Читать книгу Bride Candidate #9 - Susan Crosby, Susan Crosby - Страница 10
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Ariel hung up the phone and flopped back on her bed, covering her eyes with her arm What a stubborn man Lucas Walker was. He hadn’t succumbed to any carrot she’d dangled in front of him Yes, Titan was going to save the Couch Potatoes event, but, no, Luke wouldn’t make a personal appearance. She’d thought for sure she’d be able to convince him. Ha!
A week had flown past, with phone calls back and forth, faxes sent and received. In the end, Titan would not only be the largest sponsor of the event but would also provide each participant with a new pair of athletic shoes, as well as T-shirts not available to the public yet. Luke had lined up a ton of autographed sports paraphernalia, not just from football players, but from most other pro sports as well. The ticket sales for the dinner-dance and silent auction were twice what her committee had anticipated during the initial planning, three times what they were a mere week ago.
Sold out. She couldn’t ask for more.
She was asking, however. She wanted him there, in person.
The thought curled around her like a drift of his cigar smoke, stinging her eyes. As long as she was being so honest with herself, she might as well take the truth the whole way—she wanted to dance with him again, to be in his arms again, maybe even kiss him again.
A memory of their last evening on the cruise had surfaced during the past week. She’d gone for a swim, enjoying the empty pool as everyone else partied. When she’d finally emerged, Luke had materialized out of the shadows, wrapping a towel around her from behind, his arms enfolding her, drawing her against him. Even through the fabric she’d felt the warmth of his body all the way down to her toes.
They’d stayed like that a minute or two, awareness sizzling. It was then that he’d asked to see her again.
She’d almost said yes. The truth was, she’d almost invited him to her cabin. Then someone walked by, calling his name, and she’d remembered his place in the world. Remembered the stack of Sports Illustrated magazines with him as the Super Bowl MVP on the cover that he’d autographed for the fans who’d donated big money just to be on the same cruise ship with him.
She’d found the strength to turn him down because of it. He didn’t have a clue about how hard it had been for her to give up the chance to see him again, when, in fact, she’d found him charming, appealing, exciting and very, very tempting.
Luke seemed to have all the determination this time around, however. He had no intention of being in San Francisco while his team played in the Super Bowl. The pain of not playing was more than he could bear.
Oh, he hadn’t said so, but she knew it.
The phone rang. She shoved herself up to answer it.
“Hi. It’s me again. I know you’re probably ticked off at me.”
“I won’t ask you again, Lucas. I promise. You’re not coming. I accept it.”
“Actually, I changed my mind”
“You did?”
“Under one condition. If I do your event, you do mine.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I can’t seem to get the Dusters’ owner to take no for an answer. Everyone expects me in the box for the game. I’m asking you to go with me.”
Ariel clutched the receiver closer. He didn’t know what he was asking of her, of course. Didn’t know that she shunned the spotlight—and why. Could she risk a public appearance with him?
Sacrifice. The word bound them together. They would both be sacrificing something. Hers was greater—
“Ariel? You there?”
“I’m here.” She swallowed “And you’ve got yourself a deal. Where will you stay, though? I heard on the news that every hotel is booked.”
“Darlin’, darlin’ You don’t really think I’d have any trouble linin’ up a room, do you? Celebrity has its perks.”
The teasing tone didn’t completely cover some emotion she couldn’t quite name, but that she could hear, beneath the surface of the words. If he stayed in a hotel, he’d be hounded by the media. How many times could he answer the question of how it felt not being able to be part of history? She knew how intrusive the media could be.
She sighed at the inevitability of what she was destined to ask him next. First, sacrifice, now risk. “If you don’t mind not having room service or the media camped outside your door, Lucas, why don’t you just stay with me at my apartment?”
Unearthly silence followed. She filled it. “It’d sure make it easier all the way around. We’ve got to get to and from the Center, then the dinner-dance, and then the game. I think we know each other well enough to coexist for a few days. You have to leave the cigars at home, though.”
“I wouldn’t smoke in your house. Any other rules I should know of?”
“I don’t know if you would consider it a rule, but, just so that there’s no confusion, you will have a bedroom of your own. And this is a strictly platonic invitation.”
“Naturally.”
She swore she could hear him grinning. He had agreed to the stipulation way too fast.
