Dancer in the Shadows (17 page)

"He had a nightmare and asked to stay with me," Valerie explained.

"How the devil were we supposed to know that?" His voice rose angrily.

"Mommy, why is Daddy mad at us?" Michael whimpered, curling up closer to her.

"Come on, love, let's get you dressed," Janine suggested, picking up the small boy in her arms. "Then we'll get some breakfast."

"There was no need to upset Michael," Valerie said heatedly, climbing out of bed uncaring of the flimsy nightgown that barely reached her thighs. "He's only a little boy. He doesn't understand this constant war between us, and I won't have him hurt by it!"

Sean's eyes flicked coldly over her bare legs. "I suggest you put some clothes on." His lip curled in disgust as he spun on his heel and walked away.

Angered beyond control, Valerie unclenched her hands and, looking for the first available object, picked up a book from the night table and flung it at one of the walls. Her blind aim sent it against the mirror, shattering the glass. She stomped angrily into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

A brisk shower eventually cooled Valerie's anger. She dressed in bright green terry-cloth jogging shorts and a green-and-white-striped terry tanktop. Walking back into the bedroom, she found Janine seated on the bed with several pieces of paper in her hand.

"Seven years' bad luck, you know." She gestured toward the broken mirror.

"If so, then I only have three more to go." Valerie smiled bitterly.

"Val, please sit down." Janine's voice became serious. "I'd like to say something to you."

Curiosity won out as she sat on the bed next to her sister-in-law.

"It wouldn't take anyone with an ounce of brains to see that things aren't well between you and Sean. Separate bedrooms speak for themselves, and I happen to know my brother well enough to know that it couldn't have been his idea. He just isn't the type of man to put up with that kind of thing."

"The only reason I'm even here is because he wants Michael," Valerie said bleakly. Sensing the other woman's sincere compassion, she blurted out the entire story, including the traumatic night years before. Janine remained silent throughout. "So you see, I'm only here on a pass, so to speak," she concluded bitterly. "He feels nothing for me but disgust. The sooner I'm gone, the happier he'll be."

"If he doesn't care for you, he has a funny way of showing it," Janine chuckled softly. "I've never seen him so angry as he was last night when he saw you with Craig Saunders. In fact, he was livid. And as to the disgust..." She held up the papers in her hand. "This is part of a letter he wrote to me a long time ago. I kept it because of the contents, and I'd like you to hear part of it." She bent her head slightly, looking at the large sprawling handwriting:

Dear Jay,

Well, I know this will be hard for you to believe, but I was married a week ago. My only excuse for not letting you know sooner is that it's been too difficult to tear myself away from my beautiful wife. So you'll have to forgive me for not inviting you to the wedding, but I was afraid that if I waited too long I'd lose her. I wasn't going to take any chances.

To begin with, her name is Valerie. She's studying ballet at a school here in San Francisco. She's not very tall, slender as a reed, with long dark hair and eyes the color of jade. From the first time I met her, I knew I had to make her mine.

Some people will probably call me a fool because she's only twenty: innocence combined with seductiveness; youth with maturity. I don't tire of her company because she is a constantly changing individual.

I guess you can tell that big brother fell— and fell hard—for an enchantress who has a smile to outdo the morning sun. I can't wait for you to meet her because I know the two of you will get along so well. You can't help but love my green-eyed angel.

Sean

Janine looked up to see slow tears trickling down Valerie's cheeks. She pushed the papers into Val's hands. "I want you to keep this," she urged. "Something like that doesn't die, no matter what. Sean is a proud man; you've hurt his pride badly and he won't let anyone know it. But be patient; he'll come around." Tactfully, she left the room.

Valerie stared at the letter unable to believe Sean had written such beautiful words about her. She carefully folded the sheets of paper and put them away in her night table drawer. After washing the tearstains from her face, she brushed her hair, leaving it loose, and headed for the dining room.

Sean was already there, with a subdued Michael seated next to him, glumly eating scrambled eggs. Janine was seated across from Michael, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Your omelet will be ready in a moment." Sara stuck her head through the swinging door.

