The Betrayal, Chapters 3 and 4 are now available. After Holly and Brice confront her father, Brice goes to her apartment and tries to convince her that all is not over just because Edward threatened to fire. He didn’t, and Brice believes he won’t.

Holly is thrilled that Brice asks her out, and to her surprise, he takes her to a yacht club, where he explains that he is a member because he owns a sloop which is moored there. She’s not used to this wealthier type of lifestyle but enjoys her evening a lot. When Brice invites her to a banquet at Henderson Quality Imports, though, Holly must refuse, because she is working as a server for the banquet.

When Brice arrives with another woman, she is furious but tries to hide her feelings by telling him that he’s a “free agent,” despite the feeling of betrayal.

Three

Why in the world had she done something as ridiculous as trying to reunite with Edward when he hadn’t contacted her once in nearly three decades? Holly wondered on the way home. Yet one nagging thought plagued her There must have been a good reason why Edward and Heloise Henderson had conspired to tell her he was dead. Their getting a divorce didn’t make sense, because Edward would have gotten monitored visitation rights at the very least. Something else must have been happening for such deceit. And despite their angry words in the office, Holly suspected that Edward was glad to see her. After all, he hadn’t fired her, despite her insistence that it was the only way to get her out of his business.

Then again, was it really encouraging that he hadn’t fired her before she left his office? Maybe he’d just decided that he had humiliated her enough. Maybe he had called the personnel department after she ran out. If that were the case, she would probably find out by the end of the day.

When she got home, Holly changed into a pair of lavender jogging shorts and a matching white tank top with lavender piping around the armholes and neckline. Over her braided bun, she slid a white and red stripped sweatband and situated it under her bangs. Finally, she went to the small workout center in one corner of the living room. Since the best way for her to think was to exercise, she climbed onto her stationary bike with the rowing-acting handlebars.

If she’d listened to Kirk, she wouldn’t have gone through that embarrassment—especially in front of a man she wanted to date. Kirk had warned her that Edward wouldn’t want her barging into his life, and Edward had certainly shown it. He hadn’t voiced the words, but he had insinuated them. Apparently, Kirk knew their father better than she did, and Kirk had never even seen Edward Henderson.

Without pausing in her exercise, Holly used the small towel draped over the handlebars to wipe perspiration from her chest as she glanced at the speedometer. Twenty-five miles an hour! No wonder she was sweating so much; she usually kept it around fifteen. Returning the towel, she continued pedaling furiously. Twenty-eight, thirty miles an hour!

No matter what Edward said, Holly was determined to get answers to all her questions. He owed her that much after forcing their mother to lie for twenty-seven years. He owed her for depriving her of a normal father-daughter relationship.

A loud, insistent knock startled her from her thoughts. Panting heavily, she grabbed the towel and padded barefoot to the door. “Who is it?”

“Brice Chesterfield,” he replied. “I came to see if you’re all right.”

“I’m fine,” she replied through the door, still embarrassed by her behavior. “Thanks for checking.”

“You don’t sound fine. May I come in? I’d like to apologize.”

Curious, she flipped the bolt lock knob and unlocked the front doorknob. When he passed her, she extended her arm toward the sofa and closed the door. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. I’m the one who lost my cool. Can I get you something? I want a diet soda, but I have wine, milk, and Evian water if you prefer.”

“Nothing for me, thank you. May I sit down? My explanation will probably take a while.”

“Fine by me.”

Holly wiped her wet arms, chest, and neck on her way to the kitchenette while Brice sank onto the couch. Plopping into the recliner, Holly crossed her legs Indian fashion and took a long drink straight from the can. “This hits the spot. I had my exercise bike up to thirty when you knocked.”

“Working out your frustrations?” he asked.

“Anger is more the word. I was furious in Dad’s office.”

“I noticed, and I’m sorry about all that happened.”

“That’s right!” she exclaimed. “You said you wanted to apologize. For the life of me, though, I can’t figure out why.”

“I’m the one who set up the meeting, but I had absolutely no idea that Edward would react like he did.”

“It was a set-up?” she asked, startled. “Why?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to start at the beginning.”

“Go ahead.” Settling back in her chair, Holly took another swig of her soda. “Your time’s a lot more valuable than mine.”

