Makin' Whoopee (2 page)

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It was many hours later before Sara pulled her car into the driveway of her house. She had spent the early part of the afternoon showing the Bradys all the important features of the house on Evergreen Circle, features she had shown them a dozen times before. And although Sara had given them her best, most enthusiastic pitch, once again the Bradys wanted more time to think about it. They were an older couple and cautious about buying what they hoped would be their last home. There was no doubt that the house was a big investment. Sara and Charlie dealt only in the choicest of real estate.

The rest of her day had been spent with two lawyers who were trying to block the sale of some property because of a contested will. Lawyers gave her a pain. She could handle them in her personal life— Ted was, after all, a member of that profession. But she didn't like dealing with lawyers in business. For five long years she had been a legal secretary. As a result she sometimes found herself having to fight falling into a deferential attitude when she was around lawyers.

The sound of the telephone ringing insistently greeted her when she walked in the back door. Throwing her briefcase and an armload of folders down on a table, she grabbed the phone.

"Hello," she said breathlessly.

"For heaven's sake, Sara. It's about time you got home."

Ted wasn't pleased. His voice always acquired a slightly nasal quality when he was annoyed with her, and it always made her grit her teeth. Maybe Charlie was right, she thought, a frown forming on her face. Perhaps she needed to explore her feelings for Ted more carefully.

For almost six months they had been drifting in and out of a semiclose relationship. Maybe it was time they talked about specific goals, and either let go of each other or began to plan for their future together. Maybe.

"I told you I had a house to show," she said, her voice carefully patient.

"You didn't say it would take all day." He sighed heavily. "Are you going to have enough time to get ready?"

"Well..." she said, drawing the word out, "I think so. They sand-blasted yesterday. Now all I have to do is smooth down the rough edges, and I'll probably look almost human."

"You know I didn't mean that," he said, his voice softening. "You always look beautiful. It's just that tonight is important to me. I want everything to go right."

Immediately Sara felt an attack of guilt. She had been so wrapped up in her own work, she had forgotten that tonight could be a major step in Ted's career. He was working toward a partnership in Biggs, Highland, Highland, and Parks, the prestigious law firm with which he had been associated for six years. Tonight was dinner with the partners, and if Ted had his way, the law firm would soon be Biggs, Highland, Highland, Parks, and Alston.

"I'm sorry, Ted," she said. "I promise I'll make you proud of me."

"That won't be hard for you to do." The compliment was expected, but the pause afterward wasn't. "Just one thing, Sara. Mr. Highland senior is a little . . . eccentric. He'll probably say some things that you won't like. I'd appreciate it if you would just let them go."

"I think I can manage to pull off a little diplomacy and tact," she said dryly. "If I disagree with him, I'll simply keep my mouth shut."

There was another long pause; then Ted sighed again. "It's not just that you'll disagree. I know you, Sara. There are certain issues, political issues, that make you . . . well, a little militant." He said the word as though it were a lapse of good taste on her part. "For my sake, could you just pretend to agree with him . . . just this once?"

"That depends, Ted," she said warily. "Most issues have several different facets. If he thinks the government is spending too much money on education, I can agree that sometimes funds are not used wisely by schools. But if he wants to do away with the Constitution, I guess I would have to argue."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"He wants to do away with the Constitution?" she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"No, no. Actually, it has to do with ecology," he said cautiously.

"You consider that a political issue? It seems to me to be more a matter of survival than a question of policy."

"That's exactly what I mean," he said, his voice heavy with frustration. "I simply mentioned the subject, and you're already lecturing."

She bit her lip. "You're right," she said, reluctantly admitting the truth of his statement. "I'm sorry. Now that I've been warned, I can avoid the issue entirely. If he brings it up, I'll simply change the subject."

"That might be a little difficult. He's involved in a bloody battle right now with conservationists regarding some land he's trying to lease out for a toxic-waste-disposal site."

She caught her breath sharply. "You've got to be kidding. You honestly expect me to agree with him?"

"What could it hurt, just this once?" Ted was on the defensive now, making her wonder if he had heard a hint of accusation in her tone. "For heaven's sake, Sara. No one's keeping score on you. The world won't end tomorrow if you let one of your causes slide." His voice became soft and cajoling. "Sara, honey, I need to impress Mr. Highland. If you and I come across well tonight as a couple, the partnership is practically mine."

