Then, as if on cue, noise from the baby monitor interrupted their conversation and Emma fought her nap.
“There’s a black-tie event at The Village right after we get back.” Samantha handed a check to Meg and turned away. She glanced at the amount and nearly choked.
“What’s this for?”
“It’s a clothing allowance.”
Meg hadn’t spent that many zeros on clothes her entire life.
“For clothes?”
“Crazy, isn’t it?”
The only thing Meg could do was nod.
“The rich sniff out cheap crap. I understand the need to pick up a bargain, but don’t start at a big box store.”
“But—”
“I expect receipts. Evening gowns go to your feet, keeping in mind your shoes. There will be alterations and accessories. I expect every image recorded in the tabloids to reflect wealth. Even those from a dance club.”
Meg closed her eyes, swallowed hard. “You saw that?”
Samantha laughed. “Cute guys.”
“They’re gay.”
“Still cute. Next time wear a silk shirt. The rich know all about the paparazzi. Most love the attention, but anyone watching us will expect a certain level of quality. And once you’re here, they want you to be someone that can relate to their issues. Even if you can’t.”
“I don’t even know where to shop.”
“Not a problem. I have Karen stopping by tomorrow to take you and Judy out shopping.”
“Seriously?”
Samantha laughed. “Seriously.”
Meg sat back in her chair with a laugh. “This doesn’t feel like work.”
Her boss switched into a file on the computer. “No worries, what I’m going to show you next will feel like work.”
Two hours later Meg’s head was fried. Not only were there portfolios on women to match with men . . . but a few men looking for a longer-term selection of women. Memorizing the faces so Meg could match couples at a glance was imperative. Then there were the kinds of profiles of men and women she needed to keep an eye out to recruit.
Meg was clicking through pages long after Samantha had left the Tarzana house.
When the front door opened, Meg assumed it was her boss returning. When a male voice interrupted her thoughts, she jumped.
“Hey.”
Meg swiveled in her chair, a hand to her chest. “Good Lord.”
“Sorry.”
Rick stood in the doorway, his lazy smile gracing his face. Why Judy wasn’t jumping the man was beyond Meg.
Meg looked out the window, noticed the sun setting. “I lost the time.”
“Happens to the best of us. So you’re Samantha’s new recruit.”
Meg turned toward the computer, hit print so she could study the information at home, and turned off the computer when she was finished. “Samantha is the perfect boss.”
“She’s a nice lady.”
“Agreed.” She stood, looked around the office. “Does it bother you that I’ll be around?”
Rick shrugged. “I’m used to it. Besides, I’m not here often. Just be sure and set the alarm when you come and go.”
Samantha had taught her the drill. It mimicked that which she’d already learned living with Judy at Michael’s home.
“Not a problem.” Meg gathered her papers and lifted her purse onto her shoulder. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ll be gone most of the day.”
“Oh . . . OK.”
Before Meg made it to the door, the inevitable happened.
“So how are you and Judy settling in?”
A slow, easy smile met Meg’s lips. The man was terribly transparent. “Judy thinks her new boss is a dickless putz.”
How Rick managed to have dimples and hold back a smile was beyond her.
“Other than that, she’s fine.”
“And the tabloid fodder?”
“You saw that?”
The piece had been small, but it seemed to have made the rounds.
“Double date?”
Oh, now Meg got it. Rick was fishing for the real story. “We’d just met the guys.” She left out the part about them being into each other and not them.
“You were all laughing.”
“Evenings out do that.” Instead of elaborating, Meg squeezed between Rick and the doorway. “Well, it’s late. See ya tomorrow, Rick.”
She would swear Rick grumbled as she sailed out the front door. Men are so easy.
Chapter Six
“I can’t believe how great this place looks.” Judy spread her arms in the middle of the living room of Zach and Karen’s home and spun in a circle. “I love the high ceilings, the wainscoting . . . even the windows that had to be a pain to replicate.”
Karen ran a hand along the drapes framing the windows that spanned half the length of the wall. “Zach was relentless in the effort to keep as many of the original fixtures or make sure a modern fit had an old feel.” The Victorian home would have been drafty with the single-pane windows that undoubtedly came with the original structure.
“You must be happy.”
“More than you can know.”
Karen’s smile laid claim to her happiness. Meg’s shopping excursion was delayed until Judy could join them, and being a Saturday, Judy opted to help Karen out by staying at the house so she and Zach could sneak away for an overnight trip. Not that teenage kids couldn’t keep to themselves, but with the courts watching every move while they worked on getting all the proper licenses to get The Village running full bore, Karen didn’t want to take any chances.
Zach walked into the room with a small bag in his hand. “There you are.”
Karen slid into his embrace and accepted the kiss he laid on her cheek. “You ready?”
Zach winked. “I pack light.”
“Which means he didn’t pack much of anything.” If Judy had to guess, her brother and his wife wouldn’t make it out of the hotel room. They really were in love.
“Devon’s shift ends at nine, his curfew is eleven. Dina is in her room. She’s been a bit moody lately.”
“Everything OK?”
“I think so. The counselor said to expect more than normal mood swings.”