Brice examined her. She was average height, with firm thighs, calves, and arms which showed that she regularly used the exercise equipment in the corner. Dating Holly Malone would be the best part of his assignment. Even though she wasn’t like the sophisticated women he always dated, he had a feeling he would enjoy her company a lot more.

This wasn’t going to be easy, but if he wanted Holly on his side, he had to be as honest as he could, without revealing everything in his plan. Given her devotion to Edward, doing that would probably alienate her.

“I suppose you could say that it started six years ago,” he explained, “when I lost my wife and two children in a plane crash. The marriage wasn’t exactly a happy one, but I couldn’t leave because I was devoted to Rochelle and Ricky. There was a special bond between Shelley and me, though—the bond that exists only between a father and daughter. I was thirty-one at the time, and she was just eight. I felt a tremendous loss for Shelley. It went a lot deeper than the loss of Ricky and my wife combined.”

When Brice paused, Holly offered her condolences. Then he continued, despite the emotions his explanation brought on. “The minute I saw you outside the elevator I thought you looked familiar. It took me from then until I first approached you to get up the courage to ask if we’d met. Like I told Edward, it wasn’t until the day before yesterday that I finally made the connection. I thought you might be in Seattle to reunite with him.”

“I am, Mr. Chesterfield,” Holly interrupted with great sadness in yet pale green eyes. “That’s why you shouldn’t be sorry. No matter when Dad and I met again, we still would have had angry words for each other.”

“Not necessarily. If you’d arranged the meeting yourself, in your own time, he might not have been as surprised. I’d give anything to have a reunion with Shelley, and I assumed he would feel the same way about you. I didn’t think a reunion would turn into an altercation. I wanted to help you, not cause trouble.”

After setting her soda on the floor beside her chair, Holly wandered to her weight set and picked up two dumbbells. Without hesitating, she began a series of side bends while Brice followed her and sat on the weight bench.

“You’re upset with me now, aren’t you?”

“No, I’m not. I’m thinking. I won’t leave Seattle, Mr. Chesterfield. If Dad fires me, I’ll find a job somewhere else. But I refuse to back off until I get some answers. And I’ve got plenty of questions.”

“May I ask what brought you here?”

“Exactly what I told Dad—Mom. When she went into the hospital, she knew it was the last time. I never really accepted Dad’s death, so she told me as much of the truth as she could handle. My brother thinks I’m a nut-case for doing this, but Carl understands.”

“Carl Malone? Your step-father?”

“My adoptive father. I never felt comfortable calling him dad or daddy. That was reserved for Edward Henderson. You know, Mr. Chesterfield, I never did believe that Dad died. Maybe it was because I wasn’t allowed to go to the funeral. I was just five at the time.” After replacing the weights on the rack, she sat down beside Brice. “I guess twenty-seven years is a long time to be skeptical, but I suppose that has something to do with the way it happened. One night he put me to bed, read me a story, and told me he would always love me. The next morning, he was gone, and so were all his clothes. I never told Mom this, but I went to get his favorite shirt to comfort me. It wasn’t there. Neither were any of his other clothes or his suitcases he used for business travel. I remember thinking that I didn’t know they wore clothes in heaven, because in all the pictures I’d seen of angels, they wore long, white robes.”

“It must have been very traumatic for you. You must have suffered worse than I did, because you couldn’t understand.”

With a heavy sigh, Holly shrugged her shoulders. “Does anyone really understand death? Anyway, like all kids, I bounced back pretty quickly. I’m having a worse time understanding now than I did then.”

Gazing at her curiously, Brice waited for her to continue. When several seconds passed without her speaking, he asked, “Do you not understand why he was so angry?”

She touched the ring on her finger. “Mother gave this to me on my twenty-first birthday. After a quiet Christmas dinner, we’d had the biggest birthday party I’d ever had. The house was small, but it was filled with thirty-five friends and relatives. After a while, Mom took me into her bedroom for a private moment. That’s when she took off the ring for the first time in my memory and slid it onto my finger. She told me that, if Daddy knew how much I loved it, he’d be the happiest man around. She told me it was a sign of his love for her, and now it was a sign of his love for me. It was his idea to give it to me on my twenty-first birthday—so his little girl would always remember his love. That was one of the last things he ever said to her.”

