Love Unspoken

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘I never wanted marriage, I told you that.’

  ‘Yes,’ he sighed. ‘You told me. And you were right. You’re one of those women who shouldn’t marry.’

  Once again the doorbell rang, and this time Julie knew it had to be Steve. She had rung him from Hampshire and told him when she would be back, and she knew this had to be him.

  Zack was watching her with narrowed eyes. ‘Well, aren’t you going to answer the door?’ he drawled.

  She licked her dry lips. A confrontation between Steve and Zack was the last thing she wanted.

  ‘I should answer it, Julie,’ he advised as the doorbell rang again, and settled himself in one of the armchairs. ‘I wouldn’t want your photographer friend to give up and go away.’

  ‘Answer it, Julie!’

  ‘Zack, you won’t—’

  He smiled without humour. ‘I’ll behave myself, if that’s what you mean.’

  It was, but just Zack’s presence here was likely to cause trouble between Steve and herself, especially as Steve believed them to have had an affair in the past.

  Julie ran her hands nervously down her thighs as she opened the door, knowing that at any other time she would have been pleased to see Steve. With Zack sitting comfortably in her lounge it was a different matter.

  Steve felt no such restraint, taking her into his arms to kiss her warmly on the lips, ignorant of Zack’s presence. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he murmured against her lips, his arms possessive about her waist. ‘Missed me?’

  ‘Of course.’ Even to her own ears her voice sounded stilted, and her smile lacked warmth. ‘How did Yugoslavia go?’

  ‘Interesting. How was your holiday?’

  ‘I—It was nice. Did Sean get his story?’

  ‘Yes, after a little trouble. Hey, are we going to stand out here all day?’ he teased. ‘Don’t I get invited in?’

  ‘Of course.’ Julie moved to close the door, effectively moving out of his arms. ‘Come through.’

  Steve’s arms went about her shoulders, gently touching her almost healed cheek as they entered the lounge. ‘It looks a lot better,’ he murmured. ‘I’m glad about that, I wouldn’t want this beautiful face marked.’

  ‘I’m sure you speak for the majority of the male population,’ Zack cut in smoothly. ‘Julie is rather beautiful.’

  Steve turned with a start, shock openly displayed in his face as he recognised the other man. His arm slowly dropped away from Julie’s shoulders as Zack gave him a steely- eyed look. ‘Mr Reedman,’ he greeted him dazedly.

  ‘Carter,’ he nodded arrogantly. ‘It is Carter, isn’t it?’

  Julie’s mouth tightened angrily. Zack was trying to intimidate Steve, and for all of Steve’s brash self-confidence, he was succeeding. ‘Steve, this is Zachary Reedman,’ she introduced them coolly. ‘Mr Reedman, Steve Carter.’ Her voice cooled even more as she spoke to Zack.

  Steve shook hands rather warily, obviously trying to decide what the other man was doing here. ‘You run a good newspaper, Mr Reedman.’

  ‘I think so,’ Zack nodded, standing now, topping Steve by at least four inches. ‘I’ve seen your work, it’s good.’

  Heavens, they sounded like a mutual admiration society! And the remarks might have been sincerely meant, but the politeness only went skin deep, on both sides. Steve was as aware of Zack’s dislike as she was, and his hackles were rising because of it.

  ‘And what do you think of Julie’s work?’ Steve asked softly.

  Zack’s eyebrows rose. ‘I have always found Julie’s—work of the highest standard.’

  ‘Of course, she used to work for you.’

  ‘Yes.’ Zack sat down again, obviously having no intention of leaving just yet.

  Julie sat down too, moving close to Steve as he sat next to her. They were like adversaries facing each other across the room, all of them too polite to actually come out and say what was on their minds. Except that she knew Zack had no such inhibitions. It was only a question of time—or timing? Unless she could get rid of Zack before it got to that stage.

  ‘I heard that you were in Europe arranging the opening of a women’s magazine over there?’ Steve said interestedly.

  ‘I was,’ Zack nodded. ‘I arrived back hereon Saturday.’

  So that was where he had been. So much for his concern for her!

  ‘I flew to Italy from the States last week,’ he added enigmatically.

  Julie gave him a sharp look. Was it possible he had been in America when she had?

