Judith McNaught - Remember When

"Right."

"Unfortunately," he said with an apologetic sigh, "that sort of amazingly clumsy technique is usually limited to law enforcement officials—either state or local. They always seem to think they're invisible."

Cole's brows snapped together over eyes like shards of ice. "Are you telling me," he enunciated in a low, incensed voice, "that the police are tailing us?"

"That's my hunch. I'll confirm it as soon as I can check this out."

When he left, Cole made three phone calls in rapid succession. The first was to a car-rental agency, who promised to deliver a plain, four-door sedan to his office by noon.

The second call was to a private, unlisted phone number in Fairfax, Virginia, belonging to a senior member of the United States Senate who had the ear of the president, a seat on the Appropriations Committee, and a great deal of political clout. He had also received three hundred thousand dollars in campaign contributions from a fund-raiser held by Cole Harrison and was hoping for another such event before the next election.

According to his wife, Edna, Senator Samuel Byers was attending a meeting of the Appropriations Committee that morning. Cole left word with her, but he had to wait until she finished exclaiming over how much she loved Foster's Beautiful Living magazine and had extracted a promise from him to bring Diana to Fairfax for their annual Christmas party.

His next call was to a number that only Cole knew existed. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk, and when Willard Bretling answered, Cole said simply, "I'll be there tonight at six."

"Who is this, please?" Bretling asked, his voice distracted and scratchy from lack of use.

"Who the hell do you think it is?" Cole snapped.

"Oh, of course, I am sorry. I have been playing with our toy all night," the seventy-year-old said in a gleeful voice.

Senator Byers called on Cole's direct line at four o'clock, just after Cole hung up from Diana. "I'm sorry to hear about your trouble, Cole," Sam said, and he sounded sincere. "I'm sure it will all blow over in a week or two."

"I am not so sure," Cole countered.

"What can I do?"

"You can find out who the hell is behind it and how far it's already gone."

"I'll find out what I can," Sam promised, but before he hung up, he added awkwardly, "Until this little tempest in a teapot blows over, it might be best if you don't call me at the office or at home, son. I'll call you. Oh, and give your new wife a great big hello from me," he added.

Cole swore in disgust at that last piece of hypocrisy, then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He tried to conjure an image of Diana to calm the chaos of the day, and she appeared in his mind, walking with him in the backyard just after they'd announced their marriage to her family.

"For a man who's impressed, you've been looking awfully grim, " she'd said.

"That isn't my 'grim' look."

"It isn't? What's your 'grim look' like?"

"I don't think you want to know."

"Oh, go ahead, " she'd teased. "Let me see it—"

The memory made Cole chuckle out loud.

Corey pointed to the eight-by-ten glossy photographs she'd arranged across the conference table in Diana's office. "What do you think? Should we use this one or that one?"

"What?" Diana said, staring out the window and watching a big jet make a slow turn and begin heading west.

Leaning forward, Corey put her hand on her sister's arm. "Diana, your mind isn't on any of this, and if you're not going to be able to concentrate, why don't you join Cole at his uncle's today instead of waiting until tomorrow?"

Diana shook her head. "No, I told him I couldn't leave today. I've taken next week off, but I have too many things to do before I can leave. He's going to fly in and pick me up tomorrow."

"Don't you think he'd be happier if you went today instead?"

"I know he would," Diana said with a quiet smile. Cole had been disappointed that she couldn't join him until tomorrow, but he'd understood. "Anyway, he's on his way to Austin with his uncle right now. Even if Cole's secretary could reach him and tell him that I could leave today, I doubt his uncle would be up to the flight here and then all the way back to where he lives."

Corey could tell Diana was wavering, and it made her happy. All her instincts told her that Cole Harrison was exactly the man for her sister. "You could find out Cal's address from Cole's secretary, fly there yourself, and call Cole to come and get you when you land."

"Don't tempt me," Diana warned. She got up and wandered over to the window, so distracted by the desire to leave right now for Jeffersonville that at first she didn't pay any attention to the black Mercedes convertible pulling up in front of the building. When she did notice it, the young woman who got out of the car captured her attention first. In her late teens or early twenties, she was wearing a thigh-high pink skirt that displayed long, beautiful legs, and a pink strapless knit top stretched taut over full breasts. Everything about her was voluptuous, from her clothing to her full lips, flowing hair, and pouty expression. The man who was driving reached across from inside, tugged her hand, and drew her back into the car, as if he didn't want her to go inside with him, then got out himself.

Diana's voice dropped to a dazed whisper. "Dan's here. And he's brought his bride."

"What!" Corey said, racing to the window. The new wife got out of the car again, in obvious defiance of his wishes, and while Dan laughed and tucked her back into the car, Corey got a good look at her. "Can you believe that!" she exploded. "She looks like a—an oversexed teenager."

Diana felt a stab of jealousy and hurt that vanished in moments. "She's perfect for him," she decided aloud. "She's obviously jealous and insecure about him coming up here, and he loved it! He was laughing."

"He's a pig!" Corey said angrily. "He obviously needs constant reassurance of his virility. What can he possibly talk to her about?"

Diana thought back to her relationship with him and realized that while he had said he was proud of everything Diana had achieved in her career, he had always given her the subtle feeling that she was lacking in other areas. "Your career takes so much out of you, Diana." He'd said that a thousand times. On the other hand, even without a career, she'd never have had his new wife's breasts or long legs. And if she had had them, Diana wouldn't have been caught dead in that outfit. "How could I have been so blind?" she murmured. Then she turned from the windows and walked over to her desk.

"Are you going to see him?"

"Just for a moment," Diana said, pressing the intercom button that buzzed on her secretary's desk.

"Do you want me to stay?" Corey asked.

"It's up to you. He wants to absolve himself of guilt by creating some sort of friendly relationship with me." Sally answered the intercom, and Diana asked her to call Cole's secretary and get specific information about Cal's address and phone number. Sally was also to ask her to tell Cole that Diana was on her way, and then to make the flight arrangements for today. As soon as she was finished, Sally's voice dropped to an apprehensive whisper. "Mr. Penworth is walking down the hall," she warned.

"Diana!" he exclaimed a moment later, looking windblown and suntanned and charmingly embarrassed. "I got back yesterday, and I came straight here as soon as I could."

Diana leaned back against her desk and folded her arms over her chest. "I see that," she said mildly, filled by the strangest feeling of relief mixed with disgust. She hadn't lost someone wonderful. He was weak and selfish, and he was a coward. Cole had been right when he made that toast the first time she encountered him on the balcony.