Absolute Zero (18 page)

Hmmm.
Well, that certainly gave her someplace to be other than the house.
And a guaranteed place he would
not
be. The prospect was appearing much more palatable suddenly.

*****

Good morning.

What’s for breakfast?

She stared at the screen, at the unfamiliar number, but she had a nagging suspicion she knew who it came from. She didn’t respond. She looked down to continue tying the laces of her running shoes when a ping erupted from the phone next to her, heralding another text message.

How did he get her number? Of course she knew how. He simply had to look up her employee profile and it would be there, easy enough.

The proper response is:

‘Anything you want.

Come on over.’

Screw him and his proper responses
. She continued on to the next shoe before another ping erupted.

Geez.

Not that I expect a response.

I’m coming over.

We need to talk.

Oh no, we don’t…

She left the phone on the table and practically sprinted toward the front door.

*****

She was definitely not home. Either that or she was hiding inside, which for some reason, amused him to no end. Was she standing on the other side of the door, watching him through the peep hole?

After the 6
th
round of knocks, he pulled a key from his pocket, debating whether he should do it before it just sort of found its way into the slot.

Screw it
. He was leaving first thing the next morning.  He had tried unsuccessfully to erase her from his mind and yet, it just wasn’t possible.

He would take her to dinner tonight, they would talk or maybe he would talk and she would sass him. That was it. He wouldn’t even attempt to kiss her. Kissing Anne Bennett would only lead him to wanting things he couldn’t truly have anyway. He was going back, she was staying here.

Who was he kidding?

He was
definitely
going to kiss her.

He pulled the key out of the slot, silently reprimanding himself for his almost stalker-like behavior before his phone rang in his pocket.

Checking the screen, he saw Rand’s name flash near the top. His breath whooshed out in a frustrated sigh as his eyes once again looked toward the closed door. If she didn’t respond to his texts; he would simply stop by later. She couldn’t hide all day.

*****

“So, do I need to do any damage control?” Rand asked from the chair behind his massive desk.

“What did you hear?” Ian asked before settling himself in a chair across from him.

“I heard you and the new hire are good buddies,” he stated with a smirk.

“She’s definitely outspoken, that one,” Ian responded automatically. Rand could only be speaking of one person. Just thinking about her caused several of his appendages to twitch.  His fingers drummed on the arm rest.

“I still haven’t figured out who hired her, but I’ll get with HR on Monday and check. My guess is Ron, but…well, he’s in no shape to answer any questions. He’s pretty much lost it,” Rand stated as he tapped his pen on the surface of his desk.

“What happened to him?”

“Nervous breakdown is what they’re saying, but I swear, it’s worse than that. The last day he was here, he practically destroyed the lab. I’m still replacing equipment.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ian sat up, fixing the other man with a hard glare.

“Would you have cared? Really? You don’t come around, I’ve got it under control, anyway,” he sat back in his chair; his broad shoulders were wider than the back rest, almost dwarfing the piece of furniture.

Rand could be an intimidating figure, Ian assessed as he watched him.  He was the face of Dunmed America, the golden boy of Pernell. He probably still held records for his football performance here at the High School. He was not only well known, but he was what Ian wasn’t. Approachable, kind, outgoing and easy to work for, or at least that was the impression he received from the American facility.

Maybe he was
too
easy. Maybe he lacked the killer instinct for business or maybe Ian was too wrapped up in his overall distaste for this place to really care anymore. He kept Rand on when he purchased the company, assuaging the employee’s fear of a new owner. All of the employees stayed on, and now he wondered if that was actually a
good
thing.

“So, back to Ms. Bennett,” the mention of her name caused Ian’s eyes to snap to Rand’s dark brown gaze.

“My wife has decided that our new hire is her pet project for some reason. You wanna come over for a beer tonight? Maybe watch the Phillies game with me? I’m babysitting,” he stated with zero enthusiasm.

“What do you mean?”

“Her benefit. That thing at the Country Club? She wants me to go. Not happening. I can’t do it. Besides. It’s too late to rent a tux anyway. She said she asked you and you practically bit her head off. Now she’s roped your new friend into going,” he stated with a smirk.

