Circle of Shadows (7 page)

His eyes said he didn’t believe
her, but he nodded and led the way up the path of flat stones to the door, and
unlocked it.

She noted that the lock had
already been changed; even the locksmith seemed to do his bidding on a speedy
basis.

The rooms already had a
different, more conservative look. His furniture looked plain, but she realized
as she glanced around, that was deceptive. Every piece, upon closer inspection,
was expensive, solid oak and beautifully built.

“Your aunt’s taste in basic
colors was luckily very similar to mine. I won’t have to change much in this
room,” he commented. “There’s some coffee left. Would you like some? Or do you
prefer tea or pop
?
”

“A can of diet lemon-lime pop
would be nice, if you have it. Or whatever.”

“Diet lemon-lime it is.” He bent
to get the can from the refrigerator, and his blue sweater rode up from his
belt, revealing a bare expanse of suntanned skin. A tingle of awareness shot
through her at the sight. She wondered if he went to a tanning booth, or just
to
some tropical island often enough to keep that tan
through the winter. A thrill of anticipation slipped down her insides as she
realized that she would get to know him well enough over the next year or two
to find out.

His fingers brushed hers as he
handed her the ice-cold can. She took it quickly to separate them. Flashing her
a knowing smile, he said, “My office is down this hall.”

As they walked together, he
reached out and put his hand on her waist. “Watch this step. One of the workmen
tore the carpet when he didn’t lift a chest of drawers quite high enough. I’ll
need to replace it.”

She tried to tell herself that
his guiding hand was just that, and meant nothing more. She also tried to tell
herself that her warm reaction to his nearness was foolish and one-sided.

Ken’s office was the large
yellow-painted room at the end of the hall. It was filled with computer
equipment and file cabinets.

“It looks a little different,
now,” she commented. “It contained wall-to-wall beds and chests of drawers when
my cousins and I slept here. We all shared this room when I visited them.”

“That sounds like fun. My brother
and I used to share a room. We’d have pillow fights and try our damnedest to
hold down the giggles enough so that our parents wouldn’t hear. My mom grounded
me and took away my bicycle for a week after one fight.”

“Really? That sounds a little
drastic.”

“Not really.” He grinned. “You should
have seen the mess we made. We’d burst the pillows and our room was buried
under a layer of feathers.”

“Oh
!
” Lili burst out laughing at the
picture his words drew in her mind. “Our pillows broke once, too. Aunt Agnes
made us pick up all the feathers and put them back inside the ticking, and then
sew them up by hand. It took us hours.”

Their eyes met and held for a
long searching moment before Lili drew a deep breath and looked away. What had
gotten into her? She rarely talked about her personal life or her past to good
friends, let alone to a man she hardly knew.

Ken seemed to sense her
withdrawal. He stepped forward and sat down in front of his computer. His voice
sounded a bit ragged as he said, “Pull up a chair and watch, then I’ll let you
try it. You can tell me what you understand and what you don’t as we go along.”

Lili obeyed and was surprised to
find him an excellent teacher. While the system was similar to the one she was
used to, the accounting software was new. It looked so easy when he did it, but
when she tried, she’d forget some little detail that brought everything to a
halt. Then Ken would patiently explain it all over again.

Each time he leaned close to
correct something that she had done or tell her how to correct it, her pulse
and breath quickened. No wonder she couldn’t keep her thoughts on remembering
the computer commands.

He went over the commands again.
The spreadsheet of dollar figures danced in rows on the screen in front of her.
The cursor and his long fingers moved in a smooth, choreographed dance across
the keys. Figures and formulas appeared on the screen as if by magic.

“Then you can check your work
this way.” His voice went on, and his fingers followed, then he leaned close to
watch the screen as she imitated his actions.

She tried not to notice how his
nearness affected her mind. “I understand. The principle used is the same as
the program I used in St. Louis, but the commands and set-up are different.”

“Good. I’ll give you a sample
spreadsheet, so you can look back to mine if you forget. I’m sure you’ll be
doing it automatically in a short time.”

At last Ken stood up and
stretched. “Let’s quit for today. You can ask me more questions, after you get
your machine and have had a chance to play around with it for a while. Wait until
you’re comfortable with it before you try doing your reports on the computer.
Give Renee your figures and she can enter them for you for a couple of weeks.”

“All right,” she agreed, still
looking a bit skeptical.

“Will all this stuff be delivered
in boxes
?
” She waved
a hand at the array of equipment he had spread out on the long table along one
wall that served as his desk.

He grinned at her nervousness. “I
wouldn’t do that to you. Someone from the computer shop will deliver it all.
He’ll set up your system, install the software, and make sure that everything
is working properly. I’m sure you have more important things to do with your
time than reading those obscure instruction manuals in order to figure out what
plugs into what.”

