Beau Williams stared at the lifestyle section of the paper his PA placed on his desk the next morning with frustrated anger. Damn, he should have suspected last night. Why hadn’t he? Just because he’d been playing a role didn’t mean others didn’t take it seriously. Or that he should have let his defenses down. Now he needed to do damage control before things got out of hand.
“Something you wanted to share, boss?” Helen asked. The fifty-five year old woman had been with Beau since he’d taken over the reins of Magellan’s Hotels ten years earlier. The chain of luxury hotels covered the west coast, from San Diego to Seattle. The flagship hotel was the first, San Francisco’s gem. He made it his headquarters as his father had prior to his death a decade ago.
The black and white newspaper photos he stared at were a surprise. Why hadn’t he considered the newspapers when cameras were flashing last night? Kori had mentioned recording the event for posterity—he knew the company had had a number of roaming photographers. But so, apparently, had the local newspaper.
Eying the photos, a feeling of disquiet pervaded. Had it been a setup—some sort of con? Play up the engaged feature, then hold him up for some kind of extortion? Or had she been merely trying to align herself with him, hoping for some kind of gain? A lot of advancement came from connections. And Beau had had women after him since he’d started in the business world—wanting a share of the money or glamor running the hotels brought.
But he had not expected this.
He and Kori were headline news on the lifestyle section. Reserved Hotel Guru Beau Williams Landed at Last?
He was sure Donny had never anticipated such a turn when he suggested Beau play fiancé to a stranger.
The idea had held merit when he’d considered Carmen and her increasing demands. He’d tried to break things off gently. Then not so gently. But she didn’t seem to get that they were through.
Would the confrontation last night confirm it for her?
How ironic if the newspaper article sealed their ending, yet opened a can of worms with Kori Pendergast. He felt a twinge of disappointment at the thought Kori would be contacting him soon with some suggestion or demand.
Helen stood by the desk, studying the splashy pictures, leaning closer to scan the article.
“I haven’t sent her flowers or arranged a reservation at any of your usual restaurants,” she murmured.
“It’s not what you think,” he replied, folding the paper and tossing it to the corner of the desk. He’d get Donny to check it out. Find out just who Kori Pendergast was, what she was after, and nip anything she had in mind in the bud. He hadn’t reached the success he enjoyed by being passive.
“I think an engagement means you are planning to marry the woman. What’s not to think?” Helen asked.
“The reporter got it wrong. We’re not engaged.”
“One picture has a ring flashing.”
“Do you have the figures from the Portland site?”
“Changing the subject, boss?”
Helen walked back to her office and began to look through the folders and reports that were stacked on her desk.
When the phone rang, she grabbed it without breaking stride.
Glancing up, she smiled. “Donny’s on line one,” she called.
Beau snatched the phone. “You and your dumb ideas.”
“Seen the paper, huh?”
“I never considered the media would be there. Maybe Kori arranged it. Ever consider a breach-of-promise suit? What with palimony awards going like gangbusters, maybe she thought to cash in on something like it. How much do we know about her?”
“Hey, she seemed nice enough. Want me to run a check on her?”
“Yes. Let me know once you find out something.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t land on a spot on Channel 8 news. The kiss was a nice touch.”
“What kiss?” Beau knew full well what kiss. How had Donny known?
“Didn’t you see page two?”
Beau reached for the paper, flipped it open to page two, where the article continued. There was a photo of his goodbye kiss. One impulse after months of grinding work, and it’s captured for the world.
“So are you going to see her again?” Donny asked.
“No. It was for one night only, remember? Heck, you arranged it. But I don’t like loose ends, and this article doesn’t ring true. Find out why it’s in the paper and see what we can do for damage control. And find out what Kori’s game is.”
“Hey, cuz, I live to serve. But don’t you have a publicity department that could put a better spin on it?”
“And have anyone else know the full situation? Not likely. You’re it.”
“And Carmen?”
“She got the message yesterday.”
“Until the first time she sees you someplace without fiancée in tow. If she suspects trouble in paradise, she’ll move back in for the kill.”
“Charming. I’ll worry about that when it comes. Have you turned up anything yet on that other matter?”
“Give me a break, Beau, I just started a couple of days ago. These things take time. I have to make friends before anyone confides in me. If I push, they’ll clam up forever.”
