Running From Fate (30 page)

A week ago she would have been thrilled by the chance to labor through such an interesting dilemma as she generally only worked on
the
larger aspects of a building like the façade.
It felt good to be given the opportunity to assist with somethi
ng smaller, but more intricate. 
She felt like she could really put her creative mark on something.
That is, if she could keep her mind on the project and off of James Kelly.

Ever since the party he had remained stuck in her thoughts like a large and very annoying splinter.
The more she tried to dislodge him, the more entrenched he became.
It was ridiculous.
From the coldly polite way James had treated her after that memorable dance, it was clear that he had no interest in her.
He probably hadn’t given her a thought.

**********************************************
************

Barry Sims backed slowly out of James’ office an
d looked questioningly at Mary. 
“Mr. Kelly just called and ordered me to come and personally give him and updated on the Ashton project, but,” he continued, “when I got here he yelled at me for interrupting him.
As far as I could tell
he was doing nothing but sitting there and staring into space.
Did I do something wrong?”

Mary walked over and patted his shoulder in a motherly fashion.
“Don’t worry about it dear,” she said.
“
It’s not your fault.
He’s been acting like that all day.
I suggest that you just get back to work and try to forget about it.
I’m sure he’ll work it out of his system, eventually.”

“Thanks Mary.”
Barry shook his head and hurried from the room.

Inside the CEO’s office James threw down his pen in disgust and ran his hands through his already disheveled hair.
He just couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything today and he knew that he was being harsh with everyone.
The problem, he thought with some malice, could be laid
squarely at Mira Ander’s door.
  His decision to back off had seemed reasonable on Friday night
.  She
made him feel too deeply.

The minute he had decided to stay away from her,
however,
his anger had increased along with his confusion.
It was ridiculous.
Yes, she was a beautiful and desirable woman, but there was nothing special about her.
He absently rubbed the back of his neck.
Perhaps, he rationalized, his intense reaction last night had been a fluke or, possibly, he was having problems because he had told himself that she was off limits.

If that was the case the only solution was
to work her out of his system. 
That would require that he spend as much time as possible with Mira.
He would
soon
see that she was just as grasping and narcissistic as every other woman he had dated
.

With that decision made, the weight that had been sitting on his chest since Friday suddenly di
sappeared and his head cleared. 
With a sudden burst of enthusiasm he pushed back his chair and stood up.
There was no time like the present
to get started
.

Mira felt her skin begin to tingle and she knew without turning around that James was standing behind her.
  “Mr. Kelly,” she said. 
“Is there something I can help you with?”

“Why so formal Mira?” James asked.
He blew lightly on her exposed neck
and
watched with absorbed fascination as the few soft tendrils of hair that had managed to escape her severe knot dance
d
in the light breeze.

Mira forcibly controlled a shiver.
“I don’t understand what you mean,” she said tartly.
“Why would I act any way but formal toward you
.  You
are my boss?”
She couldn’t understand what was going on with James.
If he thought he could blow cold one minute and hot the next and get away with it, he had another thing coming.

“Hmm
,” James murmured noncommittally.
He leaned over her shoulder.
“Is that the water feature
for the resort that you’re working on?
It looks like some kind of water wheel.”

“That’s what it will be
,
hopefully.
I thought that this would be the best way to create a self-sustai
ning structure. 
We needed some way to pump the water without using an outside power source.
It still has to go through the engineering department, but I think it
I’ve got the beginnings of an idea
.”

“What about the base?”
he
asked interestedly.

“I was thinking about a large
,
round pool made from native stone.”

“It’s natural, simple, and environmentall
y friendly
.
I like it.”

Mira sighed.
“
Yes, b
ut will Jonathan like it?
I got the impression that he was looking for something a bit more elegant.”

“
He may be the client, but I’m still the boss.
Let me handle Mr. Ashton.
Now
, if
that
’s all the business
out of the way.
I’d
like you to have dinner with me
tonight.”

“What!?”
Mira spun around in surprise and s
lammed into James’ broad chest. 
Without thinking, she raise
d
her hands and shoved him back.
“I don’t understand you,” she almost wailed.
“After the cold way you treated me Friday night, are you asking me on a date?”

James grinned down into her upturned face.
“I believe
that is exactly what I’m doing. 
There’s a
new Indian place that I want
to try out.
”
He turned and headed toward the door.
“I’ll pick you at 7 o’clock
on Friday
.
Wear something comfortable.”

“But I haven’t agreed yet.”

Amy walked over and slung a companionable arm over Mira’s shoulders.
“So,” she said with a grin.
“
It
was just business huh?”

“That’s what I thought.”

“I guess the only question is
,
what are you going to wear?”

Mira surveyed the mess that had once been her bedroom, but was now one big, messy closet with clothes strewn everywhere, and closed
her eyes in defeat. 
Granted, she wasn’t a fashion maven like Lily, but neither was she known as being a complete failure in that department.
In fact, she regularly received compliments on her choice of attire.
Something about knowing that this could be her first real date with James was making her a nervous wreck.

With a heartfelt sigh she flopped backward on the in the pile of clothing that covered her bed and stared morosely at the ceiling.
She was placing way too much importance
on her outfit,
she finally admitted, especially since she hadn’t actually agreed to go out with him.

She rolled over onto her stomach and pleasurably contemplated the look on his face if he showed up at the door and
she refused to go out with him. 
After his strange, fluctuating behavior it would serve him right.
She knew herself too well, though, and she wasn’t going to do that.
In spite of the risks, she had been dreaming about James Kelly asking her on a date since she was a teenager
so if she didn’t go she would end up regretting it
.

The trick,
she
thought, would be to remember that James was no longer the sweet, thoughtful boy who had been her friend and confidant.
He was an older, tougher and more cynical version of that boy and, despite the fact that she found him extremely attractive, she wasn’t even sure if she liked him.

In addition, she was also an older, more experienced, confidant woman.
She was no longer the love struck, fawning teenager that she had
once been. 
She had handled the death of her husband,
chauvinism in her chosen field,
and a sensationalist court case.
She
could definitely handle James Kelly.

With a decisiveness that she hadn’t felt in months, Mira bounded off the bed and pulled out her most comfortable, faded pair of jeans.
She paired it with a white, eyelet tan
k top, slipped on a pair of low-
heeled sandals and ran a brush through her hair.
When the doorbell rang ten minutes later she was already waiting in the front hall with her favorite crochet
ed purse slung over her shoulder
.

She straightened her shoulders, pasted a bored expression on her face, and opened the door.
Her pulse may have leapt erratically at the sight of J
ames dressed in a pair of
worn jeans and a soft
gray
t-shirt, but her face betrayed nothing.
Then he pulled his hands from behind his back and offered her a bunch of bright yellow daisies.
An unconscious smile slipped over her face.
With an effort, she ignored the flowers and nonchalantly leaned against the doorjamb.

“You’re awfully sure of yourself,” she said.
“I didn’t actually agree to go out with you.
Perhaps I already had plans for the evening.”

“You didn’t, did you?” James asked somewhat uncertainly.
She looked fabulous in her tight jeans with her
long, thick
hair
framing her beautifully sculpted
face.
He was sure she would be waiting for him, but he supposed it was possible that she had another date.
That would be too bad, he thought with a trace of his renowned arrogance, because she would just have to break it.

“I went to a lot of trouble planning this evening and I even bought you flowers but,” he s
aid with a woebegone expression.
“I suppose I can just eat alone and throw the flowers away.”