“I guess that’s to be expected in light of everything that’s happened.” Judy couldn’t imagine how the kids coped with the loss of their mom and living with the knowledge that their dad murdered her.
Zach patted Karen’s butt. “We’re burning daylight, hon.”
“OK, I’m done. Call if you need anything,” Karen said.
“I will. Have fun and don’t worry.” Judy turned away as they walked out of the room.
They’d just stepped out of the room and Karen ducked back in. “Oh, by the way . . . Rick is coming by to work on the security system, adjust cameras and such.”
With the mention of Rick’s name, Judy’s cheeks heated. “Rick?”
Karen waved. “I’m sure he won’t get in your way. Have a good night.”
If Judy didn’t know any better, she would have sworn there was a dancing light in Karen’s eyes when she wiggled her eyebrows and left the room.
Ignoring the flutter in her chest, Judy took her small overnight bag and walked through the hall and up the stairs to one of the guest rooms. The light blue and white color palette matched the seaside view from the window. The entire home screamed tranquility, and Judy found herself caught up in the view of a passing sailboat and wondering who might be on it.
“Hey?”
Judy turned to see Dina standing in the doorway.
“Hey.”
The girl’s dark skin and soulful eyes stood in contrast to the light, airy room. At sixteen, she had an extra twenty pounds on her frame than she really needed, which she tried to hide behind baggy clothes.
“I take it Karen and Zach left.”
Judy moved away from the window. “Yeah.”
“I really don’t need a babysitter.” Her defensive words matched the arms sh
e crossed over her chest.
“Good thing. I never did like to babysit.”
“It’s stupid. Nobody cared that Devon and I were on our own for months. Now we’re here and there are nothing but rules.”
Judy sat on the edge of the bed. “And I’ll bet your parents left you guys alone a lot.”
“All the time. Nobody cared then, either.”
“It’s the overnight thing. I’m sure things will loosen up in time.”
“Stupid.”
“Oh, well.” Judy stood and walked toward the door. “Might as well make the most of it.”
Dina followed her down the stairs and into the kitchen. Judy dug in the refrigerator and removed a package of ground beef, an onion . . . a few eggs.
“You don’t have to cook for me.”
Boy, this girl was a hard sell today. “You don’t have to eat it. I’m sure Karen and Zach will like the leftovers.” She rolled up her sleeves and washed her hands. “Can you grab the bread?”
Judy watched from the corner of her eye as Dina stepped into the pantry and removed a loaf. She picked up the onion and waved it in the air. “Do you want onion duty or shredding the bread?”
Dina narrowed her eyes. “You’re making meatloaf?”
“Yeah. I don’t do gourmet. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes.”
“What about gravy?”
Judy nearly smiled, but hid her excitement. Seemed maybe Dina was going to step out of her funk after all.
“I kinda suck at gravy. Do you know how to make it without lumps?”
Dina gave a tiny nod. “I think so.”
“Great. I’ll cry over the onion, you slave over the gravy.”
Judy was crying over the onions while Dina removed a few potatoes and started to peel them. “Do you like to cook?”
When Dina didn’t answer, Judy kept talking. “Growing up in a small town meant there weren’t many options of restaurants.”
“Even fast food?”
“We could go to the next town over for a burger joint, but we didn’t go all the time. Conrad’s has the best fries.”
Dina actually laughed. “Your brother said the same thing.”
“Our mom taught us all the basics. The first two years in college, I only cooked when I went home to visit. Then Meg and I got an apartment off campus and I cooked all the time. Gained a bunch of weight, too.”
Dina scoffed at that. “You’re thin.”
“Yeah, well, doesn’t mean I don’t have to work on it. Meg and I went to an exercise class in Seattle but we haven’t found anything that isn’t crazy expensive here. I’ve been reduced to jogging after work.”
“Karen jogs all the time.”
Judy glanced out the kitchen window. “If I lived on the beach I’d be happy to jog all the time. In the city I have to dodge cars and suck in the exhaust.”
“Why don’t you pay for one of those fancy gyms?”
“Because unlike my brother, I’m broke.”
“Didn’t you say you worked?”
Judy slid the chopped onions into the big bowl of beef and cracked a few eggs into the mix. “It’s an internship. I’m not paid and I’m overworked.”
Dina squished her face in an expression of complete horror. “Why would anyone work for free?”
“I’ve been asking myself that question for two weeks.” She cringed when her fingers met the cold meat and she started the process of mixing the ingredients. “Damn that’s cold.”
“Yeah, but it’s the only way to mix it right.” Dina peeled and kept the conversation going. “You really work for free?”
“It’s a six-month internship. It’s a way of gaining experience so someone will hire me.”
“I thought college meant someone will hire you.”
“Not necessarily. I guess with some professions it works that way, but not for me.”
“Zach said you want to design buildings.”
“I do. The only thing I’ve been doing, however, is filing and playing the mail lady. I shouldn’t complain. It’s actually not that bad . . . but I can’t help but think I’m spinning in circles.”
“It can’t be any worse than high school. Like I’ll ever use algebra.”
