“Actually, I don't” Mattie said honestly. She recalled her closet full of expensive but exceedingly dull clothes. The colors in her wardrobe tended toward gray, beige, and navy blue. “But I may start wearing more of it. I think I like red.”
She realized she had never felt quite this way in a dress before. She felt a little wild. Maybe it was just a reaction to all the recent stress she had been under.
“Red definitely does something for you. Kind of brightens you up.” Evangeline began pinning the dress, causing the already low neckline to go even lower. “Are those shoes the only ones you've got?”
“I'm afraid so. I left the others behind with my clothes.”
“Shame. Shoes are so damn expensive. What size do you wear?”
“Seven and a half.”
“No problem,” Evangeline said. “So do I. I'll loan you the ones I've got on. They're perfect for that dress. Okay, I've finished pinning. Take it off and I'll make the adjustments.”
“This is certainly very nice of you,” Mattie said as she slipped the red dress off and handed it over to Evangeline.
“My pleasure. Like I said, it's been a while since I had a nice chat with an intelligent person.” She went over to the closet and wheeled out a small table that held a sewing machine. “How was business on Purgatory before things turned sour?”
“Not bad.” Mattie finished dressing in her trousers and silk shirt and sat down again. She picked up her drink. “But I don't think I'll go back.”
“Yeah? Where will you head next?” The sewing machine hummed energetically as Evangeline went to work.
“Seattle.”
“Been there before?”
“Yes. In fact, I lived there before I, uh, went to Purgatory.”
“No kidding? I've always wanted to go to Seattle. Maybe next time I take a vacation I'll go there.”
“If you do, be sure and look me up,” Mattie said with a rush of good will toward this woman who was going out of her way to be kind. “I'll leave my name and address.”
“It's a deal. I make it a practice to take a vacation at least twice a year. A woman needs a break, you know? All work and no play isn't good for you.”
“I know. Stress definitely takes a toll.”
“That's a fact.” Evangeline expertly trimmed the seam of the sarong's skirt. “And we've sure got our share of stress in our line of work, don't we? The business isn't what it used to be, what with these new diseases and all. Which reminds me, you need any rubbers for tonight?”
Mattie choked on a sip of rum and juice. “I didn't bring any with me,” she said carefully.
“Figured you might have had to leave those behind along with your clothes. Check that cabinet over there by the bed. I keep a bunch handy. Help yourself.”
Mattie stared at the red wicker cabinet for a moment and then slowly got up and went over to open it. Inside was a large basket filled with little foil packages. She took a handful and dropped them into her purse. “Thank you.”
“Can't be too careful these days. Doesn't pay to take chances. By the way, who's your broker?”
“My broker?”
“Yeah, your stockbroker.” Evangeline looked up with a quizzical glance and took a pull on her drink. “Or are you into CDs and money market accounts?”
“Oh. I see what you mean.” Mattie frowned consideringly as she sat down again. “Yes, I tend to favor certificates of deposit and money market accounts. The stock market is just too volatile for my taste. Not a good place for the small investor anymore.”
“I know what you mean. I keep telling myself I should get out, but a part of me likes the thrill, you know? Of course, I don't put everything into the market. Just what I can afford to lose. The rest goes right into T-bills and stuff. I'm no fool. I've seen too many women in this business wind up with nothing after years of hard work. I'm not going to be one of them.”
“You're absolutely right. Nobody's going to give us a pension. Self-employed people have to look after themselves.”
“Ain't it the truth?” Evangeline nodded as she went to work on the bodice of the little red dress. “How about another drink?”
“Sounds great. Tell me, Evangeline, what are you going to do when you retire?”
“Funny you should mention that.” Evangeline looked down at the red dress she was altering. “I've been thinking about retirement a lot lately. It's time to get out of the business. Like I said, it isn't what it used to be. Don't laugh, but I'd like to open up a small dress shop somewhere out here on the islands, you know? Design my own things for tourists. I think I'd be good at it. What do you think?”
