Safe? She rethought her choice of words, appalled. Safety had nothing to do with it. She would never let herself be a victim again, regardless of her position. It was just that encounter with Stacy that upset her.
She glanced around her office, with its Berber carpeting and built-in walnut shelves. When she moved up the ladder, shed have mahogany, and the door with the frosted-glass window would be replaced by a solid one.
Those little nuances spelled out ones relative importance to the company. She didnt have to be content with a cubicle any longer, and if the frosted glass served to isolate her from colleagues, that was just part of success.
A tap at the door startled her. She frowned at the shadow behind the frosted glass before taking a quick look into her pocket mirror. It was probably just her secretary, but it wouldnt do to be caught looking less than her best.
Come in.
But it wasnt her secretary. Brendan Flanagan, his clerical collar looking decidedly out of place in the capitalist confines of Gray Enterprises, popped his head around the door.
Hope Im not disturbing you.
He was, but she could hardly say so. How did you find me? Actually, that was silly. He could have asked Nolie, if he wanted to know anything about her.
He let the door swing shut and crossed to the desk. I knew you worked for Harvey Gray. Harvey is one of my parishioners.
So maybe he wasnt as out of place here as shed assumed.
I didnt realize. She gestured to the visitors chair, which was placed at a distance from her deska careful calculation to preserve her air of authority. Sit down.
Instead of taking the seat shed indicated, Brendan propped himself against her desk, intruding into her space. She edged her chair back an inch.
What brings you here?
And why was she letting his presence make her feel uncomfortable in her own office? She glanced around the room, mentally contrasting its elegance with the Spartan surroundings of Brendans office. This room never failed to assure her that she had it made.
He pulled something out of his suit pocket and put it on her pristine blotter. A fifty-dollar bill.
She stared at it, uncomprehending. Whats that?
Its from Stacy.
Stacy. That brought her gaze to search his face. Shes turned up? She hadnt realized until that moment that shed actually been worrying about that ungrateful kid.
Brendan leaned toward her across the desk, his smile inviting her to join him in celebrating. An hour ago she walked into the church, apologizing. I told her she owed my aunt and uncle the apology, not me.
All of you, I think. She was more relieved than shed have thought possible. After all, she barely knew the girl, and that was the way she planned to keep it. I guess that means shes going to let you help her.
He lifted an eyebrow, as if she should know the answer to that. Not exactly.
What do you mean, not exactly? A sense of foreboding gripped her.
Stacy wants to talk. I figure she can be your first project.
She could only stare at him, appalled at the very idea. Project? What on earth are you talking about?
He waved the bill again. Our deal. Remember? You agreed that if I was right to trust Stacy, youd help out with my teens.
She couldnt have agreed to any such thing, could she? I didnt.
You did. His lips twitched. Youre not by any chance trying to get out of our deal, are you, Ms. Delany?
Of course she was. Her mind scrambled frantically for an excuse hed accept. You asked me to help them prepare for jobs, thats all.
Not deal with abuse. Her stomach clenched.
If Stacy thought she could get along all right on her own, shed be less likely to stay in a bad relationship.
He was more right about that than he probably knew, but that didnt mean she could do this.
Stacy wouldnt want to talk to me. I wasnt even nice to her.
Oddly enough, that seems to have made an impression on her. She said you were real. He shrugged. As opposed to me, apparently.
Does that bother you? She jumped at the chance to turn the subject toward him, but he just shook his head.
This isnt about me. Its about Stacy. And the agreement you made. He leaned toward her across the desk again, his eyes so intent they seemed to probe her soul.
She drew back, putting a few more inches between herself and that magnetic gaze. Im not a social worker. I cant help her.
You dont know that. For some reason, Stacy seems to relate to you.
Because the girl sensed that Claire had once been where she was? Nonsense. She couldnt possibly.
Thats very flattering, but Ive got my hands full already with my work and the wedding. I cant take on anything else.
You said you would.
She opened her mouth to protest, but he had her, and they both knew it.
There was still a way out of this. If she told Brendan about her past, hed trip all over himself apologizing for trying to involve her in something so painful to a person with her history.
