Tawnia’s ears perked up at that because she was still hungry, though for once her half-eaten sandwich had little appeal. Autumn had insisted on using some kind of whole-grain bread that morning, and the bread was heavier than a thick notebook with about the same taste. “Eat it eleven times,” Autumn had said, “and you’ll start to like it. Everything takes getting used to. Your body will thank you, and soon you’ll love it, like I do.” Tawnia sincerely doubted that.
She opened the folder Kacey had plunked down beside the sandwich and began flipping through the advertisements. “Beautiful. I like the model for this one. Good, good, great. Uh, this one needs something. I can barely read the words. I thought we were going with a dark blue.”
“It made too much of a contrast with the baby. I have that in here as well to show you, but what if we put in a slash of darker blue here through the middle and print the words in white there instead of black? It’ll make the other blues stand out as well.”
“Perfect. Can we work it up while he’s still here?”
“I’ve got Sean on it now, though he’s a little grumpy.”
“Why?”
“Shanna.”
“What?”
“He’s got a thing for her, and he thinks she’s in there flirting with Mr. Lantis.”
This was news to Tawnia. “What does he care? Sean’s always flirting with me.”
“That’s different.” Kacey rolled her eyes. “That’s like a dog worshiping his master. Shanna is attainable.”
“She is?” With her porcelain skin, fabulous figure, and overt confidence, she could have her pick of men. Tawnia doubted that the awkward Sean would be anywhere near the top of her list.
Kacey grinned. “Shanna likes him, make no mistake. In fact, I think we’ll have a wedding before a year is out.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Tawnia still couldn’t see the two of them together.
“Shanna’s a smart girl. She’s looking forward to what Sean will become, not the boy you and I see now. And she’s right. You learn these things after raising four children.” Kacey’s dark eyes went back to the folder. “These next three are the other designs I thought could use a little something more, but I’m about out of ideas. Twenty-five billboards in just a few days has run us dry.”
“Better than the whole fifty-five.” Tawnia tapped her finger on a design for a children’s clothing store. “This one needs a cardboard cutout or a dummy of some sort waving his arms. It’ll give dimension and soak up this empty space here in the middle.”
“Good idea. Moms can’t help but look at a kid waving his hands. We might actually be able to make the arms move. Seems like I’ve seen something like that before. I’ll ask the others. Probably best to use a little boy.”
They went through the remaining problem billboards, and in a matter of minutes Kacey had a small pile of designs she would rework before the meeting with Mr. Lantis ended.
“Thanks, Kacey. This is great stuff.”
Kacey smiled, but she didn’t leave. “Uh, Tawnia, I don’t mean to pry, but is there something different about your eyes today?”
Tawnia had forgotten she wasn’t wearing her contact. Doing so had actually been Autumn’s idea, a challenge to see if anyone would notice. Though she’d talked in length with at least half a dozen people, no one had except now.
“Nothing wrong.” She faked a nonchalance that she didn’t feel. “I was born with different colored eyes, that’s all.”
“That’s really unusual.” Kacey grew thoughtful. “I wonder if we could use it in a billboard somewhere?” They laughed, and Tawnia found herself wondering why she’d ever been
so uptight about anyone knowing. It wasn’t as though having heterochromia was some deep dark secret that could destroy her life.
Tawnia gathered the folder of completed designs and started for the door. “Well, I’d better get to the conference room before Mr. Lantis asks Shanna out and Sean quits on us.”
“Yeah, hurry. We’re already stretching ourselves as thin as we dare.”
It was true, but Tawnia could tell Kacey was happy. So was Tawnia. The harder she worked, the less time she had to worry about the mystery of her birth or her date that evening with Orion. Or about Bret. Had she imagined it last night, or had he seemed a little bit jealous when Autumn was ratting her out?
It doesn’t matter.
As she entered the conference room and greeted Mr. Lantis, Tawnia made a mental note to look up the adoption agency as soon as she had a free moment.
By the time she finally managed to call, the agency was closed for the day.
• • •
The fitted dress made Tawnia feel romantic and beautiful while not exposing too much cleavage. “You don’t want to look like a tramp,” Autumn said, agreeing that it was perfect. “Men who are serious about a relationship don’t like loose women. Those shoes are nice.”
“As if you’d wear them.” Tawnia felt wobbly in the extra high heels. “Good thing Orion’s tall.”
“Well, better you than me. My feet would pinch all night, and my back would be thrown out of joint for weeks.” Autumn drew up her bare feet on the bed to sit Indian-style. She was wearing a sleeveless dress with large blue flowers that reminded Tawnia of a dress she’d owned as a child. Tawnia might wear such a thing to the beach, if she were going to one, but never out to dinner. She wondered where Autumn and Bret were planning on eating tonight, but she forced herself not to ask. Later that night, she and Autumn would surely tell each other everything, since she planned to come back here after her date. The anticipation of sharing that with Autumn was almost as compelling as the date itself.
“Do you think the adoption agency will be open tomorrow?” Tawnia asked.
“Possibly. They might have a minimal staff on Saturday morning. But I don’t know if they’ll be able to tell you anything. Adoptions were so secret back then.”
