Chapter Five

Andrea finished setting out the flatware in the main dining room as Rose had instructed her and was absorbed in arranging the napkins in a fluted pattern, when Mo's voice from the doorway made her jump. She swung around. "What are you doing here! I didn't expect you until after lunch." She curbed the desire to suggest she shouldn't have come in at all. Mo didn't look her usual rosy self.

"I escaped when no one was looking," she quipped, striding into the room, her ankle-length flowered dress flowing behind her. "Any major catastrophes waiting for me?"

Andrea's first thought was how she should break the news about Madison. "Rose tells me everything is under control here. But, what about you? What were the test results?"

Mo shrugged. "Won't know till this afternoon." She motioned for Andrea to follow her to the office, closed the door behind them and moved to the desk, where she stood leafing through a mound of papers. She turned and flashed a playful smile. "So what's up, kiddo? Did we get another visit from Madison?"

Andrea caught the teasing note. "As a matter of fact . . . we did," she began gingerly.

"Then how come you look so glum? We're talking about the best looking guy who's come down the pike in I don't know when. He's charming, sends flowers and he's probably filthy rich. What more can you ask for?"

"I'm quite aware of his attributes," she said, sitting on the couch and nervously smoothing the material of her beige slacks, wondering where to start.

"Hey. If you're waiting for my permission, you've got it. I don't expect you to spend every night you're here with me and Christopher." She turned her attention back to the blizzard of papers on her desk. "You know, you'd make a great looking couple. Kind of like Ken and Barbie," she said with a giggle.

Each word of praise compounded Andrea's feelings of guilt. How was she going to tell her? She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Oh, by the way," Mo said, looking relieved as she extracted a folder from the bottom of the pile, "you were going to tell me about the meeting yesterday."

Andrea chewed the inside of her lip. "I found out there's a new attorney representing the Stanton project."

"Oh, God!" Mo cried, slapping the folder down. "Now I'll have to deal with one more idiot."

"Not necessarily," Andrea said uneasily. "You tell me to have an open mind. Why don't you take your own advice for a change?"

"Did you meet him?"

"Yes."

"And . . . ?"

Andrea gave a big sigh. "It's Madison Mckee."

Mo's face blanched. She plopped into her chair, pressed two fingers to her temple and closed her eyes. "I should have known he was too good to be true."

"Come on. You can at least talk to him. Maybe you're overlooking a few important factors."

Mo's eyes popped open. "I take it the two of you have been discussing the ins and outs of my business."

Andrea threw her a severe look. "You know me better than that. But, what's the harm of listening to him? A minute ago he was God's gift to the world."

"You, more than anyone, should know how much this place means to me."

"I do, but . . . " A loud knock on the door interrupted her.

Benny, the cook, stuck his head in. "Excuse me, didn't you order salmon steaks for tonight's rehearsal dinner?"

"Of course I did," Mo snapped. "Didn't the Clover guy show up with the delivery?"

"He's here right now. He's brought chicken for a hundred people, not salmon."

Rose came up behind Benny.' 'A Mr. Wilson says he has an eleven o'clock appointment with you, Mo."

"Oh, my God! Cut me some slack, would you, people? I can only handle one disaster at a time. Jesus, my head is killing me!"

Rose and Benny exchanged a knowing look and withdrew wordlessly.

Andrea waited until Mo had calmed down. "I won't talk to Madison again if it's going to bother you this much."

"Don't be silly. Of course you can talk to him. Just don't talk about me." She paused, looking uncertain. "I'm sorry, Andie, I'm not trying to be difficult. Look, can we discuss this later? Somehow I've got to get hold of a hundred salmon steaks by six o'clock."

Andrea rose and draped an arm around Mo's shoulder. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Mo pulled away with a sigh and began fanning through the Rolodex. "I don't know." Her shoulders slumped as she glanced back at Andrea. "There is something. Seems like all I've done is impose on you, but could you take Christopher to his Little League game for me this afternoon?"

She smiled. "It's not an imposition. I'd love to."

Andrea left the office, realizing there was no easy way out of her predicament. Her heart twisted uncomfortably at the thought of not seeing Madison again, but she couldn't allow her feelings for him to come between her and Mo. All the better, she told herself, once again resurrecting the barrier that Madison's kiss had threatened to tear down.

