"He wants you."
"Did he say that?"
"Loud and clear. His exact words were, "If it were anyone else, I'd have
doubts. But Chloe Macdaniel has a spirit that can convince the men of
the Hansen Corporation that they'd be dumb not to follow her advice.' I
wrote it right down, Chloe. Thought you'd be pleased."
"Oh, yeah," she murmured under her breath. The snake. He'd stolen her
own words.
"What was that?" Howard asked.
"Ah, nothing, Howard. Just a thought." She cleared her throat. "Are you
sure he won't settle for another member of the firm?"
"I doubt it. You'll work with him, won't you, Chloe. I told him you
would."
"Howard, how can you do this to me? Why can't you convince him that
another member of the firm-even Lee, my partner-will do just as well?"
"I suppose I could try if I wanted to."
"But you don't."
"No."
"You just lost my vote."
Howard laughed roundly. "Thank goodness you don't live up here. You'd
have the whole district against me. Seriously, though, we have to get
moving on this. The referendum is scheduled for early November. Ross
wants to meet with you A-S-A-P so that his team can get to work on some
changes."
"A-S-A-R When is that?"
"Yesterday."
I met with him yesterday, she thought. "I can't make it before
Wednesday, Howard." It was just another job, she told herself. Just
another oh.
"Wednesday will be fine."
"Should I meet them up at the site?" One place would be as bad as the
next. But if there were others around, the temptation would be less.
Howard dashed her hopes. "He wants you in New York. That's where the
drawing boards are. He'll make arrangements for your transportation and
housing. I have to get back to him later to tell him when. Wednesday,
you say?"
She gave a low but very audible drawn-out sigh. "It's as good a day as
any."
"That's my girl! I'll call you with the details. Okay?"
"You're the boss."
She should have felt victorious, hanging up the phone. If Ross caved in,
there would be no need for a referendum and the Rye Beach Complex would
be built on an environmentally sound plan. How much better could things
be?
Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she grabbed her now empty mug and
stomped through the living room into the kitchen, where she poured more
coffee and reached for the sticky bun Lee had left. That was when she
spotted the open door to his office.
"Lee!" She burst in, rousing her partner from the depths of a thick
folder. "Lee, you're just the person I need." So much for gentlemen's
agreements. Despite what she'd told Howard, if Lee would fill in for
her, she would send him to New York. She could play just as dirty as
Ross.
"Umm?"
"I need you to fill in for me in New York on Wednesday. Can you make
it?"
He was shaking his head before she'd even finished. "I'll be in
Washington. Why? A problem?"
"No. Nothing much." She mumbled the last and turned away.
"Chloe. Get back here. You'd never rush in asking me to fill in for you
for nothing much." A look came over his face. "Oh." He cleared his
throat. "So he called you, too."
She frowned. "Howard called you?"
"Ross called me. I think his offer is good."
"Offer? Ross? What are you talking about?"
It was Lee's turn to frown. "I'm talking about the phone call I received
from Ross Stephenson no more than a half hour ago. He wants to retain
our services. What are you talking about?"
A furious Chloe leaned on Lee's desk. "I already refused him! I'm
talking about the phone call from Howard Wolschinski saying that Ross is
ready to revise the Rye Beach proposal."
"That's great!"
"It's not! He wants me to work with him and that's the last thing I want
to do!"
Lee was suddenly very gentle and very serious. He pointed her into a
chair and rounded the desk to make sure that she sat. Perching nearby,
he said, "Okay, pretty lady. Tell me about it."
She felt utterly helpless. "Ross is willing to make the changes, but he
refuses to go by my report. He wants me to work with his people, in
person, in New York."
"gather," he said, stroking his beard, "that you aren't bothered by New
York, per se."
"You gather correctly."
"Chloe, what's wrong?" he asked softly. "The man seems intelligent and
honest. You shouldn't have any problem. You can be in and out of the
city in no time." At wit's end, she said, "He thinks he's in love with
me, that's the problem. If it were only a matter of business, I wouldn't
worry. But Ross says he wants to marry me."
"So what's the problem?"
"can't marry him." She pleaded for his understanding. "And I'm not sure
I can take his constant pressure."
"Are you afraid you might give in?" He erased the question with a wave.
"Backtrack. Why can't you marry him? You're free."
"Not quite."
"You're not making sense, pretty lady. From what I can see, there's
nothing in the world to keep you from marrying Ross."
"What if I don't love him?" she blurted out.
"If you don't love him, then you're right to hold out. And if you don't
love him, you'll have no trouble putting him off. He'll get tired after
a while." Lee was watching her face very, very closely. "That's not the
real problem, is it? You do love him."
She blew out a breath, turning it into a sigh, and looked at the
ceiling. "I suppose. But I can't marry him. Being with him can only be
painful for both of us."
"If he believed that, he wouldn't be asking to work with you."
She grunted. "So why did he call you?"
"He wants to retain us as consultants. Did you actually say that you
refused him?"
:,Yes. He brought it up yesterday morning before he left."
"But it's what we need, Chloe. You mentioned trying to get corporate
work when we talked on Saturday. The timing couldn't be better."
She eyed him sharply. "Did you say something to him while he was here?
Did you tell him we were looking for new business?" She didn't want
Ross's pity, or his charity.
"I did not! For one thing, I didn't have a minute alone with the man
from the time I left here Friday night. You monopolized him."
She snorted and looked away. "He's as sneaky as they come."
"That's no way to talk about the man who loves you."
"Lee, puleeze."
