Love Songs (8 page)

As Sylvia had promised she was awakened at seven by the new nurse on duty, a young, extremely attractive woman about whom Alanna immediately began to wonder. Had she woken up
all
of the sleep lab patients? Of course, she must have. And that would include Alex. Had
he
appreciated that? He seemed the type, she mused snidely, not even bothering to excuse her waspishness as part of her early morning mood. Perhaps Ellen Henderson was right; at this moment Alanna would have liked nothing better than to stroke out her frustration at the swimming pool down the street. With a sigh she began to dress. That would have to wait until tomorrow when she was equipped with her suit, cap and goggles. For today, she had better concentrate on getting herself in shape to function as usual at WallMar Enterprises. She would stop at home after work today for anything she might need tonight and tomorrow.

Dressing carefully in the clean clothes she had packed yesterday, she struggled at length with her makeup to counter the inner tension she felt. When the nurse returned with the coffee she had requested, she was grateful. Coffee helped. Standing back finally to examine the finished product, she was satisfied. Her plum-hued dress hugged her figure and contrasted with the lightness of her coloring. Her hair was pulled back into its traditional sleek knot, exuding efficiency. Her eyes were highlighted with brown, her cheeks accented with pink, her lips glossed with plum to blend with the dress. Glasses perched upon the bridge of her nose, she hoisted her bag, then her purse, and headed for the door.

There was no sign of anyone in the lounge. Passing by the nurses’ station, Alanna handed in her log and the half-completed questionnaires, then headed for the cafeteria and some breakfast. Again there were no familiar faces. It was only when she had retrieved her car from the lot and was headed for work that she admitted a twinge of disappointment. Alex must have left even earlier than she had. What did he look like, fresh in the morning? Or did he awaken with a touch of the bear, as she did? Perhaps it was for the best that their paths hadn’t crossed, after all. He needed time to realize the absurdity of his proposal—and she needed time to reinforce the same idea in her own mind. The morning light clearly illumined its folly. Alex was headed for his life, she for hers. This was the way it was destined to be; it
was
for the best.

WallMar Enterprises welcomed her, as it did each day, with a deskful of messages and memoranda. Here was involvement—instant and unavoidable. Within the quarter hour she dealt with three men, all unit directors under her jurisdiction, who entered simultaneously, each bent on testing the strength of her shoulders. There was a small matter regarding personnel concerning one of the men, a more critical issue of funding for a newly instituted project concerning another. It was the third, however, who drew most deeply on her store of patience.

“I tried to get you last night, Alanna.” It was Brian Winstead who confronted her insolently. “There was no answer at your apartment. I gave up at about one.” His tone lowered in scathing sarcasm. “Is your phone out of order?”

Brian’s implication was obvious. Alanna’s refusal to stoop to his level was equally so.

“I was out all night,” she stared boldly at him, challenging him to deepen his slander to her face. With two onlookers, the standoff was a tense one. Whether it was the chill of her glare or the evenness of her words, or simply the fact that she was his superior in the corporate structure, Alanna did not stop to analyze. When he failed to offer a follow-up she continued smoothly, “What seems to be the problem, Brian?”

Sitting behind her desk, the image of composure, Alanna hid from the world the inner torment that this subtle needling caused. The three men before her stood witness to her utterly professional handling of the problem, a matter of delays in the shipment of several lab supplies, the manufacture of which was a new direction for WallMar, which had earned its reputation as a quality company with a number of paper products. Making notes to herself as Brian spoke, she offered her spontaneous advice, with promises of more specific information later in the day.

After the trio’s departure she helped herself to a cup of coffee from the department supply, then returned to her office, shut her door and spent twenty minutes studying the proposal from her next three visitors, who arrived promptly. They were scientists, men with whom she had already met on three separate occasions. The project they presented was risky, but did have the potential, in her eyes, of developing into a lucrative venture for WallMar Enterprises. Alanna eagerly briefed Jake Wallace on the meeting as soon as the scientists had departed.

“It’s a fascinating proposition, Jake,” she began, taking a seat close by his own desk chair. Her folders were on his desk; as she needed papers from one or the other she reached easily for them. “We’ve never ventured into this particular field before.”

Jake Wallace stroked his clean-shaven jaw. “Umm. Biotechnics. Sounds very complex. Do
you
understand it?”

“Yes. It’s really very simple. These men want to be able to apply modern biological techniques to make highly accurate tests for diagnosing various diseases. What interests us, obviously, is that they need our money. The total amount we’re talking about is roughly one percent of our assets, so our risk is a reasonable one. With this money they can put together and—with our help—produce and market kits for diagnosis.”

Jake nodded, listening intently as he skimmed the page of figures Alanna had placed before him. His ability to listen and read simultaneously always amazed her, yet he did both well. It was as though his mind was able to soak up information much faster than most; Alanna admired and envied the talent.

She sat back silently as he read the rest of the information she had compiled. When he lifted his head he smiled and she knew she had cleared the first hurdle. “Think you have another winner, Alanna?” The twinkle in his eye hinted at a touch of paternal pride.

“I think
we’ve
got another one, Jake. I haven’t steered you too far wrong yet, have I?”

“Since you’ve joined us, my dear, you’ve had miraculous success. If it hadn’t been for that small matter of desktop computers—”

Alanna grinned, sensing his teasing. “I’ll never live that down, will I?”

“Well, blast it, girl, you keep doing everything else right. It’s only fair that you make a mistake or two—and that
we
can know that we’re not the only ones who make them. You do know,” he sobered abruptly as his train of thought shifted, “that the board meeting is coming up next week? I’m proposing you for Executive Vice-President.”