When she finished, Holly wiped away a single tear, took in a deep breath, then stared into Brice’s eyes and admitted, “Maybe that’s why I can’t believe he doesn’t want me around.”

The close proximity was more than he could bear, especially when he saw the sorrow in her eyes. Even though his heart ached for her, he had to keep his distance. After all, he was only there because of his job. He probably wouldn’t even have paid much attention to Holly otherwise. But just probably, because her difference from the other women he knew attracted him. Forcing himself to move, he casually rose and leaned against the nearby wall.

“He didn’t say that, Holly,” Brice reminded her, “not even when he talked privately with me. He said he didn’t want you working in his company.”

“That’s right!” Her eyes brightened, and a smiled crossed her lips. “Maybe there’s hope yet.”

“Maybe there’s more than just hope. He was furious when I told him why I went to the trouble of arranging a reunion.”

“Why would your past make him mad?” she asked in astonishment.

“I didn’t tell him about my past, because it had nothing to do with him. I told him about my prospective future.” When she examined him quizzically, he hurried on, anxious to reveal all the truth that he could without jeopardizing his job. “I set it up to insure a date with you. I thought you’d be more likely to say yes if I helped you get back with Edward, and I certainly didn’t expect it to turn out so badly. Maybe knowing that he kept calling you his daughter will help. I asked if he cared, but he sidestepped my question. Later, he told me to leave you alone, because dating you would put me in his personal live—and he was very insistent that I stay out of that area. I think he wants you here, whether he shows it or not.”

“Do you really think so, Mr. Chesterfield?” she asked.

“Yes. And would you please stop calling me that? I just admitted that I want to date you, so you should be calling me Brice.”

“You went to an awful lot of unnecessary trouble, Brice,” she admitted, returning to her soda. “All you had to do was ask.”

Twisting his own ring, he stared at it to avoid her direct gaze. “That may have been true before my idea exploded in my face. A fiasco like that has a tendency to change things. In fact, I’m a bit surprised I’m still in your apartment. I thought you would ask me to leave as soon as I explained.”

“Are you always to insecure around women? Or is this just an act? I mean, you seem so self-assured otherwise.”

“Otherwise, I am. You’re different from the other women I know, Holly. All of my lady-friends have made the first move. I wasn’t even sure that you knew I existed.”

An impish gleam lit Holly’s pale green eyes, and she chuckled. When he frowned, however, her smile vanished. “I don’t believe this. You didn’t know what I was doing, and I thought I was too obvious. Don’t you know that bumping into someone is one of the oldest attention-getting devices in the history of man?”

“Of course, I do. I even thought that’s what you were doing—until we got on the elevator and you completely ignored me. That’s when I first suspected it was really an accident. When you ignored me in the dining room, I was positive.”

“That’s my style, Brice. You’ll have to take it or leave it.”

Holly returned to her weight set and lay down on the bench to work her thighs. With her legs draped over the top bar at the knees and her ankles in place behind the bottom containing the weights, she lifted until her legs were straight.

Watching from his spot against the wall, Brice made note of each repetition she performed. He counted to thirty-five before she had to strain to add five more lifts. After that, she lay on her stomach to do forty more. Then she straddled the bench to pull the weights up with her arms.

He had never enjoyed seeing a woman do anything as much as he enjoyed Holly’s workout. Her firm yet feminine muscles bulged slightly under the weight; her buttocks tightened as she lifted her legs; her breasts heaved with her labored breathing; perspiration glistened on her body. To his amazement, her exercising was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Even the two strippers at his bachelor party hadn’t caused a reaction in him like Holly did with her training program.

His arousal from just watching her surprised him. Why? he wondered, trying to take his mind off her movements. He’d watched women weightlifters on ESPN several times and hadn’t felt like this. Then again, they’d been built more like men. Holly was quite feminine—solidly built, yes, but decidedly feminine.

He’d never slept his way through a job before; he didn’t believe in it. Holly was so sexy, though, so vivacious, that he wasn’t sure he could keep his distance. This job could easily be the exception to his rule.

Before him, Holly picked up her towel and wiped away the perspiration rolling down her chest. Pulling out the neck of her shirt, she slid the end of the towel down her shirt and dragged it slowly across her chest Then she wiped her face and draped the towel over the handlebars of the exercise bike. When she turned around, she giggled.

