Switched, Bothered and Bewildered (19 page)

"Yes. Well, I'd love to have lunch with you. I'll have some food sent over and we can look at what you've come up with," Jana Lee answered.

"That's cool. I brought my own, so just order for yourself. Don't forget to sign those pesky papers. The sooner you get that done, the faster this project can proceed."

"Thanks, Petra, I guess I'll go to legal and take a look at the paperwork."

Petra looked at her funny. "You get all that stuff in your office, sometimes before they do."

"Oh, right, I'll go check my office." Jana Lee made a quick exit and all but ran down the halls of Pitman Toys. Round turquoise metal beams and expanses of glass whizzed by her, almost making her dizzy. She felt like she was in an aquarium.

Jana Lee was dumbfounded. She had to talk to her sister. The whole issue of signing permission releases should be interesting. Little did Jackson know what a twist he was putting on things.

She was out of breath when she swung into

Oliver's end of Jillian's office. "Ollie, what's this whole princess deal?"

Oliver smiled and gestured to her to sit down. He got up and closed the door. "The papers came over earlier. What have you been up to all morning, anyhow?"

"Going over ideas with Jackson. You must have been away from your desk when I came in for my dragon sketch."

"So, sit, sit, catch your breath. Can I get you a cold drink? It's warm today, isn't it?"

"Oliver, are you stalling?" Jana Lee held out her hand for the papers. Oliver handed them to her.

"Maybe a little. I've had to think things through regarding signatures. Fortunately they left it to you to obtain your sister's signature on these, so we might be able to pull this off with some finesse."

"Haven't I been signing my sister's name all week? I think I'm getting pretty good at it." Jana Lee slid into the black leather upholstered chair across from Oliver.

"An initial here and there, nothing vital or . . . legal." Oliver tapped his black pen on the blotter that covered most of his desk. "You should really consult an attorney before you sign these."

"Oh heck, we had our uncle back when we were kids, and he did so well we ended up with barely enough to buy our parents a beach shack in Washington. Why start now?"

"It could get pretty sticky. Jillian and I read legal

documents all the time and it looks very good to me, but your sister is going to want to read this very carefully. Is there somewhere we can fax it to her?"

"Maybe the Kinko's in Silverburgh. She's in no-fax land. I do have a computer, if that would help."

"If you have a computer hooked up to the Internet we can fax it through your phone line. I'll try and reach her and we'll set it up. I assume there is a printer attached to that computer?" Oliver asked.

"Why, certainly." Jana Lee made a face at him, then skimmed through the papers in her hands. She didn't know much legal jargon, but she was no dummy. She saw that they'd be getting royalties off the toys Pitman produced. That was a very interesting turn of events for her, an
income
of some sort.

"Ollie, what do you think the royalties off the toys might be like?" she asked.

"Well, at two percent per unit with a production run of .. ."

"Never mind, there's math involved. Maybe you could make some sort of projected thingy for me if you have time."

"Projected thingy in the queue," Oliver smiled. "How goes your Pitman adventure, anyway? Seems like you've found something to occupy your time—or should I say
someone?"

"What, Jackson?" Jana Lee felt a rush of heat flood her face.

"Did I say that? You're blushing, you know."

"He's just the vice president. I have to be nice to him."

"Uh-huh."

Jana Lee put the papers back on Oliver's desk and looked down at her empty hands in her lap. "Jillian's expecting to come back to him all warmed up to her, you know."

"It seems to me Jackson has warmed up to you more than any woman I've ever seen. Just because you and your sister are twins doesn't mean you're the same woman. It won't do to deny what's going on between you." Oliver laced his fingers together and stared at her.

"My sister's love means more to me than a slight infatuation with some guy" Jana Lee replied. She held her head up and felt a hardness in herself she was surprised at.

"Surely there is a compromise here somewhere?"

"Don't forget I'm going to be leaving in another week."

"So I hear. You seem to fit in here very well. It must be fun to play with the creative teams and see what it's all about."

Jana Lee was still feeling a little huffy about Oliver's direct hit on her feelings for Jackson, but she accepted the change of subject. "I have to say, it's been wonderful."

"Your spirits seem considerably brighter since the first day you arrived."

"I've noticed that myself. I
feel
brighter." Jana Lee got up from the chair. "I've got to try and reach Jillian on the phone. As soon as I've talked to her, you can do that computer stuff together. Oh, and I'm having lunch down in the design department. Can I have one of those pasta salads sent over there? And maybe an iced tea?" City food. She loved it.

"No problem. Buzz me when Jillian is on the line."

"Thank you, Ollie, you've been wonderful."

"It's been a very interesting adventure so far."

Jana Lee went into Jillian's office and looked around. In one week she'd managed to stack papers all over the credenza, create an entire land of Pitman toys on the window ledges, and make a messy little tea corner on the side table, where Ollie had set up a morning station for her. There were three easels with different product sketches on them, a stack of old retro ads from the space landing, the dress-up box and a very seventies organic farm set she'd found in the archives.

The cleaners came in every night and tidied up, but there was no denying Jana Lee had a completely different way of working in a space. She and Jillian were truly opposites in some respects.

But when it came to Jackson Hawks, it looked like she and Jillian were more similar than Jana Lee could have imagined.

Her own comment came back to her about how her sister's love was more important than an infatuation with a man. Her insides twisted something fierce. For some reason she almost wanted to cry. She had forgiven her sister for running off with Elliot a long time ago. So what was bothering her? She wiped away a hot tear.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the thought of giving up Jackson.

Jana Lee sat down to call Jillian about the contracts. She auto-dialed her house in Washington. The phone rang and rang until the answering service picked up. After the beep she left a message.

