by Susan Meier
Her emotions jumbled and muddled, she closed the door. On the one hand she was oddly satisfied to know that her amnesia hadn’t ruined what was turning out to be a wonderful friendship, and on the other she was almost driven to tears that she couldn’t have him—not in the way she wanted.
She wasn’t sure anybody could. But she knew he’d taken her out of the running when he turned her into his best friend.
Chapter Thirteen
“This is confusing,” Olivia said as she set an interoffice memorandum down on the round table of the break room for everyone to see. But nobody had to look at it. The second they saw the signature, everyone knew what the memo contained: an invitation to a party in honor of Sophia’s promotion to executive secretary to Rex Barrington III—a man who’d never even set foot on Barrington Corporation soil, let alone actually done a day of work there.
“Confusing isn’t half the word!” Sophia said, falling to the last empty chair at the table, causing her medium-length curly blond hair to bounce. “Imagine how I felt,” she continued in dismay. “Rex II calls me in, tells me I’m being promoted to executive secretary to his son, whom I have never even met, and then tells me that he’s hosting a party to celebrate my promotion because it’s the sort of thing Jack Cavanaugh would do.”
Though everyone was engrossed in hearing Sophia’s story, the mention of Jack’s name caused all eyes to turn toward Molly.
“Hey, don’t look at me,” Molly said defensively. “As far as I know, Jack simply mentioned to Rex II that our department likes to celebrate our successes and that’s why we’re so productive. How was Jack supposed to know that Rex II would take the suggestion and run with it?”
“Oh, I don’t mind so much about the party,” Sophia admitted softly. “But I feel odd—unscomfortable—about getting this promotion.”
“Why?” Rachel asked, confused. “I would have thought you’d be elated. Everybody knew you wanted this job.”
“That’s just it,” Sophia wailed. “Everybody did know. Over twenty people applied for the position, and not one of us was interviewed—not even me. Yet I got the job. How was I chosen? Why was I chosen? Did they pick me because I wanted it the most?”
“No, you were probably picked on the strength of past performance,” Patricia said. “I didn’t have anything to do with the actual decision-making process,” she admitted. “But I did pass the personnel files of all the applicants to Rex II, when he asked for them. As far as I could tell, Sophia, you had the best credentials in the bunch.”
Sophia collapsed with relief. “You think so?”
“Absolutely,” Patricia said.
The women murmured their general agreements as they gathered their things to go back to their offices. On the way out the door, Rachel approached Molly.
“If you need a ride to the party tonight,” Rachel said as they walked out into the main corridor together, “you can ride with me.”
“I don’t need a ride,” Molly said casually. “Jack’s going to pick me up.”
Though most of the six women were well on their way down the hall and didn’t hear that comment, the two who did, Olivia and Rachel, stopped dead in their tracks.
“Molly, what’s going on here?” Olivia asked cautiously.
Molly shrugged. “Nothing. There’s no reason for two of us to be driving, so he’s picking me up.”
“Your apartment’s more than a little bit out of his way,” Rachel pointed out. “So I’d say that’s reason enough for you to drive separately.”
“Jack doesn’t mind getting me,” Molly argued, but politely, “and I appreciate the company.”
Olivia frowned. “Molly, the two of you travel together. Last weekend you took him shopping. Three out of four days this week you had lunch together. Is there something you’re not telling us?”
“No. Absolutely not,” Molly said through a gasp. “We’re friends, that’s all. Good friends.”
Olivia sighed heavily as if she’d like to say more, but wasn’t going to push her luck, but Rachel shook her head and said, “Are you sure you’re friends, or is Jack taking advantage of you?”
Molly laughed at the very idea. “Taking advantage of me? How?”
“I don’t know,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “But it doesn’t make any sense. He never even held a private conversation with you until you spent those three days together. Now you’re virtually inseparable.”
“We’re not inseparable,” Molly scoffed.
“Oh, really?” Olivia taunted. “Then why don’t you ride to the party with me and Lucas tonight?”
“This is ridiculous,” Molly chided good-naturedly. “Jack and I are friends. I’m not going to insult him by bailing out at the last minute.”
“All right,” Rachel said, obviously seeing they were making no headway. “But you take a word to the wise and be careful. You’re making it pretty easy for Jack. The way it looks to me, he has a constant companion, a female helper for household problems and a built-in date, all without cost or consequence.”
Molly only gaped at her.
“Molly, what I’m trying to say is that you’re around so much and you’re so damned easygoing, that even if you and Jack might have started something during the three days you lived together, Jack wouldn’t have to finish it. He doesn’t get a chance to be lonely for you because you’re always together. He doesn’t have to ask you for help with finishing his house because you take him shopping. And he doesn’t even have to ask you out because all he has to do is tell you he’ll drive you to every event he might need a date. From where I sit, Jack Cavanaugh’s got it made in the shade.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Molly said, and she walked back to her office shaking her head, but Rachel’s words haunted Molly all afternoon as she worked. True, she and Jack kept each other company, but that was because they were working together to build her career. It was also true that she let him confide in her. She let him tell her things he couldn’t tell anyone else, but Molly considered that part of any friendship. She cherished the fact that Jack felt comfortable talking to her, and didn’t let her thoughts wander any farther off the beaten path than that.
