“About the patio?” Addison said, reaching for her wine.

“Did you make another?”

The tone of Joanna’s cutting reply was not lost on Addison. While her words were few, they dripped with contempt, but in Addison’s mind, it was a start. Just hearing Joanna’s voice had lifted her spirits, and she wasn’t about to give Joanna any ammunition to storm out of the room or cut short the conversation.

Taking a sip of wine, Addison placed the glass back on the table. “Did Millie send over my schedule?”

Joanna arched an eyebrow. She was expecting at least a hint of annoyance in Addison’s reply, but instead the woman’s voice was calm and respectful. “Yes, she e-mailed it to Evelyn.”

“Good.”

“Speaking of that, I ordered a laptop for myself, and Millie has my e-mail address. So, if any changes are made to your diary, she can send them to me directly.”

“You should have let me know. I could have had the company supply you with one.”

“Well, you never offered before, so there was no reason for me to bother you.”

“It wouldn’t have been a bother.”

“No?”

“No,” Addison said, shaking her head. “So...why the laptop?”

“To do research. If I’m going to hire someone to fix the slate, I need to know what questions to ask.”

Research could have been Addison’s middle name, and her appreciation of Joanna’s thought process showed on her face. “That’s an excellent idea.”

“I thought so.”

“So...have you contacted anyone yet?”

“Yes, I made arrangements to talk to three companies next week while you’re out of town.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Is that a problem? You said it was up to me, or am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not wrong.”

“Well, imagine that,” Joanna said as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.

Addison grimaced, and picking up her wine, she emptied it in one swallow. As she set the glass back down, she said, “Look...I know...I know you’re upset about...about what happened at the Langham. I made a mistake. I was drunk—”

“You know nothing!” Joanna shouted as the vision of a slender, redheaded woman invaded her thoughts again. Jumping to her feet, she said, “And I don’t want to talk about this. You have your life, and I have mine. Let’s leave it at that.”

“But—”

“There are no buts, Addison,” Joanna said, striding to the door. “And this conversation is over!”

Seconds later, the sound of the doors slamming closed reverberated in the room.

***