Biding Her Time. Wendy Warren

she ventured, “I’d like to start traveling by August. It’s only the beginning of July, so I thought that would give you enough time to hire… hire someone new.”

      Well, she’d done it again: everyone at the table stopped eating. Forks remained suspended halfway to mouths; jaws went still and then slack. Even Shane, who likely had not expected this much drama with his noon meal, paused with his butter knife hovering over his roll.

      Thomas recovered first, enough to practically bellow, “What the devil are you talking about? Travel if you want to, but you don’t need to quit your job to do it!”

      Resting a forearm on the linen-covered table, Jenna stared earnestly at Audrey. “Do you have other job prospects, sweetheart?”

      “Other job—” Thomas began, and Jenna must have clipped him in the shin under the table, because he let out a huff and muffled himself into a frowning silence.

      “No, no!” Audrey hurriedly assured them. Lord, she would never want them to think she was merely after a new gig in the same field. Especially not now. But if her doctor’s suspicions proved correct, she would be little use to the Prestons anyway.