Love

by Sherryl Woods

  Who was she kidding? Jason Halloran didn’t want any part of her. He’d made that clear. The last thing she had to worry about was becoming dependent on him in any way. He’d see to that.

  “Dana!”

  Filled with guilt, she jerked around to meet the impatient gaze of her boss, Henry Keane. “I thought you told me if I gave you yesterday morning off so you could go to your meeting, you’d make up for it today. I don’t see that stack of proofreading shrinking.”

  “Sorry. I’m just a little distracted. Did I have any calls while I was taking those flyers over to Mr. Webster?” she asked, thinking that John Lansing was likely to call at any moment to hear her decision. She was going to force a no past her lips, even if it killed her.

  “You were expecting that brother of yours to check in? Is he in trouble again?”

  “No, Mr. Keane,” she replied dutifully.

  “A boyfriend, then?”

  His sarcastic tone was meant to remind her about his edict that she not receive or make personal calls except on her break. It meant that Sammy spent too many unsupervised hours after school, but she had little choice in the matter. She doubted a few five-minute phone calls were likely to keep him out of trouble, anyway. The truth of the matter was that he’d been a latchkey kid from the beginning, except on those rare occasions when Rosie had looked after him in her haphazard way.

  “No, not a boyfriend, either,” she said. “Never mind. I’ll catch up on all this by the end of the day. I promise.”

  He stood behind her until he was apparently reassured that she meant what she’d said. Finally she heard his small, satisfied huff, then the shuffle of his feet as he went back to his own office.

  As irritating as she found the man, she knew she owed him. He’d offered her the latitude to expand her duties, to develop a small design business. Even though he took the money, she’d gained in experience. Her portfolio was crammed with top quality flyers and brochures she’d been able to create on shoestring budgets.

  Maybe she could even convince him to improve the terms of the last deal he’d offered her. As cranky as he often was, deep down he was fair. She’d pull together some statistics to show him that his own printing business had improved since having her on board to do occasional designs.

  There was a timid tap on her door and she looked up to see Mrs. Finch, who owned the neighborhood bookstore, hovering in the doorway. “Dana, honey? Do you have a minute? I could come back.”

  Dana smiled. “For you, I always have time. Come in. What’s up?”

  “I hate to impose, but I wondered if those flyers for the storytelling session are ready. I hate to rush you when I know how busy you are.”

  Mrs. Finch was a sweet old lady, who’d given Dana a break more than once on books she needed for her classes. Dana liked helping her out now and then by doing the posters for her special events. She also endured the woman’s tendency to meddle in her life.

  “I have the flyers right here,” Dana said, handing her the bundle of bright yellow paper.

  “Oh, thank you, dear.” She looked at the design and beamed. “They’re lovely as usual. By the way, did you apply for that job, like you planned?” Mrs. Finch asked, practically on cue. She hefted her round body up on a stool next to Dana, clearly ready for a nice long chat.

  “Yes.”

  “You’ll get it,” the old woman said loyally. “Is that Mr. Lansing an attractive man?”

  “Very.”

  “Married?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Mrs. Finch sighed with obvious disappointment. “Dana, it’s time you started looking for a nice young man. You can’t ignore opportunities that come your way.”

  “I don’t have time for a relationship,” she said for probably the hundredth time this month alone. Her social life—or lack of one—was Mrs. Finch’s favorite topic. She used inquiries about Dana’s job hunting only as an introduction to the more important subject of the men she’d met on the interviews.

  “You have to make the time.” At Dana’s glowering expression, she held up her hands. “Okay. I can see you’re busy. You can’t talk about this now. You just remember what I said.”

  “I’ll remember,” Dana said as dutifully as always. It was no surprise that this time an image of Jason Halloran crept into her mind. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes that would have made Mrs. Finch’s romantic fantasies turn downright steamy. Dana tried to banish the image, but Jason’s face lingered with the pesky persistence of a man on a mission. She didn’t dare to think what that mission might be.

  She was still considering the possibilities when the phone rang.

  “Dana, it’s John Lansing. Can you get over to my office this afternoon?”

  She sighed. She could turn him down now or wait and turn him down in person. Waiting could be risky, especially once she saw the inside of that office again and felt those stirrings of creative energy.

  “Actually I’ve reached a decision. I don’t think it will be necessary for me to come by. I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer.”

  “Because of the Halloran situation, right?”

  She doubted if they were referring to exactly the same Halloran situation, but he was close enough. “Right.”

  “I think I’ve found a solution. Can you get over here to discuss it?”

  All those dreams she’d had about a career in graphic design combined to overcome her doubts. “I can’t get there before five-thirty.”

  “Then I’ll see you at five-thirty.”

  For the rest of the afternoon and all during the bus ride across town, Dana was torn between anticipation and dread. What sort of solution could he possibly have found? Had he found some way of getting Brandon Halloran to change his mind about taking his business away from the Lansing Agency if he didn’t get his way? Brandon didn’t strike her as the sort of man to surrender so easily. Besides, would John Lansing even want to hire her if it weren’t for Brandon’s enthusiasm?

