Love in a Nutshell - Janet Evanovich [76]
“She’d like to know your Traverse City schedule. We’re working on coordinating your calendar so that someone other than you has a clue where you’ll be at any given time.”
“Nobody but me really needs to know.”
“Nice try, but untrue. We also talked about getting bids from subcontractors on the Tropicana, since you’ve decided to be the general contractor. I know you wanted to keep the bids local, but it’s a motel, Matt. You need to take advantage of that. We think you should widen your net some, since you can offer up rooms in exchange for lower price quotes.”
Matt smiled. “You look comfortable there.”
She looked around. “Where?”
“Behind my desk. With your papers everywhere.” There was a certain order to his pile filing system, and he hoped she hadn’t messed with it.
“Where else would I work? I mean, I suppose I could go use the phone at the servers’ stand, but I figure folks should have to work a little harder for their gossip than just lurking behind me.”
“How about we switch off and at least I get the spot behind my desk for a while?” he asked. “I need to get to the computer.”
She rose. “Do you want me out of here?”
And that was the thing of it. Even though they had a long way to go on a personal basis, and it made him a little crazy to have her close, he wanted her nearby.
“You can stick around,” he said. “I’m just placing a yeast order. We’re coming to the last generation we can use to brew.”
Kate had just moved to the visitor’s side of the desk when a knock sounded at the door and Lizzie poked her head into the office.
“So, business or pleasure?” Matt asked.
“Business, definitely.” Lizzie sat down. “Chief Erikson asked me to stop by and give you an update on the incident with Kate in the brewhouse.”
“I’m guessing that it’s more of a no-news update, or Clete would be here himself,” he said.
Lizzie nodded. “You’ve got his act down. The bottom line is that the brewhouse is as clean of evidence as the arson event. There were no prints that couldn’t be accounted for. I can rule someone out, though.”
“Really? Who?” Matt asked.
“Jerry. It seems that he took on a second job when his wife got laid off from the bank. He was there when Kate took her swim.”
“Good to know. Sort of,” Matt said.
“He thought he could pull off a second job without rocking the boat, but it’s been a scheduling mess,” Lizzie said. “He’s going to come talk to you.”
Matt nodded. He wished his manager had done that earlier, but he knew all about overconfidence sending a guy out to the end of a branch about to break. Matt had done it both literally and figuratively. He could forgive Jerry for doing the same.
“It’s a start, but not much of one,” Lizzie said. “For now, let’s keep things status quo. I know you’ve got the guard service, but we’ll continue with the extra drive-bys, too. And Kate, you keep staying at Matt’s.”
Matt looked down at his desk to hide his reaction to this mixed blessing. Then he started reading the papers Kate had left there. He picked one up.
“Kate, what’s this about?”
“It’s a booking contract.”
“I see that. And I see that Depot Brewing Company is contracting with someone named Dr. Love.”
“A blues band. I need you to sign the contract first, of course.”
“Nice of you to recall that detail,” he said.
“I know where I am on the org chart.”
“I don’t have an org chart.”
Kate pointed at a file folder at the top edge of the desk. “You do, now. I was going to post it by the time clock.”
“This is a microbrewery, not a multinational corporation,” Matt said. “With the possible exception of you, everyone knows who’s in charge here.”
Lizzie stood. “I’m all done here. I’ll just leave you to do … whatever it is you’re doing.”
“Witnessing a pretty impressive attempted coup, I think,” Matt said.
“Okay, then.” Lizzie gave Kate a wave. “Coup away!”
Matt turned to Kate as soon as Lizzie left the room. “What is the brewery going to do with a blues band?”
“Start a summer music series out on the terrace when the weather allows and in the taproom when it doesn’t?”
At least she’d made her statement sound more like a question.