“Excuse me?” he said softly before he could get too wrapped up in her appearance. That wasn’t safe.
Sharon jumped, apparently startled.
“I didn’t mean to scare you, Sharon. Shall I wait in the hallway, or—”
“Oh, no, of course not, Mr. Waterton!” she exclaimed, her voice sounding stressed.
“Jack, remember?”
“Yes, um,” Her teeth nibbled her bottom lip and he wanted to join in.
The woman with Sharon stood and held out a hand. “I’m Deedee West. I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
“No problem. If you need more time—”
“No, not at all. I had tickets for the new show at the Art Institute and thought Sharon might go, but she can’t.” The woman looked at him with a practiced air of sophistication and leaned closer. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in going?”
He’d been hit on before. But his mind was completely on Sharon. “Uh, no, thank you. It’s a busy time for me.”
“Well, if you change your mind, I’m in the department across the hall.” She took a card from her pocket and slid it into Jack’s breast pocket. “Give me a call.”
Jack smiled, having collected himself. “Thank you. I’ll remember.” The heck of it was she was the kind of lady he enjoyed. Someone who knew the score. Sophisticated, not clingy.
But he immediately turned to Sharon, no regrets in his mind. “Shall I find a chair or—”
“We can talk in the conference room. The table’s large and we can spread out the papers,” she replied, standing to lead the way.
He loved following her. Her trim hips had an enchanting swing that mesmerized him. He jerked his gaze to her face when she opened the door and swung around to face him.
He grinned at her, inviting her to share his pleasure, but she frowned. “Is anything wrong?”
“No, of course not,” he assured her. “Shall I close the door?”
Panic seemed to fill her eyes. Then she gave him a brief smile. “No. We won’t be interrupted.”
So, she didn’t trust him.
It didn’t take all that long to go over the setup. She’d done a good job of getting everything ready. If, on occasion, he brushed against her arm, or leaned in closer to check things out, he noticed her withdrawal, but it wasn’t that obvious. He didn’t think an outsider would be aware of it.
Did that mean she wasn’t as calm as she pretended to be? Was she that good an actor? In the elevator, she hadn’t been calm about anything. Even before the elevator stopped, she’d been tense.
“Jack? Did you have a question about this item?”
He looked up, startled. “Why, no. Did you think I did? You did a wonderful job on the preparation.”
“Thank you,” she murmured and began gathering up the papers, obviously considering the conversation to be finished.
“There’s just one thing.”
She immediately tensed. “Yes?”
“I’d like to show you over the site today. You’ll need to be a frequent visitor and I want you to be comfortable.”
“That can wait, I’m sure,” she protested.
“No, it can’t.”
He watched the struggle on her face. Then, that professional demeanor she’d been exhibiting took over.
“Of course, Mr. Waterton. I’ll drop these papers back by my desk and let Andy know.”
“Good, but you’re supposed to call me Jack.”
His easy smile didn’t seem to have an effect on her.
“It seemed a bit forward to call you Jack when you’re cracking the whip.” Then she turned and left the conference room.
He hurried after her. Okay, so maybe he’d sounded more like a road boss than someone extending an invitation. But he was the boss. For now.
When she was ready, he led the way to the elevators. It wasn’t until he’d pushed the button and turned to make a polite remark, that he realized there was a problem.
Sharon’s face was white as the elevator doors slid open. Before he could reach out to her, he looked over his shoulder to discover the elevator was the first on the left. The same elevator in which they’d spent a number of hours together.
Retching sounds had him spinning around again, reaching for his handkerchief, as Sharon became ill.
“Oh, hell,” he muttered.
chapter four
Sharon was totally humiliated.
Jack wrapped his arms around her and wiped her face with his handkerchief.
“I—I’m sorry,” she managed as she straightened and tried to put some distance between them. The warmth of his embrace reminded her too much of their time in the elevator. He could convince a woman surrounded by attackers that she was totally safe if he held her.
“Take it easy. You’re fine.” He paused, still holding on to her, then said, “At least, I hope you are. Let’s go back in the department where we can find you a chair.”
He helped her through the door of her department and Alice, an older lady, motherly, leaped to her feet and ran toward them. “What happened to Sharon?”
“She’s feeling ill.”
Sharon was delighted to exchange Jack’s care for Alice’s. Alice didn’t make her pulse go crazy. Or fill her dreams. “Alice, would you go with me to the ladies’ room?”
“Of course, honey,” Alice said, leading her away from Jack. Once they were in the ladies’ room, Sharon fell onto the sofa, resting her head on its cushions.
“What can I do for you? Do you have the flu?”
Sharon was tempted by that total lie, but she decided to use a half-truth instead. “No, but it’s been a tense day and the elevator—I just couldn’t handle it.”
“Oh, you poor dear, of course. If that had happened to me, I don’t think I could’ve gotten in one again. Shall I go to the cafeteria and get you a soda to settle your stomach?”
“That would be so nice, Alice. But could you stop by the department and tell Mr. Waterton I’ll meet him tomorrow morning at his project at whatever time he wants.” Hopefully, that would take him away before she had to leave the safety of the ladies’ room.
