The Scarlet Stinger (LRDA Book 1)

Chapter 12

She saw an attachment with a zipped folder. In it were screenshots of hundreds of emails. Before she started on them, there was something she needed to do. She took out her phone and clicked on a name.

"Hello?" Nicolai said.

"It's Talia."

"Oh. Um, why are you calling?"

She leaned back in her chair. "You don't want me to call?"

"Well, no. That's not what I meant," he said quickly.

She chuckled. "I know. I'm just messing with you. I'm actually called to apologize for my mother's behavior."

"You don't need to apologize. I wasn't surprised that she had a problem with it," he said. "I should have thought about that sooner."

"I did enjoy the burrito and the calzone."

"Yes. I could tell you did. It's a shame you can't eat anymore."

"I won't tell if you won't."

He laughed. It was a nice laugh. "Sorry Talia but I'd rather not get on the wrong side of your mother."

Talia gave a long hard sigh. "Fine. If you insist. That's probably a wise decision." She heard a horn in the background. "Are you still in town?" she asked.

"I'm at the park."

"You should head home before it get too dark."

"I'm walking out right now."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight Talia."

"Goodnight Nicolai."

She hung up. At least he wasn't hurt about the food thing. That was one less thing on her conscience.

She opened the emails and began slugging through them.

******

At around eight o'clock, her eyes started glazing over. Business emails were boring and surprisingly petty. In one Craig Rogers insulted some lady's bald dog and in another some guy insulted his car which then started a chain of increasingly petty emails between them. Talia had never seen messages like that and she was in high school.

Her phone rang. It was her dad. Right on schedule.

"Hi Dad," she said. She closed the laptop and rubbed her eyes. A quick break couldn't hurt.

"Talia, so what trouble did you get into today?"

"I did not get into any trouble."

"Really? Because your mother mentioned something about you going on a date with a boy today that gives you food in school, the same one you told me about yesterday, and that you have a date with a completely different boy tomorrow. Care to explain that?"

"Dad, are you really going to grill me from another continent?" Talia asked.

"Talia," he said warningly.

"They're my sugar daddies and I'm using them for money."

"Talia, we both know you're far too lazy to go through all that trouble for money. Ice-cream maybe, but not money."

Talia laughed. "You know me so well." She sighed. "It wasn't a date today. We met at the museum and decided to get some frozen yogurt afterwards. That's it. Mom even came as soon as we started eating."

"Are you sure that's all? You're mother is certain he likes you."

Talia groaned. "I like Bryce and he's the one I have a date with tomorrow."