“Okay, Ariel. I’ll be there. Thanks for the offer.”
“When will you arrive?”
“Wednesday night. I’d like to check everything at the Center ahead of time myself. I’m kinda curious, though, why you’re makin’ rules before they become issues. If you’re afraid of something, why don’t you just tell me now, and we’ll settle it before we see each other.”
“I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Doesn’t sound like it to me, Ariel.”
When they ended the conversation a few minutes later, she wondered the same thing. The answer was easy. She was afraid of him and his very public life. She was also drawn to the vulnerable side of him, the tough guy who she decided didn’t want the world to know how hard it was to leave his celebrity status behind, the identity of “football player,” a role he’d had since he was a boy.
But something stronger had pushed and shoved its way past all that. The acknowledgment that she needed him, too. Needed to feel like a woman, cherished and valued for who she was, not because she was a quintessential volunteer and the ultimate hostess.
She just wanted the fantasy for a little while.
“This is stupid,” Marguerite shouted as she ducked her head against the driving wind and rain bombarding San Francisco. “Just tell her the truth, Luke.”
He returned a quelling look, then climbed the next stair. And the next.
“If she’s any kind of woman, she won’t care about your disability.”
“I don’t want to be coddled. And I’m not disabled permanently. I just decided to put off the surgery until after this weekend. Keep your voice down now. We’re almost to the top. She’ll hear us.”
“Men,” Marguerite muttered, hefting a rain-splattered bag.
“Including me in that tone of voice, sweetheart?” Sam asked, adjusting Luke’s Pullman and suit bag as they ascended the stairs to Ariel’s second-floor apartment.
“For the moment. Talk to him, Sam.”
“It’s like talking to granite, and you know it. He’s—”
“Shh.” Luke came to a stop at the landing. He resisted rubbing his aching knee. “Just set the bags down and scoot on back to the rental car. I’ll take it from he—”
The door opened, spilling light on the three, who probably looked like five-year-olds caught playing doctor, Luke decided.
“Brought your entourage, Lucas?” Ariel asked, opening the door wider. “A big, strong man like you can’t carry his own luggage?”
“Hello to you, too, darlin’.” Lord, she looked good. He brushed past her, letting Sam and Marguerite follow. He got an impression of space and color and warmth as he glanced around her living room.
Ariel tossed a towel at Marguerite, then disappeared into a room and returned with a couple more for the men.
“Take off your jackets. I’ll fix something to warm you up.”
“They’re not staying,” Luke said.
“Don’t be rude.” Ariel gave him a direct look
“I spend fifty to sixty hours a week with Luke as it is,” Marguerite said. “You think I’d willingly subject myself to more?”
Sam chuckled. “Gotta get to the hotel” He passed the towel back to Ariel and placed a hand at Marguerite’s back.
Ariel’s brows lifted. “You have something urgent to do at ten-fifteen at night?”
“After the flight we just had, a hot bath and a stiff drink seem not only urgent, but a matter of life or death,” Marguerite said
“You flew here? I assumed you were so late arriving because the snowstorm in the Sierras made the roads tricky to drive.”
“Blizzard,” Luke corrected her, curious at her sudden pallor “We sat on the tarmac for a couple of hours waiting for a window of opportunity.”
“They should have canceled the flight.”
“Once the tower granted permission, it was my call, since I’m the pilot,” he said, then grabbed her arm when she swayed. “What’s wrong with you?”
“You’re a pilot? You flew yourself here?” she asked, her eyes huge and dark “In a blizzard?”
“It was clear when we took off. Ariel, I’ve been flyin’ for more than ten years. During the off-season I represented Titan all around the country. Flying myself saves a lot of time and hassle getting from place to place, but it’s also my recreation. You have a problem with that?”
She shrugged, the color returning to her cheeks as she pulled free of his hold. “Nope.”
“Good.”
Marguerite snorted.
“Come on, sweetheart. We should get going,” Sam said, tugging on her arm.
“Ariel.” Marguerite called over her shoulder as she was being physically removed from the house, “make sure he doesn’t climb your stairs too many times a day.”
Luke took three long strides to reach the front door He leaned around the jamb. “You’re fired.”
“Fine,” she yelled back. “You’re a pain in the butt to work for, anyway.”