If it wouldn’t have been for those doggone good-night kisses, Molly could have rationalized Rachel’s warning away. But those kisses were odd. Unusual. One notch above friendly, but nowhere near passionate, those kisses could mean about anything—including but not limited to the fact that he could kiss her without declaring his intentions.
When she met with Jack an hour before quitting time and they went over ad campaigns and press releases like any other boss and assistant, Molly felt foolish for even wondering about Jack’s motives. He was a man determined to help her achieve her goals because he knew how much it meant to her to become successful. Only an idiot would question his generosity because of a few friendly, sweet, absolutely lovable kisses.
Comfortable as she was with Jack’s friendship and his motives, Molly didn’t give too much thought to how she dressed for the party, except to consider that she might be meeting Rex III, Barrington’s soon-to-be new president. She contemplated a black cocktail suit, but it was too dignified. So she tried a slim red dress, but that was a tad too sexy. In the end, she opted for orange satin pants with enough of a subtle yellow hue woven into the fabric that the color shifted, reminding her of the flames of a fire. She topped the slacks with an orange satin tank top, covered by a sheer orange and yellow buttoned duster that fell to her calf. Slit to the hip, it showcased her unique pants while still being elegant.
When he saw her, Jack whistled. “I love it.”
“So do I,” Molly confided with a giggle. “My mother would have a bird if she’d see it.”
Jack twirled her around once. “Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s sophisticated enough that it would appeal to her. By the way, I heard a rumor that Rex III will be there tonight.”
Grabbing her purse, Molly laughed. “I heard that rumor, too, and I hope it’s right.”
“Why?” J
ack asked, closing her apartment door behind them and ushering her toward the waiting elevator.
“Because Sophia is getting panicky. She’s been promoted to the position of being assistant to the new president of Barrington. She’s having second thoughts about her abilities, but also, never having met Rex III, she’s having second thoughts about working for him. After all, how’s she supposed to know she can work for the guy if she’s never met him?”
“Good point,” Jack said, “But then again you always have good points. I’m very, very glad I promoted you, and I’m very, very glad you accepted.”
“Well, thank you,” Molly said, but she got a strange shot of foreboding. She thought again of Rachel’s warning, but immediately dismissed it. A person who took advantage of you didn’t compliment you and thank you all the time...did they?
They arrived at the restaurant where Sophia’s party was being held and Jack drove up to the entryway. The valet opened Molly’s door and she stepped out, waiting for Jack at the curb. As they walked inside, Jack took her elbow.
Now that felt weird. Maybe not weird, but out of place. She wasn’t his date—he had given her a ride to the party. So why was he holding her elbow?
In the lobby, Molly faced him. “I think I’m going to freshen up before we go in,” she said,indicating the nearby rest room. “I’ll meet you inside.”
“Okay,” Jack said easily and turned away from her.
Molly watched him go, seeing that he wasn’t ill at ease with entering the party alone, realizing he hadn’t argued and wondering if her imagination wasn’t running away from her again.
When Molly finally entered the banquet room, she chose to sit with Olivia and Lucas and was glad she did because Jack had a seat at the head table with Rex II, Sophia, Mildred Van Hess—Rex II’s long-time assistant—and several other department heads.
Notably absent was Rex III, and though everyone was dying of curiosity, no one had guts enough to mention it.
“I talked with each and every department head individually,” Jack reported to Molly, Olivia and Lucas, when he joined them after dinner, once the dancing started. “Not one of us has met Rex III, but not one of us has had courage enough to get beyond asking Rex II anything but superficial questions about his son.”
“I’ve had dinner at the Barrington residence and never met Rex III,” Lucas said. A tall man with dark blond hair and blue eyes, Lucas wasn’t merely Olivia’s husband, he was also a lawyer for Barrington. “If I didn’t know Rex II as well as I do, I’d think he was either crazy or he made up Rex III, to head off competition.”
Olivia stared at her husband. “What kind of a thing is that to say?”
Lucas shrugged. “Well, he’s got a multimillion-dollar company here. There are six major departments, and all of them are run by incredibly competent, incredibly talented people. If there was no Rex III, no heir to the throne so to speak, how well do you think those six departments would work together?”
“You mean, you think that we wouldn’t cooperate because we’d be fighting for the top position?” Jack asked, annoyed.
“Wouldn’t you?” Lucas countered. “If there was no Rex III, wouldn’t you be at least interested in the job of managing the real estate holdings of a multimillion-dollar corporation?”
Molly tucked her tongue into her cheek. “Admit it, Jack,” she prodded slyly.
“All right, probably yes,” Jack agreed, then he cursed. “Rex II wouldn’t do this to us.”
Lucas shrugged. “I’m not saying he would. I’m only saying that it’s a possibility. You have to admit it is odd to have a party celebrating Sophia’s promotion to executive secretary to Rex III, when Rex III isn’t even here.”
“Hey, guys, enjoying the party?”
All four turned to see Mike the mailman approaching their table. All four smiled.
