Masquerade

by Janette Rallison

  She took a deep breath, then darted out to the swimming suit rack. It took her a moment to locate the pink suit in a larger size, and once she did, she also found the same style in white and turquoise blue. She held them in her hands and tried to decide which color she liked best. She had just decided to take all three back to the dressing room, when she looked up and saw Landon approaching her.

  He came, stood beside her, and put one hand on the swimming suit rack. As though it were a perfectly normal way to start a conversation, he said, “You may have heard the saying ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity.’” Now he leaned toward her, keeping his gaze cool, serious, and directly trained at her eyes. “Let me warn you that Slade doesn’t think that saying applies to him.”

  Clarissa stared back at Landon, clutching the swimsuits to her chest in an attempt to create a sort of spandex shield. “I didn’t know Sylvia was a reporter. I wouldn’t have said a word to her if I did. I hardly said a word to her as it was.”

  Landon raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Then you must have a really direct conversational manner. She told me you love Slade but think Bella is a terror.”

  Clarissa nearly dropped the swimming suits altogether. She caught hold of the hangers before they completely slipped from her fingers and held them to her in one massive tangle of material and tags. “I didn’t say that!” She swallowed hard and gripped the hangers tighter. “Well, I mean, I didn’t say it like that.” She shut her eyes and let out a small groan. “The Scoop isn’t going to print that, is it?”

  “No, but only because I gave her a better story instead.” He ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair. “For forty-five minutes I talked to that woman about my career plans, personal life, and promised if I ever have any illegitimate children, she’d be the first to know.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Landon folded his arms and his eyes narrowed. “You and Slade both owe me a really big favor for this.”

  She almost volunteered to have a few illegitimate children for him, then decided against it. He might not realize she was joking. Women probably actually did make those types of propositions to him on a regular basis. “Just name it,” she said.

  He looked at her, and then his gaze slide down her figure, as though realizing for the first time she wore only a tight pink swimming suit. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, and his whole expression softened. “Just name it, huh?”

  Clarissa felt herself blushing. “I mean, you know, what I meant to say was that I hope someday I can return the favor.”

  His smile grew. “I hope so too.”

  This line of talk was getting her nowhere. Well, actually it was getting her somewhere, but not someplace she should be. Just being in the same room with Landon McKellips was enough to make any woman sweat; being six inches away from him while he smiled at her was positively dangerous. She nervously pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I haven’t told Slade that I ran into Sylvia. I’m not sure how to break that sort of news to him.” She looked at the clothes rack. Anything was better than facing Landon’s sultry stare. “I mean, despite what she told you, I didn’t actually say any of that, and what I did say, she tricked me into saying—”

  “Clarissa.” Landon said the word slowly, soothingly. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell Slade anything. It’s taken care of.” He casually reached over and took the turquoise swimming suit from her hand. It was one foot less of spandex in her shield, and she blushed anew as he held it up to her. “The pink looks good, but I like the way the blue brings out your eyes.”

  “Do you? Well, blue it is then.” She took it from his hand and backed away toward the dressing room, still clutching the suits in front of her as she went. “I’m going to get dressed now. Thanks for your opinion.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to try on a few more?” he called after her. “I can give you my opinion on all of them.”

  “No, that’s okay. I mean, I’ll go with the blue.”

  Once inside the dressing room she locked the door, leaned against the wall, and cursed the fashion industry for ever doing away with suits with bloomers. She also cursed herself for being so easily embarrassed. A modern woman shouldn’t blush in a swimsuit.

  He must think of her as incredibly backward.

  Of course, she shouldn’t care what Landon thought of her. But somehow she did. After all, three days ago she’d been an unimpressive, unimportant, struggling single mother. Now she was here in Hawaii. She was still an unimpressive, unimportant, struggling single mother, but Landon McKellips had just flirted with her. Of course she cared. If she could have recorded the event to replay for herself every time she got depressed, she would have.