“What’s the matter, Brice?” she asked with that impish gleam I her eyes. “Never seen a woman exercise before?”

His face heated in embarrassment. Afraid that his voice would reveal the depth of his arousal, now concealed by his suit jacket, he shook his head. If he didn’t get control of himself he risked losing this job, and he wanted it more than anything else, except possibly Holly. He wanted her so badly right now that it physically hurt.

Wandering back to her recliner, she collapsed into it then guzzled the remainder of her soda. “Well, that’s done for another day. Would you please sit down again? You’re driving me nuts holding up that wall.”

Did he dare move? He wondered. Would it give away his desire if he tried to walk? At this point, it probably would. If he didn’t move, though, Holly might suspect the truth, anyway. Collecting himself the best he could, he pushed away from the wall.

“Do you always exercise in front of your male guests?” he asked, sauntering back to the contemporary couch.

“Nope. You’re the first.”

“Then were you trying to seduce me?”

Horrified by his question, Holly did her best to ignore it. He’d come to her home unannounced then had the audacity to accuse her of exercising to seduce him. But she couldn’t contain her anger at his question and declared, “Absolutely not! I was just working out the leftover anger from the scene in Dad’s office.” When she paused to examine him and saw the red tinge still in his cheeks, she softened. “If I had been trying, would I have succeeded?”

Brice turned his gaze to his ring and twisted it around his finger. “Definitely. I’m going to ask you this now before I lose my courage. Would you join me for dinner tonight?”

Thrilled that he had finally asked, she agreed without hesitation. “Sure!”

Releasing a sigh, he returned his gaze to her. “I’m glad. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to after what I did today. I’d honestly like to make it up to you.”

Unable to restrain it, she giggled at his awkward request. “You don’t have to convince me, Brice. I already accepted. What time and what should I wear?”

“A cocktail dress would be best for the restaurant I have in mind. Would it be all right if I pick you up about seven?”

“Sounds good to me.” Rising, she asked, “Are you sure I can’t get you something to drink?”

“No, Thanks. I want to find your father and apologize to him, too. Unfortunately, he left the office without telling his assistant where he was going.”

“So? It’s his company He shouldn’t have to report his every move.”

“You don’t understand. That meeting must have hit him harder than he wanted either of us to know. He never goes anywhere without telling her where he’ll be, especially during working hours. Obviously, he didn’t want to be disturbed. I want to run by his penthouse and make sure he’s all right. I’ll be here at seven.”

Sitting on the porch railing, Holly watched Brice get into his MG and pull out of the driveway. Before she could go out with Brice, she had to break her date with Tom, a salesman at Henderson Quality Imports whom she’d been dating for two weeks. She liked the muscular blond and hated to lie about why she was breaking their date, but she doubted Brice would ever get up the courage to ask her again if she didn’t. And she wanted to date him, more than she wanted to date Tom.

From the way Brice talked, he was highly educated at some expensive school, like Harvard or Yale. Dating him would probably be quite different from dating Tom. He would probably never take her bowling or roller skating like Tom Phelps did. And what was life without variety?

In the past five years, she hadn’t been engaged once. After her last failure, she had decided never to go through it again. Instead, she dated with the idea of having fun, and she’d had more fun in the past five years than she’d had while out there searching for Mr. Right. Now she was determined to stay single. Men were nice to have around, but they weren’t a necessity.

Four

After spending the afternoon preparing for her date, she looked into her closet. Since she seldom needed a cocktail dress, she kept only two, so she could have a choice when the opportunity arose. Even though she felt a little like a faded Christmas ornament in it because of her strawberry hair, she settled on the pastel green dress, which was simply styled with an open back and a high neck. The hem of the form-fitting frock came halfway up her thighs, and the sleeves billowed with a slid from shoulder to cuff.

As she finished arranging her long hair into a loose bun, someone knocked on the door.. She glanced at her bedside clock: 6:40 p.m. It was nice to know that he wasn’t one of those men who were late, like Tom. Punctuality was a big thing to her, and she was always impressed by a man who arrived at his appointments on time or early.

Picking up her purse, she hurried to the door and answered it with a bright smile. “Hi! Your timing’s perfect. I just finished getting ready. I love your suit by the way. It’s perfect for you.”

