Chapter Ten #2
Lindy splayed her fingers out in front of her to better show off the ring.
“When he slipped it on my finger, I swear it was the most romantic moment of my life. Before I knew it, tears were streaming down my face. I still don’t understand why I started crying.
I think Paul was as surprised as I was.”
There must have been something in the air that reduced susceptible females to tears, Cait decided. Whatever it was had certainly affected her.
“Now you’ve sidetracked me,” Lindy said, looking up from her diamond, her gaze dreamy. “You were telling me about you and Joe.”
“I was?”
“Yes, you were,” Lindy insisted.
“There’s nothing to tell. If there was, you’d be the first person to hear.
I know,” she admitted before her friend could bring up the point, “we have seen a lot of each other recently, but I don’t think it meant anything to Joe.
When he found out Paul had invited me to dinner, he seemed downright delighted. ”
“I’m sure it was all an act.”
Cait shrugged. She wished she could believe that. Oh, how she wished it.
“You’re sure you’re in love with him?” Lindy asked hesitantly.
Cait nodded and lowered her eyes. It hurt to think about Joe. Everything was a game to him—a big joke. Lindy had been right about one thing, though. Love was the most wonderful experience of her life. And the most painful.
***
The New York Stock Exchange had closed and Cait was punching some figures into her computer when Joe strode into her office and closed the door.
“Feel free to come in,” she muttered, continuing her work. Her heart was pounding but she dared not let him know the effect he had on her.
“I will make myself at home, thank you,” he answered cheerfully, ignoring her sarcasm. He pulled out a chair and sat down expansively, resting one ankle on the opposite knee and relaxing as if he was in a movie theater, waiting for the main feature to begin.
“If you’re here to discuss business, might I suggest investing in blue-chip stocks? They’re always a safe bet.” Cait went on typing, doing her best to ignore Joe—which was nearly impossible, although she gave an Oscar-winning performance, if she did say so herself.
“I’m here to talk business, all right,” Joe said, “but it has nothing to do with the stock market.”
“What business could the two of us possibly have?” she asked, her voice deliberately ironic.
“I want to resume the discussion we were having last night.”
“Perhaps you do, but unfortunately that was last night and this is now.” How confident she sounded, Cait thought, mildly pleased with herself. “I can do without hearing you list my no doubt numerous flaws.”
“Your being my wife is what I want to talk about.”
“Your wife?” She wished he’d quit throwing the subject at her as if it meant something to him. Something other than a joke.
“Yes, my wife.” He gave a short laugh. “Believe me, it isn’t your flaws I’m here to discuss.”
Despite everything, Cait’s heart raced. She reached for a stack of papers and switched them from one basket to another.
Her entire filing system was probably in jeopardy, but she needed some activity to occupy her hands before she stood up and reached out to Joe.
She did stand then, but it was to remove a large silver bell strung from a red velvet ribbon hanging in her office window.
“Paul and Lindy are getting married,” he said next.
“Yes, I know. Lindy and I had a long talk this morning.” She took the wreath off her door next.
“I take it the two of you are friends again?”
“We were never not friends,” Cait answered stiffly, stuffing the wreath, the bell and the three ceramic wise men into the bottom drawer of her filing cabinet. Hard as she tried to prevent it, she could feel her defenses crumbling. “Lindy’s asked me to be her maid of honor and I’ve agreed.”
“Will you return the favor?”
It took a moment for the implication to sink in, and even then Cait wasn’t sure she should follow the trail Joe seemed to be forging through this conversation. She leaned forward and rested her hands on the edge of the desk.
“I’m destined to be an old maid,” she said flippantly, although she couldn’t help feeling a sliver of real hope.
“You’ll never be that.”
Cait was hoping he’d say her beauty would make her irresistible, or that her warmth and wit and intelligence were sure to attract a dozen suitors. Instead he said the very thing she could have predicted. “We’re already married, so you don’t need to worry about being a spinster.”
Cait released a sigh of impatience. “I wish you’d give up on that, Joe. It’s growing increasingly old.”
“As I recall, we celebrated our eighteenth anniversary not long ago.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. All right,” she said, straightening abruptly. If he wanted to play games, then she’d respond in kind. “Since we’re married, I want a family.”
