Courting Trouble (The Texas Two-Step Series, Book 3) (5 page)

Diedra bit her lip, obviously upset. "Yes, Chuck, they're fading."

He dismissed a feeling of pity. Either Diedra Palmer was the worst practical joker he'd ever had the misfortune to meet, or the most dangerous accident-waiting-to-happen. She shouldn't be allowed out in public.

Hell, dealing with her was worse than trying to have a sensible conversation with his mother. He'd never met a looser screw—until he'd met Diedra. At least his mother's heart was in the right place. Diedra's might be as well, but
she
wasn't his responsibility.

She was right, though. The rash didn't seem as bad now.

As soon as the spots were gone, he'd make good his escape. If he was really careful, maybe he'd never set eyes on her again. And if he did, he'd run as fast as he could in the other direction.

If absolutely necessary, perhaps the Peace Corps could be a viable option for him, too. After all, it had kept her far away from him for a very sane and uneventful two years. He dismissed the small guilt pang at having sent her their way. The Corps probably needed a good attorney to deal with all the mishaps Diedra left behind.

When she'd nearly made him miss Jeff's wedding, all because of some damn fool joke with her car, he'd sworn to avoid her like the plague. Perhaps, he admitted for the first time, it had been an accident, as she'd claimed. However, that didn't change the results. He should never have agreed to see her today. It wasn't safe. She wasn't safe.

He watched her work on the spots. Her golden gaze brushed over his skin, warming him, as though he were sitting out in the sun gathering rays. Her lips were slightly pursed, as if waiting for him to kiss her, and he was tempted to pull her closer to do just that.

Good grief. What had come over him? It must be the after-effects of that herbal poison he'd so stupidly allowed her to put on his leg. "Aren't you done yet?"

"Almost." She blinked at him, a different kind of blink, involving a quick flutter of lashes, a blink so fast it was over almost before it started. "Just a minute longer."

He decided to look anywhere other than at her. His gaze fixed on the cat, who'd let him know in no uncertain terms that this shop and this woman belonged to him. The cat could have them.

Interesting that the cat's coat shone with the same gold as Diedra's hair. They moved with the same slow, feline grace. They even blinked at him in the same manner. Identical gold eyes were hypnotizing him. They probably helped the cat catch its prey.

His gaze shot to Diedra's face.

She didn't think of him as prey, did she?

He was being ridiculous. She wanted his help, that was all. Well, if he helped her, maybe that would help him get rid of her faster. What Jeff didn't know about the scheme wouldn't hurt him.

"There." She took two nervous steps back.

Not a good sign. "The spots are gone?"

She nodded, and he headed back to the mirror. Not that he didn't trust her, but... One glance at his image and he verified that he looked as good as new, except his head probably sported new gray hair. Now, if he could just make good his escape.

"I've been thinking about it, Diedra."

She looked at him expectantly. Was that hope in her eyes?

She seemed fragile and he felt like a heel. "I'd like to hear your plan."

"I thought we could lock them into a closet or something." Diedra concentrated on folding a crease in her skirt, almost like she deliberately avoided looking him in the eye. "If they just sit down and talk, I'm sure they could work things out."

Alec shook his head. "That would never work. Jeff would spend all his time on an escape plan rather than doing any serious talking."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"I think we could trick Jeff and Meagan into getting back together again. How about if we tell them we've arranged blind dates for them?"

"I don't think that would work. Meagan, unlike your loverboy cousin, isn't ready to date. Hmmm." Diedra's forehead wrinkled as she thought over his suggestion, reminding him of a kitten, and he fought an urge to reach out and smooth the lines. No matter how cute she was, women like her caused ulcers.

"How about if we tell her we're dating and you want her to come along as a chaperone?"

Diedra laughed, showing even white teeth. "Now, that she might believe, with all my accidents. But that won't work either. She'd know I wouldn't want her around on a date."

Why did he feel disappointed she hadn't taken him up on the idea of a date? A.C. stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. "I'm out of ideas. I guess there's nothing we can do."

Now to get out of here. He tried not to run for the shop door. "Maybe I'll see you around."

She grabbed his arm. "Wait. I have another idea."

Of course she did. He'd never get out of here alive—or clothed. He turned and looked down at her. "What?"

"How about if you and Jeff go out to dinner and we'll go out to the same restaurant? They'll never know we set them up."

He sighed in resignation. At least he got to keep his clothes on. Although he hated to admit it, she was right. Jeff and Meagan needed to get back together. As a couple, they were right in a way that made sense of marriage and commitment. The sooner they were reunited the better, especially since it meant A.C. could put distance between him and Diedra that much sooner. "Where and when?"

Chapter 4

Diedra went over the schedule she'd made out, one last time. Seated in the shop's back room, she chewed on her pencil. Every contingency was planned, down to the last second. She'd even accounted for how long it would take Alec to persuade Jeff to go out to dinner. She'd have no problem with Meagan, of course. Food seemed to be all she thought about since splitting up with Jeff.

Diedra picked up her phone and carefully punched in the number Alec had given her for his direct line. "Hello. Alec?"

"You've got the wrong number."

"Wait!" Diedra realized her mistake as soon as he'd answered. "Chuck, it's me. Don't hang up."

"I ought to hang up. I thought I was Third to you," he replied dryly.

She knew he had that wry look on his face again and her stomach did another of its flipflopping routines.