  Well, maybe not. If she recorded the event, then she’d have to watch herself blushing, and fumbling, and looking awkward. Some things were better to forget.

  Clarissa changed back into her shorts and top and stepped out of the dressing room. She hadn’t expected to see Landon still in the shop. In fact, she was relatively certain she’d never see him again. He stood beside the closest wall, waiting for her.

  He was waiting for her. Oh, for a camera.

  As she walked toward the register, he casually strolled over to her. His blue eyes sparkled as he took her in. “Can I ask you a question?”

  Yes, I will have your illegitimate children, and yes, I’ll even be the one to send the birth announcements to Sylvia. “Sure,” she said calmly.

  “Are you really Bella’s nanny? I mean, there’s nothing going on between you and Slade?”

  “No. I mean yes. I mean no.” She took a deep breath. “No, there’s nothing going on between us, and yes, I really am Bella’s nanny.” Clarissa ran her fingers around the swimming suit hanger and tried to subdue her heart rate. What she thought would come next, couldn’t really come next. Not between someone rich and famous like Landon and someone like her.

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Landon said softly. “That being the case, do you have plans for dinner tonight?”

  She had just been asked for her first date since the divorce. Ever since her relationship with Alex ended, she’d wondered about this moment. She wondered if she would be ready. She wondered if the question would come from someone she’d be eager to accept or someone she’d have to avoid for the rest of her life. She never—not even once—imagined it would happen in a Hawaiian resort by Landon McKellips, Hollywood hunk.

  And to think Alex had told her she would never find someone to replace him. She smiled at this fact even though she knew she had to turn Landon down. “I’m sorry. I’m watching Bella tonight while Slade goes to a luau.”

  Landon shook his head and moaned. “That’s the same party I want to take you to. Can’t you get someone else to watch her while you come with me?”

  “It’s my job to watch her.” And then, because Clarissa suddenly remembered she had to say it, she added, “and besides, I’m married.”

  Landon tilted his head in puzzlement. “You said that as an afterthought.”

  “What?” she asked, because she didn’t want to admit he was right.

  “Usually, if a woman is married, that thought stays pretty much foremost in her mind. Her excuse isn’t, ‘I’m sorry, I’m busy, and oh, by the way, I’m married too.’”

  “I’m sorry,” Clarissa said, and she felt herself blushing again. “I didn’t think that you thought . . . I mean . . . I just thought you were being friendly and . . . I’m sorry.”

  Landon smiled, and it was still a confident smile. “You’re not really Slade’s nanny, are you?”

  “Yes I am. It’s just that . . .” In spite of her embarrassment, she kept her eyes on him. His tousled, sun-bleached hair, his half-parted lips, his blue eyes all seemed to pull her toward him. She considered telling him everything, then decided that was her stupidest idea since she swore off chocolate.

  No one could know the truth. No one. If it got back to Slade, it would ruin whatever inkling of a chance she still had for a permanent pos
ition. So she was married, and that was that, even if it did mean turning down a date with the most handsome man who’d ever asked her out.

  “It’s just that what?” Landon asked.

  “Nothing,” she said. “I need to go. Thanks for your opinion on the swimsuit.”

  She walked toward the front counter to pay for the suit, and he didn’t follow her.

  “And thank you," he called after her, “for leaving me with that visual image.”

  * * *

  At 4:15 Slade knocked on the door. Clarissa didn’t care he was early. She’d missed Elaina and scooped her up in her arms the moment she saw her. She smelled of sunblock and french fries.

  “Did you have a fun time this afternoon?”

  “Yep,” Elaina said. “Slade let us jump on Bella’s bed.”

  Clarissa raised her eyebrows at Slade. “You did?”

  He thrust his hands into his pockets and didn’t move from his place in the doorway. “Yeah, well, it turns out I can only take so many games of Chutes and Ladders.”

  “Poor thing. No wonder you brought them by early.”

