Falling for the Boss (12 page)

Chapter
Eight

T
he eavesdropper to that enlightening conversation was equally engaged in reflection. Curled up in the window seat of her room, Maggie realized many things that had bothered her were beginning to make sense at last. The fact that Luke and Felicia had been engaged explained Luke’s puzzling comments and at times his behavior. But what about Marcus? Did he really not know?

Maggie suddenly sat straight up as a startling thought occurred to her.
If Marcus had discovered this secret, it could very well be the missing link she’d hoped to find. If he was trying to prod Felicia back to Luke, much in the same way he’d stepped aside for Tiffany and Damien, then the reasons for the engagement to Maggie became more understandable.

Events had given him
an opportunity to announce an attachment. He must have believed that becoming engaged would provide enough incentive for Felicia to realize her mistake. Judging by her comments, this plan had failed – Felicia didn’t believe Marcus to be serious, though she’d divined Maggie’s feelings accurately enough. So what would the master chess player do next?

F
ixing breakfast the next morning, Maggie still had no answer to this question. Luke’s appearance was a welcome disturbance to her gloomy thoughts.

“
Good morning! You’re up early on your day off.  Do you have something exciting planned?”

Luke
helped himself to coffee and took a seat at the table. “I might go fishing. Have you ever cooked catfish before?”

“No, but I can learn. I
hope you like biscuits, scrambled eggs and sausage.” She placed a filled plate in front of him and was pleased to see him dig in with every sign of appetite. Fixing a smaller plate for herself, she joined him at the table, where they were soon deep in a discussion about the preserving of historical houses.

Emerging from his office, Marcus
heard them laughing. Looking into the kitchen, he saw Luke’s head bent close to Maggie, and a wave of emotion suspiciously like jealousy swept through him.

“You two appear to be in good spirits this morning.”

“Aren’t we always?” asked Luke with a grin.

“No, I can’t say that you are,” Marcus retorted.

Maggie got up to fix a plate for Marcus, and the two men began talking about their latest case. Her own breakfast finished, she excused herself to check on Mrs. Griffin. When she returned, Felicia had made her appearance. Maggie went about her work, only part of her mind registering the conversation among the three at the table.

“
That estate sale was a complete waste of time yesterday. There was simply nothing of value and it was very shabby of you to pawn me off with Luke. I haven’t been on your boat in ages.”

Marcus glanced at his watch.
“We could go this morning, but I’ll be busy this afternoon. You forget I’m a working man.”

“
Oh, work! That’s all you think about. You don’t have to work another day in your life. Why can't you be like any other millionaire and have fun for a change?”

Maggie, who
was hand washing the antique china Marcus inherited from his grandmother, went still at those words. Was Marcus a millionaire?

Luke
managed to catch Felicia’s eye long enough to send her a mocking smile before leaving the kitchen. She watched him go with a curious look on her face while Marcus made his way over to Maggie.

“
Breakfast was delicious!” He spoke the words softly into her ear. When she turned toward him, he kissed the tip of her nose. Despite wishing he would either kiss her properly or not at all, Maggie wasn’t going to be deterred from getting some answers.

“
Are you really a millionaire?”

Before Marcus could draw breath to reply, F
elicia chimed in. “You expect us to believe you don’t know? Or is your head so much in the clouds that you think an attorney’s salary alone could have bought this set-up?”

“I knew that only someone fairly well-off could purchase Bradford House.
Being in the millionaire class is something different.”

“
Very well put, Maggie. Hadn’t you better change, Felicia? I only have a few hours to spare this morning.” Marcus didn’t speak again until they were alone. “Do you have something against millionaires?”

“
I’ve never met one before.”

“You still haven’t. Felicia was exaggerating.”

Maggie laid aside the dishcloth and prepared to leave.

“Where are you going?”
he asked as he followed her through the door.

“
The library – the bookshelves need dusting.”

“You don’t have to make a slave of yourself. What happened to the cleaning service I employ?”
he asked irritably.

“I’d rather them not handle the books.
Some of them are very old.”

“
The bookshelves will still be there tomorrow; good boating weather may not be. Come with us! Felicia’s only going to sunbathe. I could give you your first sailing lesson.”

Nothing on earth would have
induced Maggie to be a third on that outing. “I also agreed to take Mrs. Griffin to church and then drive her to a friend's house for lunch.”

Marcus
looked skeptical at this explanation, given in a slightly breathless voice, but only shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t have to sound so relieved about it. One would think it’s a punishment for you to spend time with me.”

Maggie’s lovely eyes filled with regret, but Marcus had already turned away.

Returning to Bradford House later, she toyed with the idea of doing more cleaning but decided instead to spend a few hours in the garden reading. Marcus’ silver convertible was sitting in its allotted space, but there was no sign of Felicia’s or Luke’s car. Glancing at her watch, Maggie saw that it was only half past one. The excursion on the boat had been a short one.

There was no sign of Marcus
, and all was quiet as Maggie proceeded upstairs to her room. She spent a few fruitless minutes searching for her book, a novel recently lent to her by Luke. Finally remembering she’d left it in the library, she made her way downstairs.

The door wa
s ajar so Maggie pushed it open and strolled over to the wingback chair by the fireplace. Just as she bent to retrieve the book, which was wedged tightly between the cushion and the side of the chair, she saw him.