Donny Morgan had opened a private investigative agency several years back, after ten years with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Beau had hired his cousin in an attempt to discover if there was embezzlement from the bar. Sales figures had fallen recently, yet any time Beau glanced in, the place seemed to be doing great. He had suspicions but needed proof before proceeding. Donny had agreed to go undercover to find the proof.
“How’s Aunt Ellen?” Donny asked.
“About the same.” Another worry. His mother’s failing health had caused concern for several weeks. The nurse who watched her full time was always optimistic, but the doctor seemed more reserved.
Beau hated the helpless feeling he had around his mother. He wanted her to get well, resume her normal activities. Return to the vibrant woman she’d once been.
“Give her my love the next time you see her. Gotta go.”
Helen dropped off the folder he wanted, and took the newspaper, studying the new photo as she walked back to her desk.
Beau focused his attention on the report, doing his best to push Miss Kori Pendergast from his mind. If she thought to make anything of last night, she’d soon know better. They had an agreement for one night. That was all. End of story.
But he wondered what she was doing at that moment—plotting and planning?
Kori worked straight through lunch. She’d arrived early at the office to catch up on several projects pushed to a back burner when working on the Makomoto account. Now that the Makomoto deal was signed and sealed, she had other assignments that needed her attention. The bulk of her duties over the foreseeable future would be overseeing the Makomoto line, but she still had a couple of accounts that were favorites. She’d delegate others when the workload grew to be too much.
But that would be in the future. More immediately, she planned to treat herself to a pampered weekend at a spa in the wine country—starting tomorrow. The long hours leading up to the final agreement with the Japanese firm had put a dent in her leisure time. She was taking off early Friday afternoon and wouldn’t return to the city until Monday morning. She could hardly wait!
She reached for another portfolio, enjoying the sense of accomplishment that accompanied clearing up loose ends. She spread the sketches on the wide drawing table, hitched her chair closer and reached for her charcoal. She wanted to finish the last drawing before taking a break. She was old-fashioned in doing her preliminary work by hand. The two large monitors connected to her graphic arts program sat on the edge of the wide drafting table. She'd transfer her sketches when she was satisfied with them.
The murmur through the wide-open space the artists use stopped. Kori glanced up—right into the dark eyes of Beau Williams.
She stared at him, surprised to see him. Hadn’t they said goodbye forever?
Instantly she remembered flirting and playing the role of devoted fiancée last night. He didn’t look like he was ready to flirt today.
The dark suit and pristine white shirt he wore emphasized his rugged masculine looks. He carried himself with a confidence that insured he would never go unnoticed. Just standing there, he seemed to fill the space. Funny, she’d never thought the large open room particularly small before.
He glanced at the other artists, who all quickly became involved with their work, except for Tiffany. She was across the floor, separated from them by a dozen workstations, but she stared across the room at Beau and Kori.
If Beau noticed, he ignored it. He looked directly at Kori.
“We need to talk.” That steel beneath his easygoing tone surfaced. Just as it had with Carmen. His eyes reflected the true anger that she felt from him.
“About what?”
She regarded him warily. What was he doing here? How had he tracked her down? Of course, he’d known she worked for Reemer Solutions. How hard was it to show up at the front desk and ask for her?
But why had the receptionist let him come back unescorted? That was not standard operating procedure.
“Have you seen today’s paper?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“I don’t read the local newspaper that often. Why?”
He paced behind her desk to the bank of windows. She had a prime workstation—right next to the wall of windows which provided a lot of natural light. One day Kori wanted to have a corner office with windows on two walls, but for now this was all she could get. At Reemer Solutions, corner offices were for account executives, not art directors.
He turned and slid his hands into the trouser pockets, studying her with that familiar frown.
Kori refrained from fidgeting, but it took a lot of willpower. She glanced around the room quickly, noting how everyone appeared to be working. But she knew they were listening avidly. At least Tiffany was too far away to hear anything. Kori refused to give more fodder to the gossip mill.
“Come with me,” she said, hopping down from her high stool and heading for the exit sign. The only place to have privacy would be the stairwell. Pushing open the fire door, she checked to make sure they were alone before turning to face Beau. Once the door closed, she said,
“What is it you want? I must say I didn’t expect to see you again.”
“Didn’t you? I find that hard to believe. Especially after the press coverage at last night’s event.”
