Mythe: A Fairy Tale (10 page)

“Well, thanks again for everything. I guess I’ll see you guys on Tuesday,” Manda said as she slid into the plush leather seat beside Katie.

“If not before,” Josh said with a wave.

“Sweet dreams, ladies,” Richard said, and closed the door behind Manda.

Chapter 6

M
anda did have sweet dreams that night. In her dreams, Richard sang love songs to her. In her dreams, he was Prince Charming, come to sweep her off of her feet. And in her dreams, he held her in his arms and kissed her.

Manda woke with her pulse racing and groaned in dismay. She had to get a grip. She was letting her very active imagination lead her straight for trouble. She liked Richard a great deal—more than she should—but she couldn’t allow her little crush to cloud her good judgment. She had to work with the two brothers after all. She couldn’t read more into Richard’s natural kindness and generosity than was really there. She would just disappoint and humiliate herself—and embarrass him—if she deluded herself into believing that he had any romantic interest in her.
Grow up!
she scolded herself.
You can’t go falling in love with the charming rock star just because he’s nice to you. Don’t be that girl.

Manda got out of bed, giving up on sleep and the possibility of even more inappropriate dreams about her newest client. After letting Katie sleep late, she took her out for brunch and then drove her niece home. Restless, Manda decided to expend her excess energy on a bike ride. The day was sunny and warm and she took her time, enjoying the waning summer while she had the chance. She followed the bike path near her house for miles as it traced the nearby creek and meandered through towering cottonwood trees. By the time she got home she felt much more relaxed and prepared to deal with Richard Raines on a purely professional level.

Manda worked in her yard for the rest of the afternoon and by dinnertime she was exhausted. She curled up in bed with a book after a light dinner and was asleep before she finished the first page. She dreamed of Richard again.

Manda woke early again on Monday. It was still dark out when she abandoned all thought of going back to sleep and got up. She was too wide awake to even entertain the thought of staying in bed. She showered and dressed in jeans and a turquoise blouse, then made her bed and tidied up a little, trying to fill the time. All too soon, however, she was standing in her living room with nothing left to do but have breakfast and go to work.
I could have breakfast downtown again,
she thought.
Maybe I’ll run into Richard.
Hearing her own thoughts, she frowned. She was doing it again.
But I eat in the plaza all the time. Why should I stop just because I might see Richard? I have to work with the man. I can’t very well start trying to avoid him.

Having successfully rationalized her decision, Manda collected her things and caught the train. She arrived downtown much earlier than she had on Friday and soothed her guilty conscience by supposing that she could have her breakfast and head upstairs before Richard was even out of bed. Her half-formed plan was short lived. She’d just stepped off of the train when she heard a voice calling her name. Half hoping and half dreading that she would see
Richard, she turned around and was surprised to see Josh running toward her instead. He was wearing track pants, a t-shirt, and running shoes, and his shoulder-length, light brown hair was damp with sweat.

“Hey, Manda!” he greeted her exuberantly. “You’re out and about early today.”

Manda laughed. “So are you. Richard said you weren’t a morning person.”

“Well, since I missed all the fun on Friday morning, I decided I’d start. Have you had breakfast yet? I’m starving.” Josh took Manda’s computer bag from her and slung it over his shoulder as they crossed the street toward the tree-filled plaza where she’d encountered Richard the Friday before.

“No, I was planning on picking something up down here,” Manda admitted.

“Have breakfast with us,” Josh suggested eagerly. “That is if you can wait fifteen minutes while I get cleaned up.”

“Well, I don’t...” Manda began, but Josh quickly cut her off.

“Please, Manda? You’re much prettier than Richard and Mikey. I could use some fresh company.” His blue eyes, a few shades darker than Richard’s, were pleading.

It occurred to Manda that Josh and Richard might not know many people in Denver, and their celebrity could make it difficult for them to move about freely, keeping them somewhat trapped in their hotel.

“I’d love to have breakfast with you,” Manda decided.

