Ready for Romance

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“I believe he had a dinner engagement,” Damian explained.

“I see,” she muttered. In other words, he’d cheerfully abandoned her.

“You sound angry,” Damian said.

“I am. I worked through my lunch hour getting this stuff for him.” And dinner hour, too, she thought, feeling even angrier. She realized too late that she probably also sounded jealous.

“I’m sorry, Jessica.”

Evan’s thoughtlessness wasn’t Damian’s fault and she said so, then asked bluntly, “Is there anything to eat around here?” She blinked back unexpected tears. Hunger always had a strange effect on her emotions, but it was embarrassing, and she tried not to let Damian see.

“You mean you haven’t eaten since lunch?”

“Not since breakfast, unless you count an apple, and if I don’t eat soon I’m going to cry and you really wouldn’t want to witness that.” The words rushed out and she felt a sniffle coming on. “Never mind,” she muttered, turning away from him. She wiped her nose with her forearm and returned to the library. Several ponderous law volumes were spread open across the tables. She closed them and began lugging them back to the shelves.

“I found a package of soda crackers,” Damian said, coming into the room.

“Thanks,” she said, ripping away the clear plastic wrapper and sniffling again. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to act like this.” She ate a cracker quickly and managed to hold back a sob. “Don’t look so concerned. I just needed to eat.”

“Let me take you to dinner.” Damian lifted a couple of the volumes and replaced them for her.

“That isn’t necessary.” A second cracker had made its way into her mouth and she was beginning to feel more like herself.

“We owe you that much,” Damian countered. “Besides, I’m half-starved myself.”

“The least he could have done was waited,” Jessica fumed.

Ignoring her comment Damian suggested a popular seafood restaurant nearby.

“He made it sound like it was a matter of life and death, and then he doesn’t even bother to tell me he’s leaving,” she continued to fume. “You’re right,” she said as Damian cupped her elbow and led her out the door. “Evan has changed.”

Damian didn’t respond to this comment either.

They walked the three blocks to the restaurant. It wasn’t too crowded, and they were given immediate seating at a wooden table near one of the windows. Even better, the waitress brought hot bread and chowder no more than a minute after it was ordered. Damian must be a regular here to get such service, Jessica thought, her good mood restored now that her stomach had something warm and filling.

“This is excellent,” she said. “Thank you.” She sighed in contentment as she spooned up the last of her chowder.

Grinning, he finished his own soup, then reached for another piece of bread.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded. How like a man to keep something humorous to himself and then feel superior about it.

“I think I might just have averted a lawsuit. Can’t you hear it? ‘Woman Sues Boss over Lost Meals.”’

“I’d get a huge settlement.” The corners of her mouth twitched with a smile. Her eyes met Damian’s and soon their amusement had blossomed into full-blown grins.

He had very nice eyes, Jessica mused. They were a dark gray and revealed his keen intelligence, his sharp insight. She wanted to clear away any lingering misconception he had about her and Evan, but she couldn’t think of a way to do it without sounding as if she was jealous of whatever person Evan spent his personal time with.

Jessica wondered what Damian saw when he looked at her. Did he see the woman she’d become, or did he view her as the pesky kid next door who’d adamantly declared that his younger brother was her destiny?

The waitress arrived then with their main courses. Damian had ordered oysters and Jessica baked cod, which was delicious. By the time they’d finished, she felt completely restored.

“I said some things I shouldn’t have back at the office,” Jessica began, feeling self-conscious now but eager to explain. “You see—”

“You’d worked far longer than necessary and were starving to boot,” he interrupted. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I just wanted to be sure I hadn’t provoked you into firing me.”

“It’ll take more than a demand for food to do that,” he assured her, hardly disguising his amusement.

The June sky was dark and overcast and the temperature cooler as they came down the stairs and into the street. “It looks like rain,” Damian said. No sooner had he spoken when fat raindrops began to fall. Taking Jessica by the elbow, he raced across the street. Neither had thought to bring an umbrella.

