He still had a great deal to do before tonight. And the most important thing, he thought, would be telling her the truth before she found it out from someone else.
But that was something he now knew exactly how to do.
CHAPTER 21
Still exuberant from the day she’d spent with Meg and Evan, Jada stopped in the corridor of the maternity ward and crouched to tie her sneaker. With the exception of the three mothers that had given birth over the last few days, she knew that the ward was empty. The floor certainly was quiet, and if it weren’t for a janitor working at one end of the corridor and the two nurses talking at the duty station just beyond her, the place would have seemed completely deserted. But then, what else one would expect on a Sunday evening.
As she stood up, Jada stopped dead as she thought she heard her name. Listening, she realized the two nurses were talking about her.
“She should have given him up,” one was saying. “How is she going to handle the expense and the effort it’s going to take to care for him?”
“It’s hard enough to take care of an infant. These kids aren’t prepared for motherhood. They think it’s like playing with a doll.”
“You’re right. And then the neglect starts, and then they end up with a boyfriend who can’t deal with a baby any more than they can.”
“It’s bad. You can see it on the news every night. Teenage pregnancy…”
Jada clenched her fists at her side. She might not be perfect. She might not even be all that prepared. But she was going to make sure that Ted was cared for. And loved.
“Well, they say she’s got a father, out fishing or something.”
“At least that’s something.”
“If it’s true.”
“Jazelle from Social says that it might not make a difference.”
“What do you mean? I thought that guy who was signing all the papers was vouching for everything.”
“He’s not family. He’s got no real connection. Jazelle says with the girl’s father out on a boat so much, the state’s more than likely going to step in anyway.”
“She doesn’t know any of this. When is Social planning to tell her?”
“Hey, don’t ask me! I think they’re just hoping her father comes in before the baby’s ready to go home.”
“You think they’re afraid she won’t be able to handle the news?”
“What do you think? She’s already attached to the infant, but she’s not even sixteen. That spells unstable under the best of conditions. You think they’re going to release a sick infant to her? I don’t think so.”
The lights in the corridor suddenly began to flash, growing so bright that Jada had to close her eyes. Reaching out for the railing, she realized the flashing lights were in her head. Her lungs were unable to take in air.
“Well, I’m glad I don’t have to tell her she’s not getting her baby, even if there is no way she can cope with it all.” There was some shuffling of papers. “Is the door to the nursery locked?”
“Of course.”
She had to get air. She stumbled back down the hall. She had to get out of here.
Jamming a fist into her mouth to silence her sobs, she ran solidly into the janitor mopping the floors. She didn’t hear her own words. Jada was only conscious of numbness setting in where her heart had been.
Stumbling, but then finding her footing, she started to run again.
They were taking away her baby. Her baby!
They might as well tear her lungs out, she thought frantically. Without him, she couldn't see how her life could go on!
******
Evan finished inserting his cufflinks and walked toward the large bookcase covering one of the bedroom walls. Finding the hardcover book he wanted on the fourth shelf, he pulled it out. Turning it, he glanced at the picture of a very young Drew King staring at him from the back cover.
“Arrogant bastard!”
Damn, he was glad he stopped letting his publishers put pictures of him on the dust jackets. This one was embarrassment enough. Opening the book, he paged through until he found the dedication. Reading the caption, a grim smile came to his face. It was so ironic to think that this had to be the very same book.
Walking into the living room, he placed the book on the divider to the kitchen. Beside the book lay an elegant box with the words “Tiffany and Co.” embossed on it. Picking the box up, Evan tried to straighten out the bow on the ribbon he’d tied himself.
His lawyer had followed his instructions to the letter. It was precisely the piece of jewelry he’d asked for. Heading back to his room to pick up his jacket, he gave a final look of approval around his bedroom.
There was an excitement in this that Evan had never experienced before. To charm her, to court her, to woo Meg Murphy filled him with incredible happiness. She was worth all this...and more.
Pulling on his tuxedo jacket and straightening his tie in the mirror, he tucked the gift box in his pocket. So much for the ribbon, he thought wryly.
He was prepared. She’d learn the truth tonight. If it wasn’t Evan himself spilling the beans, the clues he’d left around his apartment would serve the same purpose. But one way or another, Meg would know before the night was over.
Evan’s face grew grim as he considered how important it was that he be around during this. He’d need to talk fast and work quickly to keep any feelings of anger or betrayal from forming. And he’d have to make her understand that even his original thoughts of hiring her as an assistant were no longer enough.
He’d get her to listen to him, because he knew with a certainty that resonated in every bone in his body--he could not let her walk out of his life.
He had to let Meg know that he loved her.
Looking at his watch, Evan decided that it was time. Taking one last look around, he closed the apartment door behind him and started down the stairs.
He only tapped once lightly before the sound of footsteps could be heard on the other side. Patting the box in his pocket, he anxiously waited as the door swung open.
But then he forgot to breathe.
She looked like something out of a dream. An incredibly beautiful, fairy tale dream.