“The press? I knew they would be there. Our new account is big news. The plans we have impact several San Francisco firms as well as satellite locations around the globe. Did someone try to interview you?”
Not possible, Beau had been by her side all evening. Unless it had been after she left.
“There are photos of us in today’s paper—complete with story about our whirlwind romance and engagement,” he explained.
Kori stared dumbfounded.
“What? I didn’t give them any story. I didn’t even talk to a reporter. You were with me the entire time, you know I didn’t.”
How had the paper picked up on the engagement story and why? The coverage should have focused on the new contract.
“Though I guess we weren’t exactly making a secret of our supposed engagement. I mean, that was the whole reason we went there together, remember?”
“It doesn’t matter much who gave it to the reporter. The fact is it’s in today’s paper and has probably been read by everyone.”
“So it’ll blow over in a day or two. I mean, who cares if an art director from Reemer Solutions gets engaged?”
“The entire social and financial sector of San Francisco does when her fiancé is Beau Williams of Magellan Hotels.”
Kori’s knees went weak. She plopped down on a step staring at Beau. Running her suddenly damp palms against her jeans, she shook her head.
“Impossible. You can’t be the head of Magellan Hotels. They’ve been around for decades and are family owned.”
“Founded by my grandfather right after the war. Taken over by me when my father died ten years ago.”
“What were you doing hanging around a bar in the middle of the afternoon?” she asked. “I thought you—”
She stopped abruptly.
Resting a foot on the step beside her, he leaned closer, resting his forearm on his raised knee. “You thought what?”
“Never mind. Sheesh, I never made the connection. And when people asked you what you did last night, you never said you owned the hotel. You just said you were in the service industry.”
“Which hotels are. But Reemer Solutions wasn’t my company, I wasn’t going to take away the limelight from your special evening.”
“So what do you want—for me to send a retraction to the paper?”
Kori couldn’t believe it. The head of Magellan Hotels had agreed to act as a temporary fiancé? It didn’t make sense.
“Did you give them the story?” he asked.
Kori shook her head.
“Then it’s unlikely they’d take a retraction from you. And after the photographs they published, I doubt anyone would believe it anyway. Besides, it’s gone beyond that. My mother saw the article, and the pictures, thanks to her busybody nurse.”
“And she doesn’t approve?”
Kori could understand that. She’d want to meet a proposed fiancée of any son she’d ever have before he popped the question.
“Tell her the truth. I’m sure she doesn’t move in the same circles Tiffany and Phil do, so her knowing won’t blow my cover. Anyway, I plan for us to break up soon.”
“How?”
She shrugged. “I’ll go to a few events alone and if anyone asks, I’ll just say it didn’t work.”
Beau hesitated. “Not yet.”
“What do you mean, not yet. Of course I wouldn’t do it the very next day after telling everyone. But soon. Before it goes on too long.”
“You’ll have to hold off.”
“What? Why?”
“My mother’s been in failing health for some time. This article has changed her attitude completely. Her nurse and doctor think it’s just the thing to get her back on her feet. She’s shown more improvement since reading the article than she has in weeks.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She had Covid last winter, and never completely shook its effects. She’s lost weight, lost interest in everything.”
Kori drummed her fingers on her thigh. “Okay, then we don’t do a retraction.”
“There’s more. She wants to meet my fiancée.”
“Tell her we broke up.”
“I just told you, she’s changed completely because she thinks I’m getting married. She wants to meet my future bride. She wants input into the wedding. She’s showing an interest in something for the first time in months. If you think I’m going to kill that, you’re crazy.”
“But we aren’t engaged,” Kori protested.
“You know that and I know that. And Donny knows. But to the rest of the world we are. Didn’t you introduce me as your fiancé to everyone at the Reemer Solutions affair last night? I bet I could call a dozen in this morning to confirm it.”
“It was just for the night.”
She was beginning to suspect where he was going with this.
“I helped you out, now it’s your turn to help me out.”
“I did, with Carmen.”
“I did with Phil and Tiffany. That’s two to your one. You still owe me.”
Outraged, Kori jumped to her feet.
“I do not owe you anything.”
He rose and they stood staring at each other, on the same level since Kori was standing a step above the landing. She noticed the hard look around his eyes, the determination in every nuance. The slight hint of aggression.
