Behind Closed Doors (7 page)

“Everything.”

“Everything? You can’t be serious.”

“Unfortunately, I am. And given the time frame, I was hoping you could come to my office tomorrow so we can all sit down together and get this hammered out in one session. It’ll be a long day, but I figure it’s best to get everyone together at once than trying to piece it together through e-mails and faxes. Besides, you owe me a drink, remember?” Bryan said. The attempt at humor didn’t work.

Chris rested his face on his hand.
This is
not
happening,
he thought,
just as I’m starting to get caught up.

But it was happening and a part of owning a construction business. “My assistant and I will be there about nine thirty tomorrow. Will that work?”

“Perfect,” Bryan said, exhaling loudly. “I’ll see you then.”

As soon as he hung up, Chris looked up hotel information and made a reservation for two rooms. He had no idea how late things would go tomorrow, but he was certain that he wasn’t going to feel like driving home after the meeting. Besides, if Bryan wanted to get a drink after the meeting, who knew if he’d even be in any condition to drive.

Chris had summoned her to his office. Once she’d taken a seat, he said, “Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?”

Elizabeth was beyond perplexed. “Uh, no,” she said tentatively. Her fear of him had subsided over the last month, but that didn’t mean she felt entirely comfortable around him either. Every nerve in her body seemed alive when he was around, and that scared her even more. Her reactions weren’t normal. They couldn’t be.

“Good. I need you to go to a meeting with me tomorrow, and it will most likely run late, so I’ve booked us rooms at a local hotel.”

She swallowed nervously. “Okay.”

“I’ll pay you overtime, of course, and I’ll be driving us to and from. I just need you there to take notes and keep in touch with Terry during the day to make sure all is well here. I doubt I’ll be leaving the meeting for much more than bathroom breaks.”

“Is everything all right?” she asked, concerned that he seemed distressed.

“No. A client has decided to completely change their layout. We’re going to have to sit down and begin again on everything.”

“Does that happen often?”

“No, thankfully. Minor changes are common, but not like this. Even with this meeting tomorrow, it’s likely to set the construction schedule back at least two weeks. That reminds me, I’ll need to let Terry know.”

Elizabeth bit the inside of her cheek. She didn’t know how she felt about their little trip. Then Chris stood and she followed.

As he strolled toward the door, she asked, “Where are we going?”

“Bryan Jacobs’s office in Columbus.”

Columbus!

Thankfully, Chris didn’t see all the color drain from her face or her death grip on the back of the chair in order to remain standing on her now less-than-sturdy legs.

Tomorrow she would return to the place she’d hoped to never see again. She was now thinking that Springfield might not have been far enough.

Well that was interesting
.

Over the last month Elizabeth had been working for Chris, they had found a good balance, and he was seriously considering offering her the job permanently. Besides, it wasn’t as if he was making great strides to replace her.

He still wanted to ravish her on his desk. Often. But she’d lost that wide-eyed look she used to give him that did funny things to his instincts. This morning that look was back.

The moment he’d picked her up at her door, he’d known something wasn’t right. She was paler than normal, and she kept tugging at the hem of her blouse. On several occasions he’d asked her what was wrong, trying to get her to talk about it, but she would just mumble that she was fine and look out the window. It was infuriating!

Before they got out of his truck, he asked one more time. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She swallowed nervously, seeming to have trouble focusing on him, as if waiting for someone or something to jump out at her. “I’m . . . fine,” she said meekly, yet again.

He hadn’t believed her the first ten times she’d said it, and he sure didn’t believe it now. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to coax it out of her. They had a meeting to get to.

They walked side by side into the tall gray building that housed Bryan Jacobs’s office. Chris had been here many times, but it never ceased to amaze him. Originally built in the late eighteen hundreds, the building had lost all vestiges of its original beauty thanks to the previous owners. It had become Bryan’s mission to restore it, and the result was nothing short of magnificent.

Bryan’s office was on the tenth floor where his assistant Karen greeted them. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Daniels.”

“Likewise, Karen. Is Bryan ready for us?”

“Yes,” she led them down a long hallway. “Everyone is in the conference room.” She stopped, nodding toward a closed door. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?”

“Water would be good, thank you,” Chris said, then looked over at Elizabeth, who was even paler than before. Her lips looked almost purple. He wrapped his fingers around her arm, just above her elbow, pulling her just a little closer to him. “For both of us,” he said before guiding them both into the room.

He made sure she wasn’t going to fall out of her chair before turning to address everyone else, including the Tanners’ new designer. “Good. You’re here,” the person who had fueled this meeting said in a somewhat snarky tone. “Now we can get to work fixing this joke of a blueprint and get my clients into their dream home.”