Wearing a strapless, white chiffon dress that hugged her breasts and flared out softly beneath a tight bodice, Meg was the picture of style and elegance.
“Damn!” he breathed. The dress was so much like the one Grace Kelly wore in To Catch a Thief that, as his eyes swept over her, Evan began to wonder exactly which celestial being was directing this romance. He couldn’t help but smile appreciatively at her hair, pulled back and knotted in the same fashionable style. His eyes traveled slowly down her bare neck and arms, and up again until he found her eyes, shining and expectant.
“You are absolutely stunning.”
“But I’m no Grace Kelly.”
“No! You are more beautiful, more real, more...”
“You don’t have to say it, Evan.” She stepped closer and wrapped a hand behind his neck. Raising herself slowly, she brushed his lips with her own. “I saw it in your eyes.”
But like a starved man, he couldn’t let her go--not until he had feasted on her mouth. It was utter torture when at last he broke off the kiss, and he continued to hold both her hands as she took a step back.
“And you clean up pretty well, yourself.”
“Thanks,” he said, holding his breath as her eyes traveled appraisingly down his body. “You keep that up and there won’t be any dinner tonight.”
Meg smiled. “Maybe that’s not so terrible.”
He shook his head. “No, we’ll save it! The pumpkin carriage is waiting downstairs, and we’d better get going.”
She picked up a small white purse, and Evan closed the door behind them.
“Yes, we can’t forget about midnight.”
“And what happens then?”
“You know! Pumpkin carriage?” She gave him a seductive glance. “That’s when everything disappears, remember? All these clo
thes...everything!”
“Ah! Well...” He raised one eyebrow as he gazed at her dress. “I, for one, can’t wait for midnight.”
******
Meg did her best to hide her surprise at the sight of the stretch limo awaiting them outside.
“Don’t tell me this is another of Phil’s toys that we’re taking for a ride?”
“No! This one I arranged all by myself.” He gave her a wry wink. “We’re all in the same union, you know. Cab drivers, limo drivers, bus drivers...writers. We’re all hacks.”
She smiled at him, and then nodded to the big man who came around to open the door for them. Despite what Evan had said, she noticed a much more formal style of addressing him than Meg would have assumed from a fellow worker.
Once they were seated inside the roomy vehicle, she was again dumbfounded by the bottle of champagne and glasses that were chilled and ready.
“You robbed a bank, didn’t you?”
“I did. And I have until tomorrow morning to turn myself in.”
“I’ll turn myself over, too. I’ll say I was your accomplice.”
“It won’t be a pretty picture! The sentencing, the confinement, the prison...”
She leaned back against the seat and smiled at him. “As long as it’s both of us, I don’t think I’d mind a bit! Wouldn’t be wonderful if they let us share a cell?”
“Even if it’s a life sentence?”
“All the better.”
She saw his expression suddenly turn serious. “Tuck that thought away for now, since I may just be holding you to it.”
Something in her stomach fluttered. Her lips parted, and her mouth went dry.
His face, so full of expression, changed once again as he chuckled to himself.
“I can’t believe I almost forgot!”
She looked at the box that suddenly seemed to appear from nowhere. Taking her hand, he turned it face up and set the box in her open palm.
“What...what is this for?”
“Just open it and see.”
She looked at the box more closely. “Tiffany’s?”
“Oh, I...I happened to be looking for a box, and Phil happened to have one.”
She didn’t know why, but suddenly she felt her hands begin to tremble. All the teasing aside, she knew she was being swept away by this man. And it wasn’t this pretense of grandeur and wealth that was impressing her, but the real person behind it all.
Sure, Evan had good looks and charm. He had genuine talent. But most important of all, he was one of the only men she’d ever met so filled with compassion and understanding. And something else, too, that so much resembled love.
“Open it!”
She slowly undid the ribbon and picked up the lid to the box. The sight of the diamond necklace left her gasping for breath. The stones, set in platinum, sparkled and glittered on the velvet lining of the case.
She gazed into his eyes--they looked so intense and blue tonight--and then she glanced down again at the necklace that suddenly struck her as familiar.
“I...how...I...” She felt like an idiot, but she couldn’t even summon the words to express her shock. Evan didn’t help matters any, either. With a satisfied smile, he simply lifted the necklace from the case and placed it around her neck.
“Amazingly enough, it’s a replica of what Grace Kelly wore in To Catch a Thief.” His voice deepened and he whispered seductively into her ear as he clasped the glittering gems around her neck. “We must have read each other’s mind...you picking out this dress.”
She felt his fingers trailing along the necklace until they reached the sensitive spot beneath her ear.
She let her eyes roam his body. She gazed at the starched whiteness of his shirt and the black satin tie. His jacket, so eternally stylish, hugged his magnificent shoulders. Looking up at his face, she even noticed that he must have stopped for a haircut after leaving her and Jada this afternoon.
“You know, all dressed up like this, you are at least ten times more gorgeous than Cary Grant.”
“Considering he is long dead and buried, I suppose that’s a safe enough compliment.”
