Was it possible he was bored?
Of course not. That would never happen.
It was almost midnight before he went to bed. Despite the hour, he had trouble falling asleep.
Carl had managed to get tickets for the Saturday-night performance. He picked Jodie up early enough for them to have dinner before the show.
As soon as she opened the door, he said, “You look fabulous, Ms. Cameron.”
“Come in, Carl. You look stunning yourself.”
“Stunning?” He quirked his eyebrow.
“You look like you should be modeling. Custom-made suit?”
He nodded. “So. Are we ready to go?”
“Absolutely.” She put on her coat, picked up her purse and joined him at the door.
By the time they reached the theater, Jodie had laughed so much her tears had wiped off the little makeup she wore. Not that she cared. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d so enjoyed herself.
With Dean perhaps?
Don’t go there.
Once they were seated, she said, “I can’t believe you got such good seats.”
“Actually they were a last-minute cancellation. Looks as if we lucked out.”
As the lights began to dim, Jodie noticed a couple being seated a few rows in front of them. She recognized the man immediately—it was Dean with his new girlfriend.
She couldn’t believe that they had chosen the same night to see the musical. She gave her head a quick shake of dismissal.
“Something wrong?” Carl leaned toward her to ask.
“Not really. I just saw the man I work for. He doesn’t seem to be the musical-theater kind, so I was a little surprised.” She nodded toward the couple.
“How long have you worked for him?”
“Close to five years. It’s a great company to work for. They’ve paid for me to take college courses at night. I’ll actually get my degree this spring.”
“Great benefits.”
She watched as Dean leaned over and said something to the woman he was with. She looked to be about his age, and from what Jodie could see, she appeared to be very attractive.
The overture finished and the curtains opened. After that, Jodie forgot everything else but the magical experience of musical theater.
Dean and Susan went into the lobby during intermission. He told her to wait there and he’d get them something to drink from the bar. While going through the crowd, he almost literally ran into Jodie.
“Well, hi,” he said with a slight smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Hello, Dean,” she said. “I’d like you to meet Carl Grantham.”
Dean hadn’t realized that she was with someone. He held out his hand. “Dean Logan.” The man was everything he wasn’t. Good-looking—all right, great-looking—debonair and appeared charming.
“Dean is the man I work for,” she said to Carl.
“I’m glad to meet you. Jodie was singing your praises a little earlier.”
Dean looked at Jodie and she turned a fiery red. He looked back at Carl. “That’s always good to hear. If you’ll excuse me, I was headed to the bar to get drinks for Susan and me. Good meeting you, Carl. I’ll see you at the office, Jodie.”
Dean turned his back and walked away before he did or said something outrageous. He wanted to flatten Carl and grab Jodie, proclaiming that she belonged to him and only to him. He’d never experienced such a surge of jealousy and possessiveness. What was wrong with him anyway? He’d never dated Jodie, so why should a few shared kisses last week make him feel so possessive of her, of all people? He wasn’t jealous of women he dated.
Dean glanced back at the couple, who appeared to be enjoying each other’s company. He frowned. Damn it, he didn’t want her seeing other men. When he rejoined Susan, she thanked him and said, “What a striking couple you stopped and talked to. They look perfect for each other. Are they married?”
“No. She’s my secretary.”
“I see. Jodie, isn’t it?”
“You’ve got a great memory. Yes, that’s Jodie Cameron.”
“I remember when you hired her. After a few months you couldn’t say enough good things about her.”
“Well, she’s taking another position in the company in a week or so and I’m going to need another secretary. Don’t suppose you’d be interested?”
Susan laughed. “I’m afraid not. I’m more comfortable doing private care work.”
“How do you like your present assignment?”
“I like it. In fact, the son of the man I’m caring for has shown an interest in me.”
“That’s not surprising. The question is, are you encouraging him?”
“I believe I am,” she admitted with a smile. “He’s a single parent with two children. I have no idea where their mother is. She’s never mentioned. The girls and I get along famously. They were upset that I was going out tonight with someone other than their dad.”
“A ready-made family. Is that what you want?”
Tears filled her eyes. “That’s the only way I’ll have children. I think this could turn into something serious.” She blinked away the tears. “I don’t think he was particularly enamored of my seeing you either.”
“It will do him good. We won’t tell him that you’re the sister I never had—”
“And the brother I never had,” she finished.
He touched her cheek. “You know I’ll always be there for you. Would you like me to meet him and make intimidating noises about his treating you right or he’ll answer to me?”
Susan laughed out loud and gave him a hug. “I really don’t think that will be necessary, but I’ll keep it in mind.”
Jodie watched the attractive woman with Dean hug him and turned away. The lights flickered, signaling that it was time to return for the next act. Once seated, Jodie did her best not to watch for Dean.
She also decided that she didn’t need to see him with other women either. Next time she’d make certain not to go anywhere where she might run into him.
Ten
There was another bouquet of flowers on her desk when Jodie arrived at work on Monday. This time she didn’t bother to thank him since the flowers were for the office. However, she did comment on how beautiful they were.
He looked up from his work. “Did you enjoy the musical?” he asked.
“Very much. I haven’t seen a stage production in much too long a time. How about you?”
He shrugged. “It was okay, I guess. If you like that sort of thing. I’ve never been able to figure out why, when they become romantic, they sing to each other instead of kissing.”
She smiled. “So why did you go?”
“Susan mentioned wanting to see it.”
“She seems very nice.”
He leaned back in his chair and studied her. “I spoke to Frank earlier.