Like a Charm (19 page)

T
he traffic as we neared Dallas was insane. We sat in the same spot for almost twenty minutes on I-30. Caleb didn't seem stressed at all, but traffic gets on my nerves. I don't like the feeling of being trapped. It was just as bad in Atlanta, which is why I chose to live close to my office. I seldom drove, or left the comforts of downtown.

While a competent driver, Caleb was a speed demon. We made the three-hour trip in two and a quarter. And the last fifteen minutes had been spent inching forward bit by bit.

It wasn't much longer before we exited the highway. He made a few quick turns and five minutes later we were pulling into a parking garage. I'd been mesmerized by all of the shops surrounding the building and didn't get a chance to see much of it.

“We're here.” He pulled into a parking spot marked 28D next to a beautiful silver Mercedes sedan.

He jumped out and ran around to let me out of the truck.

“You crack me up.” I laughed as I took his hand.

“Tell me you don't like the Southern gentleman touches.”

I reached up and kissed his cheek. “You know I do.”

He smiled. Grabbing our bags from the backseat, we made our way to the elevator. He wouldn't let me carry anything except my purse, and he looked liked a loaded-down bellman.

“Can you push twenty-eight?” he asked as the elevator doors shut. A quick trip up, and when the doors opened it was to a long hallway. I followed him to the end.

When he opened the door, I walked through into a breathtaking sight. I took little notice of the apartment. It was the view that captured my attention.

“It's beautiful.” The windows, which wrapped around the entire corner of the building, looked out onto the city of Dallas, twinkling with brilliant light.

“One of the perks of being up so high.”

I nodded and moved forward. “It's a different view, but the same kind I have in my place in Atlanta. I like seeing a vibrant city out my window. It makes me feel alive.”

He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. “You are very much alive.”

I turned in his arms and wound mine around him. “I feel that way when you are around.”

“Oh, no. Don't move like that,” he said as I pressed my hips into his. “We have reservations.”

“I am kind of hungry.” I licked my top lip.

He laughed. “You are a wicked woman. Come on, I'll show you the bedroom.”

At my raised eyebrow he added, “So you can freshen up.”

I smiled and winked at him.

Before following Caleb, I spent a moment taking in his apartment. All of the furniture was low, chocolate leather, and sleek, very much a bachelor pad. A huge plasma TV, larger than mine at home, graced the inside wall over a fireplace.

He flipped the light on in the bedroom. The walls were a deep chocolate brown. A leather headboard and plush bedding made his bed irresistible looking. The lamps on the bedside tables were silver and gave off a soft glow.

“This is a nice place.”

He shrugged. “Except for the artwork and photos, most of it was here when I bought the place. I built the bookcases and side tables for the bed, and painted everything. I'm not really around that much, but it's home. For now.”

He pointed toward an opening. “Bathroom is in here.” He set my tote bag on a large granite vanity and hung the garment bag on a hook on the back of the door.

“I'll rummage through the closet for something. Like I said, it's casual. You can wear whatever you want. People will be dressed in everything from jeans to formalwear. In the summer they wear shorts. It's that kind of place.” He held up his watch. “We only have about a half hour to get ready. Good news is it's right across the street.”

“Thanks.” I didn't have time for a shower, but I threw water on my face and did my best to freshen up.

I removed the dress from the bag to shake it out. One thing about Diane's dresses, they travel like a dream. The taffeta hadn't fared as well. I'd have to press it before tomorrow night.

Pulling my hair out of the ponytail I'd worn all day, I fluffed it around my shoulders. The curls held tight and I decided to leave it down.

I reapplied makeup, using black eyeliner to make my eyes look a little deeper. Adding a pink shadow near the brow and gray on my lid gave my eyes a smoky look. Usually I keep the lips light, but this was Dallas. I went for the deep wine-colored lipstick.

