A wine waiter brought them the wine list. Trevor, who professed himself a connoisseur, took charge. “We’ll have a bottle of sparkling white wine for the girls, and two bottles of crown lager, thanks.”
Caroline glanced around at the impressive décor. Hurricane lamps hung from the ceiling, casting a subdued glow on the rectory-style tables. The patrons were a mixture of well-heeled young people and middle-aged couples.
As an appetizer, they ordered Avocado Stuffed with Macadamia Nuts on Watercress Puree. “This is yummy.” Caroline ate an avocado wrapped in a thin, almost transparent veil of filo pastry.
The band played softly, never intrusively. It wasn’t that type of establishment. The lights were dimmed, the atmosphere romantic.
“Would you like to dance?” Andy asked.
“Thanks. I didn’t know you could dance,” Caroline said.
“The army’s taught me a few useful pursuits.” He chuckled. “Including how to trip the light fantastic, but our kind of music has a lot more rhythm than this morbid stuff.”
Trevor and Kerry stood, too, and the four of them made their way to the dance floor. Pride surged through Caroline at the admiring glances her brother received. He looked so handsome in his uniform.
“A lovely young couple,” she overheard a middle-aged gentleman remark to his wife. She suppressed a grin because people assumed he was her boyfriend.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
She giggled. “Everyone thinks you’re my boyfriend. I can see their minds ticking over. Isn’t she a lucky girl having such a dashing young officer dancing with her?”
“Yeah, well, in some parts of Australia they’d be throwing buckets of red paint over me and calling me a murderer.”
“I know.” Caroline shuddered. “It’s awful.”
“It doesn’t bother me much. Some of those protesters are absolute raving rat bags. Others are genuine people exercising their democratic right.”
A few minutes after they returned to their table the main course arrived. Chicken Maryland with banana and pineapple cooked in a crumbed batter. Trevor waited until they finished eating before asking Caroline to dance. Although an accomplished dancer, he wasn’t as light on his feet or as supple as Andy. He led her back to the table when the dance finished so they could start eating their dessert, her favorite, Strawberry Romanoff.
Later on in the evening, as she danced again with Andy, a sexy male voice drawled in her ear. “Well, if it isn’t Miss Dennison.”
She almost collapsed in a heap. Bryce and Shereen danced beside them.
“Oh, hello, Mr. Harrington, Miss St. Clair.”
“How are you, darling?” Shereen, superb in a skintight black dress, smiled at Caroline. “My, you are a handsome one,” she cooed in Andy’s ear.
“Thanks.” He grinned. “Caroline thinks I’m handsome, too.” The music stopped and Caroline tugged at Andy’s hand.
“Would you care to join us for a drink?” Bryce asked, giving one of his devastating smiles.
“No, thanks, we’re dining with friends,” Andy replied, much to her relief, as she had been rendered speechless. Fancy meeting Bryce here. Was it pure coincidence, or had he chosen Marianne’s knowing she would be here? Stop it, you fool. This was one of his favorite haunts, for goodness’ sake.
He looked movie-star handsome in a dark navy dinner suit with matching tie and pale blue silk shirt. A red silk handkerchief poked out of his breast pocket.
“We’re celebrating Caro’s birthday,” Andy said, by way of explanation.
“I didn’t know it was your birthday, Caroline.”
She liked the way Bryce drawled her name. “It’s actually on Wednesday.”
“But I could only get leave this weekend,” Andy explained.
Bryce’s speculative gaze drifted over her and she flushed at his scrutiny. Did he like what he saw?
“Which table are you at?” he asked.
“The one over there.” She waved an arm vaguely.
“Table ten,” Andy filled in.
The music started up again. “We’ll change partners,” Bryce shocked her by saying. The next minute she was in his arms and waltzing around the dance floor. It was pure magic being held by him. Oh, God, how many times had she dreamed of this? She glanced at Andy, who appeared quite happy to be dancing with the glamorous redhead.
“You dance well,” Bryce whispered in her ear, his warm breath fanning her cheek.
