Suspicions: A Twist Of Fate / Tears Of Pride

During the remainder of the day Erin saw little of Kane. All of his contact with her came via his secretary in the form of interdepartmental memorandums. They had no personal contact. She had seen him only in passing, and he had smiled at her with the same polite but less than enthusiastic smile that he rained upon all of his employees. He showed her no special attention, which was exactly what she had wanted. And yet, a small and very feminine part of her yearned for the vaguest sign of emotion from him. Affection, endearment, friendship—anything that demonstrated that he cared for her in a more intimate way.

For most of the afternoon she attempted to bury herself in her work to avoid any further confrontations with Kane. It also helped her ignore the whispers about Mitch and the speculations about the embezzlement.

It was long after five o’clock when she rose and tucked away the paperwork that was still spread unfinished on her desk. Although she had worked diligently, she had accomplished very little because of her preoccupation with Kane. He had asked her out early that morning, and she had refused, but her mind had wandered relentlessly back to the invitation. What would it hurt? her persuasive mind taunted.

But what good would it do, her more rational nature inquired. Yes, Kane was an interesting man, and yes, she would like to spend some time alone with him, and perhaps she would, if circumstances were different. But as things stood, she couldn’t reconcile herself to live a double life of daytime employee and nighttime lover. No matter how she would try to convince herself otherwise, she was attracted to Kane as she never had been to any other man. Given an alternative set of circumstances, she knew that she could fall deeply in love with him. But, as fate would have it, she couldn’t allow herself the pleasure of falling in love with a man for whom she worked.

It had taken her all day to come to the decision that she would have to explain her position to Kane once and for all. She threw her coat over her arm and clicked off the lights to her office. Most of the staff had left the building, but she knew that Kane was still working. She could hear his voice through the door. Rather than disturb him, she continued past his office toward the elevator.

Before the elevator doors parted, the door to Kane’s office opened. Erin quickly resolved to herself that this would be as good a time as any to have it out with him. She turned to face him and discovered that he wasn’t alone. Olivia Parsons was with him, looking as if she was hanging on his every word. Rather than intrude, Erin whirled and faced the elevator. Just as the doors were opening, Erin heard Kane call out to her.

“Erin, wait!” Kane hurried to Erin’s side. “I’m glad I caught up with you. Do you need a ride home?”

“I’ve got my car,” Erin replied, a little tartly. Why did Olivia always seem to be a part of the conversation? She looked cautiously at Olivia, but the calm expression on the brunette’s face didn’t appear to hold the slightest hint of interest.

“Then I’ll see you at seven-thirty,” Kane rejoined.

Erin looked from Kane to Olivia and back to Kane. “I…don’t think so…not tonight.” Olivia’s eyebrows raised just a fraction of an inch. The gesture was almost unnoticeable, but Erin caught the movement and the silent gleam of fascination in Olivia’s perfect green eyes.

“Going out?” Olivia asked casually. “I don’t blame you. Who wants to cook after a full day at the office?”

Erin couldn’t resist the temptation of disagreeing with Olivia. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve always enjoyed cooking.”

Olivia’s face registered disbelief, but it was Kane who answered. “Good!” he interjected. “I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in ages. We’ll eat at your place.”

Erin was about to reject Kane’s suggestion, but Olivia stilled Erin’s tongue. “That’s terrible!” she sang out sweetly to Kane. “I tell you what. Why don’t you come over to my house for a special dinner? We’ll have fresh seafood from Puget Sound…”

“Thanks, Olivia. I appreciate the hospitality.” Kane seemed to agree, and Erin could feel her heart beginning to shred. Kane shot Erin a questioning look and continued, “But I’ve got other plans.” His response was gentle but firm.

“Some other time…” Olivia persisted, only slightly dejected.

“Some other time,” Kane agreed evasively.

There was a slight pause in the conversation, and finally Olivia broke the silence. “I guess I’d better be running along. I’ll see you in the morning.” Although the farewell was meant for both Erin and Kane, Olivia’s warm green eyes looked directly into the cool gray depths of Kane’s gaze. Erin could almost see the invitation in those emerald pools.

Olivia slipped into the elevator, and it started its descent before Erin began. “Look, Kane. I’ve made a decision. You can’t come over tonight…and I can’t go out with you. It’s as simple as that!”

She pressed the elevator call button and waited for Kane’s reaction. She expected that he would be violent, but when he spoke it was with quiet deliberation.

“You…would deny me a home-cooked meal?” he asked, and there was a mischievous smile in his eyes.

“Of course not, but you’ve got to understand…”

“It’s settled then. I’ll bring the wine.” He slipped his hand beneath her elbow and guided her into the elevator. As the doors shut he wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her feverishly on the lips. All of the warmth and intimacy that had been denied during the day was surfacing again in his passionate embrace.

Before Erin could respond, the elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and Kane released her to smile at two of his new employees. Erin was sure that even in the slightly dimmed elevator light, the two young women could see her swollen lips and the trace of passion still lingering in Kane’s eyes. When she stepped out of the building she hurried to her car, and Kane didn’t follow. How was she going to deal with him and the web of emotions that was entangling her more tightly each day?

