Free Pan's Conquest (Entangled Covet) by Aubrie Dionne

for her for the rest of the day.”
    Parker smiled at Kaye as if thanking her. “That’s very kind of you, but I won’t be returning until tomorrow.”
    “All the better, then.” Kaye spread her arms out. “That’s Sylvia’s day off.”
    Syrinx wanted to whop Kaye in the stomach. Instead, she gave her betraying assistant a sweet smile. “You know I can’t take a day off right now.”
    “Yes, you can,” Kaye whispered, then turned back to Parker. “We’ve finished all our orders for the rest of the week. We were passing the time by repotting marigolds that aren’t even three inches tall.”
    Syrinx laughed with embarrassment. “You make me sound like a plant Nazi.”
    Kaye crossed her arms. “Well, sometimes you are.” She pushed Syrinx forward. “Go. You could use a day off. Don’t worry about the shop. I’ll take care of it.”
    Syrinx gazed up at Parker, trying not to imagine all the possibilities brimming in her thoughts. A long car ride? An overnight date? So many opportunities for closeness, and so many temptations to break her oath.
    Parker had perfected the ultimate hot-guy, pouty face. “Will you go with me, Sylvia?”
    Her desire had won over her self-control. He was just too cute when he was vulnerable. Now all she had to do was say it out loud. “I’ll have to pack a few things…”
    Parker checked his wristwatch. “Since the bouquet took so little time, I can wait a little while longer.”
    Syrinx took off toward her apartment in the back as though the vile bats of the underworld were hot on her heels.
    …
    They took the highway north as the sun reached its zenith in the middle of the sky. Syrinx picked soil off her skinny jeans, wishing she’d changed into something a little nicer for the trip. Hopefully, she’d get a chance to change before the service. At least she had the presence of mind to ditch the apron before she left.
    Parker had been quiet during the first fifteen minutes, which was understandable considering the circumstances. He needed his space. Still, he did ask her to accompany him, so it wasn’t as though he wanted to be alone. Maybe he just needed some prodding? Syrinx decided to try some conversation to lighten the mood.
    “So why is this funeral so far away?”
    “Rutherford has family up north—a son and a few cousins. His wife is buried in a cemetery there, so they wanted the service to be next to his family’s plot.”
    Parker must have been closer to Rutherford than she thought. “Have you met any of his family?”
    “No. He spoke of his son, but only briefly.”
    “Oh.” Syrinx sat back, trying to think of something else to say.
    Parker shifted uneasily in his seat. “I’m hoping his son can shed some light on a mystery.”
    She perked up. “What mystery?”
    Parker passed a large truck and pulled back into the slow lane. “When I hired Rutherford, I agreed on a certain amount to compensate him for his services. I issued the checks to him at the end of each week. By now, I’d given him fifty-two.” Parker rubbed his chin uneasily, then put his hand back on the wheel. “I found the checks folded under the pencil sharpener on his desk with the envelopes unopened. He didn’t cash any of them.” He shook his head. “Granted, I should have checked my accounts. I don’t check them enough. But I don’t understand. Why take the job if you didn’t need the money?”
    “Maybe he was saving them up to deposit at a later time?” As soon as Syrinx said it, she realized how ridiculous her suggestion was.
    “Maybe, but when I think back to the interview, he wasn’t interested in the particular sum. Only in his purpose at the estate.”
    “That’s weird.” Strange as it was, Syrinx couldn’t think of the old man as a swindler or a deceiver in any way. “Although I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for this.”
    Parker ran a hand through his unruly hair. “I hope so. It only makes me feel worse about his passing, like I didn’t do one