by Curry, Edna
"We're all going on the boat trip to the island today," Esther said. "Are you two coming?" She had evidently begun to think of them as a couple. Diane didn't try to correct her. What did it matter? In two days they would be going back home and she would probably never see any of them again.
"No," Jeff answered. "We're going to have a relaxing day without any of you guys."
"Such cheek. Already happy to be rid of us," Harry joked. "But I know better. You're just afraid you'll fall in when we have to climb in and out of those excuses for boats that I've heard they're using to take us out to the cruise boat. Chicken, that's all."
"You guessed," Jeff agreed good-naturedly. "Are Sandy and Cathy going with you?"
"No, I don't think so, Sandy isn't feeling well. Too much Fiesta last night, I think." She grimaced, noticeably displeased.
"Have a nice time." Jeff grinned at her.
Diane let out her breath in a relieved sigh as she watched them walk back to the hotel.
Jeff looked at her speculatively. "A day of reprieve, anyway, eh? He obviously didn't say anything to them. And I don't think he will."
"After all, what can he say that won't reflect on himself? And, in spite of his actions, I think he really loves Cathy and wouldn't risk having her find out about it."
Jeff nodded. "Just pretend nothing happened and perhaps nothing more will come of it. Just the same, I'm keeping an eye on you from now on."
"I don't need a bodyguard!" She bristled.
That eyebrow went up again. He leaned back and lit his pipe, squinting at her through the smoke. "You object to my company?" he challenged.
She flushed. "I didn't mean that." She could hardly admit that she longed for his company, could she? But she wanted him to be with her because he wanted to, not because he thought she needed watching like a helpless ninny. She stared numbly at his strong slim fingers as they shook out the match and placed it in the ashtray.
"Good. Then what do you want to do today?"
"Nothing. I mean...I just want to stay here by the pool and work on my tan, read a book, and play in the surf. I feel as though I've hardly relaxed since we got here."
"Sounds terrific! I've got to clear up a couple of details with Lola about the beach party tomorrow night. I'll meet you back here by the pool, then."
They parted in the lobby as he went in search of Lola, and she went back to her room to change. As she went down the hall to her room, she met Sandy and Cathy going down to breakfast. Sandy looked very haggard and was obviously nursing a hangover. She hoped viciously that he felt as bad as he looked.
Her heart in her throat, she smiled and said good-morning without stopping. Cathy gave her a big welcoming smile and pulled a face and pointed at Sandy out of his sight to signal his hangover. Diane nodded agreement with her lack of sympathy and went on to her room. Sandy had merely looked grumpily at her and grunted.
She slipped into her room with a sigh, thankful that there were only two days to go.
Putting on her bikini, she grabbed her cover-up and went back down to the pool. She signed out a towel and spread it on a lounge chair, then settled herself gratefully onto it. Smoothing sunscreen carefully all over her lithe young limbs, she opened her book.
Jeff appeared an hour later and took the chair next to her. Her heart beat faster at the sight of his lean, muscular bare body. A pair of brief red swim trunks set off his golden tan. This was obviously not the first time this winter that he had been out in the sun. She wondered nervously whether this would be her last trip, or whether he would admit that last night hadn't been her fault, and not hold it against her in considering her for other tours with him.
She was beginning to really enjoy the clear, sunny day, when a lilting voice interrupted her contented thoughts.
"There you are, Jeff darling! I've been looking everywhere for you."
Arlene appeared in a fabulous, skimpy green and gold bikini, with a gold lace cover-up thrown over her arm. She took the lounge chair on the other side of Jeff possessively and chatted away.
Diane's heart sank. She should have known Jeff wouldn't be alone. Why had she been so happy over what was to him only duty attention? She buried her face in her book and tried to concentrate on the words in front of her. But tears stung her eyes and she couldn't follow the story line.
The happy chatter of the two next to her kept getting in the way.
"Hell..ooo, Diane." Jeff's voice cut through her thoughts.