Judy was about to correct her when a deep voice from behind them offered his opinion. “Amen to that. I never used algebra.”
Rick. Her skin tingled.
Without turning around, Judy said, “I use it all the time.”
“That’s because you have a geeky desk job, babe.”
Dina actually laughed. “A geeky desk job that doesn’t pay.”
“Even better. Hey, Dina.”
Judy heard the giddiness in the teen’s voice. “Hi, Rick.”
Rick stepped up behind her, looked over her shoulder. “Aww, babe, you didn’t need to cook me dinner.”
“I’m not . . . and I’m not your babe.” Judy turned the bowl over onto the counter and shaped the loaf.
“Seems like a lot of food for two tiny women.”
“I’m sure there’s plenty for you to join us,” Dina told him.
“Perfect. I haven’t had meatloaf in years.”
Judy turned, found it difficult not to take in the man standing a breath away from her. “I’m sure you have something better to do.”
Rick shook his head. “Nope. My work is here tonight. Should get done right about the time that comes out of the oven.”
She glared but found a smile somewhere deep inside. “So you hustle pool and dinners.”
“I do what I have to, Utah.”
Damn he was too good-looking for her sanity. She found herself staring at his lips, and when he lifted an eyebrow, she snapped out of her trance, placed her sticky hand on his arm to push him away, and moved around him to the sink. “Whatever.”
Rick moved beside her, took the washcloth from her hands, and brushed it against his arm before handing it back. “I’ll start upstairs. If you hear the alarm going off, just ignore it.”
“Fine.”
He chuckled as he left the room.
Once he was out of earshot, Dina said, “That man is hot.”
Judy fanned her warm cheeks and kept her comments to herself.
How an alarm could go off fourteen times in an hour was beyond her. Judy’s nerves were fried by the time the buzzer on the stove told her dinner was ready. Then, as if Rick were standing in the hall waiting for the call, he showed up with clean hands and the easy smile that always graced his face, and sat beside her for dinner.
Dina actually carried much of the conversation. The teenager yakked about school, her lack of desire to study math, her crappy teachers.
Judy tried to concentrate on what Dina said and ignore the presence of all things Rick. Didn’t matter that Rick’s green eyes drank her in like water on the floor of the desert every time he looked her way. Didn’t matter that every time his eyes collided with hers, her heart flipped in her chest. Didn’t matter that the chemical sparks flying off them could ignite soggy maple leaves during a rainstorm. Didn’t matter.
Rick was a distraction. And Judy wanted a career, a life where she met different people, experienced lots of life. Rick was dangerous, which she admitted, if only to herself, was a complete turn-on. His devastating smile and his fascination with her could break her. She had learned early on she couldn’t be a player in a dress. Flirting was one thing, but the whole intimacy without emotion thing was difficult. She blamed the small town she’d grown up in for her inability to play and move on. It would be easy to give in to the temptation known as Rick if she could do so without latching on and not letting go.
“You know, babe, this is really good.” Rick shoveled in a second helping of meatloaf.
“Dina helped.”
Dina sat taller, liking the praise.
“And enough with the babe.”
He pointed his fork in her direction. “One way to get rid of that.”
Judy shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“Well,” Dina pushed awa
y from the table and grabbed her plate, “I have a stupid book report to finish tonight. You’re going to be here in the morning, right?”
“I’m not out of here until Karen and Zach are back. They looked like they’d sleep in,” Judy reminded her.
“Great, because solving for X isn’t working.”
Judy told her she’d help with the algebra; give her a different perspective than Karen was offering.
Dina headed toward the kitchen with her plate, and soon the sound of water running in the sink filled the silence in the dining room.
“I can do that,” Judy told her.
“Rules of the house are everyone helps.”
Judy almost told her to skip the rules for the night, then Rick placed his hand on her arm. “Routine and order are signs of stability. Something she needs,” he whispered.
Judy glanced into the kitchen, noticed a grin on Dina’s face. When she turned back to Rick, he was staring at her. “Then you can clear the rest of the table.”
“I’m a guest.”
“I don’t think so, babe,” she threw his endearment back at him. “Inviting yourself isn’t the same as being invited.”
They put a plate aside for Devon and cleaned up the kitchen within twenty minutes. Dina excused herself, leaving the two of them alone.
Rick was handing her the last of the dishes to dry while she put them away.
“How about some coffee?” he asked once he dried his hands.
“Inviting yourself again?”
He leaned a hip against the counter. “I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but I need to stick around until after dark to check the outside cameras.”
“It’s hard to take you seriously with that smile on your face.”
He winked. “I’ve heard that before.”
His dimples were perfectly lethal, not that she’d tell him that.
“Fine.” She went through the effort of brewing a pot of coffee, secretly happy he wasn’t running off. You’re flirting with fire, Judy.
She was removing coffee cups from the cupboard when he asked, “So, are you avoiding dating altogether while you’re here, or just dating me?”
She hesitated, then said the first thing that came to her head. “You’re dangerous.”
“Only to an enemy.”
“The first time we met you were swinging a gun around.”
Taken by Tuesday (Weekday Brides Series) Page 6