I'd worn a black bra and thong, and I slipped the black dress over it. The clingy fabric fit my figure perfectly. It's the kind of dress that makes everyone look sexy. I pulled on black thigh-high hose, as it was too cold to go without anything on my legs, and slipped my feet into the Manolos. As high as they were, they were still pretty comfortable to walk in.

Caleb came to the door and blew out a low whistle. He was dressed in dark gray pinstriped slacks with a cream-colored dress shirt open at the neck. “Maybe we'll order in.” He moved toward me.

I held out my hands to fend him off. “Nope. You had your chance, big guy. I want my night out on the town. Then, if you're really, really good, maybe we can play later.” I felt flirty and fun.

He grabbed my hands and kissed my knuckles. “Oh, I promise to be very good.” His voice was low and husky and it made parts of my body heat instantly.

He held out my coat and I slipped my arms into it.

The walk across to the restaurant wasn't far, but the frigid air made it seem longer.

It wasn't long before the heat of Tom Tom Noodle House surrounded me. Sleek, modern, and very Japanese, with touches of bamboo and natural fibers, it was warm and inviting.

We were shown to a booth with low seats and small, colorful pillows. It was elegant, but not overstated.

Caleb ordered us a mixed plate of sushi and I had my first glass of wine in months. It was heaven.

The restaurant was packed but I only saw Caleb.

Picking up a spicy tuna roll with chopsticks, I sighed. I hadn't been this happy in forever.

 

I
woke up to whispering. At first I worried the dead people had found me.
Please not here.
But I soon discovered Caleb was the one who interrupted my dreams.

“Kira. Wake up. We have to go shopping.” I could smell soap, as if he'd just stepped out of the shower.

I cranked open one eye. He was freshly shaven and dressed in a soft creamy sweater. “What time is it?”

“Almost seven.”

I groaned. “Stores don't open until ten, Caleb.”

“Oh, no, babe. It's almost Christmas. Most of the stores around here are open very early. Every place will be packed if we don't get a move on.”

I was so warm and comfortable. Snuggling into him, I said, “We could just shop online.”

He laughed. “What fun is that? It's not Christmas if you don't have to fight crowds, traffic, and rude salesclerks who have to deal with picky people like us all day.”

“You make it sound so exciting. How can I resist?” I rolled over and squeezed my eyes closed.

“There's a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and croissants at the café downstairs if you hurry up.”

“Bacon?”

“Yep. Nice and crispy, just the way you like it.”

“Give me twenty minutes.”

“You got it.”

I was good to my word. Twenty minutes later I was dressed and ready to go, having taken the quickest shower of my life.

It's a good thing we had a big breakfast.

Had I any idea what a shopping machine Caleb was, I might have stayed in bed. I'm fairly certain we hit every store at the Galleria.

Granted, I had no trouble finding a pair of Kate Spade jeweled pumps that matched my dress for the evening perfectly.

By noon Caleb had made three trips back to the truck to deposit our bags. Most of them were his. I didn't want to be nosy, but I couldn't help wondering whom all the presents were for.

“Do you have a big family?” I finally asked.

He shrugged. “Yeah. Why?”

I smiled. “No reason.” I stared down at my three shopping bags, one of which was full of stuff for me. I definitely needed to make new friends.

I had managed to pick up Humanity jeans for Justin and a modern silver tea set I knew Rob would love. I had no idea what to get my parents until we came across a store with DVDs. They had several seasons of
Doctor Who
and
Battlestar Galactica
that I knew my dad would enjoy. I'd dipped into his stash when I was sick and knew which ones he needed to finish his collection.

In front of Tiffany, I stopped. “Do you mind if I take a quick look?” I turned to Caleb. “I want to see if I can find something for my mom.”

He gave me a strange look.

“I know she doesn't seem like the kind of woman who would want something in a blue box, but I haven't met a girl yet who has turned one away.” I laughed.

“Absolutely. We can go anywhere you want.” He smiled but it seemed stiff.

“Are you worried I'm going to try and get you to buy me something?”