From her perch on the fourth row of the bleachers, Andrea shaded her eyes against the sun and watched Christopher round third base and slide into home plate in a cloud of yellow dust. She jumped to her feet along with the other people in the stands and clapped her hands, yelling and screaming to the second runner following close on his heels. The burst of maternal pride that swept over her made her giddy. It was a good feeling pretending this little boy was hers, a feeling marred only by her decision not to see Madison again. Perhaps he'd had second thoughts too. Last night he seemed eager, but today, he had not called by the time she'd left Mo's house for Christopher's school.

Amid the enthusiastic congratulations of his teammates, Christopher cast a look of unabashed pride in her direction, which once again lifted her spirits. She gave him a wide smile and signaled a thumbs up.

The next batter struck out and the opposing team took the field. Andrea sat and fished in her purse for a pack of Lifesavers. She looked up as someone setded beside her and stifled the gasp of surprise as she stared straight into Madison Mckee's warm brown eyes. A shiver of unexpected delight shot through her.

"Hi." His tone was intimate.

"Hi," she answered, responding automatically to his engaging smile, but quickly looked away as thoughts of Mo intruded. Acutely aware of his nearness, she struggled to find the right words to verbalize her decision regarding their impossible situation.

He leaned back and loosened his tie. "I tried calling the restaurant several times."

"You couldn't have tried too hard because I was there until three o'clock." She chided herself immediately. On the one hand, she was convinced she wanted nothing more to do with him, yet on the other, she was irritated that he hadn't called.

"I apologize. I was tied up in court all day and everytime I got a second to call, the line was busy."

"How did you know I was here?"

"When I finally got through, Rose told me you were taking care of Christopher again because Mo had some sort of emergency at the restaurant, and since last night Christopher mentioned where he'd be . . . "

"And what was your point in coming here?"

"We discussed going for a ride this evening, remember?"

"I didn't say I would."

"You also didn't say you wouldn't." He watched her fold her arms and turn away. Was he being too persistent? Had he perhaps moved too fast last night when he kissed her? But he wouldn't have, had he not sensed she wanted him to. "I get the feeling you're not too happy to see me."

Andrea turned to face him. "It's not you," she said with a sigh.

Then it dawned on him. "You talked with Maureen."

She gave a solemn nod. "She was less than thrilled to hear that we were discussing her behind her back."

"I'm sorry. It looks as though I have you caught in the crossfire."

"She's got a lot on her mind right now, but I'm pretty sure she'll agree to listen to what you have to say before rejecting it."

"I can hardly wait for the privilege," he said ruefully. He rested his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers together.

Andrea drew back and studied his chiseled profile. "By the way, last night you said this case affected you personally. What did you mean?"

He dipped his head, then looked up again, staring straight ahead as though focusing on some distant object far beyond the boundaries of the tree-filled park. "How's this for starters? The Stantons and McKees are fast friends until Yours Truly breaks his engagement to Russell's daughter, Victoria, after the wedding invitations are in the mail. The ensuing fallout consists of Victoria's mother having a nervous breakdown in addition to the permanent rift that was forged between the two families." He turned to meet her gaze. "My father approached me two days ago. If I can persuade your friend to stop blocking Russell's project, I get to be a hero."

Andrea nodded slowly. "And heal the rift, and set everything right again." Would that include resuming the relationship with Stanton's daughter? she wondered, feeling an inexplicable flash of jealousy.

Excitement erupted in the bleachers, tearing her from her thoughts. She rose to her feet in time to see Christopher catch the fly ball for the last out of the game. Surrounded by his exuberant teammates, he raised the ball for Andrea to see. She clambered down and rushed onto the field with all the parents.

Christopher's face lit up when he saw Madison behind her. "Hey, Madison, did you see me catch that ball?" he shrieked with excitement.

"I sure did." He ruffled the boy's matted blonde hair so hard, Christopher's glasses slid down to the end of his nose.

Andrea swooped the child up and twirled him around, pressing his flushed face to hers. She felt him stiffen. Realizing her action had probably embarrassed him in front of his friends, she quickly put him down.

"Get your things, Honey, it's time to go."

"But Mommy always lets me ride on the Merry-go-round before we go home."

It would have been easier to part with Madison now, but the pleading look on Christopher's dirt-smudged face made her give in. "All right, but we can't stay long."

"Whoopee!" Christopher shouted, waving his cap above his head. "Will you come watch me too, Madison?"