  At the agency she was ushered into John Lansing’s office immediately. He stood up and held out his hand.

  “Congratulations!” he said warmly. “You’ve got yourself a job and your first account. Jason Halloran has loosened up a bit. He’s very anxious to work with you.”

  She stared at him blankly. “That can’t be.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I spoke with him last night. He said…” She shook her head, trying to clear it. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. He wants to work with me directly? You actually spoke to him and he said that?”

  Lansing regarded her oddly. “I’ll admit I never thought he’d go for those designs, but why does that surprise you so? Your work is good.”

  “It’s a long story,” she muttered, not at all sure how she felt about this turn of events. Maybe Jason had simply decided he could put up with her temporarily. Later he would find some way to shift the account to another artist. That way everyone would be happy. Everyone except Dana. She couldn’t imagine working with a man who’d made it abundantly clear he couldn’t stand the sight of her.

  “Tell me something, Mr. Lansing. Is it unusual for a beginner like me to be assigned to an account the size of Halloran Industries?”

  John Lansing didn’t bat an eye at the question or its implication. “Unusual, yes. Unheard of, no. When an artist is as talented as you are, sometimes career moves happen very quickly.”

  “But you were surprised by Mr. Halloran’s request,” she persisted.

  “Surprised? Perhaps a little, but not displeased, Ms. Roberts. My goal is always to keep the client satisfied. Clearly Mr. Halloran is more than satisfied by what he’s seen so far, as is his grandfather. But you already knew that.”

  “Yes. So you said,” Dana muttered.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Nothing. Shouldn’t someone with more experience supervise this account? Lesley, perhaps? I’d be happy to work on smaller jobs at first.”

  “Absolutely not. As long as the Hallorans
are happy with your work, that’s all that matters. You will be able to start right away, won’t you?”

  Dana had no idea what was going on, but she had to take a risk that things would work out. “I’ll have to give notice at my current job, but I could begin doing a few things for you in my spare time for the next two weeks if that would be helpful.”

  “I’ll let you work your schedule out directly with Mr. Halloran. I got the impression he wants to work closely with you on this campaign and he wants to get started as soon as possible.”

  Dana bit back another sarcastic comment. The minute she’d agreed to a starting date and said goodbye, she went straight to the nearest pay phone and called Halloran Industries. Though it was past four o’clock closing time by Jason Halloran’s standards, she wasn’t surprised to discover that he was still in his office. No doubt he’d been waiting for her to call and bless him for this gift he’d bestowed on her.

  “Listen,” she said abruptly when he picked up. “I can’t begin to understand what made you change your mind, but I think there are one or two things you and I need to get clear.”

  “What the devil are you talking about now?”

  “One, I will do the very best job on the Halloran Industries account that I can.”

  “What?”

  She was too busy warming up to pay much attention to the stunned tone in his voice. “I’m not through. Two, I don’t want you to think for one minute that I am so grateful that I will fall into your bed. If I sense even the tiniest hint that you have anything in mind besides business, I will quit and slap you with a harassment suit that will make your head spin. Have I made myself clear?”

  “Have you lost your mind?”

  “Not yet, but I’m a little concerned that a few weeks around you and I just might.”

  “Are you finished?” he asked quietly. “I’d like to say something.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said, her blood pumping fast and furiously with righteous outrage. “I’m afraid if I stay on this phone for another second I will tell you what I really think of a man who uses his position and power to control other people’s lives, to jerk them around like puppets. I’m not a puppet, Mr. Halloran. Remember that!”

  She heard his muttered exclamation just as she slammed the receiver into place. If Jason Halloran thought for one second he was going to play games with her life, he was very sadly mistaken.

  With her anger vented, she took a deep breath and allowed herself to think about the fact that she had gotten a job that would be coveted by any design school graduate. Not even Jason Halloran’s odd change of heart and questionable motives could take away the pure rush of satisfaction.

  “Hot damn!” she said, spinning around in the middle of the sidewalk, oblivious to the smiles of those passing by. For the first time in her life, she really believed that things were going her way.

  That notion crashed the minute she got home. She found Sammy in the bathroom trying frantically to disguise the fact that his eyes were black and blue and his jaw bloodied.

  “Oh, Sammy,” she murmured, gingerly touching the swelling. “What happened to you?”

  “I bumped into a door,” he muttered, shoving her hand away.

  “Did this door have a name?” she asked wryly.

  “Stay out of it, sis.”

  “Did this have anything to do with the VCR? Is that man still bothering you?”

  With a glare in her direction, he pushed past her and headed for the front door.

  “Sammy!”

  “It’s nothing, okay. I can handle it.”

  “Is this your idea of handling it? What about next time?”

  For just an instant he looked like a scared kid, then the bravado was back in place. It reminded her all too clearly of her own tendency to mask her fears with false courage.

  “I don’t think they’ll mess with me anymore,” he said, sounding hopeful.

  “But what if they do?” she asked. “They have to be stopped now, before you wind up really hurt.”

  He whirled on her furiously. “You know what’ll really hurt me? Having my big sister let everyone know that she thinks I’m still a baby, that’s what. No wonder these guys think they can push me around. You treat me like a kid.”