  ‘How did it go?’ Steve was genuinely interested.

  Zack shrugged. ‘Reasonably well. The States and England have been my two main areas of business, Europe seems the obvious next move.’

  ‘Yes,’ the other man nodded. ‘I’ve always found the European media interesting.’

  ‘Really?’ Zack raised one dark brow.

  ‘Yes. I think-‘

  ‘I’m sure Julie must be bored by this talk of business,’ Zack cut across him smoothly.

  ‘On the contrary,’ she told him coolly as Steve flushed. ‘My work has always been a great source of interest to me.’

  ‘I remember,’ he drawled.

  She flushed and stood up. ‘I’m afraid we’ll have to be leaving, Mr Reedman. We have a luncheon appointment.’

  ‘Really?’ He didn’t even move.

  ‘Yes.’ She put her hand through the crook of Steve’s arm as he too stood up, taking her hint. ‘And we wouldn’t like to keep Steve’s mother waiting. Would we, darling?’ she smiled at him.

  He hid his surprise very well, even managing to smile back at her. ‘My mother is a stickler for punctuality,’ he told Zack brightly.

  To Zack’s credit he didn’t even bat an eyelid, hut stood up to once again shake Steve’s hand.

  Perhaps we’ll meet again,’ he murmured softly.

  ‘I doubt it,’ Julie answered dismissively. ‘Steve and I like to keep our evenings together simple—a quiet meal, an occasional visit to the theatre.’

  ‘I like those things myself,’ he said deeply.

  Yes, he had liked those things too, why hadn’t she remembered that before she made the taunt! ‘We really should be going, Steve,’ she reminded him pointedly.

  ‘Goodbye, Julie.’ Zack took her hand in his, pulling her determinedly towards him.

  She suffered his kiss on the cheek without making a fool of herself, although she knew that if she hadn’t turned her face at the last minute his mouth would have made contact with hers. ‘Goodbye, Zack,’ she said huskily, the finality of the moment filling her eyes with tears.

  His hand tightened momentarily on hers. ‘Julie-‘

  ‘We must go.’ She moved back firmly.

  He drew in a deep breath, his eyes almost black. ‘Yes. Goodbye.’ He turned on his heel, the front door slamming a few moments later.

  ‘Whew!’ Steve whistled between his teeth. ‘There goes an angry man.’

  ‘Angry?’ Julie echoed sharply.

  ‘Frustrated, then.’

  ‘Frustrated?’ She liked that description even less.

  Steve shrugged. ‘There was a lot more he would have liked to say to you, but my being here stopped him.’

  ‘Don’t you believe it,’ she scorned. ‘Zack is perfectly capable of saying exactly what he thinks, no matter who his audience is.’

  ‘He still loves you—’

  ‘No,’ she denied with certainty.

  ‘Then why was he here?’

  ‘He—he came to see his brother yesterday, and when—when I left this morning I forgot my purse,’ she invented hastily. ‘As he was coming back to London Zack brought it back for me.’

  ‘Then why did you say all that rubbish about my mother? You know she lives in Scotland.’

  ‘Yes, well—He wouldn’t leave once he got here.’

  ‘Because he still cares for you.’

  She shook her head. ‘He told me he’s getting married soon.’

  ‘Oh?’ Steve’s brows rose. ‘Anyone
we know?’

  ‘Her name’s Teresa—No story there, Steve,’ she warned as she realised the reason for his interest.

  ‘But Reedman is front page news.’

  ‘No, Steve,’ she insisted firmly. But he was right about Zack being front page news —he was, and she just hoped their divorce could be kept as quiet as their marriage had been.

  ‘Spoilsport,’ he shrugged. ‘Well, as you’ve said we’re going out to lunch we might as well go. Any preferences?’

  ‘Pub lunch?’

  ‘Fine by me,’ he nodded. ‘Just one more question, Julie.’

  ‘Yes?’ she said warily.

  ‘Does he still mean anything to you?’

  She instantly shook her head, blotting out the memory of the way the two of them had kissed this morning, and her involuntary response to Zack’s lovemaking. ‘Nothing,’ she replied abruptly.

