Lights and Shadows (Oregon In Love) (7 page)

Julia changed into a textured silk blouse in a slate blue color with
a matching skirt. When she was satisfied with her hair and makeup,
she headed back to the house and began removing the dishes warming in
the oven.

Just before the appointed time, Sara drifted in, still sleepy from a
nap. She was followed by her husband, freshly-showered after
returning home from work. At the same time, Julia heard the crunch of
gravel in the driveway when a vehicle pulled in and parked. After
lighting the candles, she schooled her expression into a polite mask
as Marc walked in the front door.

Julia was glad she’d made some attempt to prepare herself. Coming
face to face with him left her decidedly weak in the knees. She
smiled and gathered everyone around the table, asking Brian to give
thanks when they were settled. When the prayer was over, she kept
busy serving the food, making sure all went smoothly.

Marc had to remind himself to eat. Every fiber of his being was aware
of the woman seated across the table from him. Julia appeared
luminous in the candlelight, and he noticed her eyes often strayed in
his direction as well. He wondered if she felt as unsettled at what
happened between them the other night. Marc didn’t know what to
call it, but whatever it was, it left him feeling distracted and
somehow thwarted.

Allowing his eyes to linger on her throughout the dinner, he couldn’t
imagine a more unlikely female to become enamored of. He and Julia
were from different lifestyles, from different worlds. If she were
looking for a relationship, he imagined she’d go for a rich CEO
type, not an unknown starving artist like himself.

Any interest she might have for him, he felt sure, was because he was
convenient. Based on the shadows under her eyes and sometimes pinched
expression, he got the feeling Julia was unhappy, which made her
vulnerable, but he wouldn’t use that to press an advantage.

With that dismal thought, Marc reminded himself to stop staring. He
succeeded until she brought in dessert. Before returning to her
chair, Julia stood behind Brian and wrapped her arms around him. She
pressed her cheek against his temple, exclaiming what a wonderful
brother she had. Light banter and laughter followed while Marc
crumpled his napkin in his hands. The sight of her radiant face made
him wonder what it would be like on the receiving end of her glowing
affection. He knew his response would be anything but brotherly.

Later, they all sat in the living room and talked long into the
evening. Marc did more listening than talking. He remembered he’d
planned on asking Brian about a custom storage unit for his camera
equipment, but somehow never got around to mentioning it. It was
after eleven o’clock when Sara and Brian retired to their room for
the night. He found himself reluctant to leave, and so remained on
the couch waiting to see what Julia would do.

She turned to him and smiled. “I’m glad you could join us
tonight, Marc.”

“Since I was the interloper, thank
you
. The meal was
wonderful.”

She folded her hands in her lap, murmuring her thanks. “Are you
working on a project right now?”

Marc guessed she really wanted to know if he planned on staying the
night at the B & B. He wondered if she was trying to find a
tactful way to get rid of him. He suppressed a smile. “No.”

Julia stood. “Well then, if you’ll excuse me, it’s a bit late
and I still need to clean up.”

He stood as well. “I’ll help.”

***

When the candles were snuffed out and the table cleared, Julia loaded
the dishwasher to capacity and filled the sink for the extra pots and
pans left over. Marc stood next to her, the sleeves of his black
Henley shirt rolled up, his arms deep in soapsuds. He washed while
she rinsed. Julia was uncomfortably aware of his quiet attention.

All evening long, she’d stifled the impulse to seek him out in any
way. Now that he was so near, she could feel the warmth of his
proximity. When their fingers bumped as he passed her dishes, his
touch affected her more than she wanted to admit. It made no sense.
How could such a simple chore feel so intimate? Julia couldn’t wait
for him to leave so she could regain emotional high ground. She
licked her lips. “Thank you for all your help. This wasn’t part
of the invitation.”

“I know. But after a dinner like that I knew there would be a stack
of dishes at least as big as your effort. I wouldn’t be able to
sleep tonight, thinking of you scrubbing pots into the wee hours of
the morning.”