She wouldnt. She wouldnt give him a reason to look at her with pity. Nobody got to pity her.
She came to a reluctant conclusion. I just have to talk to her, right?
He shrugged. I think your conscience will tell you what to do from there.
If he only knew. I wouldnt be so sure of that, Pastor. My conscience is pretty elastic after a number of years in the business world.
I trust you.
Really, that smile of his ought to be outlawed.
If I do this, youre going to owe me big-time.
What do you want?
We both know that. You cooperate with my plans for the wedding.
Only if Nolie and Gabe agree. Thats the other part of our deal, remember?
Fine. Theyll agree. She was confident she knew what Nolie wanted, and Gabe was so in love that hed do anything that made Nolie happy.
Then I guess you have a deal, Ms. Delany. Brendan held out his hand, his face serious but with a smile lurking in those changeable eyes.
She put her hand in his, her apprehension stirring. That wave of warmth hit again. Being prepared didnt seem to prevent it.
She had to catch her breath before she could speak evenly. All right, a deal. When do you want me to get together with Stacy?
I told her youd be at the church tonight around nine. Usually some of the kids stop by then, and thatll make her feel safer. He got off her desk. And were having dinner with Gabe and Nolie at the Flanagan house at six. We can find out then what kind of wedding they want.
She glared at him. You were taking an awful lot for granted, werent you?
We both get what we want. Whats wrong with that? He gave her an innocent look she didnt buy.
For a minister youre something of an opportunist, you know that?
He grinned. For a businesswoman, youre something of a do-gooder, Ms. Delany. Maybe we bring out the best in each other.
Or the worst.
He headed for the door. I guess well find out, wont we?
Brendan had been trying to figure out Claires opinion of the Flanagan family throughout the whole meal, and he didnt quite have it pegged yet. He forked a bite of his Aunt Siobhans excellent apple crumb pie into his mouth and watched while Claire parried Uncle Joes questions about the inner workings of Gray Enterprises.
Or the worst.
He headed for the door. I guess well find out, wont we?
Brendan had been trying to figure out Claires opinion of the Flanagan family throughout the whole meal, and he didnt quite have it pegged yet. He forked a bite of his Aunt Siobhans excellent apple crumb pie into his mouth and watched while Claire parried Uncle Joes questions about the inner workings of Gray Enterprises.
Claires polish and sophistication would probably make her at home anywhere, but she definitely hadnt wanted to attend this family dinner. Shed come, because he hadnt given her much choice if she wanted his cooperation with the wedding, but she seemed to be doing a great job of resisting the famous Flanagan charm.
He glanced around the long oval table that had been the scene of countless family dinners over three generations of Flanagans. The crowd was smaller than usual tonight, out of deference to the fact that Gabe and Nolie were supposed to be having a quiet evening to plan their wedding.
Only Seth, the brother who came next after Gabe, sat at the table, coaxing his toddler son to try a bite of apple. Davy grinned, snatched the apple slice, and rubbed it through his fine, red-gold hair.
This had been home to Brendan for so long that he sometimes managed to forget his earlier life. Sometimes, but not for long. His father had been Uncle Joes brother, after all, and an innocent phrase or gesture could bring that past surging back.
Joe held center stage at the moment, as he so often did, while Siobhan watched him, quietly smiling. Hed turn soon to his favorite subject.
And did you know that all the Flanagans were members of the Suffolk Fire Department, Ms. Delany?
Ive heard something about that, yes. Claires gaze met Brendans. I guess Brendan broke the family tradition, didnt he?
Youd think that, but youd be wrong, Joe said triumphantly. Brendan might be a minister, but hes also the chaplain of the fire department.
Claires eyebrows lifted. Yes, he told me. Hes talented, isnt he?
Thats our Brendan. And he doesnt just go through the motions. Hes a fully qualified firefighter, too. Id count on him to take the hose in just as much as I would Gabe or Seth or Ryan.
Leave me out of it, Gabe said. He smiled at Nolie, and the love that shone between them was so bright it hurt to look. Ive got another full-time job now.
And a good one it is, too, Joe said quickly.
