Songbird (22 page)

“
Every
time?” Desiree sat down on the edge of the bed to put on her sandals, then changed her mind and pulled on socks and tennis shoes instead. “This I’ve got to see. For a dollar, you’re on.”

By ten, the sky had cleared to a brilliant, cloudless blue. “I told you,” Kyle grinned as they hopped into his car and headed for the wharf.

“
I’m a believer,” she replied, laughing. “I can’t wait to meet your father. He sounds like a real character.”

A weekend didn’t leave much time for sightseeing, especially with a family dinner to attend that night and an interview at KXTR the next afternoon, but Kyle seemed determined to squeeze in as many sights as possible in the time allowed.

“
Seattle was the last stop for prospectors rushing north to the Klondike in the gold rush of 1898,” he explained as they walked hand in hand through the shops at Pier 70, a nineteenth century wooden steamship pier. They climbed the steep pedestrian staircase to Pike Place Market, a noisy, colorful profusion of sidewalk stalls overflowing with country produce, flowers, and seafood, then walked back down to the waterfront on Alaskan Way.

While Kyle waited for their take-out lunch of shrimp and clams, Desiree ducked inside a shop and ordered a bright green T-shirt for Kyle stamped with the slogan, THIS SHIRT IS GREEN.

“
I’ll get you for this,” he laughed when she presented him with the gift. He dragged her to the water’s edge, threatened to dunk her in the harbor, then drew her close against his chest instead. “Take that,” he said, kissing her. “And that. And that.” Despite the public place, despite the streaming fries and seafood growing cold on a nearby bench, the romantic punishment continued for quite some time.

Desiree loved the city. She loved the blending of old and new, the rustic waterfront and charming curiosity shops against the backdrop of modern skyscrapers just blocks away. She loved the crisp, clean air and the tall, green pines sprouting here and there and the blue, blue sky, more vivid and clear than any sky she’d ever seen. She was fascinated by the native Indian and Eskimo crafts, the folklore and totem poles, the nearness to Alaska, and the woodsy, carefree atmosphere that seemed to pervade the area.

At a curio shop, she bought an Eskimo rock carving of a bear devouring a wiggling fish. “It’s a symbol of strength and power,” she explained as they made their way back to the car. “Perfect for your desk at the office. Which, by the way, is the sight I’d like to see next.”

“
Which office? The one at Harrison Engineering in Auburn? Standard Tool and Die in Tacoma? Sparkle Light in St. Louis? Or maybe you’d rather see—”

“
Stop showing off! I want to see your main office, in downtown Seattle.”

A few minutes drive along city streets brought them to the tall, high-rise building that housed Harrison Industries headquarters on its top floor.

“
I’ve only got a handful of people here to help keep an eye on things,” Kyle explained as he gave her a swift tour of the simple suite of offices. Like his condominium, the furnishings and decor were modern and tasteful, a cheerful splash of color against stark white walls. “The important part of this corporation are the individual companies themselves. They only consult me for an occasional problem or an important negotiation. Mainly, I sit up here and run interference.”

“
What a view,” Desiree remarked breathlessly as he led her into his office, a large airy room with a solid wall of windows overlooking the downtown area and Elliot Bay beyond. She stopped beside his wide desk, which was ringed with framed photographs of numerous grinning babies, grade school children, and five stunning young women. “Who are
they
?” she asked, indicating the women’s pictures with a nod of her head.

“
The kids? My nieces and nephews. Or were you referring to all these gorgeous, sexy women?”

She cast him a shrewd look filled with mock suspicion. “Well? Who are they?”

“
Jealous?” His arms came around from behind her and he pulled her back against him, adding in a low voice, “They’re my sisters.”

“
I figured.”

“
So you see, you have nothing to worry about.” His voice became husky as he nuzzled her neck. “But I’m going to have something to worry about if we don’t get out of here in a hurry. Unless you want me to make love to you right here on the floor of my office.”

“
We can’t,” she replied softly, reluctantly. “Your parents are expecting us for dinner at six.”