The brown suit jacket he wore hugged his body better than her dress did hers. The wide shoulders appeared as though they had little padding, and the jacket narrowed to show off his narrow waist. Despite his immaculately styled hair, his mouth, gaping slightly in astonishment, made her envision his thick mane tousled like a little boy’s.

Brice circled her then came to a halt in front of her. Given the style of her dress, she wore no bra, yet her breasts were firm under the clingy material. Did Brice realize this? She hoped so because she’d chosen it for that reason. The dress was far from tight on her, but it showed off her well-rounded figure. She could only wish that he would end the evening with a kiss, despite his apparent shyness.

Drawing in a deep breath, he released it through his mouth with a soft, whooshing noise. At last, he spoke. “You’re absolutely beautiful tonight, Holly.”

Holly chuckled, surprised that her nervous had taken over her body. “Don’t look so shocked, Brice. It only took all afternoon to get this way.”

“It was worth the time,” he praised with a slight smile. “You look wonderful.”

“Thank you. Now are we going to eat or not? I’m starved.”

“You’d better bring a wrap. We’ll be at a yacht club up on Puget Sound, and it might get cool. It may be June, but it still gets chilly at night. This isn’t Missouri, you know.”

“I’ll get my shawl. That should be enough.”

“While you do, I’ll put the top up on my car. I wouldn’t want to spoil your hairdo.”

Once on the road, Holly turned toward Brice and asked, “Did you ever find Dad?”

“No,” he replied with a grimace. “I tried his penthouse several times, but if he was home, he wasn’t answering. He didn’t answer his cell phone, ether.”

“Did you hear any noises inside?”

“No.”

“Damn. I’d hoped he would change his mind, and I was sure he’d have questions about Mom’s death. I just don’t understand why he didn’t at least call me.”

“I can’t answer that, Holly.”

“I suppose his new wife might not even know about Mom and me. I know she doesn’t know about Kirk, because even Dad doesn’t. Mom told Grandma when he was born, of course, but they decided it was best not to tell Dad.”

“As far as I know, Edward’s not married. In fact, I don’t think he’s ever been married, other than to your mother. But nobody knew about her.”

“That’s odd. If he didn’t remarry, he must still have feelings for her. But if that were the case, you’d think he would have asked me more about her death. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe he was in shock. Or maybe he didn’t want you to know he cared. I already told you that I thought he was hiding his true feelings from us.”

“It’s still hard to believe that things went so badly. I was so sure he’d accept me with open arms that I didn’t even think about what I’d do if he didn’t. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I was more than a little shocked myself.”

“That’s enough on this subject, Holly,” Brice ordered lightly. “I don’t want to spoil our evening by dredging up unnecessary what-if’s. This is our first date, and I think we should carry on a pleasant conversation.”

She chuckled to relieve some of the tension that remained from his overt scrutiny of her body. “You’re right. If I start dwelling on the scene in Dad’s office or even start with the what-if’s gain, you have my permission to knock me upside the head, because that might be the only way to get me out of it.”

***

They dined on lobster, white wine, baked potatoes, salad, and cherries jubilee, never once bringing up the subject that led to their date. The food was the best Holly had ever tasted, and she was sure the atmosphere was chosen to impress her.

The yacht club was furnished with brass and crystal chandeliers and lamps in the lobby, as well as chandeliers in the dining room. The ornate fixtures in the ladies’ room were also brass, right down to the knob used to flush the toilet. Holly had never seen anything like the set-up of this restaurant, with each table featuring a fresh rose and a candle that was replaced each time the customers finished their meals. During a lull in their dinner conversation, she found herself wondering what happened to all the unused candles at the end of the night.

The decorations had a German flavor, making the club appear to have belonged to one of the King Ludwigs centuries earlier. Although Holly had never been exposed to such extravagant surroundings, she loved how formal and elegant everything was. Before she realized it, the two-hour meal was finished.

“There’s a band in the lounge tonight, Holly,” Brice said. “Would you like to go dancing now?”

She shot her startled gaze to his face. For some reason, she couldn’t envision him leading a woman around a dance floor.

“Dancing?” she repeated.

“That’s all right,” he said with a distressed note in his voice. “We don’t have to.”