“Hey, sweetheart,” he cried, throwing his arms in the air, “that’s music to my ears. I’m willing.”
Cait prepared to leave the office, if not the building. “Somehow I knew you would be.”
“Two or three,” he interjected, then chuckled and added, “I suppose we should name the first two Ken and Barbie.”
Cait’s scowl made him chuckle even louder.
“If you prefer, we’ll leave the names open to negotiation,” he said.
“Of all the colossal nerve...” Cait muttered, moving to the window and gazing out.
“If you want daughters, I’ve got no objection, but from what I understand that’s not really up to us.”
Cait turned around, crossing her arms. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” she said coldly, certain he’d delight in doing so. “But you did just ask me to marry you. Could you confirm that?”
“All I want is to make legal what’s already been done.”
Cait sighed in exasperation. Was he serious, or wasn’t he? He was talking about marriage, about joining their lives, as if he were planning a bid on a construction project.
“When Paul asked Lindy to marry him, he had a diamond ring.”
“I was going to buy you a ring,” Joe said emphatically. “I still am. But I thought you’d want to pick it out yourself. If you wanted a diamond, why didn’t you say so? I’ll buy you the whole store if that’ll make you happy.”
“One ring will suffice, thank you.”
“Pick out two or three. I understand diamonds are an excellent investment.”
“Not so fast,” she said, holding out her arm. It was vital she maintain some distance between them. If Joe kissed her or started talking about having children again, they might never get the facts clear.
“Not so fast?” he repeated incredulously. “Honey, I’ve been waiting eighteen years to discuss this. You’re not going to ruin everything now, are you?” He advanced a couple of steps toward her.
“I’m not agreeing to anything until you explain yourself.” For every step he took toward her, Cait retreated two.
“About what?” Joe was frowning, which wasn’t a good sign.
“Paul.”
His eyelids slammed shut, then slowly rose. “I don’t understand why that man’s name has to come into every conversation you and I have.”
Cait decided it was better to ignore that comment. “You haven’t even told me you love me.”
“I love you.” He actually sounded annoyed, as if she’d insisted on having the obvious reiterated.
“You might say it with a little more feeling,” Cait suggested.
“If you want feeling, come here and let me kiss you.”
“No.”
“Why not?” By now they’d completely circled her desk. “We’re talking serious things here. Trust me, sweetheart, a man doesn’t bring up marriage and babies with just any woman. I love you. I’ve loved you for years, only I didn’t know it.”
“Then why did you let Paul take me out to dinner?”
“You mean I could’ve stopped you?”
“Of course. I didn’t want to go out with him! I was sick about having to turn you down for dinner. Not only that, you didn’t even seem to care that I was going out with another man. And as far as you were concerned, he was your main competition.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
“That wasn’t the impression I got later.”
“All right, all right,” Joe said, drawing his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t think Paul was interested in you. I saw him and Lindy together one night at the office and the electricity between them was so thick it could’ve lit up Seattle.”
“You knew about Lindy and Paul?”
Joe shrugged. “Let me put it this way. I had a sneaking suspicion. But when you started talking about Paul as though you were in love with him, I got worried.”
“You should have been.” Which was a bold-faced lie.
Somehow, without her being quite sure how it happened, Joe maneuvered himself so only a few inches separated them.
“Are you ever going to kiss me?” he demanded.
Meekly Cait nodded and stepped into his arms like a child opening the gate and skipping up the walkway to home. This was the place she belonged. With Joe. This was home and she need never doubt his love again.
With a sigh that seemed to come from the deepest part of him, Joe swept her close. For a breathless moment they looked into each other’s eyes. He was about to kiss her when there was a knock at the door.
Harry, Joe’s foreman, walked in without waiting for a response. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Joe—” He stopped abruptly. “Oh, sorry,” he said, flustered and eager to make his escape.
“No problem,” Cait assured him. “We’re married. We have been for years and years.”
Joe was chuckling as his mouth settled over hers, and in a single kiss he wiped out all the doubts and misgivings, replacing them with promises and thrills.