The Backup Plan (11 page)

“I'm not looking. I'm asking for pertinent details so I can help. Was it romantic?”

“There was candlelight, if that's what you mean. And fancy silverware on the table. It wasn't romantic, because when I looked into Cord's eyes, all I saw was friendly interest. Not one single spark I could interpret in any other way.”

“The man's an idiot,” Dinah declared. It wasn't the first time she'd come to that conclusion.

Maggie smiled at her fierce tone. “No, he just has a single-track mind. He always has.”

“Meaning?”

“You're the one he wants, Dinah. Why you haven't figured that out by now is beyond me. And, frankly, if you don't do something about it now, then you're the idiot.”

“Cordell is not in love with me,” Dinah said dismissively, but suddenly the memory of the heat in his eyes when he'd asked about the other men in her life came flooding back. Was it possible that jealousy had put that trace of anger in his voice?

It didn't matter, she told herself staunchly. She wasn't interested in anything with Cordell Beaufort, especially not with her best friend pining for him.

“Have you seen him again?” Maggie asked.

“We had dinner last night,” Dinah admitted. As she'd said to her mother, she also assured Maggie, “It was no big deal. I'd just found out about Bobby's engagement, which you should have mentioned. I was a little down. He drove me along the coast to Murrells Inlet to cheer me up.”

“Did it work?”

“Actually he spent most of the evening infuriating me.”

Maggie grinned. “There's that chemistry thing again.”

Dinah scowled at her. “Go suck an egg. If you want Cordell, you're more than welcome to him.”

Maggie shook her head. “If only that were true. Nope, I'm afraid he's yours, unless you turn out to be too stupid to grab him.”

“And what about you?”

“Oh, I have a few irons in the fire, romantically speaking. Don't you worry about me.”

“Seriously?”

“Would I lie to you?”

“If you thought it was the only way to give me permission to be with Cord, yes.”

“Well, I'm not lying. And you don't need my permission to do whatever you want to with Cord. That's between the two of you.”

Dinah was oddly relieved to hear that, even though she adamantly believed that she would never agree to spend another evening with Cord and his steady harangue of uncomfortable questions. That was not what she'd come home expecting.

But, she thought ruefully as she got in her car, she of all people should know that life had a way of taking surprising twists.

Maybe Cord had been right. Maybe she'd been wrong to dismiss the idea of going to Atlanta after Bobby. She should at least give him the chance to tell her himself that it was over between them, that this Rianna person was the woman he wanted.

Pushing aside that nagging voice in her head that was shouting about scruples and good sense, she impulsively whipped her car around in the middle of down town Charleston and headed for Atlanta.

A few hours later she was pulling up in front of an impressive restoration project that was clearly nearing completion. A tasteful sign on the side of the building announced that it was the work of Beaufort Construction. Below that was an Atlanta contact number for leasing information. She jotted that down and picked up her cell phone, then decided the call could wait until after she'd poked around inside to see for herself what Bobby and Cordell had been up to.

The inside of the old brick building had been carved up for shops of varying sizes. Judging from the painted signs on the windows and doors that opened onto an airy central corridor, most of the spaces had already been leased to some very upscale boutiques. Restaurants and a large independent bookstore would serve as anchors, taking up huge square footage at each end and in the middle. With a new multiplex movie theater going up just down the block, Dinah knew that this would quickly become a hot new Atlanta destination.

Just as she was about to head back outside to call the office, a man in blue jeans, a tight T-shirt and tool belt headed her way.

“You need some help, sugar?” he inquired with an impudent smile that reminded her just a little too much of Cord's.

“I was looking for Mr. Beaufort. Is he around?”

“Would that be Bobby or Cordell?”

“Bobby.”

“Now what would a spunky woman like you be doing looking for an old stick-in-the-mud like Bobby?”

“Excuse me?”

“You are Dinah Davis, aren't you? I've seen you on the news. You've got gumption, I'll give you that. Wouldn't let a woman of mine do what you do.”

Dinah forced a smile. “Then aren't I lucky I'm not one of your women? Is Bobby around or not?”

“Not. I believe he's gone over to Charleston to meet with his brother. I'm Josh Parker. I'm the foreman around here. Anything I can help you with?”

Dinah groaned. So much for being impulsive. “No. I need to speak to Bobby. How long is he going to be over there?”

“Hard to tell. He might be spending some time with his fiancée while he's there. If so, then he won't be back before tomorrow. You want me to tell him you came by?”