Mattie looked at the beautiful workmanship on the red dress. She knew art when she saw it. “I think you'd be terrific at it.”
Hugh was smiling with anticipation as he bounded up the inn stairs an hour later. He had a bottle of rum in a paper bag under one arm, and he'd splurged on a new shirt at the little general store on the waterfront. He was ready for the big date with Mattie.
“We're going to party tonight, babe,” he announced as he opened the door of the small room. “Got it all planned. A real date. First we'll hit that little place that serves the great burgers, have a couple of drinks and some food, and then I figure later we can come back here and—Holy shit.”
Hugh came to a dead halt just inside the door and stared at the exotic creature sitting on the side of the bed.
“Hello, Hugh. As a matter of fact, I am rather hungry.” Mattie smiled at him.
“Mattie?” Hugh slowly closed the door behind him without taking his eyes off her. He could not believe what he was seeing.
She was wearing a minuscule red dress that almost revealed her nipples. It clung to her hips like a lover and rode halfway up her thigh. She had her legs crossed, her feet daintily arched in impossibly high, spiky red heels. Her tawny-brown hair danced around her shoulders, soft and loose and inviting. Her green-and-gold eyes were brilliantly outlined and accented with glittering turquoise eyeshadow. Her mouth was a dark red flower. Rhinestones glittered on her fingers and wrists and in the small cleavage revealed by the dress.
“What do you think, Hugh? Is it me?” She grinned at him, her eyes full of an unfamiliar mischief.
“What the hell happened to you?” Dazed, Hugh moved slowly over to a table and set down his packages.
“I met the nicest lady down the hall. A working woman. Just like me. When she realized I had nothing suitable for tonight, she loaned me some of her things.” Mattie got up and pirouetted.
Hugh's mouth went dry. His gaze traveled down the length of her spine to where the red dress curved tightly over her hips. “There's no back to that dress.”
“I know. Good thing it's warm here on Brimstone, hmmm?”
Hugh took a step closer, eyes narrowing as she turned back to face him. He had never seen that particular expression in her eyes. “Mattie, have you been drinking?”
“Just a couple of rum punches.” She waved her hand in an airy gesture, and the rings on her fingers glittered like diamonds. “Don't worry, I'm in complete control. My friend Evangeline says you can't work drunk. Men tend to take advantage of you if they think you're tipsy. Men are like that, you know. Always trying to take advantage of a woman.”
“This Evangeline person. What exactly does she do for a living, or should I ask?”
“I told you. She's a working woman.” Mattie laughed up at him. “And she thinks I'm one, too. She took pity on me because I had to flee Purgatory without the tools of my trade.” Mattie tossed a handful of little foil packages into the air. They rained down over the bed. “Evangeline is a very nice person, Hugh.”
“I don't believe this.”
“I know.” Mattie giggled. “And neither would anyone else back home in Seattle. I wish I had a camera so you could take a picture of me. Evangeline says I look terrific in red.”
“You do,” Hugh admitted. “But you need a little more of it.”
“Now, Hugh, don't be a prude. Are y
ou ready to go out to dinner?”
“Yeah, but I'm not taking you anywhere dressed like that.”
“Then I'll go out by myself.”
She was at the door and through it before Hugh realized she meant business. He swung around and went after her. “Now, just one damn minute, Mattie.”
“You can't come along if you're going to lecture me,” she informed him from the top of the stairs. “I'm sick and tired of your lectures. I intend to have fun tonight.”
“Mattie, hold on a second. Damn it, come back here.” Hugh started down the hall with long, determined strides.
But Mattie had already scampered down to the lobby and was waving at the clerk as she went past the front door.
Hugh was right behind her.
“Got a navy ship in the harbor,” the old desk clerk said as Hugh went past. “You'd better hang on to her or yer not gonna see her till morning.”
“Damn,” said Hugh.
