“Uh, we’ll see,” she said and plopped a big strawberry covered in whipped cream into her mouth, making it impossible to say more.
They returned to their easy conversation while they ate the dessert, and Sharon scarcely seemed to notice when they moved to the black leather sofa in front of his big-screen television.
He put in the movie Overboard, a comedy about a wealthy woman getting amnesia and thinking she was married to a poor slob with four boys. It had them both laughing. Every few minutes, Jack found a way to move a little closer. First he simply shifted over several inches. Then he offered her something to drink. He set the glasses, hers filled with milk, of all things, in front of them and sat down closer to her.
He was going to offer popcorn next as an excuse, but she gave him a better one. She shivered.
“You’re chilly? It’s all this glass. Let me get us a cover,” he said. When he returned with the cover from his bed, he sat down next to her. “I’m going to share, if you don’t mind. I’m cold, too.”
Then he casually put his arm up behind her, a move he’d practiced long ago when he took girls to the local movie. It still worked. Soon she was practically in his arms. When she laughed, he felt it. When the movie grew serious, as, unfortunately, it seldom did, she burrowed against him, as she had in the elevator.
When the credits rolled, he realized she hadn’t moved at all in a few minutes, and he carefully leaned forward to check on her.
She was sound asleep, and it wasn’t even nine o’clock.
He definitely thought she should go to a doctor, especially when he had to shake her to wake her up.
He waited for his kiss until they were parked in front of her house. It had been too big a risk with a bed a few feet away. He couldn’t trust himself.
But it was a most satisfying kiss.
Saturday morning, he lay in his big bed, against the many pillows and thought about Sharon lying beside him, sharing a lazy Saturday morning. He couldn’t imagine a more perfect start to the day.
The grin was still on his face when he suddenly questioned what he was thinking. Sharon wasn’t going to share his bed on a casual basis, whether she worked for him or not. He had no doubt about that truth.
Which meant he had to face the question of marriage.
Much to his surprise, what filled him was quite similar to the emotion when he pictured Sharon lying beside him. Where was his fear, his distaste at being linked to one woman?
It wasn’t there. Because he was talking about Sharon, a beautiful young woman inside as well as outside. She was a hard worker, someone who reached out to others, someone who believed in the best of everyone.
Would she betray him?
No, no more than she would betray her brothers and sisters. She’d sacrificed and worked hard to provide them with an education.
He put his hands behind his head and smiled. Marriage to Sharon would be wonderful. He couldn’t wait.
Sharon was less sure on Monday morning than she had been the previous Monday that her plan would work. Friday night had been wonderful. Then Jack had called Saturday morning.
Her heartbeat had skyrocketed when she heard his voice. He’d wanted to see her that day, to spend more time together. Oh how she’d wanted to agree. But she couldn’t. It was already too hard to leave him, to step back, to remember that they would not have a future.
And yet, here she was, excited that she might see him today. She purposely went to the job site on her way in to the office. She wasn’t going to deviate from her schedule because of her need to see Jack. That would be weak.
Just as she was finishing with Pete, her cell phone rang. She seldom used it unless there was an emergency, so she felt worried as she dug it out of her bag.
“Excuse me, Pete,” she said to the foreman. “I’ll only be a minute.” She stepped away and answered the phone.
“Sharon?”
“Yes, Mom. What’s wrong?” She had no question that there was something wrong. Her mother would never interrupt her work for something trivial.
“It’s Evie. She eloped last night.”
Evie was Sharon’s baby sister, the last of the siblings in college. She’d begun her junior year this fall. “She did? Why—that’s—who did she marry?”
“That no-good Harry Irving. Remember? You met him here at the house.”
“Oh, yeah.” And he was no-good. He didn’t treat Evie well, and Sharon suspected Evie shared what money she had with him. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“It’s worse than that.”
“What?”
“She’s dropped out of school and doesn’t plan to go back.”
Sharon froze. Her dream of providing all her siblings with a college education, no matter what the cost, had almost been achieved. Almost. She rapidly blinked her eyes, trying to turn away the moisture filling them.
She was being ridiculous. Evie had chosen her future. Sharon didn’t have the right to choose for her. She told her mother goodbye and put her phone away.
But instead of returning to Pete and carrying on with her job, for a moment, she covered her face, trying to gather her composure.
Hands grasped her shoulders and turned her around, pulling her against a broad chest. She didn’t have to ask who had come. She knew. The strong arms held her, a broad, muscled chest offered a resting place. Her security blanket. Jack Waterton.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Jack whispered as he held her close, his heart thumping. Pete had pointed her out to Jack as soon as he’d arrived, and he’d seen nothing else.
When she’d covered her face with her hands, he’d known something was wrong. Nothing could’ve kept him from her side.
“It’s nothing,” she said, raising her head, trying to smile.
“Tell me anyway.”
“My sister Evie has eloped and dropped out of school. I’d dreamed of—of all of them finishing school but—”
“You gave her the opportunity, you and your mother, with herculean effort. It’s not your fault.”
“I know, but—” Much to his surprise and pleasure, she laid her face against his chest again, and he rested his chin on her head.
