One set of shelves held office supplies and another gardening gloves and tools.
    "Nice," Deacon commented, looking around.
    Doug handed him the pictures and notes from the meeting. "I'll leave you to get started. If you need anything, just ask someone."
    Just like that, the older man left. Deacon stood in amazed silence, then shook his head with a grin. He hated having someone hanging over his shoulder, watching his every move, telling him what to do. This freedom was an unexpected bonus, and one he wasn't sure what to think of.
    It felt good to not be under suspicion. He'd had enough of that to last a lifetime. He actually felt like whistling as he flipped through his first assignment, landscaping for a fried chicken and ice cream joint on the far side of town. It wasn't until he got up to sharpen his pencil at the wall sharpener that he noticed the small glass covered opening in the wall. Hidden as it was behind the shelves, and completely nondescript, most people wouldn't have even noticed it. For