"I'm afraid I'm not very hungry, Sara," Valerie muttered, refusing to look at Sean as she seated herself. "Juice and coffee will be fine."

"I am fixing you an omelet and you will eat every bite," Sara replied tartly. "And no arguments."

"Everybody's mad today," Michael sighed heavily.

Sean turned toward his son, smiling fondly at the downcast face. "Are you finished with your breakfast?"

Michael nodded his head as he finished his glass of orange juice. Sean leaned over, whispering conspiratorially in Michael's ear. The small boy's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Can I go now?" he asked eagerly, climbing down from his chair.

"As long as you stay there until I call you." Sean tousled his hair.

Although curious about the exchange between father and son, Valerie's pride wouldn't allow her to ask. When her omelet was placed before her, full of creamy cheese and bacon bits, Sara eyed Valerie's set face. "Eat," she ordered, as if Valerie were a small child. "You're still too skinny for my taste."

"I always have been," she said crossly, noting the faintly amused look on Sean's face.

"Nothing more homey than the family all together for breakfast in the mornings." Janine grinned impishly, receiving only a dark look from her brother. "Just like the soap operas on T.V. "

Valerie ate little, instead pushing her food around on her plate.

"If you've finished playing with your food, I'd like to see you outside," Sean said coolly.

She shrugged her shoulders and then rose to her feet to follow him out of the room. At the front door, Sean waited until Valerie caught up with him. "Val, about what I said this morning," he began hesitantly, holding out his hand.

"Message received and noted, Mr. Hunter," she said quietly, raising her eyes to meet his. "I'll take great care never to disgust you again."

His hand dropped to his side and his eyes glittered coldly at her words. Sean opened the door and walked outside, with Valerie following. Her eyes widened as they took in a large green station wagon parked in front of the house. She turned to face a grim Sean. "But—?" She felt thoroughly confused.

"Your own car was totaled and you need transportation," he explained offhandedly.

"It's so big." Valerie walked slowly up to the car, tentatively touching the gleaming surface with her fingertips.

"Not so big when it's loaded with kids and pets!" Janine laughed behind them.

"One small boy doesn't constitute—" she began, but was cut off by her son's excited shrieks.

"Mommy!" Michael ran from the back of the house holding a furry bundle almost as large as he was.

Valerie turned accusing eyes toward Sean. "You did this," she said angrily, gesturing toward the car, then toward the wiggling bundle in Michael's arms.

"Oh, Val, he's darling," Janine protested, taking the squirming puppy from Michael's arms. "What are you going to name him, love?"

"Muffin," he announced proudly. "And he's all mine."

"Sean, he can't have a puppy," Valerie appealed to the tall man, "especially one that looks as if it'll grow up to be the size of a small horse."

"Labrador retrievers don't become small horses," he said blandly. "Besides, having the responsibility of caring for a dog will be good for him."

Valerie looked around wildly but saw that she was outnumbered. Michael was sitting on the ground, cooing to his new friend. She turned back to the car, knowing a new car was something she had never dreamed of owning.

"Next time you decide to wrap yourself around a telephone pole, I want you to have more car for protection." Sean's low voice was close to her ear. "Plus it saves you from having to borrow my car. So the least you can do is smile sweetly and say, 'Thank you, Sean.'"

"Thank you, Sean," she mimicked his words.

He held out two keys, pressing them into her hand. "One is for the ignition, and the other is for the front and back doors," he explained before turning and walking away.

Janine approached her, hands stuck in pockets. "Let's go inside. I'd like to talk to you.

"Val, I've decided to go back home tomorrow." She sat down on Val's bed and began without preamble. "It's time for me to dig out my paints again. I'll probably stay home for six months to a year. What I'm trying to say is that I want you to feel free to come and stay with me if you need some breathing time."

"It's not that bad, Jay," she said evasively.

"My brother is a darn fool!" Janine exploded, rising to her feet and hugging Valerie. "It would serve him right if you walked out on him today."

"I did that once—four years ago," Val said bleakly. "As a result, he missed out on the first four years of his son's life. He'll never forgive me for that."

