“Yes, ma’am,” he replied politely. “We can trace our family lineage back to Henry VIII’s time. Or at least my grandmother can. She’s been the family historian for years.”
He looked over at Cat. “She’s the one who donated a box to Goodwill years ago that she thinks must have had that family Bible in it. She’d wrapped it in a blanket to protect it, and somehow the blanket ended up in the wrong box. Grandma was traumatized to discover it was gone. That’s why I’m here: to retrieve it.”
Cat frowned. “That Bible is a first-edition Regency Bible, featuring plates by Richard Westall. My father found it at an estate sale over twelve years ago.”
The corner of William’s mouth cocked up in a wry smile. “I take it you don’t believe me, Ms. ...?”
“Schreiber. Catherine Schreiber. And it’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s that the Bible is worth a small fortune to a bookseller like me.”
“Oh, I’m prepared to compensate you for it. My grandmother would give anything to have it back in the family’s possession. I’ve been searching for it for her for years.”
Cat relaxed.
Eliza, to her right, was practically bursting with excitement. “What did this great-great-whatever grandfather do, Mr. Dawes?”
William turned to her. “Something with railroads, I believe, Ms....?”
“Eliza James.” Her voice lost some of its enthusiasm. He cocked an eyebrow at her. “You sound disappointed?” Eliza gave an embarrassed little laugh. “I’m sorry. I was hoping he was an earl or a duke, or something like that.”
Catherine blew her bangs out of her eyes. “Eliza loves anything that’s to do with the Regency period. Especially the peerage.”
William adjusted the cuff of his suit jacket. “Actually, William’s father was an earl, if I remember correctly. But William was the youngest son of four, so no title for him. Sorry.”
Eliza gazed at him raptly while clasping her hands in front of her. “A real earl? Wow.”
Catherine laughed, disrupting Eliza from her fantasies. “Did this earl run off with a governess, Mr. Dawes?”
“Uh, no. At least not to my knowledge.” His eyebrows crinkled in confusion.
Eliza elbowed her friend. “She’s just teasing me about my reading genre of choice, Mr. Dawes. Ignore her.”
William reached down to pet Elvis, who was weaving in and out of his legs.
“Nice cat. We had one like him when I was a kid, a Maine Coon. Einstein,” he commented, scratching the cat behind its ears. “Anyway, may I see the Bible to ensure it is indeed the one for which I’ve been searching?”
“Sure thing. Give me just a moment.” Cat turned to walk to the back storage room where they kept their online inventory. A man who doesn’t dangle prepositions. A modern rarity.
After locating the Bible, Cat reentered the main room to find Eliza and William chatting. Eliza was twirling a tendril of her hair around her finger in the way she did when she found someone attractive.
Oh, my. Now that Eliza knows he’s related to the peerage, there’s no hope for him. Cat gave a little snort as she held the book out to William.
They turned toward her. Eliza frowned, then turned crimson as Cat raised an eyebrow at her. Yeah, she knows what I was thinking.
William gingerly took the Bible into his hands and opened the cover. “Yes, here’s my great-great-grandfather as a baby. And here’s his mother, Rebecca, with my great-great-great-grandfather on their wedding day in 1867.” He looked up at Cat, excitement radiating from his face. “This is wonderful.”
“Happy to be able to help,” Cat answered.
“I’d like to offer you five thousand dollars for it.”
“Five thousand?” she gasped. “But it was listed for half that.”
“I know, but you have no idea how happy this will make my grandmother. It’s obvious you have taken excellent care of it; I see no sign of damage whatsoever. It’s the least I can do.”
“All right,” she answered slowly. That, plus the Pooh book sale, would cover expenses for at least a couple of months, and let her keep on the high school girl, Emily, whom she’d hired over the summer to help out now and then. Her muscles relaxed as tension eased out of her body.
“And dinner. I’d like to take you to dinner.”
“Me?” she squeaked in surprise. Hadn’t he been eyeing Eliza earlier?
Eliza grimaced but gave her friend an encouraging nod. “At least this time you didn’t have to endure nearly drowning to secure an invitation.”