Relieved, she nodded. “Thanks.
I’m not very mechanical.”

“How about some dinner? Are you
hungry?”

Glancing at her watch, she was
surprised to see that it was after five. Her stomach agreed that food was a
nice idea.

“Sounds great.”

As they stepped outside, she
craned her neck to see if it had indeed been Aunt Agnes’ tulips and daffodils
she had glimpsed from the overlook the day after her father’s funeral.

Ken locked the door, and noticed
her glance. “Would you like to see the flowers? They’re blooming beautifully
already,” he said. “Yesterday’s rain seemed to make them just pop open.”

“Oh, I’d love to. Aunt Agnes was
always so proud of them.”

She followed the path to the back
of the house, and exclaimed enthusiastically over the beds of gold and red
blooms edging the house. White rock lined the flower beds and low evergreen
shrubs completed the picture. He followed her down the flat rock paths that led
from the patio to the dock stretching out into the lake.

“They’re beautiful, but they must
be a lot of work to keep up, aren’t they
?
”

“Yes, but they’re worth it.”
Along the side of the house, Lili spied a spot of yellow in a clearing between
the trees. She walked towards it. “Oh, look, the Lady’s Slippers are out
already.”

Ken followed, walking carefully
on the rain-softened ground. Old pine needles protected their shoes from the
rich brown soil, but made the hillside slippery.

Lili bent to touch the yellow
petals. “Aren’t they lovely
?
”

“Yes, and well named. They really
are shaped like a Lady’s Slipper.”

She nodded. “They’re wild
orchids. They’ve probably been growing here for hundreds of years. There should
be some of the smaller pink ones, too; at least, there always were.” She looked
around, stepping carefully lest she should inadvertently crush them and smiled
happily when she discovered one.

“Aunt Agnes loved these,” she
said. “She used to photograph them, and kept all the pictures in a scrapbook.”

“You love them, too.” His voice
felt like a soft caress.

“Yes. And the tulips and
daffodils. Each spring I watched for the little purple crocus my mother planted
on the hill just outside her kitchen window. They were the first ones to bloom.
Seeing them appear after a long and dreary winter year after year, was
like...like magic, or a miracle.”

She glanced at him shyly and
caught her breath when she saw him staring at her in an odd way. Embarrassed at
having voiced her fantasies, she stood up quickly and headed back around the
house to the car. “You must think that’s silly.”

“No, I think it’s beautiful. And
very true,” he said quietly. He unlocked the car door and seated her. “Not many
women I’ve met would know what a wildflower looked like, let alone how to find
one, or know anything about planting tulip and crocus bulbs. My mother always
talked about flowers like that, too.”

His mother! Honestly, no man had
ever compared her to his mother before. Should she be insulted or did he mean
it as a compliment? Would she ever figure this man out?

They drove around the lake, back
to the Lakeview Lounge where they’d gone the first night, and sat at the same
table overlooking the water. Lili was beginning to think of it as their table.

As they ate, Ken told her about
the other store managers in his group.

“Harry is the oldest, and has
also been with me the longest. He’ll show you his grandchildren’s pictures at
the drop of a hat. He’s steady and sensible, and knows my way of doing things
pretty well. He’s also the best one to call if you have a problem and need
advice when I’m not available.”

“I’ll remember that,” Lili said,
trying to quell the resentment she felt at his words.
What about my way of
doing things,
she thought rebelliously, but pushed the thought away as Ken
went on.

“Rudy’s young and a bit shy. He’s
a confirmed bachelor. John isn’t very talkative. But he’s a good guy to have on
your side, very honest and dependable.”

Lili listened as he continued
describing the other managers. “They sound like a fairly congenial group.”

“They are, for the most part. But
there’s some jealousy and competition between them, too. I’ve been working with
most of them quite a while, in one capacity or another.” Grinning, he teased,
“Since you’re new, you’ll be seeing a lot of me for a while. Later, I’ll be
harder to find, but you can always leave a message with Renee.”

Flustered, she attempted to get
the conversation back to business. In a hopeful tone she asked, “But each store
is essentially on its own? I mean, the managers of the other stores will have
nothing to do with my store or vice versa
?
”

“Exactly. Except for social
events, and attending warehouse business meetings, they rarely get together. We
have a company picnic in June, and a Christmas party early in December, before
the last-minute rush.”

“Am I the only woman manager?”

He eyed her thoughtfully. “Yes,
I’m afraid so. But plenty of the company reps and warehouse wheels are women,
so my other managers are used to working with women.”

“I’m sure.”

