by Marie Astor
“Gee, let’s see….” Lindsay tapped her lips with her finger. “Maybe that’s because he likes you?”
“That’s not what I meant. I know he likes me. If he doesn’t, then he just goes around kissing women for no reason. Why did he have to invite me to go tango dancing?”
“Mmmm… Probably because he is a tango instructor.”
“I know that, but I told him that I don’t like dancing of any kind, especially tango.”
“Well, maybe he hopes to change your mind. Or maybe, he saw through your lies.”
“What do you mean?” Claire reddened.
“When are you going to get over that juvenile trauma of yours? So you got called a fat kid by some washed up dance instructor in a suburban dance school. So what? That was almost twenty years ago. Get over it already, and start dancing! And I don’t just mean literally. Life is a dance floor, and if you keep avoiding it, you’ll never get to experience anything - most of all, being in love.”
“When was I avoiding life?”
“Constantly. I’m not talking about your professional life,” Lindsay retracted. “There you take all the chances in the world, and you come out on top.”
“Thank you for noticing.” Claire rolled her eyes. If she had known that asking Lindsay to help her pick out an outfit for her date tomorrow night would involve a lecture, she would have gone on her own.
“But in your personal life, you always play it safe.” Lindsay threw up her hands. “You never take any chances.”
“I did take a chance in Miss Katz’s class.”
“That was too long ago to count.”
“It’s easy for you to say. You’ve always looked the way you look now. You didn’t have to spend years locked up in a chubby body. Yes, my memorable audition at Miss Katz’s class was a long time ago, but it doesn’t feel like that to me, and I just don’t want to get hurt again.”
“But Claire, you did get hurt.” Lindsay paused. “For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve always gone for the seemingly perfect guy, and those types always end up stabbing you in the back. Like in high school when Peter Donovan asked you to the prom, you said no because he drove a motorcycle and looked like Jason Priestly. Instead, you opted for that nerd Jake Gilhooly, who spent the entire prom flirting with what’s her name…”
“Helena Carter. She was the class valedictorian.”
“Yes, that snotty bitch. So Jake Gilhooly danced with Helena, while you sat in the corner all by yourself, and Peter was off dancing with Amber. She was smart enough not to turn him down.”
“Well, so what? Jake and I went as friends. It was understood that there’d be no romance involved, so there were no hard feelings. And Helena’s date bailed on her at the last minute…”
“So it was okay for her to steal your date?” Lindsay stared Claire down. “Tell me right now that it didn’t hurt sitting there all by yourself with that pathetic jerk Gilhooly chatting up another girl.”
“What is the point of this? I thought you told me to let go of the past.”
“That is exactly the point. You always play it safe, and you always end up getting hurt, David being the most recent example.”
“He keeps sending me flowers, you know.”
“The nerve of that slimeball. Does he think that he can buy his way into forgiveness?”
“It wasn’t just David’s fault.” Claire halted. As embarrassing as it was, Lindsay was right. When it came to picking guys, she did always go for the safest bet, and more often than not, she got hurt because of it. “I didn’t really love him, and he must have sensed it, so I can’t really blame him. Sure, it hurts having been made a fool of, but I’m as much to blame as he is. He was just the first to slip, that’s all.” At the last bit, Claire’s voice broke off, and she worried that she just might lose her composure right there, on the shopping room floor of Bloomingdale’s.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so hard on you.” Lindsay’s voice was quiet with guilt. “Who am I to talk? I’ve got a big mouth, while I myself am guilty of the same offense. I dated that snake Matthew because I convinced myself that I loved him for his mind, while in reality I thought that he was too nerdy to dump me. Well, I certainly got my wakeup call with that one… Jake is the first guy I really took a chance on, and I have you to thank for it, Claire.”
“You’ve got an odd way of saying thanks.”
Lindsay lowered her eyes. “I got carried away, but I just want you to be happy, like I am now.”
“Thanks.” Claire nodded. “I know. Now if you could just help me pick out an outfit for tomorrow night, I’ll be all set.”
“How about this one?”
“Don’t you think the color is too much? I hardly ever wear red…” Claire dubiously examined the dress that Lindsay had selected. It had a pleated deep v-neckline and flared above-the-knee skirt. The red fabric was gorgeous. Claire just was not sure it would look gorgeous on her.
“The red is perfect because the dress cut is reserved.”
“I’d hardly call this neckline reserved!”
“Yes, but the sleeves are long, so that balances everything out. This dress says confident, open to adventure, yet in control.”
“I think you’re putting too much into it.”
“Just try it on, already. Trust me. Adrianna Pappell is an awesome designer. She really knows a woman’s body.”
When Claire stepped out of the dressing room cubicle to take a look in the larger mirror that hung in the dressing room corridor, she knew that Lindsay had been right. The dress looked stunning on her. I look so hot; it’s going to drive Alec wild, Claire thought gleefully of her upcoming date, even daring to imagine for one brief instant how the dress’s flared skirt would swing about her body to the beat of tango.