He held up a hand. "Okay. I won't tease. This isn't teasing stuff. He'll
pay a monthly retainer as an advance on services rendered. If we work
more, we bill him for the overage. If we work less, we keep the
retainer. It couldn't be better."
That didn't surprise Chloe. Ross might be a rat, a snake, and a fox, but
he wasn't a thief.
"The work is right up our alley," Lee was saying. "The Hansen
Corporation is involved in dozens of different projects at any given
time. There'd be variety and involvement in important issues-"
"You're right, Lee," she cut in. "I can't argue. The logic of this is
perfect. By all means, accept his proposal, as long as you work with
him." She said the last with a touch of venom. She was being pushed into
a corner, and was striking out at the only person in sight.
"He'd be hiring the firm, Chloe. I might be working on one project, you
might be called for the next."
"I don't think I can do that on a continuing basis. It'd be too painful.
You can work for him. I won't."
"But your area of expertise is different from mine."
"My mind is made up."
Surprisingly, there was little tension in the silence that followed.
Chloe wanted to think that her outburst had cleared the air. At least,
she'd been honest. Lee knew how she felt.
"You know, Chloe," he said, sitting straighter. "You were right the
other day when we talked. I don't know everything about you-all those
little secrets you keep bottled up inside. I didn't even know so many
existed until this business with Ross." He grew beseechful. "But you
have to work out whatever it is that's bothering you. Hell, you should
be with him, Chloe. He loves you, you love him. Do you have any idea how
many marriages are based on much less?" Lee had been married. He knew
this firsthand.
"But a man like Ross deserves more than I can give him."
Lee tossed a hand in the air. "That's a bunch of crap, and you know it.
If you want him, you can work out the kinks that hang you up." He rose
and went to the window, stared out, turned back. "Damn it, Chloe, you
have so much going for you. Are you going to sit back and let some great
mystery from the past ruin your future? I thought you were a doer! You
wouldn't be where you are today if you didn't believe in working for
what you believe in."
Chloe couldn't say a thing. Lee had never talked to her this way before.
If another man had said what he had, she would have ignored him. But she
couldn't ignore Lee. She respected his opinion too much.
The horrified look on his face said that he hadn't planned the outburst.
He softened. "Hey, I'm sorry. I came across a little too strong." He
paused. "But I meant what I said. Either you can let it continue to get
you down or you can fight it." He thrust the long fingers of one hand
through his hair. "rich, I don't even know what it is. But I believe
that you can overcome whatever. I don't know what you were before,
Chloe, but you're a strong woman now. Don't let a good thing escape."
She smiled sadly. "You don't understand."
"No. I don't." He sighed. "What say we drop it for a while?" At her nod,
he added a final thought. "But promise me that if you want to talk,
you'll come to me? I have broad shoulders."
She stood and gave him a hug. "Thanks, Lee. I appreciate that."
Stepping back, she looked up at him. Funny, he was warm and strong and
in his way as good-looking as Ross, but she felt no desire, no great
inner spark.
Lee held out a hand. "Friends?"
She met his hand. "Friends."
"And we'll accept the offer from Stephenson?"
She yanked her hand back. "No. Yes. I don't know." She strode toward the
door. "Do what you want!"
How to go from high to low in seconds, she mused, as she returned to her
office and settled in at the desk. Ross was forcing her hand, totally
determined. What was it he had said about love being wanting and wanting
until one would do nearly anything?
She did have options. She could stand firm and refuse to have anything
to do with Ross, send someone to New York in her place for the Rye Beach
negotiations, systematically shuttle retainer work to another member of
the firm.
Another option was more dangerous. She could go to New York and do his
work, remaining neutral. Did she have a chance in hell of doing that?
Lee's words returned with frightening clarity. Did she love Ross enough
to fight herself-and her past-for him? Could she go back to New Orleans
and face the ghosts, finally put them to rest?
She hit emotional overload with that last thought. Too much had happened
too fast. She couldn't think about it anymore. There was work to be
done-if she was to be enroute to New York by Wednesday.
With a long steadying breath, she sorted through the papers before her.
There were people to call, meetings to set up, reports to plan out
before she left, and the rush was for the best. Her mind would be
filled. Worrying was useless. Only time would give her the answers she
needed.
Unfortunately, Ross wasn't as patient, but he received a different Chloe
on the phone that afternoon, a more subdued one. She recognized his
voice immediately, had been half expecting to hear it. Its sound sent a
ripple through her, but it died quickly. She was exhausted.
"How are you?" he asked.
"I'm fine."
"It's good to hear your voice. I miss you."
"You've been gone barely twenty-four hours."
"You've been counting, have you?"
She hadn't. Well, maybe she had. But she wasn't about to admit it. "I'm
counting now. I have five different reports to go through this
afternoon, not to mention phone calls, proposals, and what-have-you. It
seems I have a rush job in New York. Some snotty executive thinks his
work is the only thing that counts."
"I can see you got up on the wrong side of the bed. Bad morning?"
"Busy."
"Anything interesting?"
"Uh-huh."
He sighed. "Ah. We're pulling teeth again."
"No. There's just nothing I feel like discussing." With you, she might
have added. He had intruded on her life far too much.
"You sound down." He sounded concerned. "Is something wrong?"
"I'll be fine." But she wondered. Much as she fought it, the sound of
Ross's voice affected her.
"What is it, Chloe? Please tell me. Something's bothering you. I can
hear it in your voice. Your spirit's gone." He paused. When she said
nothing, he said, "I'm driving up."
