by Susan Crosby
“I’m fine. Honestly, I am. Doing better every day. Business is picking up so much that I’m going to hire an assistant.”
“You’ve met a man.”
Startled speechless, Mollie stared at her friend.
“A, you’re considering hiring someone—which means you want some time off now and then. B, you’re glowing.”
Mollie felt her cheeks flush, much as they had been for the past few days just being around Gray. But she couldn’t tell Kelly about Gray, because she would tell Mac, and he might mention it to someone else in the Fortune family. And Mollie wasn’t ready to share Gray with them yet
Actually, what she wanted to do was to take out a full-page ad in the StarTribune, run an announcement on every TV channel and maybe even hire a plane to tow a banner Gray McGuire asked Mollie Shaw to be his girlfriend.
Okay, so it was only a pretend girlfriend. But his mother was going to assume they were lovers—
Kelly waved a hand in front of Mollie’s face. “Cripes. He must be something.”
Annie stuck her fingers in Mollie’s mouth, saving her from answering.
“What’s his name? What does he look like? He’d better treat you well.”
“Slow down. You don’t have to be big sister, okay? I’m not ready to introduce him to you because he might think I have plans for him, and it hasn’t reached that point. You’ll meet him as soon as I think it won’t scare him off.”
“You always could keep a secret.”
“You used to say that like it was a compliment, Kel.”
Kelly grinned. She lifted Annie into her arms as the door opened and an elderly couple came in. Mollie greeted them by name, then headed to the refrigerator case to get the small bouquet she fixed weekly for them to take to their daughter’s grave.
As soon as they left, Kelly looked at Mollie as if she wasn’t going to take no for an answer—no matter what the question was. “We came to invite you to dinner tomorrow. Mac will be there, of course, plus Chloe and Mason.” She cocked her head. “Speaking of Chloe and Mason—do they seem all right to you? Are the wedding plans still full speed ahead?”
“I haven’t spoken to them in a couple of weeks. Do you think something’s wrong?”
“Nothing I can put my finger on.” She tugged her hair out of her daughter’s fist “So, how about dinner?”
“I’ve got plans for tomorrow.”
“With the mystery man?”
“Yes. And that’s all I’m going to tell you.”
The front door opened.
“Top of the momin’ to ye!” Yarg shrieked.
“I’m going to decommission you,” Gray threatened placidly as he walked by the plastic creature, who winked as if on cue.
Mollie waited to see if Kelly and Gray acknowledged each other, hoping not. Kelly hadn’t attended the charity ball, so there was a chance she didn’t know who he was. When neither showed any sign of recognition, Mollie looked meaningfully at Gray. “I’ll be right with you, sir.”
Sir? Gray glanced at the blond woman holding the baby. “I’m in no hurry,” he said in return, catching the flicker of gratitude in Mollie’s eyes before he moved to examine the items she’d chosen to display in her new hutch.
“Well, we want to get home to Daddy, don’t we, sweetheart?” the woman said to the baby as she grabbed a canvas bag, then leaned across the counter toward Mollie and lowered her voice a little. “I want all the details, and soon. Promise you’ll call or I’m gonna sic Mac on you. And you know Mac can pull answers out of anyone.”
Mac Fortune? Gray wondered. Mac was the oldest son of Stuart Fortune’s brother, Emmet. Mac’s wedding had netted Mollie her first job as a wedding planner, which had led to the upcoming nuptials of Chloe Fortune and Mason Chandler, the fairy-tale-princess event yet to come.
After the woman left, Mollie came around the counter and thanked him.
“Friend of yours?” he asked.
“Kelly Fortune. We grew up together. I was afraid you’d met already.”
“Afraid?”
“I’m not ready to share you with my friends yet.”
There was nothing coy in her expression, just the truth of her words, which he respected and was glad of, even as he also wondered why she wanted to keep him a secret.
“I’ve probably become too independent since Mom died, but I don’t want to lean on anyone. My friends mean well, but they tend to offer advice freely.”
“You told me you always listen to advice.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “Yours was relevant to my business, and you have the qualifications to do so.”
“Do you think your friends would advise you against this trip?”
Her eyes danced merrily. “Hmm. I’m only guessing, of course, but I think they just might try to talk me out of flying to California with a handsome, sexy man I met only three days ago. A man who, according to the tabloids, dates a new woman every week. Stunning blondes, exotic brunettes—”
“Beautiful redheads?”
“I’m not beautiful,” she said quietly, seriously, her eyes searching his.
“I’m apparently an expert in the matter.”
“You’re just being kind.”
Kind—a word he hadn’t heard before in reference to himself. The descriptions usually involved words like grim and focused. Solitary. Distant. No one had called him handsome or sexy until just a minute ago. He didn’t have any illusions. Money and status were powerful draws for most people. “I’m not being kind, Mollie.”
She clasped her hands together. “It doesn’t even matter, does it? We’re doing business together, right?”
He hesitated only an instant. “Right. What time do you think we can leave tomorrow?”
“Six-thirty.”
“In the morning?”