He grinned as he shut the door.
“That’s funny?” Ariel asked.
“She either quits or I fire her once a week.”
“But she doesn’t leave, and you don’t replace her, right?”
“She’s engaged to my cousin. Where should I put my gear?”
Ariel blinked at the quick change of subject. She picked up the suit bag and led the way to the guest room. “What did Marguerite mean about not climbing my stairs?”
“Nothin’ for you to worry about. My knee’s been a little tender, that’s all. I’m tryin’ to rest it. Hadn’t counted on your being up a flight.”
She glanced at his legs, but didn’t see anything unusual. No sign of a knee brace, no excess bulk from being wrapped. His jeans fit him from hips to ankles nicely. Very nicely, indeed.
He filled up the room, Ariel thought as she hung his bag in the closet. An average-size room to start with, it suddenly seemed tiny now, the queen-size bed too small for his frame, the quilt too dainty, the curtains too frilly. It wasn’t that he was so big, actually. Although in comparison to herself, he was. He was just so...so much a man. One who was a little overbearing—well, maybe more than a little. And extremely appealing.
“Are you hungry?” she asked into the quiet that had settled between them. She didn’t want to feel so comfortable with him.
“If you’d share a pot of tea with me, I’d be obliged.”
“I never figured you for a tea drinker, Lucas. Coffee, black. Whiskey, straight. Steak, rare. That’s what I would have expected.”
“You got the rest of it right. Don’t care much for coffee, though. Why don’t I unpack, then I’ll join you.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, Ariel?”
She turned in the doorway.
“This is a real nice place you’ve got here.”
“Thanks. The view was the deciding factor for me. On a clear day, you can see the world from my front window. Well, at least a good portion of San Francisco Bay.”
Ten minutes later, he wandered into her kitchen and leaned against a counter. He’d exchanged his rain-soaked clothes for sweatpants, a T-shirt and socks. “I take it you were worried when I didn’t show on time,” he said.
“A little bit.”
“It does my heart good to hear that, Ariel. Real good.”
She poured a mug for each of them, not meeting his gaze. “I was afraid I’d have to find someone to take over all the jobs I’ve volunteered you to do.”
He chuckled. “Afraid you might spoil me if you ever let a compliment cross your lips?”
“Too late for that. You were ruined long before I met you.” They moved into the living room and sat on the sofa, one at each end. “I am in your debt, however, for what you’ve done for the Center.”
“I’m glad I could help.” Luke tried to get a handle on her mood. Except for her opening salvo when he’d first arrived, her insults weren’t being delivered with much punch, as if she felt the need to get them out, but not engage in any bantering with him. “What’s got you quiet as a cloud? Thinkin’ up some new insult?”
She smiled slightly. “Actually, the quiet part you should take as a compliment. I’m tired. I generally hide that from most people.”
She did look tired, now that he looked more closely. “Anything I can do?”
“I’ll put you to work tomorrow. Sam and Marguerite, too, I guess. I’m assuming they’re here to help.”
“I promised the board of directors at the Center that we’d oversee the finances of this event. I want to make sure there’s a profit, not just the break-even goal you said would satisfy you.”
“No one told me that”
“Are you on the board?”
“No. I’m an angel, though. And this event was my idea.”
“Well, now, I’d say your golden hair might lead some people to think you’re wearin’ a halo, but I’ll bet Saint Peter’s gonna give you grief at the Pearly Gates. He’ll have seen the way you treat me.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Benefactors are called angels. I’m on the board of the Angel Foundation, which contributes regularly to the Center.”
“I’m curious about that, Ariel. How do you support yourself? As far as I’ve been able to determine, you’re not employed.”
“Interest.” She tucked her feet under her and cupped the mug more closely.
“Interest?”
“On investments. People don’t volunteer time the way they used to. I can afford to.”
“You’ve got an MBA from Stanford, but you don’t put it to work. Why’s that?”
“Who says I don’t put it to work?” She lifted the mug again, then lowered it to her lap. “How’d you know that, anyway?”
“Part of my investigation into the Center. I checked out everyone. We had so little time, we hired a PI.” He tapped his fingers against his mug. “Funny thing. He didn’t find any record of you before you enrolled at Stanford.”
She took a quick sip of tea. “Why would that matter?”