“Good!” Josh said, leading her toward the hotel entrance. “Come on upstairs while I shower. Mikey and Richard are waiting for me.”

“But,” Manda protested, lagging behind, “I can wait here. Who’s Mikey?”

“Mikey’s our manager,” Josh informed her. “I’ll introduce you. It’s okay, Manda. It’s a suite, so it’s not like you’ll be in my bedroom or anything. There’s no need for you to wait down here by yourself.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her forward eagerly.

Manda let herself be pulled along. Josh’s boyish enthusiasm was endearing. Katie was completely infatuated with him after Saturday’s concert. She’d talked about him incessantly on Sunday.

“Katie had a great time on Saturday night,” she offered, as Josh led her onto an elevator. “She has a huge crush on you, you know. And if you tell her I said that I’ll have to hurt you.”

Josh laughed. “She’s a great kid. Too bad she’s not a few years older. She’s going to be a real heartbreaker, just like her aunt.”

“You are too kind, Mr. Raines,” Manda said lightly. He still held her hand and she pulled it away, using the excuse of adjusting her purse strap. “Did you guys have a good time at the party?” she asked, deliberately changing the subject.

“Yeah. It’s always fun. We didn’t stay for the whole thing but we had a lot of fun with David and Stacey, at least until David had a little too much to drink and Stacey made him leave,” Josh informed her with a grin, but then he rushed to reassure her she frowned. “Richard called a car for them, so he didn’t drive. We left right after that. I wish you could have come.”

The elevator doors opened and Josh retrieved Manda’s hand and led her to the end of the corridor. He opened the door there with his keycard and poked his head in through a narrow gap.

“Is everyone decent? I brought company,” he called loudly. Without waiting for a response he pushed the door open the rest of the way and led Manda in.

The room was large, with windows that faced the northwest. A dining table and chairs occupied one end of the room, a desk sat against a wall, and the center of the room was arranged as a seating area, with a sofa, coffee table, and several armchairs. A man that Manda didn’t know was seated at the dining table, drinking from a coffee cup. He stood when Josh led Manda into the room.

“Manda, this is Michael Eberhardt, our manager,” Josh introduced, dropping Manda’s computer bag onto one end of the sofa. “Mikey, this is Amanda Jensen. She’s the creative director who’s handling the work for the foundation.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Manda. You can call me Mikey. Everyone does.” Mikey was an average looking man, of medium build, probably around forty years old. He wore simple khaki pants and a polo shirt. Manda shook the hand he offered.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too,” Manda responded with a shy smile.

“This is a pleasant surprise on a Monday morning,” a familiar voice said behind Manda. She turned and found herself staring up into Richard’s laughing eyes. “Good morning, Manda.”

“Good morning,” Manda breathed, again taken off-guard by the effect he had on her.

“I found her downstairs and talked her into having breakfast with us. I have to take a quick shower first, so don’t let her get away,” Josh told Richard and disappeared through a door.

“Were you downstairs annoying the squirrels again?” Richard asked, indicating with his hand that Manda should have a seat on the sofa and then taking the chair across from her.

“No. Josh accosted me when I got off the train,” Manda clarified with a grin. “I never even made it as far as the squirrels.”

“Did you have trouble sleeping again?” Manda didn’t know why she was so surprised by the honest concern in Richard’s question. He had repeatedly shown himself to be unusually thoughtful and considerate.

“I think I just fell asleep too early last night. I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep this morning,” she admitted dismissively. “I was surprised to see Josh so early, though.”

“Well, if having breakfast with you is his reward for getting up with the chickens, I imagine he may just make a habit of it.”

Mikey strolled over with his cup in hand, and leaned on the back of another armchair. “Where shall we go for breakfast? What’s good, Manda?”

Manda named a couple of the nicer restaurants nearby. “The hotel restaurant in the lobby is good too, if you don’t want to go out.”

“What’s your favorite?” Richard asked.

