Cathy was surprised she wasn’t jealous of his relationship with Evelyn. She supposed it was because to her the woman wasn’t real. They’d never met and there was no trace of her in the house. No pictures, no mementos that she knew about.
“Where did you meet?” she asked.
Stone settled on a workout bench and rested his elbows on his knees. The water bottle hung loosely from his hands. “Through some redistricting, the kids from the trailer park came to our elementary school. Talk about mixing the haves and have-nots. Evelyn sat next to me in class, and I was instantly smitten. We ate lunch together, and by the end of the first day of third grade we were fast friends.” His gaze drifted from her to a past she couldn’t see. “Nothing ever changed that.”
“I’m surprised your parents approved of your relationship.”
He shrugged. “Me, too. But as long as I did the appropriate ‘heir’ things, they left me alone. Benign neglect and all that. Evelyn was my real family. After high school, we went to the same college. She was on scholarship. She was amazing. So damn bright. She never let me get away with anything.”
Cathy leaned against the wall. She could hear the love in Stone’s voice. That hurt a little. No one had ever loved her that much. Not even her parents.
“You miss her,” she said.
“Yeah. It’s better now, but I do miss her. She was my best friend and we’d been together so long, I didn’t know what the world would be like without her.” He straightened. “I’ll never be able to replace her. Not that I’d try. She was unique.”
Cathy nodded. Theirs would have been a special marriage, she thought. The years of friendship would have added a dimension to their love. No doubt the transition from friends to romantic partners had been exactly right.
She finished her bottle of water and placed it in the trash. She was a fool. All his kind acts, all her daydreams, even her change in circumstances couldn’t shake the truth. She was living in a dreamworld.
It was a very nice dream, she reminded herself, and for now it was enough. She was here to do a good job and learn as much as she could. She wanted to grow as a person. But everything came with a price. For her, that price was falling for her boss. A man who was still in love with a woman who had been gone for three long years.
Chapter Eleven
Cathy paused at the bottom of the stairs. As usual her heart was pounding. She was getting used to the sensation. She worked with Stone every day and managed to act and even feel completely normal. But as soon as something happened to upset their routine, or they moved out of the comfortable employer/employee relationship—like tonight—she was a walking, breathing set of vibrating nerves.
“You’ll be fine,” she told herself as she smoothed her hair back from her face. She’d had it trimmed recently and she loved the way the soft, highlighted waves fell around her face. After her cut, she’d paid for a second makeup lesson and even bought a few products. Daily practice had made her confident about her abilities to duplicate what the makeup artist had done. Her dress was new, one of several things she’d purchased to flatter her trimmer figure. She still jogged regularly, and a few weeks of weight lifting had done their bit to tone her body. If she held her arm just right, she could even see a little muscle definition.
All in all, this was the best her life had ever been. If she could just get over what seemed to be a permanent set of nerves, everything would be fine.
She heard footsteps in the foyer. Ula walked slowly toward her holding something long and dark in her arms. The housekeeper stopped in front of her.
“You look very beautiful,” she said as she smiled at Cathy.
“You’re too kind.” Cathy felt herself blushing. Beautiful was definitely an exaggeration. She looked pretty good. Although compared with her old frumpy, chubby self, the transformation could realistically be called amazing.
“The dress is lovely.”
Cathy glanced down at the rust-colored knit dress she wore. It had long sleeves and was fitted through her waist and hips. Then the fabric flared out a little before softly falling around her calves. There was a low scoop neck in front and an even lower scoop in the back. The color brought out the red highlights in her hair and made her eyes as green as a cat’s. The style flattered her figure and made her grateful for all the miles she’d logged.
“Thanks,” she said. “I fell in love with it at the store. I’ve never really owned pretty things and I couldn’t resist.”
“Mr. Ward will be most impressed. To that end, I have a contribution to make. It’s a little chilly tonight, and I thought you might like to borrow this.”
Ula held out a stunning hunter green velvet cape. The lining was silk, and a darker green. Cathy stared in disbelief. “Ula, it’s wonderful. But you can’t mean to lend it to me. It’s too fabulous.”
The older woman shrugged. “I never wear it. Besides, it’s your twenty-ninth birthday, and you deserve something special.”
Cathy thought about protesting. After all, Ula had already baked her a special “low-cal” birthday cake that they’d shared at lunch that day. The housekeeper had also given her a hardcover book she’d wanted. But she couldn’t speak just now. Not because she didn’t know what to say but because her throat was tight with unshed tears.
“You have been so kind to me,” she managed to say at last.
Ula tsked. “There will be none of that,” she said. “No crying. You’ll ruin your makeup. Then you’ll get me going, and I hate to show emotion. So take it. On me, the cape drags to the floor, but I suspect it will hang just past your dress on you, so it will be perfect.”
Cathy took the offered heavy garment and swirled it over her shoulders. The silk lining was heavenly soft and cool against her neck and shoulders.
“I feel like a princess,” she said, and bent down to hug the smaller woman. Hard to believe that when she’d first arrived, she had thought of Ula as cold and stern. Now she knew a warm heart beat behind the stoic facade.