If only the music would last forever. He was a superb dancer, holding her firmly, close but not too close. He could glue her to his side and she wouldn’t complain. How pathetic could a girl get?
She inhaled the subtle scent of his tangy citrus aftershave lotion, a change from the Old Spice most of the men she knew wore.
His heart beat strong and steady, hers raced, and she prayed he didn’t notice. How humiliating if he ever found out the extent of her feelings for him. He would probably fire her, to avoid embarrassment.
She melted against him, her cheek resting against the soft fabric of his jacket until she realized what she was doing.
“Sorry.” She made to pull away.
“No.” His hand in the small of her back kept her close.
His hard thighs brushed against hers through the thin fabric of her dress, agony and ecstasy in equal measure.
“You look beautiful tonight.” His soft compliment stirred the loosened strands of her hair.
All too soon the bracket of Peter, Paul and Mary folk songs stopped, and she would never listen to them again without remembering this magic night. He escorted her back to her table with a firm but now impersonal hand under one elbow. The episode on the dance floor might never have happened.
Kerry and Trevor hadn’t returned to the table yet, but Shereen had almost draped herself over Andy.
“Enjoy your evening,” Bryce said. Taking Shereen by the arm, he walked towards the other side of the room.
“Is he the one you like?” Andy asked, as he held a chair out for her.
Was she that transparent? “Yes, he’s my boss.”
“I didn’t think much of him. Too arrogant and sure of himself and I didn’t go for the skinny chick with him, either. She kept pumping me for information, but I didn’t tell her anything. Asked if we were going steady.”
“What did you say?” Caroline knew everything would be relayed to Bryce.
“I sort of laughed and didn’t really say anything. Not hard. She’s decorative but dumb.”
Kerry and Trevor’s return interrupted their conversation.
“Let’s call the waiter over and order a bottle of bubbly,” Andy decided. Hardly had he spoken the words when the wine waiter appeared like a magic genie with a bottle of champagne resting in a silver bucket.
“Compliments of Mr. Harrington,” he said.
“Thanks.” Andy grinned. “It will save us buying any.”
Trevor, glancing at the label as the waiter filled their glasses, whistled. “Dom Perignon, must have cost him a packet.”
“I met my boss on the dance floor.”
“You mean Mr. High-and-Mighty is here?” Kerry remarked, sipping the champagne with enjoyment. “And he sent this over? Wonder what he wants?”
“It’s Caro’s birthday,” Andy put in. “Don’t you like him?”
“No.” Kerry spat the word out.
“I didn’t think much of him, either. Too arrogant and self assured, I thought.”
“Typical bloody establishment,” Trevor sneered.
“Yeah,” Kerry agreed. “He’s so far up himself.”
“Kerry!”
“Oh all right, Caro.” She threw her hands in the air in mock surrender. “Because it’s your birthday, I won’t say another word about him.”
They drank the champagne, danced a few more times without seeing Bryce again, and left.
When the car stopped at the apartment, Andy jumped out straight away, pulling Caroline after him.
“We’ll leave you two lovebirds al
one for a while.” He laughed. “Don’t fall over me on the way in. Remember, I’m sleeping on the couch.”
They said their goodnights and Caroline and Andy went into the apartment.
“I’ll make up your bed now,” she said, putting her purse down on the coffee table.
“Don’t worry, just a pillow and a blanket will be all right.” He started undoing the buttons on his uniform jacket.
“You’re not stripping off out here, I hope.”
“Nah.” He gave a grin. “I’ll get changed in the bathroom. I’ve even brought some pajama pants so I’ll be respectable, little sister.”
“Thanks for taking me out tonight. I enjoyed it.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Happy birthday for Wednesday. I wish I could afford to buy you a present, as well, but I’ll have money saved up by Christmas, so I’ll buy you something special then.”
“Thanks. But you don’t have to.” She gave him a hug. “I’ll just use the bathroom to clean off my makeup. Kerry won’t be in for a while. Did you like Trevor?”
