Martinez, Mary - Classic Murder: Mr. Romance (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Mary Martinez

  “Isn’t that what all of us want? There comes a time you just have to trust in your feelings. It’s time, Katie, I’m glad you’re coming back to us. We’ve missed you.” Charlene, sitting on the floor next to Katie, came up on her knees and gave her a hug.

  “It’s always been me. I’ve just been hiding behind those damn glasses.” Katie gave Charlene a final squeeze then bent down to start gathering her things.

  Francine grunted and shook her head. “No, it’s been a shell of the old Katie. You haven’t been the same since you stood outside of that gym door in high school and realized what those immature boys wanted from you. We love you, Katie, but enough is enough. I’m glad it’s over.”

  Katie looked at her friends. Hurt rang inside of her heart. Had she really been that different? She hadn’t thought so. She knew that she hadn’t been as outgoing, but that was because no guy ever wanted to talk to her when she went with her friends. She had stopped going to clubs and parties.

  “All of you believe that?” Katie asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” the group sang out together.

  “Why haven’t you said anything?”

  “We were hoping you’d come to your senses and realize no guy is worth making you live a lie,” Dottie answered for everyone.

  “I didn’t realize you all felt so strongly about it. Well, the ugly glasses are gone for good.”

  Francine whooped, then winked at her. “Good, now you can knock the socks off of your boss.”

  “Mom will be glad when my contacts arrive, and so will I. She refuses to see me in my ‘god-awful glasses’ as she calls them. So I either wear these or go blind when I’m around her.” Katie stopped to take a breath. She finished cleaning up the footbath and towel that Adam had used, stalling for time. Everything was happening so fast. “There is one problem with the wardrobe. I’m still not going to live off my parents’ money, so I’m on a budget and I only have the clothes in my closet. And, this is a big and, I’m not going to knock the socks off my boss. I don’t want a weekend date with him. I love my job.”

  “Why does loving your job have anything to do with it?” Dottie asked.

  “If I went out with him I’d have to quit, because I wouldn’t be able to stand it when he moved on. And he would.” Katie blinked back the tears. She’d decided to fight for him. But he was “Mr. Romance.” How could she fight against that?

  “He hasn’t asked you out yet. When he does, you’ll just have to make sure it’s for keeps. If you go in for seduction, you’ll get the weekend date most women dream about. You want the brass ring.” Charlene waited for everyone to pay attention. “So on to the next problem. The clothes are easy, you must have some savings, and it’s not like you have to go to Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Avenue. Macy’s is reasonably priced. Katie I have a free weekend, what about the rest of you?”

  “I’m free.” Dottie nodded at Charlene.

  “I have my son’s soccer game in the morning, but I could meet you somewhere for lunch and I have the rest of the day free.” Janie bent to retrieve her bag she’d just filled.

  “I’m pretty free all weekend myself.” Francine stood by the door.

  “What about you, Katie?” Charlene asked when she realized Katie hadn’t commented.

  “I’m free. What are you cooking up?”

  “Just this—your Adam is going to be gone and when he comes back he’s going to meet our Katie—the real Katie. So we’re going shopping. We’ll all help you find the best bargains. Come Monday, you’ll march into the office as if nothing’s different. No seduction, just Katie Did, dressed up,” Charlene said.

  “Sounds good to me,” Janie said. “Just continue arranging his dates, and then when he finally realizes that his dream wife is right under his nose, he’ll come to you. You need to be a little hard to get. Payback, you know.” Janie winked.

  “Why does he call you Katie Did anyway? Isn’t that like some kind of locust or something?” Dottie asked.

  “No, it’s a 1950s TV series.” Katie giggled. She couldn’t help herself. She was back and it felt good. Her friends were right, she had only been a shell.

  “Weird. And when did you turn into a klutz?” Dottie wanted to know and the others chorused, “Yeah?”

  “I’m only a mess when he’s around. I bang my toes on my desk. I drop things. It’s disgusting. But Adam either doesn’t notice or is so used to it that he just thinks that’s what I am.” Katie sighed.

