Peggy slid down into the car seat with a sigh; grudging respect from her colleagues aside, men were still men and work was still work.
Even in sunny LA.
“Another fun-filled day at the office, Miss Carter?” Jarvis asked as he pulled the car into traffic for the drive to one of Stark’s estates.
“Only on days ending in the letter ‘y’, Mr. Jarvis,” the brunette groaned, to the amusement of her friend, “But it’s done for now which means I can return to the blissful quiet and solitude of my borrowed residence, before doing it all over again tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes, about that,” Jarvis began, “You recall that Mr. Stark is currently working on creating a motion picture?”
Peggy turned her head to look at him, the guilt in his voice furrowing her brow.
“Yes, you told me he was scouting locations, among other things. Has his scout finally come to her senses?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” the driver replied, his eyes rolling, “But Mr. Stark has also been scouting for talent for his production and apparently has found an actress whom he deemed, ‘positively perfect for the role, Jarvis! Absolutely top notch!’”
“That’s all well in good, but how, exactly, does this concern me, Mr. Jarvis?”
Jarvis’ grip on the steering wheel notably increased. “Well, you see, Miss Carter, said actress was found living quite some distance away from the studio where Mr. Stark wanted to start things off. He wishes to start filming as soon as he returns and so-“
“Don’t tell me,” the agent interrupted him, closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose, “He invited her to Los Angeles with the promise of staying in one of his homes.”
“You know him well, Miss Carter.”
“Am I correct in presuming the housing in question is the one whose driveway we are are currently pulling into?”
“Indeed.”
“The same housing where I am currently staying?”
“Your powers of deduction never fail to impress, Miss Carter.”
“Mr. Jarvis, may I ask you a question?”
“Always, Miss Carter.”
“If I ever finally decide to kill Howard, will you help me dispose of the body?”
“Only if we’re careful about moving him in the cars; blood stains are a nightmare to completely remove, and I just had this one fully detailed.”
Smiling ruefully, Peggy stretched, cracking several vertebrae, before exhaling noisily.
“Alright then, let’s get this over with.”
Climbing out of the car, the brunette climbed the steps to the back door nearest the garage and had her hand on the doorknob when she paused; there was a smell, gently wafting through the air. Another sniff suggested it was coming from a window cracked open to her left.
It wasn’t an unpleasant smell; far from it, it actually smelled delicious. And also strangely familiar…
“Jarvis.”
“Yes, Miss Carter,” he responded, a smile evident in his voice.
“Where exactly did Howard say he found this particular actress?”
“I believe he said New Yor-“
The rest of the sentence was lost as Peggy opened the door and rushed into the house’s kitchen, sliding to a stop as she laid eyes on a familiar figure stirring a pot on the stove.
Angie squeaked, startled by the door, her blue eyes wide as she twirled around, hand on her heart, before bursting into laughter at the sight of her friend staring at her with her mouth agape.
“Dull day at the office, English? Gotta get your kicks by scaring dear old friends in the middle of cooking dinner?” the actress giggled.
The agent’s response was to quickly cross the linoleum to wrap up her best friend, who met her halfway, in a bone-crushing hug.
The hug lasted until Jarvis pointedly coughed and said dinner was in danger of burning.
Laughing, the two pulled apart just far enough for Peggy to place a hand on Angie’s cheek and whisper with a tear in her eye, “Hello, my darling.”