Tawnia studied herself in the full-length mirror on the back of Autumn’s bedroom door. “Maybe my birth mother is looking, too, and has signed forms to let her name be released.”
“That could happen.”
Tawnia frowned at herself in the mirror. She didn’t think it would, not really, and at the moment she cared more about the mystery of Autumn than about finding her birth mother.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” Autumn jumped off the bed and dug into the huge shoulder bag that served as her new purse. “Voilá!” She pulled out a black brace. “Sorry, I didn’t have it in red.”
Tawnia had been feeling all right about the deception until she saw the brace. She sank to the bed. “I don’t know if I can do this. It makes it seem like so much more of a lie. Maybe we should tell him the truth.”
“Maybe. Well, definitely. But not tonight. First let’s see if he’s even an option. I mean, he may pick his teeth with his fork and kiss like a snake.” Autumn made obnoxious hissing sounds that made Tawnia helpless with laughter. “Besides,” Autumn added, “if you don’t like him, maybe I’ll take a stab at it.”
“Does that mean you think you like him?”
Autumn whacked her leg with the brace. “Stop it already. If I had designs on him, I wouldn’t have set up this date for you. But sometimes any date is better than none.”
Was she talking about Bret? No. Impossible.
“Okay, okay. Gimme that stupid thing.” Tawnia fit it over her wrist, arm, and elbow, securing the velcro straps, which Autumn awkwardly cut to size with her left hand. “Since when did they stop putting casts on broken bones anyway?” Tawnia asked, rubbing her hand over the brace.
“What I gather from talking to people in the store is that casts are mostly for little kids and really bad breaks. You should be glad they stopped using them, or there’s no way we could pull this off.” She tilted her head. “Well, actually, I do know this homeopathic doctor who sets bones, and he might have . . .” She waved the words away. “Anyway, they said something about needing to move my elbow after Wednesday, and I’ll be able to
use only the sling after that, if I need it.” Autumn frowned at her arm. “It’d sure be nice to be able to do my hair. I mean, ordinarily I wouldn’t care so much, but I don’t want to look odd around Bret.”
“I’ll help you. There’s time.”
“Do it like yours, okay? I like that look. It’s better than how Randa did it.”
Instead of blow-drying her hair and ratting the top, Tawnia had crunched it so the slight natural curl was enhanced, scattering becomingly over her head. Autumn had lent her a sparkly faux diamond hair pin that, along with the rubies from her parents, made Tawnia feel as if she were attending a fancy ball.
Tawnia’s styling Autumn’s hair meant that they looked more alike than ever, except for their clothes and the jewelry, but that was the least of Tawnia’s worries. How would she feel if Bret and Autumn fell in love? How could she make it through a whole night pretending to be Autumn? She wasn’t about to go around without shoes and eat tofu anytime soon. That would be over the top. She wouldn’t do that for any man.
At least, as Autumn had suggested, she’d know after tonight if there was any magic with Orion, and if there was even a small possibility of magic, it would be worth the risk. She told herself that she would make things up to Orion in the end. He’d have to understand that she had never done anything so crazy in her life.
The doorbell rang, and Tawnia’s stomach felt an annoying fluttering that reminded her how she’d felt on her first date back in high school. She’d been popular then and had dated a lot since, but she had never had a serious boyfriend—until Bret. Given how that had gone, she couldn’t exactly count him. Maybe Bret was right. Maybe if Christian had lived everything would be different. But different how? She would never know.
“Go on, answer it,” Autumn whispered. “Hurry!”
Smoothing her already smooth dress, Tawnia made her way past the living room to the door. She caught a glimpse of herself in the gilt-edged mirror above the gas fireplace. She looked like someone she didn’t know.
She looked like Autumn.
She opened the door, and for a moment Orion said nothing. He stared at her as the fluttering in her stomach grew to outlandish proportions. He was dressed in a dark tuxedo, complete with a white shirt and bow tie. His hair had been combed back neatly, the sprinkling of white making him more distinguished, and the faint scent of cologne drifted toward her. His brown eyes looked black in the dim light of the hallway, staring at her as if he could see her soul.
“Hi,” she said uncomfortably. But it was the delicious discomfort of being with someone new, someone who might possibly become important in her life. She lowered her gaze to the bouquet of red and white roses in his hands. “Are these for me?”
“You look stunning.” He handed her the flowers.
“Thank you. These are beautiful. I’ll put them in some water.” She walked into the kitchen as steadily as her high heels would allow. Where did Autumn keep the vases? Well, the pitcher in the first cupboard would do. She had the jar three-fourths full of water and had begun to settle the flowers inside when Orion appeared behind her. She turned the handle toward the back where he couldn’t see it. “Ready,” she said.
He smiled, his cheek dimpling, and he looked so handsome that something inside her chest hurt. When he proffered his arm, she had to hold it tightly to steady her emotions. Under her fingers, his muscles were apparent, despite the intervening fabric, and she felt a little thrill. Something a week ago she would have been disgusted at anyone else for mentioning. Of course he’d be in shape. He was a fireman, after all.
They rode down the elevator to the first floor. Outside, a limousine waited. “Orion, you shouldn’t have.”
