Read Circle of Shadows for Free Online

very businesslike manner, either. The glances he kept
sending her way were anything but impersonal.
    When they reached the restaurant,
he helped her take off her coat, and the electricity sparked again as he
touched her. It definitely wasn’t just static from the carpet. His lips quirked
as he glanced down at her, as if to say that he felt it, too. Taking her coat,
he turned to hang it up.
    Trying to hide her confused
feelings, she followed the hostess to their table by the window.
    He nodded at the sunset on the
lake below. “Beautiful view, isn’t it ? ”
The perfectly landscaped shore was artfully scattered with bushes and flowering
plants, some beginning to bloom. Streaks of red and gold in various shades lit
the sky and were reflected on the water a few yards away.
    “Gorgeous.”
    ***
    The Lakeview Lounge served
excellent food, and tonight was no exception. Lili tried to keep her mind on
business, but it kept straying to questions about his personal life. Was he
married? Or seriously interested in anyone? Surely he was too good looking and
eligible to be single and unattached. Why did she care? He was her enemy, and
as soon as she could convince him to sell back those shares, she’d never have
to see him again.
    She took a bite of the flaky
broiled walleye and looked up to catch him watching her. She stopped breathing,
looked quickly away, and suddenly became absorbed in buttering her hot popover.
    He didn’t seem too interested in
business either. Throughout dinner, he asked questions about her life, drawing
out details about where she had worked, and what her duties had been. She told
herself he was only checking out her credentials for her present job as store
manager, yet couldn’t help wondering if he was really interested in her,
personally.
    As he helped her with her coat,
their eyes met and held for a long moment. She caught her breath, then pulled
her gaze away and they walked out to his car.
    She was sorry to see the evening
end, and especially sorry that they had to go back to the store for the
unpleasant task of telling the employees the news.
    By the time everyone had gathered
in the coffee-break room for their staff meeting, Lili’s throat felt stiff with
nerves. It took all of her willpower to put on a business-like front and
conduct the meeting in a calm voice. Fifteen anxious faces watching her and
staring with curiosity at Ken were not helping.
    Lili told them about the sale as
simply as possible. She could see from their facial expressions that her news
was just what they had been expecting. Pain stabbed through her. Why, oh, why,
had her father done this to them?
    She pushed her feelings aside and
introduced Ken as they’d agreed. Then she sat back and listened as he explained
that nothing would change as far as the employees were concerned. They would
report to Lili as before.
    Somehow she had expected Ken to
announce that from now on, he would have the last word on everything; instead
he was telling them to carry on as before. That sent a surge of surprised
pleasure through her.
    When Arthur asked if that
included hiring and firing, Ken simply replied, “Of course. But I promised
Robert we would not fire anyone without very good reason for at least a year.”
    That brought some relieved
smiles.
    After fielding their questions,
Ken said, “I’ve found that security is a problem in some of the stores. I’d
like to show you an excellent video our wholesaler has developed on it to give
you tips on spotting shoplifters and watching for vendor theft.” They agreed to
watch the video on the following Wednesday evening at seven o’clock.
    Then Ken asked, “Are there any
other concerns ? ”
    “What about medical insurance and
workmen’s compensation insurance ? ”
Anna asked cautiously. There was a murmur of assent from the others.
    “What do you have now ? ” Ken questioned, looking at
Lili.
    She briefly described the
business package her father had carried. “I don’t know much