"Very funny. I've worked out a schedule for dinner." Tommy jumped up on the table beside the phone, almost stepping on the hang up button. Diedra grabbed him, plunking the squirming bundle of fur in her lap.

"A schedule? We need a schedule?" Exasperation was evident in his tone. "We just meet at the restaurant, right?"

Diedra stroked Tommy's soft coat. Fluorescent overhead lighting reflected off the cat's metallic collar, and highlighted something sticking to it. A straight pin. She grabbed it quickly. Poor Tommy. He might have been injured.

"Yes, but I think the schedule will help. Really. You'll need time to talk Jeff into eating out and you won't want him to be suspicious."

"I can handle Jeff," Alec said defensively.

Great, now she'd angered him. "I'm just trying to help."

"Look, Diedra. I'm just not convinced this is such a great idea."

She fiddled with the phone cord. Hadn't he agreed to help? Was she going to have to go through it all again?

Suddenly a paper clip flew out of nowhere. She felt it on the hand she had buried in Tommy's fur. Where had the cat been? In her desk drawer? "You promised to help."

She sensed his sigh, rather than heard it. "Okay," he said. "What's the schedule?"

"At six fifteen exactly, you'll go into Jeff's office..." Tommy growled, then nipped her. "Ouch!" Diedra nearly dropped the phone. "Hang on a sec."

She stood up, dropping the tabby to the floor. Tommy darted off, leaving two more paper clips, a safety pin, several small nails and a nut at Diedra's feet. What had the animal been up to? "I'm sorry, Alec. I'm back now. Do you think we should talk to the restaurant ahead of time so they'll be sure to seat us at the same table?"

"I'll take care of it."

After Diedra hung up, she found Tommy cowering beneath a potted palm. "What's wrong? You've been acting strangely all afternoon."

She scooped up the fur ball. "Did the pin stick you?"

Tommy blinked at her.

Diedra ran her finger lightly over the cat's collar, looking for a puncture wound. As she did, another paper clip came off. What was going on? She slipped the collar off, and the cat seized the opportunity to escape from her arms.

Good heavens. The collar had become magnetic. No wonder Tommy had bitten her. It had to be horribly uncomfortable, carrying around enough metal for a small junkyard. But how had this happened? She had a dim memory of rubbing a nail against a magnet once, and the nail became magnetic as well. What she couldn't figure out, though, was how that could happen to Tommy's collar.

Just then, she heard the door buzzer. Someone was coming into the shop. She slipped the collar and her schedule into her skirt pocket and rushed out to greet the customer.

She body slammed the doorjamb on her way.

* * *

Okay, so the woman was dangerous, thought A.C. He had no earthly reason to feel a sense of anticipation about seeing her again. No reason at all. It must be dread, not excitement.

Yeah, dread could make your heart pound and your feet tingle. That left only one point still worrying him. He couldn't ever remember dread making him grin.

Diedra had sounded so pitiful when she reminded him of his agreement to help. Not that it had happened often, but whenever he heard a woman using that sad, forlorn tone of voice, he was putty in her hands. What a wimp.

He glanced at the mantle clock perched on the étagère beside his desk. It was almost time for Jeff and the fateful dinner. He'd already gotten Jeff's agreement to go out for dinner earlier in the day.

Diedra had scheduled their supposed accidental meeting so nothing could screw things up. He was to leave the office with Jeff at exactly 6:45 p.m. Diedra's choice of a teppan yaki restaurant was a good one in that the seating was arranged around a grill and more than one party shared a table. He'd visited it at lunch and given the host twenty bucks to make sure they'd all be seated together. Jeff and Meagan wouldn't have a chance.

He had been tempted to call Diedra and suggest a different place, though. Considering how accident prone she was, a teppan yaki restaurant offered a myriad of potential hazards. Other restaurants probably wouldn't be all that much safer, though, so he'd continued with the original plan.

The problem now, though, was getting Jeff out the door on time. It was already forty minutes past six o'clock and Jeff still had a client in his office, Mimi LaPeugh.

Mimi was actually A.C.'s client. He'd handled her last three divorces.

When Jeff had returned from Denver, A.C. had been happy to offer him a position at his law firm. Jeff joining the practice had some downsides—Jeff wasn't the most responsible man in the world—but passing off ol' Mimi was one of the perks.

She was attractive, but she had a brain the size of a bottle top. She oozed sex appeal and a man could find himself married to her before he realized the limits of her attention span—his credit-card limits.

But A.C. needed to get rid of her, because otherwise he'd be in deep water with Diedra. This was one time he didn't want to foul up. Bringing Mimi might very well hamper their attempts to reunite Jeff and Meagan.

A.C. left his office, tapped on Jeff's door and opened it. "Aren't you ready to call it a night?"

"It's a night," cooed Mimi with a giggle.

Jeff laughed. "We're just finishing up."

The two of them didn't seem in any hurry to get out of their chairs. A.C. glanced at his watch. He had three minutes.

He could just imagine trying to explain to Diedra why he'd messed up her schedule. She'd probably think he'd done it on purpose. He didn't want to spend up-close and personal time with her, but he didn't want to let her down, either.

A.C. flipped off the overhead lights and grabbed Jeff's jacket off the coat rack. "Come on, then. Let's go."

"What's the rush?"

Jeff wasn't generally this dense. "Maybe it's just me, but at this time each night, I get hungry."