by Sandy Loyd
Her focus had been on keeping things friendly with Paul, so she’d skipped as many family get-togethers as she could during those years Kate had dated James.
Her smile dimmed somewhat. “Hopefully, it won’t hinder my efforts to avoid Dev.”
“Why?” About to take a sip of white wine, Kate glanced up, the glass at her lips. “He’s not a man women usually avoid.”
“Well, I’m not like them.” Judith lowered her menu, deciding on spinach salad and penne pasta, then picked up her red wine the waitress had just delivered. In between sips, she enlightened Kate about her situation, including Maude’s visit, without going into specifics.
Kate swallowed another long drink, then asked, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Of course I do. Dev McAllister’s pursuing me, and if I avoid him he can’t catch me.”
“He’s not someone I’d toy with.” Kate’s face revealed her concern. “He’s always made me nervous, so be careful.”
“Don’t worry.” Judith patted Kate’s hand and her smile broadened. “I can handle him.”
“Now I am worried.” She downed the rest and held up her glass as the waitress walked by.
Judith laughed. “You’ll see. If I can stay out of his reach, I’ll get past this.”
“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Later, as they ordered dessert, the Morrison men showed up unexpectedly at their table, and help for avoiding Dev came from another source, one Judith least expected.
“Hi, honey.” Paul bent to give Kate a kiss. “I know we’re intruding. After walking by and noticing two beautiful women, we couldn’t resist coming in to say hi.” He straightened and glanced at Judith, grinning. “Hey, Judith.”
Judith smiled. “Hi, Paul.” Then she turned to acknowledge James, and was caught off guard at how much he resembled Paul, with the same golden hair and blue eyes, reminding her of a young Robert Redford. It had been a while since she’d last seen them side by side, and from her vantage point they could pass for twins, except Paul was slightly leaner and taller.
“Hello, Judith.” James offered her a curt nod, then grinned at Kate and, following Paul, he kissed her cheek.
“I was hoping for a ride so James won’t have to drive me home.” Paul glanced at Kate with eyebrows slanted. “How about it? Can we crash your party?”
Kate looked to Judith for direction, the question in her eyes.
“Sure,” she quickly said. “We were man-bashing. Were your ears burning?”
Paul and James sat amid laughter and more teasing. Within seconds, the waitress handed them menus.
“We were talking about my new job,” Judith said once their laughter faded, turning to James. “And what a small world it is that you happen to be the architect on the project.”
“It is. No surprise, though. Mac wouldn’t use any other architect.”
“Mac? I thought he went by Dev now,” Judith said, eyeing him warily.
“Old habit. One I can’t break.” James chuckled. “It annoys the hell outta him, which is why I don’t try.” He paused, then said offhandedly, “But I was a little surprised when he chose your company over one of the bigger firms.”
“You don’t think I can do the work?” Judith’s spine straightened as a small sliver of annoyance developed. Despite knowing each other for most of their lives, she and James shared a mutual dislike, only she had more reason, which also played into why she still avoided him. Even though Kate had always defended him, such praise had never swayed her opinion. “My plans are solid.”
“You misunderstood,” James said sincerely. He offered his signature smile, one so much like Paul’s that could be deadly to the opposite sex, excluding her of course. “They are solid. I only meant it’s odd he’d use an unknown company, no matter how good.” His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Mac’s preoccupied with this project and it got me thinking. I’ve decided his preoccupation may have something to do with you, so I asked Paul to arrange this meeting.”
“Me?” Judith’s brows knitted together. Why would James suggest something she had suspicions about?
“Yes, you. I’m aware of your history.”
She stared, her eyes widening, and he only chuckled, waving off her shock.
“I vaguely remember an incident at our graduation party all those years ago. I also remember him pursuing you and your answer was no.” James paused, his attention focused on her face searching for confirmation. When she nodded, he smiled. “Mac’s not used to hearing the word no from women. It’s damned unnatural that all the man has to do is snap his fingers and bam, they’re his for the taking. The way I see it, he’s pursuing you again and you’re still saying no.” His eyebrows quirked. “Am I right?”
“He does seem interested. And I have been avoiding him,” Judith admitted as a trickle of unease shot into her bloodstream at James’ perception. She assessed his face, looking for hidden meaning. Exactly what did he know about that night?
“Even his assistant is helping her,” Kate said, interrupting her thoughts with an explanation of her plans for dodging Dev at the site.
“I’ll help you avoid him during our business functions if you want,” James offered as another characteristic smile took over his face.
“It’s a nice offer,” she said, not entirely comfortable with the idea, but not ready to reject it outright. Her gaze narrowed. “But why would you?”
“To bug Mac, of course. Something’s getting under his skin. It’s gotta be you,” he said, still grinning. “And since it’s my life’s mission to annoy him, I figure what the hell. What can it hurt to kick it up a bit, increase the volume so to speak, and watch him squirm?”
It sounded plausible. She eyed him leisurely, trying to gauge what he knew.