He laughed. “Oh, no.” He waved a hand. “It's just that you've talked about your mom so much and she just doesn't seem like someone who would wear jewelry.”

I sighed. “True, but I saw something a few months ago when I was shopping in New York that I think she'd like. And I just wanted to see if maybe they have it here.”

Caleb smiled and guided me in the door.

The place was a sea of humanity and I could barely get to the counter where they showcased the bracelets. I found exactly what I was looking for, a delicate silver bracelet with tiny butterfly, turtle, bee, and dragonfly charms. My mom loved anything to do with nature.

Finally, I had my little blue box wrapped with a beautiful red ribbon. I searched for Caleb.

Thinking he'd stepped out to wait, I made my way to the door of the store. My phone chirped and I thought maybe it was him.

“Hey.”

Silence.

“Hello?”

“I'm coming for you,” a man whispered.

Shivering, I held the phone away and looked for the caller ID number. It was a blocked call.

“Who is this?”

The line went dead.

M
y stomach churned and bile rose in my throat. The crowds were thick and I leaned back against the cool glass of the Tiffany store window.

Someone touched my shoulder and my heart skipped a beat.

“Are you okay?” Caleb's worried eyes searched my face.

I stared down at the phone for a minute.

“Who called?” he asked.

“Wrong number,” I said distractedly.

Chills ran up my back. I knew whoever it was hadn't dialed wrong.
I'm coming for you.

I gave him a weak smile. “I hate to be a party pooper, but I need to rest.” My hands were shaking and I tried to will them still.

He touched my cheek. “You feel warm. Maybe we should get you back to Sweet so Sam can take a look at you.”

Warm?
I felt chilled to my core.

“No. I just need to get away from the crowds and rest for a little bit. You can keep shopping if you want. I could just go to the car.”

He ushered me toward the parking garage. “Don't be silly. We'll go home.”

As we were driving back to his apartment, I closed my eyes, my mind rushing over the last few weeks. If it hadn't been for the weird letter that had been sent to my apartment, I wouldn't have taken the call seriously. But the events were too close to be a coincidence.

Back at the apartment, he pushed me toward the bedroom. “You go get in bed. I'm going to order us up some lunch.”

“Caleb.” I grabbed the sleeve of his sweater. “I'm okay. I just need to sit down for a little bit. I promise I'm not sick again.”

His hand covered my hand. “I can't help but care about you, Kira.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Please, go lie down. If nothing else it will make me feel better.”

I gave a soft laugh. “Okay. You win. But if you're so worried about me, can I get whatever I want for lunch?”

He nodded.

At the moment the idea of food made me ill, but I'd have to eat soon or he would get suspicious. “I want a big cheeseburger.”

Smiling he hugged me. “That sounds good. I'll get one too. Now go rest.”

I couldn't sleep. My nerves were a mess. When I heard the delivery man knock, I made my way back to the living room. Clouds were rolling in and we were so high up it felt like we were a part of them.

We dined at a small table in his kitchen. He had a college football game on the plasma without any sound.

“I think maybe I just needed some protein.” After only a few bites I did feel much better. “This is delicious.”

His mouth full, he nodded. Then he swallowed. “Are you going to tell me who was on the phone?”

I jerked my attention back to his face.

“I saw how you looked at the store. You were scared, Kira. Not sick. I want to know what's going on. We promised to tell each other the truth.”

I couldn't lie to him and I didn't want to. This was one problem I didn't want to handle on my own. I stared out the window to the busy streets below. “I don't know what the truth is.” I shook my head. “I received a weird letter in Atlanta. It said, ‘You're responsible and you'll pay.' That's it.

“Then, the guy on the phone said he's coming for me.”

“Did you recognize the voice?” Caleb stood up.

“No.”

“Get me your phone. Where's the letter?” He was picking up his own cell.

“I left it in Atlanta.”

“Can you call and have one of your friends send it here? I'll give you the address in a minute.”

