Perfect Partner

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Poor Aunt Josephine! Her mother’s sister had lived with them when Juliet was a child, often taking care of her when her mother had gone off on her travels. It had surprised the whole family when Aunt Josephine had upped and moved to London fifteen years ago. Juliet’s mother hadn’t forgiven the other woman for years, although the two of them were now close again, and her mother often dragged the other woman off on her holidays with her. Juliet could only sympathise with her, although her good-natured Aunt Josephine didn’t seem to mind.

‘Why can’t you stay with Aunt Josephine?’ she queried suspiciously.

‘If you don’t want me to stay with you—–’

‘I didn’t say that,’ Juliet sighed. ‘I just wondered what Aunt Josephine had done that you weren’t going to stay with her.’

‘She hasn’t done anything,’ her mother snapped impatiently, ‘except get the decorators in. Honestly, Juliet, only your Aunt Josephine could decide to have her flat decorated the week before we go on holiday. The whole place will smell of paint,’ she added disgustedly.

Her poor aunt would never hear the end of it! ‘Friday night is fine by me. What time will you arrive?’

‘Don’t tie me down to times,’ her mother said in a harassed voice. ‘You know how I hate someone standing over me with a watch. Your father used to do it all the time.’

‘Let’s leave Daddy out of this, shall we?’ Juliet said tightly.

‘If you like,’ her mother accepted lightly. ‘Have either of your young men proposed to you yet?’

‘No, and I don’t want them to either.’

‘There’s no chance of your making me a grandmother, then?’

‘I don’t have to get married for that,’ Juliet taunted.

‘You’d certainly better! Juliet—–’

‘I’m only teasing you, Mother,’ she said dryly.

‘Well, don’t tease about things like that. Your father would have been shocked to hear you talking like that.’

‘Considering Daddy’s been dead for seven years, and you’ve had two other husbands since then, I’m surprised you can still remember how my father would have reacted to anything!’ Juliet drew in a controlling breath after her outburst. ‘I’m sorry, Mother, that was uncalled for.’ She bit her lip.

‘Yes, it was,’ her mother agreed with quiet dignity.

‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated abruptly.

‘You’ve said that.’

‘I—I’ll see you next Friday, then?’

‘Some time in the evening,’ her mother confirmed distantly before ringing off.

Oh dear, she had done it again! She and her mother always argued, no matter how much she tried to hold back her resentment for her mother’s other two marriages. Jim had been first, five years her mother’s junior, and they had divorced after only two years of marriage. The break-up had come as no surprise to Juliet, the passes Jim made at her behind her mother’s back showing her the marriage was not a success. Then had come Robert, eight years younger than her mother this time, although she had somehow managed to outlive him. Juliet lived in trepidation of being presented with a third stepfather, maybe even her contemporary in age this time!

The call from her mother had upset her, and now she somehow had to get into the mood for her evening out with Jake Matthews. Her work had gone to pot today, both her typing and her writing. She would have to make an early start tomorrow to make up for it, otherwise she would be getting behind her deadline, which wouldn’t please Michael.

Dinner, Jake Matthews had said. But where? She had no idea how to dress for the evening, although like most sensible women she had the versatile ‘little black dress’ that was suitable for most occasions. She decided to play safe and wear that; its style was demure enough until you saw the low back, its length just below her knees.

She had a long soak in the bath first, enjoying a relaxing read. She loved to read, but her daily schedule was such that she rarely got to indulge in this pleasure. Today seemed to be an unexpected holiday for her, so she became involved in one of the paperbacks she had been promising herself she would read for ages.

She became so involved in the new Sidney Sheldon novel that she almost forgot to get ready for Jake Matthews’ arrival at eight-thirty. She was reasonably pleased with her appearance, looking coolly attractive, her auburn hair newly washed and gleaming, her make-up light, her manner composed.

Jake arrived promptly at eight-thirty, his gaze appreciative as she opened the door to him. He was very dark and distinguished in a black evening suit and snowy white shirt, looking rakishly attractive.

‘Come in,’ she invited huskily.

‘Thanks.’ He closed the door behind him. ‘I really didn’t dream you, did I?’ He shook his head almost dazedly.

‘My mother would say no,’ she told him lightly. ‘She says I was a very difficult birth.’ The steadiness of his direct gaze unnerved her. ‘I—We both almost died.’ Heavens, he had to stop looking at her like that! She could feel the hot colour flooding her cheeks.

‘Thank God you didn’t,’ he groaned, pulling her effortlessly into his arms and gazing down at her for several timeless seconds. ‘It’s those eyes,’ he spoke almost to himself. ‘I’ve never seen eyes that colour before.’

