Angel Baby (18 page)

"I see."

Claudia sensed there was much more he wasn't saying. Chase
seemed uncomfortable with bringing it up at all, and shrugged. She wondered how
he'd react if he knew she was going out with Andrew the very next night. She
didn't really want to find out. Suddenly Claudia found herself feeling more
than a little concerned about the next evening, but she'd already said she'd go
to Jenny's wedding.

Chase seemed to regret saying anything and turned abruptly
to leave her office. Claudia's eyes shifted toward the bouquet of flowers on
the desk. Before she even realized she planned to speak, Claudia said
wistfully, "Funny, for a moment, I thought the bouquet was from you...but
I couldn’t for the life of me think why you’d be bringing me flowers.”

He didn’t answer as he reached toward the doorknob. Claudia
assumed he would just leave in silence. Finally, however, he turned around.

“Claudia?”

Chase stared intently at her for a moment before continuing,
his dark eyes flashing with some suppressed emotion she couldn’t identify.
Whatever it was, it made her tingle all over.

“When I send you flowers, they sure as hell won’t be
daisies. They’ll be red roses. And you’ll know damn well why I’m sending them.”

He turned abruptly and walked out of the room. Claudia
leaned back against her desk, willing her heart to stop pounding.

It took a very long time.

"She's on a date?"

Chase felt his spine stiffen and his teeth clench as he
clutched the phone tighter. He hoped he’d misheard his grandmother, who he’d
just called to check on.

"Yes, dear," his grandmother answered. "With
that Andrew Worthington fellow. He's taken her to a family wedding"

The pulse-points in his temples began pounding.

"Chase, is that the same Andrew Worthington from that
other firm you told me about a few months ago?"

"Yes, Dorien," Chase said tightly.

"Oh, dear," his grandmother replied. "He's
the one who caused such a ruckus when you were awarded the courthouse project,
right?

"One and the same."

Chase heard Dorien's worried sigh, and hurried to reassure
her. "Look, just because Worthington's a shark in business doesn't mean
Claudia's not safe with him. He is reputed to have quite a way with
women."

"That's what worries me, dear," she replied
softly.

Chase grimaced. He made an excuse to cut the call short, and
hung up the phone. Pouring himself a drink, he carried it from the oak paneled
bar in his living room into his office. One thought kept bouncing in his head:
Claudia
is on a date with Andrew Worthington.
Andrew whose blond good looks
concealed the instincts of a piranha. Chase wished he’d pitched the guy’s
pitiful flowers into the trash the day before.

He wondered why she hadn't told him about their date. Then
again, he conceded, it was none of his business. She had no way of knowing why
he was so suspicious of Worthington.

There had been rumors of Monarch Construction's decline in
quality since Andrew Worthington took over. Some had complained of shoddy
workmanship and dishonest dealings. There had also been a few incidents when
Paxton and Monarch had been competing on the same projects when Chase was sure Andrew
had pulled something underhanded to win the work. The first true indication
he'd had of the real Andrew Worthington, however, was when Chase's company won
the bid on the Milltown Courthouse. Worthington had been completely furious.
The man had stalked out of the bid opening, slamming doors and cursing. 

Chase had wondered at the other man's fury. It didn't seem
like just the typical reaction of a spoiled boy not getting what he wanted. It
was almost as if Andrew had fully expected Monarch's bid to come in lowest...as
if he knew what the other bids would be, what Chase's bid would have been if he
hadn't cut it a few days before the bid presentation date. Chase had arranged
with his sub-contractors to cut all their profits in order to gain the exposure
the job would bring. If they hadn't come in with lower estimates, and Chase
hadn't cut his own profit margin, Monarch's bid would have come in lower than
Paxton's. Exactly five percent lower.

There was no doubt his suspicions had been raised by the
incident. He'd wondered if somehow Worthington had sneaked into his office to
look over pre-bid paperwork. Telling himself he was paranoid, Chase had brushed
off the feeling.