“I did, surprising when he’s so anti-establishment. He reckons he’s going to burn his call-up papers.”
“He can’t. He’ll get into trouble.”
“I know. I told him the government is going to clamp down hard. They’ve already jailed a couple of conscientious objectors. Get Kerry to try and talk him out of it, okay?”
The next morning, Caroline was awakened by Andy bringing them toast and tea in bed. “See, I’m paying for my board and lodging.”
He was freshly showered, his damp hair still managing to form tight curls even though he wore it cut short.
“Gosh,” Kerry groaned. “How can you be so cheerful? It’s indecent. I feel half dead.”
“Well, if you stay up half the night pashing on, serves you right.”
“Andy!” Caroline admonished her brother. “You’re not in camp now. I’m half dead, too, and I didn’t stay up necking. It must have been the champagne.”
“You’ve got a hangover, sister dear, that’s your trouble. You can’t hold your liquor.” Laughing he walked out of the bedroom.
“This is a lifesaver. I’m really fuzzy-headed.” Caroline raised herself carefully. “That Dom Perignon packs a punch.”
Kerry winced as she sat up. “I reckon we both have got hangovers.”
After Caroline had showered and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt she went out to talk to her brother. He had not only cooked their breakfast but cleaned up the kitchen, as well.
“You’re quite domesticated.” She smiled as she sat at the table with a second cup of tea.
“I’m full of surprises, aren’t I? I’ll be pushing off soon. If I make it out to Caulfield I can get a lift back with another mate, but he’s leaving before lunch. Try to get Kerry to make Trevor see reason, will you? He’s not a bad bloke. I wouldn’t like to see him get into trouble.”
After Andy left, Kerry went out with Trevor, but Caroline stayed home. She didn’t know whether or not Kerry believed her story of wanting a lazy afternoon on her own. The real reason was that she wanted to go over the happenings of last night, especially the wonderful part of the evening spent in Bryce’s arms.
Chapter Five
On Monday morning Caroline arrived at work early and set about tidying up the filing cabinet.
“Good morning, Caroline.”
When her boss spoke from behind her, she nearly dropped the bundle of files in her arms.
“Good morning, Mr. Harrington.”
His tailored brown suit fit him like a glove, and she liked his fancy brown-and-black patterned tie. Although his suits and shirts were always conservative, he favored multi-colored silk ties. He looked so handsome her heartbeats escalated. She forced herself not to stare at him.
“Thanks for the champagne on Saturday.”
“That’s all right.” A faint smiled turned up the corners of his mouth. “I hope you and your friends enjoyed it.”
“Oh, we did, but we all had headaches in the morning.” She smiled at him, but when he scrutinized her face, she let her eyelashes flutter down in case he read the yearning in her eyes.
“I have to go out to a building site. You’d better come with me.”
“Yes, Mr. Harrington. Now?”
“Yes, please.”
She picked up her notebook and pencils and put them in her bag. Glancing at her stiletto heels, she grimaced slightly.
“Not particularly suitable, are they? You’ll have to be careful where you walk, can’t have you breaking your ankle. I don’t know of anyone else who’d put up with me like you do.” He laughed. “And before you raise your hackles, I meant it as a compliment.”
She followed him out of the office. He allowed her to precede him into the elevator. Remembering the last time they’d shared an elevator together, she hoped it would jerk and throw her against him again. Any contact with him, no matter how brief, would be bliss. Better still if it stopped mid-floor for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, the ride was as smooth as glass. She could have screamed in disappointment.
On the ground floor he held the door open for her and they crossed the foyer together.
“I adore your car,” she told him, snuggling into the soft luxurious seat of the Jaguar.
“It’s not bad.”
As they drove through the inner suburbs of Melbourne she chanced a glance at his profile every now and again. He didn’t speak and neither did she, although it wasn’t an unpleasant silence.