Dinah debated that and decided to let well enough alone. She'd made one impetuous move to see Bobby and missed him. Maybe that was the final sign that she ought to give up on this ridiculous quest of hers.

“No. I'm sure I'll catch up with him sooner or later,” she told the man. “Thanks for your help, Mr. Parker. The building's lovely, by the way. You and your crew should be proud.”

“The credit goes to Cordell. The man's a stickler for getting every detail just right. I've learned more from him than I have on any job I've ever done and, believe me, I've worked on some of the best restoration projects around.”

“And you think Cord knows his stuff?”

“Best in the business, no question about it. This company's going to do great things, thanks to his expertise and Bobby's salesmanship. Me, I'm just going along for the ride.”

Dinah was very much afraid she was going to have to change her opinion of Cord, if accolades like this kept piling up.

 

Wearing goggles, Cord concentrated on cutting the new crown molding that would match the original when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He jerked the power saw upright and very nearly severed his arm.

When he whirled around he saw his brother, which was an even worse shock. He stripped off his goggles and threw them at him. “Jesus, Bobby, scare me to death, why don't you?” he snapped.

“Sorry. I was trying to let you know I was in the room.”

“Then try walking around and standing in front of me, instead of sneaking up behind me. What the hell are you doing here, anyway? You're supposed to be in Atlanta.”

Bobby kept his expression neutral and merely stared him down. “You're in a piss-poor mood this morning,” he accused eventually. “You get up on the wrong side of the bed or have you been sleeping alone too long?”

Cord bit back a sigh. “Maybe both.”

“I'm sure you could remedy that, if you wanted to. Half the women in this town would trade their fancy BMW convertibles for a roll in the hay with you.”

“I think you're overestimating my appeal,” Cord said dryly. There was at least one woman who wasn't impressed with him and unfortunately, she seemed to be the only one he wanted. “Come on downstairs. I could use something to drink. You can tell me what you're doing here.”

In the kitchen, which already had a large, professional-grade refrigerator installed, Cord reached for a couple of cans of Coke and tossed one to Bobby. He popped the top on his, then took a long sip.

“Damn, it's hot,” he muttered. “I never thought I'd
say this, but I'll be glad when we finally get the central air-conditioning installed in here.”

“I thought you'd been fighting that,” Bobby said. “Something about maintaining the historical integrity.”

Cord grinned. “I lost that battle, and for once, I'm damn glad of it. Now tell me what brought you home in the middle of the week.”

“Rianna has some fancy party she wants to attend to night,” Bobby explained. “I couldn't say no. I've said it way too often lately. I figured I'd come by here, get a look at the progress. Then tonight I'll suit up in my tux and do the party scene, then scoot back to Atlanta tomorrow.” He studied Cord with a narrowed gaze. “You have a problem with that?”

“No,” Cord said. How could he? It was a perfectly reasonable plan. He just prayed that Dinah wouldn't show up at whatever party the two of them were attending. As vulnerable as she was, he doubted she was ready to face the sight of another woman on Bobby's arm, even though she would now be prepared for it. Thanks to Cord's silence, however, Bobby wasn't prepared at all to bump into Dinah.

“Whose party is this?” he asked.

“Some friend of Rianna's from college is hosting a fancy black-tie dinner in some hotel ballroom downtown to celebrate something or other.” He grinned. “You know me. I don't give a rat's ass about that kind of thing. Other than making sure I got the date right, I didn't pay much attention to the rest of the details.”

Cord laughed. He completely agreed with his brother. He might be welcome—or even expected—at all the city's society balls and black-tie functions now that he was considered a respectable businessman, but he got out of about
twice as many as he actually at tended. He showed up just often enough to stay in the good graces of the people with whom he was doing business at any given moment.

At any rate, it didn't sound as if wherever Bobby was going tonight was likely to be such a big deal that Dinah would be included. She and Rianna had never traveled in the same circles. Rianna had gone to the Charleston public schools. Ironically, Bobby was her ticket into the upper echelons of Charleston society.

Still, even though it seemed unlikely that Bobby and Dinah would cross paths at this particular event, maybe it would be a smart idea to make sure she was otherwise occupied.

“Listen, bro, there's something I need to do. Wander around and get a good look at the place. It's coming along great. Give Rianna my best when you see her tonight, okay?”

Bobby regarded him with a puzzled expression. “You're suddenly in an awfully big hurry to take off. Where are you going?”

