Dusky Rose (8 page)

She turned the shower off and dried herself briskly, trying to rub some life into her weary limbs. Then she put on the simple, apricot colored, linen dress she had bought last week. It had a deep V-neckline and buttoned down the front. Soft beige leather pumps and a small handbag completed the outfit. She swallowed two vitamin C tablets with a small glass of orange juice, told Midge that she'd have a cup of coffee at the Design Center, and ran out the door.

By the time she reached the Home Design Center, Janine was already looking at some wallpaper to match the master bedroom spread and draperies.

"Oh, there you are," she said as Laura walked through the door. "Don't you feel well? Your eyes are all puffy. Have you been crying?"

"No. It's just that I went to the beach yesterday and I think I must have caught a chill. But I'm sure it's not serious. I took some vitamin C this morning and that usually helps."

Janine reached into her handbag and pulled out a small plastic bottle of pills. "Try these; they're terrific."

Laura hesitated. "I don't know; I hate to take medicine. I have a low tolerance for antihistamines; I get dizzy if I even think about them."

"Don't be silly, these are harmless. You see them advertised on T.V.; they couldn't hurt a baby." Janine opened Laura's handbag, dropped in the vial of pills and refastened the clasp. Then, looking away, she raised her hand in greeting to someone who had just walked in the door.

"Amanda, how nice to see you. Laura Canaday, I'd like you to meet Amanda Tate. In a way, you might say that we're decorating
her
house. We all assume that it's only a matter of time before Jonathan Lattimer announces his engagement to her."

Laura looked up to see the beautiful blonde who had been with David at the restaurant. Her heart skipped a beat. Perhaps he had been telling the truth; maybe he had been just keeping a date for Jonathan Lattimer.

"I hope you're right," Amanda said. "I've certainly been waiting long enough. He can have his fun with those little snips he likes to play around with, but he always comes running back to me when he gets tired of them."

Janine raised her eyebrows. "Is he still playing around? You'd think he'd be willing to settle down by now. He must be planning on marriage, though. That house he's building is no bachelor pad like his penthouse in Pacific Heights. Has he taken you to see the house yet?"

"No, I think he's waiting until it's all finished before showing it to me. As far as his little affairs are concerned, I don't think Jonathan will ever stop playing around. He's too virile to ever be satisfied by any one woman. But I'm not concerned. As long as he takes care of me, I'll be happy. He's got enough money to support an entire harem, so why should I worry about his extra-curricular activities, as long as I get to have mine, too?"

Laura was astounded by the woman's cold, heartless attitude toward the man she intended to marry.
If ever two people were meant for each other
, she thought,
it was Jonathan Lattimer and this beautiful woman with an iceberg where her heart should be
.

"I've got to run," Amanda said. "I have a hairdresser's appointment. Make my house beautiful, I don't want to have to make too many changes when I move in."

Janine waved goodbye and turned to Laura. "What do you think of the probable mistress of the house we're decorating?"

Laura wrinkled her nose. "I'd rather see her living in the Lattimer corporate igloo than in Hillsborough. How can he let someone like that live in such a beautiful home?"

Janine laughed. "Try not to think about her. As long as Jonathan pays the bills, he can marry anyone he chooses. Let's finish up here and then I have to catch a plane for Los Angeles. I promised Jonathan I'd look at a new shipment of rugs which just arrived from India. Why don't you spend the rest of the week working on the atrium and I'll call you when I get back?"

Laura was grateful for the opportunity to work on the atrium all by herself. The cold she had caught at Stinson Beach had grown worse, making her feel too defenseless to risk another encounter with David, and she hoped that by getting her work done during the week, she could avoid any chance meetings with him. Although she knew he had only been taking Amanda out as a stand-in for Jonathan Lattimer, she still had to contend with her own emotional weakness where he was concerned. After all, he had been honest enough to admit that what he felt for her was merely desire and had nothing to do with the love she was seeking from him.

She completed her work at Lattimer headquarters before noon on Saturday and went to relieve Midge at the shop. She really didn't know how she would manage if she intended to keep on with her decorating after Midge left. She certainly couldn't be in two places at once.
In fact
, she thought with a smile,
the way she was feeling these days she could hardly manage to be in
one
place at once
.

Midge's wedding was just two weeks away and she had lots of last minute things to do, so she left as soon as Laura had arrived. Saturday was a slow day at the shop because not many people were in the business district on the weekend, so Laura finished caring for the plants and closed the shop at three o'clock. Her cold was still bothering her and the vitamin C didn't seem to be helping. In desperation, she took one of the antihistamines Janine had given her.
After all
, she thought,
she had no further plans for the day, so what difference would it make if she fell asleep
?