“I find that hard to believe,” Ian responded before he could catch the words.

“Really? And why is that?”

“She’s…och, she’s an anti-sociable one, she is. She would be utterly miserable,” he stated honestly but for some reason, his body straightened up in his chair.

“Made a good impression on you, huh? I can’t wait to meet this woman. I heard she talked back to you in a meeting
and
she still has a job. Why is that?”

“Contrary to what you may believe, I
can
handle someone talking back to me. Case in point; I haven’t sacked your arse yet, have I?” Ian’s fingers continued to drum the arm rest of the chair with nervous energy.

“No. But then again, you can’t. The employees
love
me. They’re all scared to death of
you
, however,” he stated with a self-satisfied grin.

Ian’s eyes narrowed before crinkling as a smile overtook his features. His shoulders gave a quick shrug. He couldn’t argue that. But then again, he was in the business of
business
, not employee relations or
potluck day
…

“I just expect them to
work
. Not eat themselves dafty,” he replied. His expression sobered as he regarded Rand with his movie-star looks and easy-going personality. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell him why he was really in the States, but he held it back. Now was not time. He wouldn’t talk to Rand about selling the American facility until he was positive that was what he wanted to do.

Besides, he needed to get home and try on the tux in his closet.

“What do you think? Pretty impressive, huh?”

Anne’s eyes scanned the elaborately decorated room softly lit by candlelight. Her eyes focused on the white fabric hanging in delicate folds, sweeping above her from the ceiling. Looking down, her face turned to a slight frown when they cast over what she considered an uncomfortably large number of people milling around. Her fingers nervously rose and toyed with the gathered fold of fabric over her shoulder.

“Stop fidgeting. You look fantastic. We’re going to have so much fun!” Shay stated next to her, her enthusiasm doing little to improve the expression on Anne’s face.

“Ew, stop looking like that. You’ll ruin my make-up job,” she quipped before grabbing Anne’s wrist and stepping forward into the throng.

True to her word, Shay had dropped by the house early, insisting on helping Anne choose a dress from several hanging in her closet. Her resolve in telling her she would
not
go dissipated as Shay rambled excitedly about the evening. She had to keep reminding herself that the alternative was much more worrisome than an evening surrounded by strangers.

McClellan’s texts had ceased, causing a huge amount of relief to wash through her. He hadn’t made good on his threat to come see her, although the possibility hung in the air causing a strange mixture of foreboding and anticipation within her psyche.

If she wanted to be honest, the scene before her was somewhat terrifying but not nearly as threatening as a visit from him.

She had made the right choice. He would be gone tomorrow and her life would be back to normal. Whatever
‘normal’
was
.

Shay was immediately converged upon by several women and men all gushing accolades for her work, the room, her dress. She immediately introduced Anne, her grip on her wrist tightening in a reassuring squeeze before she let go. Anne’s eyes nervously flitted across their faces as her hand was shook several times. She gave a slight smile to each face as she tried desperately to grasp what they were saying and respond appropriately even with her pulse pounding in her head.

What was she worried about?
This was not California.
These people didn’t know her or know
of
her. She would try and take comfort in that fact.

As soon as one group left, another would converge and each time, her nerves seemed to calm a bit.

She had this.

*****

“Oooohh…I so want to eat the rest of this, but I practically had to pour myself in this dress, ya know?” Shay eyed the half-eaten crème brulee situated in front of her.

Anne looked at her own uneaten dessert with longing, but kept both hands clenched together on her lap.

“You have to at least try it. It’s so…fantastic…” Shay commented.

“I’ll eat it, if you don’t want it to go to waste,” an older gentlemen seated to Anne’s right stated before his wife gave him a playful swat on his arm.

“What? It was delicious…” he replied with a shrug.

“Here. Please…” Anne pushed the ramekin over toward him and he immediately dug in with his spoon. She watched as his eyes practically rolled to the back of his head, knowing that just a taste would be her undoing.

She had a closet full of over the top expensive clothing that had all but ruined her financially. No way was she going to stuff herself and run the risk of not fitting into any of them.

