Eclipse of the Heart (9 page)

His willingness to sit quietly soothed her somehow. He
didn't offer platitudes or change the subject.

She'd experienced a terrible loss and his silent comfort
acknowledged the pain, and the fact that nothing could be done about it. It was
simply something that had to be borne. Had she sensed that he would know how to
react calmly, soothing her by his mere presence?

She suddenly wondered about his family. He'd never mentioned
anyone, but of course she'd hardly known him more than a couple of days. He
must have someone. Everyone did.

Now was not the time to ask. She didn't want to destroy the
odd peace of this moment.

The conductor strode onto the stage, acknowledged the
applause, and Amanda allowed herself to be swept into the music.

The concert was beautiful, and Amanda felt grateful to Logan
for providing the treat. He was a wonderful escort, knowledgeable about the
music, solicitous of her comfort. When they returned to the hotel, he dominated
the entire lobby with his broad-shouldered presence. Amanda saw other women
eyeing him and she was ashamed to feel a spurt of pride to be walking beside
him. He wasn't hers, and there was no point in pretending even for one second
that he might ever be hers.

He touched her arm to halt her just before they reached the
elevators.

"I'm meeting someone in the bar," he said calmly.
"So I'll say goodnight here. I've scheduled the jet for 9 a.m."

Amanda's jaw dropped. He was leaving her? An unpleasant
emotion flared within her, but she couldn't take the time to analyze it. She
had to respond.

"Okay. I'll be ready at 8." She couldn't meet his
gaze. She was afraid of what he might see there.

"Excellent." Was his voice a little too hearty?

She fled for the elevators, finally recognizing the nameless
emotion.

Jealousy.

Oh, she was in trouble already.

Amanda arrived at work early on Tuesday morning so she could
grab a cup of coffee and a bagel from the company cafeteria. She spotted Rosie
waving from a far corner and walked over with her tray.

Rosie snorted as Amanda approached. "Now we know why
you've been christened 'Hump a Frump'."

The tray clattered as Amanda almost dropped it on the table.
"
Hu
—" She couldn't repeat the words.
"That's awful! Who said that?"

Rosie shrugged.
"Thought you should
know.
You want to be careful."

"Help!"
Amanda plopped
down into one of the hard plastic chairs. "Who said that to you? Is it all
over the company?"

"If it's not now, it will be soon." Rosie's face
softened in pity. "I'm sure it came from Phoebe Cattus. That woman has a
vicious tongue. Add some jealousy to the mix, and it gets ugly."

"Jealousy?
She has nothing to
be jealous about."

"Maybe not."
Rosie shook
a packet of sweetener into her coffee. "But that's not going to stop
her."

"What will?"

"You could try getting rid of the 'frump' look."

"It's the 'hump' part I'm worried about." Amanda
put down the bagel she'd just picked up. Her appetite had fled.

"The 'hump' part is Phoebe's fantasy, right?"
Rosie raised her eyebrows. "She's been after that man since the day she
started with the company."

"What do you mean, 'right'?" Amanda leaned over
the table. "You don't think I'm sleeping with him, do you?"

"No," Rosie said, a trace of uncertainty in her
voice. "But the way he looks at you—"

"He looks at me with annoyance and frustration because
I'm a woman who doesn't fall at his feet."

"He looks at you like he's the biggest cat in the
jungle and you're the sweetest catnip he's ever seen."

"That hardly means I'm sleeping with him!"

"Well," Rosie argued, "you could pull the
stinger out of the 'frump' part of the phrase if you dressed better."

"These are my clothes." Amanda gestured to
the—okay, frumpy—outfit she wore. "I can't afford a new wardrobe." In
truth, she'd spent money she didn't have to buy a few extra-dowdy items. She
figured the best way to keep her new boss from pursuing her for sex would be to
make
herself
unsexy.

"No problem." Rosie leaned forward eagerly.
"I could help you. I live for cheap makeovers."

"Thanks, Rosie. That's kind of you." Amanda
sighed.