“Of course I will, dear.” Alice bustled out, leaving Sharon in blessed silence.
She closed her eyes, drawing deep breaths, glad her stomach appeared to be settled now. So far, she hadn’t suffered from morning sickness, just a general queasiness. She’d just received a warning, however, that if she didn’t remain calm, she might suffer more.
For the first time since her visit to the doctor, she truly felt pregnant. She recognized that her body was changing.
Her hand crept across her stomach, still flat. “I’ll keep you safe,” she whispered.
She would. Tonight she’d tell her mother about the change in her life and she’d start making preparations for the future. It was time to get over the shock.
Jack was standing there, feeling helpless, when Andy rolled out of his office.
“What’s going on? Where are Alice and Sharon going?” the man asked.
“Uh, Sharon got sick and Alice is helping her.”
“Sick?”
“I think she’s still nervous about the elevator after, you know, being trapped.” He ran his hand through his hair. He wanted to know if she was all right, but he couldn’t follow them to the ladies’ room.
“She told you about that?”
Alarm bells suddenly went off. To Jack’s surprise, the press hadn’t gotten hold of the story about the elevator, and he’d forgotten that no one knew of his involvement. “Uh, yeah, it came up.”
Andy studied him, making him a little nervous. “That’s surprising. She seldom talks about it. I didn’t realize it still bothered her.”
“Should someone go after them to see if she needs a doctor?” Jack asked, ignoring Andy’s words.
“No, I—” Andy began, but he stopped because he saw Alice in the hall. “Here’s Alice.”
“How’s Sharon?” Jack demanded, stepping forward.
“She’s
fine. I’m going to get her a soda, Andy. I’ll be back in a minute. Oh, you’d better call a janitor to tidy up the foyer.”
“I will. Are you sure she’s okay?” Andy asked.
“Yes. And Mr. Waterton, she said she’d meet you at the site in the morning at whatever time you say.” She smiled and stood waiting.
He stared at her. What was she waiting for?
“What time shall I tell her?” Alice finally said.
“I don’t know. I’ll hang around until she’s better and we’ll—we’ll work out a time.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, imitating a permanent fixture.
Alice looked at Andy. Jack thought something was being communicated, but he wasn’t sure what.
Andy wheeled around and ordered one of his employees to call the janitor. Then he faced Jack again. “I wouldn’t waste my time waiting, Jack. Women can be slow about these things. And it’s only half an hour till quitting time.”
“I don’t need to get back for anything,” Jack assured him. “Maybe she just needs a good meal. I’ll take her out to dinner. That will make her feel better.”
Andy looked him in the eye. “That’s thoughtful of you, Jack, but I think Sharon may not feel like eating dinner.”
Jack frowned, debating his options. He wanted to see Sharon, to be sure she was all right. His gut told him this sickness was important. But he couldn’t insist she go to dinner. Especially not with Andy hovering over them.
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a business card. Turning it over, he wrote his home number on the back. “Here’s my home number. When she gets home, she can call me and we’ll discuss the best time.”
“I’ll give her the message,” Andy said, a genial smile on his face. “Thanks for being so understanding.”
Understanding? Hell, he was frustrated. But Andy had him boxed in and they both knew it. He nodded and stomped out of the department back to the dreaded elevators.
After Alice brought her the soda and reported that Mr. Waterton had apparently left without setting a time, Sharon was ready to return to her desk. She needed to figure out what to do about tomorrow.
Several of her co-workers asked about her health when she and Alice got back to the office, and she assured them she was fine. She’d no more than sat down when her phone rang and Andy asked her to come to his office.
She should’ve known. He was even more motherly than Alice, and she’d told Sharon that he’d asked about her.
She walked into his office. “I’m fine, Andy. I must’ve eaten something bad at lunch.”
“Really? Jack thought it was your fear of elevators.”
Sharon stared at him, her mind working frantically for a reasonable answer.
“Do you and Jack have a—a relationship?” Andy asked.
Sharon took a chair, releasing a deep sigh. Time for another half-truth. “Uh, Andy, the truth is—well, you see—”
“Sharon, if you’re dating him, you should’ve told me before now.” Andy looked as severe as he could.
“No! I would’ve—that is, I’m not dating anyone. But—but he was the man trapped in the elevator with me,” she finally said with a rush.
Andy stared at her, his mouth dropping open. Then he said, “Why didn’t you tell me when I first brought up his name?”
“Because I didn’t know his name. All I knew was Jack. And I hadn’t seen him since that day.”
“Why didn’t he recognize you when we went into Kane’s office?”
“I had my hair pulled back, so I looked different. And we spent most of those hours in the dark. He probably would’ve recognized my voice if I’d—anyway, he did figure out who I was eventually, but he didn’t say anything until we were alone.”
“What did he say?”
“He wanted to talk about it, but I said we should stick to business,” she assured him, hoping she’d wipe the frown from his face.
It didn’t disappear.
“Discuss it? What’s to discuss?”
Sharon prayed for divine intervention, but nothing happened. “Uh, I guess he wanted to—to see if I’d recovered.”
“So you answered him by throwing up the first time he takes you near an elevator. Have you been riding the elevators since that incident?”