As she shut the door, she felt a gentle hand touch her arm. She turned around and looked up into David's searching eyes. The spicy scent of his cologne set her head spinning and she had to stop herself from falling into his arms.

"David, what are you doing here?"

"I've been waiting for you to close the store; I didn't want you to accuse me of interfering with your livelihood. Now, I'd like to invite you to join me for dinner. There's nothing I hate more than eating alone."

"I can't go out to dinner dressed like this," Laura said, looking down at her faded blue jeans and snug T-shirt.

"You look just fine to me. We'll go to an informal place where no one will even notice what you're wearing. I promise. Come on, I've been sitting out here long enough to know that you haven't even had lunch, so you must be hungry. Please join me; I really need some company tonight."

He looked at Laura in such an imploring manner that she couldn't refuse him, and she sat down in the green sports car when he held the door open for her. The fog was just beginning to drift in along the shoreline when they climbed the ramp of the Golden Gate Bridge. Laura looked out the window and watched it creep inland, veiling the lovely greenery of the Presidio, an old army base that looked more like a park than a military installation. When her view became completely obscured by the bridge cables and the fog, Laura sat back in her seat and turned to David.

"Where are we going?"

"Just sit back and relax, let me surprise you. Did you have a busy week? I looked for you out at the Lodge this morning, but you never showed up. I see that they've started working on the reflecting pool and sprinkler lines, though."

"Yes," Laura said, "I was out there several times during the week and I've been fighting off a cold, so I decided to take a break today. Besides, Midge is so busy with her wedding plans that I had to stay in the flower shop all day. How has your week been?"

"Hectic, as always. That's why I was so disappointed when you didn't show up at the house today. I miss you if you're not around."

Yes
, thought Laura,
you miss me the way a child misses a new toy that's holding his interest for a while, and you'll discard me the same way the child discards the toy when he's had his fill of it. But I don't want to wind up like a broken toy, so I'm going to avoid you as much as I can, although I love being with you more than anything in the world
.

David addressed Laura's silence. "Aren't you going to say that you've missed me too?"

"No, not really. I've been too busy to miss you or anyone else," she lied.

"What about Roger?" David asked, "I haven't seen him around lately. Is it all over between you two?"

"Not at all," Laura said. "Roger is out of town on a very important audit. I'm sure he'll call me as soon as he gets back."

"Don't bother with Roger. He's not your type."

"And just
what
is my type?"

"Why, I am, of course; I told you, we were meant for each other."

"And I told you, I'm not your type of girl."

"Why, what type is that, pray tell?"

"Oh, the sophisticated type. More like Amanda Tate."

"Aha, so you took the trouble to find out who she was. Could it be that you're just a wee bit jealous?"

"I'm nothing of the sort. I ran into her at the Furniture Design Center and Janine introduced us."

David wrinkled his brow, grasping the steering wheel so tightly that his fingers paled, accenting the deep gold of the strange coiled ring he always wore. "What did the lovely Miss Tate have to say about me?"

"About you!? No one has anything to say about you at all. You're Mr. Lattimer's invisible helper. Talk about keeping a low profile, you're practically underground. All Amanda could talk about was Jonathan Lattimer and how eager she was to marry him. Do you think he's going to marry her?"

"It's hard to say. Jonathan wasn't the marrying kind until very recently. But now, he just might be thinking about it."

The fog disappeared as they traveled further inland. The hazy afternoon sun was creeping behind the hills and dusk was beginning to fall. Laura looked at a road sign and noticed that they were in Sonoma County.

"Where are we going, David? I told you, I have a cold, and now I'm beginning to feel tired and hungry to boot."

"We're almost there," David said, as he turned off the main highway onto a narrow country lane. "I had to find a place where you'd feel comfortable without changing your clothes, and I think I've come up with the perfect solution."

Laura looked up as they joined a long line of cars waiting for admission to a huge field which was being used as a parking lot. A large handpainted sign stated that this was the entrance to the Sonoma County Wine Festival and Barbecue. David parked the car and reached behind him. He handed Laura a heavy woolen parka and slipped a Shetland sweater over his head.

"Put that on. It can get pretty raw around here when the sun goes down, and I don't want your cold to get any worse."

"Where did you get this?" Laura asked, as she slipped her hands into the snug fitting sleeves.

"I bought it for you. It's a peace offering, to apologize for upsetting you last week."

"I'll wear it tonight, because I'd freeze without it, but then you'll have to take it back. I can't accept such an expensive gift from you."

"Laura Canaday, your lack of good manners amazes me. Haven't you ever been taught how to accept a gift graciously?" Then he came around and helped her out of the car. The appetizing aroma of roasting meat and barbecued baked beans attacked Laura's nostrils as soon as she left the car.