Julia smiled at his teasing tone. He swiped at his nose with his arm.
The action left a puff of suds on his cheek. She had to fight the
urge to wipe it away.

Marc handed her the last pan and pulled the plug on the
sink. She offered him a clean dishtowel, and out of the corner of her
eye, saw him dry his hands and dab at his face while leaning against
the counter. She tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear.
What
now?

“
Julia, did Sara mention anything to you about a book
party tomorrow night?”

She nodded, smiling in a detached sort of way. Her pulse
picked up tempo.

“
Would you consider being my guest for the evening?”

Julia’s heart lurched hard and she felt her careful
expression falter. She’d often been asked out over the years, and
her response had always been a kindly
no
.

She lowered her eyes for a moment. When she raised them
to meet his, her answer surprised her.

Chapter Six

With a critical eye, Julia checked her reflection in the mirror the
following evening. She wondered if the black cocktail dress with a
matching beaded bolero jacket was too dressy for a book party.
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she plumped the curls at her shoulders.

She didn’t want to admit to herself that she was nervous about
going on a date with Marc. She knew he had asked her out of courtesy
to Brian and Sara. But that didn’t explain why there were kamikaze
butterflies loose in her stomach.

She distracted herself by filling her evening bag with the
essentials—compact face powder, lipstick, a comb, tissues, and
Extra-Strength Tylenol. She began to remember why she didn’t go out
on dates. The anxiety wasn’t worth it. Then again, no one had
stirred her to this pitch before. She’d decided a long time ago not
to get too personal with her business associates. Although she’d
often been a part of power lunches and dinners, she kept things
professional. Office romances were notorious for being disastrous,
and with her long hours of work, she really didn’t have time for
anyone else.

Julia preferred it that way. If pangs of loneliness ever crept up on
her, she’d give her dad or brother a call, although lately, even
that had failed to banish her feelings of discontent.

A knock at the cottage door sent her heart careening. Marc needed to
be at the party early and had insisted on driving Julia so they
wouldn’t need to wait for Brian and Sara.

She took a breath, straightened her shoulders, and answered the door.

Marc hoped the darkness concealed his reaction when he saw Julia in
the doorway. How was it she could look more lovely each time he saw
her? He managed a smile. “Ready?”

She nodded and took his proffered arm. They walked in silence in the
moonless night to his truck. After helping her into the passenger
seat, he went around to the other side and slid behind the wheel.

While making trivial conversation, inwardly Marc wondered what had
ever possessed him to give Julia a second thought. She was way out of
league. No doubt she’d accepted his invitation out of courtesy to
Brian and Sara. He frowned at the thought.

“So who’s giving you the party?” Julia asked.

Marc forced his expression to be more pleasant. “My editor and my
dad were good friends. And when I had the idea for the book, he
helped to get me started. But just in case any success might go to my
head, he told me he needed an excuse for a party to showcase his
wife’s new catering business, and that my book was as good a reason
as any.” Marc smiled wryly. “Believe me, I’m not complaining,
but I can guarantee I won’t know half the people there tonight.”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea. Just think of the exposure your
book will get. Besides, a party is a party.”

“That’s true. And I get the feeling you like parties.”

Julia smiled. “Absolutely. They’re an excellent place to network
and develop new business contacts. Many of my consulting
opportunities have developed at such gatherings.”

“Do you ever go just to have fun?”

“Work
is
fun.”

Her shot her a glance, wondering at the forced note in her voice.
Seeing her clouded expression confirmed his suspicions. The idea that
Julia might not be happy bothered him. Technically, it wasn’t his
problem, and he certainly wasn’t the solution, but it still
bothered him. He wanted to erase the shadows under her eyes—shadows
that spoke of something deeper than fatigue. He wanted to see her
smile like she had at dinner the night before.

At
him
.