“Don’t worry that you won’t have
anything in common with the other women. Some of the managers’ wives work with
them on a daily basis, and they come to the parties too. Renee is the only one
you’ll need to contact on a regular basis. I’m usually off on the road
somewhere, but she always knows where I am.”

Lili felt a stab of resentment
for the secretary, without knowing why. She told herself it was only that Renee
apparently had a comfortable working relationship with this attractive man. On
the other hand, she still felt their relationship was like a large, slippery balloon
that might pop at any moment, leaving her holding nothing but thin air.

He was sending her a long slow
look that shook her to her toes. She forgot what they had been talking about,
and cast about for something to say to break the tension. Oh, yes, store
parties. She found her tongue and asked, “Does your family attend these parties
?
” Then she groaned inwardly,
wondering if he would think that too personal a question.

He seemed not to notice, and
answered readily, “No. My parents are dead. I do have a brother in New York and
a sister, Jill, in Florida, but both are much too busy with their own lives to
be interested.”

She let out the breath she didn’t
realize she’d been holding. “You don’t have a wife or children
?
”

“No.” He raised a dark eyebrow,
and speared a tomato from his salad. “Do you? Have a husband or children
?
”

She shook her head, wondering why
the fact that he was single should make her feel so happy.

Much later, he drove her home and
walked her to her door. A gentle breeze brought them the mingled scents of
springtime
—
freshly
cut grass, wet from the recent rain, and apple trees in bloom.

She turned to say goodnight, and
looked up at him, noticing how his hair glistened under the street light. She
resisted the urge to reach up and run her fingers through it just for the
pleasure of touching him. Forcing her voice into a semblance of normalcy, she
said, “Thank you for dinner, and teaching me the computer program. I feel much
better about the whole idea now.”

“You’re welcome. It was my
pleasure, Lili.”

Before she could move, he’d taken
her in his arms, bent his head and brushed his lips across hers. She gasped in
surprise, and Ken took advantage of her open mouth to deepen the kiss.

Desire had been building all day.
Now it exploded into sensations that leaped between them, sending their tongues
into the fray as they heatedly explored and communicated. Lili’s arms somehow
moved around his neck. His hands pressed her against him, surrounding her with
his warmth against the cool night air. His cologne and the lingering scent of
coffee teased her nose. His tongue teased hers and his lips moved to her
eyelids, down to her chin line, then back to her lips once more. His hand came
around to slide inside her coat and hold her tightly to him.

Somewhere a dog barked loudly,
reminding her where they were. She pulled back, and he immediately released
her.

They murmured good nights, and
she slipped inside the house. It was a long time before she slept.

***

As Ken had promised, the week
proved to be a busy one. On Monday the computer arrived soon after they opened.
The man not only brought it personally in his store van, but set it up in
record time, checked out every function, and disappeared as quickly as he’d
arrived.

An hour later, Ken appeared,
carrying his briefcase, as usual. Lili was a little nervous when she saw him,
but he was all business and made no reference to last night’s passionate
interlude.

“Glad to see it all arrived,” he
said, flipping on the computer and slipping a disk in the drive. “This is the sample
report and spreadsheet I promised you. It’s an old report, done by a store no
longer with us, but I changed the names anyway, just in case anyone might feel
their confidence had been violated. No one except Renee and me will have access
to your information.”

“That’s nice,” she said,
beginning to dislike Renee sight unseen. She brought her attention back to
Ken’s words.

“All the formulas are set up for
you. Just put in the correct figures for your store and then total the rows and
columns,” he instructed. “If you have a problem, call me or Renee. She’s always
available, and knows the program well.”

“All right,” Lili said, hoping
she sounded more confident than she felt.

“I’m already late for a meeting.”
He tossed her a warm smile as he left, leaving Lili staring after him, feeling
frustrated and confused. Perhaps he already regretted mixing business and
pleasure. The idea made her so crabby that even Ralph, who joked about
everything, stayed out of her way.

She spent most of the day in her
office, and her anger helped her accomplish a great deal. By the end of the day
she felt her files were in fairly good shape. At last she knew where she was in
every account, and felt ready to start her reports.

After work she went to swim laps
in the motel pool to work off some of the tension from sitting all day. When
she saw Ken come into the pool area and walk to the dressing room, a wave of
pleasure slid through her, in response to his presence.

In a few minutes he joined her in
the pool. With a smile, he began pacing her, lap for lap. They were alone in
the pool.

The caressing look in Ken’s eyes
told Lili he hadn’t forgotten their kiss of the previous night, and that he was
thinking about a repeat performance. She returned his welcoming smile. The way
he kept seeking her glance, then holding it as they swam, made her blood sing
through her veins.