“Professionally? For no reason. But personally? I was curious.”
“What’d you expect to find?”
“Perfect attendance in elementary school? A driver’s license issued on your sixteenth birthday? I don’t know. A past. Apart from learnin’ you’re twenty-seven years old, you’re Stanford educated, you’ve lived at this address for three years, and you donate your time to a lot of worthy causes, I don’t know anything about you.”
“There’s nothing mysterious about it. I told you I grew up in Europe.”
He noted that wariness had combined with weariness to darken her eyes. “And you said you were tired Me, too. Let’s go to bed, darlin’.” He took her empty mug and stood. “Now, don’t you go lookin’ at me like that. I wasn’t bein’ suggestive. I have nothin’ but the utmost respect for you. I can’t help it if you’ve got a dirty mind”
He returned from the kitchen just as she levered herself up from the couch. She shook her head.
“You’re incorrigible, Lucas.”
“Well, see, that’s where you’re wrong. I’m putty in your hands, just waitin’ to be molded. So, what time do we get started in the morning?”
They walked across the living room. “I have to be at the senior citizens center at eight. You probably have friends or teammates you want to see, so feel free to do whatever you want until ten, then we should get over to the youth center.”
“I don’t think my hangin’ around with the Dusters is a good idea. I’ll tag along with you, instead.”
“You’ll probably be pretty bored.”
“I doubt that.” He pushed her hair back from her face; his fingertips grazed her temple.
Oh, hell. She was begging to be kissed. He could see it in the dark pull of her eyes and the way her lips parted He stopped a sigh from escaping by pressing his lips to her forehead. “Sleep tight, darlin’.”
She laid her hands flat against his chest and leaned into him. He didn’t seem to have a choice other than to wrap his arms around her. He heard her sigh. He felt her nestle, her cheek rubbing his shoulder. Damned if she didn’t feel good there, all cuddly and subdued Wifely
A moment later she pushed herself away. “I’m glad you made it here safely,” she said, her words bright and cheery again. “Good night.”
Intrigued by her changing mood, he half smiled and rubbed his jaw as she shut her door. “Good night?” He wondered
Ariel dragged a towel along her throat, across her chest, down one arm, then the other. Her sweat-dampened pajama top lay discarded on the bed beside her. Her gaze flickered to the clock. Two-thirty. Her hand shook as she lifted the glass of water from her nightstand and gulped it down, not coming up for air until the glass was drained. She gasped a breath, managed to set down the glass, then blotted her face with the towel.
She wondered if she’d screamed. Probably not or Luke would have rushed in. She lay back and stared at the ceiling. Her skin tightened into a mass of goose bumps from nightmare sweat and winter cold.
She hadn’t had the dream in so long. So very long.
And she knew exactly what had triggered its return.
She raised herself on her elbows, needing to get a fresh pair of pajamas, but her body wouldn’t cooperate further. If Luke hadn’t been there she would have washed away the terror with a long, hot shower. He was there, however, separated from her only by a communal bathroom and two closed doors.
Part of her wanted to crawl in bed with him, beg his sympathy, find oblivion in making love until she couldn’t think another thought. Until she couldn’t picture anything but an imaginary field of flowers misted by a spring shower—anything other than what she’d just seen again in the dreams she’d thought were long gone.
It hadn’t worked before, though, so why should it this time? If anything, it would probably be worse, because of who and what Lucas Walker was. Would always be. She had no fantasies about him changing. Part of his charm, albeit questionable sometimes, was his unapologetic belief in himself. It’s true he was searching to find a new place in the world now, but nothing stood in the way of his accomplishing that goal. He would have a normal life. She didn’t doubt it for a minute.
Oh, for the comfort that would bring.
“I hand each person a card as they pass by?” Luke asked, shuffling the stack Ariel had just handed him.
“That’s right. Every time they arrive back at the information table you give them another one. That way they keep track of the number of laps they’ve gone, around the Center’s walking course.”
Luke rubbed his jaw. “They can’t remember?”
“Shh” She looked around. She’d chosen a job for him that would keep him busy while she attended to other business at the senior citizens center. “No, they can’t always remember. They get busy talking and forget.”
“Does it even matter?”