Chris chose to ignore the designer’s comments, and concentrated on the papers in front of him. “Yes,” Bryan said. “Well . . . let’s get started then.”

By the time they broke for lunch, he was even more worried about Elizabeth. Okay, worried had left the building about two hours ago.

Since he’d known her, he’d never seen her like this. Every sound made her jump, and every time someone spoke to her, she tensed as if preparing to defend herself. He wanted to get her alone and make her tell him what was going on, but that just wasn’t possible. Bryan had offered to take them out to lunch, and it wouldn’t have been right to refuse.

The restaurant was close, and the day was nice, so they decided to enjoy the sun and walk. Chris held onto her arm the entire way there, stealing covert glances. She didn’t look like she was going to fall, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

After the hostess seated them and their orders were placed, the two men fell into an easy conversation. Since they had gone to high school together, they always had fun reminiscing when they got together. It was hard to believe almost fifteen years had passed.

They were just finishing when there was a loud gasp. He looked up and saw a blonde with long hair, staring with wide eyes at Elizabeth. When he glanced at Elizabeth, he saw shock and possibly fear on her face.

“Liz? Is that you?”

He stared at Elizabeth and her muscles tensed as if ready for fight or flight.

“Hello, Stephanie. How have you been?” Her voice was controlled and emotionless, more so than he’d ever heard it before.

This woman obviously knew Elizabeth, but how? It didn’t look like she was all that happy to see this Stephanie either.

Stephanie smiled. “Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Don is taking me away in a couple of weeks to New York for some shopping.” Elizabeth didn’t comment, but it seemed to go unnoticed by Stephanie. “So, are you back? I’d heard you’d
left town
,” she said, the last two words coming out in an exaggerated whisper. “I was rather disappointed. I thought we were friends, and you just disappeared without saying a word.”

For the first time that day, he recognized sadness on Elizabeth’s face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m . . . I’m not back. I’m just . . . visiting. I just thought . . . well, I thought you wouldn’t
want
to talk to me.”

Stephanie waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Don’t be silly.”

Elizabeth seemed to relax. “I’ll call you?”

This got a large grin out of Stephanie. “You’d better. I’d hate to have to track you down.” Then she glanced at her watch. “I’d better get going.” She leaned down and gave Elizabeth two air kisses. Elizabeth stiffened but plastered a smile on her face.

“Call me,” Stephanie called as she strutted away.

The entire walk back Elizabeth was lost in her own thoughts. She knew Chris was trying to get her attention, but she just couldn’t deal with it right now.

Stephanie was her best friend. Or had been, anyway. Before.

But after that night, she had closed herself off. She’d encountered a few of her old acquaintances sure, and none of them had been pleasant. She’d even received a few less-than-pleasant phone messages calling her every name under the sun and that they hoped she burned in hell. After that, she’d cut off contact with everyone except the police. Stephanie was in Europe at the time, traveling with her husband. By the time she’d returned, Elizabeth had isolated herself completely.

So when she saw Stephanie at the restaurant, she’d been sure that a cold shoulder or a slap in the face would be her reception. Did Stephanie still consider her a friend? It appeared that way.

She was distracted for the rest of the day, so she wasn’t paying as much attention as she should have been. Chris placed a hand on her shoulder, and she nearly fell out of her seat.

“Sorry,” he said. “It’s almost five. Can you call Terry again?”

“Sure,” she mumbled before excusing herself.

The phone call to Terry didn’t last any longer than the other three she’d made earlier. Everything was fine. No need to worry.

She closed Chris’s cell phone and was about to go back into the conference room when she noticed Karen walking toward her with a tray full of coffee, so she opened the door for her. Karen smiled politely and thanked her, but it there was something else there too. Elizabeth just couldn’t figure out what.

The meeting didn’t wrap up until after seven, and she was surprised to see Karen still behind her desk when the group dispersed toward the elevators. Chris lagged behind with Bryan, so she waited over to the side for him.

That was when Karen made her move. As she approached, Elizabeth could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew. Elizabeth backed up instinctively.

“I
knew
you looked familiar,” Karen said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elizabeth said, trying to remain calm.

“Deny it all you want, but I know who you are, Mrs. Carter.” Hearing her married name again sent a shiver down her spine.
Mrs. Carter
had died with Jared.

Before she could respond, Chris and Bryan appeared, neither one of them looking happy. “Are you ready to go?” Chris asked. That gruff tone was back. She flinched, and he seemed to notice her reaction and softened his tone. “Bryan and I are finished. Are you done?”

“Yes,” she said, barely above a whisper.

He took her by the elbow and led her to the elevators. By the time Chris told her to get into the truck, she had no desire to argue with him. They rode to the hotel in silence, and she watched him covertly. The way he kept tightening and releasing his fingers around the steering wheel scared her.