“So Shay tells me you have a Porsche, how fun is that, huh? Of course, when winter rolls around…probably not going to do so well in the snow. My brother owns a dealership, he could get you a deal on something all-wheel drive for the winter,” a woman stated from across the table.

I hadn’t thought of that…

Buying a second car was out of the question. The only reason she still had the Porsche was because it was paid off. Couple that with the fact that she absolutely loved her car. At some point, the car would have to go, though. Or maybe not.
How bad could their winters be?

“How bad are your winters here?” she asked.

Everyone started talking at once with words like ‘blizzard’, ‘buried in snow’, ‘brutal’, and even more words that caused her face to scrunch even more into a pronounced grimace.

At least it was Spring. She would worry about it when Autumn rolled around. The thought that she may actually have enough money to purchase a second car was fleeting. There was no way she would be out from under her mountain of self-imposed debt by then…

She would think about it later. In the meantime, she was pleasantly surprised at how bearable the evening was actually turning out to be. It was obvious that the people at the table knew each other well, they were poking fun at each other and for the most part, she followed their conversation without having to join in. 

Shay stood up after finishing her dessert, placing her napkin on the table before excusing herself and walking toward the stage where the band’s equipment was set up. Anne’s eyes followed her as a tiny twinge of nervousness sprung up at being left alone with these near-strangers at the table. Shay was a pushy woman, but for some reason, Anne was warming to her. She reminded her of Beth in some ways. It wouldn’t be unforeseeable that they could become friends. Besides, Shay almost
demanded
it, she thought as a small smile tugged the corners of her mouth upward.

“Good evening,” she stated into the microphone after clearing her throat. “First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for coming tonight…”

Anne settled back in her seat as Shay continued her speech. She was funny, engaging and enthusiastic for the cause which definitely came through in her tone of voice and her mannerisms.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to honor anyone who has fought and won their battle with breast cancer or anyone who is currently fighting to stand up right now…”

Anne’s body stayed rooted to her seat, but her eyes scanned the massive room taking in the rather large number of women and surprisingly a couple of men that stood up. Applause sounded in the room and she felt compelled to join in. After a few moments, the applause died down and people sat as Shay continued on.

“I want to thank our Corporate sponsors for this evening, Sun Press, Connelly’s, The Women’s Center, St. James Hospital, and our Gold Sponsor: Dunmed Syntech. We also have a few individual contributors: Dr. and Mrs. Paul Martin, Dr. Craig, Irene Stratton, John Hummel and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Carlisle. Thank you so much for your generous contributions. This evening would not be possible if it wasn’t for them and all of you. Now that I have that out of the way…let’s get the band up here and…” Shay’s eyes seemed to stop and fix on one area in particular as her words halted. Anne’s eyes followed in their general direction as confusion set in.

“Imagine that,” Shay stated almost absently into the microphone. “Mr. Ian McClellan, our most generous sponsor. Why don’t you come up and say a few words, Ian?”

A jolt of pure adrenalin or maybe nerves, possibly horror shot through Anne’s nervous system at the mention of his name.

You have GOT to be kidding me
…

He was standing at the double doors to the room, leaning nonchalantly against the door jamb with his arms crossed. He looked so incredibly polished in his tux. Anne’s eyes snapped back to the clasped hands in her lap. Maybe he wouldn’t see her.

“No? Come on Ian, you can’t just show up and surprise me like this and not say
something
. Ten grand is nothing to sniff at, buddy. Come on up here and let me thank you properly for your generous contribution,” she stated loudly.

Apparently he was not cooperating. Shay huffed out a sigh of displeasure.

“Ian, we’ll just wait impatiently for you. I’m not letting this band start until you come up here…” The noise in the room seemed to swell with people encouraging the man to step up to the microphone, some applause erupted from the far side of the room and only increased as Anne looked up and saw him walking rather slowly toward the front of the room. His head was shaking from side to side and his eyes were definitely glaring hotly in Shay’s general direction.