“Now all your need are shoes and a bag. We can look for accessories downstairs. I’m thinking no more than two-inch heels for the pumps. You will, after all, be dancing.” Lindsay winked.
An hour later, Claire was approaching the lobby of her building. In her hand she carried shopping bags containing the fruits of her spree: dark navy patent pumps to complement the red dress and a matching patent navy clutch. She had spent much more than she had intended, but justified the expense by thinking that the shoes were sensible enough to be worn to the office and the red dress could be worn to the office holiday party.
It was going to be a wonderful evening tomorrow. She would leave work at five on the dot, get her hair and nails done and look absolutely stunning for Alec.
And maybe, just maybe she would brush up on her tango steps tonight, what little she remembered of them. These days you could find anything on the Internet, and Claire was fairly certain that she could find a quick tango tutorial on YouTube. Just to think that tomorrow, at this time, she would be sitting next to Alec, gazing into his eyes, flirting with him wittily. Well, at least Claire hoped that she would be able to conjure up a few entertaining remarks. Perhaps YouTube would have a tutorial on flirting as well.
Claire checked her mail and was about to head for the elevator when she heard footsteps in the hallway accompanied by a familiar laugh. There was no mistaking who the owner of that laugh was. Her heart had jumped too often to its sound for her to forget. Alec.
What was she to do? The logical thing would be to come out and greet him, but how was she to explain the packages in her hands? The last thing she wanted was for Alec to think that she had gone out on a shopping spree for their date tomorrow, even though that was exactly what she had done. On the other hand, he might pop into the mailroom, and how would she explain her hiding there? She had to make a decision quickly.
Claire’s indecision was terminated when she heard another voice intermingled with Alec’s: a woman’s voice. How dumb of her it was to think that Alec was alone. After all, only crazy people laughed by themselves.
Claire clutched her mail to her chest, hoping that Alec and his companion would pass the mailroom without stopping by. Her wish was granted, and Claire exh
aled a tiny sigh of relief.
When Claire heard the voices trailing off down the hallway, she tiptoed to the edge of the mailroom and peeked from behind the wall, immediately wishing she had not. She really did not need to see Alec wrapping his arm around some random girl. Claire squinted, praying that neither Alec nor his companion would sense her stare. On second glance, it was not just some random girl. Claire had seen her with Alec before: Sabina or Faina, or some such name? Claire was too flustered to attempt remembering her rival’s last name. Well, fair was fair, and Sabina had met Alec well before Claire, so she had first dibs, which pretty much put the kaput on Claire’s plans for tomorrow night.
Chapter 33
“What do you mean you’re not going to get your hair and nails done?” Lindsay fumed on the other end of the line. “I hate going to those places by myself.”
Claire lowered her voice, regretting not having made the call on her cell phone. She did not have much privacy at her desk.
“I just can’t. I have too much work to do for the Castelan exhibition. I have to stay late tonight.”
“You’re cancelling your date with Alec, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not.” Technically, this was true. Claire had not called off her evening with Alec because she still did not have his phone number, and after what she had seen yesterday, she did not think she owed him any explanations. She simply planned to skip their date by staying late at the office.
“Then come out and get your nails done with me. It only takes forty minutes, tops. It’s only three o’clock now. There’s still a chance you’ll finish up on time. Besides, they’ll charge me a late cancellation fee if you don’t show up. It’s not some run of the mill parlor we’re going to – it’s a first-grade spa.”
Claire bit her lip. She had forgotten all about the late fees. Just because she was a klutz when it came to dating did not mean that Lindsay had to pay the price.
“I’ll be there. I’ll just take my work home for the weekend.”
“Good. I’ll see you there.”
At five o’clock sharp, Claire rose from behind her desk.
“Have a great time tonight.” Jake winked.
“How do you know about,” Claire stopped herself short. “Are you telling me that now that you’re dating my friend I have no privacy?”
“Am I not your friend?” Jake stuck out his lower lip, making puppy eyes. “And here I was thinking we were so close.”
“You won’t get any pity out of me, Mister.” Claire made a mental note to read Lindsay the riot act. Sure she and Jake were in love, but that did not mean that Lindsay had to share every detail of Claire’s love life, correction, absence of love life, with her boyfriend.
“I expect a full report on Monday.” Jake grinned. “I always thought that red was your color.”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer.” Claire shook her head. Speaking of red, she would have to return the dress over the weekend. She could not possibly wear it now.
“I told you you’d get out of the office on time.” Lindsay beamed at Claire.
“You were right. The Castelan exhibition is finally planned.” At least this part was true. Claire had been working her tail off for the event, and now all the exhibits on loan were confirmed, and the exhibition format was finalized. Just this morning, the event date had been set to six months from today, and now, the rest of the planning was in the hands of Fink’s public relations department. There would be one missing piece, however: instead of the original of Castelan’s photo by his building, there would be a copy. Claire had explained to her boss and everyone concerned at the Fink Corporation that the owner was not willing to lend the original photograph, and after much discussion, all parties agreed not to pursue the subject any further.