After an accident on the job left Gabe prone to seizures that ended his career, theyd all feared hed never be himself again. Then Nolie and the service animals she trained had given him a new purpose in life.
Max, Gabes seizure alert dog, lay beside his chair. Gabe and Nolie were totally involved in expanding her services to give more people a fresh start.
They all owed a great deal to Nolie. Brendan wondered, not for the first time, at the strong bond between Nolie and Claire. They seemed such total opposites. Nolie was all warmth and caring, more comfortable in jeans working with her animals than anywhere else.
Claire didnt look as if she ever wore anything as casual as jeans. Even the clothes shed chosen for a simple family dinner, black slacks and cream silk shirt, declared that. Against the shirt, her hair was a helmet of burnished copper.
Hed have guessed Claire was the type of woman to have few women friends, obsessed as she seemed to be with her career. Whatever the secret to her bond with Nolie was, Gabe probably knew it, but Gabe wasnt telling.
Lets take our coffee into the living room and be comfortable, Siobhan suggested. We can talk about the wedding there.
Brendan slid his arm around his aunts waist as they got up. That was a wonderful meal. He kissed her cheek. As always.
You should know, Seth gibed. Youre always here.
Im invited, he retorted. Whats your excuse?
Since young Davy chose that moment to throw a bit of apple at his father, Seth didnt respond. Brendan escaped to the living room.
Seth would get his revenge at some point, of course. That was part of being more like brothers than cousins.
Joe was giving Claire the grand tour of the wall that was covered with fire department photos and citations. He glanced at Gabe, who rolled his eyes. There was no sidetracking Uncle Joe when he got started on his favorite topic.
That picture is me and my two brothers when we joined up, more years ago than I care to remember, Joe said, gesturing to a faded black-and-white photo. We thought we were pretty hot stuff the first time we put those uniforms on.
Claire leaned closer, studying the picture as if she really were interested in Flanagan family history. Which one is Brendans father?
His stomach clenched, but at least shed asked Joe, not him. Joe pointed.
Thats my brother John, Brendans dad. He was a year younger than me.
And a million miles different in temperament. But probably his uncle was able to remember some of the good things about his little brother.
Claire took a step or two along the wall, looking at one citation after another. Nobody could fault the Flanagans when it came to courage. They had more than their share of citations attesting to that.
Distinguished Fire Service Award, Claire read. John Patrick Flanagan. She glanced at him. This was your fathers.
He nodded. The highest award given by the department. He was pleased that his voice sounded so level.
I should think youd want to have this in your office, she said. Or your home.
How he kept his expression steady he wasnt sure. What was it with this woman? How could she manage to put her finger right on the sore spot and push?
Aunt Siobhan keeps the awards, he said lightly. I wouldnt want to leave a hole in her display.
He carried his coffee to a chair and sat, only to discover that Gabe was watching him with concern. Okay, maybe he wasnt hiding his feelings as well as he thought, at least not from Gabe, who knew him better than anyone. But Claire would never guess.
He glanced at his watch. Im sorry to interrupt the grand tour, Uncle Joe, but maybe wed better get started on the wedding arrangements. I have to be back at the church by nine.
Uncle Joe nodded, but Gabe gave him a quizzical look. I thought wed already decided. A simple, quiet ceremony, just family and a few friends. Nolie and I are too busy with the expansion project to do anything else.
Some of his tension eased. Surely Claire would see that they had to do this Gabe and Nolies way.
Claire has some other ideas he began, but Claire interrupted him.
Im the closest thing Nolie has to family. Her voice was determined. I want to give her a real wedding with all the trimmings. Shes only going to do this once. It should be a day to remember.
He waited for Nolie to insist that what she wanted was the simple ceremony Gabe had talked about.
Claire, I cant let you do that, Nolie said, her blue eyes troubled. Its too expensive, and besides, we just dont have enough time. Were so busy with the farm we cant take care of all those arrangements.
Thats why I want you to let me do it. The firm set of Claires jaw suggested that neither money nor time would deter her. You should have a perfect wedding. Her look softened. You and Gabe deserve it. Let me do this for youit would be my gift to you both. Please.