Then she stepped out of his embrace, her cheeks red. “I’m sorry. I—I shouldn’t have embarrassed you like that. You must be getting tired of me asking to be rescued.” Her laugh was brief and awkward.
He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her until she never wanted to leave.
“I—I must go. I haven’t been to the office yet.”
Before he could say anything, she pulled away from him and hurried away.
“Is she all right?” Pete asked.
“Yeah, she’ll be all right. She just received disappointing news.”
“About work?”
“No, it was personal.”
“I guess you two have gotten very close,” Pete said, avoiding looking at Jack.
Jack didn’t answer at once. He was realizing his agreement with Sharon wasn’t going to work. He couldn’t hold back any longer. “We’re going to be married,” he said firmly, staring in the direction Sharon had gone.
chapter eleven
Well, she’d just proven that she couldn’t handle the situation. She had to go to Kane and tell him she couldn’t do the job. All her plans were blown away.
Even worse, her heart was losing the battle. She couldn’t put it at such risk. Jack was so overwhelmingly charming and warm and—and she could go on forever. But it wasn’t appropriate for a business associate.
When she entered the office, her first question for Alice was about Andy. “Is he here? How’s he feeling?”
“You know him. He says he’s fine and we’re a bunch of worriers.” Alice rolled her eyes.
With a heavy heart, Sharon walked to Andy’s door. “I hear you’re all recovered. Is that true?”
“Of course. I rested all weekend and took medicine just in case I was sick, which, of course, I wasn’t.” Andy’s relaxed smile was back in place. Not for long.
&nbs
p; “I’m glad, because there’s a little problem on the Waterton account, and I—I need to talk to you and Kane.”
“What kind of problem? What is it?”
“I’d like to tell you both at once. I’ll go call for an appointment.”
When she’d told Maggie they had a problem with the Waterton account, she, after consulting with Kane, told them to come up at once. Sharon was glad. She wanted this pretense to be over.
When they reached Kane’s office, Maggie showed them in at once. Kane stood, a smile on his face. “Come in. I’m glad we could touch base before Jack gets here.”
Sharon thought she would pass out. “H-he’s already called?”
“Just a couple of minutes ago. I stalled him for half an hour. I hope that’s long enough.”
“Yes, probably,” she agreed with a sigh.
“So, Andy, do you want to start? I hope it’s nothing serious.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong. It’s Sharon who wanted to tell both of us at once.”
“Sharon?” Kane asked, his eyebrows raised.
“I don’t think I should continue working on Mr. Waterton’s project.” She clenched her hands in her lap and waited for the reaction.
Andy gaped at her, unable to speak.
Kane also demonstrated surprise, but he quickly recovered. “And your reasons?”
“I—I have several. In the elevator, when we were trapped, we grew close. It’s been difficult to maintain any distance between us. And lately… it’s best that we don’t work together.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time friends have worked together. With Andy’s supervision, I don’t think that would be much of a problem. How does Jack feel?”
Sharon stared at the man. He wasn’t upset.
“I don’t think—Jack may feel—I don’t know.” She thought frantically. There was only one other thing she could tell them that would allow her to leave gracefully. They would have to know soon anyway.
“There’s one other thing. The other day, you asked if anyone in our department was pregnant. Well, I am. It’s sapped my energy and made it hard to maintain my work schedule. I wouldn’t want to shortchange Mr. Waterton in any way when we have so many competent employees.”
“Sharon, are you all right?” Andy asked, frowning. “I didn’t know you were involved with anyone. Are you marrying him?”
“No, I’m not, Andy. If you feel it necessary to take back the promotion you gave me, I’ll certainly understand.”
“No, of course not. You’re too valuable to our department.”
Sharon breathed a sigh of relief until she looked at Kane Haley. He was staring at her, his face white. “Kane? Mr. Haley?”
“You’re not marrying the father? Why not?”
Sharon stared back, surprised by his question. “I beg your pardon?”
“Uh, I know it’s personal, but—but do you know who the father is?”
“Yes, I do.” She took a deep breath, hoping to remain calm.
“Did you use a sperm bank?”
Why was Kane suddenly asking such weird questions? “No, I didn’t. But if you still need someone to sit on the committee for the child-care site, I’ll be glad to since we all now know I have personal interest in it.”
“That’s not important. When—how long—when will your baby be born?”
“In about seven months.”
He jumped up from behind his desk and began pacing the room.
Sharon looked at Andy, wondering what was going on. He returned her look, as puzzled as she.
Finally, Andy said, “Kane? Are you all right?”
“Yes, but I need to talk to Sharon alone,” he said, whirling around to face them.
“Okay,” Andy agreed, “if that’s all right with Sharon. And do you have any problem with her retaining her promotion?”
“No, none. It’s okay, isn’t it, Sharon?” He actually seemed anxious for her agreement.
“Yes, of course, Kane.” If he was okay with her keeping her promotion, what did he want to talk to her about?
“All right then,” Andy said. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Then he rolled out of the office, pulling the door behind him.