“Then you won’t mind if I stop by Phil’s office on my way out and let him know the whole thing was a sham? Or maybe let Tiffany know we were just fooling?”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me,” he urged softly.
“Why would you want people you know to believe you’re engaged to me? I’m a daydreaming artist who wears jeans and cross-trainers. If you are who you say you are, you’re rich. You probably have dozens of women falling at your feet. Who would believe we are engaged?”
“Interesting slant, don’t you think? But the fact is the newspaper reported it, complete with captivating photographs. Anyone who sees them will believe it.”
“I think you’re nuts. How do I know any of this is even true?”
“Do you think I’d make it up?” His eyes gleamed dangerously. “Get a newspaper.”
Kori tried to think of options. How could a silly, harmless deception turn out to become such a big deal? Which would become even more compounded if she perpetuated it.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked suspiciously.
“Come tonight to meet my mother. We’ll have dinner at her home. I can’t guarantee she’ll join us for the meal, but she’ll at least get to meet you. Pretend we’re engaged. Once she’s better, we can tell her we didn’t suit and break it off. But not until she is well again. This is the first encouraging sign we’ve had. I’m not going to jeopardize it!”
“How do I know you are really the head of Magellan Hotels?”
Did he think she just waltzed off with complete strangers?
“Come back to the hotel if you like. I’ll show you my office, let you meet my secretary who will vouch for me. She worked for my father before me—has known me since I was a kid,” he said.
He stepped closer, crowding Kori’s space. She took a step backward until she was up against the wall.
“There are a dozen people the other side of that door,” she warned.
It was a foolish bluff. He wasn’t really threatening her. But he was taking up all the air. She gazed at him, reminded again of pirates plundering and taking what they wanted.
“I’ll have Donny join us tonight, if you’ll feel more comfortable.”
“Donny?”
She needed more room. Slowly she eased to her right, away from Beau. He didn’t push the issue. His intimidation technique worked great. She wondered if she could try it sometime.
“My cousin, the bartender.”
“Your cousin tends bar? And you expect me to believe you’re the head of Magellan Hotels?”
“He’s a private investigator working on a case. Don’t tell anyone. And since he got me into this mess, I figure he can be there to help us out of it.”
“You could have said no.”
“And had no defense against Carmen?”
Kori shook her head. “Don’t try that on me. You don’t need any help against Carmen or any other woman.”
“But I do need your help with my mother. We’ve tried every treatment the doctor suggested. This is the first thing that has given me hope.”
She stared at him, hearing the sincerity in his tone. He had helped her out last night. How hard would it be to pretend for another evening? She sighed.
“Okay, give me the address and I’ll show up at seven. One night only. Then we’re even.”
“Not acceptable. I need you to play along until she’s better. Then we can stage a fight, break up and go our separate ways.”
“And just how long do you expect that to be?” Kori asked wondering if she’d taken a fall down the White Rabbit’s hole?
“As long as it takes. A few weeks, a month or two at the most.”
“A month or two? I can’t put my life on hold for a month or two! You’re asking me to disrupt my entire life for you. And I don’t even know you.”
“I figured we’d come down to this. How much?”
She stared at him. Then glanced down at her chest. She didn’t see the sign but she knew it was there.
“Do you lie in bed nights thinking up ways to be insulting?” she asked, moving to the door, throbbing with the unfairness of it all. She’d never asked for any of this.
“I have better things to do in bed.”
Immediately images of him and Carmen sprang to mind. She didn’t want to think about that.
“Well then your talents must come naturally. I’m not asking for a thing from you. And I’m backing out of tonight.” She threw open the door. “Find a way to tell your mother the truth.”
“The truth?” Phil asked, standing near the door in the open work area. “What truth?”
Kori wanted to jump back into the stairwell and slam the door. Was she living under bad karma or something? What was Phil doing here? She was caught.
Beau stepped into the breach. “My mother wants us to have a huge, lavish wedding. Kori wants something quiet and intimate, but she hates to hurt my mother’s feelings,” he said smoothly.
“Was there something you wanted?” Kori asked Phil.
Of course no one asked her what she wanted—which was to be left alone and not have ex-boyfriends and current fiancés glaring at each other with that macho display men had when fighting over a woman. Puh-lease, it was too much! Especially since Phil didn’t care a fig about her, and Beau only wanted a pretend arrangement.