Sara took several deep breaths, willing herself to remain calm. It was only natural that Ted should want to impress his superiors. She couldn't fault him for being ambitious. And, she assured herself, a little deception was normal in business. She would probably never see any of the people at the dinner party unless she was with Ted. No one would know that she had compromised her principles.

Except she. What other people thought of her didn't matter. She was worried about what she would think of herself. Compromise was a big part of the business world. She had realized that from the beginning. But she had worked hard to get to a point where she didn't have to make personal compromises.

"I'm sorry," she said dully. "I can't. Not even for you, Ted."

He didn't speak for a moment, then said slowly, "I guess we know how important I am to you."

"That's not fair." Her voice was stiff. "Why don't you look at it from the other side? If I were really important to you, you wouldn't ask me to do something that goes against my principles."

"I would do it for you."

The quietly spoken words fell into silence. He probably would, she thought sadly. But that fact didn't please her. It made him seem less in her eyes.

"You've left me in a mess," he said. "I can't take a chance on your offending Mr. Highland."

"Then I guess you'd better find someone else to go with you," she said softly.

"Yes, I guess I'd better," he said. The line buzzed emptily.

Sara stared out the window, feeling let down. She knew this argument was only a symptom of what had been happening between her and Ted recently. They had been drawing further and further apart with every encounter. This was the beginning of the end of their relationship, and it made her unhappy. Ted was a good man, kind and considerate. But, like herself, he was totally wrapped up in his career.

She realized now that they had avoided talking about their basic beliefs for too long. She had known for some time that she wasn't in love with Ted. They weren't even dating exclusively. Since they were both cautious people, occasionally one or the other of them would see someone else. But she was comfortable with Ted and had thought perhaps, in this exploratory period, they were laying the foundation for something permanent.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Had she really believed that? Ted had seemed exactly right for her, but it didn't make her smile to think of him.

Shaking her head, she wondered what on earth was wrong with her lately. She wasn't looking for someone who made her pulse quicken. She wanted a secure future, a man she could count on, someone like Ted, who wouldn't demand that she have children. Someone who would not think she was less of a woman because she was not mother material.

"And how did I get from a broken dinner date to motherhood?" she muttered.

Sara firmly told herself that she should be pleased the breakup had happened now rather than later, when she possibly could have been more emotionally involved with Ted. But, logic aside, her immediate reaction was to view the end of their relationship as a failure.

And not the first of its kind, she admitted wryly. So far, her experiences with men were not exactly the kind to write home about.

Frowning, she asked herself—for the umpteenth time—if she was destined to be single. She had no doubt that the fault of her failed relationships lay on her own shoulders. Either she was not giving enough to them, or she was choosing the wrong men.

Oh, please, she thought, no introspection tonight. It hadn't worked out with Ted, and that was all there was to it. There was no need for gloom and doom. Deep in the recesses of her mind, she had known all along that she and Ted wouldn't last. Their friendship had been too superficial. Not once had they been able to touch on a basic level.

Shaking off the melancholic mood, she walked back to the phone and quickly punched in a familiar number. "Charlie?" she said when the phone was picked up at the other end.

"Hello, Sara Love. What's up?"

"I suddenly find myself free for the weekend," she said, her tone self-mocking. "I think I'll go with you to look over the lodge."

"Wonderful," he said, and the genuine pleasure in his voice immediately made her feel better. "It will be great if we can talk over the pluses and minuses on the scene."

"Can I ride with you?"

"Sure. But there's just one thing."

"Oh?"

"You'll have to drive your car," he said cheerfully. "Mine had a heart attack on the freeway and is now in intensive care."

"For heaven's sake, Charlie," she said in amused exasperation. "Why don't you get a real car? You can afford it."

"You don't think a '55 Chevy convertible is a real car?" he asked incredulously. "It's a classic."

"The car is tired. You should have put it in a rest home years ago."

"Are you going to pick me up, or what?" he asked, sounding as though he were willing to argue all night if she really had her heart set on it.

"I don't have much of a choice, do I? What about food?"

"Oh, yeah. That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about.

She could picture his crooked grin, and she laughed. Retaining a bad mood around Charlie was an emotional impossibility. "What would you have done if I hadn't decided to go?"

"I would have rented a car and picked up a package of bologna and a loaf of bread," he said. "But since you're coming along, you can do the little-woman thing and bring some real food."

He was trying to get a rise out of her, but Sara knew better than to take the bait. "You're so good to me," she said sweetly.

She was still smiling when she hung up the phone. A weekend with Charlie? she mused, shaking her head. She must be out of her mind.