“Don’t knock it. It beats what you’ll be doing. One of these days, you’re going to work yourself to death.”
“Maybe,” Savannah conceded. “We’re still on for tomorrow, aren’t we?” They’d planned to spend the day in Boston.
“Sure.”
“What time should I come by?”
“Noon.”
“Make that ten.”
“I can’t. How about eleven-thirty.”
“Too late. Ten-thirty.”
“Eleven. That’s the absolute earliest.”
“I’ll be by for you at ten forty-five,” Savannah said and added a stern, “Be ready,” before hanging up the phone.
“Is everything okay?”
She spun around. “Uh, yes. I guess. She likes to sleep later than I do. That’s all.” It wasn’t really all. What worried Savannah was that Susan would have too much to drink at the party and wake up hungover. Or sick. Apparently, she’d been sick in front of Sammy that morning. She found it interesting that he’d been there.
Then again, Savannah shouldn’t have been surprised. Sam Craig was no coward. Susan interested him. He would keep after her.
Sam wasn’t the only persistent male around. “One last chance,” Jared said. “Dinner?”
She wanted to. Lord, she did. But somewhere in the back of her mind she feared that if she gave in to temptation, she would be lost. Or let down. Or humiliated. Jared wanted a woman who could drop what she was doing and have dinner with him. She had never been that kind of woman.
She wished she were.
Flipping his topcoat to his shoulder, he headed for the door. “Maybe another time,” he said quietly.
The instant he disappeared from sight, the office felt empty. Then Savannah realized that she was the one who felt empty. It was such a familiar feeling, such a dreadful feeling. Suddenly she didn’t want it at all.
Without further thought, she ran into the hall. “Jared?” He was nearly at the bend. “Jared!” She started after him.
Calmly he stopped, turned, waited for her to catch up.
After she’d covered half the distance, her step slowed. But she continued on until she stood before him. Then she said softly, “I’m not used to putting work off. It’s always been very important to me.”
He studied her features, searching for the meaning behind her explanation. “If it’s that important, you should do it.”
“I’d rather be with you.”
Perhaps because she couldn’t have chosen words he wanted to hear more, he didn’t quite believe she had said them at first. Then he broke into a slow smile.
Savannah felt the dangerous lure of that smile. But she had made her decision. “One hour,” she whispered.
“That’s fine.”
“Would you take me to the hospital afterward?”
“I said I would. How about aerobics?”
“I’ll have to do it with Jane Fonda later tonight, at home.”
Jared could think of a form of exercise that she could do with him later that night, but he knew enough not to voice it. He had just won a concession. He wasn’t about to endanger the victory by pushing too fast. Better to let the time they spent together do that on its own.
