Mystery Lover

by Annette Broadrick

  If he only knew. After all this time she was finally going to meet Chad face-to-face.

  Chapter Three

  Contents - Prev / Next Sunshine, I don’t want you involved in this. Let Tony do what he has to do. You go on back to L.A.“

  Tony had left his office, telling her to wait while he made some arrangements, so Jennifer was alone.

  “Chad, I want to know that you’re all right.”

  “I will be. Just as soon as Tony gets here.”

  “Iwant to help.”

  “You already have. Now go home.”

  “No.”

  After a moment of silence, he replied. “Sunshine, I know that you want to see me. Believe me, it isn’t necessary to our relationship. ”

  “Maybe not as far as you’re concerned.”

  “Didn’t you tell me you no longer wanted me in your life?”

  “I was angry at the time.”

  “But you were right. I was trying to run interference for you, trying to make your life easier for you. No one can do that for someone else. I need to keep my distance and allow you to live your own life.”

  “And make my own mistakes.”

  “Exactly.”

  “If you hadn’t warned me, I would have made a very bad one.”

  “And by warning you, I almost destroyed our relationship.”

  “You could never do that. I just overreacted.”

  She had been been at work one afternoon when her boss had returned from lunch with one of his clients.

  “Ms. Chisholm,” C. W. Cameron said, pausing in front of her desk, “I’d like you to meet Larry Donahue. Larry, my assistant, Jennifer Chisholm.”

  For a moment Jennifer could only stare at the man who held out his hand. He could be the very same man whose photograph had hung on her wall when she was a teenager—her movie idol. The same flashing smile, shining blue eyes, the same rumpled black curls falling across his forehead.

  “Jennifer, did he say? I’m so pleased to meet you. C. W. tells me you’re invaluable to him.”

  Her eyes quickly met the unsmiling gaze of her employer. He had said that about her? Mr. Cameron was a man of few words, and those were seldom complimentary. Of course he had always been prompt with her raises and Christmas bonuses, so he must be pleased with her work. She smiled at the incredibly sexy man in front of her. “I enjoy my job, Mr. Donahue.” She glanced at her boss, then turned her gaze to the man standing beside him. “I’m happy to hear that Mr. Cameron is pleased with my work.” Her employer’s expression didn’t change. He nodded his head in acknowledgment of her words and waited for his client.

  “I’d enjoy seeing you again, Jennifer. Would you be interested in having dinner with me tonight?”

  Jennifer was taken aback by the blunt approach of the man in front of her. “Oh! Well, I, uh—” She glanced at her boss but could not read anything in his expression. Meeting the pleading gaze of the other man, she smiled and replied softly, “I’d like that.”

  Larry’s grin caused a quiver to run through her. “Great. Why don’t I pick you up when you get off work? We can go from here.”

  “I’m not sure when I’ll be through tonight and I’d much prefer to go home and freshen up first.”

  Larry shrugged. “No problem. Let me have your address. I’ll pick you up, say, around seven-thirty, if that’s all right?”

  She smiled and nodded, delighted with the man and his obvious eagerness to get to know her better. After writing down her address, she gave it to him.

  Larry turned to the man beside him and stuck out his hand. “I really enjoyed our meeting, C. W. I’m sure if anyone can get to the bottom of this mess, you will.”

  Jennifer watched C. W. Cameron give Larry one of his rare smiles. “I appreciate your confidence. I’ll be in touch with you in a few days.”

  “Fine.” He left the office, giving Jennifer a quick salute that she found enchanting.

  “You’ve made a conquest,” her boss said quietly.

  She searched his face for some clue as to what he was thinking.

  “Do you mind that I agreed to go out with him?”

  He raised his brows and shook his head. “What you do on your own time is none of my business.” He glanced down at the stack of mail in front of her. “Is there anything there I need to see this afternoon?”

  “Oh, yes, there’s a couple of things I wanted to check with you—”

  He turned away. “Bring them in,” he said, striding through the door to his office.

  She picked up the stack of mail and shook her head. She had never known anyone to be as distant with people as her employer. They had known each other for several years and yet they had nothing but the business in common. It was just as well, she supposed. He was a fair employer, treated her well. What more could she ask?

  A little warmth, maybe? A little personal interest? Something more than his usual “good morning,” or “I’ll be back later,” or “I’ll be out of town for a while.” She wondered if he ever really saw her as a person, or whether he thought that she had arrived along with the rest of the office equipment—with a serial number tattooed somewhere on her body.

  What difference did it make? She had a date that night with a man that had stepped out of her dreams. This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Jennifer smiled as she followed her boss into his office.

  She was singing as she got out of the shower that night.

  “What’s put you in such a good mood, Sunshine?”

  “Oh, hi, Chad.” There were times when she was definitely glad that he couldn’t see her, especially now, when she was drying off from the shower. There was something to be said for their type of communication.

  “I have a date tonight.”

  “I’ve never known you to be this excited about seeing Jerry.”

  She laughed. “You’re right. I met someone new today. His name is Larry Donahue.”

  “Are you talking about the real estate developer?”

  “I don’t know. He’s hired Mr. Cameron to do some investigative work for him.”

