What's in a Name? Read Online Free PDF Page A

Statement was on its way.
    “ How’s Windsor working
out?” he said. “You okay?”
    “ Fine and
yes.”
    “ You know I wouldn’t
have sent anyone if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. But it won’t be
long, and you can go back to being your own solitary
self.”
    “ I know. I’m sorry I
overreacted when you called yesterday.”
    “ Kiddo, you know I’ll
do whatever you want. I owe you one.”
    She relaxed her grip on the phone. “No,
you don’t. I’ve told you a million times, all Justin needed was a
little redirecting. He has the skills, but he needed a better
outlet for them. How’s he doing, by the way?”
    “ Getting top grades at
OSU and a part-time job at a software company. Making me and
Margaret proud parents.”
    She took a quick moment to share the
pride. Justin Stockbridge was a formidable hacker, but his
compulsion to see how much he could get away with would have gotten
him caught sooner or later. Back to the issues at hand. “So, what
more can you tell me about Windsor?”
    “ Not much. Thornton
recommended the guy when I told him we wouldn’t be ready in time
without immediate help.”
    “ Thornton? I thought
all he did was throw money into the project. I didn’t know he
actually looked at the little people doing the work.”
    “ You might think about
removing the stick from your cute little behind, Kiddo.”
Stockbridge’s voice had taken on an irritated edge.
    “ Sorry.” She fingered
through her mail. “The new schedule’s adding some pressure. I
worked most of the night.”
    “ Look, Thornton
called, apologized for moving the start date. Said he’d heard good
things about a handyman agency, Windsor had come recommended and
suggested I call. You know EnviroCon needs this project. The man
talks, I listen. The agency was legit. Windsor was available.
Enough? Or should I dig deeper?”
    “ No, it’s all right. I
overreacted.” She put the Jeep in gear and tried not to think about
the way her heart rate picked up every time she looked at Windsor.
Maybe her body was telling her she was ready to live again, picking
someone safe to practice on. Nothing serious. No relationships.
Just getting comfortable being in the same room with someone
carrying the XY chromosome set.
    Camp Getaway would open and she’d be on
her way to another assignment. Never staying long enough in one
place for anyone to connect her to Casey or Robert.
    Back at the house, she settled at her
desk with a sense of accomplishment. When she was a kid, she’d
always eaten her vegetables first, saving the good stuff for last.
With the government paperwork on its way, she felt like she’d
finished her beets and was ready for something yummy.
    The next most important item on her
list, a Certificate of Occupancy, wasn’t exactly dessert, but it
was Windsor’s responsibility to bring the cabin up to code, not
hers. Still, she ought to check. As she strolled down the path to
the cabin, she told herself it was important she keep tabs on his
progress.
    Blake called down from the roof when
she approached. “Everything all right?”
    She squinted into the sun and looked up
at him. Her heart did that tap dance again. He’d taken his shirt
off and was on hands and knees, hammering shingles. Shading her
eyes with a forearm, she said, “Fine.”
    “ You want the nickel
tour?” He stood up, balancing on the pitched roof without any
trouble.
    “ No—you keep on doing
what you’re doing. I’ll only be a minute.” She stepped inside,
inhaling the scent of fresh-cut wood. Without the plywood covering
the windows, the room seemed bigger. Sawdust danced in the gold
afternoon light, swirling in the breeze, dusting her like a winter
snow flurry. In place of stacks of lumber, she imagined the cabin
with ten bunk beds lining the walls. She heard children whispering
in the dark before falling into a dead sleep the way you did after
being in the mountain air all day, hiking along the
trails.
    Unbidden, a smiling cherubic