Apparently, he wasn’t ready for the evening to end, and she’d just made him feel like she was. Well, she would just have to show him that wasn’t the case.

“No!’ she exclaimed. The frantic sound that erupted from her startled her as much as it obviously did him. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down somewhat, and took the desperation from her voice. “I mean, I love to dance. I was just surprised that you do. You don’t strike me as the type.”

“I’m not normally,” he admitted, rounding the table and pulling out her chair as she rose, “but tonight I have the urge. Would you like to go to the lounge?”

“Sure.”

Brice laid his hand on the small of her back, but the moment his cool, damp hand touched her warm skin, he jerked away. Holly smiled as he escorted her to the dark lounge. It had been years since she’d dated such a nervous man, and she found his lack of aggression refreshing. Only one thing concerned her. If he felt so uncomfortable laying his hand on her back, how in the world did he propose to dance with her without stumbling all over her feet?

After leaving her purse at the table and ordering two diet sodas, Brice led her to the dance floor. He grasped her left hand and laid his right hand on her hip. To demonstrate that she would accept more, she gazed up at him with a frown.

“Is something wrong, Holly?” he asked as he drifted across the floor in time to the music.

“No,” she replied. How could she tell him that she was disappointed because he was keeping so much distance between them? This was their first date, and she didn’t want it to be their last. Then again, if she worded it carefully, she could at least give him a hint that she wouldn’t mind closer contact. “Do you always dance so formally?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re so far away from me that we could put another person between us and do the lambada.” Damn! Why had she chosen the most provocative dance known to make her point? Now he would never get closer.

To her surprise, Brice stepped up against her. His left hand slid around to her back, again connecting with her skin. His fingers slipped under the material for full, flesh-to-flesh contact. His hand was warm now, caressing; and Holly melted against him in an instant, her gaze not leaving his. Then his voice drifted to her ears in a sexy whisper.

“I can’t have that happen,” he said. “With my luck, that other person would be a man, and you’d have all the fun. Since you’re my date, I deserve some fun, too.”

They danced through three consecutive songs. In fact, they danced so close that Holly knew why he’d kept his distance. Their close proximity had aroused him, not to mention her. If he wanted more than a good night kiss at her door, it would be hard to keep her vow of never on a first date.

At the end of the third song, Brice gazed down at her with sadness in his eyes. “I hate to say this after I suggested it, but my idea of dancing seems to be creating problems for both of us. Maybe we should end this date before I forget that you’re my boss’s daughter Would you mind?”

“Actually, she admitted, “I agree. I sure wouldn’t want you to get fired for this—especially since Dad seems to be in the firing mood today.”

“He’d probably do it, too,” Brice said as he escorted her back to their table, “because Edward demanded that I stay away from you.”

***

When they reached her apartment door, she pulled her key from her purse then turned to face him with a wide smile. “Thanks for everything, Brice. I can’t remember when I’ve been treated so regally. Now that I hear the words, that’s not really the way I should say it. I’ve never been treated so regally. I really like that place.”

“I do, too,” he replied as he twisted his ring, “which is precisely why I took you there.”

“How did you ever get into a yacht club? I thought those were for the yachting types, and I just can’t picture you lying around on the deck while somebody pilots a boat for you. I picture you at the helm.”

Brice offered her the brightest smile she’d seen that night, even though it still revealed a little of his distress. But his eyes lit with excitement as he spoke about what was obviously his passion. “That’s exactly where I am as often as possible. But I don’t own a yacht, Holly. It’s a forty-foot sloop. And I don’t yacht; I sail.”

“Really?” she asked, her own excitement rising in the wake of his. “I’ve never been sailing it must be great to get out there and let the wind take you over the water.”

“It is, but I haven’t had much time for it in the last eight months.”

A bit nervous about if she should let him kiss her or not, Holly distracted her mind by continuing the conversation, “A sloop you said. I’m not sure I’d recognize one if it ran over my ski line. I’ll have to look it up sometime.”

“Maybe someday you’ll see one in the water. Right now, though, it’s late, and we both have to work tomorrow. I had a nice time tonight, Holly.” Moving slowly, he bent to kiss her cheek. “Good night.”

“I had a good time, too,” she responded as she slid her key into the lock and opened the door. She turned her gaze upon him one last time and added, “Good night.”

