She looked over at Regina and Jarrod. Jarrod was walking away, appearing completely indifferent, and Regina was following him, trying to hang on to his arm and jabbering away.
“I’m kind of surprised that Regina would even want him,” Mary mused. “He’s gone through this whole courting thing three times over the past couple of years, when everybody assumed he would get engaged…and then broken it off. He’s not known to be reliable.” Not that she’d been checking her social media pages while she was away at school or anything. Jarrod Shaw could do whatever the hell he wanted. He always did.
“But he’s not courting Regina at all,” Angela said. “He looks like he’s thinking about taking out a restraining order.”
“Mary!” Hilda barked, making Mary jump. She hadn’t seen Hilda sneaking up on her. “What’s going on with you and Jarrod? You’re about to ruin everything!”
“Me?” Mary asked, keeping her voice low. “Nothing’s going on!”
“If this bridenapping goes south, my agency does too. This has to go off without a hitch. And thanks to you, there’s plenty of hitching.”
Mary reached for her list to make another hatch mark, saw that Angela was watching her, and shoved it back in her purse. She was not a slave to her lists!
“Nineteen,” she muttered.
“Nineteen what? Can we please focus here? Why do you keep distracting him from Regina? This is like high school all over again,” Hilda said irritably. Mary felt a sharp jab of humiliation.
“Um, excuse me, it’s obvious that Jarrod is the one doing the flirting,” Angela said indignantly. “And of course he likes Mary better than Regina. Mary’s a wonderful person, and—”
“Thank you, Angela!” Mary interrupted quickly. Angela meant well, but she wasn’t helping. “Jarrod is only flirting with me to get back at his uncle. But he’ll go through with it; it’s for the good of the pack.”
“Well, of course he’s only flirting with you to get at his uncle, but I would have thought you’d have set him straight by now instead of continuing to throw yourself at him.” Hilda shook her head, with an expression of deep, wounded disappointment. “I probably expected too much when I hired you. I shouldn’t have given you so much responsibility.” At least she hadn’t started in on the “You’re just like our mother” lecture. That was her nuclear option.
“I’ve helped coordinate three successful bridenappings already! This is the first time there’s been a problem!” Mary protested desperately. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she was starting to get that sick feeling in her stomach that happened whenever Hilda got in one of her moods.
Also, Angela looked like she was one step away from punching her cousin. Just what Mary needed right now; the police showing up to break up a domestic disturbance, right in the middle of Jarrod’s supposed courtship.
“Hilda? Why is my daughter’s fiancé paying more attention to your employee than to my daughter?” Kurt had stalked up, with his wife at his heels.
“Yes, why?” Bunny echoed like a parrot, which was all she ever did.
Fiancé. Wow. So far, they hadn’t even been able to get Jarrod and Regina to the coffee date phase, much less engaged. Regina’s entire family was Looney Tunes.
“He’s utterly transfixed by Regina, I assure you,” Hilda said with a big, bright smile. “He has no interest in Mary at all.” Wow, that stung. It was true, but somehow hearing it said aloud really rankled.
“Well, I don’t know. I can’t say I’m pleased with how it’s going so far. I’d heard great things about your agency.” He shook his head, frowning, and walked away. His wife scurried after him like an anxious little terrier, shaking her head just as he was.
Hilda raked Mary with a look of utter contempt. “Control yourself and your hormones, curb your unrealistic expectations that a man like Jarrod would ever want you, or I’ll be looking for another secretary. You’re about to cost me my most important client ever.”
“You wouldn’t fire your own sister!” Angela said indignantly.
“Watch me,” Hilda said, and turned on her heel and walked away.