Blue Mist of Morning (8 page)

"I don't have to. I want to."

Sue took a deep, shuddering breath. "You just don't
understand. I wanted to go to college, and I enjoy it now that I'm
there. But I'm not sure it's worth it, if you and Mom have to worry
about money all the time just to keep me there. Sometimes I think I'd
rather just quit and get a job."

"You're really not thinking straight." Touching a strand
of her sister's hair, Anne shook her head. "What kind of job would you
get?"

"One like yours, or at least eventually I could have one
like yours. It's a good job, isn't it? You like it?"

"Yes," Anne said, glancing over her shoulder into the
dining room. "And if I want to keep my good job, I'd better get back to
Mr. Manning. He might not appreciate sitting there and waiting for me
to finish talking about personal matters." She smiled at Sue. "Look,
you just go back to Washington and try to make your afternoon classes.
I'll call you at your dorm tonight and we'll talk some more. But I want
you to put that idea about dropping out of school right out of your
head. Okay?"

"But, Anne, I…"

"I really have to go now, honey," Anne insisted, brushing
a kiss against Sue's still-flushed cheek. "Call you tonight." Then she
hurried away before the younger girl could voice any more arguments.
Idly twirling the wayward strand of hair at her temple, Anne walked
back through the dining room, stiffening her shoulders as she felt the
weight of another responsibility settle on them. So, Sue's tuition was
going to cost more next year. And to add insult to injury, her car had
picked this time to stop running. She would work out a solution though,
she told herself firmly as she approached the table where Ty sat
waiting. She had promised Sue she would be back in college next fall,
and she had meant it.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Manning," she said as she sat
down across from him again and folded her hands on the tabletop. "I
didn't mean to be gone so long."

"You weren't. Nothing's wrong, I hope?" His piercing blue
eyes impaled hers. "Your sister seemed very upset."

"Oh, you know how it is when you're eighteen. Every
problem seems insurmountable." Anne smiled, unaware that she did so
rather wearily. "Sue just allowed herself to get upset over a minor
problem that I'm sure I'll be able to handle."

For a long time, Ty said nothing. He simply watched her
intently, his eyelids lowering slightly as if he were searching for
something in the delicate features of her face. At last, he bowed his
head. "We should be getting back to the office," he announced abruptly.
"There are several appointments scheduled for this afternoon, I
believe."

Nodding, Anne waited until he got up and came around to
pull out her chair. She couldn't help regretting that it was back to
business as usual. The lunch they had shared had been companionable,
enjoyable… at least, it had been until Sue burst upon the
scene, bearing news of yet another problem to solve. Trying to push all
those minor personal troubles to the back of her mind, Anne preceded Ty
into the foyer. There they were stopped by the maitre d', who handed Ty
a folded scrap of lined paper. He opened it, glanced at Anne, then
tucked the note into the breast pocket of his coat. Taking her elbow,
he escorted her to the door. "Why don't you go back to the office? I'll
be there in time for my first appointment." He patted the pocket that
contained the note. "An acquaintance of mine wants to talk to me for a
few minutes."

A beautiful woman acquaintance, no doubt, Anne thought as
she left him. Twenty minutes later, as Anne was sorting the afternoon
mail in the office, the telephone rang. It was the mechanic from the
service station.

Anne took a deep breath. "Well, what's the verdict?"

"It's like this, miss," he answered, his tone distinctly
apologetic. "Just about everything's wrong with that old car of yours.
First off, you got a cracked intake manifold. I could fix that for
about $300. But there's so much else that needs fixing, too. I did a
compression test and found out the rings are bad, and if you do the
rings, miss, you ought to grind the valves. I'd probably have to
replace the crankshaft and cam shaft bearings also."

"Whoa! All that sounds very expensive," Anne said. "How
much do you think it would cost to fix everything?" When he told her,
she sank back in her chair with a soft gasp. "
That much
?"

"Overhauls cost plenty these days, miss. Fifteen hundred
dollars is about average. If I was you, I'd just junk this old car and
buy me a new one. I know a junkyard dealer who'd probably give you $200
for her to get the parts. You interested?"

