Catching the Bad Guy (Book Two) (Janet Maple Series) (35 page)

Claire rose on her elbow and checked the time: it
was ten a.m. She snuck out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom to brush her
teeth. She might have gotten comfortable enough to sleep in the same bed with
David, but she still wanted her breath to smell fresh when he woke up.

A few minutes later, she tiptoed back into bed and
snuggled next to David. Usually, David was always the first to wake up, and
together they would go for a four-mile run. No doubt, upon waking up, David was
bound to get upset for oversleeping, but Claire was not about to nudge him. She
wanted them to spend the morning reading newspapers over breakfast instead of
gasping for breath in sweat-soaked clothes. David muttered something incoherent
as he flung his arm across Claire’s chest. Careful not to wake him, she
maneuvered out of the way and tucked the comforter up to her chin. She loved
lounging in bed like this.

“What time is it?” David mumbled groggily, reaching
for the clock on the bedside table. “Ten-thirty? Claire, are you up?” He turned
toward her.

“Huh? What?” Claire could be a good actress when she
needed to be.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” David smooched her.
“Well, since we’ve overslept our run this morning, I think there are a few
other activities I can think of for us to make up for missed exercise.” He
reached underneath her lacy nightgown.

“What exactly did you have in mind?” Claire asked,
thinking that her plan had worked perfectly. After all, she much preferred
making love to jogging.

Over breakfast, holding the morning newspaper in his
left hand, David shook his head as he lifted a forkful of eggs to his mouth.

“You don’t like your eggs?” Claire worried that her
cooking was not to David’s likening. Usually he opted for cereal and milk, but
this morning she had prepared the full spread: scrambled eggs, bacon, and
toast. She had specifically instructed David’s housekeeper to stock up on
provisions to surprise him.

“No, baby, the eggs are superb, although, if you
keep this up, I’m going to have to double my morning jogs.” David patted his
washboard stomach. “It’s the news that worries me.”

“Yeah? What’s wrong?” Claire poured herself a cup of
coffee.

“I just saw something in the paper that might affect
my father’s new development plans.” David frowned, his mind still focused on
the article. “But I won’t let it spoil our morning.” He smiled at her. “Thank
you for making breakfast.”

“You’re welcome.” Claire took a bite of her bacon.
If there was one thing she wished she could change about David Lawson it was to
make him forget about work on weekends.

“So what do you want to do today?” Claire asked after
she had loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. She had replaced her evening
dress with indigo jeans and a peasant blouse. That was another recent change:
David had suggested that she leave a few of her things at his place, so that
she would not have to rush home to change when spending the weekend with him.

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Didn’t I tell you? I have
to get back to the office. I’m working on a major deal that is due to close on
Wednesday and I’ve got to go over the financials one more time to make sure
everything is in shipshape.”

“Oh.” Claire fought back the disappointment. She had
been looking forward to seeing David all week, and already, their time together
was over.

“I tell you what. Why don’t you go to the pool
downstairs, maybe do some shopping? I should be back around seven or so.” David
reached for his wallet and handed Claire his credit card. “Do you forgive me?”

Most women would jump at the chance, but Claire
wanted David, not his credit cards. Plus, if she knew anything about men, it
was that you could not let a man think that you sat around moping for him.

“That’s all right, David. Actually, I’ve just
remembered that I have a few work things to catch up on myself.”

“I’m really sorry, baby. I swear I’ll make it up to
you next weekend.”

A short while later, as his chauffeur held the black
Mercedes door open for him, David asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to
drop you off at your apartment?” “Positive. I’ve got a few errands to run on
the way.”

“Oh?” David arched an eyebrow and Claire sensed his
eyes lingering on her neckline. “Is this blouse supposed to be open like this?”
David buttoned the top button Claire had purposely left undone. “Oh, and let me
know if that new neighbor of yours gives you any trouble.”

“I don’t think he will be bothering me anymore.”
Claire stammered, wondering what on earth prompted David to bring this up.