William cocked an eyebrow.
“Never mind,” Cat replied to the silent question. “Um...” She hesitated. He was definitely Fiennes-like, a truly handsome man. But out of her league. She eyed him head-to-toe. His suit had probably cost as much as the Bible. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was Armani, or Dolce and Gabbana.
He took out his checkbook. “If you are not interested, I understand,” he said. “Will you take a personal check? I can provide ID.”
“Yes,” Cat answered. “Yes, we will take a check.”
As he was writing out the check, Eliza grabbed her elbow and pulled her to the side. “You didn’t write any more stories that I don’t know about, did you?” she whispered hurriedly.
“Uh, no. Don’t think so.”
“Because he seems like he’d be right out of one.”
Cat sighed. He rather did.
William pulled the check free from the checkbook and extended it to Cat before she had a chance to answer Eliza. Walking back to him, she paused. She shouldn’t let the Grayson debacle keep her down. Plus—not that she believed any of this magic book stuff—it was nice to know that no man resembling this wealthy, well-mannered, attractive gentleman before her appeared in any of the papers from that box.
“And yes,” she blurted out as she took the check. “Yes, I will go out to dinner with you.”
He smiled. “Thank you, Catherine. How is Saturday?”
“Saturday’s good,” she replied.
Eliza beamed at her.
“Wonderful. I’ll pick you up here at 5:00 p.m. I’m looking forward to it.” Settling the Bible under his arm, he strolled out of the store, closing the door behind him.
Cat raced to the window, watching him open his umbrella before descending the stairs. Why would a man such as that be interested in a small-town bookstore owner like me?
“You’re sure you never wrote more stories?” Eliza called from behind her.
Cat exhaled. “Seriously, Eliza? Are you going to claim every man I run into now is one I made up?”
Eliza’s eyebrows puckered. “You don’t need to take that tone. And no, of course not—I know perfectly well you are an amazing catch and any man would be lucky to have you. It’s just, well ... three in a row?”
Tingles ran up Cat’s arms. Eliza was right; it was odd to receive so much male attention after such a long drought. But to say she had magical powers connected to a medieval manuscript?
Before she could say anything else, Eliza enveloped her in a giant hug. “Whatever the reason,” she said, “you deserve it.”
Cat’s eyes welled up as she returned the hug. “So do you, Eliza. So do you.”
“Oh, I know.” Eliza sniffed as she stepped back. “My time will come. I trust in that. I think it’s your time, now.”
Cat thought of Derrick, and Grayson. And William. And Ben Cooper.
Ben. She hadn’t seen him in the coffee shop since the time he’d overheard her confession about Grayson. Just remembering that brought heat to her cheeks; talk about mortifying.
It was strange, how frequently she thought of Ben. Why did he pop into her mind so often, especially when he had a girlfriend, which rendered him strictly off limits? It didn’t make sense.
Maybe it was that he reminded her a bit of her father. Her dad had always been quick to offer help whenever he could. Ben’s easygoing, relaxed personality was reminiscent of Frank’s. He and Ben even seemed to share a similar sense of humor. Luddy,
indeed. She could totally see her father calling her that. Yes, that had to be what drew her mind back to him again and again.
Except her feelings weren’t exactly familial when it came to Mr. Cooper if she were honest with herself. Which she didn’t want to be.
Lost in her own thoughts, Eliza’s voice startled her. “I’m going to go unpack that new shipment. And maybe ponder more about what kind of hero I’m going to have you write for me.” She spun in a circle, ending it with a hop, before she bounced toward the back.
Cat laughed. “Fantasize away,” she called after her friend’s retreating form. “No matter what I write, that’s what they’ll remain. Fictional fantasies.”
Eliza merely waved a hand back at her.
At least in Ben’s case, she was sure it couldn’t have anything to do with any fantasies she’d written. Not that she truly believed the others did, but still ... She knew without a doubt that a love story centered around a computer science professor had never crossed her mind. She snorted as images of computer nerds flooded her brain. Until a certain jeans-clad backside suddenly chased those images away.
She traced her finger along the raindrop paths on the window.