Madison shot a quick glance at Andrea to gauge her reaction, but her impassive expression gave him no clue. "Sure, apparently I don't have other plans for the evening." He noticed her flinch at his remark, then she took Christopher's hand and walked briskly ahead.

He followed them, feeling slightly disconcerted that his attempt to lighten the mood seemed to fall flat. She looked great in the pink blouse tucked neatly into snug blue jeans, he thought, watching the gentle sway of her hips. His heartbeat quickened at the memory of last night. She had returned his kiss with as much passion as he'd felt. About that, he had no doubt. Somehow he had to overcome the chasm that his forced association with Maureen Callaway had created. He felt an urgent need to be in Andrea's good graces again. He hurried to catch up with them as they entered the gate to the carnival where dozens of children had lined up for rides.

As Christopher whirled happily on the Merry-go-round to the tune of The Yellow Rose of Texas, Madison noticed Andrea turn sharply and focus her attention on the nearby tennis court where a lively doubles match was in progress. He didn't miss the spark of interest that lit her wide blue eyes. "Do you play tennis?"

That brought a rueful grin to her face. "That's about all I did for eight years."

He folded his arms. "Fascinating."

She gave him a direct look. "That's not exactly what I would have called it."

What an odd thing to say, he thought. He wanted to know more, but decided this wasn't the time. "Listen. If you're interested, I can arrange a game of doubles at my club."

She gave him a sideways glance as if to say, 'you must be out of your mind.'

"I take it that's a no," he mumbled almost to himself as she returned her attention to Christopher.

A game of tennis would be heaven, Andrea thought. In addition to her love for the sport, it had always helped release her tension. Obviously, taking Madison up on his offer was out of the question under the circumstances. But she had to admire his nerve. She moved through the gate as the Merry-go-round came to a stop and lifted Christopher off his speckled pony. "I think you've had enough now. Give that poor horse a rest."

Christopher looked wistful. "I wish it was a real horse."

"I used to ride one when I was your age," Madison said joining in.

Christopher's eyes opened wide. "For real? Do you have a horse now?"

Madison bent down to face him. "Yes. I keep him at my sister's ranch in Sedona."

"Is that far?"

He shrugged. "Not very. I'm driving up this Sunday. She's got a lot more horses there."

"Wow! You think she'd let me come and ride one?"

The look of excited anticipation on the boy's face made Madison instantly regret his words. What was he thinking? He cast a quick glance at Andrea and, sure enough, saw the irritation reflected in her eyes.

"Christopher," she said sharply. "Here, have one more ride." She pressed coins into the boy's eager hands and sent him off, then spun around to face Madison. "You know that's out of the question," she snapped, feeling anger heat her face. "What do you think you're doing, raising the boy's hopes like that?"

"Why should it be out of the question? I'd be delighted to have the three of you as my guests."

Andrea felt like screaming at the top of her lungs. "Were you born this way, or are you this pushy because you're a lawyer?"

Madison masked his annoyance. "Well, let me ask you something. Were you born this angry, or is this just for my benefit? I sensed your hostility when I first met you. Would you mind telling me what I've done to deserve such wrath?"

The fiery indignation in his eyes startled her. Deep down she knew he was right. "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm overreacting. But you must realize that this situation between you and Maureen has put me in an impossible spot."

"I apologize. I shouldn't have mentioned the horse."

"Let's hope Christopher can forget about it," she chided him gently.

"I guess after all this I don't dare ask you again about tonight."

"Definitely not tonight." She knew she should have said 'not tonight, or any other night.' Was she having second thoughts about not wanting to see him? It had seemed easy earlier, but now, standing beside him, unable to deny how attracted she was to him, she felt her resolve wavering. Her ambivalence disturbed her. How could she call him pushy when she was sending him mixed signals?

He felt encouraged. She'd said no, but somehow she'd left the door open. Cool it, Madison, he warned himself, don't press your luck.

"Well, I guess this is my cue to leave," he said politely. "I'll see you around, I hope." He waved to Christopher, then turned and walked away.

Andrea quelled her regret as she watched him leave, then moved to get Christopher.

"Where is Madison going?" he asked, jumping off the horse and craning his neck at the retreating figure.

"He remembered he had something important to do."

His face gathered in obvious disappointment. "What about riding the horse?"

"I'm sure your mother wouldn't approve. Maybe we'll find something else neat to do like the zoo or something," she said in a reassuring tone.