After David’s car pulled away, Claire considered her
options. She had planned to spend the day with David, but as it had
unexpectedly turned out, she now had the entire Sunday to herself. Truth be
told, these occurrences were becoming disconcertingly frequent. Lately, she had
noticed David spending a far greater number of weekends at the office than
Claire would have liked to admit. Of course, she could have taken David up on
his offer and hung around to spend a few precious evening hours with him, but
as much as she had been tempted to, she knew that she had been right to resist.
She was not about to manifest her growing attachment to David by sitting around
and moping for him.

Claire smiled with self-satisfaction, remembering
the protective way David had buttoned up her blouse. Men, even a man like David
Lawson, were highly predictable. The minute you let them think they knew
everything about you, they were liable to take you for granted, but as long as
you left some mystique, they would keep coming back for more.

Claire headed toward the Subway, thinking that she
might take a stroll through SoHo. Then she reached for her cell phone and
dialed her best friend Lindsay. Lindsay always worked late on Saturday nights,
covering some big event, and Claire was fairly certain that she would be just
getting ready to get breakfast.

“Hello?” Lindsay’s groggy voice croaked in the
receiver.

“Good morning, sunshine.” With a great effort,
Claire stifled a chuckle. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did until you woke me up.”

“Well, good morning to you too. Actually, it is
almost two o’clock, so good afternoon.”

“I don’t see anything good about this morning or
afternoon.” Lindsay grumbled.

“How about if I buy you breakfast?”

“Well, if you put it that way…”

“I’ll meet you at the crepes place in half an hour.”

“Bye…” Lindsay’s voice trailed off as Claire heard a
crashing noise on the other end of the line.

With a guilty grin, Claire hung up. If she had to
stay up until all hours of the night to collect society gossip that would be
forgotten less than a half hour after it went into print, she would be grumpy
too. Yet Lindsay loved her job, and she was damn good at it too. Even in high school
Lindsay had always been the first to know all the news.

“Hey!”

In the crepes place, Claire saw Lindsay, already
seated with a huge cup of coffee in front of her, wave at her.

“Someone looks awake.” Claire took a seat.

“Yeah.” Lindsay grinned. “Sorry for barking at you
earlier.”

“Rough night?”

“Very. I had to cover three openings last night. I
got home around six a.m., and then I had to organize my notes so that I could
get the report out to my editor. I finally crashed at around eight and then had
the pleasure of being woken up by you.”

“Geez, Lindsay, I’m sorry for dragging you out
today.”

“Never mind. That’s the life of a tabloid reporter,
and ever since the new editor took over, it’s gotten even more intense.”
Lindsay shrugged. “But don’t you worry. One day I’m going to write for the
New
York Times
, and then everything will be different. No more sweaty
nightclubs or teenage celebrities; instead, I’ll be covering museum galas,
charity balls, and socialites.” Lindsay’s eyes lit up.

“I’m sure it will happen soon.” Claire felt lame for
her platitude, but she was as remote from the world of reporting as she was
from dancing.

“Should we order? I’m starving, and you promised to
buy me breakfast.” Lindsay turned her attention to the menu. “I’m gonna have a
ham and cheese crepe. Do you want to share a Nutella crepe?”

“I’ll just have some coffee.”

“You’ve got to have more than coffee, or you’ll make
me look like a glutton.”

“I just had bacon and eggs with David. I can’t
splurge on calories like you.”

“Please.” Lindsay rolled her eyes. “You don’t need
to be on a diet.”

“Easy for you to say: you can probably still fit
into your high school jeans,” Claire added wistfully. Not that she wanted to
fit into her own high school jeans. Not fitting into her high school jeans was
a blessing, and she intended to keep it that way.

“Please! You’ve got a great body. I’d kill to have
your boobs.” Lindsay frowned, glancing at her own modest chest.

“Boobs can be a real nuisance,” Claire countered,
eyeing Lindsay’s stick-thin frame. “You, however, can go bra-less whenever you
want.”
And you didn’t have to suffer through a chubby childhood and
adolescence
, Claire thought, but she bit her tongue. After all, Lindsay had
been there with her to witness her tribulations firsthand.