Ula hugged her back. “Have a good time, Cathy. Enjoy your birthday.”
“Thank you.” She straightened her shoulders and walked toward the front door. The beautiful cape gave her that added bit of confidence she needed to actually step outside. With a little luck, Stone would never know she was nervous.
She walked out into the night. It was just after nine. When Stone had invited her out to dinner to celebrate her birthday, his only two requests were that he choose the restaurant and that it be later in the evening. She understood that he was nervous about being seen. Given his reluctance, she had been even more touched by his invitation. She wished there was a way to convince him how very little his scars meant to her. Perhaps if she—
She stared at the vehicle waiting in the circular driveway and felt her mouth part. She’d expected to see the BMW with Stone behind the wheel. Instead, a dark limousine waited at the foot of the stairs. Stone lounged next to it. She caught the flash of white as he smiled.
“You look surprised,” he said.
“I am. I’ve never been in a limo before.”
He opened the door and gestured for her to enter. “Then come have a look. They’re fun.”
As she walked down the stairs, she reminded herself this wasn’t a date. It was dinner out with her boss. Nothing more. But as she approached and saw he was dressed in a perfectly fitted suit and tie, then bent to step into the limo and saw the champagne on ice waiting, she couldn’t stop a flicker of anticipation from moving through her. It was her birthday, after all. And she knew exactly what she was going to wish for when she blew out her candles.
*
Stone settled next to Cathy in the back of the limo, then reached for the champagne. Perhaps it was overdoing things a little, but he hadn’t been able to resist. He’d suspected that her previous life hadn’t had much in the way of special surprises, and she deserved this and more.
He filled the two flutes, then handed her one. “Happy birthday,” he said.
She smiled. “
Thank you, Stone. You’ve made this evening very special.”
“It hasn’t even started yet.”
“It’s already wonderful.”
In the dim light of the rear seating area, her eyes looked black. Shadows flirted with the lines of her pretty face, emphasizing her high cheekbones and full mouth. The long cape surrounded her, concealing her shape from him, but he knew what she looked like. He’d seen her in workout clothes and tailored dresses enough to know that her commitment to fitness had paid off. He’d always liked her and enjoyed her company. He’d found her physically appealing even before she’d started her quest for personal improvement. But now there was an extra spark. He’d admired her because he’d known who she was on the inside. Now any man would want her, simply based on her appearance.
Stone felt a hint of something primal stir, and it took him a moment to figure out it was the beginnings of jealousy. Ridiculous, he told himself. There was no one to be jealous of. Besides, he wasn’t interested in Cathy that way.
But the lie was getting harder and harder to believe. Just being next to her was enough to turn him on. It had been that way for weeks. Still, he never hinted. She must never know. It was wrong of him to want her. First because of Evelyn, and second because of Cathy.
To the former, he owed a debt he could never repay. To the latter, he owed respect. While he didn’t agree with Ula’s assessment that Cathy could fall in love with him, he knew she was innocent enough that a physical relationship would give her the wrong impression of his feelings. She would want and expect more from him than he was capable of giving. He didn’t want to set her up. So instead, he suffered, needing her in ways he’d never needed a woman before.
Cathy leaned back in the seat and sipped her drink. “It’s a perfect night,” she said. “When I was getting dressed, I noticed I could see stars from my bedroom window.”
That was the difference between them, he thought. She would look at the night and see stars, while he was only interested in the safety and cover provided by the darkness.
“We’ll have to admire them when we get to the restaurant,” he said.
She looked at him. “You don’t go out much, do you? I don’t think you’ve left the house since I moved in.”
“That’s true.” He’d been out to see her in the hospital, but not since.
She placed her hand on top of his. “You didn’t have to do this for me.”
Her touch was trusting, as was her expression. If she knew what the cool pressure of her fingers was doing to him, she would be afraid. In the past month or so, the wanting had become unbearable. He needed her all the time. Just being in the same room with her was enough to make him hard. He didn’t know what had changed in his life and he knew he didn’t like it. He wanted to go back to the way things were. He wanted to be dead again. Feeling nothing was better than constant agony.
But there was no way to turn back time. Eventually he would figure out how to deal with his wayward body. Eventually he would shut down again. He always had in the past. He didn’t have a choice—he wasn’t allowed to have more.
“I wanted to make the evening special,” he told her. “Birthdays come around so seldom.”
“Barely once a year,” she said teasingly.
“I’ve noticed that. I spoke with Ula about what I wanted to do, and she made the arrangements. We’ll be fine.”
Her fingers squeezed his. “I’m not worried, Stone. I think the scars bother you more than they bother anyone else.”
“Perhaps,” was all he said, thinking she had never experienced the gasps or stares, the artless comments of children who didn’t know better than to speak what they were thinking.
The limo drove north into Hermosa Beach. Stone recognized the area and knew they were close to the restaurant. As instructed, the driver pulled around back. After parking in the alley, he left the vehicle.
