The Perfect Match. Debbie Macomber
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to the conversation, hoping to discover just how long Gramps intended to plant himself in Zach’s office.
Unfortunately, she could barely hear a thing. She risked opening the door a crack; a quick glance revealed that both men were facing away from her. That explained why she couldn’t understand their conversation.
It was then that Janine spotted her purse. Strangling a gasp, she eased the door shut and staggered away from it. She covered her mouth as she took deep breaths. When she found the courage to edge open the door and peek again, she saw that all her grandfather had to do was glance downward.
If he shuffled his feet, his shoe would catch on the strap and he’d drag it out of the office with him.
Zach turned away from the window, and for the first time Janine could hear and see him clearly.
“I’ll take care of that right away,” he said evenly. He was so calm, so composed, as though he often kept women hidden in his closet. He must have noticed Janine’s purse because he frowned and his gaze flew accusingly toward her.
Well, for heaven’s sake, she hadn’t purposely left it there for Gramps to trip over! He wasn’t even supposed to be in the building. That very morning, he’d told her he was lunching at the Athletic Club with his longtime friend, Burt Coleman. Whenever Gramps ate lunch with his cronies, he spent the afternoon playing pinochle. Apparently he’d changed his habits, just so her hair would turn prematurely gray.
Several tortured minutes passed before Zach escorted Gramps to the door. The instant it was shut, Janine stepped into the office, blinking against the brightness after her wait in the dark. “My purse,” she said in a strangled voice. “Do you think he saw it?”
“It would be a miracle if he didn’t. Of all the stupid things to do!”
“I didn’t purposely leave it out here!”
“I’m not talking about that,” Zach growled. “I’m referring to your coming here in the first place. Are you crazy? You couldn’t have called?”
“I…had something to tell you and I was in the neighborhood.” So much for her suave, sophisticated facade. Zach was right, of course; she could have told him just as easily by phone.
He looked furious. “For the life of me I can’t think of a solitary thing that’s so important you’d do anything this foolish. If your grandfather saw the two of us together, he’d immediately jump to the wrong conclusion. Until this afternoon, everything’s been peaceful. Anton hasn’t mentioned your name once and, frankly, I appreciated that.”
His words stung. “I…I won’t make the mistake of coming again—ever,” she vowed, trying to sound dignified and aloof. She gathered her purse and her bags as quickly as possible and hurried out of the office, not caring who saw her leave, including Gramps.
“Janine, you never did say why you came.” Zach had followed her to the elevator.
Janine stared at the light above the elevator that indicated the floor number, as though it was a message of the utmost importance. Her hold on the bags was precarious and something was dragging against her feet, but she couldn’t have cared less. “I’m sorry to have imposed on your valuable time. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t even important.”
“Janine,” he coaxed, apparently regretting his earlier outburst. “I shouldn’t have yelled.”
“Yes, I know,” she said smoothly. The elevator opened and with as little ceremony as possible, she slipped inside. It wasn’t until she was over the threshold that she realized her purse strap was tangled around her feet.
So much for a dignified exit.
“The castle of Cawdor was built in the fifteenth century and to this day remains the seat of the earl of Cawdor,” the guide intoned as Janine and several other sightseers toured the famous landmark. “In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the castle plays an important role. Macbeth becomes the thane of Cawdor….”
For the first few days of Janine’s visit to Scotland, she’d been content to explore on her own. The tours, however, helped fill in the bits and pieces of history she might otherwise have missed.
The castle of Cawdor was in northeastern Scotland. The next day, she planned to rent a car and take a meandering route toward Edinburgh, the political heart of Scotland. From what she’d read, Edinburgh Castle was an ancient fortress, built on a huge rock, that dominated the city’s skyline. Gramps had booked reservations for her at an inn on the outskirts of town.
The Bonnie Inn, with its red-tiled roof and black-trimmed gables, had all the charm she’d expected, and more. Janine’s room offered more character than comfort, but she felt its welcome as if she were visiting an old friend. A vase filled with fresh flowers and dainty jars of bath salts awaited her.
Eager to explore, she strolled outside to investigate the extensive garden. There was a chill in the April air and she tucked her hands in her pockets, watching with amusement as the partridges fed on the lush green lawn.
“Janine?”
At the sound of her name, she turned, and to her astonishment discovered Zach standing not more than ten feet away. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Me? I was about to ask you the same question.”
“I’m on vacation. Gramps gave me the trip as a gift.”
“I’m here on business,” Zach explained, and his brow furrowed in a suspicious frown.
Janine was doing her own share of frowning. “This is all rather convenient, don’t you think?”
Zach took immediate offense. “You don’t believe I planned this, do you?”
“No,” she agreed reluctantly.
Zach continued to stand there, stiff and wary. “I had absolutely nothing to do with this,” he said.
“If you hadn’t been so rude to me the last time we met,” she felt obliged to inform him, with a righteous tilt to her chin, “you’d have known well in advance that Gramps was sending me here, and we could have avoided this unpleasant shock.”
“If you hadn’t been in such an all-fired hurry to leave my office, you’d have discovered I was traveling here myself.”
“Oh, that’s perfect! Go ahead and blame me for everything,” she shrieked. “As I recall, you were furious at my being anywhere near your precious office.”
“All right, I’ll admit I might have handled the situation poorly,” Zach said, and the muscles in his jaw hardened. “But as you’ll also recall, I did apologize.”
“Sure you did,” she said, “after you’d trampled all over my ego. I’ve never felt like more of a fool in my life.”
“You?” Zach shouted. “It may surprise you to know that I don’t make a habit of hiding women in my office.”
“Do you think I enjoyed being stuffed in that…closet like a bag of dirty laundry?”
“What was I supposed to do? Hide you under my desk?”
“It might’ve been better than a pitch-black closet.”
“If you’re so keen on casting blame, let me remind you I wasn’t the one who left my purse in full view of your grandfather,” Zach said. “I did everything but perform card tricks to draw his attention away from it.”
“You make it sound like I’m at fault,” Janine snapped.
“I’m not the one who popped in unexpectedly. If you had a job like everyone else—”
“If I had a job,” she broke in, outraged. “You mean all the volunteer work I do doesn’t count?