I handed him my cell. “It's a blocked number.”

“I see that, but I have friends who can trace most anything.”

He punched a button on his phone. “Dave? It's Caleb.” He grunted. “Yeah, man. I'm here for the weekend. Listen, I was wondering if you could run a trace for me.” He gave the other person my cell phone number.

“Yep, in the last hour.” He waited a few minutes. “Okay, great.” The person on the other end of the line said something. “Yep. Tell Bill I'm having a letter sent to him. I need him to check it out and I'll call Tuesday and explain everything. Great, thanks.” He hung up.

“The call came from a pay phone in Atlanta. Whoever it was used coins to make the call, so we can't trace a credit card. Dave is checking to see if there are any cameras in the area.” He sat next to me on the sofa. “Can you think of any reason anyone would want to threaten you?”

“No.” I racked my brain. “I can't. I'm a corporate lawyer. Maybe it has to do with one of the business deals we've made, but most people don't even know I'm involved.” I paused and stared out the window.

“I was also involved with a sexual harassment case with a coworker, on her side of course. Things didn't go her way and justice was not done. She took her life, but I didn't have anything to do with what happened to her.” At least I didn't think I did. I still couldn't remember what had happened on the roof. There were police reports, but I hadn't seen any of them yet.

“Kira, I'm sorry. That bastard should hang.” I loved Caleb for believing in me. “And I didn't know your friend, but I know you, and if she took her life I know it had nothing to do with you.”

I kissed his cheek. “Thank you. It doesn't keep me from feeling guilty. I'm telling you, I think whoever it is has the wrong person. Besides, if he's in Atlanta, I'm fine. Right?”

Caleb scooped me into his lap. “Yes. But I'm still not letting you out of my sight.”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

“Why didn't you tell me about the letter?”

I shook my head. “I don't know. I really do think he has the wrong person.”

“Is that one of the reasons you were considering the job offer in New York?”

I hadn't talked to him about that. “How do you know?”

“Sam and I were talking before you and I went out that first time. He mentioned that you'd had some offers.”

“Oh.” Sam had a big mouth. “No. Not really. I wanted out of Atlanta because I felt like it was time to move on. I have to tell you I was a little worried at first about the letter, but I forgot about it when I arrived in Sweet. So much has happened the last few weeks, I hadn't even thought about it.”

He sighed and leaned his head into mine. “Well, call and have someone send it.”

I let out a deep breath. “Okay.”

 

A
few hours later we were dressed and seated at the very elegant and beautiful restaurant at the Mansion on Turtle Creek. The first course of pumpkin soup was delicious.

We talked about the Sweet Christmas pageant at the Methodist church and how Caleb had narrowly escaped having to be one of the wise men. Our salads arrived just as a beautiful woman walked up to the table.

She was dressed in a black suit, and her ample breasts were spilling out the top. “Caleb, love. I didn't know you were back in town.” Her auburn hair was in an upsweep, and her dangerous red nails touched Caleb's shoulder. When she leaned down to kiss him, I wanted to rip her to pieces.

“Megan,” he ground out. “Where's your man du jour?”

She winked. “Men's room. I saw you and had to come say hi.”

Caleb looked uncomfortable and I knew this was one of the women from his past—and from the sound of things, a recent past.

I lost my appetite.

“Megan, this is my
girlfriend
, Kira.”

For the first time she glanced my way. “So you're his eye candy of the week.” She gave me a look that would freeze any heart.

Then it dawned on me that Caleb had introduced me as his girlfriend and had put a special emphasis on the word. My heart warmed in a big way.

I stuck out my hand so that she had to shake it. “You must be an
old
friend of Caleb's. It's nice to meet you.” I smiled sweetly.

Caleb snorted.

A tall man walked up behind her. He had to be seven feet something.

“Oh, Dirk. You're here.” She wiggled her fingers at us. “Ta ta.”

I laughed as she walked away. “Do people really say ta ta anymore?”