Juliet licked her lips nervously, unable to break his gaze. ‘I—My father had eyes the same colour.’

Jake shook his head. ‘Not just that colour. Maybe a deep dark brown, but never the same colour. You’re unique!’

‘Of course I’m not,’ she dismissed lightly, moving away from him. ‘Shall we be on our way?’ It was too confined here alone with him in her flat, too intimate, especially as he couldn’t seem to stop looking at her.

‘I’ve booked a table in a quiet little restaurant I know,’ he held up her evening jacket for her. ‘I thought we could talk.’

What about? As far as she knew they had nothing in common except their love of books, and that was perhaps a subject they should stear clear of—she wouldn’t like them to get thrown out of this ‘quiet little restaurant’ for causing a scene. She couldn’t agree with his opinions, or the way he put those opinions across to the public, and she wouldn’t even pretend to do so.

But she needn’t have worried, they seemed to talk about every thing else but books, both of them staying off the subject, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Jake was an entertaining companion, and had lots of amusing stories that he related to her. Juliet couldn’t ever remember laughing so much in one evening, Ben and Stephen never made her laugh like this.

But they didn’t keep staring at her either, something Jake did all the time. There were plenty of beautiful women in the room, Jake’s idea of a quiet little restaurant was vastly different from her own, but he seemed not to notice any of them, keeping his attention exclusively on her.

She began to relax as she drank the delicious wine he had ordered with their meal, although he remained unmoved by it, even the large brandy he had after their meal not seeming to affect him. When she mentioned it he gave a husky laugh.

‘I have so many business lunches and dinners that I’m afraid I’m not as susceptible to alcohol as I used to be. Besides, I haven’t really drunk as much as you think I have, my wine glass was never empty when it was refilled.’

No, it hadn’t been, now she came to think about it. Every time her own glass was refilled Jake’s was only topped up. ‘You’ve made me drunk,’ she accused indignantly.

‘No, I haven’t,’ he smiled, his eyes deeply blue. ‘Maybe a little happy, but not drunk. Melanie told me you don’t relax enough, so I—–’

‘Got me drunk,’ she insisted.

‘No,’ Jake laughed. ‘You’re fine, really. And maybe you like me a little better now, hmm?’

‘And maybe I don’t,’ she said crossly. ‘You’re going to look pretty stupid if I collapse halfway out of the restaurant.’

His eyes twinkled with humour. ‘Do you think you might?’

‘Well, I—I feel all right,’ Juliet frowned. ‘But you never can tell.’

‘I can,’ his mouth quirked. ‘You’ll make it outside.’

And she did, Jake’s arm about her waist as he guided her. Surprisingly she didn’t feel drunk, just happy as Jake had said she would. What a know-it-all he was!

‘Do I get invited in for coffee tonight?’ He turned in his seat after parking the car outside her apartment building.

She thought of her neat little flat, of the incriminating typewritten sheets she had locked away earlier this evening so that he shouldn’t see them and realise she wrote for a living. No, she had left nothing lying about to point to her being Caroline Miles, although it was very late, too late really to ask him inside.

‘You had coffee at the restaurant,’ she pointed out.

‘I happen to like coffee,’ he mocked.

She wasn’t sure inviting him in was a good idea, but it would look childish if she didn’t. She was twenty-four years old, not sixteen, and should be perfectly capable of handling one amorous male. Lord, she was starting to sound like Sophie Mason now, the latest mistress of Mason House—and almost a century separated them!

‘Make yourself comfortable,’ she invited once they were inside her home. ‘I’ll just go and make the coffee.’

Jake eyed her mockingly. ‘You didn’t really think I came up here for coffee?’

Juliet put her jacket away in the hall closet. ‘Whether you did or not, that’s what you’re getting.’ She turned, only to find him suddenly dangerously close. ‘Excuse me—–’ she made to walk past him, her eyes on a level with the cleft in his chin.

His arms came about her. ‘Juliet …!’

She managed to extricate herself from his arms, moving a safe distance away—if there could be such a thing with this virilely attractive man! There was an aura about him, an air of sexual challenge, and it drew her like a magnet. But she had to be sensible. She already had two men in her life, a third would just be an unnecessary complication. Besides, Jake Matthews was the last man she wanted to become involved with.

‘Coffee,’ she insisted firmly.

He grimaced. ‘Do I get to kiss you after that?’

‘Perhaps.’ She went through to the kitchen, conscious of him watching her. He was always watching her! ‘Would you go and wait in the other room?’ she requested irritably.