No Place Like Home (14 page)

He sounded cheerful enough, but Kaye was uneasy. “Yes, I have,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. “But there was something wrong with each one of them. So we kept looking.”

“
At Maxie’s Bar? Angela Warren told me she saw you there with him one afternoon.”

Kaye had almost forgotten the incident. “Oh, that,” she said casually, horribly aware that Claudia’s sapphire eyes were fixed on her with silent interest. “Brendan and I thought we’d found the perfect house that day—you know, the one in Henderson Heights that you thought was too small. We were going to celebrate when we ran into Angela.”

It sounded like a pathetic excuse, she thought. And the fact that it was absolutely true didn’t make her feel less guilty.
You should have told him earlier,
she lectured herself. Angela Warren was a notorious gossip, determined always to know every detail of every story. It was inevitable that she would have mentioned it to Graham.

“
I’ve had lunch with him a couple of times, too,” she added stiffly.

Graham gave her an indulgent smile. “I’m only teasing, Kaye. Surely you don’t think I’m the jealous sort, do you?”

“
Of course not,” she said. She should feel better, she told herself. Of course Graham wasn’t jealous. But then, he didn’t know everything, either. He didn’t know that she’d had waffles at Brendan’s apartment last Sunday morning, and he didn’t know about that kiss—

Stop it,
she told herself. There was nothing important about either of those things, and there was nothing for Graham to be jealous of.

“
Though as far as houses are concerned,” Graham said, “I’m beginning to think I’ll have to take a hand in it if we’re ever going to get anywhere.”

“
I wish you would,” Kaye said. At least then he would understand the frustration, she thought.

“
I will when I get back,” he said. “There are a couple that Andy Winchester thinks might be quite satisfactory. I just don’t quite trust this man of yours, Kaye, though I do understand now why he sells houses and not commercial real estate. It’s because his charm works better when he’s dealing with emotional women instead of businessmen.”

Kaye thought that one over. Before she could quite decide whether she had been insulted, the maid set an omelet before her. Steam rose gently from the golden-brown surface, curling around the red rose that garnished the plate.

“
In all the planning for a house,” Claudia said, “don’t forget that as soon as you’ve set a date we’ll have to get started on the wedding plans. I don’t suppose you’ve given a thought to your china and crystal patterns. And if you’re to have a really wonderful trip, you’ll have to make reservations soon.”

“
I’ve been thinking about it,” Graham said. “If we were to go to Europe, I could visit some of the manufacturers over there, and perhaps bring home some improvements.”

“
Graham,” his mother said flatly. “Honeymoons should not be turned into business trips. Don’t you think you should ask Kaye where she’d like to go?”

Kaye took a thoughtful bite of her omelet and thought about it. “The Bahamas,” she said dreamily. She had always wanted to see the Caribbean, but this winter the dream had grown steadily stronger, until it was almost a hunger.

“
The Bahamas?” Graham sounded disbelieving. “But it will be summer, Kaye.”

I’m not so sure,
she reflected.
If we don’t find a house soon, it might be next winter before we’re married. And Brendan thinks that I wouldn’t care if it was next year,
she reminded herself. Well, Brendan was wrong.

“
Why the Bahamas, anyway?” he asked.

“
I suppose it’s because there’s a travel agency in town offering a one-day tour. It’s been hard not to think about Nassau when I hear about it all the time.”

Claudia wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. “One day? That would scarcely give you a taste of the island.”

“
You’re right, of course,” Kaye said. “But it’s a package that even I could afford, except that I’ve been taking so much time off work lately to look at houses.”

“
Go,” Graham said. “Get it out of your system. I don’t find the idea very appealing, myself, but if that’s the kind of thing you like...”

“
I told you,” Kaye said. “I can’t afford it right now. My last paycheck was a little sparse.”

Graham smiled. “Darling, you don’t think that really matters? I know you’re not earning much at that agency, and of course you’ll have to stop working before the wedding.”

“
What do you mean,
of course
?”

He looked startled. “You’ll be busy with the plans. It doesn’t matter – I fully expect to take care of your outstanding bills when we’re married, Kaye. For sensible things,” he added quickly. “Living expenses. Don’t go charging any diamond necklaces to me, now, just because I said I’d pay your debts.”

For an instant, she wasn’t quite sure that she had heard correctly. The words seemed to ring through her head, and fury boiled up in her.
So he’s going to take care of my debts, is he?
she thought.
I suppose I should accept that as a generous compliment, but I’m afraid I can’t.

“
I don’t have any debts, Graham.” She kept her voice level with an effort. “I don’t believe in relying on anyone to rescue me from my own foolishness, and I have every intention of keeping my job and earning my own spending money for a while, at least. And as for the idea that I would have the nerve to go charge mink coats and trips to the Caribbean to you before we’re married—” Despite her best intentions, her voice was rising.

Claudia intervened. “Of course you wouldn’t, Kaye,” she said. “And Graham, while it’s very thoughtful of you to help Kaye out financially because she’s taking time off work to look for a house, you must respect her desire to be independent.”

Graham looked a bit sulky, as if he didn’t have the least idea why Kaye would be angry at his generous gesture.

“
But perhaps you could give her this trip,” Claudia went on.

“
I couldn’t take it,” Kaye said. “To take a trip promoted by another travel agency would be grounds for losing my job.”

“
Are you certain of that?” Claudia asked.

“
No. I mean, Marilyn hasn’t actually said that. But I can’t imagine that she’d like it, and I wouldn’t even want to ask.”

“
In any case, I wasn’t really thinking of that trip,” Claudia said. “You’d want three days at least, and better yet a week. Surely your own agency could make arrangements.”