Actually, Anne was stunned. That old car had been part of
her life for the past four years. But now it was being written off as a
total wreck, and she was going to miss it. Yet she couldn't possibly
pay $1500 to get it fixed. Nor could she buy a new car. Well, she would
worry about that later. "I… I guess I might as well sell
it," she said at last. "Could you ask the junkyard dealer if he'd like
to buy it?"

"Sure can, miss. Talk to him tonight, most likely. Then
I'll call you back tomorrow and tell you what he says."

When the conversation had concluded and Anne had replaced
the receiver, she shook her head disbelievingly. "Why does everything
always have to happen at once?" she muttered to herself, then went back
to sorting the mail. A few minutes later when Ty buzzed her on the
intercom, she was startled by the unexpected sound, because she hadn't
realized he was back in his office yet. Usually, he entered his office
through hers, but today he had obviously returned by the corridor
entrance. When she answered the buzz and was told he wanted to see her,
she automatically smoothed her skirt and went in.

She stopped short, however, the moment she stepped through
the open doorway. Sue was sitting in the chair before Ty's desk! Anne's
eyes darted to where he sat on the edge of the desk, legs outstretched
in front of him. She met the enigmatic look in his gaze for an instant,
then turned back to her sister. Why was Sue here? Before Anne could
voice that question, Ty spoke.

"Come in, Anne. Close the doors," he commanded gently. "I
called you in because I thought you should know Sue has just asked me
for a job here at Manning Consultants."

Anne stared at her sister in sheer exasperation. When she
spoke, however, she managed to sound calm. "Sue, why did you do that? I
told you I'd take care of everything."

"I know what you told me," Sue answered, thrusting out her
chin defiantly. "But I'm tired of having to worry about money. I'm
tired of your having to. I'd rather quit school and go to work than
have you go through all this hassle all the time."

"But it's worth it to me," Anne explained wearily. "I
don't mind."

"But I do mind!" argued Sue, looking up at Ty as if to
include him in the discussion. "I told Mr. Manning about the higher
tuition, and I asked him for a job because I think it's time I gave up
this useless dream of going to college."

"It isn't useless," Anne said tersely. "And you shouldn't
have bored Mr. Manning with our little problems. He's a busy man."

"I know that," Sue replied stiffly, clenching the arms of
her chair. "I'm not a child, Anne. I hated to bother Mr. Manning, but I
didn't know what else to do. You won't listen to me, so I thought if I
could get him to hire me before you knew anything about it…"

"He isn't going to hire you, because you're not getting a
job. You're going back to school and that's that. And stop thinking
about money. That's for me to worry about."

"You're not my boss, Anne! I'm not a baby!" Sue cried,
pursing her lips into a childish pout that seemed to belie her words.
With a toss of her head, she turned to Ty. "Well, how about it, Mr.
Manning? Will you give me a job as a file clerk or something?"

Stroking his jaw thoughtfully, he looked down at her, then
up at Anne, his eyes narrowing as he seemed to detect the mute appeal
in Anne's face. He glanced back down at Sue. "Tell me, do you enjoy
college? Did you want to go, or did Anne insist that you go?"

Both girls were taken aback by the question, but Sue
finally had to reluctantly admit, "Well, I wanted to go and I do enjoy
it. But if you don't have enough money, you can't do everything you
want to do."

Ty nodded. "I understand that, but I have to agree with
Anne. Since you've started this semester, you should finish it. I think
you should give her a chance to work out the financial problems. So I
have to say no, Sue. I won't give you a job here. I think you might
always regret it if I did."

"Big help you are," Sue muttered petulantly but remembered
her manners when she stood up in front of him. "I shouldn't have said
that. You have been very nice, and I appreciate your taking the time to
talk to me. I shouldn't have bothered you, I know. Anne's right. You're
busy, so I'm going now."

Anne followed her younger sister to the door that opened
onto the corridor. For a moment they simply looked at each other, then
Anne raised her eyes heavenward in mock exasperation.

"You've always been the peskiest little sister," she
teased. "And you must be the most stubborn human being alive."

"After you, you mean," Sue retorted, but she smiled too,
then shrugged. "All right, Anne, you win this round. I'll finish this
semester. Then we'll see what happens."

