"Not yet, I can't afford an axe."
He smiled and clinked his glass against hers. "Here's to low pay for all prospective axe-murderers."
"Here, here." She sipped her drink and let the warmth fill her empty stomach. Too nervous to eat, that was the only sip she intended to take. Drinking could very well spoil the entire evening and she wasn't about to let that happen.
"Tell me," Austin asked, "why do you sign off without warning me?"
"Oh that. It is because I really want to tell you all about me, but…"
"But you didn't want me to show up on your doorstep."
"How did you guess?"
"You wouldn't let me pick you up at home."
"Home is a bit embarrassing just now."
"You have no family here in the States?"
She looked down and smoothed a wrinkle out of her skirt. "None that I would lay claim to."
"It is so nice to talk to you in person. I have often wondered what it would be like. You are the same in person as you are online."
"You are much taller," said Maggie.
Again, she made him laugh. "And you are far more beautiful."
Maggie frowned, "You're not going to get all mawkish again, are you?"
"Mawkish? Now I know you truly are the Sissy I have come to admire. I'm curious. How did you keep your company from collecting all those fees?"
Maggie finally relaxed a little more and giggled. "I was supposed to turn off all the credit cards until the fees were charged and I didn't. Customers started to see the charge on their statements and called."
"They complained, I take it?"
"They complained, I got yelled at for an hour, and then I got fired for stealing. It was worth it, I guess. At least the company couldn't cover their tracks as easily as they hoped."
"How short do you think they still are?"
"I don't know, I would guess several thousand, but I truly don't know."
"Does Jim need my help getting a job too?"
Her eyes widened. "Could you…I mean with his prison record?"
"I would be happy to. We just happen to have a position open in our accounting department. What is his last name?"
"McMorrow."
"Tell him to come see me Monday."
"I shall, thank you."
"What's the name of the company you worked for?"
"Oh, don't mention that dreadful place."
"I'm just curious."
"A curious attorney?"
"You caught me. What they did is illegal in this state and any other. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with it."
She took another sip anyway. "You're not talking about turning them into the authorities, are you?"