“I need Nathan to mock up a layout for me, but he said he’s working on something else for you and you’d have to okay being bumped. It won’t take him long. You’re always ahead of schedule, it won’t delay your deadline. Help me out here, Kori,” Phil said.
Kori glared at him, knowing she was taking out her frustration on the man, but it was so like him. Suddenly she realized how often he had charmed things from her when they’d been dating. Had that been the reason he’d been so attentive?
“Go ask Tiffany. See if she has someone who can help you out.”
“She doesn’t.”
“Then wait your turn. Next time schedule better.”
She turned back to Beau. He was leaning casually against the doorjamb, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Only the tightness around his eyes belied his pose.
“I have things to do, even if you don’t,” she snapped.
“I’ll pick you up after work. We aren’t finished with our discussion.”
Conscious of the eyes and ears of the others, Kori knew she was trapped. She nodded, but she wasn’t happy about the situation.
“I get off at five. But I’ll have to change clothes. I can meet you there.”
Then it struck her—she didn’t know where he lived. And a fiancée should know that, shouldn’t she? But she couldn’t ask with Phil hovering over her.
As if he could read minds, Beau shook his head. “You know I don’t mind taking you home and waiting while you change. See you at five, darling.”
Leaning over, he kissed her again, drawing it out beyond a mere brush of lips.
Kori almost exploded. She didn’t want a kiss. She didn’t want anything from the man. But, conscious of Phil, of Tiffany and half a floor of coworkers, she made no fuss. Her blood was pounding when Beau pulled back and winked, which drove her crazy! She watched him leave then glanced at Phil who still stood smoldering next to her.
“When did you meet him?” he asked.
“After we stopped dating. I’ve got work to do.”
She stalked to her drafting table and hitched herself up on the high stool. Picking up the charcoal, she couldn’t believe all that had happened in the few moments since she’d first picked up the pencil.
“I need Nathan,” Phil said.
He’d followed her to her drafting table and acted as if he was planted there until he got the response he wanted.
“What part of no do you not understand?” she said.
Her temper was growing shorter by the second. If he had a lick of sense, he’d detect it and leave her alone.
“Hey, what’s got you upset? It’s an easy favor. You always helped me in the past. We’re still friends, Kori, right?”
He moved closer, as if to charm her into getting his way.
Kori could just imagine the gossip that would run rampant that afternoon. She kept her head down, eyes on her paper.
“No, we are not friends. No, I will not bump Nathan’s current workload. Go charm Tiffany. Surely she’d give you what you want, you two being so tight and all.”
“Jealous?” he asked softly.
“Hardly,” she scoffed. “Our breaking up was the best thing to happen to me. I met Beau and look where I am now.”
Right between a rock and a hard place, but Phil didn’t know that.
Finally realizing she meant what she said, he left, grumbling the entire time. Kori tried to pick up where she’d left off. But images of Beau danced in her mind. He would drive her totally insane if she continued to have anything to do with him. He had no business kissing her in full sight of the entire art staff. Heat washed through her as she remembered her reaction. He was certainly an expert. But if they were even going to discuss a pretend engagement certain rules had to be established. She’d make that perfectly clear to him tonight when he picked her up.
Before or after dinner with his mother?
Was that for real? Was his mother suffering ill health? Could the news of a possible wedding have made her feel better?
Kori stared at the layout, all thoughts of work fleeing. She didn’t wish anyone ill. It wasn’t such a hardship to her personal life to pretend to be engaged. She hadn’t exactly been burning the midnight oil with dates recently.
And much as she might like to snap her fingers at Beau Williams and his arrogant demand, she couldn’t turn her back on a sick woman.
Or was Beau Williams playing some kind of mind game with her? He’d seemed genuinely annoyed with the newspaper spread. Which reminded her. She rang the receptionist and asked if she had a copy of the daily paper.
When a newspaper was delivered, Kori turned to the lifestyle section, reading every word of the article, studying each photograph. The poses the photographer had captured were convincing. Even she would have thought it true if she hadn’t known better. And the sidebar article told her a bit about the marriage-shy hotel magnate. She quickly scanned a short list of names he’d been associated with, suspecting those women hated having their names listed as former girlfriends. Except maybe Carmen, who could be the type to like any kind of fame she could get.