“He’ll just be a moment,” Stone said.
Sure enough, the man returned shortly. He opened the rear door. “Everything is arranged, Mr. Ward. If you’ll follow me, please.”
They were met inside by a young man named Art who showed them to a back room. As they entered, Stone saw it was big enough to hold a group of sixty or so. No doubt the restaurant used it for large parties. A small section had been partitioned off, and a table had been set for two.
Flowers, several potted trees and lengths of fabric draped over the screens gave the space an air of intimacy. Slow, romantic music played softly in the background.
Art moved to take Cathy’s cape from her. Stone felt his gut tighten as he caught his first glimpse of her dress. The simple style belied the power of the outfit. A low round neck hinted at the curves of her breasts, while the clinging fabric outlined the perfect shape of her body. Art stared appreciatively, and Stone thought about bashing in his unscarred, handsome young face.
When he reached for Cathy’s chair, Stone beat him to it. “I’ll take care of this,” he said coolly, and seated her.
Art took the hint, backing up to give them room. So far he’d only glanced at Stone’s face. Ula must have warned him about the scars. While Stone appreciated her thoughtfulness, for a moment he wished it weren’t necessary. Then he pushed the thought away. Not tonight, he told himself. Tonight was just about Cathy.
“The chef has prepared a special menu, as per your request,” Art said. “The champagne is chilling. Would you like it now?”
“Please,” Stone said, and took his seat opposite hers. They were across from each other, but the table was small enough for them to maintain intimacy. They were also alone and had no fear of being overheard by curious patrons.
When Art nodded and left, Stone turned to her. “So what do you think?”
She laughed. “I keep remembering a line from a movie I saw years ago. ‘It’s good to be the king.’”
“I’m hardly a king.”
“You do all right.” Her smile faded. “Seriously, Stone, I really appreciate this. You’ve made my time with you so incredible. I can’t believe what’s happened to me in the past few months.” She faltered and some of her confidence faded. He thought she might be blushing, but it was hard to tell in the dim light.
“I’m glad I could help,” he said as quiet pride swelled up inside of him. This is what he’d wanted—to make a difference in her life. He’d given her more than she’d had before. He hesitated to use the word fix but that’s what he really meant. He’d wanted to fix her and he had. She was better off now for having known him. He was pleased, even though in time he was going to have to set her free to continue on without him. They had no future together.
The plan was sensible; at least he’d always thought so in the past. But now, in the dimly lit restaurant, with Cathy looking so lovely and the music in the background, he wasn’t so sure. While he knew she still had to go, he also knew he was going to miss her. More than he’d planned. More than he wanted to. Even though it wasn’t supposed to happen, even though it wasn’t allowed, he’d come to care for her.
Still, when the time came, he would let her go and eventually he would forget about her. Because she was just a means to an end. A way to make up for the past.
But they had tonight, and the time that would follow. He would make the most of that.
Art returned with their champagne and poured. He asked when Stone wanted him to start serving dinner and was told to give them about twenty minutes.
Cathy stared at the intimate setting. “I still can’t believe how you pulled this off.”
“Ula did the work,” he said.
Cathy laughed. “She’s an amazing woman. I’m surprised you haven’t lured her into the business.”
“I’ve thought about it, but I think I want her more at home. She keeps everything running smoothly. With as much time as I spend there, I need that.”
Cathy leaned forward. “It’s none of my business and you’re probably going to get angry…” Her voice trailed off.
“But you’re going to say it an
yway,” he told her.
She nodded. “It’s not that bad. I won’t pretend people wouldn’t notice, but you’re seeing yourself in a far more harsh light than the rest of the world.”
They were talking about his scars. Stone resisted the urge to reach up and touch them. Tonight he didn’t want to remember that he was physically a beast. He wanted to be a regular man out with an attractive woman.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” he said at last when it became obvious she was waiting for him to respond.
“I can imagine.” Her soft hair swung against her face as she tilted her head. “I spent much of my life hiding away because I was afraid of what other people would think. At first I was worried because of my mother, but later it was just about me. Look at our relationship—how we met. Six months ago, it would never have occurred to me that you would be interested in me as a person just as I was. I felt the need to create a whole false world so that you would think I was interesting and had value. I’m not saying I’m completely over those fears, but I’ve come a long way.”
She had. Eventually she would no longer need him, he thought sadly. Then she would leave. Better for both of them. Even if he wanted to make it more, he could never give her what she needed. He didn’t know how. In time she would see that. She would find someone who could give back as much as she gave, someone who would welcome and admire her generous spirit.
“Let it go, Cathy. You can’t change me.”
She nodded. “I’ll do as you ask because it’s my birthday and we’re celebrating. But don’t think I’m going to forget and not mention it again.” She smiled. “Your luck just isn’t that good.”
“Oh, I think it’s pretty great. After all, you’re the one going to that meeting tomorrow instead of me.”
She groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’ve been trying not to think about it all week. I can’t believe I let you talk me into that.”
The Millionaire Bachelor Page 14