“
True. And we don’t want to be—” To her surprise she felt his body stiffen suddenly. His arm flashed out and grabbed a memo slip beside his phone. “This must have come in after I left last night.” He stepped aside, picked up the phone, and rapidly punched a series of numbers. “I’ll just be a minute.”

Desiree moved to the windows to drink in the view while he conducted his phone conversation.

“
Rand?” she heard Kyle say behind her. “What time did you get in? How’d things go?”

The sun gleamed on the windows of the city buildings below, which stretched out toward a sparkling blue bay. Wouldn’t I love to have a view like this every day, she thought, instead of the bleak, beige walls of my studio.

“
What?” Kyle cried. “You gave up our entire negotiating position. We can’t break even on the contract now.”

Desiree glanced at Kyle in alarm. He was leaning against the desk, one hand gripping the phone to his ear, the other curled into a tight ball at his side.

“
Don’t give me that,” he said. “You knew where to call me. And I was back in the office yesterday at noon. Dammit, you gave the thing away!” He barked out a few cutting observations and then slammed down the phone. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he muttered in her direction, before wheeling toward the door.

Desiree followed, her stomach knotting with anxiety. What had happened? Kyle brushed off her questions and barely spoke or glanced at her as they rode down the elevator and drove back to his condo to change their clothes for dinner. When he’d unlocked the front door and ushered her inside, he finally told her what was wrong.

“
Because I left Tulsa early to see you,” he said, stalking across the living room and down the hall, “because I left the negotiations in the hands of a bungling idiot, Standard Tool and Die just lost over a hundred thousand dollars.”

She gasped in dismay. “A hundred thousand dollars! Why?”

Kyle stopped in the doorway of his bedroom and faced her. “The client put the pressure on while I was gone. Rand panicked. He lowered the price and gave away every cent of profit on the contract.”

“
Oh, Kyle. I’m so sorry.” She reached out to touch him with a sympathetic gesture, but he broke both hand and eye contact with a swift turn and a deprecating wave of his hand.

“
It’s not the money. It’s the
principle
of the thing. Two hundred people will be busting their butts to meet a deadline, and for what? We won’t make a dime. We don’t need busy work. What a waste.” He strode furiously into the room. “If I’d stayed and finished the job myself...damn! Rand ought to know what he’s doing by now. If you can’t trust your—”

He stumbled, uttering a sharp curse as he bent down to pick up something from the floor. A white leather sandal. Her sandal. He whirled on her, holding the shoe aloft. “Don’t you ever put anything away? You’ve been here less than twenty-four hours and already the place looks like a pigsty.”

His icy glare sent a cold wave of trepidation down her spine. Her eyes darted around the nearly immaculate room for evidence of her misbehavior. Her suitcase and vanity bag stood open on a low table. A few items of her clothing lay on the bed and on a nearby chair. A glass of water sat on the nightstand. Her other sandal lay smack-dab in the middle of the floor. But that was it. Not perfectly in order; hardly a pigsty.

Her temper flared at his unjust accusation. “I’m sorry, Kyle, if I’m not neat enough for you,” she said, her voice clear and even. “In future, I’ll try to—”

His muttered curse silenced her. She winced as he picked up the second sandal, gathered up her scattered clothing, and threw it all into the suitcase.

“
We’ve got fifteen minutes to get dressed,” he hurled at her over his shoulder as he banged open the bathroom door. “I’m going to take a shower. Join me if you want.”

“
No thank you,” she returned.

“
Suit yourself.” He slammed the door.

Desiree sank down onto the bed, heart pounding in pain and fury. Could this really be the same bed where they made slow, luxurious love that very morning? Could this be the same man who’d held her so tenderly in his arms, whispered words of love, and pleaded with her to be his wife?

She knew his anger stemmed not from a misplaced shoe but from the news of his negotiation gone wrong. And that was what hurt the most. If he hadn’t left Tulsa a day early to see her, he’d have finished the negotiations himself and, no doubt, would have gotten the client to give up every penny of that hundred thousand dollars, and more.

