Chapter Thirteen
Heather woke to Diane’s crying. She recognized the fussy sound that had become so familiar over the past couple of weeks.
Her daughter was still suffering the ill effects of teething.
But as Heather sat up and stretched, she couldn’t help smiling.
Every part of her body ached pleasantly, and although she’d only gotten a few hours of sleep, she felt completely refreshed and ready to face the world.
Last night had been the most incredible experience.
She walked into Diane’s room and picked her up. “I know you’re not feeling well, sweet cheeks, but according to Grandma, you just have a few more days, then you’ll be your cheerful self again.”
With that, she held her baby close to her chest and twirled around the room.
She had an irresistible urge to hum or laugh aloud.
She felt like a character in a romantic movie.
She wanted to sweep open the windows and call “Good morning” to the birds and squirrels, which would only frighten the poor creatures.
Even Diane seemed to sense her good mood.
Her daughter’s fussiness quieted and she laughed with her mother as they made a second circuit of the room.
Heather took the baby’s hand in her own, held out the tiny arm and switched from an oddly gaited waltz to a modified tango. Diane squealed with delight.
It wasn’t just that the lovemaking had been so incredible, Heather thought as she set her daughter on the changing table and saw to her diaper.
It was that Jim had been such a responsive lover.
He’d been tender and serious and playful and caring and how on earth was she supposed to resist that?
It wasn’t enough that the guy was perfect in every other way.
Now she had firsthand proof that he was dynamite in bed.
Thank goodness she’d been smart enough to keep her heart carefully out of reach. If she hadn’t, it would have been so easy to fall in love with him. But they’d come together as consenting adults and nothing about their relationship had changed.
Heather bit her lower lip as she wondered if she’d been careful enough. Had she started to think of Jim as more than just her boss and a good friend?
Something stirred in the back of her mind, but she ignored the soft whispers. If it was different, she didn’t want to know. Better for both of them if she believed everything was as it had been except for the incredible memories of their night together.
An hour later, she pulled up in front of the office.
Despite her assertions that nothing was different, her heart started beating a little faster as she headed for the front door of the building.
Would Jim be inside? What would they say when they saw each other?
She was determined to act normally, but she had a sudden apprehension that she wouldn’t be able to remember what normal was like.
But when she stepped inside the room, she found that she didn’t have anything to worry about. Jim wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Heather flashed Flo a smile, called out a friendly greeting and went to settle Diane for the day.
“How’s she feeling?” Flo asked as she rose to her feet and came after Heather. “Is she still crying?”
“Most of the time,” Heather admitted. “She slept through the night, but I think that was just to gather strength for her second assault. I thought about setting up the playpen in the office. Is that all right with you?”
“You know she’s the light of my life. Let’s put it by my desk so I’ll have an excuse not to work. I can just play with my little princess.” She stroked Diane’s cheek. “How are you, baby girl? You want to play with your auntie Flo?”
Diane smiled at the familiar face and raised her hands as if indicating she wanted Flo to hold her.
“Do you mind?” Flo asked.
“Be my guest.”
Heather set the diaper bag on the floor, then went to get the playpen from the lunchroom.
It had been designed for mobility and she had it set up in less than five minutes.
After collecting a couple of Diane’s favorite toys, she snapped a colorful animal mobile in place, then wound up the attached music box.
“Look at what your mommy did for you,” Flo said as she cuddled Diane. “All those toys and a nice, soft place to play. Aren’t you a lucky girl?”
In her tight, sleeveless purple blouse and matching capri pants, Flo looked more like a cocktail waitress than a mom, but to Heather, she was all things maternal.
Despite the big hair and bigger makeup, she had a warm and loving heart.
Heather’s chest tightened with sadness and sympathy.
Flo accepted her childless state gracefully, but Heather thought it was a tragedy.
Flo would have been a terrific mother. She would have loved with her whole being and what child could want more than that?
“I’ll be right here,” Flo said as she set Diane in the playpen. “Right beside you. Yes, that’s right.” Then she straightened, looked at Heather and raised her eyebrows. “How was the wild thing?”