Stretched out on the sofa,
Marcus gave every appearance of being asleep. He never stirred as Maggie slid to a halt just inches away. Even her retrieval of a dropped pillow elicited no response. All thoughts of reading were forgotten as she debated the wisdom of running her fingers through the dark, wavy hair so temptingly close.

At the merest touch,
not even enough to ruffle a few strands, he moved slightly. Maggie jumped back immediately, regretting her impulsive action. She waiting anxiously for those arresting eyes to open and when they didn’t, began to breathe again.

Knowing she should leave
before he did wake didn’t make it any easier. Her legs refused to obey. Slipping into the nearest chair, she gave in to the temptation to look freely at the face whose features were so stunningly perfect.

Lost in a pleasant
daydream where Marcus declared himself madly in love with her, Maggie never noticed the green eyes slowly open. She was only brought back to the present when an amused voice spoke softly at her side.

“
A penny for them.”

Maggie
couldn’t suppress the gasp of dismay that escaped her. For a moment her mind simply refused to function. As Marcus’ smile grew so did her discomfiture. Never had she been so embarrassed or felt so exposed.

Her only way of saving face was to
ignore his remark entirely. With a composure she was far from feeling, she allowed her eyes to meet his. That he was enjoying the situation wasn’t in doubt. The gleam in his eyes was pronounced, but Maggie wasn’t going to be intimidated.

“
Why are you in here?” she asked primly.

Marcus
sat up and stretched. “Is there any reason why I shouldn’t?”

“You were supposed to be boating.”

He smiled mockingly. “And that’s where you would prefer me to be?”

Maggie glanced away from his amused eyes. “I have no preference; I just wondered why you were back early.”

“Because something came up with one of my clients. Needless to say, Felicia didn’t take that disappointment too well. It required what little patience I possess to persuade her to spend the day with one of her friends instead of waiting around here for me. And Luke, who I really could have used to take her off my hands, simply disappeared. Left in peace to finally get my business taken care of, I was then called into action by Mittens.”

“
What?” Maggie asked involuntarily.

“
Well, you see, there was a mouse.”

“
A mouse?  In here?” Mice were fine in theory, but one did not want them in one's domain. Marcus watched as all the pretty color faded from Maggie's face.

“
The mouse was actually caught in my office, but Mittens thought you might like to see her catch so she proceeded to carry her treasure to your room. I was quick to appreciate that you wouldn’t feel quite the same excitement, so I followed and convinced her to let me have the prize instead. After I disposed of our rodent friend, I realized that the mighty hunter was still locked in your room and I returned to let her out. When I opened the door, she gave me such an appealing look. You know the one I’m talking about, the glance that women have used for centuries to bring a man to heel.”

Trying not to laugh, Maggie said dryly,
“No, I don’t seem to know that look.”

“
Don’t be modest. You’ve already thrown it my way a few times. Anyway, I fell into the trap and spent some time with her. Then I cleared up the problem with work and came in here to relax. Evidently I fell asleep at a most inopportune moment.”

Maggie decided to ignore that last statement
. “I apologize for disturbing your nap. I came in to get this.” She pointed to the book, which she proceeded to retrieve.

“
I should have known. And as much as I hate ending this happy meeting, I have an appointment that I can’t miss. Enjoy your book.”

The result of that appointment was a business trip that took him away for most of the following week.
Marcus dutifully called her each day, something Maggie recognized as a continuation of their engagement act, and done strictly for Luke’s benefit. She could only be glad Luke was unable to hear their innocuous conversation.

Upon his return, Marcus
sought her out with commendable speed, and finding her with Luke, took her into his arms with an eagerness that made even her think he might really have missed her. Still tingling from a kiss that had set her pulses racing, Maggie followed him into his office. He waved her to a chair and sank down into his own.

“I understand Mrs. Griffin got a good report at her doctor’s visit yesterday. That being so, there’s no reason for us to impose on you any
longer. You’ll be glad to return to your apartment and resume your tour guide duties. And I know Brenda will appreciate you coming back.”

Though she
had been expecting this, Maggie was nevertheless shocked to hear it. With an effort, she nodded. “That sounds good. I can be out of here today if you want.”

He smiled faintly. “There’s no hurry. I just wanted you to know that your days as a housekeeper and girl Friday for Luke and I are over.”

“It’s been no trouble,” she assured him in a quiet voice.

“Y
ou’ll be saying goodbye to the Rose Room. You know, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to allow anyone else to stay in there. It has somehow become uniquely yours.”

“
That’s nice of you to say, but it’s more than time for me to return home.”

Marcus came around the desk and sat on its edge.
“Yes, it’s been a pleasant interlude, but as they say nothing lasts forever.”

There didn’t seem to be anything else to say.
Maggie managed to get out of his office and return to her room before losing her composure. Tears ran unchecked down her face. It seemed no time at all before she heard the roar of a powerful engine below. She ran to the window, watching as the silver car backed out of the garage and was lost to sight.

Turning back, her eyes dwelt lovingly on the proportions of the room.
She would indeed miss being here, but as Marcus had so succinctly pointed out, the pleasant interlude was over. Once she was home again and settled in her normal routine, everything would be fine. The past few weeks would be nothing more than a pleasant memory.

M
aggie hadn’t broached the subject that weighed heavy on her mind - the duration of their engagement. Marcus had created this masquerade, and the matter of ending it was best left in his hands. He was better equipped to handle any explanations he felt were necessary. And maybe she was worrying unnecessarily. Would anyone really be surprised to learn it had all come to nothing?