“We’ll be sitting down,” she mumbled. “Maybe he won’t notice.”
She stared at the dress, knowing it was that or a frumpy skirt and blouse, both of which had been old and out of style three years ago.
She sighed, then stripped off her shirt and new jeans. She unzipped the dress and dropped it over her head.
As she went to the mirror, she tugged at the waist. To her astonishment, it was loose. She could actually pull a little fabric away from her skin.
She drew in a deep breath. Her rib cage expanded, but didn’t press against the bodice. Cautiously, barely daring to hope, she turned and stared at her profile. The dress hung smoothly off her hips and the small of her back. There was no bunching, no snugness.
“It fits!”
She grinned at her reflection. All the low-fat food and exercise had been worth it! She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself as she spun in a circle.
“Mr. Stone Ward, here I come.”
*
An hour later, Cathy entered the dining room. Ula had set the large table with two place settings, next to each other at the far end. Fine crystal and glass glowed. There were candles but little other lighting.
For a single heartbeat, Cathy allowed herself to believe this was the romantic dinner she’d fantasized about in her shower. Maybe Stone had been swept away by her transformation and he’d—
Get over it, she thought, and firmly squashed the thought. The light was dim because Stone was nervous about his scars. For no other reason. She reminded herself that her imagination was allowed free rein only when she was alone, but when she was with Stone—especially now that they were going to be in the light instead of in the protective cover of shadow—she had better keep her mind on reality. She wouldn’t want to embarrass him, or herself.
“Good evening.”
She spun toward the sound and found him standing in the entrance to the dining room. He’d replaced his more casual shirt and jeans with a dress shirt and slacks. She was grateful that she’d thought to change into a dress, and even more grateful that it fit her well.
“Hi.” Butterflies took up residence in her tummy. It was the new circumstances, she told herself, hoping the soft-shoe show they were performing against her rib cage would be a short one.
He walked toward the table and held out one of the chairs. It took her a second to realize he meant for her to sit in it. She swallowed hard. She’d seen men do that in the movies, but she hadn’t known anyone did that in real life.
By the time he poured her a glass of wine, she didn’t know if she was going to shriek with delight or just quietly swoon. Neither sounded appealing, so she followed his lead and when he raised his glass to her, she did the same.
“To friends,” he said.
“Friends,” she echoed, and took a sip. The white wine was tart but smooth, and she liked the way it made her tongue tingle. She’d had wine before. It had always been served at the answering service’s holiday party. But she knew that whatever Stone had in his home was very different from the boxed liquid she’d had in the past.
Ula brought the first course—a salad with cut-up fresh vegetables. By now Cathy was used to the flavor of the fat-free dressing the housekeeper served. She gave the woman a smile, then picked up her fork.
As she chewed, she looked around the oversize room. There were two chandeliers, a buffet against the opposite wall and a built-in china cabinet at the far end of the room. Beneath her feet was an Oriental carpet that probably cost more than she’d made in the past three years combined.
“You’re looking serious about something,” Stone said. “Want to share your thoughts?”
She finished chewing, then spoke. “I’m a little out of my element here,” she confessed. “Sometimes I feel as if I’ve gotten caught up in one of those glitzy made-for-television movies or something. I’m just plain Cathy Eldridge, from North Hollywood. What on earth am I doing in your world?”
“You’re recovering from your accident.”
She looked at him. He’d seated her so she faced his right side. She couldn’t see his scars. Knowing they were there wasn’t enough of a distraction. He was still too good-looking by far.
“I don’t belong here.”
“Of course you do. You’re my guest.” His voice had a note of finality, as if the issue had been resolved.
“It’s not that simple,” she told him. “I still don’t understand why you’re doing this. Why aren’t you furious with me?” She took a sip of wine, hoping the alcohol would give her courage. “I lied to you.”
“We’ve been over this, and I told you it doesn’t matter. I understand.” He leaned toward her. “I mean that, Cathy. I do understand. More than anyone. You think I haven’t wished I could hide behind a mask? In a way, I do that every day. This house is my refuge, but it’s also my prison.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Yes, you have scars, but they’re not so terrible. I’m not kidding. I expected them to be much worse. A few people would stare, but they’d get over it. I wish you wouldn’t lock yourself up here. It’s not healthy.”
“No, but this salad is.” He speared a mushroom.
“You’re trying to change the subject.”
“I’m doing more than trying. Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “Just accept that you’re here. I’m glad I could help.”
“You have. You’ve been wonderful.”
He must have heard something in her voice because his gaze sharpened. He stared at her.
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t make me more than I am. The reason I hide away is that I’m little more than a beast.”
“Don’t say that. You’re not. You’re gentle and kind and—”
He placed his hand on hers, but the gesture wasn’t romantic or even friendly. He meant it as a warning.
“I’m many things, but I’m neither gentle nor kind.” He motioned to his face. “These aren’t the only scars. You would do well to remember that. I can be dangerous. If you forget that, you do so at your own risk.”