Heather blinked in stunned surprise. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I was asking about your evening. I know that you and Jim were together. And I mean that in the most intimate sense. So how was it?”
Color heated Heather’s cheeks. She pressed her hands to her face and groaned softly. “How did you know? Is it that obvious? Am I wearing a sign or something?”
Flo leaned against her desk. “You’re glowing, honey, and it’s not because of any new makeup or the fact that you got a good night’s sleep.
I’d say you didn’t get much sleep at all.
But if it makes you feel any better, I had a real big hint from Jim this morning.
He’s so happy, I would swear he’d seen the second coming, if you’ll excuse the pun.
I thought the man was going to break out in song. ”
Heather couldn’t prevent a smile from stealing across her face. So Jim really had enjoyed their time together. Of course, she knew that he had, but it was nice to know he was still floating, too.
Heather walked over to her desk and sat down.
“I won’t press you for details,” Flo went on, “even though I want to. For one thing, I doubt you’ll tell me much. For another, he’s my boss and there are some things an employee just shouldn’t know.”
“I’m an employee.”
“That’s right, honey, and you’ll have to work that one out all on your own.”
Heather knew what her friend was talking about. “I agree. We both talked about it. We can’t make it anything more than it was. Yes, we had a lovely time together and it was very special, but we decided that our friendship, not to mention our working relationship, was more important.”
Flo studied her. “Did you now?”
“Yes. We’re both adults. We can handle this.” Heather felt herself getting a little defensive and she wasn’t sure why.
“Whose idea was that?”
“Both of ours. It’s what I want. I’m not looking for a man in my life. At least not romantically. I like that Jim and I are friends. If we can keep things at that level, they won’t get complicated.”
Flo folded her arms under her impressive bosom. “Life has a way of complicating things whether we want it to or not. But it’s your call. You two have to do what’s right.”
“You don’t approve?”
“It’s not my place to approve or disapprove. I think you’re whistling in the dark. Most women I know can’t spend the night making love with a wonderful man and then walk away without a second thought.”
Heather knew she was right. “It’s not going to be easy, but it can be done.”
“I’m sure it can.” Flo glanced down at Diane. “She’s a sweet thing and you’re a great mom. But life is better when there’s someone to share the load. Jim has a good heart and he needs someone to see that and to love him back.”
“I do care about Jim,” Heather admitted.
“I’m not talking about friendship caring. I’m talking about the real thing. The love between a man and a woman. The marrying kind of love. Jim won’t be easy to convince for a lot of reasons, but the woman who wins him will have a prize worth holding on to. There aren’t many like him.”
Fear clutched at Heather’s insides. “I don’t want marriage. I don’t want to risk falling in love again.”
Flo shrugged. “Then I guess you’re not the one. I keep waiting for her to show up and claim him. Lord knows he needs someone to love him.”
“Everyone does,” Heather agreed. She told herself she wasn’t the one. She’d been down this road and it hadn’t once worked for her. She didn’t want anything to change between her and Jim. “But I can’t fall in love,” she said.
“Nobody is saying you have to.”
But Heather felt pressured in ways she couldn’t understand. “I thought those other men were terrific, too. All of them. And they turned out to be all wrong for me. How can I trust my judgment about Jim?”
“If those other men were as great as him, then I guess you can’t.”
Heather wanted to say that they had been that wonderful, but she knew there was a difference.
She’d never met anyone like Jim before. He was a living, breathing hero and that terrified her.
How was she supposed to live up to that?
If she tried again with someone like him and it didn’t work, then she really wouldn’t have any faith in love.
“It’s too great a risk,” she said slowly. “I’m not willing to take the chance.”
Flo grimaced in impatience. “Do you have any idea what you’re giving up? All because you’re afraid?”
The door to the office opened before Heather could reply. Two policemen entered the room. “We’re looking for Brian Johnson,” the taller of the two said. “We have a warrant for his arrest.”
* * *
“What the hell is going on?” Jim demanded when he stormed into the office. He tossed the logbook onto Flo’s desk. “When did the police get here?”
Flo’s face was pale, the only color coming from the splotches of blusher on her cheeks. She glanced at the clock, then at Heather. “Maybe an hour ago.”