Читать книгу Happy Mother's Day: Ready for Romance / Ready for Marriage - Debbie Macomber - Страница 12

This kiss wasn’t brotherly, nor was it uncomplicated. Damian’s mouth fit over hers, warm and coaxing. Jessica sighed and relaxed against him, giving herself up to the sensation. It felt right to be in his arms, that was all there was to it.

Her hands gripped the lapels of his jacket, her fingers crushing the soft wool as his mouth moved against hers. Damian’s hand curved around the side of her neck, his touch tender as though he feared hurting her.

The kiss was unlike any Jessica had ever experienced. She felt the sensual power of it all the way to her toes, the impact stealing her breath. She moaned and Damian did, too. When they broke apart, neither spoke. Jessica wished he’d say something, anything, to break the silence. She needed him to explain what was happening, because she was lost, taken by surprise, yet delighted to the very depths of her being.

Instead, Damian turned and walked away.

She couldn’t believe it. A tear slipped unnoticed down her cheek and dropped onto her silk blouse, the droplet bleeding into a small circle. She raised her hand to her face, taken aback by the tear.

Funny that when she couldn’t find the words to say what she felt, a tear would speak for her. She’d learned that lesson years earlier. Her mother’s tears had fallen onto her grandmother’s casket, and they’d said far more than a whispered farewell. Tearstains on a letter revealed more than its words.

A tear on her cheek now, after she’d shared a kiss with this man, spoke volumes. Only, to Jessica the language was one she couldn’t fully understand.

The sudden need to escape overwhelmed her. Collecting her purse, she stepped out of the library and proceeded down the hallway. She paused outside Damian’s open door. She saw him standing in front of his window, gazing into the night. His hands were clasped behind his back.

“Good night,” she called softly.

He turned and smiled briefly. “Good night, Jessica. See you in the morning.”

She wished they could sit down and discuss what had happened, but one look told her Damian was confused and not nearly as delighted as she was. He seemed troubled, burdened somehow. She wondered if he regretted having kissed her.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said. “You were right. It’s the best Italian food I’ve ever had.” She didn’t want to leave, but didn’t have an excuse to stay.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Jessica headed for the elevator. Her thoughts remained so muddled that she nearly missed her subway stop on the ride home. The first thing she did when she walked into her apartment was reach for the purple elephant Damian had won for her. She wrapped her arms around it and hugged it tight. It made her feel close to Damian. All she needed to do was shut her eyes and the memories of their night together at Cannon Beach filled her mind. She could almost hear the sound of the carousel and the echo of her own laughter when Damian insisted on winning her the elephant. She could hear the roller coaster as the riders shrieked past and smell the popcorn, candy apples and hot dogs.

Still holding the elephant, Jessica slumped into the overstuffed chair and reached for her phone, calling her best friend. Cathy was far more insightful in these matters than she was. She would help her make sense of Damian’s kiss.

“Hi,” Jessica murmured when her friend answered.

Her greeting was met with a slight hesitation. “What’s wrong?”

Her friend knew her so well. “What makes you think anything’s wrong?”

“I can tell from your voice.”

Smiling to herself, Jessica brought up her knees and rested her chin there as she assembled her thoughts. There didn’t seem to be an easy way of explaining. Best just to blurt it out. “Damian kissed me tonight.”

“And you liked it, didn’t you?”

Cathy sounded gleeful, as though tempted to break into song. Jessica supposed this was what she got for having a theater-arts major for a best friend.

“Yeah—but I’m totally confused,” Jessica admitted quietly. This jumble of mixed feelings was her main problem.

“Surprises you, doesn’t it?” Cathy asked, then chuckled softly, again with that note of delight. “I’ve seen the writing on the wall ever since you mentioned Damian Saturday night. The guy’s perfect for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous about it?”

“I haven’t thought of him … that way. Well, I have recently, and frankly, it frightens me to death. I’ve already made a fool of myself over one Dryden. I don’t want to make the same mistake with another one.”

“You were a kid the first time. There’s a world of difference between what happened then and what’s happening now.”

“Maybe,” was all Jessica was willing to concede.

“Think, woman,” Cathy said dramatically. “The man’s obviously attracted to you, too. Otherwise he wouldn’t be kissing you.”