  “I didn’t mean to show up early, but I can’t get a hold of Meredith.” Slade glanced over his shoulder at the hotel hallway. “Did she tell you where she was going?”

  Elaina started to squirm, so Clarissa put her down. The little girl immediately ran over to the couch to get her stuffed dachshund. Bella followed, looking to see what other toys Elaina had laying around.

  Clarissa turned back to Slade. “Sorry, I haven’t talked to Meredith all day.”

  “She’s supposed to go to this luau thing with me.”

  “Then I’m sure she’ll turn up.”

  Slade paused. “Well, I haven’t actually told her about it yet.”

  Clarissa raised her eyebrows again.

  “I haven’t seen her since I found out about it, but I don’t want to go alone.” Slade checked his phone. “Maybe I should ask the front desk if she rented a car.”

  As soon as he’d said this, Meredith rounded the corner. She wore a large brimmed hat and a swimming suit cover-up. A large beach bag was slung over her arm.

  “Where have you been?” Slade called to her. “I’ve been trying to get hold of you for hours.”

  “I’m on vacation,” she told him slowly. “I went to the beach.” She put her things down by her door and ran her key card through the slot. “I had a lovely afternoon and met a very nice banker from Idaho.” She opened the door and gave them a smile. “He didn’t seem to think I was too old at all.”

  Before she went into the room, Slade said, “I need you to come to dinner with me at quarter til six. Wear something Hawaiian. It’s a luau.”

  She turned back toward him and smiled graciously. “I had a late lunch with Bill, so I’m not hungry. Thanks anyway.”

  Slade walked toward her. “It’s one of AJ’s affairs. He’ll be there with Natalie Granger, and she’s already threatened to go seashell hunting for me. I need you with me.”

  Meredith shook her head. “I’m tired and sunburned. The last thing I want to do is stay up all night keeping Natalie Granger away from you. Besides, you know how I hate mingling with celebrities. It’s awful. You always have to think up compliments about their work no matter how pathetic it is.”

  “You won’t have to talk business tonight,” Slade said.

  “That’s what you said when we went to the network charity dinner. I was trapped in a corner with Will Ferrell for a complete hour. The things I had to say about his comedies—” She looked at the ceiling and breathed out slowly. “It burns my soul just to think about it.”

  Meredith then glanced back over at them, and her gaze locked onto Clarissa. Perhaps a little desperately, she said, “Why don’t you take Clarissa?”

  “She’s watching the girls.”

  “I’ll watch them.”

  “They’re too much for you to handle.”

  “Nonsense. I watched them for a bit last night and survived just fine. Besides, they’ll be going to bed in a few hours, which means I’ll be able to relax.” Without waiting for further protests, Meredith peeked into Clarissa’s room at the girls. “While your parents are at dinner, we’re going to have a slumber party in my room.”

  “A party?” Elaina asked. “Do we get balloons?”

  “Of course,” Meredith replied. “Don’t forget to bring your jammies and toothbrushes.”

  Both girls got to their feet and chattered to each other happily.

  “I want a pink balloon,” Bella said.

  “I want anudder pink one,” Elaina added.

  “We’ll take whatever colors we can bribe the housekeeping staff to get for us,” Meredith answered.

  Clarissa turned to Slade, “What about our affair? I mean, I thought you didn’t want us to be seen together.”

  Before Slade could answer, Meredith spoke. “Seeing the two of you together will help dispel any rumors.” She patted Clarissa’s arm. “Just talk about your husband every few minutes.”

  “I don’t have anything to wear,” Clarissa said weakly, but it was too late. Meredith was already headed toward her room.

  “Just keep repeating, ‘The cinematography was breathtaking!’” Meredith told Clarissa, “and you’ll be fine.”

  Slade glanced at his watch. He didn’t look entirely pleased by the turn of events. “Can you be ready at quarter til?”

  “I suppose so,” Clarissa said, because she knew she didn’t have a choice.