“Here,” Damian said, running toward an alcove in front of a bookstore. The business had closed hours earlier, but the covered entrance was a good place to wait out the cloudburst. Jessica was breathless by the time they stopped. A chill raced over her and she rubbed her arms vigorously.

Damian’s much larger hands replaced hers, then he stopped and peeled off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders.

“Damian, I’m fine,” she protested, fearing he’d catch a chill himself.

“You’re shivering.”

The warmth of his coat was more welcome than she cared to admit. No doubt about it, Damian was a gentleman to the very core.

The downpour lasted a good ten minutes. Jessica was surprised at how quickly the time passed. When the storm dwindled to a drizzle and eventually stopped, Jessica discovered she was almost sorry. She was talking books with Damian and discovered they both shared an interest in murder mysteries. Damian was as well-read as she was, and they tossed titles and authors’ names back and forth without a pause.

“Did you drive to work this morning?” he asked.

She shook her head. She’d taken the subway.

“I’ll give you a lift home, then.”

“Really, Damian, that isn’t necessary. I don’t mind using public transit.”

“I mind,” he said in a voice that brooked no argument. “It’s too late for you to be out on the streets alone.”

How sweet of him to worry about her, she thought. “But I already have enough to thank you for.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was just thinking—I seem to be continually in your debt. You’ve got a heart of gold.”

He chuckled. “Hardly, little Jessica.”

“You hired me without any real job experience, then you fed me dinner, and now you’re driving me home.”

“It’s the least I can do.”

They returned to the office building, walking directly to the underground parking garage. Damian opened the car door for her and she nestled back in the leather seat.

One thing she’d learned during their time together was the fact that Damian was protective of his younger brother, though she doubted Evan appreciated that.

“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” she asked, without clarifying her question. Damian knew who she was talking about.

“Yeah,” he admitted.

“Evan’s the real reason you hired me, isn’t he? You think I might be able to help him through this…difficult time.” It wasn’t a responsibility she welcomed or wanted. She was about to explain that when she noticed the way his mouth quirked into an amused smile.

Instead, she told him sharply, “I’m not a silly fourteen-year-old infatuated with an older man. What I felt for your brother was just a crush. It was over years ago.” That was the simple truth.

His shrug was noncommittal.

“Nevertheless,” she forged on, “you hired me because of Evan?”

It took Damian a long time to answer. “Sometimes I wonder,” he finally said. “Sometimes I wonder.”

Three

J essica arrived early the following morning, hoping to have an opportunity to thank Damian again for dinner and more importantly to let him know how much she’d enjoyed the time they’d shared. But when she passed his office, the door was closed and his secretary was searching urgently through a file drawer. It didn’t look like the time to pop in unannounced.

Not surprisingly, Evan was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Sterling arrived ten minutes after Jessica, greeting her with a small approving smile, and set about sorting through the mail.

Jessica spent the first part of the morning organizing the material she’d researched the day before and typing up her notes. That way, Evan wouldn’t be forced to waste time deciphering her hasty scrawl.

She’d just completed printing out the results when a breathless Evan entered the office. From the look of him, he’d raced all the way up from the parking garage. Briefcase in hand, he marched up to her desk.

“Do you have those notes ready?” he asked, reaching for the file before Jessica had a chance to present it. She stood up, intending to discuss a number of points with him, but he brushed past her and hurried into his office without a word. She would have followed him, but he closed the door.

Jessica was taken aback; unsure of what to do, she looked at Mrs. Sterling. The secretary sighed and shrugged. “Working for Mr. Dryden can be a real trial,” she muttered, then grinned and added, “No pun intended.”

No sooner had Mrs. Sterling finished chuckling over her own little joke than Evan reappeared, looking composed and confident. He’d removed his raincoat and was leafing casually through the file. He looked over at Jessica and his face relaxed into a broad smile.

“You’re an angel,” he said, kissing her cheek as he walked past. Jessica had seen him kiss Mrs. Sterling in the same affectionate way.

“I’ll be in a meeting with Damian this morning,” Evan announced on his way out the door.