“I didn’t mean...” She stopped as the dimple deepened in his cheek. “I meant that you are simply so breathtaking.”
The feel of his fingertips on her skin made her forget her words, as she found herself melting under his touch. With a sigh, she reached up and touched the delicate stones at her neck.
“Please tell me these are not real, Evan.”
He didn’t answer, but his eyes bore into hers, mesmerizing her with their power--with the mystery that lurked in their depths. This was like the movie. She even remembered the lines the two spoke. The only thing missing was the fireworks display in the distant sky above Monte Carlo.
“Please say it. Please tell me this is an imitation.”
“Forget the necklace.”
He pushed away her hand and cradled her face in his palm. She couldn’t resist him. She wouldn’t resist him.
“You are real, Meg. That’s all that matters.”
When he kissed her, the world ceased to spin. When his tongue swept past her parted lips, he touched the very core of her. Nothing else existed. Time no longer mattered. They could have been in a limousine, on the French Riviera, or on the far side of the moon. She was lost to all but the senses he had once again awakened in her.
All that mattered was the two of them. Touching. Holding one another. Their lips, their hearts, their souls joined in a sacred dance that knows no beginning and acknowledges no end.
Only when he drew away, breaking off their kiss, did she suddenly become aware of the torn fabric of time. It was like magic, and she felt it hovering over them. Surrounding them with an aura of golden light.
The limousine stopped in front of a white, brilliantly lit terra-cotta palace that could easily have fit in at Versailles.
She looked incredulously out the window at the line of limousines, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, and other luxury cars. Valets were scurrying about, directing drivers and parking cars, as formally dressed men and women were entering Rosecliff.
“We’re having dinner at one of the mansions?”
He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and nodded toward the place. She glanced again at the front of Rosecliff, which she had visited only once as a wide-eyed tourist.
“Just a little charity affair. Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to show you off.”
And to her utter disbelief, that was exactly what he did, leading her into a sumptuously appointed hall. The sounds of laughter and music filled the air, and Evan snatched two glasses of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter.
As they made their way through the crowds, heads nodded and more than a few stopped them, making small talk and even thanking Evan for his continued generosity. As each person approached, Evan graciously introduced Meg and then courteously excused the two of them, moving her toward the tall arched windows that looked out over acres of lawn and the Atlantic Ocean.
She repeated Evan's name over and over again in her mind. Could it be that he was one of descendants of the very rich who had built their summer ‘cottages’ here in during America’s gilded age? Perhaps he was like so many of the younger generations of the wealthy whom she’d heard of so often, working at common jobs under the pretext of being normal. Hadn’t she read someplace that some of the Aster and Van Pelt descendants had openly rejected the way of life of their ancestors? Was this what Evan Knight was all about?
She spotted Phil approaching them.
Suddenly everything started making sense. Evan’s incredible generosity. His lack of concern over losing his job. Even his close friendship with Phil Campbell. That had to be it. Finally, the pieces were starting to fall into place. At last, she understood.
“Senator!” Phil nodded to the distinguished looking man who had just taken Evan by the elbow. “Ms. Murphy!”
Evan ignored him and proceeded to introduce Meg to the elder statesman. It was diff
icult for Meg to ignore Phil, however, aware as she was of his open and thorough scrutiny of her appearance. The Senator, whom she knew to be a friend to the Kennedys and to nearly every liberal cause for the past forty years or so, begged her pardon before launching into a discussion with Evan about some valuable project that was in the offing. The truth of Evan’s background was becoming more certain with every passing moment.
“Man, Meg! You’re a knockout!”
Meg gave a polite nod to Phil’s whispered compliment. “And you’re looking quite dashing yourself, Mr. Campbell. Is the plaid in your cummerbund and tie a Campbell plaid?”
“As a matter of fact, it is. But never mind about that. How about if you dump the guy you came here with, and you and I take a stroll through the gardens. There is a phenomenal rose garden--which is still in bloom--and there is a tent with tables set up out there as well. What do you say?”
Evan must have had been using both ears, since his attention was immediately drawn to Meg and Phil. “I’m with you, Senator. But did you know this reprobate Phil Campbell voted against you during the last election? I’m telling you, I honestly believe he is one Republican who could easily be won over. He only needs to hear about all the wonderful things you’ve been involved with lately...but be sure to avoid any discussion of yacht taxes!”
As the politician turned smilingly to Phil, Evan slipped his arm around Meg and ushered her quickly away.
“Sorry, sweetheart! I promise it won’t be like this all night. Once they start to serve dinner, everyone settles down at a table. And after that, most everybody is too drunk to talk politics.” He had a passing waitress refill their glasses with champagne.
“Where I grew up, most people were never too drunk to talk politics.” She looked back at the Senator and Phil. “He seems like a nice man. Know him well?”
Evan cast a quick glance over his shoulder. “Who? The Senator? Not too well. He’s a pretty good guy, though, from what I know. Are you having a good time?”
“I am having a great time,” Meg said earnestly. “A very unusual group.”
Made in Heaven Page 21