Jane smoothed her skirt again, then started toward the elevator. Just remain calm and everything will be just fine. After all, she didnt know his motivations in sending her the contract. Maybe this was just his way of convincing her to accept a date.
Thats it, she said, the notion taking hold. Will McCaffrey was a handsome, sexy guy, the kind of guy any woman would want to marry. Hed never be forced to rely on an old contract to get a wife. He could walk down Michigan Avenue with a cardboard sign and come up with ten or fifteen candidates within a single city block. So why was he so determined to go out with her?
The elevator opened on a wide hallway. Directly in front of her, glass doors marked the entrance to the offices of McCaffrey Commercial Properties. A pretty receptionist waited behind a circular desk and smiled as Jane walked through the doors. Good afternoon, she said. May I help you?
Im here to see Will McCaffrey, Jane said.
You must be Miss Singleton. She stepped around the desk. Mr. McCaffrey asked that I show you to his office. Hes in a meeting right now, but he should be through momentarily. Is there anything I can get for you?
Jane was tempted to ask for a blindfold so she wouldnt have to stare at Wills handsome face, or maybe earplugs so she wouldnt have to listen to his tantalizing voice. Or maybe a bottle of Valium to calm her nerves and quell her racing heart. No, thank you, Im fine.
The receptionist led her down a long hall and opened a door at the end of it. Ill let Mr. McCaffrey know youre here.
Thanks, Jane said.
After the receptionist walked out, Jane wandered around Wills office, too nervous to sit. His law school diploma was displayed prominently behind his desk and the credenza held a variety of photos, most of them featuring either exotic locales or a golden retriever. What she didnt find was a photo of a wife, or even a girlfriend. Jane ignored the tiny thrill of satisfaction that raced through her. Whether he was involved in a relationship or completely single shouldnt make a difference. She picked up a photo of the dog and stared at it.
His name is Thurgood.
Jane spun around to find Will standing in the doorway, his shoulder braced against the doorjamb. Her heart stopped for a long moment and she had to gulp down a breath to get it started again. Hescute, she murmured.
Hes a big mooch and he sheds all over everything. But I love him. What about you? Do you have any pets?
Jane shifted uneasily, her feet starting to hurt from the high heels she wore. She wasnt sure what to say. Were they going to waste time with chitchat, or was he planning to explain himself? Wills gaze fixed on her face as he waited for her answer.
With a silent curse, Jane fumbled through her purse and pulled out the copy of the contract. She unfolded it and held it out to him. You sent this to me.
Yes, I did, Will said, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.
Why?
I thought I made that clear in the letter, he replied.
You cant be serious. Jane glanced down at contract. This was just a whim fueled by a fair bit of champagne and whiskey. Hed been drunk and feeling sorry for himself and shed been caught up in a fantasy that the subject of her silly crush might actually show up in six years, contract in hand.
And now he had. She looked up to see Will sweep a bouquet of roses out from behind his back. These are for you, he said, grinning, the dimple appearing on his cheek. English roses. Your favorite, right?
A shiver skittered down her spine and her indignation wavered. All hed ever had to do was smile at her and shed agree to anything from doing his laundry to typing his term papers to helping him pick out gifts for the endless string of girls in his life. Will had always been too charming for his own goodand hers.
But hed always been a man so completely unattainable that hed taken on mythic proportions in her mindthe classic profile, a body chiseled by the gods, hands so strong yet sensitive they promised to drive her wildJane groaned inwardly. Just a few minutes in his presence and her fantasies were back full force. Its going to take a lot more than roses and this ridiculous contract to make me marry you.
He took a step toward her, his grin widening. Then tell me what you want, Janie.
She risked another look at him. Features that had once been almost boyish had taken on a harder edge. He seemed powerful, determined. If he was really bent on marriage, then she was hip-deep in troubleboth legal and emotional. Because when Will McCaffrey wanted something, he usually found a way to get it. She cursed silently at her racing pulse and the flush that warmed her cheeks. Le-lets suppose for a moment this contract is legal, which I dont think it is. You were drunk and I wasunder the influence She drew a shaky breath. Why would you want to marry me anyway? We havent talked since that day you graduated from law school.
He slowly crossed the room and stood in front of her. The scent of the roses made her head swim and she held her breath, wondering just how much closer he would come, praying he wouldnt touch her.
There had been a time when shed remembered every single time hed grabbed her hand or brushed his shoulder against hers. Shed carried around a catalog of such events in her head for years and had taken pains to forget them all. Will McCaffrey was no longer the subject of a silly crush or her rampant fantasies. He was a flesh and blood man, a man who still had the capacity to trample her heart and shred her soul.
Maybe not, he said. But that doesnt mean I havent thought about you.
That doesnt count, Jane said. In truth, shed thought about him hundreds, maybe even thousands of timesnot in the past six years but just in the past week since shed seen him on the street. Her attention flitted from his startling blue eyes ringed with thick dark lashes to the tiny dimple in his left cheek, once so familiar. There was still so much of the college boy left in him even though the neatly groomed hair and finely pressed suit made him the picture of respectability.
Come on, Janie. We were friends once, why cant we be again? We were good together.
Did you suffer a head injury recently? she demanded. Have you spent time in a psychiatric hospital? Or are you just seriously delusional? We were never together. You were together with half the girls on campus, but never with me.
