Read Zen and Xander Undone for Free Online

experience of her young life. (She’s not.) Mr. Blackstone watches her attentively.
    It takes physical effort not to roll my eyes.
    Once Xander swallows, she says, “Actually, Chuck, we had an ulterior motive for stopping by.” She gives him a seductive little grin.
    â€œOh yeah?” he asks, also taking a huge bite, looking none too provocative in the process.
    â€œZen here has to go to the bathroom,” she says, raising one eyebrow at me.
    â€œIs that okay?” I blink a couple times. “Too much root beer.”
    He smiles. “Heck yeah.”
    I walk out. I hear Xander ask him about the Patriots, and he starts spouting off about yards gained last season or something.
    It’s dark in the back room, and cool. There’s a kitchen table and a couple metal folding chairs, and a small refrigerator. An ancient coffeemaker on the countertop is coated with a thick film of what looks like coffee scum, if there is such a thing. Lining the back walls are about ten filing cabinets, all clearly marked. I go to the corner and carefully pull open the drawer marked V—Z. It slides open easily and quietly. I finger through the files until I find the one labeled “Vogel, Marie.” I tuck it under my bulky turtleneck and shove it down the front of my pants to keep it from falling.
    I go into the bathroom, flush the toilet, and run the sink for a second. When I wander back into Mr. Blackstone’s office, arms folded over my middle to hide the folder, Xander is shuffling through his papers.
    â€œWow. Who knew divorce documents could be so boring?” she says to him, holding up a thick packet. “I was hoping for seedy details, but it’s all like ‘party of the first part’ crap.”
    â€œDivorces aren’t really seedy until you get into the depositions. Then you should see what people will do to each other!”
    â€œI believe it!” Xander shakes her head ruefully. “A lasting attraction between two people is so rare, isn’t it?” She turns her darkly fringed eyes upward at him, raises one brow. “Chuck?”
    He nods nervously.
    I clear my throat. “We better get going, Xander. We’re meeting Dad, remember?”
    At the mention of our father, Mr. Blackstone’s face takes on a wary professionalism. “Oh yes, well, tell Dr. Vogel I send my regards.”
    â€œRegards. Got it,” Xander says as he stands to walk us out. I’m careful to walk behind him, hugging myself like I’m cold. If his eyes weren’t glued to Xander, he’d totally see the edges of the folder poking through my shirt.
    He unlocks the door for us, and Xander slides out, but not before resting her hand lightly on his shoulder and smiling up at him.
    He turns the color of an overripe eggplant.
    Xander and I jog to the hatchback and get in. “Did you get it?” she asks me as she backs out of the parking lot. I pull the folder out from under my shirt and plop it on the dashboard. Xander doesn’t wait. While she’s driving, she opens the folder and starts rifling through it, looking for letters.
    â€œDamn it,” she says under her breath. “There’s nothing here.”
    â€œOkay. So we broke the law for nothing.”
    â€œ
You
broke the law.” She smirks. “All I did was flirt.”
    â€œYou know, it’s not nice to lead people on like that, Xander,” I say, remembering the attentive way Mr. Blackstone was watching her. “It isn’t fair.”
    â€œAre you
kidding?
” she squeals. “I made his day!”
    â€œMaybe, until he sees that Mom’s file is missing.”
    â€œHe won’t even go looking for Mom’s file.”
    â€œHow do you know?”
    â€œThe will was read. Everything was doled out. Case closed,” she says absently. She changes lanes as she pulls a handwritten letter from the mess of papers on the dash. It’s not in Mom’s handwriting,