She’d made him feel guilty for breaking their weekend date, and he’d ignored his obligations to appease her. If anyone was to blame for his company’s loss, it was she.

She’d told him a long-distance relationship would be fraught with problems. Still, she hadn’t expected anything so serious to happen, so costly, or so soon. Already she’d become a major thorn in his side.

With a heavy sigh, she unbuttoned her blouse, then folded it and the other clothes Kyle had thrown into her suitcase. Taking her outfit for the evening out of Kyle’s closet, she sat back down on the bed and clutched the hangers to her chest.

What timing, she thought. A family dinner. She had to go; it would be rude to back out at this point. But Kyle was barely speaking to her. How on earth would she get through it? Smile, she told herself. Be charming. Ask all the right questions, tell a few jokes, have yourself a great time. Don’t let them see that you’re hurting.

And leave. Tomorrow. On the first plane.

Twelve

“
You said this was going to be a small family dinner.”

“
It is. Just a few close relatives.”

They’d finished dressing with a minimum of conversation and driven to a quiet residential area on the north side of town. She’d tried to tell him again how sorry she was. Sorry about his company’s loss; sorry it had soured things between them. His answer had been a silent shrug. What more could she say?

Kyle parked at the curb near a charming, two-story, red-brick house, and helped Desiree out of the car. She counted seven other vehicles crowding the curb and driveway.

“
How many relatives is a few?”

“
Count your blessings,” Kyle said in a clipped tone as he headed briskly up the curving, red-brick walkway. “My oldest sister and her four kids moved to Des Moines last year.”

Desiree tried to ignore the irritation rising in her chest and concentrated instead on the heady fragrance of the rose bushes blooming vibrantly on either side of the path. Neat hedges and colorful flower beds surrounded a verdant, green lawn, and she noticed a long wooden swing, similar to the one she had at home, hanging from the porch rafters. The front door stood open behind an aging screen door, and she could hear laughing voices and bustling activity inside.

She readjusted the delicate combs that pulled her hair back on either side of her face. They were handmade and covered with tiny seashells. It seemed hard to believe that Kyle had just bought them for her on their carefree expedition that afternoon. The fluted neckline of her silky, midnight-blue blouse was embroidered in the same color with flowers in a cut-away design, and she wore steel-grey slacks and matching grey pumps. She’d packed the outfit with such high hopes, wanting to make a good impression on Kyle’s parents.

“
I hope I look all right,” she said. Not that it mattered.

Kyle stepped up onto the porch without a backward glance. “You look fine.”

“
How would you know?” Desiree scoffed. “You haven’t looked at me once since you stepped out of the shower.”

He turned and threw an arm across her shoulder, pulling her against him. His voice sounded low and harsh against her ear. “Let’s try and be civil to each other tonight, shall we? Keep a leash on your temper until we get back home.”

Keep a leash on
her
temper? She pressed her lips together to prevent the sarcastic retort that formed in her mind. She’d be damned if she’d let him see how deeply his anger affected her. It was her last night with Kyle, her last night in Seattle. She’d act like she was having a good time if it killed her.

At that moment a boy pressed his nose against the screen, stared out at them, then darted away. “Hey, Mom, Kyle’s here with his girlfriend!” a young voice cried.

Before they could move, a petite, attractive brunette pushed open the screen door. Desiree recognized her from one of the pictures on Kyle’s desk.

“
Finally! We were starting to think you two had skipped town on us.” The young woman stepped out and squeezed Desiree’s hands warmly. “It’s Desiree, right? I’m so glad to meet you. I’m Linda, Kyle’s sister.” Desiree couldn’t help returning the woman’s friendly smile. Linda turned and gave her brother a big hug. “It’s about time you brought someone home to meet the family. Mom’s in a positive tizzy. She’s been cooking all day. Now come on in,” she said to Desiree, taking her hand. “Everyone’s dying to meet you.”