“And do what?” Andrea asked. “Stand around and watch me work? Honestly, you’d just be in my way. Besides, didn’t you tell me this was a client appointment?”

“Well, yeah, but...”

“Please go. It’ll take me less than an hour to set this up. I promise I’ll turn off the lights and lock the door.” She paused. “Where do you want Duke? He’s welcome to stay out here with me if it’s okay.”

The massive dog was stretched out next to the desk, snoring softly. Duke had scared the daylights out of her at first, just because of his un-doglike size. But he’d proved to be a big old softie. She was okay being here alone, but having a dog that weighed more than she did made her feel extra safe.

“He can stay out here if you want.” His smile made her feel like he’d read her mind about feeling more secure. “When you leave, just shut him in the screen porch at the back of the house. It’s unlocked, and he has a water dish and a bed out there, so he’ll be fine until I get home. Just point the way and he’ll go. He likes you.”

“Do you like me enough to go where I point?” She pointed at the door. She kept her smile firmly in place and finally gestured with a brushing motion. “Seriously...go.”

She got to work as soon as he left, knowing she’d finally be able to sleep once she got it done. Her stomach grumbled. She should have eaten before she drove straight here from the college, but she wanted to finish this. She was getting too old to pull all-nighters like she did last night.

She downloaded the software program onto his computer, then plugged in the thumb drive to upload the records she’d been typing at home for the past week. The first spreadsheet began filling with data—numbers, dates, accounts. It was a scrolling, mesmerizing screen of tiny figures.

Whoa. She couldn’t afford to fall asleep here in the shop. But maybe if she just put her head down on her arms for a minute to rest her eyes and avoid looking at the data tick, tick, ticking up across the screen...

CHAPTER FIVE