Stepping inside the apartment, Holly closed the door then went to the bay window to watch him leave. She didn’t move on until he put down the top of his MG and drove out of her driveway.

She didn’t like the way Brice had left, Holly decided as she sat down at her vanity and applied cold cream to remove her makeup. His comment about seeing a sloop in the water could only mean that, if she did, it wouldn’t be his and she wouldn’t be on it. Maybe his attraction to her while they were dancing had been a physical reaction; otherwise, he would have done more than kiss her cheek.

So much for Richard Brice Chesterfield, IV. At least, she had that one guilt date with him to remember.

However, Holly soon learned that she was wrong about Brice. Each day at lunch, he sat in her station and gave her a specific time he would call that evening. On their regular Tuesday night dates, he made dates for Friday nights. The only thing that bothered her was that he never invited her to do anything on weekends.

This made her worry about his marital status, and she often wondered if he’d lied to her about being a widower. Granted, he probably had lost his family, but he could easily have remarried in six years. Still, she continued to see him. She enjoyed Brice more than any other man she’d ever dated, even if he did always take her places much fancier than she was used to or comfortable in. Still, she refused to give him up without concrete proof that he was married.

An unexpected thought came to her mind. Brice never kissed her anywhere but on her cheek or forehead. And at times, it appeared as though he was afraid to do so. Could that be because he was married? She just didn’t know what to think.

As they stood at her door after one Tuesday night date, Brice surprised her by saying, “I’d like to take you to the annual executive-buyer banquet Saturday evening, Holly.  I know the situation between you and your father hasn’t improved and it puts you in an awkward position, but I would really appreciate it if you’d go with me. There’s nobody else I want to take, and Edward likes to make sure that everybody has an escort.”

Holly smiled up at him If she’d learned nothing else about Brice in the past few weeks, she’d learned that he never talked much unless he was nervous. After all this time, she would have thought that he would have gotten over that, but obviously he hadn’t. Unfortunately, she had to turn him down.

“And I would love to go with you,” she admitted with a playful grin, “but I can’t. I will be there, though, because somebody has to serve all those people. Since I’m one of the waitresses, I have to work.”

He frowned. “Oh. I suppose the weekend is out of the question again.”

‘What do you mean?”

“There’s a reason we don’t do things on weekends, and it isn’t because I don’t want to I have a lot to do and rarely have time to socialize after Friday night. But I have this weekend free because of the banquet, and I was hoping I could spend part of it with you. I’m just sorry it didn’t work out. May we still have dinner Friday night?”

“Of course. I always look forward to dinner with you. Besides, if you really want to do something this weekend, there’s still Sunday. I’d say Saturday, but I have to babysit Mandy’s little boy until four in the afternoon. Her older son is getting a tonsillectomy on Friday, but it’s an overnight stay in the hospital. Her mother’s watching the younger one Friday night so Mandy can stay with the older boy, and I’m taking over about eight the next morning. That’s why I can’t get out of working Saturday night. Mandy will be home with her sick son. That means we’ll be short-handed for the banquet.”

“I understand. Would you like to take in the theater Friday night, too?”

“Sure. I’ve only been to school plays. I’d love to see a real one.”

“We’ll make it a late night then. Do you prefer dinner before or after the play? Oklahoma! is playing at one theater, and I was also thinking about Tea House of the August Moon. Which do you prefer?”

“Oklahoma! It’s my favorite. And I suggest dinner before. Like I said, I have to babysit Saturday.”

“I think we just found something in common. Oklahoma! is my favorite, too. I’ll make reservations tomorrow.” He kissed her cheek lingeringly while Holly resisted the temptation to turn her head and get the full effect. “Good night, Holly.”

***

By Saturday evening, Holly was exhausted. For the first time since they began dating, Brice came in to chat after their date on Friday, explaining that he’d enjoyed the evening so much he didn’t want it to end. Anxious to spend more time with him, she offered him a glass of wine while they visited. When he left about midnight, however, he kissed her good night as he always did.

Holly had been so sure that he would kiss her on the lips this time that she’d spent two hours tossing and turning when she went to bed, wondering if he was really that shy or if he was only dating her because she was the boss’s daughter. Either way, it didn’t matter. She was dating Brice because she liked to have fun and for no other reason—even if she didn’t like it because he hadn’t kissed her properly yet.