"Sorry, I...wasn't paying attention," she apologized, startled.
"So I see." He said dryly. "You have been reading that same page for ten minutes. It's either a very fascinating part or you're memorizing it."
"Neither," she retorted angrily. "I was daydreaming. A girl has that right, you know. I never claimed to be perfect."
"My, my, such temper," Arlene said, smiling snidely.
Diane said nothing. Once more she looked like a fool, she thought miserably.
"We're going in for a dip," Jeff said coolly, ignoring her red face. "Are you coming?"
Diane looked at the pool. Just the thought of the water brought back her panic of the night before when Sandy had pulled her under it to keep her quiet. She shuddered and shook her head. "You go ahead."
"Let's go, Jeff." Arlene insisted. "We only have a half hour 'til you have to drive me to the airport!" She dived in.
Jeff stood beside Diane’s chair, regarding her thoughtfully.
"Waiting will make it harder, you know," he commented. "Haven't you heard that you should get right back on a horse after you're thrown to conquer the fear?"
"I'm not afraid!" She protested.
"Aren't you?" he taunted.
"Come on, Jeff," Arlene called from the deep end of the pool.
"I'll swim later." Diane assured him. "You go ahead."
"Suit yourself." He dived in.
Dejectedly, she watched his lean, powerful body slice through the water as he swam to meet Arlene, who was prettily poised on the edge, to show off her shapely figure for him.
Diane watched them romp in the water together for a minute, then buried her face in her book again to shut out the painful picture.
But it was no use, she couldn't keep her eyes from returning to the laughing pair in the water.
Finally she could stand it no longer. Thankful that Arlene was leaving soon, she fervently hoped she would never see that woman again. She put on her cover-up and went inside to browse in the hotel shops for a while.
Remembering that she had promised her family and the girls in the office souvenir postcards, postmarked in Puerto Vallarta, she bought some. Then she sat down in the lobby to write on them, even though she was sure that she would arrive home before the postcards.
Vince saw her there and stopped to ask her if she had heard anything unusual. She shook her head.
"I suppose it was a long shot, anyway. But I thought maybe, when everyone was drinking, and with the three of us spread out among the group, we might get lucky."
Thankfully, Jeff and Arlene were nowhere to be seen when Diane went back to the poolside restaurant for lunch. She assumed he had taken her to the airport.
"How about joining me for some lunch?" Cathy asked, coming up behind her. Diane glanced about, but didn't see Sandy. "Sandy went back to bed, nursing his headache," Cathy said, shrugging. "He deserves to feel rotten, after all he drank last night."
Diane smiled, relieved, and they settled for a table under a palm tree where they could see both the people playing in the ocean and those in the pool.
They enjoyed a leisurely lunch. Then Cathy went back upstairs and Diane happily went back to her towel and book. Luckily no one had taken them from the lounge chair where she had so carelessly left them earlier.
She began smoothing sunscreen over her legs and arms, noting that she was getting a little more browned than when she had come, but not nearly as tanned as she'd hoped.
"Here, let me do your back."
She jumped and turned to find Jef
f had returned and was sitting on the lounge chair beside her.
"Okay." She handed him the bottle and turned her back so he couldn't read the pleasure on her face. If she wasn't careful she was going to give herself away, lighting up like a Christmas tree every time he showed her any attention.
And certainly the last thing she wanted was his sympathy for her if she should foolishly let him see that she'd fallen in love with him. What a conversation piece that would make for him and Arlene to chat about.
A shiver slid over her body as his strong hands gently spread the lotion over her back. His fingers felt more like he was caressing her than merely apply lotion. She closed her eyes, enjoying the memory of what those hands had done when making love in that languorous way.
"My, my, what a pretty domestic scene," Sandy's scathing voice brought her back to reality with a bump.
"Hello, Sandy," Jeff said, his voice calm and unconcerned as he put the cap back on lotion bottle and handed it to Diane. "All recovered from your hangover?"
