Read A Roux of Revenge for Free Online

hours later, and Lucky had a chance to breathe, she realized Elias hadn’t stopped in. Whenever he could, he would come by for lunch. Perhaps he had beentoo busy today. But surely if Elias had already hired another doctor, his schedule should have freed up. She cast her mind back to the morning he was at the counter. A sense of unease started to form in her chest. Something had been bothering him that day. She had noticed, but he’d left so quickly she hadn’t had the chance to question him further.
    “Jack.” She called to her grandfather. “I’mtaking a break. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
    “Go right ahead, my girl. It’s five bells now. Should be quiet for a while.”
    Lucky pulled off her apron and hung it on a hook in the hallway. The Spoonful’s aprons were yellow with the design of a steaming bowl of soup in blue. Her mother, Martha, had designed these and Lucky was determined never to change them. It was their logo, as was theblue and yellow neon sign in the window that her Dad had created to echo the colors and design of the apron.
    Lucky walked through the short alleyway that led to Broadway and turned the corner on Maple. The Snowflake Clinic was close, around the corner and next to her apartment building. When she reached the heavy glass front door, she spotted Rosemary, the Clinic’s receptionist, at the deskwith a phone to her ear. A few patients were waiting in the outer room.
    Rosemary raised a hand in greeting when she noticed Lucky. She was nodding and obviously listening to a caller. She pointed Lucky in the direction of the door to the inner rooms to indicate that Elias was in his office and she should go right in. Rosemary turned away to grab a pen and started jotting down a message.
    Lucky did really want to see Elias, but she also had to admit to a great deal of curiosity about the man discovered in the wreck. She tapped lightly on the office door as she stepped inside. Elias was seated behind his desk, leaning back in the chair. A beautiful dark-haired woman sat at the front edge of his desk, facing him. Lucky’s greeting froze on her lips. The woman’s position and body languagewere so intimate.
    “Lucky!” Elias stood, forcing the woman to move away, which she did slowly and reluctantly.
    Lucky stared silently at Elias for a few seconds. She was taken aback at the scene. Nothing was actually going on, but there was no mistaking the energy in the room.
    “I . . . uh . . . just stopped in to visit.”
    Elias cleared his throat. “Um . . . good.” He stared at herfor a moment. “Lucky, I’d like you to meet Paula Sarens, our new MD at the Clinic. Paula . . . Lucky Jamieson.”
    The two women regarded each other silently for a moment. Lucky nodded. A smile played at the corner of Paula’s lips.
    Lucky broke the silence. “Very nice to meet you. Elias mentioned a new doctor would be coming. I just didn’t realize it had already happened.” She turned to Eliaswith a quizzical look.
    “How nice to meet you too.” The woman’s voice was husky and deep. Her smile, Lucky thought, was sleek and feline.
    Elias fidgeted. He seemed uncomfortable.
    Lucky turned to him, doing her best to maintain a neutral tone. “If you’re busy, it can wait. I was just curious about Nate’s discovery yesterday.”
    “Oh. Yes. Well . . .” Elias trailed off.
    “We can catchup later.”
    “That might be a good idea,” Elias responded.
    Lucky glanced at Paula, who continued to smile. Her look was a cool survey, as though Lucky had been judged and found wanting.
    “I’ll speak with you later,” Lucky replied. She turned away and headed back to the waiting room. Elias followed her.
    “I’m sorry, Lucky. We can catch up tonight. I’ve just been so busy. I’ll give youa call.”
    “Yes, you do seem busy.” She did her best to keep a sarcastic tone from her voice but doubted she was successful. She forced a smile and walked through the waiting area to the front door. She