Caleb chuckled. “She does. I'm sorry about that. She's a total bitch. Unfortunately, I've dated my fair share of women like that.” He shook his head. “Present company excluded, of course.

“I think that's one of the things I love about you. You're the complete opposite of that kind of woman. You're beautiful and chic, but without the bitchy parts.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You haven't seen me when it comes to business. The office had deemed me the Ice Princess of the boardroom.”

He grabbed my hand across the table. “I have a hard time believing that.”

It was
very
true. “Caleb, there are parts of my life you really don't know. I—I'm different with you. I've been a different person since I left Atlanta. I'm thinking that's not such a bad thing.” I smiled.

He kissed my fingers.

The waiter arrived with our food, and we enjoyed our meal of baby turbot, Pacific halibut, and filet mignon.

When we left I wasn't certain I'd be able to walk to the valet stand. This time the valet brought around the silver Mercedes I'd admired the day before in the garage. Turned out it belonged to Caleb and that's what he wanted to bring tonight.

Back at his condo, we undressed quickly and I scrubbed the makeup off my face.

We were kissing when the phone rang. It was a little after midnight. He ignored it. Then it rang again.

“Hold that thought.” He put a finger to my lips. “Yeah,” he answered. Silent for a full minute, he grabbed a pad and pencil from the side table drawer. “Monday? Crap. Why didn't you call me earlier?” He was quiet again. “Fine, whatever. Get me on the first flight out. Oh, okay.” He looked at the bedside alarm clock. “I'll be there. No, I've got it. Fax the rest of the info to the hotel. Yeah, same one.” He hung up.

Sighing, he turned to me. “I'm sorry. I've got to go to Tokyo. Tonight.”

I sat up. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. It's just a follow-up to the story I was telling you about.”

“The arms dealers?”

“Yeah, turns out their funding is coming from an unusual source and there's a merger about to happen…That's about all I can tell you right now.”

“It's all right. Is there anything I can do?”

He frowned. “You're going to have to get yourself home.”

“I can have my parents come get me. It's not a problem, don't worry about it.”

He kissed me hard. “Nope. I want you to take the Mercedes. I'll move your packages over from the truck and you can leave in the morning after you get a good night's rest.”

I remembered that I had to be back for the nursing home gig. “I can take the truck.”

“Nah. You'll be more comfortable in the silver bullet. I'll bring the truck down when I get back.” He pulled me to him and kissed me for several minutes. “I don't want to go. I don't want to leave you alone.”

I smiled. “I'll be fine, really.”

He jumped out of the bed. “I almost forgot.” He ran into the living room and I enjoyed the view. His body was strong, that of a runner's. Long legs with solid thighs and a tight butt, and the front of him with those abs was equally appealing.

Holding something behind his back, he sat back on the bed. “I want you to know how much I love you, Kira. And I know you're gun-shy about that word, but I love you and nothing is going to change that.”

His lovely face was so earnest I couldn't help but believe the words. I loved him too. Saying it out loud was another story.

I leaned in and kissed him, my lips soft against his, hoping he could feel the emotion even though I couldn't say it.

He deepened the kiss and then pulled back suddenly. “Woman, you make me forget everything. Here.” He held out a blue box with a red ribbon. It was long, beautiful, and from Tiffany. At Christmas they replace their trademark white ribbons with the rich red.

“Caleb?”

“Open it.”

“Whatever it is, it's too much. You don't have to buy me presents.” I looked from the box to him.

He smiled. “I know, baby, but I wanted to do this.” Shoving the box in my hand, he tapped it. “Hurry. I now know that every woman in the world loves something in a Tiffany blue box. So I can't lose.”

I picked at the ribbon, and then slid it off. Lifting the lid I saw a platinum heart charm bracelet. A tiny gasp escaped. “Caleb, it is too much. It's beautiful.” I held it up as brilliant diamonds glittered on the hearts in the light.