  ‘Sure?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Things fell back into their normal pattern during the next few weeks. Julie’s relationship with Steve continued as it always had, with no further mention of the marriage proposal he had made before he went to Yugoslavia. Maybe he knew what her answer would be!

  She had also heard nothing about the divorce, but she decided that was probably normal for the English legal system. She probably wouldn’t hear anything for months. Although Zack had seemed in a hurry to remarry.

  Well, he would just have to wait, like everyone else did! Although knowing Zack’s influence he could hurry things along if he chose to.

  She was glad Steve had dropped the subject of marriage, whether temporarily or permanently she didn’t know, and over the next month they met whenever they were both in London, even shared an assignment in France together, covering politics after de Gaulle. They were gone a week, a hectic week that left them too weary to enjoy the sights.

  The papers from Zack’s lawyers still hadn’t arrived when she got back, so she rang Connie, primarily to chat to her, but also to find out if Zack was possibly out of the country and that was the reason for the delay in the divorce.

  Connie didn’t so much as mention Zack, obviously steering clear of the subject after that disaster of a weekend. But she did invite Julie and Steve to dinner one night, something that actually surprised her.

  ‘Are you sure?’ she asked uncertainly. ‘Ben…?’

  ‘It was his suggestion,’ Connie assured her.

  ‘It was?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Then that meant Ben believed her about: the past, he would never have made any attempt to accept Steve if he didn’t. ‘Er—How’s Zack?’

  ‘Very well,’ Connie replied warmly, telling Julie without words that Ben hadn’t told her the real reason she and Zack had broken up. For that she silently thanked him; Connie adored Zack, and would have been very hurt by the truth. ‘At least,’ Connie amended absently, ‘he was the last time we saw him. He’s only been over a couple of times since that weekend when he left so abruptly.’

  ‘Has he been away?’

  ‘Not that I know of.’ Julie could hear the shrug in Connie’s voice. ‘We never see him that often. And then there’s Teresa.’

  ‘Yes,’ Julie agreed tautly. ‘So when do you want Steve and me over for dinner?’

  ‘Whenever it’s convenient for you. Would next Saturday suit you both?’

  ‘Fine,’ she accepted. ‘Steve and I already have a date for that night, so I know he’s free.’

  ‘Why don’t you come for the weekend?’Connie invited generously.

  ‘Well…’

  ‘We would love to have you.’

  ‘Ben said dinner,’ Julie teased her friend. ‘Not a weekend.’

  ‘But you can’t have a drink if you have to drive home,’ Connie protested. ‘Stay to lunch on Sunday and then you can leave early afternoon if you want to.’

  ‘You’re only saying that because you don’t have to cook it,’ Julie joked, having put on four pounds during the week she had enjoyed Mrs Pearce’s cooking.

  Connie laughed. ‘How did you guess! So you’ll stay?’

  ‘I’ll check with Steve, but I’m sure it will be okay.’

  It was; in fact Steve was quite interested to be meeting Benjamin Reedman, although Julie warned him she didn’t want business discussed all weekend. Steve had a habit of doing that when in the company of other newspaper people.

  They went to Mario’s on the Friday evening; the meal was superb as always, the atmosphere as convivial as usual, and Mario himself came over to talk to them for a while.

  ‘Did you and Reedman ever come here together?’ Steve suddenly asked.

  Julie gave him a startled look. He hadn’t mentioned Zack at all since meeting him at her Hat, and his mention of him now came as something of a surprise to her. ‘Of course not,’ she protested. ‘What sort of question is that?’

  ‘A valid one, I would have thought.’

  ‘I don’t see why—’

  ‘He’s just come in,’ Steve told her tautly.

  ‘He’s what?’ she gasped, going pale.

  Steve was looking in the direction of the restaurant doorway, taking a huge swallow of his after-dinner brandy. ‘He just came in, with a cuddly blonde on his arm.’

  Julie had to force herself not to turn around, although she felt that familiar prickling sensation down her spine that told her Zack was indeed very close.

  What on earth was he doing here of all places? Mario’s was a respectable enough restaurant, the food first-class, but it certainly wasn’t the sort of place Zack usually frequented, despite his claim of liking to go out for quiet meals.

