Summer was trying very hard to concentrate on the show and her responsibilities to it. Her blue eyes focused fiercely on the performers, as if there were nothing at all on her mind but that talent show. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She hadn’t been thinking clearly since the delivery she’d received that afternoon. She fingered the gold charm at her breast. She was a goner, she thought dispassionately. Derek had won. Hands down. If he asked her to tie herself to a block of concrete and throw herself off the Golden Gate Bridge, she’d probably do it. She would live on a schedule, she would start working harder at her job, she would do anything she had to do to keep this man in her life.
She loved him.
“Good show, huh?” Clay murmured in Summer’s ear as he looked over her shoulder to the stage.
“Very good,” she whispered, smiling back at the handsome blond. “You must be proud of your kids tonight.”
“You bet,” he replied with a dazzling, toothpaste-ad smile. Crazy Clay had dressed in a manner that he considered appropriate for opening night of a youth home talent show. He wore a tuxedo-printed T-shirt, black denim jeans and red, high-topped sneakers with orange laces. Though Clay was thirty-four years old, he looked younger, like a virile, carefree surf bum. Only the faintest of lines around his blue-green eyes gave any indication that there might have been problems in this man’s past.
Summer had dressed a little more formally, having chosen to wear a high-collared rose silk blouse and pleated gray flannel slacks. She had wanted the youngsters to know that she considered their production worthy of respect. They were used to the way Clay dressed.
“Have you seen the audience?” Clay asked, his eyes following the movements of the two would-be actors on stage.
“Only a peek. Did Thelma’s mother come?”
“Yes, thank God.”
“Oh, I’m so glad. Thelma would have been devastated if her mother hadn’t shown up tonight. She’s been working so hard on that song.”
“To be honest, I did some arm-twisting. I told Mrs. Sawyer that if she missed this program tonight, she would be missing any chance of ever reclaiming her relationship with Thelma.”
“Good for you.” Seeing that the skit was almost over, Summer signaled for Dodie, the fourteen-year-old Cyndi Lauper impersonator, to step behind the sheets and get ready to go onstage. “I hope you’re right about this program bringing in some healthy donations,” she continued to Clay. “Frank told me things have been getting tight around here.”
“I think it will help,” Clay replied optimistically. “We managed to draw some wealthy and influential businessmen here tonight. I see Connie brought her brother. Maybe he’d like to make a contribution to a worthwhile charity.”
Summer had been enthusiastically applauding the conclusion of the skit, but her hands fell to her sides at Clay’s comment. “Derek’s here?” she said with a gasp, staring up at Clay. “Connie was supposed to come with Joel.”
“It was her brother she walked in with,” Clay insisted.
Summer’s heart began to hammer painfully in her chest. No wonder Connie had smiled mysteriously while they’d dressed for the show, she thought wildly. Summer hadn’t known that Derek would be here, but obviously Connie had been in on the secret.
Now that she knew Derek was here, Summer wondered if she would be able to wait until the end of the show to see him. Derek was here! Only a few feet from where she stood! The long week was over, and the only thing that had changed was that Derek had managed to destroy any lingering resistance she had to him—and without even seeing her, other than that brief, rather weird visit to her bedroom.
“Summer, I asked if you’re ready for me to get behind the curtains,” a young voice repeated impatiently, and Summer realized that she’d gone into a near trance right there in the crowded hallway. Ignoring Clay’s curiously amused regard, she managed to rouse herself enough to resume directing the show.
The Fame song and dance was an unquestionable success. At its conclusion the audience gave a good-natured standing ovation. His eyes proud behind his thick glasses, Frank Rivers then took the stage to give a little talk about the operation of Halloran House, concluding with a typical fund-raiser’s plea for donations and a general invitation for cookies and punch at a “cast party” that would begin shortly.
In the hallway Summer was generous in her praise of all the performers. “You guys were terrific!” she told them, glowing with pride. She had only been involved in the home since Clay had recruited her eight weeks earlier, but she had grown to love the youths there and desperately wanted to help them find ways to work out their problems. Like Clay, she believed that a sense of self-worth was the best foundation for healthy futures for these kids, and she intended to do what she could to strengthen that foundation. “I’m so proud of all of you.”
“We owe a lot of it to you, Summer,” Thelma Sawyer said shyly, stepping forward with a brightly wrapped package. “We got you something to show our appreciation.”
“How sweet.” Surrounded by her young friends, Summer ripped into the gift. Inside the box was an engraved plaque with her name in ornate letters, the date of the performance and the words To the Best Director in the World, With Thanks from the Animals at Halloran House.
She seemed to be making a habit lately of opening gifts and choking back tears, Summer told herself mistily. “I love it. You’re the best bunch of animals I ever met. Now go have your cookies and punch with your fans.”
“They’re crazy about you, Summer,” Clay told her when the boisterous young people dashed away. He draped an arm around her shoulders. “Tell me, have you ever considered working with talented young people? With your dramatic talents and your gift of communication, you’d be a natural.”