  Dana swallowed the desire to remind him that he was just a kid. Obviously his pride had been almost as battered as his face. He didn’t need her to deliver the final blow.

  “I’m sorry,” she said gently. “It’s just that I worry about you. If anything every happened to you, I really don’t know what I’d do.”

  Sammy’s tough facade crumpled the instant he detected the tears welling up in her eyes. “Aw, sis. Don’t cry,” he pleaded.

  “How can I help it?” she said, swiping at the tears. “Seeing you like this scares me. Sammy, if you don’t stop hanging around with guys like these you’ll end up in more trouble than I can ever bail you out of.”

  “I can take care of myself,” he reminded her.

  Dana sighed. She couldn’t win this argument. No matter how badly she wanted to protect him, no matter how hard she tried to steer him on the right course, it was clear that there were some lessons Sammy was just going to have to learn for himself. Letting go, though, was absolute hell.

  She drew in another deep breath and forced a smile. “How about pizza for dinner? We can celebrate my new job.”

  Sammy’s responding smile was far more natural than hers. “You got it? I thought you said you weren’t gonna take it, that those Halloran guys were nuts.”

  “I still think that, but I start in two weeks, anyway. The opportunity is too good to pass up. I’ll find a way to get along with them.”

  Sammy’s arms came around her waist and he hoisted her into the air, twirling her around until they were both giddy with laughter.

  “I knew it!” he whooped. “You’ve got it made now. Are they payin’ you big bucks?”

  Dana’s laughter faltered. “Oh, my gosh. I never even asked.”

  Sammy groaned. “Sis, you really gotta toughen up. Want me to go in and negotiate for you?”

  Grinning at his change in mood, she said, “No, I really think I can handle this on my own, but thanks for offering. Now how about that pizza? A large one.”

  “Pepperoni, onions and mushrooms?”

  “The works,” she countered. “Everything except anchovies.”

  “You got it. I’ll be back in a flash.”

  It wasn’t until Sammy was out the door and thundering down the stairs that she stopped to wonder where he’d gotten enough money to pay for the pizza.

  Chapter Five

  The impossible woman was going to disrupt his life after all! Jason could have sworn they’d reached a total understanding about steering clear of each other the night before. Now Dana was accusing him of who knew what and seemed to have some crazy notion that the two of them were going to work together despite that agreement. He couldn’t allow that to happen. Sooner or later he was likely to abandon all common sense and either kiss her or kill her. He didn’t want to lay odds on which it would be.

  It had taken a lot of very fast talking, but he had finally convinced John Lansing to give him Dana’s home address. She would not have the last word, not this time. The woman had an infuriating knack for jumping to the wrong conclusions, at least where he was concerned. His jaw still ached from the first incident. Once again he didn’t know what the hell she was talking about. That phone call of hers was yet more evidence that she was way too impulsive. So was her decision to slam the phone down in his ear. It had set his teeth on edge, tipping the scales more toward murder than seduction.

  He had to admit, though, that for one brief flash he had found it exhilarating to battle wits with a woman who wasn’t afraid to offend him. Ironically Dana had more to lose than most women, yet she’d blasted him with both barrels just now on the phone. What she’d said might have irritated him with its unfairness, but the plain speaking had made his blood fairly sizzle with excitement.
As Jason drove across town, he realized he could hardly wait to see her. He couldn’t help wondering what would happen when all that misguided fury turned to passion.

  Now that he was actually in her neighborhood, however, he was so appalled by what he saw that this latest argument faded in importance. Used to Boston’s finest old sections, Jason was unprepared for the general air of poverty and neglect he found in this cramped, worn-down area. The buildings were in a sad state of disrepair, some of them clearly deserted. Most worrisome, though, were the young thugs hanging around on street corners obviously looking for trouble.

  In some measure the neighborhood explained Dana’s fearless nature. But there was no doubt in Jason’s mind that a young woman as beautiful and guileless as Dana was in danger here, no matter how hardened she thought she was. A surprising and overwhelming desire to protect her swept through him. Despite her tough exterior, despite the strength he’d seen in her, he’d sensed an underlying vulnerability that aroused all sorts of unexpected and unfamiliar white knight fantasies in him. Dana would probably laugh in his face if he suggested such a thing.

  Maybe he should try to talk her into moving, though. He’d find her something safer himself. He’d insist that Lansing pay her a decent salary. Then he could fire her from the Halloran account with a clear conscience, satisfied that her life was in order—or at least in as much order as the life of anyone like Dana was ever likely to be. He would have done his duty, as Hallorans always did.

  Despite the evidence all around him, Jason actually hoped to find something nicer once he reached Dana’s address. Instead, her building was no better than the rest on the block. He parked his flashy sports car with great reluctance, wondering if it would still be there when he returned. There was a trio of rough-looking characters eyeing it with evident fascination when he set the alarm. He figured they could override the expensive system in less than twenty seconds if they dared to try. No wonder Sammy had developed a larcenous streak, if guys like these had been his playmates.