Her day with the unstoppable Sean Greenwood, a dark-eyed, dark-haired four-year-old, had been hectic, too. The child became a perpetual motion machine the second his grandmother walked out the door, testing Holly to her limit. When she put him down for a brief afternoon nap at one, she collapsed on the couch for some much-needed rest. By two he was up and moving until Mandy arrived home a half an hour late, leaving Holly only enough time to race home for a cold shower and a couple cups of extra strong coffee while she got ready for work.

As she prepared the salad bar that evening, Edward entered the dining room and scanned the area from the doorway until he spotted her. Even though she expected it, she was nonetheless disappointed when he ignored her presence as if she weren’t even in the room. When Brice arrived, however, he immediately started toward her. Much to her amazement, she couldn’t control her anger at the sight of the beautiful blonde with him.

“Wait a minute, Holly,” he called as she hurried toward the kitchen to escape the couple. “I want you to meet someone.”

Stopping to face them, she spoke with an irritation she couldn’t hide. “Good evening, Mr. Chesterfield. How are you tonight?”

“Fine, thank you.” Wrapping his arm around his date’s waist, he drew her closer to them. “This is a friend of mine, Holly. Deanna Lloyd.”

“How do you do, Ms. Lloyd,” Holly said as she extended her hand. She couldn’t believe how much she didn’t want to be nice to this stranger.

“Deanna, please,” the woman returned while they shook hands. “Brice told me about you on the way over.”

“Then you know I have to work tonight. If you’ll excuse me, I still have things to do.”

Striding toward the kitchen, Holly seethed with rage. The nerve of him to tell Deanna about her! Obviously, Deanna’s background was much closer to Brice’s than hers. They’d probably had a good laugh over her eagerness to date Brice. Well, she’d show him! She would ignore Brice just as obviously as her father was ignoring her. By the end of the evening, he would be hurting as much as she did.

To her despair, however, Brice and Deanna sat down at the table she was supposed to serve, and it looked like Brice had planned it that way. Then Edward took a chair at the opposite end of the same table!

Unexpected panic overtook her. In a desperate attempt to escape the situation, she approached another waitress.

“Would you trade tables with me, Pat?” Holly asked. “I just can’t serve that one.

Pat shrugged. “Wish I could, but none of us are supposed to trade at the last second. Jan told me that Mr. Henderson insisted everybody take their assigned stations no matter what happened.”

Holly’s jaw dropped, and she stared at Pat in disbelief. This was incredible. Surely she hadn’t heard right. “She must have been kidding. Why would he insist on something so stupid? Come on, Pat. He’ll never know the difference”

“He might not, but Mr. Chesterfield will. He was in charge of table arrangements for this shindig, and they’re sitting at the same one.”

“Damn,” Holly grumbled as she turned away. Now she was stuck. No wonder Brice seemed to know exactly where he was going to sit; no wonder Edward waited until after Brice was at a table before he sat down.

This time she was the one who had been set up, and she didn’t like it any better than her father had. One of these days, Brice would go too far with his cute little plans and get himself into trouble by playing father against daughter. Ignoring Brice would be easy now, but remaining businesslike with her father would be difficult—if not impossible. There were just too many unanswered questions racing around in her mind.

But dinner proceeded smoothly. Holly found it easy to be official with her father when he said nothing to her other than please and thank you. It appeared that Edward wasn’t at the table because of her but because of Brice, for he continually watched the younger man while Holly was around and seemed pleased whenever she discouraged Brice’s friendly banter.

She could tell that Brice was upset by her mood, so much so that he apparently didn’t know Edward was watching him. Glad that she was handling matters so well, Holly began to make another batch of coffee. She had just finished putting the grounds into the basket when Brice’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Are you angry with me, Holly?”

Startled, she spun to face him. “Why do you think I’m angry?”

“Because I brought another woman to the banquet. Holly, if I’d had any idea that you wouldn’t like it, I never would have invited her.”

“Why should I mind? You’re a free agent, just like I am. I don’t date only you, and I shouldn’t expect you to date only me.” The insane thing was that she meant those words even though she didn’t feel like she was living up to them.