No! He obviously didn’t know much and he was offering salvation. “Well, I’d be a fool to refuse help.” Her laughter bubbled up, and relief replaced wariness. “I’m a mere amateur where Dev’s concerned and need any advantage I can muster in dealing with him.”
They all laughed.
“Okay, here’s what we’ll do.” James rubbed his hands together, clearly getting into his role.
“When there are functions, like those stuffy cocktail parties we have to attend because business demands it, I’ll keep Mac occupied until you’ve met your obligations and can leave.”
Judith grinned. Another gurgle of amusement escaped. “You know the plan might actually work.” She couldn’t believe how easy circumventing dealing with Dev suddenly became, and even more amusing? Help came from such close sources.
“I can’t wait to see his reaction,” James said once they finished strategizing. “I haven’t had this much fun since right before Paul got engaged. Now that he’s married, he’s no fun to razz. At least not like when he was single.”
“Morrison sibling rivalry at its best.” Kate snorted when Judith sent her a questioning look. “James considers Dev family and subjects him to the same brotherly taunting. This childish rivalry’s been going on for years. Male bonding taken to extremes.”
Judith looked first to Paul, then to James. The brothers instantly schooled their faces into innocent expressions, clearly having played this game before.
James stood. “Well, I’ve got a busy day tomorrow and still have a couple of hours of work to do, so I have to cut this short.” He shrugged into his leather jacket and placed money on the table before adding, “Just be careful, Judith, and remember. Mac’s not long term and he can be brutal with women. I’d hate to see you hurt.”
Watching him go, his warning hung in the air, but she ignored it. Things were going her way, and now with James’ help, she could continue keeping Dev at a distance.
~
Judith added a touch of mascara, her thoughts on the busy day ahead. After applying lipstick, she smiled.
Weeks had passed since she and her friends had eaten dessert while formulating plans. James’ warning was totally forgotten. July was almost over and
the project was flowing. If nothing changed, Judith expected to be done by late September or early October. She only needed to keep it together until then.
James had honored his promise. More than that, he had become a friend, once she realized he wasn’t the jerk she’d thought him to be for all those years. As co-conspirators, they spent more and more time together, even sharing impromptu lunches because he’d stop by the work site, usually around lunchtime.
This didn’t concern her until he pushed for a dinner date. Suspecting he wanted more than the friendship she offered, she accepted mainly to clarify her position.
Their date had ended with a kiss that left her more confused than ever. She enjoyed his company, and told him so, but she also explained that she had to get through the next couple of months and tackle the problem of Dev before even thinking of going in another direction.
James and his interest would just have to wait.
Shaking her head at the memory, she strode briskly toward the kitchen and another cup of coffee. Today she planned to work with the lighting contractor at the site and wore casual capri pants and a short-sleeved sweater. She wasn’t worried about bumping into Dev because Maude told her yesterday his schedule was full with meetings.
Humming to herself, she filled her travel mug, grabbed her briefcase, and ran out the door for the bus stop.
~
That same morning, Dev stepped out for an early run. He usually ran every morning, but lately he’d been too swamped with work. Today he ignored work because things with Judith had stalled, and he needed these five miles through the Presidio to think and figure out why.
How could she be avoiding him? Nothing was going as planned.
As he got further into his run, he contemplated the events of the last month. He’d been traveling quite a bit, and he couldn’t waste his precious opportunities at the site. Yet Judith had the uncanny ability to disappear whenever he arrived only to show up later, when he was elsewhere.
The first time this happened was the day they’d visited the work site. He spent the afternoon at his office ignoring other business so he would be free to catch Judith when she dropped off the contracts. He knew she had them because Maude had personally delivered them at his request. He’d only left his office for one unavoidable quick meeting, and upon returning, had discovered she’d been there in his absence.
He thought it a coincidence. At first. Until several opportunities ended with the same results. She had to be getting inside help.
Maude Abrams wasn’t his primary suspect mainly because she’d been a loyal assistant for the last nine years and one of the few people Dev trusted.
She began working for him when he was a junior executive with Global Products, Inc., a conglomerate he’d started his career with fresh out of grad school. Two years after he completed his rise as Global’s CEO, he left to found his own company, and Maude had followed, her skills becoming an integral part of his recent success.
As always, his position as McAllister, Inc.’s CEO demanded a great deal of his most precious commodity, time, and he couldn’t waste that precious commodity now or ignore compelling evidence against his assistant. He’d lost too much ground in the past few weeks, and he wasn’t about to lose more.
Maude knew his schedule, and somehow Judith had gotten her to defect. How could she? After all these years? He almost felt betrayed. Almost.
That alone made him realize what a strong adversary Judith was. He’d underestimated her. His growing admiration of her spunk and determination escalated. He’d always enjoyed doing battle with a worthy opponent and she’d definitely proven herself.
His strategy would have to change. Maude was a clever lady. Damn her meddling. He could see it clearly now. Maude thought of herself as Judith’s avenging angel, with the task of keeping her safe from him. He’d have to take his assistant out of the picture and level the playing field.