“It has been suggested to her,” a deep male voice said from behind them. “McEntire, if you value that arm, you’ll remove it from my woman’s body.”
Clay threw a cocky grin over his shoulder and lifted the arm with haste. “Since this is my favorite arm, I’ll take your advice,” he told Derek. “I had guessed last week that you and Summer were seeing each other, but I wasn’t aware that the relationship was to the dangerous stage.”
“Very dangerous,” Derek answered evenly, dropping his own arm where Clay’s had been. He smiled down at Summer’s flushed face. “The show was great, Summer-love. You did a good job directing it.”
“Thank you.” Her eyes glowed at him, noting how good he looked in his charcoal-gray suit with the pearl-gray shirt and burgundy striped tie. As sexy as he’d been in ragged jeans and tattered T-shirt. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight,” she told him, looking accusingly at Connie, who was grinning beside them.
“I just found out myself this afternoon,” Connie answered apologetically. “He forbade me to tell you. Sorry.”
“I’m not,” Summer admitted with a smile. “It was a very nice surprise. I’m glad you’re here, Derek.”
“Thank you, Summer.” He kissed her gently, and she could feel the tremendous effort he made to keep the kiss under control. Something about the hungry way he looked at her told her it had been a long week for him. Just as it had been for her.
Derek lifted the charm at her breast, his knuckles brushing the softness beneath as if by accident. Swallowing painfully, Summer knew there had been no accident involved.
“I see you got my latest gift.”
“Yes. I think my boss would like to meet you. He would probably love for you to be present when he cans me.”
“Oh, well. You didn’t like that job, anyway.”
“This from the man who said I should be more career-oriented?”
“Only if you’re in the right career,” he countered.
Summer looked at Connie, ignoring Derek’s remark. “Where’s Joel?”
“He had a late meeting tonight and had to skip the show. He’s going to pick me up later to take me dancing,” Connie explained. Dressed in a shimmery gold shirtwaist dress of raw silk, Co
nnie glowed from her artfully arranged red curls to her gold spike-heeled sandals, and Summer was well aware that the glow was because Connie would be seeing Joel soon. Summer knew the feeling well enough to recognize it—Connie was already on the verge of falling in love with Joel Tanner. Summer prayed that this relationship would work out for Connie, who deserved happiness as much or more than anyone Summer knew.
“We’ll spend a few minutes at your cast party, then take Connie home and go on to my place,” Derek informed Summer, then added hastily, “If that’s all right with you.”
Summer smiled at him. “You’re learning,” she murmured.
“I’m trying, sweetheart. I’m trying.”
Summer could not have said later what went on at the exuberant party in the Halloran House recreation room. She chatted and laughed and made all the correct responses when spoken to, but all she could remember later was the way Derek looked at her with the silvery smile in his eyes. She felt as if she were in some wonderful dream, as if only that could explain the way she and Derek had met and fallen almost instantly in love, as improbable as that might be. She had tried to give him time to be sure, yet here he was, his eyes telling her that she had only been wasting time. The sense of relief was overwhelming.
Derek left her side only once, to procure her a glass of punch. Clay took advantage of the opportunity to tease Summer about her dangerous lover. “How long have you been seeing the guy, anyway?” he asked.
Blushing a little, Summer replied, “Two weeks. Sort of.”
“Oh.” Clay nodded. “Two weeks, sort of. Very interesting.”
She laughed. “It’s crazy, I know, but it’s also wonderful. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m walking on air tonight.”
“I noticed,” he replied with a smile. “I’m standing here green with envy.”
Summer patted his arm. “It will happen for you, Clay. When you find the right woman, you’ll know exactly how I feel.”
Clay shook his head, looking around the room full of young people and their parents. “It would take some special kind of woman to accept my dedication to troubled kids,” he mused aloud. “I’m not even sure I have anything left over to offer. These kids are my life, Summer.”
She sighed. “Now I’m the one who’s envious. I’d like to know that I was making a real contribution somewhere, like you are.”
“I’ve given you a suggestion,” he reminded her. “The kids need someone like you on their side, Summer. Think about it.”
“I will,” she promised, and then Derek joined them, driving the conversation from her immediate thoughts as he drew her possessively to his side.
SUMMER’S EUPHORIA WAS abruptly shattered during the drive home, when all of her fears returned to threaten her relationship with Derek.
Summer on one arm and Connie on the other, Derek escorted them to his Lincoln. They all slid into the front seat, where Summer snuggled happily against Derek’s side and chattered gaily about the show and the generous promises of donations it had generated afterward.
“The parents all looked so proud,” she mused, then reluctantly reversed herself. “Well, most of them. I heard one father tell his son that it all seemed like a waste of time to him. That’s probably the kind of comment that put the boy in Halloran House in the first place. Clay heard it, too, and I could tell that it made him angry.”
“Summer, you can’t expect miracles in one evening, from one little talent show,” Derek pointed out with gentle logic. “Those families have long-term problems that have led to their children’s need for help. The social workers and psychologists will do everything they can to help solve those problems. And the money taken in tonight will finance those therapy sessions for a while longer, so the show did bring about results of one kind.”
