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Nels.
    "Oh, she does not!" I said. "BeBe is a good . . . dog." I refused to say the word "schnitzel."
    "The meeting?" Deanna reminded from the conference room doorway. "We've got to go over the Towle project, and Nina," she looked at her watch, "you need to leave in ninety minutes to finalize plans with Pippi." For all her nuttiness, Deanna was a stickler for details and time management.
    Thank goodness one of us was. It was one of the reasons why I needed to talk to her this afternoon. She was perfect for the job I had in mind.
    "We'll be right in," I said.
    BeBe's tail thumped happily. I patted her head. "All right. She can stay. But just for today. If Tam's still out tomorrow, then you'll have to find a doggy day care, or leave her with Daisy."
    Kit's eyes had been tattooed with dark liner years ago. At the mention of Daisy's name, they narrowed into thin black slits.
    I raised an eyebrow. "Not Daisy?"
    "Who's Daisy?" Roxie asked, stepping forward, notebook in hand.
    "Who're you?" Brickhouse poked Roxie's arm.
    "Hey!" She swatted Brickhouse's hand. "No touching."
    BeBe growled and lurched to her feet. Brickhouse thumped her back. "That's my good schnitzel."
    Roxie took a step back. "Is . . . is she dangerous?"
    I looked at Brickhouse. "Very."
    "No, not her! The dog!"
    "Oh, I think you have more to worry about with Mrs. Krauss."
    Brickhouse clucked in agreement.
    Roxie stepped back. Smart girl. I made introductions as the phone rang.
    Brickhouse answered it. "Hold on one second," she said to the caller. "Kit? Daisy."
    Kit growled. He really was grumpy today, and call me Kreskin, but I had the feeling it had to do with Daisy.
    Daisy was Kit's live-in girlfriend. If not for the phone calls and occasional hickey on Kit's neck, I'd wonder if she truly existed. Not one of us had ever met her.
    Roxie backed off, held up a palm in surrender. "Later. Later is fine."
    Brickhouse held out the phone. Kit shook his head. "Sorry," she said, "he's in a meeting right now . . . "
    "So, Daisy?" I said to him.
    "Not now, Nina."
    "Meeting, people?" Deanna tapped a foot, but managed to smile for the camera. "We don't have all day!"
    "Coming," I said.
    Marty came into the office, looked at the camera, ducked his head and headed straight for the conference room.
    "Who was that?" Roxie asked.
    "Marty Johnson."
    She jotted something else in that notebook of hers. I could only imagine what.
    "Bored?" I asked Nels.
    "Exhausted."
    I smiled. "Welcome to my world."
    As Kit and I sat down at the conference table, Deanna said, "I'm so glad you're back together with Bobby."
    Wistfully I stared at the doughnut box.
    She gushed. "He's so dreamy!"
    Did she realize the camera wasn't on?
    "Yeah, dreamy, " Marty mocked her.
    She threw a pencil at his head.
    Definitely never boring around here.
    At work, only Kit, Brickhouse, and Tam (because she finds out everything anyway) knew about the charade. Everyone else thought Bobby and I were back together.
    "Yeah," Kit said, waggling his eyebrows. "The way he looks at you . . . He's so in loooove."
    "Oh, that's good," Roxie said from the doorway. "Did you get that?" she asked Nels.
    Please no, please no, please no.
    Nels nodded. "Yep."
    Ah, screw it. I reached for a doughnut.

Four

    Our meeting ran late, but everything looked to be on track for the mini makeover at Lowther House, a très upscale retirement home in nearby Lebanon. I packed up my design boards, and was feeling guilty about the two doughnuts I'd scoffed down.
    Maybe I would start exercising. How bad could it be? I enjoyed gym class as a kid, and loved playing soccer and volleyball while in high school. I could huff and puff my way to a toned body again, but knew I didn't have the motivation to do it on my own.
    I found Kit hunched over his desk, scowling at paperwork.
    Over my shoulder I spotted Nels raiding the fridge. Roxie was off trying to figure out who Daisy was.
    The coast was clear.
    "I'm thinking about exercising, Kit."
    He didn't even look up.