  “You are the most coordinated person I know. You must be in love if he can reduce you to being such a klutz. This means war. You are going to marry that man!” Francine stated.

  Katie just laughed. She wished that would really be possible, but she knew him better than they did. Everyone had been gathering their things during the discussion and Katie found herself staring at the closed door, after all their goodbye hugs. She sank down onto her soft sofa. Oscar came and jumped onto her lap. Absently patting the dog’s head, she loved to discuss her options with her best friend, Oscar. He never argued with her. He was the best.

  “Well, Oscar, what do you think?”

  Oscar just looked up at her with a mournful expression as if he knew he was about to be replaced by a man.

  * * * *

  Adam sat in the office on his private jet, looking over files. It was some time after midnight Sunday morning. Ms. Cynthia Westwood, former Miss America, was occupying his bed in the custom bedroom he’d had made for his travel use. She was not a happy camper, to say the least. Things had gone from bad to the worst time he’d ever had. He’d been taking beautiful women out and romancing them for as long as he could remember. He’d never had such a disastrous weekend before.

  He blamed himself. His heart hadn’t been in it. Ever since he had made that damn list, he looked at every woman and tried to tally up her score. And Cynthia had come up with a complete zero. She didn’t want to talk about anything but herself, how she was better than any other designer. He had tried to discuss wines and lay a little background on the area they were going to visit. Cynthia artfully steered every attempt back to her, with a skill that made him think she’d been doing it since she’d been a toddler.

  He had wanted to turn the plane around and call it off before they had even landed. He had asked her to go and she was planning on it. It wasn’t her fault that he’d all of a sudden decided he didn’t want to do the one-time rendezvous thing anymore. Stoically, he had carried on with his plans.

  He shuddered as he recalled the Jacuzzi fiasco. He had told her to get comfortable and they’d listen to some soft music and have a glass of wine after dinner. Cynthia had insisted they have their wine in the hot bubbly water. He hadn’t seen any harm in that, so he had gone to his room to change into his swim trunks. Thank God he’d had Katie book a two-bedroom suite. He came out just as Cynthia was climbing into the tub in all her naked glory. He must have made some sound because she had turned around and smiled seductively at him.

  He had looked at her and smiled. He couldn’t do anything else. Her body was perfection personified. He stood at attention, his trunks tented at the sight. Cynthia had caught that right off and set off to use the knowledge to her advantage.

  When he had climbed into the tub, she had sidled up to him, rubbing her naked breast against his arm. The contact, although nice, hadn’t sent the desired response she had been aiming for. Then she had started to nibble on the side of his neck, then lower. He had grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away, saying he would like to relax with a glass of wine. She had complied and waited while he had poured their drinks. When Cynthia had made a toast to their night of love, he had replied, “We’ll see,” and from that point on, she had tried every seduction trick in the book until he hadn’t needed to pretend he had no desire for her. She had been so needy that it had completely turned him off and he was no longer standing at attention.

  The next day hadn’t been any better for their mutual enjoyment. He, however, had tuned out her whining and enjoyed a totally
different kind of wining.

  Their limo had picked them up at the hotel early and they had begun their trip in total silence. Cynthia had been pouting about sleeping in her own room alone.

  He remembered gazing out the window at the pacing scenery. At first he’d pointed out things. It was the perfect time of year. Autumn colors blossomed everywhere. When she’d met his remarks with a turned-up nose and toss of her head as she ignored him, he’d kept his thoughts to himself. It was at that point he determined to enjoy the day and to hell with her. If Cynthia wanted to waste the time pouting when they were in one of the most charming places in the United States, that was her problem, not his.

  They had driven up the winding road to the Hess Collections Winery, the fall colors vivid against the green of the pines. The air was cool and crisp as they stepped from the car. Katie had made an appointment for them to have a private tour of the art collection, vineyards, and, at the end, a romantic secluded tasting of the private collection wines. He had enjoyed it thoroughly. He’d have to discuss everything with Katie when he got home and let her know what an excellent job she had done. The rest of the day had been more of the same. Everything had been perfection, with the exception of his date’s attitude.