“
With the house-hunting and everything, I don’t think it would be a good idea to ask for that much time off right now,” Kaye said. “I guess I’ll have to wait till next winter.” She tried to smile. “Besides, I’d have to make some sort of arrangements for my cat if I was going to be gone that long.”

Claudia looked interested, and Kaye went on, “He’s a Persian who doesn’t like being left alone.”

“
He’s a spoiled-rotten animal,” Graham announced.

Kaye looked at him in astonishment. He’d never actually said anything about Omar before. It sounded as if he hated the cat, but surely that couldn’t be it. Graham must just be sulking about her refusal to take money from him.

Graham went on, “He has been allowed to think that house plants are vegetables, and human ankles are an acceptable source of protein.”

“
That’s not true,” Kaye said. “If you’d just make an effort to get to like him...”

“
What about him getting to like me? The next time that animal takes a swipe at me, I’m going to turn him into a Persian rug. You could at least get him de-clawed, Kaye.”

“
It’s cruel to do that. And he’s well-trained; he doesn’t scratch furniture.”

“
You haven’t got any furniture worth protecting,” Graham said.

There was some truth to that, Kaye reflected; most of her furniture was strictly bargain-basement fare.

Of course, it isn’t as if Graham is abnormal,
she told herself.
Some people like cats, others don’t. I wouldn’t like to live with an alligator, myself, and if Graham owned one, I might be making noises about turning it into a handbag and shoes. To him, the cat is no different.

Perhaps the sensible thing to do would be to find another home for Omar. If it came to a choice between her cat and her future husband, Omar would— of course—have to go.

Poor Omar,
she thought.
I wonder what will happen to you, and if you’ll break your heart in a new home, wanting to come back to me.

CHAPTER EIGHT

EMILY put the telephone back in its cradle, cleared the computer screen of the airline schedules she’d been checking on, leaned back in her chair and thoughtfully looked across the office at Kaye. “What’s wrong with you this morning?” she said finally.

Kaye jumped, and looked up from the papers spread on her desk. “Are you talking to me?”

“
No, I’m asking the computer if it has indigestion. Of course I’m talking to you. You look as if you haven’t slept all weekend. Is something wrong between you and Graham?”

Kaye shook her head. “Of course not. He’s out of town, though. He left last night.”

“
And even when he’s here, he’s absorbed in business. You know, my mother always told me it was just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as a poor one, but sometimes I wonder if she was right.”

Kaye’s temper flared. “My engagement has got nothing to do with Graham’s money, Emily,” she snapped.

“
Don’t bite my head off. All I said was, the schedule that man works is absolutely iniquitous. When are you ever going to see him?”

“
It will be different when we’re married.” Kaye wished that she felt as serene about that as she sounded.

“
What an innocent you are. How old are you, Kaye?”

“
Twenty-three.”

“
And you haven’t found out yet that men don’t change just because women want them to?”

“
You’re such a cynic, Emily.”

“
I have a right to be. I learned it the old-fashioned way—by experience. Kaye, are you really certain you want to go through with this? Are you positive this is right for you?”

Why is it,
Kaye asked herself irritably,
that everyone is so skeptical about my engagement?
First Brendan, and now Emily... and even Claudia had looked a little doubtful yesterday. Of course, who could blame her? They had almost come to blows at her breakfast table.

“
I’m certain,” she said, and could have bitten her tongue off because her voice quivered a little.

Emily looked at her thoughtfully for a long moment, and then said, “If you’re going to marry Graham because of his money, at least don’t try to kid yourself about being in love with him. It will only make it harder on you.”

“
I am not marrying him for his money!”

“
I’m not so sure.”

“
Well, I’m not foolish enough to think that people can live on love alone. I want a little financial security.”

“
Why?” Emily asked reasonably. “You’ve lived without it this long.”

“
Yes, and I don’t like it. The idea of going off on a fishing trip without knowing or caring whether next month’s bills will be paid—” Her voice was scathing.

“
Exactly which fisherman are we talking about?” After a long silence, Emily said, on a long note, “Oh. Now I think I understand.”

Kaye said crossly, “And just what marvelous insight have you achieved into my wounded psyche this time?”

“
You’d better get Brendan McKenna out of your mind, you know. It isn’t healthy to be thinking about that handsome Irishman all the time.”

“
What makes you think he’s even in my mind?” Kaye knew she sounded sharp, and she didn’t care.

“
That is who you meant, isn’t it?”

Kaye bit her lip. Finally, she nodded. She hadn’t talked to Brendan in three days, since they had quarreled that night in Nora Farrell’s house, but she had been thinking of him, and she had to admit that it wasn’t very pleasant to have Emily almost reading her thoughts.

“
He’s utterly crazy when it comes to money,” she said finally. “He says the future doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy today, and a lot of garbage like that.”

Emily watched her for a long moment. “Well, I don’t notice the sheriff being after him for not paying his bills,” she observed finally. “And his philosophy of life might not be exactly your ideal, but it sounds like a lot more fun than pinching pennies.” After a moment, Emily asked quietly, “Do you know what puzzles me, Kaye? Why are you taking it so personally? If you think Brendan McKenna is a fool about money, why not just ignore him, and let him go to the devil in his own chosen way? What does it matter to you?”

Good question,
Kaye thought. Why didn’t she just laugh at Brendan’s ideas and go on about her own life? It certainly wasn’t going to affect her if his car payments weren’t made on time. So why did it matter?

“
If you want my opinion, I think he’s crept into your heart,” Emily said.

“
Crept into my... Emily, are you saying I’ve fallen in love with him?”

“
Not necessarily. But he’s certainly attractive, and he’s been dancing attendance on you for two weeks. It wouldn’t be any surprise if you had let yourself become infatuated with him.”