It was crazy and she knew it, but she felt that she was beginning to fall in love with Kane Webster. The thought made her shudder as she reached for the headlights and the windshield wipers. You’re a damn fool, Erin O’Toole, she chided herself. She couldn’t be, wouldn’t be, in love with her boss. It was an impossible and ridiculous situation, but nonetheless, it existed.

She was still arguing with herself as she stopped the car in her familiar spot in front of the apartment house. She bent her head against the wind and slight drizzle of the evening. A welcome light came from Mrs. Cavenaugh’s window and Erin stopped at the doorway to the little old lady’s apartment. She waited several minutes before Mrs. Cavenaugh’s voice called through the door.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Mrs. Cavenaugh…Erin,” she responded, and immediately heard the click of locks as Mrs. Cavenaugh opened the door. The old woman peeked timidly through the crack in the door before removing the final chain and opening the door widely.

“Come in…come in,” Mrs. Cavenaugh welcomed her.

“I can’t…I’m having company tonight.”

“Oh?” Mrs. Cavenaugh didn’t even have the decency to hide her interest. “Mr. Webster?”

Erin eyed the half-bent old woman with loving suspicion. “How did you know?” she asked.

“Lucky guess,” the old woman murmured, her blue eyes dancing with pleasure. “Don’t you have just a minute to tell me all about it?”

“No, I’m sorry, truly I am.” Erin’s face was earnest, and Mrs. Cavenaugh didn’t doubt her sincerity. “I just dropped by to tell you that I got hold of someone to install the insulation. They’ll be here by the end of the week.”

“Good!”

“Look, I’ve really got to run.”

“I understand,” was the kindly reply. “Oh, by the way, Erin, did you know that Mr. Jefferies is planning to move out by the end of the month?”

“Oh, no,” Erin sighed, and then quickly hid her disappointment. “I knew that he had been thinking of moving in with his daughter and her husband, but I didn’t think that he had made up his mind.”

“Seems they made it up for him,” Mrs. Cavenaugh asserted. “I’m sure he left his notice in your mailbox.”

“Oh, thanks for reminding me.” Erin crossed the hallway and opened her mailbox. Among the various bills was Mr. Jefferies’s notice of vacancy. The last thing she needed right now was one more empty apartment. She needed the rental income just to keep up the mortgage, let alone the repairs and upkeep. But she couldn’t show her worries to Mrs. Cavenaugh. She called out to the friendly elderly woman as she mounted the stairs, “I’ll let you know exactly when the repairmen will be here.”

“Thanks, honey,” Mrs. Cavenaugh responded before closing the door to her apartment. Erin raced up the remaining stairs, anxious to get into the familiar and secure surroundings of her own apartment.

* * *

Kane pulled the small black sports car to the curb and snapped off the motor. He sat in the darkness for a minute, staring at the apartment house that Erin called home. He was angry and he was tense, but he tried to control his emotions so that Erin wouldn’t become suspicious.

Erin was already home. The lights in her apartment glowed in the night, and the Volkswagen Rabbit was sitting where she had parked it in front of the house. Kane’s eyes moved from the car back to the building. Even in the unearthly glow of the streetlamp he could see the signs of age and disrepair in the large old home. Was this apartment house the cause of Erin’s financial woes? Could she possibly be moving funds out of the bank for the upkeep on the costly old house?

He had thought he would feel a deep satisfaction in catching Cameron’s accomplice in crime, but as he came closer to the truth, the satisfaction had soured in his stomach to a feeling of sickening disgust. He knew now that Erin was lying to him, and somehow he had to find a way to prove his theories about her, as much as he despised the idea.

He took in a long breath as he thought about Lee Sinclair. Erin’s ex-husband was supposedly in Spokane, but with a little checking, Kane had discovered that Lee had moved back to Seattle over six weeks ago—about the same time that Erin had applied for her employee loan. Could she still be involved with him, and was he the drain on her money? Perhaps he was the catalyst in the partnership with Cameron.

Kane’s hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened. He could only hope that he was wrong and that someone else was the embezzler. God, how he hoped so. There were still a few more possibilities, but unfortunately, right now the evidence was stacking up very heavily against Erin O’Toole.

Angrily Kane pushed his disturbing thoughts aside and got out of the car. He was furious at himself, at Erin and particularly at Lee Sinclair, whoever the hell he was.

* * *

Erin had just placed the pan of lasagna in the oven when the doorbell rang. Before she could cross the room, the door swung open and thudded against the wall. Kane strode into the room and closed the door just as angrily as he had opened it. Erin had begun to smile, but when her eyes met his, her face froze. His gray eyes were guarded, a stormy fog clouding their depths. His casual clothes, the same ones he had been wearing earlier, were disheveled and his tie was loosened rather haphazardly. “Don’t you ever lock your door?” he muttered.