She grinned. “I asked Tony to deliver the baskets, so all I have to do is put the arrangements together.”
“Which means you’ll want to get to bed early.”
“You think I’m going to be able to sleep? I’ve never flown before. I’ll be way too excited to sleep. But I do need to go shopping right after work and pick up a couple of things for the trip.”
“Do you mind if I tag along?”
“I don’t mind. As long as you don’t try to buy me anything.”
“Not even dinner?”
“Oh. Well. Dinner. That’d be okay.”
“You don’t have to worry about dressing up for my parents, Mollie.”
She crossed her arms. “That’s such a male reaction.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed—”
“You’re a man.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Oh, I noticed.”
He didn’t know how to respond to a flirtatious Mollie, so he pulled a floppy disk out of his pocket and held it up. “I’ve brought another program to install on your computer.”
“Like I don’t have enough to learn already?”
“This one will do your taxes for you.”
“Really? Are you going to install it now?”
“I thought I would. Is that a problem?”
“Um. You kind of need to ignore the condition of my apartment It kind of looks like a tornado swept through.”
Gray doubted that. Her shop and apartment were like well-tended gardens and just as colorful. Not to mention home to a legendary leprechaun.
He told her he’d see her later, then he climbed the stairs. A tidy living room greeted him. He kept walking, needing to see what she considered messy. The kitchen sparkled. The bathroom still smelled like a bouquet—and her. He breathed in the scent for a minute—still unable to identify it—then he moved on to the bedroom.
Chaos. Clothes strewn on both twin beds—hers wasn’t even made. Drawers pulled open, with feminine...stuff spilling out. He absorbed the dazzling and colorful sight. His experience with the opposite sex had never resulted in his living with one. He found the scene endearing. She was more nervous than he’d thought. Perhaps he should reconsider throwing her
into the lions’ den so soon. His parents could be formidable with people of their own kind. With an innocent like Mollie...
The thought faded. He didn’t want to look too closely at his motivations for subjecting her to his parents. They would be courteous, if a little intimidating, but he expected to keep her within his protection throughout the short trip—
The concept of his being her knight in shining armor startled him. Knight. The word jarred him. This wasn’t a game of Dungeons and Dragons It was someone’s life. An innocent someone’s life. If she knew his intentions—
The words had begun to haunt him. He was too used to making a plan and following through without a second thought. And his intent to bury Stuart Fortune—to ruin him—hadn’t kept him from a peaceful sleep, not for a minute.
His conscience was clear. This was payback, plain and simple. And Mollie’s gains would more than balance any temporary embarrassment or hurt. He would see to that.
As he turned to go back into the living room, a bit of sparkle caught his eye—the glittery box with the birthday cake and candles on it...open.
“Is that all you’re getting?” Gray asked as Mollie headed for the store exit hours later, her stride determined. “Sandals and a jacket?”
“That’s all I came for.”
He’d watched her gaze linger on a few other items—a long, flower-printed dress in shades of green, a jade necklace, a pin that looked like the fairy on her counter bell. He’d been assaulted by an unreasonable urge to see her try on the things she liked, to see her eyes light up as she modeled them for him. Instead he’d pushed that fantasy aside at the same time that he shoved his fists in his pockets.
He had entered her financial data into her computer. He knew exactly how much money she made. Not enough for luxuries. Soon, though, Mollie. Soon.
“I suppose you make a list to take to the grocery store, too, so that you avoid impulse shopping,” he said, holding open the door.
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Don’t you? You seem like a list kind of person”
“I don’t shop.”
“Never?”
“I don’t grocery shop,” he clarified as they walked toward his car. “I lease the penthouse of a hotel in the Silicon Valley near my office. I’ve never used my kitchen except for cleaning up after eating takeout.”
He couldn’t decipher her expression. “What?” he asked.
“If I’d tried to imagine how you lived, I never would’ve come close. I figured you would have a mansion or something, with everything operated electronically by some lights-flashing, computer-brain nerve center. A few servants, maybe. Gardeners. You know, a life style, not just a life.”
“What would one person do with all that? The hotel takes care of the cleaning. I eat out most of the time or order room service. And except for a computer in my home office, I avoid computerizing anything. It’s too consuming.”
“Meaning, you like the simple life?” she asked as he unlocked the car.
“Well, my definition of simple may differ from yours. Or from anyone else’s, for that matter. But complications frustrate me. It’s enough running the company while still designing software. This week has been like a vacation, even though I’ve also worked.” He shut her door, then walked around the car and climbed in.
“If I didn’t like my job, I would quit.”
Gray slid the key into the ignition and started the engine. “It’s not that simple for me.”
“But it’s not impossible?”
Mollie waited as he considered the question. He seemed to forget the car was running. He seemed to forget her. After a minute she touched his arm. He jerked back, startling her.
“You left the planet. Is this how you get when you think hard about something?”
He backed the car out of the parking space. “If you’re looking for someone to pay attention to you all the time, I’m not your man.”
Cool words and an icy tone, as if he’d been accused all his life of not paying attention. Had he been? A nonconformist forced to conform?