Dev smiled as he ran. One problem solved.
Next…his thoughts turned to another niggling puzzle. Why Judith slipped through his fingers to go missing in action when he searched her out at those few social events they attended when Maude had no part in them. Conclusion? Judith had to be getting help from another source, James R. Morrison III, his best friend and now a suspect. He didn’t see the connection, though, and had no proof, only intuition. Still, it was too coincidental for him to dismiss outright.
One question ate at him. Why? What would motivate James to help Judith?
He knew Judith and Paul were still close. But James and Judith were mere acquaintances, or at least that was the impression his friend had always conveyed.
He ended his run with a cooldown a block from his house, still pondering what to do. He’d have to dig a little deeper and that would take more time, and right now he had little to spare.
James and his motivation moved to his mind’s back burner to stew before he acted.
While taking the stairs two at a time to his apartment to shower, his attention switched to finding a way to rearrange the busy day ahead.
An hour later, Dev strode off the elevator.
“Good morning, Vickie,” he said to the receptionist, bestowing a warm smile.
“Good morning, Mr. McAllister.”
He stopped outside his assistant’s door. “Morning, Maude. Any messages?”
“Morning, Dev. No, things are quiet this morning. Do you need anything else for your nine o’clock?”
Dev grinned. “No. I got it covered.”
He started for his office. Once seated behind the huge oak desk, he immediately made a few calls, canceling everything. Hanging up, he leaned back, swiveled around in the black leather chair, and stared out the window, smiling deviously.
His thoughts drifted to Judith and their confrontation when he would catch her at the site. Blood surged through him in anticipation.
But first, he had another mission.
He picked up the phone.
“James? It’s Dev.”
“Hey, Mac. What’s going on?”
“Not much. Well, not much that I want to discuss over the phone. We need to meet.”
“How about lunch?”
“No. I’m busy for lunch. I was thinking sooner. In about twenty minutes?”
“Sure. My schedule’s free.”
After replacing the receiver, Dev stood. Mike was downstairs, waiting to take him to James’ office in San Mateo. On his way, he stopped at Maude’s door for the second time that morning.
“As you know, I’ll be out most of the day. If you need me, call my cell and leave a message.” Then, because he couldn’t resist, he met and held Maude’s gaze. “Oh, and by the way, I think you should change your name to Meddler.” He hesitated, then added, “Et tu, Brute?”
Her astonished, guilty look told him he’d hit his target. He turned to go and heard her mutter, “Well, the game’s up.” Then louder, to his back, she said, “It took you long enough to figure it out. You must be getting rusty.”
He stopped dead in his tracks, spun around, and glared. “Just be glad you still have a job,” he threatened before exiting her office in quick, angry steps.
Chapter 5
James gazed out the picture window behind his big dark mahogany desk, having hung up with Mac. He had an idea of what was coming. In fact, he’d expected a confrontation long before this.
Judith!
His thoughts flew back to that first night he’d played offense for her, at a cocktail party sponsored by Bay Area builders at a hotel banquet room near Fisherman’s Wharf.
He was having a bad day where everything that could go wrong did. He took a little time before the party to unwind with a quick drink and was surprised to glance over to see Judith enter the bar.
She walked up and asked, “Is this seat taken?”
“If I said yes, would you leave?” he replied with a grin on his face, not knowing if he wanted company.
“That bad, huh?” She sat and ordered a glass of red wine from the bartender
, then turned back to him. “So tell me, what has you drinking this early and right before a cocktail party where the booze is sure to be excellent, not to mention free?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He sighed. “I guess I’m a little shot. Business is a killer, leaving no time for my usual outside pursuits. I haven’t had a date in two weeks and my mother has issued a command performance for this weekend. Need I go on?” She laughed and he asked, “So why’re you so early? I thought you’d arrive late to avoid Mac.”
“I’m meeting friends for dinner later. I thought I’d get an early start, put in my time, and then head out, but I don’t want to be the first to arrive. Traffic was lighter than I expected, and here I am.”
His bad mood was quickly forgotten as he and Judith bantered back and forth. He soon realized she was a great conversationalist, and they discussed all sorts of things. In minutes, she had him laughing over a story about a client’s demands. A special friendship bloomed during those enjoyable minutes they spent nursing drinks while waiting to join the party. In fact, her quick wit and easy smile shattered James’ original impression of Judith.
How could he have thought of her as an ice queen for all those years? Once he got through her first cool layers, warmth emanated from every cell in her luscious body.
No wonder Paul was smitten for so long. James finally understood her allure.
He couldn’t help liking her as he looked into her laughing, intelligent eyes. She intrigued him as no one else had.
He knew Mac and Judith had unfinished business. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about pursuing her and he damned well knew Mac wouldn’t like it. But she was worth igniting his friend’s temper.
Those thoughts and more ran through his head when they slipped into the party. He left Judith to field Mac’s advances, leaving her free to go around the room meeting her business obligations.