“Claire and Lindsay. We have a five-thirty appointment.” Lindsay informed the spa receptionist.
“Excellent. Please have a seat. The manicurist will be right with you.” The spa attendant motioned to plush couches in the waiting area.
Claire perched herself at the edge of a couch. A table water fountain making soothing burbling noises, along with the lavender aroma hovering the air, were clearly intended to help visitors relax, but relaxation was the last thing on her mind.
“So, what color are you going to get?” Lindsay fumbled through a fashion magazine.
“I was thinking of doing a French manicure maybe.”
“French? You’re going to a tango club, honey, not an accountant convention. How about burgundy?”
Indeed, burgundy had been Claire’s original pick, but now that her evening would not be going as planned, she saw no reason to waste a manicure, so she might as well pick a practical color and tell her friend the truth. Lindsay was bound to find out eventually.
“Lindsay, I’m not going out with Alec tonight.”
“I knew it - I knew it! What happened? What did the poor guy do now that’s not to your likening?”
“Only happened to have a girlfriend he forgot to mention.”
“What?” Lindsay’s eyes grew twice their size. “Tell me everything.”
“I saw him with her last night when I was coming back from the store. She’s blond, about five foot five, got a perfect dancer’s body. He had his arm around her; they were laughing the whole time.”
“What did Alec say when he saw you?”
“He didn’t say anything: they didn’t see me. I was in the mailroom, hiding.”
“So how do you know she’s his girlfriend? She could be just his friend or dance partner.”
“Yeah, sure, a friend coming out of his apartment with his arms wrapped around her, and she also happens to be insanely good-looking.”
“Would you stop being so bitter? I’m telling you, you don’t have enough evidence to condemn the guy.”
“I saw her with him a few weeks back. They were in the elevator together. The way they acted around each other was so intimate, they had to be dating.”
“And Alec never mentioned her to you?”
“Never. I guess he thinks that it’s completely acceptable to date several women at the same time. Unless you’re going to tell me that he only wants to be friends with me too.”
Lindsay waved off Claire’s last remark. “Sarcasm is best served in small quantities. So, let’s get the facts straight: you saw him with this girl before, but did you ever see them kiss or display any PDA?”
“I just told you, he had his arm around her.”
“Yes, but was he merely casually hugging her shoulder, or did his hand reach past her waist, all the way to her ass?”
Claire closed her eyes, trying to recall the scene from yesterday, conjuring up the image that she would much rather forget for good.
“He had his arm around her shoulder.”
“Well, that’s harmless enough. They could be just friends.”
“But how do you explain the fact that she keeps hanging out in his apartment?”
“I told you – she’s probably his dance partner or student.”
“He didn’t say anything about having a dance partner. I don’t even know if he’s competing.”
“See – there are lots of things you don’t know about the guy. Just give him a chance. Have you cancelled on him already?”
“No.” Claire lowered her eyes. “I was going to bail out by hiding out at the office.”
“That’s it. You’re going, and that’s final. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Even if he does happen to be the evil womanizer you paint him out to be, you’ll have a night out instead of sitting cooped up in your apartment - correction, office.”
“But don’t you think it would be wrong? Think of that poor girl. I’m the other woman now, and I’ve just been on the receiving end of it with David.”
“It sounds to me like that ‘poor girl’ can take care of herself. Do you really think that if Alec planned to cheat on his girlfriend, he would do it with his neighbor?”
“You’ve got a poin
t there.”
Just then a spa attendant entered the waiting room.
“So sorry for the delay. Please follow me. Have you decided on the color for your manicure?”
Claire already knew the answer. It was going to be burgundy, come hell or high water.
Claire surveyed her reflection in the foyer mirror of her apartment. She looked stunning, even if she did say so herself, and even if she were about to go out with a man who was completely unavailable. The red dress framed her hourglass figure, making her waist look extra slim and showing off her legs. Her hair had been blow-dried at the spa, and now it framed her face and neck in soft waves. Claire had wanted to put it up, but Lindsay had insisted that she leave it down, claiming that men liked women’s hair long and loose. Well, if tonight’s date were going to go nowhere, that would be through no fault of Claire’s. She could not remember the last time she had put so much effort into primping herself for a man. Perhaps that was the reason why David looked elsewhere, a treacherous thought crept into her mind. Stop it, Claire shook her head. Now was not the time to examine the motivations behind David Lawson’s infidelity. Tonight was going to be her night, even if she were stealing it from another woman. For one evening, Claire would permit herself not to care - or at least pretend not to.
At eight o’clock sharp, the doorbell rang. The shrill sound jarred through the air, sending Claire’s heartbeat into overtime. She took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, she thought and flung open the door.
“Hello, Claire.” Alec greeted her. He looked positively dapper in a tailored, navy pinstriped suit that showed off his broad shoulders and tight waist.
“Hi.” Claire blushed. Her heart was beating a million beats a minute. Was Alec going to kiss her? She would be a liar if she said that she did not want him to, but there was the matter of the other woman to consider.