He caught up with Mattie outside on the street. A beautiful scarlet butterfly flitting through the tropical night, she was already attracting too much attention. A young man in a white Navy uniform leered and let out a loud wolf whistle. Hugh glowered at him and reached for Mattie's arm.
“What the devil do you think you're up to, Mattie?” he demanded as he pinned her to his side.
“Just going out for a bite to eat.” She smiled at a man who was trying up a sailboat. The man's mouth fell open and he stopped work to stare. “Isn't this amazing, Hugh? Evangeline is right. Red is definitely my color.”
“Babe, the way that dress is cut, it wouldn't matter what color it was.” He realized she was enjoying herself. “Look, I don't want to rain on your parade, but it's not exactly safe for you to be running around in that outfit.”
She looked up at him with innocently widened eyes. “Why ever not, Hugh? After all, I've got you along to protect me, don't I?”
He exhaled on a low groan. Then he decided two could play at that game. “Who's going to protect you from me, babe?”
“No problem. You've seen me in less and you weren't exactly overwhelmed, were you?”
“If you misjudge other men as badly as you misjudge me, you're going to be in a lot of trouble.”
“Nonsense.” She patted his arm with condescending affection. “We both know you'll behave yourself. What would Aunt Charlotte say if I told her you'd gotten out of line?”
He tightened his grip on her arm. “You ought to know better than to wave a threat at me, babe,” he warned softly. “I only answer to Charlotte when it comes to business. She doesn't have anything to do with the rest of my life.”
“Tough talk.” Mattie gave a gurgle of husky laughter. “But I don't believe a word of it. What would you do if you didn't get all those nice, lucrative assignments to clean up little messes around the world for Vailcourt?”
“I'd spend more time on my own business.” Hugh abruptly decided against dragging her back to the room. A sexy, teasing Mattie was a wonderful thing. He had never seen her in quite this mood, and he realized he did not really want to squelch it. She was having too much fun and—if he played his cards right—so could he.
He steered her toward the open-air tavern at the end of the street. There was no absolutely safe place to take her tonight. Brimstone was full of sailors, and even at their best, the local taverns and bars tended to be rough. He would just have to make certain everyone realized she was private property.
“And just what is this mysterious business of yours, Hugh? It's got something to do with airplanes, doesn't it?” Mattie clung to his arm, practically draped over it as she gazed up at him with wide, inquiring eyes.
“I told you, I'm building up a charter business on St. Gabe.” He eased her through the tavern's entrance and was immediately aware of the sensation Mattie caused. Catcalls and whistles echoed from one end of the long bar to the other. Hugh wondered if he was going to get through the evening without a fight. “This is really stupid,” he muttered as he aimed Mattie toward a booth near the railing.
“It's fun.” Mattie slid across the vinyl seat, exposing another three inches of thigh. “I feel good tonight. I think it's a new me. I'll have a rum punch, please.”
“You'll have dinner,” Hugh informed her.
“What a grouch. Very well. Dinner first. And then a rum punch.”
“We'll drink it back in the room,” Hugh decided, giving the man at the end of the bar his coldest glance. The man, who had been staring intently at Mattie, heaved an obvious sigh of regret and turned back to his drink.
“A beer for me,” Hugh told the middle-aged waitress. “And a cola for the lady. Then a couple of hamburgers. Big ones. Make mine a double.”
Mattie smiled past his shoulder up at the waitress. “I'd like to make a couple of changes in my order, please. I'll have fruit juice instead of cola. And put some rum in it, will you, please? And instead of a hamburger, I'll have a salad. And, um, let's see, what else have you got that doesn't have meat in it?”
“No meat? You want fish instead?” the woman asked.
“No pieces of dead animal of any kind,” Mattie stipulated. “I don't eat dead meat. And neither should he,” she added, patting Hugh's arm. “One of these days I'll cure him of the habit.”
The waitress looked bemused. She glanced at Hugh for guidance. When he simply shrugged in resignation, she looked at Mattie again. “We've got French fries. You want some of those?”