“Yes, of course. Every morning and every evening.”
“Okay. Well, he wanted to wait to be sure you were all right. Thoughtful of him,” Andy said, staring at her.
She hoped she hid her dismay. “Yes, very.”
“But I convinced him that might take some time, so he left this.” Andy put a white card down on his desk and pushed it toward Sharon. While she reached for it, he explained, “It’s his business card. He wrote his home number on the back and asked that you call him this evening to discuss the time that would be best for both of you.”
“Call him at home?” Sharon asked, her voice rising.
“Yes. I’d said you’d be glad to. It’s not a problem, is it?”
“No, of course not. Is it okay if I go there first, before coming to the office? Then I won’t have to ride up twice.”
“That’s fine. Do you want to see a doctor about riding elevators? I should’ve offered right away. A psychologist, maybe?”
“No! It was just one incident, Andy. I’m fine.”
“Okay, but if you get in trouble, any kind of trouble, you let me know. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you, Papa Bear,” Sharon said with a smile.
Alice insisted on riding the elevator with Sharon when she started home, even offering to hold her hand if it would help.
“Thank you, Alice. That’s so sweet of you, but I’m really all right. Thank you for taking care of me this afternoon.”
“My pleasure. My children have all moved away from home and I miss looking after them,” Alice assured her and bid her a cheerful goodnight when they reached the lobby.
Sharon walked to her stop on the El. All the way home, she thought about how she would tell her mother about her pregnancy. There was no simple way.
“Sharon?” her mother called as Sharon opened the front door of their modest suburban home. “You’re home early tonight. You usually work several hours of overtime. Is everything all right?”
“Fine, Mom,” Sharon said, leaning over to kiss her mother’s cheek. Only the two of them lived there now. The second child, Joanie, was married and living in Topeka, Kansas. Her brothers, the twins, had finished school last year and got an apartment together. Evie, the baby, two years younger than the boys, was starting her junior year and living with three other girls near the campus of the University of Illinois.
Sharon had been a little envious, but she’d stayed at home because money had been needed to pay tuitions through the years, hers and her siblings’. Maybe her mother would want her to move out when she heard her news.
“Uh, Mom, do you have a minute? We need to talk.”
Her mother had already started to the kitchen again.
She stopped and whirled around. “I knew it! Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Has someone been hurt? Why didn’t they call me here? I’ve been home this afternoon. They called you at work? I don’t—”
“Mom,” Sharon said firmly, taking her mother’s arm. “Calm down. No one’s hurt. Come into the kitchen and we’ll have a cup of—something to drink.” She couldn’t have coffee, but she didn’t want to point that out to her mother. Not yet.
When they entered the kitchen, her mother immediately reached for cups and saucers, but Sharon put hers back. “I’m having some juice,” she said, smiling, and got down a glass.
Her mother stared at her as she poured her coffee, almost letting her cup overflow. “It’s you, isn’t it? Did you go to the doctor? Do you have cancer?”
“No, I don’t—yes, I went to the doctor, but no, I don’t have cancer.” She’d intended to build up to what she had to say, but she gave up. Her mother was going to suspect all kinds of disasters if she didn’t tell her. “Mom,” she b
egan, then sighed deeply. “I’m pregnant.”
Stunned, her mother fell into a chair at the table, her coffee spilling into the saucer. She said nothing, staring at Sharon.
“I’m sorry I shocked you. I understand if you don’t want me to live here anymore. I didn’t plan on—”
“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s just that I didn’t know you were dating anyone. Of course you’ll stay here till you marry. I wouldn’t hear of anything else.”
Sharon sighed again. “There won’t be a marriage, Mom.”
“Some jerk got you pregnant and won’t marry you? Who is he? I’ll talk to him. He’ll change his tune.”
Her mother was five foot two and slender as a girl. The thought of her facing Jack Waterton and putting fear in him would’ve been quite comical. Except that Jack didn’t know about their baby… her baby. “Mom, I haven’t told the father.”
“Sharon! Surely you weren’t dating a married man? Surely I taught you better than that.”
“Look, Mom, I’d better explain. Just—just hear me out. Then you can scream at me all you want.”
“I wasn’t screaming,” she protested. When Sharon held up a hand, she subsided in her chair.
“When I was trapped in the elevator, I panicked. The man with me… comforted me. We were alone in the dark for a number of hours and—and I was panicky—and one thing led to another and we had sex!
“I felt so safe in his arms, and so afraid I was going to die. When he touched me I felt alive. I forgot about the danger. I welcomed his advances.”
Silence.
“So,” Sharon finally continued, “I don’t know if he’s married. I don’t know—” Oops, she’d told herself for so long that she didn’t know his last name, she’d forgotten she now did. “He didn’t give me his last name.”
“But surely you could find it. You could call the hospital. I’m sure—”
“He left the hospital before me. He didn’t want anything to do with me in the real world.”
“You could at least get child support.”
Sharon shrugged her shoulders. “I guess it’s more my fault than his. He wasn’t having hysterics. Besides, with my new raise, I’ll be able to provide for my child.”
When The Lights Went Out... Page 4
