He leaned forward, elbows on desktop, the phone cradled between his ear and shoulder as he rubbed one hand over his smooth, bald head. Dammit, girl...where were you? "No. I came in tonight when she was a no-show. She didn't return my voicemails to either her house number or her cellphone."

Normally, tracking down an errant employee wasn't something that would interest him, but Pippa was more than that. She pretty much ran this little pet project for him. She was more of a manager, a business partner than a waitress. Not that she'd ever let him give her that title. "None of the girls know where she is either. I've asked."