Lately, however, there had been a few too many incidents
holding up the project. Stolen equipment and supplies, late deliveries,
vandalism. It seemed the site was plagued with bad luck...or vindictiveness. The
thought that Andrew Worthington was deliberately trying to sabotage his company
would not leave Chase's mind. The incident yesterday with the unreleased bid
documents left in Ryan's truck just reeked of the Andrew Worthington. The man
was trouble, no question about it.

   And now that man was out with Claudia.

"I'm really glad you agreed to come with me," Andrew
said. "Jen was happy to see you."

Claudia tried to smile slightly in the darkness of the car,
but felt the beginnings of a headache throbbing in her temples. She was glad
the reception had broken up relatively early, and that Andrew hadn't protested
when she told him she really wanted to go home.

"It was great seeing her, too," she replied,
forcing herself to smile politely.

The evening hadn't been unpleasant, in fact she had very
much enjoyed seeing old friends. Andrew had been solicitous, attentive and
friendly. So far he hadn't made any moves on her physically, for which Claudia
was grateful. There had been one or two uncomfortable moments when they slow
danced when he had pulled her a little too close, but he hadn't protested when
she'd immediately stepped back.

All in all, for a woman who hadn't gone on a date with a man
other than her husband in about six years, the evening should have been a great
success.

It wasn't, of course.

Claudia couldn't blame Andrew. It was all her own fault. The
problem, she acknowledged, was that when Andrew took her arm, or danced with
her, she found herself wishing he was someone else. The fact that she felt
badly about it didn't help.

"I can't believe my baby sister's married," he
said as they drove down a quiet street. It was only about eleven o'clock, but
there wasn't much traffic. Quite a contrast to Saturday nights in Philadelphia,
she recalled.

"She was a beautiful bride," Claudia said.
"Her husband seems very kind."

"He does seem to care about her, but he's a bit of a
stick-in-the-mud. Kind of like your boss."

Claudia looked sharply at Andrew and asked, "What do
you mean?"

Andrew laughed lightly and said, "You know, never
smiling, serious, somber, unemotional...."

"You have no idea what you’re talking about."

"Sorry," he muttered, "I wasn't criticizing
Paxton. Just stating fact. The man's a rock."

"It constantly amazes me," Claudia said heatedly,
"that people who have no understanding of the kind of man Chase really is
think they know him so well."

Andrew stopped the car at a stoplight and turned to look at
Claudia. His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her. "I didn't realize
you were so intimately acquainted with him."

Claudia heard an unpleasant tone in Andrew's voice which
made his comment offensive. "If it weren't for Chase Paxton," she
replied evenly, "I might not even be here."

Andrew gave a sly chuckle and said, "What, did he pay
you to come out with me to spy on me or something?"

Genuinely confused, Claudia said, "Spy on you for
what?"

"For work, of course. We all know his company would be
absolutely nothing if he hadn't ridden on the coattails of Monarch
Construction."

"That's absurd. Chase Paxton built that company from
nothing with his own two hands. A pair of very talented hands at that."

The light turned green, but Andrew didn't seem to notice.
His eyes narrowed further, and a distinctly nasty expression settled on his
face. "Know a lot about the hammer-jockey's hands, do you?"

Claudia gasped. There was no mistaking the insult this time.
Suddenly she found herself remembering why she had never gone out with Andrew
in high school. Beneath that huge grin, he had a mean streak.

"Chase Paxton may well have saved my life...and
Sarah's."

 Andrew laughed bitterly. "Oh, right, noble hero saving
the kid from tumbling down the stairs. He probably put her there himself so he
could rescue her. Christ, is that all it takes to get you into bed?"

Claudia didn't even think about her response. Her hand
grabbed the door handle of its own volition, and she was out of the car,
standing in the street about ten seconds later.

"Claudia, get back in the car," Andrew said, a
tone of jaded amusement in his voice.

"Drop dead."

Claudia didn't even glance back as she walked across the
street toward the all night convenience store on the corner. She wondered for a
brief moment if Andrew would chase after her, but a loud peal of tires told her
he hadn't bothered.

