Purely Relative by Claire Gillian Page A

wiping her eyes, “you are so
charming.”
    I didn’t think I was that charming, but whatever.
    The laughter suddenly ceased and she fixed me with a
terrifying stare. “You must do your penance now though.”
    I gulped. Though she was my size, she was five times
scarier. “What do you need?”
    “I need you to tell me who Jon works for.”
    That I was not expecting. At all. “Wha-what? What do you
mean?”
    “Who does he work for? It’s a simple question. You owe me an
answer as your penance,” she said, right before she took a sip of her coffee.
Her eyes never left mine, however.
    I decided to see how far playing dumb would get me. “We were
both fired from Anderson Blakely. I thought you knew that.”
    She shook her head and set her coffee mug down. “I didn’t
ask you who he doesn’t work for, I asked you who he works for right now. Who is
signing his paychecks?”
    The coffee cake I’d been nibbling suddenly turned to sawdust
and stuck in my throat, or at least that’s how it felt. I took a sip of my
coffee, stalling as I considered my best response. I got nothing. “Um, I don’t
think it’s my place to say anything, Mrs. Cripps.”
    “Very well. How about confirming what I’m pretty sure is the
truth? He’s still with the FBI, isn’t he?” She cocked her head to one side,
eyes narrowed.
    “Why do you think that?” It was the best I could come up
with until I could figure out how to run away without permanently damaging my
relationship with her.
    “Because that’s who he worked for in DC. He had a job he
loved. I know he moved here for Thalia, but he would have never completely cut
ties with the Bureau. He loves it too much, more than he ever loved Thalia.”
    She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know,
although I had never considered that his moving back to Dallas might have only
happened with the FBI’s accommodation. Had they not given him the transfer,
would he still be in DC, and still in a long distance engagement to Thalia? “I’m
sorry, Mrs. Cripps—”
    “Julia.”
    I nodded, as much as my neck muscles would allow from the
tension seizing me up. “I’m sorry, Julia, but I can’t pay my penance this way.
I’ll do your laundry or wash your car or still owe you, but don’t ask me to
tell you stuff about Jon. I can’t do it.” I stood to leave. “I won’t do it.”
    She stood with me, stony-faced. “Please.” She motioned for
me to sit. “I’m sorry. I’ve overstepped. I’m sorry. If Jon won’t tell me, I
have no right to bully it out of you. Please accept my apology and consider
your penance served.” Two steps and she was at my side, her hand on my arm. “Not
that you ever owed me any.” And then the smile returned. “I just ... worry. He
may be twenty five years old, but he’s still my boy.”
    That almost crumbled me. Almost. Were it not for that little
twitch at the corner of her mouth, the same twitch I’d seen on her son’s face
when he was pulling my leg, I might have fallen for it. Instead I smiled and
said, “I understand.” And that’s all I said before excusing myself and leaving
for my job interview.
     
     

Chapter 10
    I missed Jon. He called me that
first night, tired from his trip, but it wasn’t the same as having him with me
or even knowing he was at his apartment a few blocks away. My heart stretched
into a thin filament, struggling to remain attached to him over the long miles
that separated us. The next night I could hear the strain in his voice over the
telephone. When I asked what was wrong, he mumbled something about work
politics. All I knew was that I wanted him back home, but I still had a day to
go.
    My interviews didn’t pan out so well. The businesses I
visited seemed enthusiastic enough, but in all of them, I sensed trouble
bubbling beneath the surface. Drama-free was requirement number one. After all
the issues at Anderson Blakely, I needed, no I craved, normal. Reconciling my
bank account only added to my