  “You have no business going out with Larry Donahue.”

  Slowly Jennifer straightened from drying her legs. She reached over and pulled her robe off the hook from behind the door. Sliding her arms into the sleeves, she carefully tied the sash before saying anything. Somehow she felt more prepared to do battle when she wasn’t bare.

  “I know that you’re concerned about me, Chad, and I appreciate that. However, I’m a big girl now. I can pick and choose my own dates.”

  “Come on, Sunshine, don’t be that way. I didn’t mean to offend you. But that man is a womanizer. Besides making money, his biggest ambition in life is to see how many women he can coax into bed with him.”

  “How can you say that about someone you don’t even know?”

  “Because I do know him. In addition, I know his type.”

  “Well, he seemed very nice to me and I agreed to go out with him. I’m certainly not going to greet him at the door with the news that my invisible friend has forbidden me to go out with him.”

  “Just be careful, will you please? For my sake?”

  “What do you mean, for your sake? What business is it of yours?”

  “Remember when you used to call me your guard ian angel?”

  “That was many long years ago, before I discovered you were far from being an angel!‘’

  “You allowed me to protect you then, Sunshine. Don’t push me away now.”

  Jennifer began to blow-dry her hair, effectively drowning out anything Chad might try to say. When it was dry, she quickly put on her makeup, touched up her hair with the curling iron and went into the bedroom.

  Larry would be there soon and she still hadn’t decided what to wear.

  “Nothing too enticing.”

  “Chad, I don’t even have anything enticing! Would you leave me alone?”

  “Just be careful that you don’t give him the wrong impression about you.
”

  “Fine. I could have worn my nun habit if I hadn’t just sent it to the cleaners.”

  “Very funny.”

  “You’re being ridiculous, Chad. You’re worse than a father.”

  “I know. That’s what I’ve tried to be—the father you lost, the older brother you never had___”

  Jennifer felt ashamed of herself. “Chad, you have been everything I’ve ever wanted in a best friend, and believe me, I appreciate all that you’ve done. But I’m a big girl now. You’ve got to let me grow up.”

  “I know you’re a big girl now. Why else do you suppose Larry Donahue is interested in you?”

  She found one of her favorite dresses, made in a soft peach color, and quickly slid it over her head. It had long full sleeves, a scooped neckline, and from a fitted waist flowed into a full skirt that ended mid-calf.

  “All right, Chad. Are you satisfied? This dress would fit in very well at a PTA meeting.”

  The doorbell rang and she hurried to the door without waiting for a response.

  Her evening with Larry Donahue turned out to be delightful. He treated Jennifer like a princess. She realized midway through theevening that Chad’s warnings had made her nervous and at first she’d been a little tense. However, Larry could not have treated her with more kindness and consideration. After dinner they went to two different clubs to dance, and by the time he took her back home Jennifer felt as though she were floating several inches off the ground.

  Of course she invited him in. That was the only polite thing to do. After making coffee they sat and chatted on her sofa. Knowing that Sam might annoy him, she had even had the foresight to put the cat in her bedroom and close the door.

  Larry had made several suggestions during the evening of other things they might enjoy doing together, so she knew he planned to see her again. Jennifer could see nothing wrong when he leaned over and kissed her. He wasn’t pushy, nor did he make her feel this was the first step to a well-planned seduction. It was a get acquainted sort of kiss and Jennifer responded appropriately.

  “Don’t forget what I told you, Sunshine. Be careful.”

  Jennifer’s mind suddenly snapped back into awareness from the floating bliss Larry’s kiss had provided. How dare Chad interrupt her at this point in the evening! He’d never done anything like it before.

  She forced herself to concentrate on the words, Go away, Chad. He was always so good at reading her thoughts. Surely he’d get that message.

  Larry must have felt her stiffen in his arms because he drew back slightly.

  “I’ve enjoyed this evening so much, Jennifer. Thank you for spending it with me.”

  “I’ve enjoyed myself very much, Larry.”

  “I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” he said with a charming smile. “May I call you?”

  “Of course.”

  She walked him to the door. He stood there looking down at her for a moment. “You are so beautiful. I can’t understand how you’ve managed to stay single.”

  Jennifer laughed. He sounded sincere enough, but since she looked in the mirror every day, she knew what she looked like. Perhaps he did have a way of exaggerating things.

  Larry slowly pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She relaxed against him.

  “Has he mentioned his wife and three children yet?”

  Jennifer’s eyes flew open and she gasped. That was a low blow. Even Chad couldn’t stoop to such a thing.

  “What’s wrong?” Larry asked, puzzled when she jerked away from him/

  “Do you have a wife and three children?” she blurted out suddenly.

  He looked a little taken aback at the timing of her question. “As a matter of fact, I do, but I’m not sure why you should bring them up at this time.”

  She stared at him in disbelief. The same charming smile, the flashing eyes, the black curls tumbling across his forehead. He didn’t even seem concerned that she had asked. For a moment, too many thoughts were racing through her head for her to say a thing,

  “I wasn’t trying to keep them a secret or anything. I assumed that C. W. told you I was married.”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  “Oh. I take it that makes a difference to you.”