He smiled easily. “The company owed me a favor.”
They sat close on the seat and had drinks, while the driver weaved through traffic. “Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’ll see.” He gave her a mysterious smile.
Ten minutes later they arrived at a sprawling building she didn’t recognize. Not exactly a restaurant. Orion took her hand and helped her out of the limo, and that’s when she noticed the helicopter on a landing pad some distance away. With a wave to the limo driver, Orion offered his arm to Tawnia.
“We’re going in that?” She eyed the helicopter, whose twin blades began to rotate as they approached.
“Scared?” He looked amused, but there was a challenge in his voice.
“Of course not.” She’d just expected him, a civil servant, to be a little more conservative. After all, they hardly knew each other, and such an elaborate date wasn’t practical. It wasn’t as if he’d be proposing tonight.
At least she hoped not.
Orion helped her inside and then gave the pilot a thumbs-up. He leaned over and said in her ear, “On the way back, when it’s completely dark, the lights will be even more fabulous.”
She was stunned by what she was seeing now. Portland from the air was incredible. The buildings, the cars, the maze of roads. The Willamette River curving through the city, its impressive bridges spanning the dark water. Her eyes fell on the Hawthorne Bridge, or at least the part that remained. There was activity on both banks where debris was still being carted away. Her smile faded, and for the moment she was Autumn, thinking about Winter trapped somewhere beneath.
Orion’s warm arm went around her shoulders, and he pulled her closer, away from the window till the remains of the bridge were out of sight. “I would give anything to give your father back to you. I know I can’t, but if I could, I would.”
The thought was comforting, at least to Tawnia, though she couldn’t begin to guess how Autumn would feel. Purposely, she looked in another direction, determined to enjoy the sights that Orion had gone to so much trouble to show her.
After a circle around the city, the helicopter came to land on top of one of the high-rises. Tawnia, being new to the city, had no idea where they were, but she didn’t ask, afraid that Autumn would know such things.
Some distance away from where they landed, a length of carpet had been spread on the cement, and on top of it sat two chairs and a table with two full place settings. A waiter stood nearby, his hand resting on a trolley filled with dishes. Lights spaced at intervals along the rooftop illuminated the slowing darkening night.
Tawnia laughed. “I can’t believe this.”
“I’m glad you’re surprised.” Orion jumped from the helicopter and reached back for her hand to help her step down. They hadn’t reached the table before the helicopter rose again into the air. “He’ll be back later,” Orion said.
“How did you manage all this?” Now that the helicopter was gone, she could hear romantic music coming from a boombox on the bottom rack of the trolley.
“Favors. I’ve been a firefighter a long time.”
“I see.”
The waiter served soup, followed by a plate containing salmon, rice, and steamed vegetables. Then he left them alone, disappearing through the door at the far end of the roof.
Tawnia loved salmon, but she’d been around Autumn enough to know that she would ask if it had been tested for mercury. Pushing down the thought, she studied her companion. They hadn’t talked much, so far, and she was beginning to feel a bit awkward.
“So,” she said, still trying to get the hang of eating left-handed, “you’ve been a firefighter how long?”
“Twenty-two years. Actually, I went into kind of a semiretirement when my daughter died. I only work a day or two a week now.”
“That’s got to be hard financially.” The words slipped out before she could stop them. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t mean to pry.”
“It’s all right.” He looked away from her and for a moment she thought the subject closed, but he turned back and said, “I’ve made some good investments over the years. My parents left me a trust fund, and I was always a saver, so retiring really hasn’t been that challenging. The way I look at it, I have a chance to start a second career, something perhaps t
hat I’ve always wanted to do.”
Now they were getting somewhere. She knew about dreams, if not exactly how to attain them. “Like what?”
He gave a short laugh. “That’s just it. I haven’t thought of anything I like better than fighting fires. There’s something about the danger, I guess. It’s a bit of a rush.”
“I’d be scared to death.”
“You’d be surprised what you can do when you have to.” He smiled wistfully, and Tawnia wondered if he was thinking of his wife and daughter.
“How old are you anyway?” She fluffed her rice with her fork so she wouldn’t have to look at his pain. Better to wait until he wanted to share it.
“How old do you think?” His voice was teasing now, so she looked up.
“Mid-forties, I’d guess.”
“I’ll be forty-seven later this year.”
That meant nearly fifteen years separated them. Was that important? Perhaps.
“This is really great salmon,” she said, to show the age difference didn’t matter to her. “I haven’t had such great salmon for years.”
“There’s a restaurant here in town who does it right. I’ll take you there one day.” By the comment, she assumed he didn’t care about the age difference, either. Yet what about a family? Would he even consider starting over? Having children was one of her dreams.
She bit her bottom lip. That wasn’t something she needed to worry about now, was it? Then again, she’d had a coworker once who’d married a man who didn’t want children. Though she loved her husband madly, not having a child was the biggest heartache of the woman’s life. For no reason at all, Bret popped into Tawnia’s mind. She’d thought once that he would be a part of her dream.
A spurt of anger came from nowhere, flattening her. She hadn’t realized there was so much resentment left inside.
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