With that temporary truce, they hugged briefly. After Sue
had gone out the door, Anne squared her shoulders and turned to face
Ty. "I'm awfully sorry she dragged you into this. I suppose the note
you were given at the restaurant was from her? I should have recognized
her stationery—torn-out notebook paper."

Smiling, Ty walked across the room to her. Tilting her
chin up with one lean finger, he made her look at him. His smile faded.
"Why do you do it? There are government loans."

She shrugged slightly. "Mom and I just didn't want her to
have to face a big debt like that after she graduated. Besides, I don't
mind helping her. It just won't be as easy now that the costs are going
up… again. But that's a problem Sue shouldn't have gotten
all upset about. And she certainly shouldn't have bothered you with it."

"It was no bother, Anne. I'm glad I know what you're
doing," Ty said, laying both his hands on her shoulders. "Maybe I can
help. No, don't go all tense as though I've insulted you. I'm not going
to offer you a donation for the college fund, but I am going to give
you a raise."

"You are not! I won't take it!" A foreboding silence
filled the room after the last word was said, and scarlet color tinted
Anne's cheeks as she realized that was not exactly the best way for a
secretary to talk to her boss. She gestured nervously. "What I mean is I don't expect you
to give me a raise simply because you know I need more money for Sue."

As Ty gazed down at her, his fingers began an evocative
brushing motion over the sensitive, satiny skin of her neck. "You're an
excellent secretary, Anne," he said, his voice low and somehow almost
seductive. "And since I planned to give you a raise in a couple of
months anyway, I don't see how you can object to getting one now."

"But I do object," she murmured, trying to ignore the
disruptive effect his caressing touch was having on her senses. She
flexed her shoulders slightly, hoping he would remove his hands, but
when he didn't, she tried to relax. Clasping her hands behind her back,
she attempted to explain her feelings. "Look, I just don't want you to
think you
should
give me special consideration
because you know I could use extra money. I would be uncomfortable
getting a raise that way. I want to earn any I ever get."

"Anne, don't be so obstinate," he said softly, coaxingly,
his hands cupping her face. "Most secretaries don't make as much money
as they deserve, considering all they do. So you might say you've
already earned a raise. Now, just accept it."

"I will… in a couple of months, since that's
when you'd planned to give me one," she answered weakly, wishing she
wasn't so aware of his nearness. "Until then, I'll make do with my
present salary."

"Don't try to be so independent, Anne. You deserve the
raise and you need the money. Just take it."

Anne bit down on her lower lip, and her expression was
momentarily uncertain as she looked up at him. For a fleeting instant,
his offer was a temptation. He had so much money, and sometimes she did
get so tired of having to worry about every penny. Yet… she
couldn't take what would really be charity. At last she shook her head.
"I appreciate your offer, really I do, but I can't accept it."

"You mean you won't," he countered, his fingers feathering
over the rapidly beating pulse in her throat. "Anne, stop trying to be
so tough and self-sufficient. We all should know how to take as well as
give. And I think you give too much to your family. It's time you
learned to take something out of life for yourself. Maybe you should
start learning right now."

Before she could react, his thumbs tilted her face up as
he lowered his dark head. She took a swift, startled breath as his
mouth descended to move slowly over her own. She tensed. Her hands came
up to tightly clutch his lapels.

"Relax," he whispered coaxingly, slipping one arm down
around her slim waist to draw her firmly against him. "You do have
needs of your own, Anne. Stop trying to deny them."

It was impossible to deny what she needed right now: the
desire to remain close to him was nearly overpowering in intensity. His
warmth and the fresh masculine scent of his skin enveloped her. Their
bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, the soft contours of hers
yielding to the firmer line of his. His lips trailed over her cheek and
along the smooth line of her jaw, igniting a fire that surged through
her veins, inflaming her senses. When his mouth covered hers again, she
was powerless to prevent her lips from parting to the probing tip of
his tongue. With her involuntary response, his kiss deepened, became an
intimate exploration. Every inch of her skin seemed sensitized to the
touch of the lean hands that slipped beneath her suit jacked to move
over her back. Her fingers loosened their grip on his lapels to spread
open against his shirtfront as her lips clung to his.