No fantasies until now, that is. Great.
Chapter 13
“Package for you, Cat,” Eliza called out, as she breezed into the apartment the next evening, dropping a rectangular box on the side table.
Cat wandered out from the kitchen. “From whom?” she said, munching on a carrot stick.
“I dunno. There’s no return label on it.” Eliza hung up her coat and then reached down to pet the cat. “It’s not heavy, so I don’t think it’s books. Open it. Open it!”
Laughing, Cat picked up the box. “I will, I will.” She pulled off the brown paper packaging to reveal a white box with a designer name emblazoned across the top.
“Versace?” Eliza squealed. “Are you serious?” She hopped up and down in her excitement. “Open it already.”
Cat slid her fingers under the edges of the lid and removed it. Nestled in tissue paper inside was something black, with a small note card on top of which was printed in a crisp, clean hand, Saw this and thought of you. Looking forward to Saturday—Dawes.
Dawes? He signs a personal note to a date as Dawes?
Cat pulled the fabric out of the box.
“Ooh!” Eliza clapped her hands. “It’s a little black dress. Shake it out. Hold it up!”
Discarding the box, Cat smoothed the dress down across the front of her body. It was gorgeous, she conceded, a form-fitting black sheath rendered elegant rather than overtly sexy by the black lace netting that ran across the upper bodice and formed long sleeves.
Eliza sighed, running her hands down her abdomen. “What I would give to be able to wear a dress like that. It wouldn’t forgive my, um, tummy. Or these hips. You, however, will look beautiful in it. Go try it on.”
“I don’t know, Eliza.”
“C’mon, just try it.”
Reluctantly, Cat headed to her bedroom and slipped the dress on. Much to her surprise, it fit her like a glove. It was more revealing than anything she would normally wear, that was for sure, but she had to concede she looked good. She twirled around to check out her backside as Eliza walked into the room, laptop in tow.
“Cat,” she gasped. “I looked it up on the Internet. That dress retails for over fifteen hundred dollars.”
“Are you serious? Oh, my Lord, who is this guy?”
“Wait, I’ll Google him.” Eliza typed quickly on the keyboard. “Here he is. Oh my God, girlfriend, he’s a bigwig. Listen to this:
“‘William Dawes VII, partner with his father, Mr. Bill Dawes VI, in Dawes Wealth Management, has announced the acquisition of Bluebird Software for fifty million dollars. William Dawes V made millions in the stock market in the 1930s and 1940s through his investments in the General Dynamic Electric Boat Company, which crafted submarines for the U.S. Navy.’”
Cat interrupted her. “Where are you finding this?” she demanded, moving around to read the screen.
“It’s right here in Wikipedia.” Eliza looked at her with wide eyes. “This guy is loaded, Cat.”
“Uh, the five grand he paid for a Bible didn’t tell you that?”
“Well, yeah. I just didn’t think he was this loaded.”
“Should I propose tomorrow, then?”
Eliza gaped at her.
“Oh, good Lord, I’m kidding, Eliza. This is not a romance novel, and one dinner doesn’t mean we’re destined for each other.” She moved to shrug out of the dress. “I don’t think I should accept this. This is all a little too Pretty Woman-ish.”
“Oh, Cat.” Eliza threw her hands in the air. “You look fabulous. Accept it. Wear it. If not for him, then for me.” She flopped down on the bed.
Cat laughed. “All right. For you, darling,” she said in an overdone French accent. “How about we go grab a bite to eat after I change? I hear that new Chinese place over on Fourteenth Street is pretty good.”
“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll call Jill and Shannon.”
“Great. Just don’t tell them about the dress, okay? I’ll never live it down.”
“So what’s your secret, Cat?” Shannon asked before taking a bite of Tso’s chicken.
“Secret? What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on. Jill’s filled me in on all the details. You haven’t had a date in, what, years? And suddenly you have three men hot after you?”
Cat shifted in her chair. “I wouldn’t say hot after me.”
Jill broke in. “Uh, I would. Given Eliza’s retelling of poetry night? Hello.”
