Federal Affair

Chapter 11

The sun's bright rays blasted through my driver's side window as the flaming orb rose in the morning sky. There were very few clouds, giving off a mist look. I headed south on the interstate toward my suburb. I let my mind wander while I drove, thinking over the conversation I'd had with Nick just ten minutes prior. He'd tugged at my heartstrings telling me about when he knew he didn't want me to be a one-night stand. The look in his eyes as he said it made the butterflies in my stomach go wild.

I connected my phone to the car via auxiliary cord, silencing the radio, and called Monica.

"Finally I hear something out of you!" Her voice came on the line, blasting through my speakers loud enough that I had to turn the volume down. "You have been so AWOL lately!"

"What? I don't get a hello?"

"Hello, my ass," Monica said, trying her best to sound angry at me but failing miserably.

"See, it's nice of your ass to greet me!" I laughed.

"Oh god, what am I going to do with you," she groaned. "Are you coming in to work today?"

"I'm about to be on my way. Just have to stop by my house and change," I said.

"Stop by the house? Where have you been?"

I didn't want to tell her yet. Monica was my best friend and I knew she'd support me through anything, but I was still worried about how she'd react. I wasn't in the mood for a lecture. My head was already spinning fast enough. I didn't need to turbo-charge it.

"Why don't we get some coffee on the way to the office," I suggested, bypassing her question as I turned onto my street.

Her tone seemed to brighten instantly. "Yeah, I'd love to!"

"Let's meet at the cafe down the street," I said. I knew she loved that place. "I'll see you in about thirty minutes."

"It's a date!"

The first thing I noticed when I pulled into the driveway was Derek's vehicle beside me. This couldn't be good.

Once I stepped out of the vehicle, I realized he was sitting on the wooden bench on my front porch, and he definitely wasn't excited to see me.

"Hi," I muttered, shutting the door.

He didn't say anything until I reached the porch. "We need to have a chat."

"Okay," I nodded, trying to sound casual.

I walked in the house, heading for the kitchen, and Derek followed behind me. I opened the fridge in search of a Coke. I was in desperate need of caffeine. Especially if I was going to have a pissy talk with Derek.

"Morning," I said, popping the can open.

"So how was your meeting with Mrs. Wembley last night?" He got straight to the point.

I'd forgotten that I had told Derek I was meeting Mrs. Wembley. "It was good," I yawned.

"What did you guys talk about?" Derek asked, crossing his arms.

"The case."

"You know, that's funny," he said sarcastically. "Because I clearly remember seeing you with someone who most definitely wasn't Mrs. Wembley."

Oh, shit. I tried to maintain my story, acting like I had no clue what he was referring to. "What are you talking about?"

"You had dinner with Nick Granger, Carrie!" Derek snapped, throwing his hands up. "Why the fuck did you have dinner with him? And why did you lie to me about it?"