Read Online The Throwbacks by Stephanie Queen - Free Book Online Page B

he’d had to swear that he was not dating Grace. Then he threw in the promise that he would never date any other Grace-like women in the future either. He was no longer sure exactly what that meant, but he’d promised just the same, knowing deep down that it was all for his own good.
    He had to get serious about life again. Or was it that he had to get real? Now he was sounding like Grace.
    “Chief of the Scotland Yard Flying Squad.” Grace licked her lips and aimed her soul-melting brown eyes at him. “That’s as good as Batman for me.”
    “Pardon?” Could he possibly have heard her correctly? He did a double-take to check and the look on her face was genuine.
    “No, you’re much better because you’re real,” she said a little breathlessly. She stared at him with her signature look of intense adoration. He stared back and wondered how he was going to manage to give this up—to give her up.
    They were standing in front of the door that way, staring and leaning close, their eyes shuttering to that special hazy state. He was about to kiss her inadvisably yet again when the door flung open.
    “Welcome, David. It’s about time…” Esther stopped abruptly. He turned to face her, clearing his throat.
    He put an arm protectively around Grace, without thinking why, just knowing he should. “Good evening, Esther. This is Grace Rogers, my decorator.” He smiled, regaining his poise in a hurry.
    ‘Yes. Well…hello. You two…” Esther gestured for them to come in.
    Luckily David knew his way. He ushered the two ladies, both sleepwalking through their haze of confusion for two very different reasons.
    Everyone else was there in the living room. It was the perfect tableau. He felt like he stepped into the denouement of a Miss Marple novel. Dan struck a Dick Tracy pose by the fireplace, sipping his martini. A demure, understated woman dressed in navy blue sat with her ankles crossed on a small chair and held an untouched glass of white wine. A silver tray of crackers topped with various food items sat on a glass table. The chief’s teenaged son, Jason, had been sitting on the sofa. He popped up with that energy and awkwardness peculiar to his age group and came forward, zeroing in on David to shake his hand. No doubt the poor boy thought he’d brought Grace along to be his date and round out the coupling at this soiree.
    “Hey whot, Chief Detective!” Jason said. The boy pumped his hand and looked meaningfully toward Grace, waiting for the introduction. Jason’s refreshing demeanor was a relief from the tension in the rest of the room.
    “Now, Jason,” Esther scolded. She did the introductions. “This is Grace, er, David’s decorator, who he invited along…very kindly.” Then Esther introduced the demure woman as Maria. David instantly thought of her as Demure Maria.
    Grace stepped forward into the room and looked around.
    “This is a beautiful room, Esther. It has balance. There’s warmth with personal touches, and yet it’s not cluttered.” She turned toward Esther. “Very well done.”
    She was, as usual, very genuine. And her comments had the effect of dispelling some of the tension and putting Esther at ease. Of course, it was odd that she would come in to a dinner and be introduced as a decorator, but she played the role, and beautifully.
    “Thank you. Let me get you a drink. What would you like? We have everything,” Esther said.
    “In that case, I’ll have a purple hooter.”
    Esther stopped short and Dick Tracy raised his brows.
    “Oh, those are supposed to be awesome. I mean, that’s what I’ve heard,” Jason said.
    “I’ve never heard of such a thing. Where would you go to get one?” Demure Maria asked. Grace went over and sat down on the couch nearest the woman’s chair. She looked Maria in the eye and smiled. She all but patted the woman’s hand as if she were feeble.
    “At a bar.”
    Jason laughed but quickly stifled himself after the glares from his parents hit him. But