“By the way, I missed you at the Metro opening,”
Lindsay remarked after the waitress had taken their orders.

“Yeah, sorry about that. David wanted to leave
early.”

“Too bad. It would have been nice to get a picture
of the two of you and maybe a couple of quotes from David Lawson.” When
pronouncing David’s name, Lindsay tilted back her head and pushed up her nose.

“Knock it off. David is not like that at all.”

“Fine, maybe he’s not, but I wouldn’t know, since
Mr. Lawson never seems to have time for your friends.”

Claire shrugged. “He’s been working so much lately.
He really wants to prove himself at the office.”

“Oh, please! Give me a break. He is the owner’s son.
I’d say he’s got the way pretty much paved for him.”

“David wants everyone to know that he earned his
position.” Claire sighed. “You don’t really like David, do you?”

“It’s irrelevant whether I like him or not. I’m not
the one dating him.”

“But you’re my best friend. Your opinion is
important to me.”

“Mine, not Amber’s?”

“You’re both my best friends.” Claire sighed with
exasperation. Ever since middle school, they had been an inseparable trio:
Amber, Lindsay, and Claire, and the silent rivalry between Amber and Lindsay
dated equally far back. Amber was outgoing and bossy, Lindsay was witty and
practical, and Claire was thoughtful and caring - the balance between the two.
It was hard to say just what exactly united the three friends. Maybe it was
that each had qualities the other one lacked, but suffice it to say, their
friendship had taken them through childhood, adolescence, and college, to the
world of adulthood.

“Yeah, I know. I just don’t trust Amber’s choice of
men for you, that’s all. After all, she’s the one who set you up with David,
right?”

“She introduced us, yes. David is her client.”

“Exactly, and Amber could make one believe that the
devil is a saint if she were his PR agent.”

“David is not a devil – he is sweet and charming.”

“Hey, I’m not the one you need to convince of your
boyfriend’s virtues. Like I said, if you’re happy, I’m happy for you. But
something is telling me there’s trouble in paradise.”

Seven years of being a tabloids scout had honed
Lindsay’s instincts well. She could whiff trouble from the slightest of signs.

“It’s not that. It’s just that lately, David’s been
spending so much time at work… I just wish we could spend more time together.”
Like
this Sunday, for instance
, Claire thought.

“Do you think he might be messing around? I could
have him followed – I know people.”

“Thanks, Lindsay, you’re a true friend.”

“What? I’m just saying; it never hurts to be
vigilant.”

“David leads a very public life. Don’t you think
that if he were sneaking around behind my back, it would have leaked out in the
tabloids already?”

“True, you’ve got a point there. Maybe he is really
busy at work then.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

“Well, then you just have to wait for things to get
back to normal. He didn’t always keep these crazy hours, did he?”

“He didn’t when we first starting dating, but lately
it’s become the norm…”

“Then maybe you need to become less available to
him; make him miss you.”

“You think? Geez, Lindsay, each pointer you give me
is more original than the next. That’s what I’ve been trying to do, but if I
see any less of him, I’m afraid he might forget what I look like.”

“Don’t worry – things will work out eventually.
Either he’ll stop working these crazy hours, or you’ll get tired of waiting
around for him and move on.”

“Great. Thanks for the wonderful relationship
advice.”

“No problem. You know that you can always count on
me.”

It was almost eight o’clock at night when Claire
walked up to her building. She and Lindsay had spent the Sunday roaming SoHo’s
galleries and boutiques and had finished the day off with dinner and drinks. It
was always fun hanging out with Lindsay, but, throughout the day, Claire could
not help wishing that David had been there with her.

She was about to enter the lobby when
she had a sudden impulse to look up at the windows of the top floor apartment.
The lights were off; her musical neighbor was probably out, dancing the night
away. Claire shook her head, wondering what on earth possessed her to look up.
It was about time she put the foolish incident out of her mind.