“Actually, I admire the way you can concentrate like that. I’m always thinking about five things at once.” She watched him relax. “Which is why you’ll probably get totally exasperated teaching me the computer.”
“I haven’t yet.”
“Give it time.” She grinned at him. “I know myself. I have a short attention span.”
“You’ve done great, Mollie.”
Because you’re the one teaching me. Heck, if he’d wanted to teach her how to scuba dive, she would have followed him, mask, flippers and tank into Lake Superior, even though she could barely swim, even though the dark, icy waters of the lake terrified her.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked.
“I don’t know what cosmic phenomenon brought you into my life right now, but I’m grateful for it. I’ve been sad for too long. My mother wouldn’t have liked that.” She leaned across the console and kissed his cheek, wished she could snuggle against him. She needed him. Couldn’t he see that? “Thank you.”
“I wish I’d met her.”
“She was really something. She’d been married to a man who abused her. It took a lot for her to escape that life and start over. She had proof of him beating her, so he didn’t fight the divorce. I don’t think he ever learned where she moved. Their divorce was final right before I was born, and she took back her maiden name.”
“I see where you get your strength.”
“She had plenty of it I’m really proud of what she did with her life after that. It was an uphill battle for a long time, though, especially with a baby to provide for all by herself. We were closer than some mothers and daughters, probably, because of what she’d gone through.”
He glanced in her direction. “Are you wary of men because of it?”
“Not at all. One bad apple, you know.”
“She never remarried?”
“No. But she had men friends, relationships that lasted for years, even. And it was a little difficult finding single, compatible men at her age.”
“Yes, I imagine it would be.” Gray had his answer. Mollie believed her mother’s ex-husband was her father. Why hadn’t her mother told her the truth? Karen had been compensated well—
He gripped the steering wheel. Stuart had paid her off. Bought her silence. And Karen Shaw had been an honorable woman who’d kept her end of the bargain, while Stuart had gotten off scot-free.
Mollie watched Gray’s expression close up. She hoped she hadn’t caused it. “I’m a little worried about what’s going to happen tomorrow,” she said. “Do you think your parents will believe we’re having an—a...relationship?”
“Why not?”
“Don’t lovers—” she struggled getting that enormous word out “—act, I don’t know, loverlike?”
“Not in front of my parents.”
“Oh.” Disappointment surged through her. She wanted to show him what he was missing, keeping his distance. “You mean, it’s okay to be lovers, but we can’t act like we are?”
“Exactly. Displays of affection are reserved for moments of extreme privacy.”
Darn. She’d hoped to get in a little practice with him before they left tomorrow, so they would look right together.
Comfortable with each other. Practice makes perfect—
“Just be yourself,” he said as he parked in front of her shop. “No one can resist that.”
His offhanded compliments were treasured gifts. He’d told her she was beautiful—she could add a star to her nineteenth-birthday candle because of that She was a hard woman to resist, he’d said. Then there were the other gifts he gave without knowing it—her tenth-birthday wish, when she’d wished to take a trip—anywhere!—would come true this weekend.
She turned toward him. “Thank you for dinner and for taking me shopping.”
“My pleasure. Do you really think you’ll be ready by six-thirty?”
“That’s what time Tony will come by.
If I shower afterward instead of before, I would need another half hour.”
“All right Why don’t I pick you up at seven, and we can stop for breakfast before we head to the airport. We’ll lose two hours going west I don’t want to get there too early in the morning.”
Mollie lifted her bag from the floorboard and into her arms. She set her hand on the door handle, but hesitated. “I don’t think you know just how big of an adventure this is for me, Gray. I can’t thank you enough.”
Gray resisted the how-about-a-good-night-kiss expression in her eyes. Anticipation played with his imagination as he visualized such a kiss. Warmth rushed through his veins, pooled low, then simmered. Attraction hadn’t been part of the plan, but he couldn’t deny it, either. Her wide mouth looked eminently kiss able, her sleek body exceptionally touchable. Only that huge Off-limits sign that was lit in neon above her head stopped him from acting on his desire. He was supposed to avenge her, proect her—not seduce her.
“Don’t stay up all night fretting, Mollie,” he said. “Everything will be fine.”
“You’re not coming up?”
He shook his head. “I need to finish a project.”
“I’ll see you in the morning, then.”
Gray waited until she was safely inside her shop, then drove o a small, tidy house on a tree-lined street not far from hers. After grabbing an envelope from the glove compartment, he approached the structure with a resolute stride
“Mr. McGuire,” the silver-haired man who opened the door said, a curious emphasis on the name.
“Mr. Swensen. May I come in?”
Gunnar Swensen shut the door behind Gray but didn’t invite him farther into the house. “You’ve come to a decision?” the nan asked.
Gray passed him the envelope. “Everything checked out.” The man withdrew the bank book from the envelope, then examined the amount written there. “This is more than we discussed.”
“Yes.”
He stared at Gray for a minute, his eyes cautious and weary. “What if you decide to do nothing?”
“That won’t happen.”
“If you are in an accident or become ill suddenly and die—”