“I don’t know that, and you don’t, either. We kissed, and then he acted as if it was the worst thing he could’ve done. He didn’t say a word and he just walked away. I don’t know what to think. I’m so confused.” She pressed a hand to her forehead.

“So you feel he regretted it?”

“He must have. Otherwise … otherwise everything would’ve turned out differently. He looked at me as if I were a stranger, as if he didn’t want to see me again.”

“What was he supposed to do? Confess undying love? Didn’t you tell me you had the whole situation figured out? The only reason Damian hired you was to bolster his brother’s spirits. The man has integrity, Jess. He can’t very well start dating you himself if he believes you might still have some feelings for his younger brother.”

“It drives me crazy that he’d think that!”

“I know, but you’ve got to see it from his point of view.”

“At the cost of my own sanity?”

“For now,” Cathy said sympathetically.

“I don’t know what to do!” Jessica cried, chagrined at the amount of emotion that spilled into the words.

“There’s more,” Cathy said, warming to the subject. “If you’re interested in Damian, it makes perfect sense that you’re going to have to make the first move. Damian’s hands are tied as long as he thinks there’s the slightest chance you’re interested in his brother. The guy’s in a real bind here.”

“Him! This whole thing with Evan’s gotten out of hand. The poor guy’s suffocating under everyone’s concern. I actually feel sorry for him. He got the raw end of a deal in a relationship, and all he needed was some time to work out his pain,” Jessica lamented. “Instead, Damian cut his work load until he’s bored out of his mind. His parents, especially his mother, are dishing out sympathy by the truckload, and it’s all Evan can do to stay afloat.”

She paused for breath, then went on, “The only reason Damian hired me was that he thought I’d pull Evan out of the doldrums. I haven’t talked to Evan, but I’m sure he resents all this nonsense. And I don’t blame him.”

“What about you and Damian?”

“I don’t know what to think,” Jessica admitted again. “I wish I did. If he’s interested in me, then surely it’s his place to say or do something. Regardless of how he thinks I feel about Evan.”

“Oh, come on, Jess!”

“I know Damian.”

“Huh. You thought you knew Evan, too.”

“I do, or rather, I did,” she argued. The conversation was frustrating her more by the minute. “Besides, like I said earlier, I’m not interested in making a fool of myself over another Dryden. I learned my lesson the last time. Good grief, that was years ago and my parents and his still talk about it. Just this past weekend my own mother said how pleased she’d be if I married Evan!”

“I have an idea,” Cathy said slowly as though the scheme was taking shape in her mind as she spoke. “Introduce me to Damian.”

“What possible reason do you have to meet him?” Jessica didn’t like the idea of this.

“I just want to. Things aren’t going well with David….”

“David?” Jessica cried. “Who’s David?”

“The director for Guys and Dolls. Now listen, I know this sounds crazy, but trust me, it could work.”

“What could work?” Jessica was fast losing what remained of her patience.

“Our meeting. I’ll turn on the charm, do what I can to enchant him, and—”

“Just a minute, Cath, you’re talking about the man I’m interested in.”

“I know,” she said as if all of this was perfectly logical. “But don’t you want to know how serious he is about you? Also, maybe watching him with another woman will help you sort out your feelings for him.

“Yes, but—”

“Come on, Jess. You said yourself you weren’t willing to make a fool of yourself a second time. This way you’ll know.”

“This strikes me as pretty darn silly.”

“Not only that,” Cathy went on as though Jessica hadn’t spoken, “it’ll give me a chance to practice my acting. Just introduce us, and I promise I won’t do anything to embarrass you.”

“All right,” she agreed without any real enthusiasm. “How do you propose we do this?”

“I could stop by the office one day soon and suggest lunch. It’d be natural for you to introduce me around, wouldn’t it?”

“I … suppose, but doesn’t that seem a bit obvious?”

“Perhaps. Do you have a better idea?”

“No.” She sighed. “Okay. Do you want me to invite Damian to join us? I’m coming into the office this Saturday to catch up on a few things, before Evan’s big court case starts next week. My guess is that Damian will be there, as well.”

“All the better, then. I’ll see you Saturday around noon.”

“You’re sure about this?”

“Absolutely! I have ways of getting a man to talk.”

“That sounds like something out of a movie,” Jessica muttered.