“Just some business I need to take care of.”

“Oh?”

“Nothing for you to worry about. Will I see you before you go back in the morning?”

“Yeah, I think so. Something tells me there's something going on in your life I should know about. I'll come by the house before I take off. Make sure the coffee's on.” He gave Cord a speculative look. “Or will I be interrupting something?”

Cord chuckled at his display of discretion. “Sadly, no.”

Bobby shook his head. “What's happened to you, man? You used to be my idol. You had a date every night.”

“It got old,” Cord said. After he realized that he could sleep with every woman in Charleston and it still wouldn't help him forget the one he really wanted in his bed, he didn't enjoy the dating thing.

And now that Dinah was back in town and driving him flat-out crazy all over again, he wasn't about to waste his time on also-rans. As unlikely as a lasting match-up between him and Dinah was, he intended to give it his best shot.

Bobby gave him a long, penetrating look, then asked quietly, “Who is she, Cord?”

He stared at his brother, keeping his expression blank. “Who's who?”

“The woman who's got you tied up in knots.”

“You're imagining things,” he lied. He removed his hard hat and clamped it down on his brother's head. “Keep it on while you're here, okay? I know you've got a thick skull, but accidents happen.”

He strolled out of the kitchen, aware that his brother's worried gaze was on him the whole way.

Once he was out of earshot, he uttered a curse that rarely crossed his lips. It was the first time in his life that he'd kept anything from his brother and he didn't like the feeling one bit. Maybe when Bobby showed up at home in the morning, he'd just tell him everything about Dinah's return, her hopes for reigniting something with Bobby and his own fantasies about stepping into Bob by's place in her life. Then he'd let the chips fall where they would.

He considered such honesty, then sighed. He knew when he faced Bobby in the morning, he wouldn't say one single word. There was too much at stake for all of them…Bobby, Rianna, Dinah and maybe for him, most of all.

W
hile Cord drove home, he formulated a plan for getting Dinah to agree to spend the evening with him. He had a hunch she was going to be a tough sell, because he knew she'd been unnerved by all of his questions during their dinner at Murrells Inlet. She wouldn't want to subject herself to that again, even if a good shaking up was exactly what she needed to get herself to think things through and get back on track with her life.

That meant that calling her and inviting her on a date was out of the question. She'd just turn him down, assuming he could even get her to accept his call in the first place. His only choice, then, was to show up uninvited and make the invitation so irresistible she'd simply have to accept. As confident of his charms as he was, he wasn't entirely certain what Dinah would find irresistible. He hoped her mother was around to give her a little nudge in his direction.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called the Davis number, which he now knew by memory thanks to the frequency of the messages he received on any given day from Dorothy Davis. Dinah's mother answered on the first ring. He liked the fact that answering
the phone wasn't a task she relegated to the housekeeper.

“Hey, Mrs. Davis,” he said, knowing his refusal to call her Dorothy annoyed her.

“Cordell,” she said, her exasperation plain. “What can I do for you?”

“Is Dinah around?”

“She just got home a few minutes ago. I believe she's upstairs. Hold on and I'll check.”

“No,” he said urgently. “I don't want to speak to her. I just wanted to make sure she was home.”

“If you don't mind me saying so, you're not making a lot of sense.”

He laughed. “Nothing new about that. Actually I was hoping to persuade Dinah to go out appointment tonight, but I may need you to help me coax her into it. What do you say? Do you know if she has other plans?”

“I'm sure she doesn't,” Mrs. Davis said. “And if you can get her to budge out of this house, more power to you. When she came in just now, she looked even more glum than she did when she got back here last night. I'll help in any way I can, especially if it means you can finally figure out what's going on with her. I suspect you didn't have a bit of luck last night.”

“Not much,” he admitted.

“Well, I know you tried, because she was quite annoyed with you.”

“I figured as much.”

“Okay, then,” she said briskly. “Let's concentrate on tonight. What do you want me to do?”

“I honestly don't know. I was hoping you'd have some ideas. You usually do about everything else.”

“Thank you, I think,” she said, chuckling. “Let me
give it some thought. I'm sure I can come up with something. What time will you be by?”

“Around seven,” Cord said. “Will that work?”

“Perfect. I'll encourage her to dress for dinner tonight, so she won't be able to claim she has nothing to wear or have any excuses about holding you up while she changes.”

“Have I mentioned that I love how your mind works?” he teased her.

She laughed. “No, you're usually too busy telling me what a nuisance I am, so thank you again.”

