Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) (29 page)

“
What a shame,” she said sadly.

He looked at her poignantly. “It’s not a shame,” he said tersely. “I loved my grandmother very much.”

“
Not about your grandmother—I think it’s wonderful that you had such a close relationship with her. I’m talking about your relationship with your wife. It’s a shame the two of you couldn’t take the time to get to know each other and learn to love each other. Tell me what happened with her father.”

“
Actually, there’s a bit of wry humor there. Here’s a man who thought I would worship every move he made, follow him around like a puppy, bend to his will like a puppet-on-a-string. Instead, I shed my Aussie accent and became a part of the New York business world. My grandfather trained me well. It didn’t take long before I was at the top of the most respected list, leaving my father-in-law in the dust.”

“
That’s horrible. What did your wife think of that?”

He looked at her, eyes twinkling. “Now here’s the one area where we agreed. She hated her father. He was a cruel and dominating man. He tried to rule her even long after we were married. She encouraged my efforts.”

“
There, you see. There is something the two of you have in common, something you could use as a common bond and go from there.”

“
Don’t tell me you moonlight as a marriage counselor. You are a hopeless romantic, Jessica.”

They came to a stop in front of a small shop. The shop’s exterior was in desperate need of painting. “Here, this is what I want to show you.” He opened the door and Jessica stepped inside. Dozens of paintings greeted her.

“
Is this the gallery you were telling me about?”

He shook his head. “No, that’s in Melbourne. We’ll get there later in the week. This is a much smaller gallery. You were so interested in my paintings that I thought you might enjoy taking a look around.”

Before she could answer, a small, well-dressed man emerged from an office. Upon sighting Phillip, he broke into a huge grin.

“
Aw, Phillip, how good it is to see you again. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever see you; it has been such a long time.”

“
Yes, Pierre`, so it has. I apologize, my friend. I have been quite busy lately.” He gestured toward Jessica. “Pierre`, I want you to meet Miss Jessica Crawford. She is my house guest.”

He picked up Jessica’s hand and kissed it softly. “Such beauty should be a crime; you have stolen my heart with just one glance. She is lovely, Phillip, you are such a lucky man, eh, Phillip,” he teased, nudging him in the side and watching Jessica blush. “Oh, now look, I have embarrassed your guest. I am so sorry, madam. Please, you two have a look around. Then come to my office. We will have tea, okay. Yes, okay.”

He ran off toward the door from which he had previously come. Phillip took Jessica’s arm and led her around, showing her numerous paintings. One particular painting caught her attention. It was of a woman sitting on a park bench, looking sad. It reminded Jessica of Adelaide, which made her eyes mist. She wiped them quickly, before Phillip noticed. When they returned to the main corridor, Pierre` was waiting for them.

“
Come now, tea is ready. Did you have a pleasant look?” he asked, not waiting for an answer, but running ahead of them to hold open the door.

Jessica giggled quietly. “I like him,” she told Phillip. “He’s funny.”

He nodded in agreement but remained silent.

“
So, Miss Crawford, tell me, what did you like?”

“
I liked so many of them, but there was one I particularly liked, the one of the woman in the park. The one that looks so sad.”

“
Oh, I know exactly which one you are referring to. It is one of my favorites, as well. I shall get it ready for you then.”

Her eyes opened wide. “Oh, no! I couldn’t possibly afford such a valuable painting. I will just have to be content with my memory of it.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Then perhaps you will want more tea?”

She sighed, relieved. “Yes, please.” She smiled at him.

After they left the gallery, Jessica heaved a large sigh of relief. “Phillip, I was so afraid I had offended your friend.”

He chuckled. “No need to worry. I don’t think anyone could offend Pierre’; he is one of the most tranquil people I have ever met. Pierre’ will be fine.”

“
There’s one thing I don’t understand about Pierre’. He appears to have lived here all his life, but yet he has a French name and talks a little like a Frenchman, crossed with—well, I don’t know what.”

He laughed heartily. “He does that to throw off people. He’s a bit of a tease. Actually, he is Australian, born and raised. His mother was French. She married Pierre’s father and moved here to Australia. The only thing she asked in return was that she be allowed to give her children French names, and teach them about their heritage. He knows as much about France as if it were his native culture. If you really like the painting I would be honored if you would allow me to buy it for you.”

“
No, thank you. It really is a generous offer, but I cannot accept.”

“
Suit yourself.” He glanced at his watch. “As much fun as I’m having, I’m afraid we’d better head on back, before they send out a search party.”

She looked at her watch in amazement. “I hadn’t realized it was so late. Yes, we had better hurry,” she agreed, quickening her pace.

Phillip stood back, watching her with admiration. She had been such a delightful person with whom to spend the afternoon. If only he could relate to his wife as well as he could her. She reminded him so much of his grandmother.

**********

CHAPTER 13

Jessica skipped ahead in the diary. She couldn’t believe she was actually reading it again. She knew she should be preparing for dinner and the opera that Phillip had informed her they were attending, but she was so involved.

A knock on the door startled Jessica. She quickly marked her place and replaced the book. She picked up the pen and pretended to write the letter she had originally sat down to compose.

“
Come in,” she called.