“All right,” Mattie agreed. She turned back to Hugh as the waitress disappeared. “So tell me more about this charter business,” she said in a deliberately provocative tone. “I want to hear every little detail about it. I'm just fascinated by that sort of thing. I'll bet you're a big honcho in the air charter business out here in the islands, aren't you?”
“This lady who put you in that dress give you lessons in how to talk to a client or something?”
“How can you say that?” Mattie looked hurt. “I'm serious, Hugh. I want to know everything. I've just realized there is a great deal I don't know about you.”
The beer arrived. Hugh hadn't really wanted one, but he knew the bottle would be useful if things turned rowdy before dinner was over. He looked speculatively down at Mattie. “Are you trying to flirt with me?”
“What if I am?” She hunched her shoulders and the neckline of the red dress dipped so low for a second or two that it revealed the dusky curve surrounding one nipple.
Hugh realized he was staring. Already half aroused, he could feel himself getting very hard, very fast. He took a quick swallow of beer. “I'm not complaining. I just want to be sure you know what you're doing.”
“I'm just trying to learn a little more about you, Hugh Abbott. Do you realize I know almost nothing of your past?”
With great effort he managed to lift his gaze back to her eyes. “You're not missing much. Sit up straight, will you?” She really was flirting with him. Damn. He just wished they didn't have an audience. Every man in the room must be aware of the look she was giving him. He was torn between his own roaring desire and a need to protect his newfound treasure from the lustful gazes of other males.
“What did you do before you went to work for my aunt?”
“This and that. Odd jobs. Mattie, you'd better sit a little straighter. I mean it. That dress is about to fall off.”
“Evangeline designed it to look that way. She's very talented when it comes to dress design. I think she may have missed her calling.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Hugh moved slightly, trying to ease the tightness of his jeans. “What did you say her name was?”
“Evangeline Dangerfield.”
“Hell of a name. Wonder where she picked that up.”
“She says it's not her original name. It's sort of a nom de mattress, I believe. She suggested I think of something a little more interesting than Mattie Sharpe, myself. What do you think?”
Hugh's mouth curved briefly. “I think Mattie Sharpe is just fine.”
She frowned sligh
tly. “But do you think it's sexy enough? Does it have romantic allure? Does it promise passion and excitement and fulfillment?”
“Yeah,” said Hugh. “It does.”
“Advertising and image are so important, you know.”
“I'll keep that in mind as I build up Abbott Charters.”
Mattie leaned closer, her eyes smoky. “Tell me more about Abbott Charters.”
And then, to his own astonishment, Hugh found himself doing just that. He could not resist. She was hanging on every word as if nothing in the world were more important than his hopes and plans and dreams for the future.
Nobody had ever listened to him with such intensity, he realized vaguely at one point. He rambled on about his goal for getting some contracts with the United States government and some with local businesses. He talked about the difficulties of getting aircraft serviced out here in the islands. He explained how St. Gabe was starting to become more popular with tourists and how he planned to encourage them to use Abbott Charters. He talked about organizing scuba diving tours at nearby islands. On and on he talked.
Mattie was obviously enthralled. She prompted him with questions now and again, but mostly Hugh just talked.
And talked.
The food arrived and Hugh kept talking as he ate. He described his plans to become the most reliable charter operator in that section of the Pacific. He detailed his goal to provide a first-class professional operation that would supply everything from fishing boats for tourists to freight service for business.
“I'm thinking about a franchise operation eventually,” he said. “For example, the guy who's going to take us off the island in the morning is running a shoestring operation with one plane. If he bought an Abbott Charter franchise he'd instantly look bigger and more successful than he is. He'd get more business, and I'd have another base of operations.”
Hugh discovered he was still talking about his schemes and ambitions half an hour later when they left the tavern and started back down the street. He was a little surprised to have gotten through the meal without having to bash a few heads, but he wasn't complaining. Obviously everyone had figured out right away that Mattie was not available, he thought proudly. Probably had something to do with the way she was focusing so completely on him.
Silver Linings Page 9