Sometimes she skated with one or the other. Once when Luc came
close, she Went off by herself. Wherever she was on the ice, she was constantly
aware of his piercing gaze.
When it was time to go, both Mark and
Mary held back. "Aw, Misty, just a little while longer," Mary begged.
"Come on, Misty," Mark
wheedled.
"It's nice today. Not as crowded as
other days," Janie offered.
Misty hesitated, wanting to please the
children but knowing that if she didn't leave now she wouldn't have time for a
nap before she had to go to work. Luc took the decision out of her hands.
"Everybody off with the
skates," he commanded, sending the twins and Janie scurrying to the
sidelines.
Misty stared after them, amazed to see
that they appeared neither angry nor sullen. She glanced up at Luc. "Thank
you. I should get home."
"But you would have given in to
them," Luc said softly, a flicker of warmth in his brown eyes.
Misty shrugged. "I suppose so."
"You need someone to take care of
you."
She stiffened; her temper flared.
"No, thank you," she said coolly. "I take care of myself."
She skated away, her back ramrod straight.
As they rode home on the bus, Luc and
Misty sat close together but didn't speak. Misty was content to listen to the
children's chatter. Gradually her ire settled into a renewed resolve not to get
caught in any man's trap ever again.
Luc walked with them to the house, saw
them inside, and left with his niece, his quiet nod toward Misty in marked
contrast to the children's noisy good-byes.
Misty didn't stay long either, although
she could tell Aileen was dying to ask her about the afternoon she had spent
with Luc Harrison. "I really do have to get some sleep, so I'll pass on
the offer of coffee," she told her disappointed friend.
Misty went up to her own apartment,
deliberately erasing Luc Harrison from her thoughts. After packing the carrier
with makeup and accessories, she climbed into the water bed, curled into a
ball, and willed herself to go to sleep.
In the end she overslept and had to race
through the apartment, making her bed, showering, and pulling on a pair of pale
green velvet jeans and a matching chamois vest. Her emerald green blouse was
almost the same color as her eyes. She wore tiny earrings that she would later
exchange for dangling gold ones to complement her persimmon-colored silk
dress.
She took the elevator downstairs, her
purse and carrier bumping against her legs.
"Good night, Misty. Take care,"
Dave called out from the doorway of his apartment. "Why don't you hail a
taxi instead of taking all that stuff on the bus?"
"I'm fine," she assured him,
closing the heavy oak door behind her and hurrying down the stoop. Since she
could afford a taxi only once a day, she saved it for coming home.
She had reached the sidewalk and was
hitching the carrier higher on her shoulder when a familiar voice said,
"I'll take that for you." She turned, aghast. Luc was standing beside
her, removing the carrier from her shoulder and stuffing it into the trunk of a
bronze-colored Ferrari parked at the curb.
Her mouth agape, Misty made no move to
protest when he opened the passenger door and ushered her inside. "Where
did you come from?" she demanded. "I didn't see you when I came out
the door." She sank back against the soft leather upholstery; she knew she
should get out of the car but for some reason she was unable to do so.
"You were too busy wrestling with
that carrier. Do you take the bus to work every night?"
"I don't work every night."
Feeling his gaze on her,
Misty kept her eyes focused straight
ahead. "You're a proud little thing."
"I don't know why you keep coming
around. We said everything there was to say yesterday morning."
"Not quite," he disagreed,
firing the powerful engine and pulling smoothly into heavy traffic.
"But why do you keep coming?"
she repeated, confused. "I won't change my mind."
"I know. I've changed mine."
"About what?"
He didn't answer. Instead he concentrated
on maneuvering the
close, she Went off by herself. Wherever she was on the ice, she was constantly
aware of his piercing gaze.
When it was time to go, both Mark and
Mary held back. "Aw, Misty, just a little while longer," Mary begged.
"Come on, Misty," Mark
wheedled.
"It's nice today. Not as crowded as
other days," Janie offered.
Misty hesitated, wanting to please the
children but knowing that if she didn't leave now she wouldn't have time for a
nap before she had to go to work. Luc took the decision out of her hands.
"Everybody off with the
skates," he commanded, sending the twins and Janie scurrying to the
sidelines.
Misty stared after them, amazed to see
that they appeared neither angry nor sullen. She glanced up at Luc. "Thank
you. I should get home."
"But you would have given in to
them," Luc said softly, a flicker of warmth in his brown eyes.
Misty shrugged. "I suppose so."
"You need someone to take care of
you."
She stiffened; her temper flared.
"No, thank you," she said coolly. "I take care of myself."
She skated away, her back ramrod straight.
As they rode home on the bus, Luc and
Misty sat close together but didn't speak. Misty was content to listen to the
children's chatter. Gradually her ire settled into a renewed resolve not to get
caught in any man's trap ever again.
Luc walked with them to the house, saw
them inside, and left with his niece, his quiet nod toward Misty in marked
contrast to the children's noisy good-byes.
Misty didn't stay long either, although
she could tell Aileen was dying to ask her about the afternoon she had spent
with Luc Harrison. "I really do have to get some sleep, so I'll pass on
the offer of coffee," she told her disappointed friend.
Misty went up to her own apartment,
deliberately erasing Luc Harrison from her thoughts. After packing the carrier
with makeup and accessories, she climbed into the water bed, curled into a
ball, and willed herself to go to sleep.
In the end she overslept and had to race
through the apartment, making her bed, showering, and pulling on a pair of pale
green velvet jeans and a matching chamois vest. Her emerald green blouse was
almost the same color as her eyes. She wore tiny earrings that she would later
exchange for dangling gold ones to complement her persimmon-colored silk
dress.
She took the elevator downstairs, her
purse and carrier bumping against her legs.
"Good night, Misty. Take care,"
Dave called out from the doorway of his apartment. "Why don't you hail a
taxi instead of taking all that stuff on the bus?"
"I'm fine," she assured him,
closing the heavy oak door behind her and hurrying down the stoop. Since she
could afford a taxi only once a day, she saved it for coming home.
She had reached the sidewalk and was
hitching the carrier higher on her shoulder when a familiar voice said,
"I'll take that for you." She turned, aghast. Luc was standing beside
her, removing the carrier from her shoulder and stuffing it into the trunk of a
bronze-colored Ferrari parked at the curb.
Her mouth agape, Misty made no move to
protest when he opened the passenger door and ushered her inside. "Where
did you come from?" she demanded. "I didn't see you when I came out
the door." She sank back against the soft leather upholstery; she knew she
should get out of the car but for some reason she was unable to do so.
"You were too busy wrestling with
that carrier. Do you take the bus to work every night?"
"I don't work every night."
Feeling his gaze on her,
Misty kept her eyes focused straight
ahead. "You're a proud little thing."
"I don't know why you keep coming
around. We said everything there was to say yesterday morning."
"Not quite," he disagreed,
firing the powerful engine and pulling smoothly into heavy traffic.
"But why do you keep coming?"
she repeated, confused. "I won't change my mind."
"I know. I've changed mine."
"About what?"
He didn't answer. Instead he concentrated
on maneuvering the
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