Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) (11 page)

Sandy looked at her, puzzled. She pointed toward the door.

“
A little girl I sat next to on the subway; I think she’s still talking.”

Sandy frowned and nodded her head. “I have one just like that.”

“
You poor thing,” Jessica sympathized. “How on earth do you stand it?”

Sandy grinned. “Why do you think I work?”

Jessica chuckled and headed to her office. “I’m expecting a phone call,” she called back over her shoulder. “I’ll be in either my office, or in the studio, but buzz him through, okay?”

She tried to keep her mind on her work, but it was impossible. She looked at her watch every half hour. By ten o’clock, she was feeling hopeless. At eleven o’clock, the phone rang. She picked it up immediately.

“
Hello,” she shouted into the receiver. She slumped back into her chair, disappointed. “Oh, hello, Mr. Stewart.—No, I didn’t know it was you. I was hop—um—I mean, I thought it was someone else.”

She rolled her eyes upward. “Of course, I’m not disappointed it’s you. What can I do for you?—Yes. I have worked hard on the project, thank you, Mr. Stewart.—All right.—Thank you, Phillip.—Yes, it’s coming along fine.—A location?” She bit her lip. “I’m working on that as we speak. I have some wonderful ideas in mind,” she lied.—“No, I don’t think dinner will be possible.—Because, I don’t date clients, Mr. Stewart, I mean, Phillip,” she corrected.

She raised her eyebrows in alarm. “But I thought you weren’t going to be handling this account. You said that your staff would be overseeing it.—No, of course, I’m not disappointed, but I still have to say no to dinner.—Okay, lunch tomorrow, but it’s strictly a business meeting.—Yes, I know the place.—No, that’s all right, I can get there by myself.—No, there’s no need for you to pick me up.” She hung up the phone and shivered. She was still sitting there staring at the phone when Amy rapped on the door and poked her head inside.

“
Knock, knock.” Amy noticed her worried frown and her heart thudded. “What’s wrong? Is your mother okay?”

“
She’s fine. In fact, she couldn’t be better. Something else is bothering me.”

Amy came and took the chair on the other side of her desk. “Then what is it? You look absolutely frightened.”

“
I just got off the phone with Phillip Stewart. He has changed his mind and decided he wants to work with us on the project, after all.” She nodded at Amy’s shocked expression.

“
But I thought he wasn’t interested in this project. Didn’t you say he was going to let his staff run it?” Jessica nodded. “Then what happened to change his mind?”

“
I’m afraid I did. He called and invited me to dinner tonight. I turned him down.”

“
Good for you, Jess.”

“
I’m not so sure it was the right thing to do. This man does not take rejection lightly. I think I angered him. It was after I turned him down that he informed me about his decision to work with us.”

“
Did you tell him that most of the work is almost completed?”

“
He knows that. I have been in constant touch with his assistant, Daniel Wheeler. He knows every decision I have made concerning this matter. In fact, I think I’ll call Daniel right now.” She picked up the phone and dialed the number Daniel Wheeler had left for her. She knew it well by now. The phone still had not been answered after many rings. Amy gestured toward the phone. Jessica shrugged. Finally, she hung up.

“
What is it?”

“
I’m not sure.” She rummaged through her desk drawer and found Daniel’s business card. “Here, I’ll try his cell phone.” She dialed the number and after numerous rings, it went to voice mail.

“
Hello, you have reached Daniel Wheeler, personal assistant to Mr. Phillip Stewart. I am unavailable to come to the phone, please leave a number and I’ll return your call.”

Jessica hung up without leaving a message. “Something’s going on.”

“
What do you think he has up his sleeve?”

“
I don’t know, but I have to find out. We’ve worked too hard on this project to let him spoil it.”

“
Oh, be careful. Phillip Stewart is a dangerous man. If he wants to, he can ruin you. I’m scared for you, Jess.”

“
So am I, but what else can I do?”

“
What is your plan?”

She looked at Amy and frowned. “I don’t have one. Wait, I know!” She snapped her fingers and picked up the telephone. Amy was staring in expectation, shaking her head back and forth. “Stop shaking your head at me. I have a friend who knows someone who works for the rat. Perhaps he might be able to get me some information.” She waited while the phone rang. “Yes, I would like to speak to Jason Carmichael,” she said into the receiver. Her smile faded. “I see—No, no message. I’ll call back.”

“
What’s wrong?

“
He’s on vacation for a month. He’s unreachable, but his secretary will gladly take a message,” she added with sarcasm.

“
Come on, Jess. She’s only doing her job. She probably has a canned script for callers. What are you going to do now?”

“
I don’t know; it looks as if I’m on my own with this one.”

Amy sighed. “And I thought I had problems. At least my life is not in danger.”

“
Don’t exaggerate. I hardly think my life is in danger.”

“
I don’t know…From what I’ve heard about your Mr. Stewart, I wouldn’t want to be up against him.”

“
Hey, I almost forgot to tell you. I heard from Brandon.”

Amy perked up. “You did, what did he say?”

“
I didn’t actually talk to him. There was a note on my door when I got home last night. He said he would call me today.” She frowned. “I was hoping he would call me this morning. Come on, I’ll tell you about it over lunch. I’m starving.”

They were laughing together as they exited the building. As they passed through the doorway, Jessica bumped into a man. She raised her head to apologize and stared directly into Brandon’s eyes.

“
Excuse me, miss—Jessie!” he exclaimed, interrupting his own words. “It’s good to see you. Did you get my note?”

“
Yes, I did, but I thought you were going to call me.”

“
I was, but I couldn’t get to a phone all morning. Didn’t you get the roses I sent?” He noticed her puzzled expression. “I guess not.”

Suddenly, she laughed. “Better late than never,” she said, pointing toward the door.

