Page 117 of Romance and Peppermint Lattes
“You have no idea, do you? I swear you’ve got to be the most obtuse woman in the world.” He pushed aside his plateand briefly closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I’m in love with Lindy. I have been for weeks... months. But for the life of me I couldn’t get her to notice me. I swear I did everything but turn cartwheels in her office. It finally dawned on me why she wasn’t responding.”
“Me?” Cait asked in a feeble, mouselike squeak.
“Exactly. She didn’t want to betray your friendship. Then one afternoon—I think it was the day you first recognized Joe—we, Lindy and I, were in my office and— Oh, hell, I don’t know how it happened, but Lindy was looking something up for me and she stumbled over one of the cords the construction crew was using. Fortunately I was able to catch her before she fell to the floor. I know it wasn’t her fault, but I was so angry, afraid she might have been hurt. Lindy was just as angry with me for being angry with her, and it seemed the only way to shut her up was to kiss her. That was the beginning and I swear to you everything exploded in our faces at that moment.”
Cait swallowed, fascinated by the story. “Go on.”
“I tried for days to get her to agree to go out with me. But she kept refusing until I demanded to know why.”
“She told you... how I felt about you?” The thought was mortifying.
“Of course not. Lindy’s too good a friend to divulge your confidence. Besides, she didn’t need to tell me. I’ve known all along. Good grief, Cait, what did I have to do to discourage you? Hire a skywriter?”
“I don’t think anything that drastic was necessary,” she muttered, humiliated to her very bones.
“I repeatedly told Lindy I wasn’t attracted to you, but she wouldn’t listen. Finally she told me if I’d talk to you, explain everything myself, she’d agree to go out with me.”
“The phone call,” Cait said with sudden comprehension.“That was the reason you called me, wasn’t it? You wanted to talk about Lindy, not that business article.”
“Yes.” He looked deeply grateful for her insight, late though it was.
“Well, for heaven’s sake, why didn’t you?”
“Believe me, I’ve kicked myself a dozen times since. I wish I knew. I suppose it seemed heartless to have such a frank discussion over the phone. Again and again, I promised myself I’d say something. Lord knows I dropped enough hints, but you weren’t exactly receptive.”
She winced. “But why is Lindy resigning?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Paul asked. “It was becoming increasingly difficult for us to work together. She didn’t want to betray her best friend, but at the same time...”
“But at the same time you two were falling in love.”
“Exactly. I can’t lose her, Cait. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, and believe me, it’s nothing personal—you’re a trustworthy employee and a decent person—but I’m simply not attracted to you.”
Paul didn’t seem to be the only one. Other than treating their relationship like one big joke, Joe hadn’t ever claimed any romantic feelings for her, either.
“I had to do something before I lost Lindy.”
“I agree completely.”
“You’re not angry with her, are you?”
“Good heavens, no,” Cait said, offering him a brave smile.
“We both thought something was developing between you and Joe Rockwell. Like I said, you seemed to be seeing quite a bit of each other, and then at the Christmas party—”
“Don’t remind me,” Cait said with a low groan.
Paul’s face creased in a spontaneous smile. “Joe certainly has a wit about him, doesn’t he?”
Cait gave a resigned nod.
Now that Paul had cleared the air, he seemed to develop an appetite. He reached for his dinner and ate heartily. By contrast, Cait’s salmon had lost its appeal. She stared down at her plate, wondering how she could possibly make it through the rest of the evening.
She did, though, quite nicely. Paul didn’t even seem to notice that anything was amiss. It wasn’t that Cait was distressed by his confession. If anything, she was relieved at this turn of events and delighted that Lindy had fallen in love. Paul was obviously crazy about her; she’d never seen him more animated than when he was discussing Lindy. It still shocked Cait that she’d been so unperceptive about Lindy’s real feelings. Not to mention Paul’s...
Paul dropped her off at her building and saw her to the front door. “I can’t thank you enough for understanding,” he said, his voice warm. Impulsively he hugged her, then hurried back to his sports car.
Although she was certainly guilty of being obtuse, Cait knew exactly where Paul was headed. No doubt Lindy would be waiting for him, eager to hear the details of their conversation. Cait planned to talk to her friend herself, first thing in the morning.