“You're welcome. See you soon.”

“Cordell?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you for spending time with Dinah, too. She needs friends, whether she realizes it or not. Something tells me you're going to be a good one.”

Cord was more touched by her confidence in him than he cared to reveal. “Thanks.”

“She won't make it easy, you know.”

He laughed. “Oh, trust me, I've gotten that message. But you know me, Mrs. Davis. I never walk away from a challenge.”

“Yes,” she said quietly. “That's one of your most attractive traits, Cordell. You haven't even let me scare you.”

“You?” he teased. “You're just a woman who knows her own mind. I admire that.”

She chuckled. “Stop wasting all that flattery on me. You'll need it with Dinah.”

“Don't worry. I have more than enough for both of you. See you soon.”

He hung up, smiling. A lot of men would shy away from getting tangled up with either of the Davis women. They were too strong-willed and cantankerous. But Cord
figured all that practice he'd had battling wits with the mother was just a good warm-up for holding his own with the daughter. Besides, what was the fun of chasing after a woman if she made it too easy?

 

After her fruitless trip to Atlanta, Dinah watched three straight hours of television talk shows. Her mind had been going numb and she had changed channels in search of a cable newscast, but each time she'd started to watch a report from anywhere in Iraq, Israel or Afghanistan, her stomach had knotted up and she'd gone back to the discussions of obesity or abuse or teenage rebellion. The world was clearly a mixed-up place, even thousands of miles away from a war zone.

“Dinah, dear, are you in there?” her mother asked, rapping on the door, then entering without waiting for an invitation.

Dinah clicked off the TV, almost relieved by the distraction, though her mother rarely sought her out without some ulterior motive. “Did you need something, Mother?”

“I just wanted to let you know that I thought we'd dress for dinner tonight.”

They hadn't adhered to the old formality in years. “Why?” Dinah asked suspiciously.

“Because we don't do it nearly often enough anymore.” Her expression turned nostalgic as she sat on the edge of the bed. “When I was growing up, my parents insisted on dressing up every single night. I guarantee you none of us ever showed up at the table in jeans and T-shirts. Your father and I started out following the old tradition, but we lost the habit somewhere along the way.”

Dinah regarded her mother with increased suspicion.
She didn't believe for a second that this was some whim to recapture the glory of the old days. “Are we having company? You promised me there would be no more dinner parties.”

“No,” her mother insisted. “I just thought it would be nice for all of us to come to the table looking our best for a change.”

Dinah had a hunch this was her mother's polite way of pointing out that she'd gotten in the habit of dressing like a careless slob. “Maybe I'll just have dinner in my room,” she suggested, trying out the idea to see if she could get away with it.

Her mother looked genuinely scandalized. “Absolutely not. I will not have Maybelle trudging up these stairs with a tray at her age, when you're perfectly able to come down to dinner. I'm ashamed that you would suggest such a thing.”

“I could come down and get my own tray,” Dinah replied defensively.

“That's not the point. Dinner's at seven. I expect you to be there,” her mother said emphatically, then walked out and shut the door firmly behind her.

Dinah stared after her in shock. What on earth had that been about? Maybe her mother wanted Dinah downstairs as a buffer between her and Dinah's father. If that was it, she could hardly say no. She resigned her self to dressing up. Heck, maybe she would even feel marginally less depressed if she went to the effort to put on something pretty and added a little lipstick and mascara.

It had been days since she'd felt the need to do anything more than change into her swimsuit and sit by the pool, then come inside and stare at the TV. In her room she didn't have to deal with anything at all, and the atmosphere was such a far cry from the spartan hotel
rooms in which she'd been living that she could almost pretend that the past ten years had never happened.

The pattern of pretense was so unlike her, even she was beginning to wonder if she didn't need help. Her spur-of-the-moment trip in search of Bobby had been an anomaly. Given how badly it had gone, she doubted she'd do anything impulsive again anytime soon.

She searched her closet till she found the perfect little black dress that had been her all-purpose date dress overseas. It was wrinkle-proof and fit like a dream. Peter's eyes had bugged out the first time he'd seen her in it.

“You look like a girl,” he'd exclaimed in what had to be the most awkward compliment ever delivered.

Recalling that moment, Dinah sat on the edge of the bed and let the memories of that night flood over her. It had been their first real date after months of working together. He'd invited her to dinner and, unlike all the other meals they'd shared, they weren't surrounded by other correspondents. He'd even found a restaurant that still used real tablecloths and added the romantic ambiance of candlelight.