"Humph," Sandy grunted. "I can out-swim you with three headaches." He dived in and swam off.
"Ready for a swim, Diane?"
"Later. I don't want to wash off this lotion." She deliberately flattened her lounge chair and turned over to lay on her stomach so he couldn't see her face. No way was she going into the same pool with Sandy.
"Hey, I understand, Diane," Jeff said softly.
She sat back up, and smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks. I keep hearing his mocking voice," she shuddered. "'Jeff thinks he has exclusive rights to the best of everything, doesn't he? First he hogs the software rights, now all the girls.'"
"What?"
Diane blushed. "I'm sorry. Apparently he was referring to me and Arlene, though why he should care, I don't know. After all, he has Cathy..."
"Not that. About software rights. Exactly what did he say?"
Diane frowned, concentrating. "Nothing more, I'm sure, just that comment, 'First he hogs the software rights, now all the girls." She stared at Jeff, who was staring at Sandy, swimming at the other end of the pool. "Is it important?"
"I think so. I have to make a phone call." He headed off into the hotel at a trot, leaving Diane wondering what it all meant.
Banning Corporation people managed to keep Jeff busy, though he seemed always to keep Diane in sight. She tried not to notice, concentrating on reading her book. She noted that Sandy had left and Jeff and his father were sitting on lounge chairs across the pool from her, deep in conversation.
For a man who claimed to not get along with his father, she thought wryly, he spent a great deal of time talking to him. And she certainly wasn't doing a very good job of keeping them apart; though she was no longer sure they wanted her to.
She wondered if they were discussing their information leak. Or perhaps, she thought gloomily, Vince was talking him into returning to Banning Corporation, as Arlene had said he would. She could hardly blame Jeff if he did. Money and power must be very tempting, to say nothing of the sexy and obviously very willing Arlene as a side dish.
But nothing was said at dinner that night to reveal it if he was thinking of returning. Sandy failed to appear and Cathy was in a cheerful, chatty mood. She and Sara managed to keep up a running commentary on the day's trip, so no one noticed Diane's lack of conversation. At last the group meal by the pool ended.
They changed into jeans and gathered on the beach for the donkey races. They older members sat on the rock wall or brought folding chairs down to watch. The younger members chose teams and then the teams took turns racing on the beach.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the silliness and laughed heartily at their efforts to make the donkeys run. Some refused and others cooperated bringing wild cheers from the onlookers.
When the races ended, the crowd dispersed and the handlers led the donkeys back down the beach.
Jeff asked Diane to walk down the beach with him. They followed the same path they had a couple of nights earlier. The beach was very quiet here, but they could hear voices and laughter from the outdoor patio bar.
They came to some lawn chairs someone had left on the beach and Jeff settled into one, pulling her down onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her. One kiss led to another and soon nothing seemed to matter but each other.
“So here you are,” Vince said, interrupting them.
“Vince!” Both Jeff and Diane jumped guiltily. Jeff helped her off his lap and she settled into the adjoining chair and quickly straightened her clothes, grateful for the gathering dusk.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I have some news we need to discuss,” Vince said.
“I should be getting back anyway,” Diane said, rising.
Vince said, “Wait a minute, Diane. I want to ask you something, too.”
“Yes?” she said, surprised.
“Would you object to my offering your father a job with Banning?”
“You mean in Milwaukee?”
“No, this is something he could work on for us from home.”
“But, I don’t understand. What could he do from home?”
“A lot, if he would be interested. Jeff says he’s pretty computer savvy, and we need people like that.”
Diane said, “It certainly sounds ideal, if…” She glanced worriedly at Jeff. “Well, I mean, you’re not just making a job for him because you feel sorry for him?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t do that. This is a legitimate job, Diane.”
“Then I have no objections. But I can’t speak for Dad or Mom. You’ll have to ask him.”
Vince nodded. “Good. Jeff can talk it over with him the next time you both drive up to see him.”