  It was a relief to be winging their way home with Cynthia enclosed in the privacy of his bedroom. Although the day had passed in silence, it had been a very strained silence. It had taken its toll. At the wineries, he’d been able to ignore her. When they had ridden in the limo, the lack of talk had been oppressive.

  The pilot announcing their arrival at La Guardia broke into Adam’s thoughts, and he was relieved to finally put an end to the trip. He looked at his watch and discovered to his dismay it was really too early to disturb the beautiful and, much to his disgust, spoiled former Miss America. He’d let her sleep a couple more hours, then wake her to take her home, hopefully to never cross paths again.

  Chapter Six

  “I felt the plane land. I’m ready to go. I’ll just call a cab. You needn’t take me home.”

  Startled, Adam swung around to watch Cynthia pounce out of the room, overnight case in hand, a frown marring her beautiful features.

  He would send the rest of her suitcases to her after the attendants unloaded the plane. That had been another thing that had surprised him. Most of his dates packed much more than needed. Cynthia had topped all of them put together.

  “I’ll have my driver, Brady, take you home. I’ve still got some things to do here, and you’ll have the car all to yourself.”

  “Thank you, it’s been a...,” she paused, seemingly at a loss for words. “An experience, to say the least,” she finally finished what she had started.

  “Yes, it has,” Adam replied.

  He left it at that, and by silent agreement, no more was said. Adam stood to help her off, but she waved away his help. He watched from the tarmac as the car drove off. Shaking his head, Adam figured his reputation was going to take a dip, but that was okay. The horrendous weekend was over.

  * * * *

  “Well, Oscar, what do you think? Do I look like the old me?” Katie asked the dog that was lying at her feet. “Oh, that’s right, you weren’t around then.” Oscar looked up at her and let out a small growl, then stood and walked out of the room.

  Well, just wonderful. Hopefully Adam won’t do the same. Katie looked at the mirror one last time, and then decided if she didn’t leave soon, she’d be late for work. That wasn’t the statement she was trying to make. She wanted to be as efficient as ever. As Charlene had said, go about her daily routine as if nothing was different. She hadn’t believed her reflection when she had been in the dressing room the previous Saturday. Dressed in an outfit Janie had picked out, she’d looked eighteen again. The years had magically dropped off with her new wardrobe. She hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. Her mother and father would be very pleased, if nothing else.

  She turned when she’d finished locking up. The crisp air hit her. Breathing in deeply, she thought, “What a nice autumn day.” Katie decided to walk the short distance to her office. If the weather looked threatening, she usually jumped on the A train. When she got to the office, the door was still locked. A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Maybe Adam had extended his stay.

  Shaking her head, she wouldn’t think that way. He probably hadn’t arrived home from his Napa Valley weekend rendezvous until late the previous evening. She’d wait and would be working when he got there. It would be interesting to see if he noticed anything.

  As Katie worked, the clock marched toward noon. When there was no sign of Adam, she began to worry that something had happened. At one o’clock, she couldn’t stand the suspense anymore and dialed the cell phone number of Adam’s pilot.

  “Jamie?” Katie asked.

  “Yes. Katie?” he asked in surprise.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but Mr. Russo hasn’t been in the office yet, and that’s not like him. I wanted to make sure nothing had gone wrong on your flight home.” She crossed her fingers Jamie wouldn’t confirm her fears—that Adam had extended his weekend tryst. It didn’t happen often, but it had on occasion.

  “No, everything went well. The weather was great. We got back into LaGuardia about six-thirty yesterday morning. Adam had wanted to get home early, so we left San Francisco Saturday night about ten. Ms. Westwood was a little put out, but he gave her his bedroom on the plane to sleep while we flew.” Unlike Katie, Jamie called Adam by his first name.