“You’re right, of course. It’s just that I’ve seen the sweetness behind the defiance and bluster in those kids, and I want so much to help them.”
“Then you should,” Derek told her flatly. “Stop wasting your time in that accounting department and start working with kids.”
“Uh-oh,” Connie muttered. “Here it comes.” She sank down into her seat.
“Derek, I can’t just find a job teaching. I’d have to go back to school myself first.”
“So? You’re only twenty-five. You’ve got a few good years ahead of you, Summer.”
“More helpful advice, Derek?” she grumbled, glaring up at him through her lashes.
“I was merely making a suggestion,” he answered irritably.
Forgetting that only a short while earlier she’d thought herself willing to leap from the Golden Gate Bridge at his command, Summer sat up straight on the seat and scooted away from him, almost ending up in Connie’s lap. “You’re trying to change me!” she accused him heatedly. “Dammit, I knew this would happen. I knew you wouldn’t be content to take me just the way I am.”
“Would you please answer me one question?” Derek shouted, turning into the parking lot of the apartment building where Summer and Connie lived, his tires squealing as he pressed the gas pedal in frustration. “Why is it that you only smiled when Clay McEntire made the same damned suggestion, but when I said it, you blew your top and accused me of trying to change you?”
“Because you are!” Summer yelled back. “You’re trying to tell me what to do, just like you do to Connie.”
“Better leave me out of this,” her roommate whispered.
“I only want what’s best for you,” Derek argued. “Both of you, dammit.”
“And God gave you the knowledge of what’s best for Connie and me, right?” Summer threw at him in disgust. “It must be nice to be so omniscient, Derek.”
Almost growling, Derek shoved open his door and leaped from the car. “Upstairs, both of you!” he ordered furiously. “We’re going to settle this issue right now, if it takes all night.”
“But I’ve got a date with Joel!” Connie protested, crawling out of the car to stare at her brother aggrievedly.
“He can join us. Hell, we’ll ask the whole damned neighborhood to join us,” Derek grated between clenched teeth, already walking toward the apartment building as Summer and Connie trotted after him. “Ask them if it’s so damned terrible of me to try to help the people I care about.”
“It’s not that we don’t appreciate your intentions, Derek. It’s the way you say these things,” Summer puffed, clutching Connie’s arm as they hurried to keep up with his angry strides. “You always sound as if your way is the only right way—for you and everyone else.”
“Face it, Derek, you’ve been trying to tell me what to do since I was ten years old,” Connie said in turn. “Even when I wouldn’t see you for months or years at a time, you’d send me letters telling me to live up to my potential, to study and make something of myself. Well, I didn’t want your words of wisdom. I wanted my brother!”
“Okay, so I came down too hard on you over the years,” Derek answered heatedly, turning in the hallway to glare at the two gasping young women who clung to each other and faced him defiantly. “It’s only because I wanted so much for you. Mom and Dad didn’t seem to know how to handle you, and I thought I might have more influence with you. I knew you were capable of accomplishing anything if you put your mind on it, but I wasn’t sure that I would live long enough to see it happen.”
Both Summer and Connie frowned at that. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Summer demanded.
Derek blinked as if he couldn’t quite believe he’d said that. “As much as I traveled, anything could have happened,” he explained inadequately. “Plane crashes, car accidents, whatever.”
Connie and Summer shared a puzzled look that indicated that neither of them thought he was telling the whole story.
Derek exhaled loudly. “Let’s not stand out here in the hall. Let’s go in where we can talk rationally.”
Summer nodded her agreement. It was extremely important that they settle this issue finally, she told herself anxiously. Her future with Derek hinge
d on the discussion that was about to take place. She had to make him understand, once and for all, that, though she was willing to make certain compromises for him, he would not be able to change her into someone else. She was just herself, and if he wasn’t happy with her as she was, then they might as well give it up now. It wasn’t that she wasn’t willing to discuss possible career changes for her future with him, but she would not allow him to dictate those changes to her.
They were less than six feet from the door to their apartment when Derek suddenly stopped, frowning. “That wasn’t there earlier,” he muttered, his eyes focusing on a fresh scar near the lock on the battered wooden door.
“What wasn’t there?” Summer asked him, trying to find what he was looking at so intently.
He pushed her unceremoniously toward the hallway wall, motioning Connie to follow suit. “Stand right there,” he ordered them softly. “I want to check your apartment.”
“But, Derek, what is it?” Summer asked again, studying his expression. The look he wore now was different from the heated anger he’d shown during their argument moments earlier. He looked hard, cool, rather daunting. She swallowed.
“Hush.” He touched her arm in an absentmindedly gentle gesture that made her knees go weak despite her lingering anger with him. “Don’t move until I tell you to.”
The roommates watched in nervous confusion as Derek moved soundlessly to the door and tested the knob. The door wasn’t locked. Easing it silently open, Derek prepared to enter. Just before he stepped inside, all three of them heard a muffled crash from inside the apartment.
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