Jeff nodded and Diane slipped away to her room.
She sat at her window savoring the gorgeous moonlit scene below her.
Soon they would return home and the week would be over. She wondered if there would ever be another like it. Would Jeff continue with the agency? And if he did, could she bear to continue seeing him when he didn't return her love? How could she stand it?
Only one more day to go, then the trip home. She could manage that, couldn't she?
Chapter 14
The next day passed in a rush of last minute details.
Numbly, Diane went about her work. She and Jeff spoke as little as possible and rarely even looked at each other.
At last everyone was gathered in the side hallway and Lola was directing taxis to take them to the airport. It seemed all the vans were busy, so they had to use many taxis instead. Why is there always some last minute foul-up? she fretted.
"Why do you carry a coat?" Lola asked. "You won't need it until you get home. You should have left it there!"
"Oh, no," Diane returned. "I did that on one trip, and it turned out that when we returned to Fargo, North Dakota, it was thirty degrees below zero. I'd left my coat in my car, we had a half hour ride in an unheated bus from the airport to our hotel where I'd left my car. I was never so cold in my life." She shuddered, remembering. "Never again. They can just laugh at me all they please, and call me a snowbird. But if it's twenty below zero when we land in Minneapolis, I want my coat handy."
"Perhaps you should put it on now," Jeff commented sourly. "It might help thaw out the ice in your heart."
Tears burned behind Diane's eyelids and she turned quickly away to hide them. How could she pretend everything was fine long enough to get home?
With a last thank you to Pedro and Lola, she and Jeff picked up their hand luggage and coats and climbed into the last taxi for the airport.
As they waited at the gate to board, Jeff took a lot of kidding about the large straw hat he was wearing.
"Don't you mind?" Esther asked him as the tenth person ribbed him about it.
"Not really," he grinned good-naturedly. "It'll be worth it to see the smile on Joey's face."
But Diane noticed that not everyone was feeling kindly towards Jeff. There were a good many angry looks as well, no doubt reflecting the fact that they bl
amed Jeff for his involvement with the computer virus. Jeff seemed not to notice.
Jeff had retrieved everyone's passports and boarding passes from the hotel safe before they left, and now she helped him distribute them preparatory to boarding. They stood at the windows of the airport, watching an incoming group deplane, and shout with glee at the warm sunshine.
The change was always exciting, always new and unbelievable.
How she loved traveling, she marveled. She must keep this job! She glanced at Jeff, who was standing at the window farther down, and seemed as engrossed in the happy scene before them as she. She wondered if he would really give it up and go back to Banning Corporation as Arlene had said. She was glad he was keeping his distance, making it easier to pretend that everything was alright.
It was still sixty five degrees in Phoenix, when they landed a few hours later. But it seemed decidedly cool after a week of constant eighty degree temperatures and Diane was glad she had dressed warmly.
They went through customs and she gave up the apple she had thoughtlessly packed, forgetting Arizona's ban on all agricultural products, even those just passing through.
At last they were on the last leg home. She was a bit chagrinned at being seated beside Vince again, thinking he might resent the love scene he had interrupted the night before. She saw that Jeff was seated with Mr. Harris on the opposite aisles seat just two rows ahead of her.
But Vince soon put her at ease and the hours passed quickly. By the time the plane began losing altitude at Minneapolis, she had forgotten her embarrassment and was chatting as easily as she did with her own father. Vince seemed to take an unusual interest in her answers to his questions.
She decided she liked him very much. Of course, she thought, she was ready to like anyone connected with Jeff.
Her eyes rested on the back of his head, painfully remembering the crisp feel of that curly brown hair in her fingers when they'd made love. Why, oh why, did this computer virus problem have to come between them? They had come so close to happiness! She swallowed the lump in her throat with an effort.
Vince’s eyes followed hers to Jeff, and he noted the pained look on her face. "By the way," he smiled at her. "We did narrow the information leak suspects drastically on this trip. Thanks for your help."