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Authors: Jayne Castle
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situation that had been totally beyond her control? She didn’t like the feeling and she didn’t like the fact that Zac could induce it. This relationship she was involved in had to be clarified, and soon. She knew she was glowering as Zac opened the Buick’s door and unceremoniously all but shoved her inside. The others were driving back to the resort in Springer’s car.
"It wasn’t my fault, you know," she muttered, and immediately resented the fact that she’d felt obliged to defend herself. "Cassidy just showed up at the last minute and hopped aboard."
"How fitting. Hopalong Cassidy."
"It’s not nice to make fun of a person’s disability."
"Did he regale you with the tale of how he managed t collect such a romantic limp? I’ll bet it’s a great story full of heroism and danger." Zac grimly turned the key i the ignition.
"No, he did not. As a matter of fact we discussed the local islands, and then some of us talked a bit about Washburn’s success. He’s thinking of buying one of those empty islands out there, you know."
"No, I didn’t know. But I’m not surprised. What’s that got to do with anything?"
"Well, nothing. I just thought you were asking for blow-by-blow account of the cruise, so I was trying to give it to you."
"Spare me. If I want the account, I’ll ask for it."
"Yes, sir. You certainly are in a good mood, sir, if may say so, sir. Did anything interesting happen between Washburn and Vandyke at the conference?"
Zac’s mouth hardened. "I think Vandyke’s going to get the deal."
Guinevere glanced at him. "Really? That’s great. Maybe that will make him relax a little."
"It’s not final yet, and Vandyke doesn’t seem any more relaxed." Zac turned the corner onto the narrow road that led from the small village back to the resort.
Guinevere sought for more neutral conversation. "Did you get hold of your friend?"
"Sol? Yeah. He was sleeping off a hangover. Said he’ look into it when I told him I’d send along a check to cover his expenses. His great American novel hasn’t yet found a publisher, I gather."
"So we don’t know any more than we did this morning?"
"Nope."
"Where’s the briefcase?"
"Vandyke has it. I think he felt guilty about asking me to stick so close when that wasn’t really what he’d hired me to do. He told me to take off for a few minutes to collect you. We’re meeting him for lunch."
Wonderful, Guinevere thought morosely. Zac was right. The weekend wasn’t working out at all. At least not the way she’d hoped it would. She propped her elbow on the padded door and leaned her chin on her hand, gazing out the window at the tree-lined road.
"Zac?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you really upset about Cassidy being along on that cruise?"
There was a beat of heavy silence. "I shouldn’t be, should I?" he asked grimly.
She slid him a sidelong glance. "No. You shouldn’t. For one thing, I had nothing to do with it. And for another, we haven’t…" She faltered.
"We haven’t had that little chat you want, have we?" he finished for her.
"Well, no."
"Is this chat of ours going to include some kind of agreement regarding outside relationships? Is that the right expression?"
She drew a deep breath, concentrating fiercely on the narrow winding road. "I had thought it might."
There was another heavy silence. Then Zac said slowly, obviously choosing his words with care, "Gwen, I am not normally a possessive man."
That surprised her. "You aren’t?"
"It’s worked reasonably well over the years, since women do not tend to get possessive about me."
"I see." She felt an immediate surge of sheer undiluted feminine possessiveness. The thought of Zac taking someone else out to dinner and discussing such things as a business image and IRS deductions for small firms was enough to make her stomach tighten, she realized suddenly. Until now she had only considered the situation from her side. She had been wary of what she had thought was his growing demand for exclusivity. Now
"It wasn’t my fault, you know," she muttered, and immediately resented the fact that she’d felt obliged to defend herself. "Cassidy just showed up at the last minute and hopped aboard."
"How fitting. Hopalong Cassidy."
"It’s not nice to make fun of a person’s disability."
"Did he regale you with the tale of how he managed t collect such a romantic limp? I’ll bet it’s a great story full of heroism and danger." Zac grimly turned the key i the ignition.
"No, he did not. As a matter of fact we discussed the local islands, and then some of us talked a bit about Washburn’s success. He’s thinking of buying one of those empty islands out there, you know."
"No, I didn’t know. But I’m not surprised. What’s that got to do with anything?"
"Well, nothing. I just thought you were asking for blow-by-blow account of the cruise, so I was trying to give it to you."
"Spare me. If I want the account, I’ll ask for it."
"Yes, sir. You certainly are in a good mood, sir, if may say so, sir. Did anything interesting happen between Washburn and Vandyke at the conference?"
Zac’s mouth hardened. "I think Vandyke’s going to get the deal."
Guinevere glanced at him. "Really? That’s great. Maybe that will make him relax a little."
"It’s not final yet, and Vandyke doesn’t seem any more relaxed." Zac turned the corner onto the narrow road that led from the small village back to the resort.
Guinevere sought for more neutral conversation. "Did you get hold of your friend?"
"Sol? Yeah. He was sleeping off a hangover. Said he’ look into it when I told him I’d send along a check to cover his expenses. His great American novel hasn’t yet found a publisher, I gather."
"So we don’t know any more than we did this morning?"
"Nope."
"Where’s the briefcase?"
"Vandyke has it. I think he felt guilty about asking me to stick so close when that wasn’t really what he’d hired me to do. He told me to take off for a few minutes to collect you. We’re meeting him for lunch."
Wonderful, Guinevere thought morosely. Zac was right. The weekend wasn’t working out at all. At least not the way she’d hoped it would. She propped her elbow on the padded door and leaned her chin on her hand, gazing out the window at the tree-lined road.
"Zac?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you really upset about Cassidy being along on that cruise?"
There was a beat of heavy silence. "I shouldn’t be, should I?" he asked grimly.
She slid him a sidelong glance. "No. You shouldn’t. For one thing, I had nothing to do with it. And for another, we haven’t…" She faltered.
"We haven’t had that little chat you want, have we?" he finished for her.
"Well, no."
"Is this chat of ours going to include some kind of agreement regarding outside relationships? Is that the right expression?"
She drew a deep breath, concentrating fiercely on the narrow winding road. "I had thought it might."
There was another heavy silence. Then Zac said slowly, obviously choosing his words with care, "Gwen, I am not normally a possessive man."
That surprised her. "You aren’t?"
"It’s worked reasonably well over the years, since women do not tend to get possessive about me."
"I see." She felt an immediate surge of sheer undiluted feminine possessiveness. The thought of Zac taking someone else out to dinner and discussing such things as a business image and IRS deductions for small firms was enough to make her stomach tighten, she realized suddenly. Until now she had only considered the situation from her side. She had been wary of what she had thought was his growing demand for exclusivity. Now
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