  “Wear your hair up,” he told her as he left the room. “That looks more matronly.”

  Chapter 13

  At five-forty, Slade knocked on Clarissa’s door. He wore tan pants and a Hawaiian shirt that made him look casual and utterly handsome. She hadn’t brought anything tropical to wear, so she’d put on a straight khaki skirt, a beige blouse, and the lei she’d been given by the flight attendant as she left the airplane in Honolulu. The tiny yellow flowers were a little wilted around the edges, but it was the only Hawaiian thing she had.

  Slade’s gaze ran over her with evident disapproval. “You don’t look matronly.”

  “Do you want me to bring Elaina along to prove the point?”

  “No.” He sighed and then moved away from the door so she could come out of the room. “I suppose I’m asking the impossible again.”

  She would have taken this as a compliment if he hadn’t looked so displeased as he said it.

  As they walked to the elevator, Clarissa could feel him surveying her again. “Remember to bring up your husband every few minutes. You know, in that annoying gloating way married people always talk about their spouses.”

  Clarissa glanced over at him. “Women don’t generally accuse you of being charming, do they?”

  He smiled and reached to push the elevator button. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want anything else to go wrong.”

  The door opened, and Clarissa stepped in and waited for Slade to join her. They both reached for the button to the lobby at the same time, and their hands brushed together. She quickly withdrew hers. She suddenly felt awkward, as though without Elaina’s hand to hold, Clarissa wasn’t sure what to do with her hands. She finally folded them together. She and Slade stood in silence for a moment, then Clarissa said, “Who is Natalie Granger, anyway?”

  “An old colleague. She has some ideas about the two of us, which makes things tricky because she’s here with AJ. He’s the one I want to pitch my script to.”

  Clarissa considered this. “She’s AJ’s girlfriend?”

  “Yes.”

  “But she’s coming on to you?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Awesome girlfriend.”

  The elevator door opened. As Clarissa stepped out, she lost her footing and wobbled. She’d bought these high heels on one of her post-divorce, bargain-hunting shopping trips. At the time they’d seemed carefree and young—something a single woman would buy. As it turned out, they were something that only people who didn’t actually have to wear the
m would buy.

  Slade took hold of her arm, catching her. He didn’t let her go right away. “Are you all okay?”

  “Yes,” she said. “It’s just these heels. They’re too high.”

  His gaze slid down her legs to her feet. “You’d think after being liberated for so long, women would have done away with heels altogether.”

  “We were liberated from men,” she said, “not from fashion.”

  He grinned, shook his head, and continued down the hallway.

  “What exactly am I supposed to do about Natalie tonight?” Clarissa asked.

  “You just have to be around. That way I’m obligated to stick by you and make sure you have a good time. I have a built-in excuse not to disappear anywhere with Natalie.”

  “Oh.”

  He smiled over at her again. “Now you know where those soap opera plot ideas come from.”

  The luau was being held in the hotel garden overlooking the beach. As they exited the lobby and crossed the hotel lanai, Clarissa stopped to take in the view around her. Beyond the resort gardens and through a row of tall palm trees, a bank of purple clouds on the horizon of the ocean was turning shades of pink, yellow, and red. The surf rolled in long white lines toward the beach, and strains of soft Hawaiian music drifted over the garden. Paradise. Clarissa breathed in the fragrance of tropical flowers and wished she could capture this scene, this moment, and hold it forever.

  Slade motioned for her to follow him, and she pulled her attention away from the beach. Across the garden terrace stood a dozen circular tables covered in crisp white linen and hibiscus centerpieces. A long table stood in the middle of these, loaded with an assortment of salads, rolls, fruit, and meat.

  A parquet dance floor spread out in front of the band. Those who had already arrived were congregated in groups, talking, or lined up at the bar for drinks. It all looked very informal, except for the presence of a number of husky men in hotel uniforms who stood around the perimeter of the banquet site. Security men to keep unwanted guests out.