  Besides, she and Steven had been coming here regularly for seven months now, she hail been separated from Zack for over three years, and not once had she ever run into him by accident in this way. It was very odd, and she didn’t like it one bit.

  She liked even less Steve’s description of Teresa being ‘a cuddly blonde’. That was the type Zack had always dated before he met her, and the thought of seeing him on more than friendly terms with one of them gave her an uncomfortable feeling. There was a vast difference between knowing he was going to marry again, and actually seeing the girl who was to become his wife.

  ‘He just looked over this way,’ Steve muttered.

  Julie picked up her handbag. ‘Maybe we should leave—’

  ‘Too late,’ Steve grimaced. ‘He’s coming over.’

  ‘Alone?’ she questioned tautly.

  ‘He’s left his girl-friend at their table,’ Steve drawled. ‘Maybe I should make myself scarce too?’

  ‘Steve!’

  ‘Yes?’

  She didn’t like that reckless glitter in his eyes. If he challenged Zack in any way he would receive his challenge back tenfold.

  Maybe you could get the bill—’

  Then you do want to be alone with him?’ he said angrily.

  ‘I-‘

  ‘Julie,’ Zack greeted huskily, suddenly appearing at the side of the table. ‘Carter,’ his voice cooled.

  ‘Reedman,’ Steve returned with a sneer, getting noisily to his feet. ‘Excuse me,’ and he shot Julie a resentful glance before moving away.

  Zack moved smoothly into the chair Steve had just vacated. ‘All not well in the little love-nest?’ he taunted, looking very dark and distinguished in a black evening suit and snowy white shirt, his very presence compelling.

  ‘There is no love-nest,’ she returned coldly, her green eyes contemptuous, her riot of red curls made to look even more vivid against the black dress she wore.

  ‘You and Carter don’t live together?’

  ‘You know we don’t,’ she dismissed.

  ‘Why don’t you?’

  ‘We prefer our independence.’

  ‘Physical pleasure without commitment?’

  She flushed. ‘Something like that.’

  ‘And do you prefer an affair to marriage?’ He was completely relaxed, watching her through narrowed grey eyes. ‘You always sail I you would.’r />
  She forced herself to meet that look, her gaze as impersonal as his own. ‘It has its benefits,’ she told him distantly.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Haven’t you found that to be the case?’

  His mouth quirked with humour at the way she had turned the question in on him, a cleft appearing momentarily in his chin. ‘No possessiveness, no responsibility to the other person, and as I’ve already pointed out, no commitment.’

  ‘Exactly,’ she nodded, wondering if even an affair could be that impersonal.

  ‘And most of all no messy legal entanglement at the end of it.’ His mouth twisted.

  ‘Yes,’ she answered through stiff lips. ‘How is the divorce going?’

  ‘Slowly.’ He shrugged. ‘It seems that when you get married in England the knot’s well and truly tied.’

  ‘How tiresome for you!’ Her sarcasm was unmistakable.

  ‘I’m in no hurry.’

  ‘No? I thought you were.’

  ‘Teresa is—a warm and loving woman,’ he spoke slowly. ‘We can wait for the legal ties.’

  ‘Does she know you’re married?’

  ‘Of course,’ he gave an inclination of his head. ‘Does Carter know you are?’

  ‘He—I have to go now.’ Julie thankfully catching on to the fact that Steve was now waiting for her. ‘Excuse me.’

  ‘Certainly,’ Zack came round to pull back her chair for her, his hand momentarily touching her shoulder. ‘Goodnight, Julie.’ He strolled back to his own table, and Julie had a brief glimpse of a petite blonde woman with an exquisitely beautiful face, the smile she gave Zack as he sat down loving and warm—as he had said the woman was herself.

  Yes, Teresa loved Zack, that much she could see for herself. Then why didn’t it fill her with joy to find that he finally had someone who loved him as much as he had once professed to love her?

  ‘Let’s go,’ Steve said roughly as she reached his side.

  ‘Steve-‘

  He dragged her along beside him. ‘I’m beginning to feel haunted by that man,’ he muttered, opening the car door for her.

  Julie slid inside, looking at him anxiously as he got in beside her. ‘You’ve only met him twice, Steve,’ she placated.

  ‘But you haven’t, have you?’ He shot her a sideways glance.

  She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’