Read Online The Talk of the Town by Fran Baker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fran Baker
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like Roxie. She was so obviously everything he wasn’t, so good, so upright, so pure.
“You don’t have to apologize for anything—” he started.
“Yes, I do!” she interrupted fiercely. “They haven’t the manners to do it, so I will. It’s shameful the way they ignore you.”
Her outburst stirred too many emotions in him. He’d worked at being insensate for so long, he didn’t know how to handle such feelings. Normally he’d resist them with a detached indifference, but he couldn’t even pretend indifference to her.
Mustering a reasonably light tone, he contradicted her. “But I haven’t been ignored.”
She cast him a look of disbelief that changed instantly to one of sheer fury. “If anyone’s been haranguing you—”
“No, I didn’t mean anything like that,” he broke in quickly. “All I meant was that they’ve been watching me, not ignoring me. Most days, I’ve practically had my own shadow.”
“Shadow,” she echoed.
“I think his name is Fesol.” Crinkling his gray eyes in a smile, he beguiled her into forgetting her fuming indignation. When he looked at her like that, it was a wonder she could remember her own name.
“I’d call him something a whole lot less polite than a shadow,” she returned with an answering smile and had the pleasure of hearing him chuckle.
“But you’re a lady, so you’ll courteously refrain from doing so,” he joked.
Her smile slowly faded. She wasn’t such a lady, but she couldn’t bear the thought of him knowing it. She could scarcely stand to admit it to herself. He might be able to openly bear the stigma of his past—it was one of the things she most admired about him—but she couldn’t. Not yet, at least. As quickly as she could politely do so, Roxie told him she’d hold him to that lunch one day and strode off through the warehouse maze.
The raucous noise surrounding her seemed to mimic the clamor of her confused emotions. Once again, without even trying, he’d managed to thoroughly unsettle her. Even Arthur hadn’t run her through such a gamut of emotions. She’d felt sorry for Luke, angry on his behalf, saddened by her own secretive past. But most of all she had felt attracted to him. She couldn’t deny it. It would be useless to try. She still tingled from seeing him smile. But before she’d even spoken to him today, she’d felt it. She’d been carried away by the mere sight of him.
Slow down, Roxie, she warned herself. This isn’t the sort of man for you to tangle with without a lot of thought. Being concerned about the employee was one thing. Being concerned about the man was something else again. She hadn’t come home from St. Louis simply to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Resolving to put Luke Bauer out of her mind, she headed for her office.
Barbara McCanse, Mr. Stewart’s secretary, intercepted her in the corridor, holding one palm up and one palm out. “Wait a minute, Roxie. Do you have a nickel I can borrow? I’d like to get a piece of pie, but I’m too lazy to go all the way back to my desk to get my purse.”
“Sorry, but my purse is in my desk, too.”
Barbara’s pretty face wrinkled in a comical mixture of disappointment and acceptance. “Some panhandler I’d make. Oh well, I guess the exercise will do me good,” she drawled, patting her hips and grinning as she fell into step beside Roxie.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”
“That’s okay,” Barbara said with a shrug. “I should have figured your purse would be locked up too. Isn’t it a bother?”
Roxie threw her a puzzled glance. “Isn’t what a bother?”
“You know, locking our purses in our desk drawers.” Barbara frowned. “Don’t you keep yours locked up?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Oh.”
“Since when have you started doing that?” Roxie asked, feeling that angry prickle crawl under her skin.
“Well, you know,” Barbara wriggled uncomfortably under Roxie’s steady glare. “I mean, you’ve got to admit, it
“You don’t have to apologize for anything—” he started.
“Yes, I do!” she interrupted fiercely. “They haven’t the manners to do it, so I will. It’s shameful the way they ignore you.”
Her outburst stirred too many emotions in him. He’d worked at being insensate for so long, he didn’t know how to handle such feelings. Normally he’d resist them with a detached indifference, but he couldn’t even pretend indifference to her.
Mustering a reasonably light tone, he contradicted her. “But I haven’t been ignored.”
She cast him a look of disbelief that changed instantly to one of sheer fury. “If anyone’s been haranguing you—”
“No, I didn’t mean anything like that,” he broke in quickly. “All I meant was that they’ve been watching me, not ignoring me. Most days, I’ve practically had my own shadow.”
“Shadow,” she echoed.
“I think his name is Fesol.” Crinkling his gray eyes in a smile, he beguiled her into forgetting her fuming indignation. When he looked at her like that, it was a wonder she could remember her own name.
“I’d call him something a whole lot less polite than a shadow,” she returned with an answering smile and had the pleasure of hearing him chuckle.
“But you’re a lady, so you’ll courteously refrain from doing so,” he joked.
Her smile slowly faded. She wasn’t such a lady, but she couldn’t bear the thought of him knowing it. She could scarcely stand to admit it to herself. He might be able to openly bear the stigma of his past—it was one of the things she most admired about him—but she couldn’t. Not yet, at least. As quickly as she could politely do so, Roxie told him she’d hold him to that lunch one day and strode off through the warehouse maze.
The raucous noise surrounding her seemed to mimic the clamor of her confused emotions. Once again, without even trying, he’d managed to thoroughly unsettle her. Even Arthur hadn’t run her through such a gamut of emotions. She’d felt sorry for Luke, angry on his behalf, saddened by her own secretive past. But most of all she had felt attracted to him. She couldn’t deny it. It would be useless to try. She still tingled from seeing him smile. But before she’d even spoken to him today, she’d felt it. She’d been carried away by the mere sight of him.
Slow down, Roxie, she warned herself. This isn’t the sort of man for you to tangle with without a lot of thought. Being concerned about the employee was one thing. Being concerned about the man was something else again. She hadn’t come home from St. Louis simply to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Resolving to put Luke Bauer out of her mind, she headed for her office.
Barbara McCanse, Mr. Stewart’s secretary, intercepted her in the corridor, holding one palm up and one palm out. “Wait a minute, Roxie. Do you have a nickel I can borrow? I’d like to get a piece of pie, but I’m too lazy to go all the way back to my desk to get my purse.”
“Sorry, but my purse is in my desk, too.”
Barbara’s pretty face wrinkled in a comical mixture of disappointment and acceptance. “Some panhandler I’d make. Oh well, I guess the exercise will do me good,” she drawled, patting her hips and grinning as she fell into step beside Roxie.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”
“That’s okay,” Barbara said with a shrug. “I should have figured your purse would be locked up too. Isn’t it a bother?”
Roxie threw her a puzzled glance. “Isn’t what a bother?”
“You know, locking our purses in our desk drawers.” Barbara frowned. “Don’t you keep yours locked up?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Oh.”
“Since when have you started doing that?” Roxie asked, feeling that angry prickle crawl under her skin.
“Well, you know,” Barbara wriggled uncomfortably under Roxie’s steady glare. “I mean, you’ve got to admit, it
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