Page 91 of Fierce-Zander
“What kind of name is Zander? Is it short for Alexander?”
She shrugged. Why didn’t she know the answer to that? “I don’t believe so.”
“You don’t know that?” her father asked. “I would have expected you to know all sorts of pieces of information like that before you got into a relationship.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“You’ve always had to know everything about a person before you decided if you wanted them in your life or not. There isn’t anything wrong with that. Maybe if Kellen was more like you he wouldn’t have developed a substance abuse problem.”
She threw her hands up in the air and almost tossed her phone at the same time.
“Kellen doesnothave a substance abuse problem. He’s doing great at his new job and life. He’s happy for his sister who happens to be in love. Sorry I don’t know something silly like if Zander is short for anything. Those aren’t the important things.”
“There is no reason to get emotional,” her father said. “Now you’re starting to act like Kellen. It was just a statement.”
She took a deep breath. “You’re right, it was. I said what I needed to. Have a nice day and holiday.”
She said that as calmly as she could, her father said goodbye back and she hung up.
She texted Zander quickly.What’s your full name?
It was five minutes before she read the reply.Zander David Conway. What’s yours? Is this some kind of a test? Can I guess? Is your middle name Ann? Then your initials would be RAP.
She wasn’t sure why she found that response hilarious and was laughing so hard that she had tears in her eyes.
Thanks for that. I needed it. It’s Marie. Just as generic.
Sweetheart, there isn’t one thing generic about you.
Guess she needed to hear that too.
27
THEIR EVENT
“What’s the face for?” Regan asked Miles when she came back from getting a soda in the vending machine Tuesday afternoon.
“What?” Miles asked, lifting his head from the piece of paper in his hand.
“I asked what your face is for. You’re concentrating like it’s something serious.”
“It kind of is,” Miles said and turned the paper over for her to read it.
Thanks a lot, bitch. You’re supposed to help, not make it worse. You’ll get yours someday.
She took a second to absorb what was in front of her. She’d seen a lot worse threats from clients during her internships, but this was one directed right at her.
Miles was already worked up and this could get messy if she didn’t try to contain the situation.
She looked at the envelope and it had a Durham stamp on it from the post office. Not much help there.
“Well,” she said. “That’s not very flattering, is it?”
“That’s all you’ve got to say?” Miles asked, his voice rising. “I’m shaking and it’s not even directed at me. Or it could be. I’ve been called a bitch before.”
“Then maybe it is to you,” she said, forcing a grin. “You help people too. My clients. Could be you didn’t give someone the appointment times they wanted.”
“Ha ha,” Miles said, giving his shoulders an offended wiggle, but she saw the fright in his eyes and hoped it wasn’t mirrored in hers. “Why aren’t you bothered by this?”