TIES THAT MIND

m a teasing grin. Pulling the pen I was chewing on out of my mouth, I narrow my eyes at her suspiciously. "What?" She licks her teeth, flicking the head of the Nash Pierce bobblehead she bought

m the doors of our conference room. I almost jump out of my chair from the shrill tone of her voice. Emma's eyes are wide as saucers as she looks from Darla back to me. "Seriously, Mar, what did you do?" I slide my feet into my discarded heels underneath my desk. Standing up, I wipe my hands down the front of my skirt. I hate that my palms are already clammy from nerves. "I didn't do anything," I hiss, apparently forgetting how to walk in heels as I almost face-plant before I'm even out of the security of my cubicle. She annoyingly clicks her tongue, giving me a look that tells me she doesn't believe me. "Obviously, I knew we had people higher up than Marty, they're just never here. I wonder what could be so serious..." "You aren't helping." There's no time for me to go back and forth with my best friend since college any longer. Darla has her arms crossed over her chest in a way that tells me if I don't haul ass across this office and meet her at the door in the next thirty seconds, she's going to make me regret it. I come to a stop in front of the five-foot woman who scares me way more than I'd care to admit. She frowns, her jowls pronounced as she glares at me. Despite the dirty look, I smile sweetly at her, knowing my mama told me to always kill them with kindness. "Good morning, Darla," I say, my voice sickeningly sweet. Her frown lines get deeper. "I don't even want to know what you did to warrant his visit today," she clips. Your guess is as good as mine, Darla. "Who?" I try to look into the conference room behind her, but the door is shut.Weird. That door is never closed. "Why don't you find out for yourself?" Grabbing the handle, she opens the door. Her body partially blocks the doorway, making me squeeze past her to be able to get in. Whoever this he is, doesn't g