Chapter Eight
Cathy squinted at the readout on the calculator, but it didn’t help. No matter how she looked at the numbers, there wasn’t very much in her checking account. Living with Stone kept her expenses minimal, but she still had to pay the mortgage and basic utilities on her house. While her salary had never been very high at her job, the temporary disability payment she received during her recovery was even less. There was always her savings account, she thought, then wondered if the meager amount would cover the bills still left to pay.
She dropped the calculator onto the glass tabletop and resolved not to think about that any more today. The bills would still be waiting for her in the morning. It was a beautiful afternoon, and she wanted to enjoy the sunshine.
She stretched her arms over her head, then turned to look out at the ocean. Blue water sparkled in the warm sunlight. Pepper had worked her hard that morning during their physical-therapy session, and her muscles ached pleasantly. Cathy no longer minded sweating or pushing herself during their workouts. She was seeing the results more quickly now. Not only was her knee healing, but the rest of her muscles were also toning up. She was able to do some aerobic exercise, and that had helped speed up her weight loss. Thankfully her stomach had gotten used to Ula’s sensible portion sizes while her brain had ceased screaming for chocolate every five minutes. She knew she still had a long way to go before she would be at the weight she wanted, but she was definitely getting healthy and feeling good about herself.
“You look like a cat preening in the sun.”
She turned toward the voice and saw Stone walking toward her. He moved with an easy grace she envied. Not only because her knee still gave her a little trouble, but also because he was so physically amazing. She barely noticed the scars on his face, and when his right profile was to her, he was incredibly handsome. Despite the time they’d spent together, or maybe because she was getting to know him and liking him more, she found
that he still took her breath away.
There was something inherently masculine about his easy stride, his tall, lean body. Worn jeans hugged his hips and thighs. His white shirt was rolled up to the elbows, exposing muscular forearms. He was the kind of man women dreamed about, and she was no exception.
He pulled sunglasses out of his shirt pocket and slipped them on, then took the wicker chair opposite hers.
“I saw you sitting out here,” he said as he smiled at her. “You looked so comfortable and content, I thought I’d join you.”
“I didn’t know you ever went outside during the day,” she said without thinking, then could have cheerfully bitten off her tongue. Talk about an insensitive remark!
“Sorry, Stone,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know what you meant,” he told her. “I don’t usually go out much at all and when I do, I prefer the shadows of night. But my scars don’t seem to bother you, so I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“I don’t. I like spending time with you.” She nearly groaned out loud. Talk about having a case of foot-in-mouth disease this morning. “What I mean is we have fun together. And I don’t notice the scars. They’re not that bad anyway.”
Ula appeared on the steps and called out an offer for something to drink. Stone accepted for both of them. Cathy took the moment to try to compose herself. Being around him always made her feel fluttery. Sometimes when they were talking about politics or books they’d read, she could go toe-to-toe with him and hold her ground in the discussion. But when she remembered their differences in position, or that he’d been to college and ran a multimilliondollar business, she became tongue-tied.
Stone relaxed back in his chair. She was pleased that he was so comfortable with her. It had been little more than a week since she’d first walked in on him and seen his scars. Since then, they’d been spending more time together. They’d shared all their dinners and most lunches.
Cathy was willing to believe that Stone liked her—at least as a friend. He’d been good to her. He’d even warned her away from him.
She remembered that conversation, which they’d had the first night they’d eaten dinner together. He’d told her he was little more than a beast. She’d thought about it a lot, and she’d finally figured out what he really meant. He’d been gently telling her that he wasn’t for her. No doubt he’d realized she had a huge crush on him and he didn’t want to embarrass either of them by encouraging her to act on her inappropriate feelings. While she was a little chagrined he’d read her so easily, she was grateful he’d found a gentle way to let her down. The crush was still alive and well, but she was working hard to keep him from knowing.
Ula returned with their drinks. Cathy took a sip of her low-cal soda on ice. Every time she wanted a sugary drink or felt a hunger pang, she reminded herself that her body was burning calories and if she could hang on just for the rest of the day, she would have accomplished something. That’s what she was trying to do—go it one day at a time. As her mother had often said, on those rare occasions when she’d been sober, clichés were clichés for a reason: they were usually accurate assessments of life.
Stone downed half of his iced tea, then pointed at the papers in front of her. “What are you doing?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Paying bills. Or trying to. I’m getting disability until I go back to work in a couple of weeks. At least the house payment is tiny. The place is old, and my mom never took out a second mortgage. That helps.” She spoke lightly, not wanting Stone to think she was trying to beg or borrow money. “I’ll be fine.”
He set down his glass and leaned forward. “The doctor cleared you to go back to work in two weeks?”
She’d had an appointment earlier in the week. Cathy nodded. “Actually he said I could return whenever I wanted. My boss gave me the extra time. He wants me a hundred percent when I return.” She smiled. “Eddie’s kind of gruff on the outside, but underneath it all, he’s a sweetie.”
“Is that what you want?”
Cathy opened her mouth, then closed it. “I don’t understand the question.”