“Well, I like the diner across the street, actually. The one on the corner,” she admitted. “It’s nothing fancy, but the food is great.”

“We’ll go there, then,” Richard declared. “Sound good, Mikey?”

“Sounds good,” Mikey agreed. “Now if Josh would just hurry up. I’m hungry.”

“Me too,” Richard seconded. He leaned forward toward Manda with his elbows on his knees and his arms crossed. “I talked to David about lunch tomorrow. He said he’s available. Would noon be okay?”

“Sure. Except for our meeting, I don’t have anything else scheduled,” Manda replied. Richard’s intent gaze was unsettling her.

“Good,” Richard said with a nod. “I’ll make reservations.”

“Well, let me know if I need to dress for lunch,” Manda said. “This is my usual business attire.” She gestured down at her jeans and sandals.

“What you’re wearing now would be perfect, I promise,” he reassured her. “We also promised we’d do something with Katie soon. Is there an evening that works best for you?”

“That’s very nice of you, but you don’t have to do that. I could just bring her in and we could grab some lunch or something. I know you guys are probably busy.”

“Don’t worry, Manda. We wouldn’t have offered if we didn’t want to do it. Besides, Josh had a lot of fun hanging out with Katie and we always enjoy your company. Plus, we aren’t as busy right now as you might think. We’re actually fairly wide open. So, which night works best?”

“Well, I don’t really know what Katie’s schedule is like, but I know she’s free on Friday, and Robbie has plans with his friends that night, so he won’t be too jealous.”

“That’s perfect. We’ll plan on doing something this Friday. I’ll check with Josh and see what he wants to do.” Richard’s voice was still friendly and warm, but his smile suddenly seemed strained to Manda.

“If Friday isn’t good we can do it another time. Just let me know when and we’ll work it out,” Manda said anxiously. In spite of his assurances, Richard seemed bothered. A worried frown crept across her face.

Richard’s smile softened. “Really. It’s okay. Friday will be perfect, unless you’d rather do it another time when Robbie can come along. He’s more than welcome. The more the merrier, right?”

“Well if you’re sure. We’ll do it this Friday. I wouldn’t invite Robbie anyway. Katie would never forgive me.”

Richard’s look was considering, but he just nodded. “Whatever you think.”

“Any big plans for today?” Manda asked, fidgeting with the button on her shirtsleeve.

“No. Not at all. We have a whole day to fill. I think that’s why Josh went for a run this morning—to burn off some energy while he could still get outside in peace. He’ll be bouncing off the walls by noon anyway,” Richard told her wryly. “I thought I’d do some reading, but Josh will probably get bored. He can’t sit still for that long.”

“Well, if he gets too bored, send him up and I’ll make David entertain him. It’ll be his penance for drinking too much Saturday night.” Manda’s exasperated sigh elicited a chuckle from Richard. “Thanks for making sure they got home okay, by the way.”

“Don’t mention it,” Richard said, and then arched his eyebrows speculatively. “Exactly what sort of entertainment were you planning that could be considered a penance for poor David?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Sock puppets? Reciting poetry while standing on his head? I’m open to suggestions,” Manda responded off-handedly.

“How about reenacting great movie moments while juggling? Josh always liked jugglers when he was a kid,” Richard offered with a wicked glint in his eye.

“Mmmm, I like it!” Manda laughed.

Mikey chuckled quietly and sat down on the arm of the chair he had been leaning against. “That would probably keep him entertained.”

“No, I always liked clowns,” Josh corrected, striding into the room in jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was wet and he was carrying his shoes. “Dad was the one who liked jugglers. Can we dress David up like a clown? I’ve always wanted to see Casablanca performed by a clown.” He sat down on the sofa beside a laughing Manda and put on his shoes.

“I’ll see if I can arrange it,” Manda vowed when she was able to catch her breath. Her mind had conjured an image of Humphrey Bogart with a bulbous red nose, orange hair, and clown shoes.