Cathy laughed. “It is.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

Precisely at noon Cathy arrived at the office. Jessica envied her petite friend her pixie good looks, short dark hair and big blue eyes. Cathy was adorable in her pants, which were black with huge white dots, and multicolored striped suspenders. Her blouse was white with small black dots and she was wearing black high heels. One thing was certain—no one would miss seeing her walk down the street. If Evan had been in the office, he doubtless would have begged an introduction.

“You must’ve forgotten about our lunch,” Cathy said more loudly than necessary, standing outside Jessica’s office. Loudly enough for Damian to hear.

Her friend’s ploy worked because a minute later he wandered out of his office.

“Damian, this is my friend Cathy Hudson,” Jessica said. “I might have mentioned her before.”

Damian and Cathy shook hands. “Jessica forgot we were supposed to meet for lunch toda,” Cathy said.

“It isn’t a good idea for Jessica to skip meals,” Damian said. His eyes twinkled and the effort to suppress a smile caused the corners of his mouth to quiver.

“So you’ve seen what happens when Jessica’s stomach growls. Wounded bears are easier to reason with than Jess when she’s hungry.”

“Hey, that’s not true!” Jessica flared. They were speaking as if she wasn’t there. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at the two of them. She hadn’t been keen on this idea of Cathy’s from the first and her instincts were proving to be right.

Her former roommate eased closer to Damian and was staring soulfully into his eyes. He didn’t seem to mind in the least; in fact, he seemed to lap it up.

“I’ll get my purse,” Jessica said stiffly, leaving Cathy and Damian gazing at each other while she went behind her desk and dug her purse out of the bottom drawer. The whole charade irritated her, and she was furious she’d allowed herself to be talked into it.

Cathy managed to tear her eyes away from Damian long enough to throw visual spikes at her friend. It took Jessica a moment to understand what was being signaled. Oh, yes—she was supposed to invite him to tag along.

“Would you care to join us for lunch?” she asked Damian, managing to sound polite, if unenthusiastic.

“Please do,” Cathy said, her words like warm honey.

Damian looked at Jessica as if seeking her confirmation, and to her credit, she did produce a smile. She didn’t know why she’d gone along with this. No doubt it was due to Cathy’s persuasive talents.

“I’ll be happy to join you,” Damian shocked her by saying. She’d never dreamed he would. The man was full of surprises.

“Great, just great,” Jessica muttered under her breath.

“Fabulous,” came Cathy’s melodious response.

Jessica rolled her eyes, and together the three of them headed out of the office. Damian suggested a well-known expensive restaurant, and before Jessica could comment one way or the other, Cathy had agreed. Jessica snapped her mouth closed before she could say something she’d regret. It irked her that Damian would so easily fall into Cathy’s snare. It might be just a charade, but she was left more than a little confused.

Outside the building, Damian waved down a cab, and Cathy managed to sit in the backseat with Damian. Jessica sat in the front while her best friend giggled her way through the streets of Boston. They drove past the Boston Common and the Freedom Trail, the winding path that led history buffs and tourists from one historic monument to another.

She was acting like a jealous fool, Jessica realized with a start. Jealous of Damian and Cathy? The fog that had clouded her thinking for the past few days cleared.

She was falling in love with Damian Dryden. It couldn’t have been any more obvious. It was one of the things Cathy had set out to prove, and her friend was right—she’d needed this blunt lesson.

Of course she loved Damian. From the minute she’d walked into his office and asked about the job. From the minute he’d stood on the footbridge that crossed the pond on his parents’ property and insisted on taking her to Cannon Beach.

From the minute he’d kissed her.

This was what Cathy had been trying to tell her.

When they got to the restaurant, Cathy excused herself and Jessica. With her arm wrapped around her friend’s, she dragged her to the ladies’ room.

Before Jessica could open her mouth, Cathy burst out, “Damian’s wonderful!”

“I know.”

“I haven’t met Evan, but I’m telling you right now if you’re not interested in his big brother, I am. He’s witty, he’s gorgeous, and—”

“I know all that.” And a lot more.

“Listen,” Cathy said, “I want you to make some excuse and leave.”

Jessica was stunned. “You want me to what?”

Cathy was refreshing her makeup in front of the mirror, her eyeliner in hand. “You heard me. Remember an urgent appointment, something that’ll call you away so the two of us can be alone together. Only don’t make it sound phony, or Damian will know what we’re doing.”