Youre the only girlI mean, womanthat Ive ever had a friendship with. And Im beginning to realize how rare that really is.
He reached out and smoothed his palm along the length of her arm. Shed watched him charm so many women, studied his techniques and imagined herself on the receiving end of his attentions. Well, she wasnt going to fall for his tricks! Lets just be honest here.
Great, Will said. Now were getting somewhere. Lets just lay it all out on the table. Im all for honesty.
For some reason, you suddenly feel the need to marry me. Maybe youre in the midst of some early midlife crisis. Or maybe youve run through all the single women in the Chicago metro area. Or maybe all your buddies have settled down and you dont have anyone to party with. But rather than dating a woman and going the traditional route, you dug up this contract and wrote me a letter. I suppose you thought Id jump at the offer. After all, a girl like me would be a fool to turn down an offer of marriage from a guy like you.
He opened his mouth to speak, a frown of confusion furrowing his brow. What is that supposed to mean?
It means Im not going to marry you! We dont even know each other. She paused. Anymore. And I dont remember signing this contract. She crumpled it up and shoved it at his chest.
It was a lie. She remembered every moment of that night. Shed been the one to insist they have a witness sign, as well, shed been the one whod actually wanted the document to be legal, dreamed that someday he might come back and try to enforce it.
Will drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. Youve changed, Janie. You used to be so
Weak, pathetic, spineless? Im not that same silly girl who used to hang on your every word, who used to bake you cookies and mend your shirts.
Thats not what I was going to say. He reached out and hesitantly touched her cheek, drawing his thumb over her lower lip. Youre not a girl at all, Janie. Youre a woman. A very beautiful, passionate, stubborn woman.
Jane closed her eyes, losing herself for a moment in the warmth of his hand. Oh, God. This was it. This was the start to one of her top five fantasies! In a few moments, hed sweep her into his arms and kiss her, ravaging her mouth with his lips. And if by some bizarre shift in the cosmos, her fantasy became reality, then she might as well start shopping for a white dress and a bridal bouquet and those little candy-coated almonds tied up in tulle that always sat on the dinner tables at weddings.
There was no way she was going to avoid falling in love with Will McCaffrey all over againand right now, with her heart slamming in her chest and her pulse racing, she wasnt even sure shed ever fallen out of love with him in the first place.
She swallowed hard. What do you want from me? she asked, her voice wavering.
I just want you to forget the past. I want you to go out to dinner with me tonight. I want to share a bottle of champagne and get to know you all over again.
Jane ground her teeth. Why was he so determined to pull her in again? Couldnt he sense what this would cost her? She shook her head. No. Im not going to date you and Im not going to marry you!
Why not? he demanded, frustration coloring his tone. Whats wrong with me? Im a decent guy. The way youre acting youd think I was some psychotic ax murderer with a hump on his back and halitosis.
Theres nothing wrong with you. Were just notsuited.
Will chuckled softly, shaking his head. How can you possibly know that?
I just do, Jane replied.
Will shrugged and stepped away from her, the warmth of his touch suddenly going cold. Then I guess Ill see you in court.
Jane closed her eyes and tried to school her temper. We have to be able to reach some sort of compromise. If you hadnt run into me on the street the other day, you never would have remembered the contract. And we both would have gone on with our lives.
Maybe so, he said. But we did meet again and whether that was destiny or providence, I dont care. It made me realize how much I missed you. And how much I want you in my life again.
Jane forced herself not to dwell on his words. They were all part of his plan to charm her, to suck all the common sense out of her brain so he could have his way with her. And marriage is the answer? What if I agree to a date? Doesnt that seem a more logical first step?
I asked and you said no. Besides, now that I think about it, Im sick and tired of dating. Im ready to move on with my life, Will said. He sat down at his desk and leaned back in his chair, linking his fingers behind his head and watching her with a bland smile.
If he wanted a fight, then she was fully prepared to give him one! Jane braced her hands on his desk and leaned over it, meeting his gaze with a glare of her own. Im not going to marry you. Im not going to date you. In fact, I never want to see you again. If you think you can enforce your silly contract, then try it. I dare you.
Her heart pounding, Jane strode to the door and yanked it open. She briefly considered turning around and throwing a few more threats his way, but in the end, she made a quick escape. One more look at Will McCaffrey might be just what it took to push her over the edge, into a strange fantasy world where she really could marry him and live happily-ever-after.
When she reached the elevator, she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. Images of Will swam in her head and Jane groaned softly. Fighting him seemed to be the only option. Or was it?
I just need time, she murmured, her desperation thick in her voice. Time to sort out her financial problems without the threat of an expensive court case hanging over her head. Time to come to grips with her attraction to a man she couldnt possibly love. And time to convince herself that Will McCaffrey wasnt the man of her dreams.
Yet, in a secret corner of her heart, she wondered what might happen if she agreed to marry him. Would he get scared and back down, deftly avoiding commitment as he had in the past? Or would he actually fulfill the terms of their contract and walk down the aisle with her?
Jane groaned softly, her mind spinning with the possibilities. What if she never found out for sure and lived to regret it? The choices she made today might seem like her only option. But how would they look in ten or fifteen years?