Her suggestion didn't erase the crestfallen look on his face. He shuffled his feet all the way to the car and said nothing on the short drive back to the house.

Maureen greeted them at the door. "Hi, guys. Who won the game?"

"Christopher drove in the winning run," Andrea announced proudly.

Mo knelt down and drew him into her arms. "That's my boy!"

Andrea's hopes that Christopher would forget Madison's invitation died when he ignored his mother's praise and said, "Guess what? Madison came to watch me play. And guess what? He says I can go horseriding with him on Sunday if you'll let me. Can I? Can I please?"

Mo shot Andrea a sharp look. "What's this all about?"

"I already told him it wasn't possible," she answered defensively.

"But, why can't I go, Mommy?" he whined.

Mo rose to her feet. "Because," she said sternly."Go wash up for dinner. Now." Andrea was surprised at the harsh note in Mo's voice.

Christopher started to protest and then caught the look of warning in his mother's eyes. Head bowed, he ambled down the hall to his room.

Mo turned to Andrea and spread her palms out. "I don't even want to know why Madison was there. I've got bigger problems to deal with."

Andrea's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh! The rehearsal dinner."

"Everything's under control there," she said with a dismissive wave, as she walked into the living room.

"Then what is it?" Andrea asked, setting her purse on the coffee table.

For a moment Mo said nothing, just stood staring out the wide picture window, her arms clasped tightly across her chest. "I got the test results from my doctor."

Her grave expression sent a shudder of apprehension through Andrea. She clutched her stomach which suddenly felt as if it was filled with ice. "What did he say?"

Her voice was flat. "I have a brain tumor."

Andrea moved to her side as if in a trance. "Are they sure?"

Mo gave her a tight-lipped nod.

"Oh, my God!"

Mo quickly pressed a finger to her lips. "Shhhh. I don't want Christopher to hear."

"I'm sorry." Confusion and fear gripped Andrea as she slid a limp arm around her friend's shoulder.

She let out a sigh. "The good news is there's a 50/50 chance that it's benign, but either way, it's gotta go. Now here's the problem. My doctor wants me to have laser surgery as soon as possible, and the three top specialists are in LA, Houston and New York."

"So what's the problem? Decide on one, and we'll go."

"Wait a minute." Mo drew back. "You can't go with me."

"Why not? You're the closest person I've got in the whole world. Like it or not, I'm going to stick to you like Velcro."

The flash of appreciation in Mo's eyes quickly dissolved into a sheen of tears. She turned her head away and pulled a tissue from her pocket. Andrea said nothing, sensing that she was fighting for control.

"What about Christopher?" Mo said in a choked voice. "Yesterday was the first night I've been away from him. Ever." She let that hang in the air for a moment. "I'd feel a whole lot better about going if I knew you were here with him."

"Why can't we both come?

"And have him hang around a hospital? He'd be scared out of his wits."

Andrea twirled the pearl ring her mother had given her around on her finger. "But I can't bear the thought of you going through surgery alone."

"I won't be alone. Listen, I've made five thousand calls in the last couple of hours and I've decided Houston would be best, mainly because Aunt Ethel is there."

"Didn't she go to London to get married?"

"She moved back to Houston last year with her husband. She's offered to stay with me in the hospital."

Andrea gave a resigned shrug. "When are you leaving?"

"This weekend. The specialist will want to run some more tests on Saturday, and if it's a go, he'll do the surgery first thing on Monday. I'll have Aunt Ethel call you the minute it's over."

Still plagued with doubt, Andrea let out a weary sigh. "You're your usual stubborn self," she said with mock severity. "Couldn't Rose stay with Christopher? I'd still feel better if I went along."

Mo's face softened. She wrapped Andrea in a tight embrace. "I know. And it means more to me than you could ever imagine." She pulled back and looked deep into Andrea's eyes. "The one thing that will give me peace of mind is knowing you'll be here."

Andrea nodded in acquiescence.

A wan smile creased Mo's face. "There's something else. If anything should happen to me . . . "

"Mo, stop it! You're being morbid. I spent hours at dinner parties talking to Bernard's cronies—top specialists most of them—and, from what I understand, laser surgery is much safer than the old way when they had to cut . . . " She quickly switched gears. "I'm going to think optimistically about this. You're going to be fine." She didn't miss the apprehension in Mo's tear-reddened eyes.

"What if it's not benign?"