Not so Kori. Yet she had no one to blame but herself for the article and the predicament she was in. If only she and Shelly hadn’t concocted such a dumb idea. If only she had marched in to last night’s reception alone and unentangled, and faced Phil, Tiffany and the pity of her coworkers.
She reached for a telephone book and looked up the number for the Magellan Hotel on Union Square and dialed it. After a surprisingly easy screening, she was connected with Beau Williams.
“Williams.”
She’d recognize that voice anywhere.
“Just checking to make sure you are who you say you are,” she said, and hung up.
Okay, so he probably was the head honcho of a hugely successful hotel chain. She could deal with that. What she wasn’t sure about was pulling off the charade he asked. One night to save face among casually acquainted businessmen and women was quite different from days or weeks of fooling family.
How ironic. The last man she’d want to get entangled with was another corporate executive with his own agenda.
What if his mother really started planning a wedding? How cruel to snatch it away once her health improved. Wouldn’t it be better to tell the truth now and give her hope he would find someone soon to fall in love with and marry?
She wondered if Beau’s mother knew about Carmen. There’s someone who would relish a temporary engagement. Hoping, of course, to turn it into reality. Somehow, Kori didn’t see her as someone Beau or anyone else would take home to meet mother.
Promptly at five, Kori stepped outside the high-rise office building. Despite the heavy traffic and parking premiums, Beau had parked directly in front of the building.
No matter the true situation, Kori couldn’t help feel a small thrill when she saw him. For a moment—just an instant—she wished they were just two people going out together with all the exploring of likes and dislikes that came with meeting a new man for the first time.
“Satisfied?” he asked, opening the door for her.
“About?”
“Who I am.”
She ignored the comment and slid into the car. The leather seats felt wonderful, soft and conforming. She would love to have a car like this one. And it probably cost a mint. Welcome to the world of the rich, Kori, she thought whimsically.
“Hi there Kori Pendergast,” Donny said from the back seat.
She half turned to see him. The bartender/private investigator’s grin was infectious as ever.
“Hi yourself. I think you should have just filled my drink order yesterday and ignored the other request.”
“Ah, what a tangled web we weave. But you and Beau are naturals. He helped you out, you helped him out. Works for me.”
Beau slid in behind the wheel and started the engine.
“I spoke with Mrs. Braum before I left work. She’s my mother’s nurse. Mother is looking forward to meeting you. We’ll stop by your place so you can change and then head for home.”
Kori became immediately defensive. Her job didn’t exactly go with designer suits and pristine white shirts. She had charcoal smudged on one thigh. A dusting of chalk along the left leg and on the arm of her shirt.
She didn’t work in some pristine office setting, but with materials that spilled, smeared, and crumbled. She hadn’t wanted to meet his mother dressed this way, thus her earlier request to change clothes. He could at least give her credit for that.
Beau pulled into traffic and soon made the turn onto the Embarcadero.
“Don’t you need directions?” Kori asked.
He was heading for her apartment building, but how had he known?
“I know the way.”
“How do you know where I live?”
“Donny told me.”
She looked over her shoulder into the back seat.
“And how do you know?”
He grinned unrepentant. “I know all. You two had better spend the next few minutes or so going over your backgrounds, so you don’t mess up when you meet Aunt Ellen,” Donny suggested. “I’ve given Beau the high points about you, and drew up a quick page about him,” he continued, sliding a sheet of paper over the seat back.
Kori took it and began to read. Vital statistics, age, birth date, where he attended school.
“What do you mean, you gave the high points of my life to Beau? Did you investigate me?”
She turned and glared at Donny.
“Hey, I thought we were keeping me undercover,” Donny said to Beau.
“Like we could do that with you saying you’d given me the high points in her life. Anyway, she knows about your assignment.”
“It’s supposed to be a secret,” Donny complained. “Need to know and all that.”
“Except for family,” Kori murmured. “How close can a fiancée get? Just think of me as your new cousin-to-be. So I’m to memorize all this before dinner? Did Beau get a crash course, too?”
“You’re an only child, though your mother is one of five siblings, who all had children, so you have lots of cousins,” he began to recite. “Your parents live in Fremont, where you grew up. Currently they are on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise, courtesy of your father’s company for a banner year in sales. Your mother teaches at the School for the Deaf. You excelled in high school, and were an honors student at the School for the Arts. You’ve lived for six years in a renovated loft flat near China Basin. You appear to have lots of friends, but,” he flicked her another look, “few serious boyfriends.”
