Mystery Lover(5)

"I will be. Just as soon as Tony gets here."

"Iwant to help."

"You already have. Now go home."

"No."

After a moment of silence, he replied. "Sunshine, I know that you want  to see me. Believe me, it isn't necessary to our relationship. "

"Maybe not as far as you're concerned."

"Didn't you tell me you no longer wanted me in your life?"

"I was angry at the time."

"But you were right. I was trying to run interference for you, trying to  make your life easier for you. No one can do that for someone else. I  need to keep my distance and allow you to live your own life."

"And make my own mistakes."

"Exactly."

"If you hadn't warned me, I would have made a very bad one."

"And by warning you, I almost destroyed our relationship."

"You could never do that. I just overreacted."

She had been been at work one afternoon when her boss had returned from lunch with one of his clients.

"Ms. Chisholm," C. W. Cameron said, pausing in front of her desk, "I'd  like you to meet Larry Donahue. Larry, my assistant, Jennifer Chisholm."                       
       
           



       

For a moment Jennifer could only stare at the man who held out his hand.  He could be the very same man whose photograph had hung on her wall  when she was a teenager-her movie idol. The same flashing smile, shining  blue eyes, the same rumpled black curls falling across his forehead.

"Jennifer, did he say? I'm so pleased to meet you. C. W. tells me you're invaluable to him."

Her eyes quickly met the unsmiling gaze of her employer. He had said  that about her? Mr. Cameron was a man of few words, and those were  seldom complimentary. Of course he had always been prompt with her  raises and Christmas bonuses, so he must be pleased with her work. She  smiled at the incredibly sexy man in front of her. "I enjoy my job, Mr.  Donahue." She glanced at her boss, then turned her gaze to the man  standing beside him. "I'm happy to hear that Mr. Cameron is pleased with  my work." Her employer's expression didn't change. He nodded his head  in acknowledgment of her words and waited for his client.

"I'd enjoy seeing you again, Jennifer. Would you be interested in having dinner with me tonight?"

Jennifer was taken aback by the blunt approach of the man in front of  her. "Oh! Well, I, uh-" She glanced at her boss but could not read  anything in his expression. Meeting the pleading gaze of the other man,  she smiled and replied softly, "I'd like that."

Larry's grin caused a quiver to run through her. "Great. Why don't I pick you up when you get off work? We can go from here."

"I'm not sure when I'll be through tonight and I'd much prefer to go home and freshen up first."

Larry shrugged. "No problem. Let me have your address. I'll pick you up, say, around seven-thirty, if that's all right?"

She smiled and nodded, delighted with the man and his obvious eagerness  to get to know her better. After writing down her address, she gave it  to him.

Larry turned to the man beside him and stuck out his hand. "I really  enjoyed our meeting, C. W. I'm sure if anyone can get to the bottom of  this mess, you will."

Jennifer watched C. W. Cameron give Larry one of his rare smiles. "I  appreciate your confidence. I'll be in touch with you in a few days."

"Fine." He left the office, giving Jennifer a quick salute that she found enchanting.

"You've made a conquest," her boss said quietly.

She searched his face for some clue as to what he was thinking.

"Do you mind that I agreed to go out with him?"

He raised his brows and shook his head. "What you do on your own time is  none of my business." He glanced down at the stack of mail in front of  her. "Is there anything there I need to see this afternoon?"

"Oh, yes, there's a couple of things I wanted to check with you-"

He turned away. "Bring them in," he said, striding through the door to his office.

She picked up the stack of mail and shook her head. She had never known  anyone to be as distant with people as her employer. They had known each  other for several years and yet they had nothing but the business in  common. It was just as well, she supposed. He was a fair employer,  treated her well. What more could she ask?

A little warmth, maybe? A little personal interest? Something more than  his usual "good morning," or "I'll be back later," or "I'll be out of  town for a while." She wondered if he ever really saw her as a person,  or whether he thought that she had arrived along with the rest of the  office equipment-with a serial number tattooed somewhere on her body.

What difference did it make? She had a date that night with a man that  had stepped out of her dreams. This could be the beginning of a  beautiful relationship. Jennifer smiled as she followed her boss into  his office.

She was singing as she got out of the shower that night.

"What's put you in such a good mood, Sunshine?"

"Oh, hi, Chad." There were times when she was definitely glad that he  couldn't see her, especially now, when she was drying off from the  shower. There was something to be said for their type of communication.

"I have a date tonight."

"I've never known you to be this excited about seeing Jerry."

She laughed. "You're right. I met someone new today. His name is Larry Donahue."

"Are you talking about the real estate developer?"

"I don't know. He's hired Mr. Cameron to do some investigative work for him."

"You have no business going out with Larry Donahue."

Slowly Jennifer straightened from drying her legs. She reached over and  pulled her robe off the hook from behind the door. Sliding her arms into  the sleeves, she carefully tied the sash before saying anything.  Somehow she felt more prepared to do battle when she wasn't bare.                       
       
           



       

"I know that you're concerned about me, Chad, and I appreciate that.  However, I'm a big girl now. I can pick and choose my own dates."

"Come on, Sunshine, don't be that way. I didn't mean to offend you. But  that man is a womanizer. Besides making money, his biggest ambition in  life is to see how many women he can coax into bed with him."

"How can you say that about someone you don't even know?"

"Because I do know him. In addition, I know his type."

"Well, he seemed very nice to me and I agreed to go out with him. I'm  certainly not going to greet him at the door with the news that my  invisible friend has forbidden me to go out with him."

"Just be careful, will you please? For my sake?"

"What do you mean, for your sake? What business is it of yours?"

"Remember when you used to call me your guard ian angel?"

"That was many long years ago, before I discovered you were far from being an angel!''

"You allowed me to protect you then, Sunshine. Don't push me away now."

Jennifer began to blow-dry her hair, effectively drowning out anything  Chad might try to say. When it was dry, she quickly put on her makeup,  touched up her hair with the curling iron and went into the bedroom.

Larry would be there soon and she still hadn't decided what to wear.

"Nothing too enticing."

"Chad, I don't even have anything enticing! Would you leave me alone?"

"Just be careful that you don't give him the wrong impression about you."

"Fine. I could have worn my nun habit if I hadn't just sent it to the cleaners."

"Very funny."

"You're being ridiculous, Chad. You're worse than a father."

"I know. That's what I've tried to be-the father you lost, the older brother you never had___"

Jennifer felt ashamed of herself. "Chad, you have been everything I've  ever wanted in a best friend, and believe me, I appreciate all that  you've done. But I'm a big girl now. You've got to let me grow up."

"I know you're a big girl now. Why else do you suppose Larry Donahue is interested in you?"

She found one of her favorite dresses, made in a soft peach color, and  quickly slid it over her head. It had long full sleeves, a scooped  neckline, and from a fitted waist flowed into a full skirt that ended  mid-calf.

"All right, Chad. Are you satisfied? This dress would fit in very well at a PTA meeting."

The doorbell rang and she hurried to the door without waiting for a response.

Her evening with Larry Donahue turned out to be delightful. He treated  Jennifer like a princess. She realized midway through theevening that  Chad's warnings had made her nervous and at first she'd been a little  tense. However, Larry could not have treated her with more kindness and  consideration. After dinner they went to two different clubs to dance,  and by the time he took her back home Jennifer felt as though she were  floating several inches off the ground.