As the morning progressed, Jessica found herself wondering exactly what her role in the office was. Although Evan had recently been assigned the Earl Kress case, his work load had been light in the past few months. Now that she’d finished the research project, there was barely enough to keep her busy.

From various bits and pieces, Jessica had learned that Evan’s interest in corporate law had waned recently. Surely Damian hadn’t hired her expecting miracles! Since he was so closemouthed about Evan’s troubles, Jessica wondered if Mrs. Sterling could fill in some details. She didn’t want to be obvious about asking, which could prove tricky since the woman was so clearly devoted to her employer.

“That Evan’s a real charmer, isn’t he?” Jessica began conversationally.

“He always could charm the birds right out the trees,” Mrs. Sterling answered proudly.

“He’s different now from the way I remember him. More…intense.”

Evan’s secretary nodded and muttered, “I’d like to shoot that woman.”

Jessica’s heart leapt with excitement. “What woman?” she asked, hoping to hide her eagerness. She was about to learn what had happened to change Evan so drastically from the man she’d known.

Mrs. Sterling glanced up, as if surprised that Jessica had heard her mumbling. “Oh…it’s nothing.”

“But it must be something. Evan isn’t anything like he was a few years back. Oh, he’s charming and sweet, but there’s an edge to him now. A sharpness, I guess. Something I can’t put my finger on.” She looked expectantly at the other woman.

“That’s true enough,” Mrs. Sterling reluctantly conceded.

“You say a woman’s responsible for the changes in Evan?”

“Isn’t it always a woman?”

“What happened?” Might as well try a more direct approach, Jessica thought. Tact wasn’t getting her anywhere.

“It’s a pity, a real pity.”

“Yes, Evan just isn’t the same,” Jessica said, hoping to encourage the other woman to continue.

“It shouldn’t come as any surprise, really. Yet it does, Mr. Dryden being the charmer he is. Plain and simple, he fell in love with someone who didn’t feel the same way about him.” Then she clamped her mouth closed as though she’d already said far more than she should—far more than was circumspect for a secretary to say about her boss.

But this much she already knew. What she was looking for were the particulars. Who was this woman who’d hurt Evan so badly? Her back stiffened at the thought of someone rejecting him. The man she’d worshiped from afar during her tumultuous teenage years. Whoever this woman was, Jessica decided, she was a fool.

About eleven Evan walked into the office. He smiled as he strolled past Mrs. Sterling’s desk to hers. “The research you did was wonderful, Jessica. Thank you.”

His appreciation caught her off guard. She wondered if Damian had said something to him and was momentarily speechless.

“I appreciate the effort that went into your report,” he continued. “I’m very pleased by the quality of your work.”

“I…I was happy to do it. That’s my…my job.” The words stumbled off the end of her tongue. Jessica was amazed that his praise could fluster her so. She was embarrassed now by the way she’d overreacted last night when she’d learned he’d left the office. It was her own fault for not taking time to eat lunch. Evan’s disappearance wouldn’t have bothered her in the least if she had….

“Damian said you were here till almost eight.”

So Damian had mentioned that. “As I said earlier, I was only doing my job.”

“Mom and Dad are having a barbecue this weekend,” Evan continued, “Saturday, around four. I’d like you to attend it with me.”

His invitation threw her. She wasn’t sure what to say. Although she hadn’t had a lot of work experience, she knew that dating the boss could lead to problems.

“This shouldn’t be a difficult decision,” Evan said, grinning.

His pride had already suffered one blow, and Jessica discovered she was unwilling to deliver a second, no matter how slight. “I’d enjoy that very much,” she said. “Thank you for thinking of me.”

He smiled affectionately. “You always were a sweet thing.”

As a teenager, Jessica’s daydreams had been filled with such scenarios. She’d close her eyes and pretend Evan had asked her out. Now her dream had come true, but Jessica was left wishing it had been Damian issuing the invitation, instead of his brother.

“I’ll pick you up. You are living in the city, aren’t you?”

Jessica nodded. “Wouldn’t it be simpler if we met at the party? As it happens, I’m spending the weekend with my parents, and I can walk over with them.”