“You could have asked me, I would have told you what you need to know.”
Kori was ruffled he’d had Donny investigate her. Maybe she should hire someone to investigate him, see how he liked it.
“I still need to know your favorite colors, foods, kind of movies you like, and books, that kind of thing,” Beau said.
“Couldn’t get all that in the few hours I had to work,” Donny apologized.
“I need to know that about you, too.”
Was she going along with this? What happened to putting her foot down and insisting on ground rules? Granted he helped her out of a sticky situation yesterday and today with Phil. But he couldn’t call all the shots. She was putting herself out for him and wasn’t even sure she liked him.
Beau smoothly maneuvered the car through the traffic, even as he began to respond, “My favorite color is blue, favorite food southern fried chicken—even though I know it’s supposed to be bad to eat fried foods. I like action adventure movies, when I get a chance to watch them. I rarely see them at the theater. I have season tickets for the 49ers and the symphony. I like Mozart. Don’t read much, but when I do it’s mysteries. What about you?”
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t merely a man with an agenda.
“I like blue, too. My favorite food is chocolate. I think it should be listed as one of the basic food groups. Comedies are my thing—books and movies. And sometimes a really good romance. I don't care a thing about football. I do like music of all kinds, however.”
“I now pronounce you man and fiancée,” Donny said from the back.
“Shut up,” Beau and Kori said in unison.
“Have you thought of a reason your mother hasn’t heard of me before seeing the newspaper this morning?” Kori asked. “I mean, isn’t that odd? Or are the two of you not close?”
“We are as close as most, I suppose. And the reason I kept you away was because of her poor health, of course. I sheltered her from a lot, I don’t think she’ll suspect anything is wrong.”
“And, it’s been such a whirlwind affair anyway, right?” Kori said.
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you read the article in the paper? Did you only look at the pictures? According to a reliable source, whom I suspect was that witch Tiffany, it was a whirlwind romance. It would have to be, since I was seeing Phil until recently. And we all know about Carmen.”
“I sure hope Aunt Ellen doesn’t know about Carmen,” Donny said. “Or you’re toast, my friend.”
Beau stopped before an older, six storied apartment building. He double parked, then looked at her. “We’ll wait here.”
“Fine. I’ll make it quick.”
Kori opened the door and hurried inside, grateful for a few minutes to herself. Maybe she should just lock her door and never leave again.
Yet, while she wasn’t sure it was wise to get involved in the scheme, she was curious about Beau. Where he had grown up. What his mother was like. Chances were good that none of them had anything in common and after tonight, no one would suspect a thing wrong when they broke off the engagement.
Once again in the luxurious car twenty minutes later, Kori watched as Beau drove competently in the rush-hour traffic, up California Street’s steep hill and into Pacific Heights. In only seconds, he turned on a cross street and before long pulled into a driveway on Washington Street and stopped by a lovely old home. The Tudor architecture was softened by the bougainvillea that grew along the corners of the house and the lovely mock orange shrubs with their fragrant blossoms.
“Is this where you live?” Kori asked.
Some of the homes were more than a hundred years old, built shortly after the great earthquake and fire. They were large, beautifully constructed, and costly.
“My mother does. I live in an apartment on Nob Hill. A word of warning, Kori. I do not want my mother upset. She’s in frail health and I will do anything I need to for her to get better. Are we agreed on this? No discussion about anything controversial, got it?”
“Gee, this is a match made in heaven. Threats, insults, investigations and more threats. What more could a woman ask for?” she said.
Donny got out and opened the door for Kori. “Show time. Did you memorize the facts I gave you?”
“I haven’t even finished reading them. I know— I’ll slip into the bathroom, commit everything to memory then tear the paper into tiny bits and flush away the evidence.”
“It could be worse, she could be without a sense of humor,” he said over the top of the car to his cousin.
Beau scowled and held out his hand. Reluctantly, Kori walked around and put hers into his, feeling his fingers close over hers. Someone should curb his autocratic tendencies, she thought. Turning to face the house, she hoped they could pull off their crazy charade for the sake of a sick woman. But she had a bad feeling about it.