Lili’s black mood disappeared
like the wisps of steam over the river on a frosty day. Warm energy flowed to
her arms and legs. She kept pace with him as though she had only begun her
swim.

They stopped at the motel lounge
for a drink and talked companionably for hours, before Ken escorted her to her
car.

He followed her in his own car as
she drove the few blocks to her home, then walked her to her door. There he
turned her into his arms and explored her lips. She enjoyed the kiss, but
scolded herself for doing so, then was sorry that he left her, when she wanted
so much more.

She couldn’t sleep, so she made
some hot cocoa and curled up with the computer manual she’d brought home,
hoping that dry material would prove tiring. Instead, she kept seeing Ken’s
long fingers on the keys and his eyes watching her as she tried to follow his
instructions.

What’s the matter with me, anyway
? She sighed with frustration.
I’m
acting like a lovesick teenager over a man I’ve vowed to hate, and whose
corporate policies I’ve determined to best. And he’s acting very
unprofessionally with me as well.

***

Tuesday proved to be the only
quiet day of the week. Lili spent most of the day in the office, completing the
financial reports Ken had requested. Adding up the figures, dismay surged
through her. Robert had been right when he complained that Adams’ Foods made
very little money.

She’d always thought her father’s
frugality was more of a habit than a necessity. From the look of things, there
had indeed been little profit with which to buy new equipment or make needed
improvements. She faxed the numbers to Ken’s office as he had instructed,
hoping the disappointing figures might encourage him to reconsider selling
those shares in Adams’ Foods back to her. Though if the profits were as bad as
they seemed, goodness only knew where she would get the money to pay him for
those shares.

She was about to leave for the
day when Renee called. “I got your figures and keyed them into the computer for
Ken this afternoon,” she said.

“Good. I hope to be doing the
reports on the computer myself in a couple of weeks,” Lili assured her.

“All the store managers are
having a pot-luck housewarming party for Ken at his house on Saturday night,
Lili. Come about seven or so,” Renee said. “Each store is to bring some entrees
from your deli department. Whatever you have on hand is fine.”

“Sound’s great,” Lili lied. It
was more a directive than an invitation. “I’ll plan on it.”

“Oh, and Ken said to invite all
your employees, too, since your store is so close. Then everyone can get
acquainted, since we’ll all be working together, you know. Will that work out
with your schedule
?
”

“All right. Yes, that should be
fine. We close at six on Saturday.”

“Great. See you then,” Renee said
sweetly.

Lili passed the invitation on to
Anna, who was busily dusting and straightening canned goods on the shelves.
Anna gave her a frown instead of a smile at the news.

“You needn’t go if you’d rather
not, Anna,” Lili said. “It’s a social occasion, not a job requirement.”

Anna looked away. “Of course,
I’ll go. I’m just surprised, that’s all. Usually, only the big-wigs are invited
to that sort of thing.”

Lili wasn’t fooled in the least.
Anna’s resentment was written all over her face. Lili sighed sadly. “I realize
you resent Ken for taking Dad’s place, but it was Dad’s choice to sell the
store, you know. You shouldn’t blame Ken.”

Anna lifted her chin and met
Lili’s gaze. “You do.”

Lili couldn’t deny it. Anna knew
her too well to be fooled, anyway. “I know. But I expected Dad to leave his
shares in the store to Mom, so I could just run it for both of us. It was a
real shock for me to find out that he’d sold them instead. I’m still having trouble
believing it.”

“That’s what Robert should have
done.” Anna’s dark eyes flashed and her wide mouth trembled. “Left them to you
and your mom, I mean. He knew all of the rest of us would stay to help you.
Selling it was
—
like
saying he didn’t really trust us.”

“I’m sure Dad didn’t mean it like
that, Anna,” Lili assured her. She studied Anna thoughtfully, then asked in a
soft voice, “You cared about him, too, didn’t you, Anna
?
”

Anna nodded and raised a large
hand to brush back her straight brown hair, looking embarrassed. “Like family.”

“He thought the world of you,
too, Anna, of all of the staff here.” Lili’s clear voice rang with conviction.

A smile lit Anna’s dark brown
eyes, and she nodded as she turned back to her dusting.

Satisfied that Anna was back in a
mood to co-operate rather than causing dissension among the other employees,
Lili moved on to pass the invitation to the others.

When evening came, Lili went for
a swim again, but this time Ken didn’t appear. She tried unsuccessfully to tell
herself that she wasn’t disappointed, that she hadn’t expected to spend the
evening with him.

***

Ken, meanwhile, curled up in his
big recliner and read the report Lili had sent to his office earlier. In his
hand he held his third cup of black coffee. He drank from it absently, then set
the cup down on the end table beside him. Perplexed, he shook his head, and
read the report again.