  “It certainly does. I’m sure that it makes a difference to your wife, too.‘’

  “My wife and I understand each other very well. There’s no problem where she’s concerned.”

  “Well, I’m very much afraid that there’s a problem where I’m concerned.” She opened the door. “Good night, Mr. Donahue.”

  He shook his head, puzzled at the abrupt change in her behavior, and walked out the door.

  After carefully closing the door behind him, she slumped against it. What a letdown to what had been a beautiful evening.

  “He was right, you know. You really are a beautiful woman—inside and out, Sunshine. ”

  Jennifer straightened and wished that Chad was standing in front of her. She would dearly have loved to throw something at him.

  “Why would you want to throw something at me? What did I do?”

  “As if you didn’t know. You ruined a beautiful evening for me.”

  “How could I ruin it?”

  “You know very well what you did. Every time he kissed me, you made some sort of a comment.”

  “Oh, did I? How rude of me. I’m really very sorry.”

  “Sure you are. You knew exactly what you were doing!”

  “Well, not exactly. But whenever your thoughts go a little hazy and syrupy I know something is going on.”

  Jennifer stormed into her bedroom and was greeted by Sam, who protested his recent incarceration.

  “And I don’t want to hear anything from you, either!” she exclaimed, reaching around and unzipping her dress. When Sam continued to bemoan her unfair treatment of him she eventually sat down on the bed and scooped him up in her lap, stroking his long coat and wishing she could think of something to put Chad in his place.

  “Hey, Sunshine, I really am sorry if I upset you. That wasn’t what I meant to do.”

  “Wasn’t it? It seems to me that ever since I first met you, you’ve been telling me what to do, how to do it, when to do it and what not to do. Frankly, I’m sick of it.”

  There was no response.

  “And that’s another thing. There’s no way I can argue with you. Whenever I try you just clam up and disappear and Ican’t reach you.”

  “You always reach me, Sunshine. Sometimes I just don’t choose to answer.”

  “That’s what I mean. I can’t argue with myself.”

  “Good point. Think about it.”

  Jumping to her feet, Jennifer dropped Sam on the bed. “I am sick of you, do you understand that? I wish you would just go away and leave me alone!”

  “Do you really mean that?”

  “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.” She waited for a reply but there was nothing more. After a few minutes she said, “Chad?” There was no answer.

  So he had taken her at her word. She was glad. She wasn’t a child anymore and didn’t need a guardian angel or whoever he thought he was being.

  Now Jennifer stood in Tony’s office, looking out the window. Chad had never contacted her again. Not until last night. She had missed him. Missed his sense of humor, his teasing and tantalizing, missed his caring about what happened to her.

  Now she had a chance to meet him and she wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip by. She grinned at the thought. He was obviously a captive. There was nothing he could do but stay where he was until they came to get him. She could hardly wait to see his face when she walked in.

  Over the years, Jennifer had speculated on Chad’s looks. He would give her no help at all. It was amusing, really, how her image of him had changed through the years. As a child she pictured him as old, with white hair and kind-looking eyes. By the time she was a teenager he began to get younger in her eyes. After all, some of their discussions had been very open and frank. Somehow she co
uldn’t see a kindly looking, white-haired gentleman telling her some of the things Chad had told her.

  And now, she found herself treating him as a contemporary and an equal. Of course she loved him. How could she not love him? He had been so many things in her life. He’d been there for her, no matter what. But she had to admit that she felt a little peculiar about finally meeting him face-to-face after all this time.

  She was glad that Tony was going to be along.

  The office door opened and she turned around. Tony stood in the doorway. “You ready to go?”

  She nodded.

  “I borrowed a pickup. It won’t be the smoothest riding vehicle, but we’ll need the four-wheel drive once we get up into the mountains.”

  Jennifer followed him out of the room.

  “I forgot to ask if you’ve eaten,” he said as she passed.

  “Yes.”

  “I think we’d better stop off at a convenience store somewhere and pick up something to take with us. There’s not a whole lot between here and where we’re going if we should get hungry or thirsty.”

  Poor Chad. She could imagine how he must be feeling, stranded out in the middle of nowhere, recovering from a head wound, without food. He hadn’t said anything about water. She wondered about that.

  They didn’t waste any time at the store and were soon on the road. For the first several miles they were quiet, each lost in his and her own thoughts. Eventually Tony said, “I’m sorry we had to meet this way, Jennifer, but I’m glad that we finally have a chance to get acquainted after all this time. I’ll admit I didn’t recognize you from the first time I saw you.”

  She looked at him in surprise. As far as she knew, she had never seen this man in her life. “When did you ever see me?”

  He glanced around briefly, then returned his eyes to the highway. “The same time Tiger did, when you were in the car wreck.”

  “The car wreck! Mother said I was only five when that happened.”

  “I know you were just a little thing. I felt so sorry for you.”

  “You and Chad were there?”

  “Yes. We had been down in San Diego that day, just a couple of kids, really. I’d borrowed my dad’s car and we’d gone down to see who we could impress, you know the kind things guys will do.” She smiled. “Not really, but it makes sense.”