They headed towards the outer bayside suburbs and after half an hour or so pulled up at the construction site. Harrington Constructions were in the process of constructing a large retirement village here. Plans included an assembly hall, an indoor swimming pool and landscaped gardens. The units would be self-contained, each having two bedrooms as well as its own lockup garage. For elderly people unable to continue living in their own homes it would be a perfect setup, if you were wealthy enough to pay for it.
A caretaker would be living in the village, as well as a full-time nursing sister. Bryce thought of everything. It would be another successful venture for the company.
He parked the car, and then they strolled over to the foreman, who waited outside his office. Caroline could see that the workers were in the process of constructing a road.
A young man driving a bulldozer called out. “How are you doing, gorgeous?”
“Damn it all,” Bryce snapped. “Can’t you control these men of yours?”
“Nothing I can do about it, Mr. Harrington. They’re just showing their appreciation of a pretty girl.” The foreman winked at Caroline behind Bryce’s back, and she stifled a giggle.
“Come on, boss, I’ll show you the plans, so you can see how far we’ve got.” He rolled out some papers and Bryce followed his finger as the man pointed out how they were progressing.
“I thought we’d be much farther advanced than this,” Bryce said, an edge to his voice.
“Yeah, well, there’s been trouble with the unions. A transport strike held us up quite a bit. After that, the concrete suppliers went on strike, and that put us behind some more.”
Even the foreman didn’t appear to be too worried about the delay, but one glance at Bryce’s face and she knew he wasn’t happy with the holdups.
“Can’t you hurry things along? I want this finished before summer ends.”
“We’re doing the best we can, boss. The men have been working heaps of overtime. With the Christmas break coming up, I don’t think we’ve got a hope in hell of completing it in the time frame you set.”
“I realize that now. Couldn’t you persuade the men not to take their holidays until the job’s finished? I’d be prepared to pay a bonus to any man willing to work.”
“Have a heart. Most of these men have got school-aged kids. They like to go away with their families over the long school break.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” Bryce gave an exasperated sigh. “See what you can do. They could ha
ve an extra week or so later on in the year, plus a bonus. Put it to them, will you, Duncan?”
“All right, I don’t hold out much hope. Most of them would have planned their holidays by now.”
“Do what you can. Even if half a dozen men stayed on the job, it would help. Not much point in my hanging around here now. Come on, Caroline. I’ll call in again next week.”
She followed Bryce back to the car with the foreman a step or two behind them. He opened the passenger door for her.
“Thanks.”
She could tell by the way Bryce’s hands clenched the steering wheel that he was angry.
“What a waste of damn time,” he bit out, before starting the engine.
By the time they arrived back at the office, it was lunchtime. She went straight to her desk and put her bag in the drawer while Bryce stalked into his office.
“Oh, darling, there you are.” Shereen’s saccharine sweet greeting reached Caroline’s ears before the door closed with a click. Why did she cling to the hope that Bryce might feel something special for her one day? Pigs would fly to the moon first.
Why didn’t he take Shereen to the business dinner? She looked decorative enough. Maybe he did need someone to take shorthand notes, after all. She typed a letter out through a blur of tears. Would she never learn? To Bryce Harrington she was merely a capable pair of hands that ensured his office ran on oiled wheels. Nothing more. Nothing less.
About twenty minutes later, Bryce and Shereen strolled out of the office together. “I’m going to lunch, should be back about two,” he threw over one shoulder. Shereen waved to Caroline, who could hear the woman’s twittering laugh as they disappeared down the corridor.
He didn’t come back until nearly three o’clock. Some lunch. She was tempted to tell him she didn’t want to go to the dinner after all. She didn’t, of course. A few crumbs were better than nothing, and there was the dress the company had paid for. On principle she had to wear it.
She arrived home at about five-thirty and had a quick cup of tea. Kerry had already left with Trevor to attend a silent vigil organized by the ‘Save our Sons’ organization. They didn’t have the luxury of a bath, so she took a long, leisurely shower. After washing her hair, she dried it with her drying wand, lifting up the strands and letting them drop until they fell in silky folds about her shoulders.
Make Love Not War Page 5