CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT – RUINED DRESSES

For one brief, insane second, Kayla thought she actually saw Jessie's expression flicker into one of smug satisfaction before the bubbly mask was re-secured. "Oh my goodness, I'm such a disaster this morning!" The exaggerated valley-girl tones grated on Kayla's last nerve as she fought the urge to lunge across the small distance separating them. "Let me get you some towels to clean up, you poor thing!" "That's quite alright, Jessie," came a firm, blessedly familiar voice. Lance's hand came to rest on Kayla's shoulder in a quieting gesture. "I've got this handled. You just clean up that mess you've made and get back to your desk." His tone brokered no arguments, compounded by the piercing stare he leveled in Jessie's direction. For a beat, the two women locked eyes in a silent clash of wills, Jessie's lips pressed into a petulant pout. Then with an airily boneless shrug, she whirled on her heel and flounced away, suddenly the picture of nonchalant dismissal. "Honestly, you'd think