She knew Rosie meant well. But, after the trip to
Philadelphia, she was pretty sure Logan had abandoned his brief plan to pursue
her. She needed to make sure he remained uninterested, because she was afraid
that she was too weak where he was concerned. If he did pursue her, she might
succumb, thereby destroying all her plans. It would only be a matter of time
before he tired of her, and then her job here would be over. As well as her
insurance benefits for her sister.

On the other hand, if the nickname Rosie had told her about
continued to circulate, people might assume she was sleeping with Logan
regardless of the lack of evidence, and her professional credibility could be
shot.

She needed a solution. An attractive man walked by, and an
answer popped into her head. She needed a boyfriend. That would not only
discourage Logan, but it would also stymie company gossip.

Rosie followed her gaze, and then shook her head. "He's
married."

"Not everyone is." Amanda stood up. She had to
hitch up her skirt, which
was
a little big around
the waist since she'd wanted an unfashionably long length. "Thanks, Rosie,
for the offer. This look works for me."

"Let me know when you change your mind," Rosie
said cheerfully.

Amanda began plotting her strategy even as she dropped off
her tray at the conveyor belt. She hadn't dated much since her sister's
condition worsened. She simply didn't have the time. But the company rumor mill
had given a whole new direction to her thoughts. She had to squash those
rumors, and in a way that left no doubt in anyone's mind about the fact that
she was not the latest mistress of Logan Winter.

Therefore, her new boyfriend would have to be someone from
the company. Luckily, there were plenty of young men working at Winter
Enterprises.

The place to start looking was the staff meeting on schedule
for 9 a.m. this morning. She'd already met enough of Logan's direct reports to
know there were some good dating prospects among the men. The meeting would be
the perfect opportunity for her to embark on her new plan.

Fortunately, when she entered the conference room, Logan was
not present yet. He'd only be a distraction to what she was trying to
accomplish. She glanced around to see who was in attendance today.

Clark Bessemer was already seated at his place to the right
of Logan's chair. He was not a potential boyfriend candidate, not only because
he was middle-aged, but also because he wore a wedding ring.

They exchanged greetings and Amanda took a seat at the
middle of the table.

Next to saunter in was Phoebe Cattus. Ugh. She was filling in
this week for her boss who was on vacation. The blonde shot a venomous look at
Amanda and flounced to a seat next to Clark.

Two middle-aged women followed.
Letty from
HR, a thin, elegant black woman with a swan-like neck, and Maria Lopez, who
headed up the Marketing Department.

Finally, a viable target entered. Josh Gilroy. Everything
about him radiated confidence, from his pleasant smile and calm demeanor, to
his rich tenor voice and well-fitted suit. Amanda suspected he was a bit older
than he appeared to be since he was already head of the Treasury Department,
filling in this week for the Vice-President of Finance, who was away.

Josh was wearing a preppy Vineyard Vines tie, with yellow
whales on a pale blue background. He stopped next to her, said "Good
morning," and placed his briefcase on the conference table next to hers.
When he sat down, she could smell a pleasant aroma of coffee and mint. Clean
and cool. She smiled warmly at him.

He leaned his head down to speak quietly to her.
"Ready for the daily drama?"

Amanda giggled. Yesterday's drama had featured Phoebe pacing
back and forcing in front of the white board, declaring she needed to double
her budget if anyone expected the company website to remain at the top ranking
in the search engines.

Maria had taken her on, arguing for any extra money to go
directly to the marketing department where it could be more effectively spent
than on "some website that no one ever looks at."

Phoebe hadn't taken that well and the battle raged until
Logan raised one hand.

"No one's budget will be increasing this month."
His quiet words fell into a bucket of silence, and no one had dared to venture
another comment.

Now Josh winked at her, just as Logan slipped in through the
door from his office. Logan's dark gaze flew from Amanda to Josh and back again
to Amanda. She thought his lips tightened, but that might have been a trick of
the lighting.