“You’re looking lovely tonight,” he told Olivia, who blushed charmingly.
Lucas laid his arm across the back of her chair. “Keep your distance, Mike. She’s taken.”
Mike faced Molly. “You look terrific, too.”
“So, I’m seconds,” Molly teased.
“No, tonight you’re first,” he said, and held out his hand. “The first woman I dance with.”
Molly happily took the hand he extended and let him lead her out to the dance floor. She wouldn’t even have thought to peek back to see Jack’s reaction, except that when Mike twirled her around she caught him in her line of vision.
He wasn’t precisely scowling at them, but he was definitely scrutinizing every move they made. But just when Molly was beginning to wonder again about Rachel’s warnings, a few people from their department wandered over to the table. Bryce bent and said something to Jack. Jack nodded, rose and walked away with the small cluster of men and women.
He hadn’t returned by the time Mike brought Molly back to her seat beside Olivia and Lucas, but Molly chose not to think about it. After all, they were friends. Nothing more. Unless she wanted to get herself into trouble again, she couldn’t care about where he was or what he did.
But Molly didn’t get the chance to worry about Jack. He returned a few minutes later and didn’t leave her side again. Though they didn’t dance or mingle together, they actually spent the evening in each other’s company.
But the evening went so quickly, Molly didn’t notice. She was so much accustomed to having him at her side that it was second nature. When they left, Jack gave instructions for his car to the valet, and they waited under the canopy together, chatting about nothing. He helped her into the car, rounded the hood and jumped inside as if all of it were perfectly normal.
About a mile away from Molly’s apartment, though, Jack began to laugh.
“What’s up?”
“I was thinking about what Lucas said about the possibility that there might not be a Rex III.”
Molly bit her lower lip. “I hate to say this but he had a valid point”
“He had a terrific point. Right from the beginning all of us knew the top spot at Barrington wasn’t open, so none of us tried for it. We focused on our own department, division or specialty and together we built a fantastic enterprise.”
“So you think Lucas is right?”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t know what to think. Rex II’s a crafty man. I wouldn’t put this past him.” He paused, then shook his head again. “Or something,” he said thoughtfully. “There’s a reason we haven’t yet met Rex III, and I have this unstoppable feeling that that reason is right under our nose.”
The conversation ended as they pulled up in front of Molly’s apartment building. Because Jack never let her walk herself to her apartment, she waited while he got out of the car and came around to open her door. He took her hand to help her out, but he didn’t release it as they walked up the sidewalk to the entryway of her building. He didn’t even release it as they waited for the elevator. He didn’t release it as they rode the small square car to her floor. And he didn’t release it as they walked down the hall to her apartment door.
Again if it hadn’t been for Rachel’s warnings, Molly probably wouldn’t even have noticed. Jack Cavanaugh was an affectionate, sweet guy. Molly herself was a touchy person. Thinking about it, she realized she was the first to start the touching between them because she took his arm walking back to her hotel room their first night on the road together. So she started this. And it didn’t mean anything.
And, damn it, she wished she could get Rachel’s stupid caution out of her head.
When thirty seconds ticked off without either one of them saying anything, Molly began to feel uncomfortable. Not because they weren’t talking but because she realized that any second now Jack would announce he was going. He’d brush his lips across hers, turn and amble down the hall, leaving her alone....
Inside, she sighed. Common sense and intelligence told her things could not be different between her and Jack. The man did not love her. He thought of her in terms of a friend. She was never going to g
et anywhere with him. And unless she continued thinking of him as a friend she was going to get hurt again.
“Well, good night,” Jack quietly said.
Molly swallowed. “Good night,” she whispered, trying hard not to sound depressed or sad or even lonely.
Right on cue, Jack bent to brush his lips across hers, but this time Molly raised her hand to his shoulder. She knew she’d done that because she was expecting the kiss and bracing herself. But she also knew she’d done that because she wanted to touch him. One touch, damn it. What could it hurt?
His lips breathed across hers with a featherlike swoop, but when he went to pull away he must have felt her hand on his shoulder because he paused. His lips a whisper away from hers, he stayed suspended for a second before he leaned into her again and this time pressed his mouth against hers with a little more strength than he had before.
For Jack the entire situation had come down to a decision. All of this seemed very natural and very right, and, in a sense, he knew they’d been building to this moment for a very long time. They were sexually attracted, good friends, who had amicably gone through an emotional crisis that could have split them apart. But it hadn’t. It had brought them closer together. Close enough that they might in essence be starting a romance.
He put his arms around her and inched her toward him.
She didn’t need much encouragement.
He deepened the kiss.
He let himself tumble into the feel and taste and scent of her. He deactivated his brain, silenced his conscience and let himself experience the kiss the way a normal man would experience the kiss of a woman he desired.
Chapter Fourteen
For Molly the world was spinning. Not only was Jack holding her and giving her the opportunity to hold him, but he was doing it because he wanted to. He wasn’t pretending to be her husband. He wasn’t going along with the kiss because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. And he wasn’t kissing her the way a man kissed a close female friend. He was kissing her the way a man kissed a woman he was romancing.