Cat glared at Eliza across the table, who at least had the grace to blush as she quickly popped a spring roll into her mouth. “You told them?”
Since Eliza was chewing, Cat turned to Jill. “She told you?”
“Yeah,” Jill retorted. “You weren’t giving enough details over coffee.”
“Wouldn’t you want us to tell you if something that exciting happened to one of us?” said Shannon.
“Shannon, you’re married. You have two kids. Something like that had better not happen to you,” Cat pointed out.
“Ha, thanks for the reminder. Scott knows I adore him. But back to my question: what’s your secret? Inquiring minds want to live vicariously. And Jill needs a date, too.”
Jill frowned. “Well, yeah, I would like to meet someone,” she admitted as she picked at her fried rice. “Rare books are fun and all, but they don’t keep me warm at night.”
Cat picked up her water glass. “In all honesty,” she said, “I have no idea. You know I’m not looking for anyone. It’s been as much a surprise to me as to you.”
Eliza piped up. “And they’ve all been hot. You should see the grad student. And the date for this Saturday—he’s super-rich.”
Cat kicked her under the table.
Eliza let out a small yelp. “Oh, come on, Cat. Don’t most women dream about those kinds of men coming to sweep them off their feet?”
“I don’t know about most. We know you do, Lizzie, what with your reading genre of choice.” She was grateful Eliza hadn’t blurted out her theory about the medieval manuscript; she didn’t want to have to think about that, much less explain it to their friends. She paused for a moment. “Maybe I did want that when I was younger. Before, you know...”
The three other women at the table nodded. “We get how hard that was for you, Cat,” Shannon said. “But not all men are like that. Look at my Scott.”
Cat had to agree with that. Shannon had snagged a man who was devoted to her and their kids, and the other women at the table openly admitted envy when watching them together. “Maybe,” she conceded. “I have to admit, it’s been kind of fun.”
“I’ll take an order of that kind of fun,” Jill quipped. “But for now, tell us about Saturday. Where are you going?”
“No idea. He’s picking me up at 5:00.”
“Five? Isn’t that kind of early for a date?�
��
“Believe me,” Eliza broke in. “If you had met the guy, you’d go on a date no matter what the time. I think he’s Cat’s knight in shining armor.”
An image of Ben waving his imaginary sword, slaying Internet dragons, popped into Cat’s head. Maybe Eliza had been right; maybe Ben had truly been interested. Jeez, did she think every man she saw wanted to bed her? Besides, He. Had. A. Girlfriend.
“Hey, isn’t that Ben over there?” Eliza exclaimed. She leaned into the table and lowered her voice. “He’s with a woman.”
Jill and Shannon turned at the same time to check out the back corner where Eliza had surreptitiously pointed.
“Stop it, you two, he’ll notice,” hissed Cat. Her shoulders tensed.
“Who’s Ben?” Jill asked. “You’ve got another guy in the mix?”
“No, I don’t. He’s a professor here at the university who came over and fixed our computer system one day, that’s all,” she protested, even as her ears started to burn. She took a deep breath. She had to admit she was curious. But unless she turned completely around, she wouldn’t be able to see him, and doing so was out of the question. That didn’t stop Shannon and Jill from glancing again and again, though.
“Ooh, I think she’s his girlfriend,” Eliza said.
“Told you he had a girlfriend.” She smirked at Eliza, attempting to ignore the mixed feelings that statement aroused.
“No, it’s a different woman, not the one we saw in the coffee shop.”
Wow. The guy gets around. Cat whipped her head around without thinking, her eyes locking instantly with Ben’s. His brow furrowed. She turned back to the table, determined not to look again. Her stomach knotted.
“She just put her hand over his on the table,” Eliza said. “Now she’s laughing at something he said, and he’s smiling at her. And now ... Oh, crap!”
“What?” Cat whispered.
“He’s looking over here. I think he saw us staring at him.” Eliza waved.
Cat focused on the fried rice in front of her. “Now what is he doing?” She was careful not to move her head in his direction. Goosebumps raced up her arms, but she didn’t know if they stemmed from tension or excitement.
The Magic of Love Series Page 12