Logan strode over to his seat and yanked out his chair just
as Philip
Barnston
bounded in. His purple tie,
complementing a purple and white striped dress shirt, introduced a carnival
atmosphere into the room. "Hey, Amanda, love." Philip headed in her
direction. "Thanks for saving me a seat." Sliding in to the empty
seat next to her he flashed a grin, and offered her a stick of gum.

She shook her head no, frowning slightly at the way he'd
singled her out. His blonde hair waved back from his forehead in a perfectly
styled cut that had undoubtedly set him back more than a hundred dollars.
Though he was a bit too boyishly Hugh
Grantish
for
her taste, she couldn't rule him out. He seemed disposed to like her and he was
certainly young and attractive.

With a final cool glance in the direction of Amanda, Logan
began the meeting. He didn't look her way again unless she spoke, and she
wasn't sure if she should be grateful or alarmed.

Alarm won the day when the meeting ended and everyone rose
in a buzz of talk and scraping chairs.

"Amanda." Logan had to raise his voice a bit to
call down the table. "I'd like to see you in my office."

Her head jerked up in surprise. But she managed to reply
calmly enough, "Be right there."

"Hey, Amanda."
Josh
touched her arm.

She turned to look at him. "What—"

"Amanda." Logan's deep voice cut through the
post-meeting buzz. "Now, if you please."

"Geez," she muttered under her breath. "The
drama continues."

"He's not too bad," Josh murmured.
"As long as you don’t make any mistakes."

Amanda watched covertly as Logan tucked his laptop under his
arm and strode from the room. What did he want with her? Had he seen her flirting
with Josh? Was that the cause of the thunderous scowl on his face?

No, she couldn't be so arrogant as to suppose it was. She
reminded herself of how he'd left her both nights in Philadelphia. He was
hardly pining after her.

On that thought, courage spurted through her. She had her
own life to make and it certainly wasn't going to revolve around Logan Winter.

She walked into his office, faking a confidence she didn't
really feel. He'd been facing out the window, but he swiveled around at her
approach. She had to order herself not to gape, but it was hard. He was so
attractive. His white Oxford shirt emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, and
he'd rolled up the sleeves neatly, showing off his strong forearms.

 With the air of a man opening negotiations on an
unpleasant topic, he announced, "I have to attend a wedding next
Saturday."

"Scary." Amanda bit her cheek to keep from smiling
at the tense look on his face.

"Unavoidable." He tapped a pen against the leather
blotter on his desk.
"One of my financial backers."

"You want me to ask Rosie to order a gift?
Can't go wrong with Tiffany's."

 "Damn." He snapped his fingers. "You're
right. That's something Ms. Lockwood would have handled."

Amanda turned. "I'll get Rosie on it."

"Wait." He paused.

She raised her eyebrows. What was the problem? It wasn't
like him to hesitate over his words.

"I rarely attend such an event."

She nodded.

"Never bring a date."

She had to smile at that. "Might give
a woman ideas
."

He rolled his eyes. "You can't imagine."

"No," she said politely.

"In this case, however—" He started tapping again
with the pen. "I thought it might be useful for you to go."

"Me?" She almost dropped her laptop. "I'm not
invited."

"With me, Amanda," he snapped.

It had to be the least gracious invitation she'd ever
received.

"With you?"
She couldn't
prevent herself from repeating the words.

"No big deal." He waved a hand. "Excellent
contacts for you."

"Contacts."
She managed
to nod her head as if any of this made sense. Everyone attended weddings to
make contacts, right?

He met her gaze.
"Yes or no?"

Did she see a hint of uncertainty in the back of those gray
eyes?
Impossible.
No one in the world had more
self-possession than he did.

"Fine."

"Good." He put down the pen. "It's black tie.
8 p.m. I'll pick you up at 7."

She turned on her heel and walked out. Even if people didn't
attend weddings to make connections, it was a fact that she'd still meet
people.
People worth meeting.

Josh was standing at Rosie's desk, booking an appointment
with Logan. He turned with a smile when Amanda walked up.

"Did you survive the inquisition?" he asked
cheerfully. "You look all in one piece."