For the first time ever talk of work gave way to a sharing of more personal details. It had been the most comfortable first date Dinah had ever had because they were already colleagues who had a deep respect for each other's work. Yet she had known without question from the very first moment that they would become something more that night.

She remembered Peter's first kiss as if it had happened only yesterday. It had been gentle and had made her suddenly see all the possibilities of what could be between them.

In all the months that had followed, however, one thing had been missing. Never once had they talked
about the future, because in the places where they worked, the only guarantee was the present. At the time, she'd understood completely, but now it made her unbearably sad to think that neither of them had ever believed they would have a happily-ever-after ending.

A tear tracked down her cheek, but she brushed it away impatiently. She knew as well as anyone how impossible it was to change the past.

Hurrying now, she splashed cold water on her face, fixed her makeup, then went downstairs just in time to hear the doorbell ring.

“I'll get it,” she called out, wondering if there was company coming for dinner after all. When she opened the door and found Cord on the threshold wearing a suit, her mouth gaped. “You!”

He grinned, clearly not the least bit insulted by her undisguised dismay.

“Definitely me the last time I checked,” he confirmed cheerfully.

She studied him with a narrowed gaze. “Did my mother invite you for dinner?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here?” she asked ungraciously. “Are you dropping off some papers or something?”

He held up his empty hands. “No. Want to check my pockets, too?” he inquired, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“You wish,” she muttered, then asked again, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to get you. You look fabulous, by the way. I love that dress.”

“Excuse me? I'm confused. Did we have plans that I forgot about?” She knew perfectly well they didn't.
Her resolution to avoid Cord wasn't that old. She hadn't broken it yet.

“Nope. I just got to thinking about going appointment and I couldn't think of anyone I'd rather go with than you.”

“So you just showed up without even calling? How rude is that?”

“I called,” he protested. “I know something about manners, sugar.”

Alice in Wonderland had nothing on Dinah. She felt as if she'd tumbled straight down that rabbit's hole, too. “I know with absolute certainty that you and I never spoke on the phone, Cordell.”

“Actually, it was your mother I spoke to. She said you didn't have plans for tonight.”

Dinah was finally beginning to get the picture. “So, you made these plans with my mother,” she said. “And that's why she insisted I dress for dinner.”

She wasn't sure which one of them she should be more furious with, her mother for tricking her or Cord for assuming that she would just go along with this crazy scheme of his.

“Well, since you and my mother seem to be getting along so well, I suggest you take her appointment,” Dinah said. “I do not want to go out with you, Cordell.”

“Your daddy might not appreciate me stealing his woman, even for an evening, and while I'm quite sure your mother could keep up with me, you're the one I want to take out.”

She frowned at him. “As flattering as that is, I'm not interested.”

“In appointment or in me?”

“Either one,” she assured him.

“Really?” He regarded her with blatant skepticism.

Without another word, he reached for her and before she realized his intention, he swept her around and into his arms, did a quick couple of dance steps, then dipped her. Her head was already spinning, when he leaned down and kissed her. His lips never left hers as he set her back upright. His mouth was a masterful thing, persuasive and demanding all at once.

Dinah let herself melt into the heat and tenderness she felt in him. Her hands clung to his shoulders, then moved to his cheeks that were rough under her fingers, even though she had no doubt at all that he'd shaved be fore leaving home. He was simply one of those men who'd always look just a bit disreputable and unkempt in the most masculine way possible. There were movie stars who probably had to spend hours in makeup to achieve that look.

Maybe Maggie was right. Maybe she was nuts for turning her back on Cord.

“Gotcha,” he murmured. “Now let's talk about appointment.”

“I don't want to talk about appointment. I don't want to go appointment. In fact, I do not want to go anywhere with you,” she repeated, though with slightly less conviction than she had before. She couldn't deny that in five seconds he had made her feel alive again, but she wasn't entirely sure she appreciated it. “I don't appreciate you and my mother conspiring behind my back as if I'm some kid who doesn't know her own mind.”

Cord nodded slowly. “I suppose we could go to your room and finish what we just started, since that did seem to interest you, but I think that might be pressing my luck with your mama's tolerance.”

She could tell he was partly serious. “You are outrageous, you know that, don't you?”

He grinned. “Something tells me that you need to get stirred up, Dinah. You're used to taking chances. Take this one. It's just appointment and a good meal.”