“Do you want to go back to work?”
She still wasn’t sure what information he was after. Her heart sank. Maybe he was trying to tell her that it was time to move on. After all, she was fairly mobile, and the doctor had said she was cleared to drive.
Disappointment overwhelmed her. She wished they were back in the dark so she wouldn’t have to guard her expression. Of course, she thought. He wanted her gone and his house to himself. She should have figured that out sooner.
“I do plan to take the extra couple of weeks,” she admitted. The prospect of returning to her graveyard shift at the answering service was not appealing. “But I won’t wait that long to get out of your way. You’ve been more than kind, and I don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality. I probably should have left sooner. I apologize. It’s just everything has been so lovely, I didn’t really think about it.” She shrugged lamely, then cleared her throat. Please God, let her not cry until she was alone.
“No!” Stone said forcefully. “I’m not hinting that I want you to leave. Quite the opposite. I want you to stay with me as long as you like. At minimum, until you’re ready to go back to work. No arguments. I insist.”
“I—” She didn’t know what to say. The truth was she wanted to be with Stone for as long as possible. His dark gaze was so intense, she decided she could believe him. After all, he was a successful businessman. He wouldn’t be where he was today if he had trouble telling people no.
One comer of his mouth twisted down. “Unless you’d rather leave. You’re not a prisoner here.”
“No,” she said quickly. “I’d like to stay. Thank you for asking me. You’re very kind.”
“I’ll make you a deal, kid. Stop telling me I’m kind, and you can move in permanently if you like.”
He was teasing, but for a second she allowed herself to believe it was true. That the fantasies that filled her night were real and that Stone cared about her as more than a friend.
“You are kind,” she said, “but I’ll stop saying it.”
“Then we have a deal?”
She nodded.
He finished his iced tea. “I have fourteen phone calls to return,” he said, then rose to his feet. “Thanks for letting me join you.”
He circled around the table and paused by her chair. Before she could figure out what he was going to do, he leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. Then he was gone.
Cathy watched him walk into the house. She knew that his mind was already a million miles away, or at least up in his office dealing with business. She knew that the gesture had been friendly and even absentminded. He probably didn’t know what he’d done. But she could still feel the soft pressure of his lips on the top of her head and the way he’d briefly squeezed her shoulder in passing. She would remember and tonight, before she slept, she would play out her fantasy of the two of them. She would pretend that his touch had meant so much more.
*
“You’ve promised,” Pepper said two weeks later as she folded up her table.
Cathy grinned. “I know and I mean it. I’m going to work out at least five times a week. Forty-five minutes of aerobics, and I’m going to keep up the weight training, too.”
“Three times a week is best on that,” Pepper reminded her. “I’ll let you slide with twice a week, but only when things are really hectic. You’ve done great and you don’t want to lose that, do you?”
Cathy shook her head. She followed her physical therapist to her van and helped her stow the equipment. Pepper turned toward her and gave her a hug. “You’ve worked really hard and it shows. Be proud of yourself, okay?”
“I will.”
Cathy stood in the driveway and waved as the other woman drove down to the street. When Pepper was no longer in sight, Cathy bounded up the steps to the big house, then let herself in the front door.
She paused in the foyer. She wasn’t really sure what to do next. The truth was she had to make some decisions with her life. She’d been at Stone’s house for nearly six weeks, and she couldn’t hide out here forever.
“Time to act like a grown-up,” she told herself as she settled on the bottom step and drew her knees up to her chest.
As much as she would like to stay here and enjoy the life of the rich and reclusive, that wasn’t an option. She had her job back at the answering service waiting for her.
Cathy wrinkled her nose. She really didn’t want to go back to her old, boring life. She’d come so far in the past six weeks. She was eating right and exercising. She felt positive about herself; she was sleeping great. Just to make life even better, she’d lost fifteen pounds and nearly two sizes. Just five more pounds to go.
So her world had taken a turn for the better. The fire and her injuries could have been a horrible situation. Instead, she’d come through even better than before. She didn’t want to lose the momentum. She didn’t want to go back to what she’d been before. None of which answered the question, now what?
College was a possibility. Maybe a few classes while she was working. If she kept her night shift, she could take morning classes, then come home and sleep until she had to leave for work. She would have plenty of time to study at night. After midnight, the answering service really slowed down and Eddie had never cared if she read. Studying would be a more productive use of her time.
She didn’t have a clue as to what she wanted to study, but right now that wasn’t important. She could take a few general-education courses and get her bearings. It had been a long time since high school, and she was sure it was going to take some effort to get her brain used to studying again.
“That’s decided, then,” she said aloud, and rose to her feet. But instead of climbing the stairs, she sighed. She didn’t want to go. Not because the house was beautiful, or that there was someone to cook and clean, but because she didn’t want to leave Stone. She liked him. She certainly had a crush on him. She was probably a little in love with him. He would go on and forget all about her, but she would always remember him. He was the highlight of her life.
The Millionaire Bachelor Page 10