Free Whispered Confessions (Touched By You) by Emily Jane Trent

to the bedroom to change for the evening. Tanner would be home soon, and he texted that he had news. She couldn’t wait to hear.

15 – Dinner Conversation
     
    Natalie wore the silver Merlino dress she’d purchased in Rio, and Tanner did like it. In fact, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her. They went to Le Bernardin, a restaurant that only served fish and did it well. The dining room had a huge mural on one wall of ocean waves during a storm. It was very dramatic and lovely.
    They decided to do the chef’s tasting, which began with sashimi. The wine pairing for each course was overseen by the professional sommelier, so each wine was perfectly suited to the chef’s presentation. The first was a 2012 Sauvignon Blanc by Saint Glinglin. “Dry, fresh, and fruity,” the waiter described it.
    While they ate and drank, they talked. Though they were never apart more than a few hours, it seemed there was always so much to catch up on. Natalie wondered if they’d ever run out of things to talk about with each other, but she doubted it. “Okay, I can’t wait. Tell me about Cheryl.”
    “Well, that worked out well. This guy who was going to extort money from her sent the email from his home computer. It wasn’t that hard for my team to trace the IP address. He was hoping to remain hidden. When we knew not only who he was, but where he lived, that pretty much ended the game.
    “I’m glad you called me right away. Dani is in Russia, so I was glad I could help out here. I talked to Cheryl and told her all the details. She is relieved it’s over. Although she said Dani told her if they had been published on the web it wouldn’t have harmed his reputation as much as she feared.
    “He was more concerned about the embarrassment for her. And if those pictures had shown up on the web, he would have taken action against the perpetrator. I think this idiot knew that. Going up against Dani would be foolhardy, thus the need for anonymity. Once he couldn’t hide, it was over.”
    “Thank you for helping. I know Cheryl is grateful. She texted that it’s all fine now, and she’d tell me all about it when we get together. I’m glad the panic is over.”
    “I’ve known Cheryl for a long time. Everyone does things in their youth they could be questioned for later. That doesn’t give anyone the right to use it against them for monetary reward.”
    “Exactly,” Natalie said. “By the way, I didn’t get a chance to tell you I saw Susan.”
    “Susan Allen? Your former assistant?”
    “Yes, I ran into her one day when I was grabbing some coffee.”
    “I wasn’t sure she was still in New York.”
    “Yes, and working for Margo and Company.”
    “Is that so? She went to a competitor. Well, it is a business she knows. So you spoke to her?”
    “Just briefly. It was awkward.”
    Tanner put his hand over hers. “I know, baby.”
    “But it’s all right. I just hope we don’t keep seeing her, since she works for a competitor.”
    “Not likely. I try to stay away from competitors, not attract them,” Tanner said. “By the way, I spoke to Ellis today.”
    “Really?”
    “Yes, I wanted to let him know I did what I could to assist with the foster care approval. I know someone in that department, and although no promises, it impressed him that Jazmin and Ellis are relatives. I don’t normally have need to use my status to impress anyone, but I’m hoping it will help in this situation.
    “We will have to see what happens. He said he’d do what he could. I don’t want to get Jazzy’s hopes up, because I don’t know if my contact can pull any strings or not. I can only imagine how she will feel if this doesn’t work out.”
    “I didn’t know you knew anyone at the state.”
    “I don’t have a lot of dealings there, but through my work at the foundation I know quite a few people.”
    Natalie nodded. “I imagine you would, now that I think about it. I was going to tell you I went to see Emma.”
    “Oh, how is