He stepped up and was immediately folded into a hug by Shay. “I think I’m going to kill you,” he muttered as they embraced; the words clearly audible due to the microphone’s close proximity. This caused sporadic laughter throughout the room as Shay released him with a bright smile on her face.

He turned his attention to the room as his eyes seemed to scan the tables before locking on one particular set staring back at him. Of course, her eyes looked down to her lap as soon as the connection was made.

“As you may or may not know, I’m not one for speeches. In fact, I have nothing prepared seeing as I was practically
ambushed
by this woman next to me,” he started as the crowd laughed jovially.

“I am, however, more than happy to be here tonight, especially now,” he was still staring at Anne. Her eyes were still downcast. She looked absolutely stunning, at least from the waist up. He wondered if her dress was long or if he would catch a glimpse of those legs that had pretty much become his undoing in one short week…

“I’m glad I have the opportunity to state what a worthy cause this is. I hope you enjoy your evening and remember what great work the Women’s Center is doing to help in this battle. I really admire any organization that offers such support to anyone that needs it,” he stated with casual ease.

Anne could feel the body next to her closing in on her personal space as a woman’s whisper filled her ear. “I swear that man could read a take-out menu and make it sound sexy,” she heard very clearly.

“Ah…yeah,” she responded as her body naturally inched in the other direction. She focused her attention back to the front of the room as he continued to speak.

“It’s amazing how many people stood up earlier. You’re all an inspiration for the rest of us to take proactive measures. Thank you for your courage and support of this organization,” he smiled warmly before stepping back. Shay grabbed his hand before he could walk from the stage as applause exploded throughout the room.

“Thank you, Ian for your contribution. Now, with that being said, let’s get this party started!” she beamed as the tux-clad band members filtered onto the stage.

Shay and Ian wandered only a few feet from the stage before a group surrounded them, leaving Anne the perfect opportunity to push back from the table.

“Where’s the restroom?” she asked the woman that just whispered to her as the band started what seemed like a quick sound check with several of their instruments. The sound was just as awkward as she felt in that moment.

“Out that door, to the right, down the hall, past the Pro Shop, make a left, it’s off the small alcove near the back of the building,” she stated as she pointed to a set of double doors near the back of the room.

“Great. Thanks,” she stated as she slipped out of the room, hopefully unnoticed.

*****

She followed the dimly lit hallway, passing what was undoubtedly the Pro-Shop, seeking and finding the hallway and a small room that was situated at the end of the hall. Portraits of all shapes and sizes hung on the walls, most of older gentlemen, but one in particular caught her eye. It was by far the largest and the only female. Bright, golden hair flowed in loose waves; large blue eyes were situated in a flawless face that was staring back at her. Immediately Anne was drawn to it. The brass name plate caught her attention as a small prickle of awareness settled in her brain.

Shelby Collins.

In the flesh…so to speak.

She was ethereal, this beautiful creature frozen with a slight smile gracing her face. It caused Anne to take a step back.

Ian’s wife. Ian’s beautiful, deceased wife.

Even in a portrait she was intimidating.

“Hello.”

Anne gasped and her hand automatically covered her chest as her body jumped.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Ian stated as he took a tentative step toward her. Just as he had hoped, her dress was short, showing an ample amount of leg coupled with some seriously high heeled, sexy-as-hell shoes. The dress was simple in design, a black form fitting sheath that gathered at one shoulder, showing off her incredibly toned body. Her short hair was styled in a way that almost made it appear as if it were swept back and polished, it was shining even in the dim light. She was incredible, and he was somewhat surprised at his body’s intense reaction to her.

“I…what…?” she gulped audibly, forcing her body to calm down. She probably looked frozen in fright at that moment.

“What am I doing here? Is that what you were going to ask?”

She nodded dumbly. Apparently her vocal cords were having difficulty connecting with her brain at the moment.

“I’m here for you,” he stated simply, causing her nerves to jump.

“You see, I think you’ve been avoiding me, Anne,” he stated softly, holding out something toward her. It was glass of white wine. He held a small tumbler of amber liquid in his other hand, undoubtedly Scotch, she surmised before her eyes flitted to his once again.

“Am I right?”

Again she nodded, still unable to form words.