“Executive Vice-President?” Alanna’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Jake, isn’t that a little too much?”

Jake Wallace let loose one of his famous guffaws. “You’re the only one in this corporation who would question her own promotion, and there’s no one who would deserve it more.”

“I don’t know.…”

“What don’t you know? Jim Callahan is retiring and you’ve already been doing most of his work for the past few months.”

“I know.…” She stood to walk around the room. It was ironic; when she should be thoroughly pleased she had reservations. Jake was, fortunately, someone to whom she could talk freely. If the promotion did come through she would present a face of total confidence to the company. Now, however, if there were matters to discuss, she could consider both the pro and the con.

“This is awfully close on the heels of my move to Vice-President for Development. Don’t
you
think so, Jake?” She turned to face him.

“That was over a year and a half ago,” he reasoned gently. “You earned the position then; now you’ve earned a chance at this new one.” He studied her closely. “What is it that worries you?” When she hesitated he helped her. “The men? They’re still at it?”

A sheepish smile crossed her face. “Unfortunately, yes. Brian had a good line this morning.” She imitated his drawl. “I tried to get you last night, Alanna.…”

“And did you explain where you’d been?” Jake, who knew about the IAT study, asked.

“Of course not!” she snapped. “I don’t have to explain myself to Brian or anyone else!”

At her vehement defense her mentor grinned. “I agree with you. That’s precisely why you should accept this promotion to Executive V.P. without hesitation. You’ve earned it and you do the work. That’s all that matters.” He frowned. “By the way, how
did
it go last night? Any great insight as to the cause of the problem or a solution to it?”

Alanna shook her head, leaning comfortably against the edge of Jake’s credenza. “No. It’s very interesting—everything that Ellen Henderson told me about insomnia. And I am hopeful. As for last night, however, I’m afraid I have to chalk it up to experience.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was an introductory night. I was—as they put it—‘wired up’ to establish my sleep pattern. The real work, if you can call it that, begins tonight.” Even as she talked her mind had shifted to another topic. “Jake,” she heard herself speak right out, “have you ever heard of Alex Knight?”

“Of course I’ve heard of him. Only someone who is deaf, dumb and blind could not be aware of the Knight family!”

“I guess I put that poorly.” She smiled self-consciously, thereby attracting Jake’s even more intense scrutiny. “
What
do you know about the man?”

“Why?”

It was a typical Jake Wallace rejoinder, bringing a broader, more relaxed smile to Alanna’s face. “I can always count on you, Jake,” she shook her head in acknowledgement, “to get right to the point.”

“That’s how I got where I am, my dear. You should know that by now.”

“Oh, I know it very well! You seem to be able to sift out the important questions from the unimportant ones. How do you do that?”

It wasn’t the first time she had asked him the question; as in other instances, he humored her. “Instinct, Alanna. You’ve got it, too. And, I’m still waiting—”

“For what?” Her blond brows met just above her glasses.

“For an answer to
my
question. Why do you want to know about Alexander Knight?”

“He asked me to marry him.” She dropped the bomb without a blink.

Jake did blink. Several times. “He
what?”

Alanna stifled her enjoyment of his surprise. Right about now it
did
sound like an uproarious joke. “Actually, he didn’t
ask
me. He
told
me. He told me that I was going to be his wife.”

“Now just a minute. Is he on the up-and-up?” There was a paternalism about Jake that warmed Alanna to her core. If only her own father had been like this—concerned, excited, protective. But her own father had been in a world of his own—and her relationship with him was a world away.

“He’s repeated it several times. He says that he plans to marry me.” She shrugged, as though it were the most normal thing in the world to receive a marriage proposition from a man of the apparent social standing of Alex Knight. “Now I need to know what
you
know about him.”

“Rumor in corporate circles has it that the man’s a whiz. His daddy was one in his day; this one is supposedly new and better. Have you known him long? You never told me—”

“I don’t know him! I just met him last night—at the hospital, if you can believe it! He’s terribly arrogant.”

“And a very good catch!” Jake’s quip caught her off guard.

“Jake, you know how I feel about that. Marriage isn’t my thing. I’m very happy with my life the way it is. Jake…” her tone was warning, “I don’t like the way you’re smiling.”

Jake was, indeed, smiling broadly now. “Sorry, Alanna, but I really think the idea has potential. The man is about the right age; he’s well established and respected and you could use—”

“I could not!”
Dark brown eyes conveyed her determination. Jake knew it well and opted to take a different tack.

“What was the … cause for your meeting, in the first place?”

A few deep breaths settled her somewhat. “He’s taking part in the study.”

“He has insomnia?”

She chuckled, recalling the moment when she had asked Alex the same question. “Yes. It looks as though we’re destined to meet at two in the morning in the lounge. Let me tell you, the nurse there is a terrific watchdog. I really have nothing to be afraid of.” Her gay explanation was met by full seriousness on Jake’s part.

“We’ll just invite the two of you over for dinner one night—”

“No, you won’t!” She cringed. “I’m trying to
dis
courage the man, not the reverse. He’s persistent enough as it is without a formal word of approval from you and Elaine!”

Jake remained sober. “I think you should at least give him a chance. Get to know him. See whether he’s serious.”

“Oh, he’s serious, all right! But, I have no intention of pandering to his whim. I really don’t have the time—”

“Nonsense!” His two meaty hands came down forcefully on the desk as he sat suddenly forward. “You can make time for anything you want, Alanna. I’ve seen you do incredible things since you’ve been here. Yet you still manage to coach those little girls at the pool and cart my Elaine to the beauty parlor and take courses at the university in the evenings. If you want a little romance you can easily make time for it!”