Chase flipped off his desk light shortly after eleven and
thought about raiding the kitchen for a late night snack. He knew there was no
way he'd be able to sleep, so there was no sense going to bed. The phone rang
as he was walking out of the room. Wondering who would call so late at night,
he quickly walked back to his desk and answered. A brief silence ensued, then
he heard,

"Chase, it's Claudia."

Chase felt blood start pounding in his head. He could tell
immediately something was wrong.

"Where are you?"

"At a Jiffy store on the corner of 10
^th
and
Main in Milltown," she replied.

He immediately sensed a long explanation, but heard the
fatigue and anxiety in her voice. His questions could wait. For now, Claudia
sounded like she needed help.

"I'm on my way."

Claudia replaced the receiver on the pay phone and smiled
gratefully at the elderly man behind the counter. He'd been kind enough to lend
her a quarter to make the call. She couldn't believe she'd been stupid enough
to get out of Andrew's car without even grabbing her purse, which contained her
cell phone.

"Is someone coming to get you?" the clerk asked.

She nodded wearily.

"Come on, have a cup of coffee. You look like you need
it."

"I meant it when I said I didn't have a nickel on
me," she protested weakly.

"I think I can spring for a cup of coffee and a phone
call for such a kind-looking young lady."

Smiling again, she gratefully accepted the Styrofoam cup and
sipped the hot liquid. The clerk beckoned her toward the back of the store
where two small café tables and chairs were set up for customers. Shrugging off
her long wool coat, she sat down to enjoy her coffee.

The clerk listened sympathetically to her abbreviated
explanation of the evening's events, and refilled her coffee cup twice.
"If that man who sped off without you was any kind of gentleman, he would
at least have come back to give you your belongings."

A tinkling bell sounded at the door. Claudia didn't even
glance up as she replied, "I somehow don't think he's much of a
gentleman."

"You got that right."

Claudia heard Chase's voice and quickly looked over to see
him walking toward her. She didn't think she'd seen a more welcome sight since
that cold October night, nearly a year ago, when he'd found her in the
graveyard. He'd made record time getting to her, she hadn't expected him for
another ten minutes.

"Chase. My savior again."

He smiled gently, "Just call me Galahad." He
offered her his hand, and she slipped hers into it as she rose from the chair.
His fingers squeezed hers gently, and the reassurance warmed her entire body.

"Sir, I can't thank you enough," Claudia said to
the clerk. "Chase, could I possibly borrow some money to pay this very
kind man for the coffee?"

Chase looked at her in surprise.

"I don't have my purse with me. And I don't have a
cent," she explained.

"No, no, I wouldn't hear of it. Let's say there are two
Galahads this night," the clerk insisted with a wide grin.

"Thank you again," Claudia said warmly. 

Chase helped her put her coat on, then led her outside to his
car. She slipped into the passenger seat and was thankful he didn't ask her any
questions immediately. They rode in silence for at least five minutes. Finally,
knowing she owed him an explanation for the late night call, she spoke. "I
really appreciate you coming to get me like this. I would have called Melanie,
but, to tell you the truth, she worries about me so much already, I just didn't
want her to know what happened."

"What
did
happen?"

"Let's just say I've suddenly remembered a few things
about Andrew Worthington that I'd forgotten," she responded dryly.

"Like what a slimy little jerk he is?"

She chuckled. "Something like that."

"Did he hurt you, Claude?"

Claudia watched Chase's hands tighten on the steering wheel
as he waited for her answer, though he didn't even look at her. "No,"
she insisted. "Andrew just has a big mouth. A big, offensive mouth. Other
than that, he's harmless."

"As a python," Chase muttered, but didn't
elaborate.

They didn't speak much during the ride home. When Chase
asked about Sarah, Claudia mentioned that she'd left her at Melanie's. Arriving
at her house, Claudia said, "I have to thank you again. You've been so
wonderful to me, you always seem to be there to get me out of trouble."

"You're welcome," he said quietly.

He kept the car running, but turned slightly in the driver's
seat to face her. The subdued light from the dashboard cast his face in shadow,
making it difficult to see what he was thinking. Impulsively, Claudia leaned
forward to kiss his cheek. He moved a little, and instead of his cheek, her
lips met his mouth.