“
What are you doing?” John asked from the open doorway. “You’re supposed to be getting ready. Now you’re going to make us late.”

“
Come in and shut the door. I want to show you something.”

He did as instructed, and came to join her at the writing desk. She opened the drawer and took out the diary.

“
What is it?” he asked.

She frowned, disappointed at his lack of enthusiasm “It’s a diary,” she replied in exasperation. “Haven’t you ever seen a diary before?” she added with sarcasm.

“
Gee, I’m sorry, I don’t own a diary. And I don’t go around snooping in the desks of people who do,” he replied, tartly.

“
Ouch, touché! But there is some really interesting stuff in here.”

“
Talented writing doesn’t make snooping right. Whose is it, anyway?”

“
Aw, see, you are interested.” She turned to the front of the book and showed him the opening page. “It belonged to Phillip’s grandmother. Did you know he has an unusually strange passion for her? I wonder how long ago she died.”

“
Hey, look. Did you notice that she has the same middle name as your first?”

“
Yes, I had noticed that. It seemed somewhat eerie to me. I seem to relate so well to her. Her words enchant me. I can’t seem to put this book down.”

“
Well, just be careful. It’s no wonder Phillip is so attracted to you. I’ll bet he sees his grandmother when he looks at you.”

“
Stop that,” she said, chills running down her arms. “He is not attracted to me, and it’s spooky the way you say that. The part about his grandmother, I mean.”

“
Well, anyway, put that book away and hurry up and get dressed. I’ll tell everyone you’re almost ready. Meet us downstairs, and hurry.”

He crossed to the door, placing his hand on the knob. “By the way, Jess, how come your room is so far away from the rest of the house? I damn near had to don roller skates to get here. Wait, let me guess, of course, this was his grandmother’s room, right?”

She picked up a pillow and threw it at him. “No fair, you knew that because of the diary.”

He chuckled as the door closed behind him, leaving Jessica to dress and join him downstairs. She put the diary back in its place and hurried about the task of dressing.

An odd feeling crept over her as she left the room and began to walk toward the stairs. She was halted by a fascination with a door. She reached out and touched the knob. A cold feeling swept over her. She withdrew her hand, turned and ran downstairs.

**********

CHAPTER 14

The evening was exciting, starting with dinner at the Caprice. The French food was exquisite and the view of Sydney, incredible. The menu consisted of dishes not only unheard of by Jessica, but unpronounceable as well. Phillip laughed heartily over her attempts, finally taking the menu from her hands and ordering for the lot of them.

After dinner, they attended the opera house, where some of the finest performers from around the world were uniting for a grand charity performance. This was where the idea of combining their current project with advertising for this glorious country, struck Jessica. She turned to Phillip

“
I have just had the most wonderful idea!” she exclaimed. “How long would it take for you to contact your stores back home and get items of clothing sent here?”

“
I don’t know. If I called them tonight, and they were able to get things together tomorrow and shipped the same day, I would say four, maybe five days max. Why?”

She hunched her shoulders as gloom set in. “I had hoped to be on my way home by then.”

She looked at his puzzled gaze and thought she should explain. “I had this wild idea of using Australia for a backdrop for a variety of your different lines. I just thought the combination of the excitement of your country, and the exquisiteness of your fabrics would be a perfect contrast, but I think it would take too long to get them here. By the time they arrived, and we found models to fit them, and made any necessary alterations—it would take much longer than I had intended to carry this out.”

“
It’s a wonderful idea, but why send all the way to the States when you can get everything you need right here, at my downtown shop.”

She stared dumbfounded. “Right here, in Sydney?” He nodded. “Of course, why didn’t I stop to think you would have expanded here?”

“
No, actually it was the other way around. My grandfather started the franchise here. I expanded it into the States. I have changed the name, but everything else is the same.”

“
Fantastic. Let’s hurry and get home. I have a million plans to make.”

“
Hold on a minute there. It’s going to take my staff a better part of the day to organize the things you will need. You can use that time to make all the plans and preparations you need. Let’s just enjoy the evening. Come tomorrow, I will lose you to your work; tonight, you’re mine,” he said firmly.

She blushed and glanced nervously over at John, who winked, confirming his earlier comment that Phillip Stewart definitely was attracted to her. She kicked his leg playfully, smiling innocently as he stifled a cry of displeasure.

The evening seemed to drag on. Jessica couldn’t wait until it was time to go back to Phillip’s home. Her mind wandered aimlessly between the diary, Brandon, and her newly found excitement over the project.

Phillip, sensing this distraction, sighed hopelessly, and gave up. He suggested they skip the coffee date he had suggested earlier and return home at the conclusion of the program. Jessica all too eagerly jumped from her seat, practically running to retrieve her coat the minute the curtain closed.

Back in her room, she immediately went about the task of making a list of objects she would need to complete her work for the remainder of the week. At the top of the list was changing her flight arrangements. She would ask Phillip if someone from his staff could see to this.

Once the list was completed, she was finally able to write the letter to Brandon, which she had put off doing. She used extreme caution when mentioning Phillip, assuring Brandon that she was not alone with him, and that he was acting the perfect gentleman and host. She also reminded him that this was her work, and she had been given an assignment that needed to be carried out.