  “Then I wonder where he is. It’s unlike him not to call if he’s going to be late.” Katie was more nervous.

  “Can’t help you there, sorry,” Jamie said, then bid Katie goodbye.

  Katie looked through her calendar again, checking to see if she’d missed anything. She had all of her reports done, she had caught up with all of his “dates,” she had booked and sent the itinerary to the next two of his weekend women. She was trying not to be jealous, but failed miserably. She quite simply had run out of things to do.

  Since Adam, her father, and she agreed it was best to terminate the acquisition, she didn’t have any research to do, and he hadn’t decided on his next project.

  Katie decided she might as well get some gumption and call him at his home. If something was wrong, it was best to find out. She dialed the number and waited for it to ring. Hmmm… no one was answering. However, just as the receiver was about to touch its cradle, she heard someone. Hastily putting the phone back to her ear, she asked, “Hello?”

  “Katie?” Adam answered, sounding worse than she’d ever heard him.

  “Are you okay?” Katie asked.

  “No, sorry I didn’t call. I took some of that night-time sleep medicine for colds and seems it worked. I came home from San Francisco with a terrible cold. I think I’ll sleep the rest of the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then he hung up before she could say anything else.

  Not knowing what to do with the rest of her day, she decided to call her mother. She wanted to take some soup over to Adam, but she didn’t want to interrupt his sleep.

  Picking up the receiver for the third time, she called her mom to see if she wanted to meet for lunch. After promising not to wear those “god-awful” glasses, they decided on a place around the corner from Katie’s office. She couldn’t wait to see her mother’s reaction.

  “Katie!” Her mother, Bonnie, exclaimed when her daughter walked into the café thirty minutes later.

  “Hi Mom, glad you could meet me.” Katie leaned over, gave her mom a swift kiss on the forehead, then sat across from her.

  “You look amazing, dear. I thought this day would never come. Why the change of heart?” Bonnie asked. “I can’t take my eyes off of my little girl. You’re so beautiful. It’s as if time has rewound itself to ten years ago. If I blink, you won’t turn back into a pumpkin with glasses, will you?”

  Katie couldn’t help it. She laughed. “No, Mom. I felt it was time and my friends tipped the scales. And well, it’s done. Now don’t get exci
ted, I’m not going to go out of my way to dress as a fashion model. I’m just me. But if I want to wear my glasses because my eyes are bugging me, I will.”

  “You mean your good glasses, right?”

  “Yes, we burned the black ones, and it smelled as bad as they had looked.” Katie laughed at the remembered smell. In fact, some of it still lingered in the living room.

  The waitress came to get their order. After discarding other options, she finally decided on her usual, a chicken Caesar salad. She ordered and then told her mother about her friends and their pedicure night adventure with Adam.

  “Adam actually allowed you to give him a pedicure?”

  “Well, not the whole thing, but he did sit around with us. He brought some wonderful wine. You’ll have to try it sometime,” Katie said. She turned and smiled at her father when he pulled up a chair at the table.

  “Hi, dear, I hope you don’t mind, your mother told me that she was meeting you. I jumped at the chance to have lunch with my two best girls.” Then he paused. Katie almost laughed when he really looked at her and his mouth dropped open. “Wow, when did you decide to rejoin the living?”

  “Jeez, you’d think I’ve been transformed or something. I’m still the same Katie. Technically all I did was take off those damn glasses you guys were always pestering me about.” She looked from one parent to the other and continued, “I’ve told mother all the details. You can find out from her later.”

  “So, you left Adam at the office alone, huh? I’m glad he let that investment company go. Fillerman didn’t deserve his help,” Logan said.

  “I agree, but Mr. Russo didn’t come into the office today.”

  “Oh, must have had a good time and extended his weekend play?” Logan chuckled.

  Katie tried not to frown when her father made the comment about a good time. She chanced a look at her mother and caught her worried expression. Hopefully, her mother wouldn’t say anything. She wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation with her parents about her love life.