“They have goals they set for themselves, Lucas. They want to know if they’ve reached or exceeded them.” She watched him take note of the people milling around, dressed mostly in jogging suits.
“Some of them aren’t wearing shoes with enough support,” he noted.
“Care to make a donation?” she asked sweetly.
“I might.” He cupped her chin and looked hard at her. “I don’t believe you caught up on sleep last night.”
“You snored. The noise kept me awake.”
He let his hand drop. “I do not snore.”
“Is that a confirmed fact?”
“Curious about my love life, darlin’? A man who’s been engaged twice in this modern age would’ve been told, don’t you think?”
“Good morning, Ariel. Is that a new boyfriend?”
Ariel turned her head by measurable degrees, too stunned by Luke’s announcement to focus on the woman who’d approached. Twice? He’d almost been married twice? Well, now, didn’t that bit of news put a whole new twist on things. “Um. Oh, uh, Emma, good morning. No, he’s not my boyfriend, new or otherwise. This is Luke Walker. He’s the president of Titan Athletic Shoes.”
“Titan. Just Titan, now,” he said, holding out a hand to the frail, stooped woman. “We’re branching out. Not just shoes anymore.”
“My grandsons like your shoes, young man.”
“I’m glad to hear—”
“Status symbols,” Emma announced, then clucked her tongue and wagged her head. “Skewing all the kids’ concept about what’s important. In my day, we knew the value of a dollar. Didn’t waste ’em on high-priced footwear when something practical would do. Had hand-me-downs most of the time, too.”
“Emma! Yoo-hoo, Emma!”
She flitted away to greet her newly arrived friend.
“Well. I guess she put me in my place,” Luke said, bemusement on his face.
“They speak their minds. It’s one of the things I love about them all. Okay, Lucas, you need to take your place. They’ve started their warm-up stretches.”
Ariel checked on him every so often. Each time, he was smiling more, flirting more. The ladies batted their eyes at him. The men jabbed back in imaginary boxing matches. Only Emma seemed immune, turning her nose up at his efforts.
When Ariel had finished arranging meal deliveries for the Center’s housebound members, she joined Luke. The daily walking had ended. He’d pulled up a chair at a round table with a few people, not talking, but listening to them. Intently.
She came up behind him and laid her hand on his shoulder, alerting him that she was there.
Luke pushed back his chair and stood. “Miz Emma, now don’t you go charmin’ anyone else the way you did me today. I swear, you wouldn’t be able to keep ’em all at bay.”
“Don’t get smart with me, young man”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’ll take into consideration everything you had to say. I appreciate your honesty.”
Flustered, Emma fumbled with her knitting. “Maybe there’s hope for you yet.”
Luke settled into the driver’s seat of Ariel’s car a few minutes later. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he pulled away from the curb.
“Don’t mind Emma,” Ariel said, glancing his way. “She’s a chronic complainer.”
“But she’s right. Kids today have enough on their minds. They shouldn’t have to put up with peer pressure over whether or not they’re wearin’ the right shoes.”
“Lucas, we went through it, too.”
“But I’ve contributed to it. Profited from it.” He drummed his fingers harder.
“So, what do you propose to do? Erase your football career? Reduce your prices? Shut down your business?”
“Think about it,” he said. Not that he hadn’t considered the issue before, especially when the marketing department presented a new advertising campaign geared at kids. “You know, this could be a whole new market.”
“What could?”
“Seniors. They’ve got different needs, don’t they?”
“Different challenges,” Ariel said.
“Yeah. Arthritis, joint replacement, foot problems. Believe me, I can sympathize, even at my age. What if we design a line for seniors? Velcro straps. Better shock absorbency. Designs made to fit an older foot better.”
“Affordable.”
“Affordable even for Emma.” Luke grinned. “Your whole group could star in the ads.”
Ariel could picture it. “Emma’s grandsons would think she was so cool.”
“She’d be a great spokesperson, wouldn’t she? We have to do this right away, before any more time passes. I’m gonna start on it first thing when I get back to the office.”
Ariel smiled to herself. All it took was personal involvement, getting people to really look at others, to see them as individuals. That’s the way change came about. Luke had just taken a big leap of awareness. He’d find the rewards waiting, just as she had.
Satisfied, she closed her eyes and rested the final few blocks to the youth center.