***

The sight of twinkling lights on the horizon heralded their approach
into Portland. Marc drove into the West Hills to the home of his
editor, Nathan Brenner. He parked a few houses down from the
residence and assisted Julia from the truck, enjoying the way she
rested a hand on his arm as they made their way up the street.

The house was lit up with the glow of lamplight and candles when they
stepped inside. Already there were several couples in the large
living room. An ivory leather sectional couch took center stage,
enhanced by several glass-topped side tables encouraging the
formation of guests into small, intimate groups.

A copy of his book
Facets
was set on a table near the door,
surrounded by an artful display of colorful minerals and small rocks.
A tiny placard nestled in the display gave credit to a jewelry store
for providing the ‘geological samples’.

Mrs. Brenner, elegantly attired, bussed the air near Marc’s cheek
and gave a kind, if speculative, stare at Julia when he introduced
her. After a few hostess-like phrases, she snagged some other couples
and made introductions all around, thereby discharging her duties
before rushing off to check the food.

Marc was right when he said he wouldn’t know most of the people
present. Those he did know seemed overly interested at his arrival
with a woman, and insisted on making Julia’s acquaintance. She
didn’t seem to notice his discomfort at everyone’s conspicuous
assumption of a budding romance. Julia was obviously in her element.
Her warm and gracious manner kept conversation flowing smoothly while
they mingled throughout the ever-growing crowd.

He was pleased that she stayed by his side. Social niceties gave him
leave to maintain light physical contact, and he took great pleasure
in her nearness. Some time later, Brian and Sara arrived, and after
they greeted each other, Sara and Julia disappeared. Marc experienced
a sharp stab of disappointment, reluctant to carry on conversation
with the other guests without her.

Sara watched the way Marc’s expression changed when Julia left his
side. She followed her into a sitting room, set aside for ladies to
repair their appearances.

“Sara, you look fabulous in that dress,” Julia said.

She noted Julia’s high flush. “You’re the one who picked it
out. And anyway, if anyone looks fabulous, it’s you. I noticed Marc
couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

The instant the words were out of Sara’s mouth, she regretted them.
She’d promised herself not to meddle, but everything within her
cried out to bring these two people together. They made a great
couple and their personalities were perfectly matched. But if she
continued putting her foot in her mouth, she risked spoiling any
possibilities between them.

Sara sighed. “Sorry. Just a bit of wishful thinking.”

Julia peered into a mirror while she freshened her lipstick. “Don’t
worry about it.” Dropping the lipstick tube back into her bag, she
snapped it shut and changed the subject.

Julia was relieved when Sara made her way back to her husband. The
contrition in her eyes for her comment about Marc softened some of
her frustration. But it still rankled. Perhaps it
wouldn’t have been such a big deal if she weren’t entertaining
nonsensical notions about Marc herself.
I’m just as
guilty of wishful thinking.

The warmth in his dark eyes tonight melted away her intention of
keeping him at arm’s length. Julia found it nearly impossible to
stay her intended course when he acted so solicitous and kind,
attending to her every need. His breath against her cheek when he
spoke low into her ear, the gentleness of his touch while they wended
their way through the room, had proved too much for her to resist.
She could hardly wait to get back to his side.

“Excuse me, Ms...?”

Julia turned at the sound of a masculine voice. “Julia Wilcox,”
she said, holding out her hand to the man in front of her. He was
tall, with light blond hair and gray eyes set in a classically
handsome face. His grip was firm as they shook hands.

“Spencer Meyers. I overheard you mention to one of the other guests
that you’re in the consulting business.”

Julia’s eyes lit up. “As a matter of fact, I am.”

Marc wondered what two women who saw each other everyday could find
so interesting to talk about. He felt his frown deepen when Julia
finally emerged from the other room, only to be intercepted by a
tall, blond man in a perfectly tailored suit.

Marc didn’t know who he was, but it bugged him the way he had Julia
cornered in what appeared to be an intimate manner. He watched while
she became engrossed in animated conversation, and by the way her
eyes sparkled, she liked what she heard.