Janine shook her head in frustration. "You just remember that if you need a shoulder to cry on, you know where I am. I can tell that you want to be left alone, so I'm going out to the pool. I'll see you at dinner."

After Janine left the room, Valerie lay on the bed, her thoughts tumbling together so rapidly that she began to feel a pounding in her temples. "Oh, Sean, why couldn't I just have said I'd go to Australia with you in the first place?" she whispered to herself, feeling an ache in her throat. Exhaustion soon took over and she fell asleep, curled up in a tight ball.

A few hours later, when she awoke, she discovered Sean standing over her, an inscrutable expression on his face. "Sara asked me to tell you that dinner will be ready soon." His tones were clipped as he straightened. "Janine is taking one of her day-long bubble baths."

"I'm sorry you had to be bothered, then." Valerie's voice held a trace of bitterness as she sat up.

Sean's eyes rested on the tanned cleavage visible between the parted lapels of her robe. Seeing the direction of his gaze, she flushed, hurriedly wrapping the robe close around her.

"I found this not too long ago and thought you might be interested." He reached into his shirt pocket and tossed a small jeweler's box into her lap. Then, silently, he turned and left the room.

Valerie looked down, a soft "Oh!" escaping her lips as she held up two delicate jade earrings, a perfect match for the pendant he had given her so long ago, and the pendant itself, which she had never expected to see again. "Oh, Sean, what are you trying to tell me?" she sighed heavily. "Does this mean the beginning? Or the end?"

Standing up, she walked over to her closet and searched through her new clothes. After careful deliberation, she chose a simple strapless dress of clinging jersey in a subdued green and wore both the new earrings and the pendant. She used electric rollers on her hair, brushing it into soft curves, and a little more eye makeup than usual. The final effect was understated, yet seductive.

"I knew I was right about that dress," Janine said triumphantly when Valerie later entered the den.

"Mommy looks sexy," Michael announced to his father, looking up from his storybook.

"Sexy? Where did you learn that word?" Sean demanded, scowling at Valerie.

"Like father, like son?" Janine hinted. "I understand one of Michael's friends thinks he's sexy. He's already becoming a hit with the girls."

"He has plenty of time," Sean muttered into his glass of Scotch.

"Think what it would be like if you had had a daughter," Janine pointed out with malicious delight.

"I'd lock her up until she turned thirty." His hooded gaze landed on Valerie. "The way women go around half-dressed causes nothing but trouble. Aren't you afraid you'll lose something?" He stared pointedly at the elasticized neckline.

"The elastic is snug enough." She shrugged her shoulders. "If you don't mind, I would like a drink."

Still scowling, Sean mixed her drink and handed her the glass, still staring at her bare shoulders. "I thought you bought new clothes," he said sarcastically.

"I did," she replied, looking up with innocent eyes. "Don't you like this?"

"Too much," he muttered under his breath.

Sean ate very little during dinner, although he frequently helped himself to the wine. As soon as dinner was over and Sara volunteered to take Michael off for a bedtime story, he rose, ignoring Val, and turned to Janine.

"I have a lot of work to catch up on in my study, so I'll see you in the morning before I leave."

She smilingly blew her brother a kiss. "I knew you wouldn't waste the opportunity to say good-bye," she replied lightly.

He abruptly turned and they soon heard the slam of his study door.

"It's a good thing I'm leaving, because I think you and Sean need to be by yourselves." Janine yawned. "I'm not worried, though, because I really believe you two can work things out." She twisted the gold chain at her neck around her finger. "Both of you are just going to have to give in a little, that's all."

"Sean's not the type to give in," Valerie sighed, "even a little."

"Then forget your pride," Janine advised. "It will be worth it in the end. I've seen the change in Sean over the past four years; he's not the man I used to know ... or the man who wrote me that letter." She rose to her feet. "Well, I guess I should start my packing. I'd like to get a halfway early start."

Valerie found the house empty after Janine's departure. Her parting words lingered in her mind: "Think about what I said last night," Janine whispered to her as they hugged each other good-bye. "Sean's one man in a million."

Sean had taken Michael outside, the puppy happily following them.