The thought sent a searing pain through Andrea's heart and reminded her of the desolation she'd felt as a child when her mother died and then her father . . . To her Mo was the only semblance of family. "Don't."

"I have to be realistic, kiddo. Just in case things don't go right . . . " Her voice broke as the words tumbled out "Promise me, you'll take care of Christopher."

Until that moment Andrea had deliberately sidestepped the possibility that the tumor could be malignant. She tried to swallow, but her throat felt as though it were filled with sawdust Hot tears trickled down her cheeks as she embraced Mo. She couldn't imagine life without her. "Of course I'll take care of him," she answered in a hushed voice.

Andrea spent the next forty-eight hours in a blur of anguish. In addition, she listened to Mo browbeat herself for luring her to Phoenix and not delivering on the training she'd promised, and for deluging her instead with responsibilities, especially taking care of Christopher.

As it turned out, Andrea now received a crash course in running a restaurant that included familiarizing herself with the various recipes, delivery schedules and payroll. She followed Mo like a shadow, trying to absorb anything and everything that could help her resolve any problems that might arise in her absence. The exhausting schedule, coupled with her preoccupation with her friend, kept her stomach tied in a painful knot.

Besides worrying about Mo, Andrea fought to suppress the hollow yearning she felt every time Madison would creep into her mind. Impossible as it seemed, she admitted to herself that she missed him. Andrea Dusseaux, you fool! she admonished herself, reluctant to put into words what she feared to be true. How could she have allowed herself to fall in love with this man when there were so many negatives? She could never sacrifice her friendship with Mo. Besides, in a little over two weeks, or whenever Mo was recovered, she'd be back in New York.

But even as she strained to convince herself it would be best for everyone involved, she couldn't banish Madison from her thoughts. That night, collapsing into bed, a feverish dream tortured her, waking her with a start as the first faint light of dawn seeped through the blinds. She sat up and hugged the bedcovers around her trembling body as she relived every vivid detail.

He'd come into her darkened bedroom, pulled the sheet away from her naked body, then slid in beside her. She'd stiffened. He had no right to be here, she told him, but the words of protest died on her lips as he covered them with his. Her mind commanded her to resist, but instead she found herself yielding to the sensuous pleasure of having his gentle fingers trail over her body, caressing, exploring . ..

With ragged breath, she tossed aside the covers and rose to pull the blinds up and allow the morning light to fill the room, hoping it would dispel the torrid fantasies, extinguish the longing in her heart and body.

She managed to relegate Madison to the deepest recesses of her mind until Friday afternoon when she answered the phone in the restaurant's foyer. The shock of hearing his voice took her breath away.

"I hate to do this at the last minute, but I'm getting together with some friends for tennis after dinner. Our fourth canceled. Would you be interested?"

Her face was hot, her hands damp. "Well, I don't thinks . . . ."

"It's not a date or anything," he interjected quickly. "Just tennis, nothing more. If you'd be more comfortable, I won't even pick you up. You can just meet us at the club."

His impartial tone bothered her, but, she reminded herself severely, she was the one who had taken what was probably just a friendly kiss and elevated it to such unrealistic heights. After all, they'd only known each other five days. She pressed a hand to her breast and hoped her voice didn't shake. "Thanks. Tennis sounds lovely, but I really can't." Keeping her voice cool, she explained briefly about Mo.

"I'm very sorry to hear this." He sounded genuinely concerned. "Please give her my best."

"I'll tell her. And thanks again for the tennis invite. Perhaps another time." She jumped when she felt Mo's hand on her shoulder and, from the agitated look on her face, realized she had probably overheard the entire conversation.

"Is that Madison?" Mo hissed, jabbing her finger at the receiver.

"Excuse me," Andrea told him, then covered the mouthpiece. "Yes, it is," she whispered." They need a fourth for doubles, and I've already said no."

Mo waved her hand impatiently. "Go. Go! It will do you good. After these last couple of days, you could use a breather."

In view of Mo's less-than-warm feelings for Madison, the suggestion astonished her. "Are you serious?"

"Completely. Besides, with me leaving in the morning, I could use some alone time with Christopher tonight." She gestured toward the phone. "Go on. Say yes."

Her eyes fixed on Mo, Andrea wrestled with her own tumultuous emotions. Wouldn't it be best if she didn't see him again? It took great effort to suppress the eager anticipation that filled her as she raised the phone to her ear. "Can you lend me a racket?"