Brandon turned to see a deliveryman walking into the lobby. He was carrying the roses he had sent her. He signaled him over, reached into his pocket for a tip, and personally handed the bright bouquet to Jessica. She pulled the card from its holder and read it. She glanced at Brandon and smiled.

“
I would love to have lunch with you.”

Amy, taking her cue, excused herself and ran to catch up with the rest of the group, headed for the deli, as usual.

Brandon placed his hand on Jessica’s arm and led her from the building, where he had a car waiting for them.

She admired his taste in cars as he helped her into a brand new Porsche. Jessica seldom drove her car and couldn’t see wasting her money on such as expensive one, but it was sure nice to ride in one.

“
What a nice set of wheels,” she said

He glanced over at her and grinned. “Thanks, but it’s rented.”

“
What happened to your truck? Did you blow another water pump?” she teased.

“
No, as a matter of fact, I didn’t. I flew into town this time. I decided it would be safer.” He laughed before continuing, “Besides, I didn’t feel like making that long drive alone. Where would you like to eat lunch?”

“
Do you like Italian?”

“
I love Italian.”

“
Well then, I know a great Italian restaurant. It’s about five miles from here. They serve excellent food, have a superb atmosphere, and it’s truly authentic cooking.”

“
Well then, lead on.”

They drove the short distance to the restaurant, where the delicious aroma of many different dishes greeted them. This was Jessica’s favorite place to eat, so she was pleased to share it with Brandon. At least she knew they had one thing in common.

Antonio greeted them with a big bear hug for Jessica and a firm handshake for Brandon. “Jessica. How is my favorite customer?”

“
I’m fine, Antonio. Thank you for asking. I don’t have a reservation. Can you squeeze us in?”

He grinned. “I always have room for you, my dear.” He glanced around and then led them to a quiet corner. “How’s this?”

“
This is perfect.” He left them alone and signaled a waiter to the table.

“
So, are you here on business again?” she asked as the waiter handed them menus.

“
No. I am here to see you, actually.”

She blushed as her eyes took in his smiling face. “I’m flattered. How did I get so lucky to have an admirer who travels such great distances to see me?”

“
Well, for one, I missed you terribly and wanted to see you, and second, I felt a bit guilty.”

“
Guilty? About what?”

He chuckled. “Well, just a little bit guilty mind you.” He saw the curiosity on her face. “The last time we met, you were in dire need of a place to take some pictures, correct?” She nodded. “Then I have a proposition for you that I think you’ll like. That is if you haven’t found your paradise yet.”

She shook her head. “I’m getting desperate. We are supposed to start shooting in three weeks. Everything else is just about ready. This was my only snag. I even lied to Phillip Stewart this morning.”

“
Then consider your place found, and all it will cost you is dinner tonight.”

She eyed him with suspicion. She was intrigued. “Okay, I give up, enough of this game, just be out with it.”

He saw the amusement in her eyes. “When we last met, I was so dazzled by your beauty I couldn’t think straight. It was by sheer luck that last week my brother mentioned our property in California. I immediately thought of you. It could be your paradise. It has a private lake for your swimwear, and horses to ride for your sportswear, or hiking trails if you prefer. And the nearest town is only forty minutes away, so you can display your glorious evening gowns. So what do you say?”

She smiled brightly. “What would you like for dinner?”

She was still smiling when she returned to the office.

“
Enjoyed your lunch, did you?” Amy teased taking in her blissful mood and blushing cheeks. “It looks like romance is in the air today.”

“
You are jumping to conclusions. Go ahead ask me why I’m so happy.”

“
Oh, probably because you had lunch with a man who is rich, and handsome and cute, and oh, did I mention rich!”

“
Well, if you don’t want to hear, then all right.” She started to turn away and Amy grabbed her arm, turning her back around to face her.

“
You know I’m joking. Tell me what he said.” And she did.

“
That’s amazing. I guess he really must be in love,” she said and went back to her work. She had spent all day trying to match fabric colors with makeup shades. She was getting irritated with her failure to do so. She had hoped that after her lunch break, things would fall nicely into place, but that wasn’t happening.

Jessica watched her struggle. “What’s wrong?”

She placed her things down in frustration and looked at Jessica, exasperated. “I’m afraid I may have ordered the wrong shades of makeup. I can’t get anything to match.”

“
Well, then order some more,” she said casually.

Amy shot her a scornful look. “Have you any idea what this makeup costs. Didn’t you work it into your budget?”

“
Of course, I did. But if you have the wrong colors, then you have the wrong colors. You’ll simply have to order new ones. Are you sure they won’t exchange these?”

Amy shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ll keep trying; maybe I can make these work. Thanks for being so understanding.”

“
If you’re sure?”

“
What are you going to do about dinner tonight?”

Jessica frowned. “I don’t know. Do you have any suggestions?”

“
You could take him out.”

She shook her head. “Too impersonal.”

“
What about steak?”

She shook her head again. “Too simple. Besides, it gets stuck in my teeth.”

Amy glanced at her in astonishment. “Too simple! You don’t know how to cook, remember.”

She waved her off with her hand. “Maybe I’ll pick something up and bring it home.”

“
That’s a wonderful idea. I know the perfect place.”

“
Where?”

“
My freezer. I have a dish of veal parmigiana just screaming for romance, and it’s fresh. I just made it this weekend. You’re welcome to it.”

“
Are you sure? Did you make it for something special?”

She shook her head. “Not really. I cooked all weekend. I have several dinners in the freezer. I really enjoy cooking, and I had nothing better to do.”

Jessica scowled at her. “You cooked just because you like to?”

Amy laughed. “Yes, just because I like to,” she mimicked. “Now please feel free to take it. It’s just enough for two.”