Kane began pacing again.
“Kane, what’s wrong?”
“I need to ask you again if you visited a sperm bank. And I need you to be honest with me.”
She didn’t understand what was going on, but she had no problem being honest. “No, I’m quite sure I did not visit a sperm bank. I have never visited a sperm bank. This pregnancy was not planned, but I’m very happy about the baby.”
“Then why aren’t you telling the father?”
She licked her lips. “Because—because nothing can come from it. I’ll take care of my baby.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
He went back to his desk and sat down. “Uh, who do you think should replace you on the project? And I assume you’ll be able to give advice to whoever it is.”
“Yes, of course. I think the best person for the job is Will Janklow. He’s not flashy, but he’s steady and trustworthy and deserving of the break.”
“Okay,” Kane agreed.
Sharon began to wonder if he’d even heard her. He still seemed to be acting weirdly. He drummed his fingers on the desk. “You’ll tell Andy we’re agreed?” She nodded and he added, “Good. Okay, good.”
“Will you tell Jack? Mr. Waterton?” she finally asked after a minute of silence.
“Oh, yeah, as soon as he gets here.”
“Good. Thank you, Kane. I apologize again for haying to back out of the job.”
“No problem. Take care of—take care of yourself and the baby.”
“Yes, of course.” She got up and left his office before he began asking her about her layette for the baby. What a strange interview.
Jack stayed at the site, trying to concentrate on work details, but he knew he was just marking time until Kane could see him. He’d decided to go to Kane first. Then when he explained it to Sharon, he could assure her Kane wasn’t going to fire her. Or he could offer her an alternative.
When Jack greeted Maggie, Kane’s door opened, and he came out to shake Jack’s hand and invite him into the office, but he wasn’t smiling.
“Everything all right?” Jack asked as he sat down.
“Yeah, sure,” Kane said, returning to the chair behind his desk. “Well, maybe. Hell, I don’t know.”
Jack was taken aback by Kane’s state of confusion. “Can I help with anything?”
“No, it’s personal. The new guys are working out, aren’t they? I was sorry to hear your suspicions were correct.”
“Yeah. Roger’s probably skipped to Canada. He’s disappeared. The police can’t find him.”
“So you won’t get any recompense?”
“No, but that doesn’t matter. I had to explain to his wife. She didn’t appear to be aware of any wrongdoing.”
“That must’ve been an awkward conversation.”
“Yeah.” Jack got the impression Kane’s mind was elsewhere, probably on that personal problem he’d mentioned. “Shall I go to Andy’s office and check with him, since he supervises the new guys?” He had
no intention of going until he talked to Kane about Sharon, but first he wanted to make sure they were clear on the rest of the business.
“We could do it that way. But, first, I need to talk to you about Sharon.”
Jack did a double take. Those were his words. “Uh, yeah, me, too. She’s very good at her job.”
“Yes, she is.”
“But I’d like her to be taken off my project.”
Kane started to speak, then stopped. “What? You don’t want her working on your job?”
“No.”
“But why? You said she was good.”
This explanation was what Jack had dreaded. He didn’t like mixing personal and business, but it had to be done to clear the way for the future he had planned. “You kno
w that we were in the elevator together. Well, our—friendship has progressed beyond what is professional.”
Kane stared at him, one eyebrow rising. “Oh?”
“Yeah, and I’m not willing to give that up. I have plans. So I think it would be best if we don’t work together. Surely you have someone else who can do the job?”
“Of course we do. In fact, we’ve already selected him.”
Jack frowned. “Wait a minute. You were already replacing Sharon? Why? You didn’t fire her, did you?” If they had, they’d regret it, he promised himself.
“No, of course not. But she came in this morning and requested it.”
Jack couldn’t quite believe Sharon shared his vision of the future. “Why?”
“I think you should know the reason if you have plans for the future. I think her reason might affect them,” Kane said, frowning. Then he leaped to his feet and began pacing.
“Kane?” Jack said, anxious to know what was going on.
“Well, I really shouldn’t tell you, but she didn’t say not to. And everyone will have to know soon. I’m not sure exactly how soon.” His voice almost trailed off and he ended up by the window, staring out at the city.
“Kane?” Jack said again. “What are you talking about?”
“Sharon’s reason for removing herself from that particular job. She’s still going to work. I guess she thinks she’ll need to, but I’d be willing— Damn it, she said it wasn’t— But she’s the only one with the right time frame—”
“Kane, we’re friends and I have a lot of respect for you, but I’m going to slug you if you don’t explain what’s going on.” He stood, keeping his eye on Kane.
“I didn’t explain?” Kane asked in surprise. “I thought I—”
“No. You said she asked to be taken off my job, but you haven’t given me a reason.”
“She’s pregnant, and I think it’s my baby,” Kane said without delay.
Jack stared at him. Finally, with pain, he asked, “You had an affair with Sharon?”
“No!” Kane ripped. “I wouldn’t do that. She’s one of my employees. That would be—reprehensible.”
“Then how could you think you’re the father?” Jack demanded, still confused.
When The Lights Went Out... Page 11