"Hi, Jillian, it's me. Ollie needs to fax you something. You won't believe what they're going to make—a toy you and me. Anyhow, there's more to this story, so call when you can. Where the heck are you guys?"

Jana Lee hung up and leaned back in the black leather office chair, contemplating her date with Jackson. She'd found a black T-shirt in her sister's closet, and even if it was fancy Ann Taylor, it felt better than all those button-up office blouses. She'd also located a pair of black slacks, but they were a squeeze. She hadn't even thought of Jackson taking her anywhere too fancy.

Jillian's wardrobe was hardly lacking, but maybe Jana Lee needed something of her own this time. Maybe after lunch she'd take a little personal afternoon and go get herself a dress. After

all, this was San Francisco, shopping mecca of the West Coast.

She touched the intercom button. "Ollie, pop in here for a minute, will you please?" She sounded so bossy and
executive
that she was embarrassed. She re-pressed the button. "If you have time, I mean."

Oliver opened the office doors, closed them, and came over to her desk, ready with his usual leather-covered notepad. "I'm here when you need me, madam. Don't worry about it." He smiled his Oliver smile, which was very patient and wry, then sat down across from her. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry, it will just take me so much longer to figure this out than if I ask you. I need a . . . uh . . . dress. A dress of my own. For tonight. Jackson said something about the Top of the Mark, and I don't fit into Jillian's clothes that well. I'm rounder."

"Jillian is too thin. There's a Nordstrom on Market Street, which will have a good selection. It's downtown and fun. There's quite the elevator in that building."

Jana Lee listened to Oliver talk about a few other shops. "I know this is crazy," she said, "but is there any way we can both take a few hours off after lunch? I need a . . . guide."

"I'm sure we can arrange that, besides, I live to shop. I'll be the 'Fab One,' and you can be my makeover of the day. This will be very fun. I'd love to help. There's also a champagne bar on the same floor as all the lovely coats."

"A champagne bar? That sounds a little odd with dress shopping."

"Darling, where have you been living, the outback?"

Hours later she was giddy from Oliver's recommended champagne cocktail—something with Drambuie and bubbles that made her head light. "My goodness, how will I ever get back down the spiral escalator?"

"That dress is stunning. You have the perfect figure for vintage looks. Black Chantilly lace. Ahhh. And those little bow-tipped shoes— Jackson will be putty in your hands."

"I didn't think putty was the desired effect."

"I suppose not," Oliver snickered.

"Oh gosh, that's not what I meant."

"I know.
Silly
Putty." Oliver couldn't stop his laugh, which was a pretty funny sound altogether.

"I'm
silly
with bubbles." She tried to stop giggling like a twelve-year-old.

"So you are. What would it be like if Jackson fell madly in love with you and asked you to marry him?"

Jana Lee choked on her sip of champagne and laughed out loud. She looked around, suddenly self-conscious. The bartender gave her an eyebrow but smiled after that. "Jackson Hawks, as we all know, is not the marrying kind. So the odds of that happening are just... not even slightly possible."

"That wasn't the question—the odds. The question was, what would it be like?"

"Don't be a goose. I have a house and a daughter back in Washington."

Oliver tipped back in his chair and sipped from his champagne flute. "Love happens."

She glared at him, then moved her gaze out the high glass windows to take in the city of San Francisco. It was a great city, with old hotels like the St. Francis and a history that made her feel excited and mysterious, as if she were unraveling a good story.

She loved the parts she'd seen—Chinatown, the wharf area—and she wanted to see so much more. She loved the diversity, the open and accepting attitudes of the people she'd met, and basically everything about the town.

"Where do you live, Ollie?"

"My partner and I have a row house on Sacramento Street. We've lived there for ten years now. It is very old, but we refurbished the entire thing. He's very handy, and I can strip ugly wallpaper like a champ. Oh, and faux finish so fine you'd think it was real marble."

"Do you like antiques?"

"Addicted. I can go into a full swoon over an eighteenth-century American highboy. How about you?"

"I'm not sure. To tell you the truth, I haven't really explored the whole interior design realm

much. I covered the seat of my ugly couch with an old terry-cloth table cover after the dog wore through the leather."

"Oh, my."

"Yeah. See what I mean?"

"Well, you are teachable. There is a dormant diva in there, I can tell. That orange jacket, and the Pucci scarf? So retro, and to
die,
really. I'm glad you bought something new to wear to the office. You've really got a lovely figure."

"Thanks, Ollie. I think my lovely figure could use a few Pilate moves."

"I think Jackson likes your figure just the way it is. Let's get you back to Jillian's apartment and I'll go back to work and make up for this lovely afternoon of playing hooky. You've got primping to do, and it will take you a good half hour to master those undergarments."

"No kidding."

Oliver left money on the table and swigged down the remaining champagne, and she followed suit. He looked very dapper in his summer linen jacket, pale yellow shirt, gray tie and gray trousers. Oliver had style.

She had zip. But she also had four shopping bags full of goodies to make a dent in it.

¹³

Twice as Mice

Jillian bolted awake. What the hell was everyone thinking, letting her sleep this late? She fell out of bed, stumbled around, tripped over boxes of packed books and her sister's personal things, and made it out Jana Lee's door to the upstairs bathroom she and Carly shared. She heard the sounds of work coming from downstairs. Good God, it was Friday.

In the streaky medicine cabinet mirror she saw a ghost. Oh, now wait, it was
her.
Here she was supposed to be resting, and all she saw was a twisted-up, tired woman reflected back. The lines on her forehead seemed deeper. Her eyes had dark circles under them. Guess her mother had been right when she'd said, "Don't frown like that, Jilly, your face will stick that way."