[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
The last thing she saw as the elevator doors closed with Luke in the hallway, the expression on his face a combination of love and resolution. Please let it be all right. Please. * * * * Miranda started to ask her a question when she walked into the house, but one look at Julia s face and she just said, We re having chicken for dinner, and walked back into the kitchen. Standing in the shower, every moment of the previous night replayed itself in Julia s mind. Her body stirred just remembering the touch of Luke s hands, the passion of his kisses, the incredible sense of him inside her, filling her. In fourteen years the magic had only increased. I would have been better off not going at all. But she could no more have walked away at the Connell Wilson offices than she could have jumped out a window. The tug, the lure, had not diminished. Oh, she d go to hell for this. She was sure of that. If she was lucky, no one had recognized them last night. Harry s House had been an excellent choice of restaurants with its private, secluded rooms. But what if something got back to Rod? How far back would he track Luke? Would he confront her then humiliate her by giving out the letters secreted away all these years in his safe? For one brief moment this morning, she d actually thought she could make this work. Then reality had smacked her in the face. She had to protect her children. That was at the top of her list. She turned off the shower, tenser than when she d stepped into it. God, what a mess. And if Bright Ideas got this contract, how would she be able to avoid Luke? Or worse yet, work with him? Maybe she could go to Rod and tell him this was just a business acquaintance. She d had very public dinners with other male clients over the years, none of whom had produced any information for Rod s detectives. Maybe by this time he was tired of the whole thing. No, not Rod. She rubbed herself viciously with the towel. The man was a bulldog, a barnacle. He hung on and never let go for a minute. He would consider it his sole duty to Charles to make sure the rest of her life was as miserable as possible. Yet as sure as she knew her name, she was certain Luke would not be put off. His intentions had been crystal clear. He was not a man to be deterred by flimsy excuses. And once he got a good look at Courtney, he d have even more questions and would be even more determined. Julia sighed. That was a problem she hadn t even wanted to look at. Courtney had Luke s dark brown eyes and his distinctive eyebrows. She wondered what other physical traits of the Buchanan family her daughter also carried. She could just imagine the shock when he saw the daughter he didn t even know he had. Popping two acetaminophen to dull the headache bullying its way up from behind her eyes, she dressed quickly, brushed her hair, and made do with blush and lip gloss for makeup. No clients today so she didn t need a full-court press. She just needed to get herself together before facing Claire. Claire! Now there was one person she could barely keep anything from. How she d kept her secret all these years, she still didn t know. Claire had never been privy to the vicious bargain Charles had exacted from her. Even if he hadn t sworn her to secrecy, she was too humiliated to share it with anyone, even her best friend. Besides, knowing Claire, she d have marched into Charles s hospital room and, heart attack or not, given him a scathing piece of her mind. See you later, she called to Miranda as she hurried out to her car. * * * * Well? Claire was on the phone but hung up as soon as Julia walked into the office. Well, what? Julia deliberately kept her face blank. Come on, give. Claire grinned. Was it wonderful? Julia dropped into the chair in front of Claire s desk, ran her fingers through her hair, and leaned her head back. Yes, unfortunately. Julia? Claire leaned forward. What s going on here? I thought you d tell me you d died and gone to heaven. I wish. She closed her eyes, willing herself under control. What s that supposed to mean? My God, Charles is long out of the picture, you ve lived like a nun since his death, and Andy and Beth are out on their own. There might even be hope for Courtney. Why isn t it time for Julia? I don t want to discuss it right now, okay? Julia sat up, rotating her neck to relieve the tension. No, not okay. If I weren t married and that man walked back into my life, I d chain him to the bed. God, Julia. What is wrong with you? More than I can tell you, she wanted to say. There are just& complications. The same excuse she d used with Luke Nothing can be that complicated. How was Courtney? Julia segued into a new topic. She was fine, Claire snapped. She behaved decently, showed me what Beth told her about makeup, and actually looked decent when I dropped her off at school today. Thank you so much. It was wonderful of you to do that. If I m so wonderful, then tell me what s wrong. Julia stood up. Not now. Please? I want to check my messages and then we can debrief yesterday s presentation, okay? Claire simply sat there, studying her. Fine, she said at last. And then we re going to talk about whatever is holding you back. * * * * Luke had closed the door to his office, telling Ellen, his secretary, he didn t want to be disturbed for a while. He had a meeting in an hour and he needed to straighten out his head before he got to it. What the hell had been wrong with Julia this morning? Last night he d thought what they felt for each other had slammed back at them stronger than ever. All the years of missing her, of [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |