.

Damian said, running toward an alcove in front of a bookstore. The business had closed hours earlier, but the covered entrance was a good place to wait out the cloudburst. Jessica was breathless by the time they got there. A chill raced through her and she rubbed her arms vigorously.

      Damian’s much larger hands replaced hers, then he stopped and peeled off his jacket, draping it over her shoulders.

      “Damian, I’m fine,” she protested, fearing he’d catch a chill himself.

      “You’re shivering.”

      The warmth of his coat was more welcome than she cared to admit. No doubt about it, Damian was a gentleman to the core.

      The downpour lasted a good ten minutes. Jessica was surprised at how quickly the time passed. When the storm dwindled to a drizzle and eventually stopped, Jessica discovered she was almost sorry. She was talking books with Damian and had discovered they shared an interest in murder mysteries. Damian was as well-read as she was, and they tossed titles and authors’ names back and forth without a pause.

      “Did you drive to work this morning?” he asked.

      She shook her head. She’d taken the subway.

      “I’ll give you a lift home, then.”

      “Really, Damian, that isn’t necessary. I don’t mind using public transit.”

      “I mind,” he said in a voice that brooked no argument. “It’s too late for you to be out on the streets alone.”

      How sweet of him to worry about her, she thought. “But I already have enough to thank you for.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “I was just thinking—I seem to be continually in your debt. You’ve got a heart of gold.”

      He chuckled. “Hardly, Jessica.”

      “You hired me without any job experience, then you bought me dinner, and now you’re driving me home.”

      “It’s the least I can do.”

      They returned to the office building, walking directly to the underground parking garage. Damian opened the car door for her and she nestled back in the leather seat.

      One thing she’d learned during their time together was the fact that Damian was protective of his younger brother, though she doubted Evan appreciated that.

      “You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” she asked, without clarifying her question. Damian knew who she was talking about.

      “Yeah,” he admitted.

      “Evan’s the real reason you hired me, isn’t he? You think I might be able to help him through this … difficult time.” It wasn’t a responsibility she welcomed or wanted. She was about to explain that when she noticed the way his mouth quirked in an amused smile.

      Instead, she told him sharply, “I’m not a silly fourteen-year-old infatuated with an older man. What I felt for your brother was just a crush. It was over years ago.” That was the simple truth.

      His shrug was noncommittal.

      “Nevertheless,” she forged on, “you hired me because of Evan?”

      It took Damian a few minutes to answer. “Sometimes I wonder,” he finally said. “Sometimes I wonder.”

       Three

      Jessica got to work early the following morning, hoping to have an opportunity to thank Damian again for dinner and more importantly to let him know how much she’d enjoyed the evening. But when she passed his office, the door was closed and his personal assistant was searching urgently through a file drawer. It didn’t look like the time to pop in unannounced.

      Not surprisingly, Evan was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Sterling arrived ten minutes after Jessica, greeting her with a small approving smile, and set about sorting the mail.

      Jessica spent the first part of the morning organizing the material she’d researched the day before and typing up her notes. That way, Evan wouldn’t be forced to waste time deciphering her hasty scrawl.

      She’d just completed printing out the results when a breathless Evan entered the office. From the look of him, he’d raced all the way up from the parking garage. Briefcase in hand, he marched up to her desk.

      “Do you have those notes ready?” he asked, reaching for the file before Jessica had a chance to present it. She stood up, intending to discuss a few points with him, but he brushed past her and hurried into his office without a word. She would have followed him, but he closed the door.

      Jessica was taken aback; unsure of what to do, she turned to Mrs. Sterling. The personal assistant sighed and shrugged. “Working for Mr. Dryden can be a real trial,” she muttered, then grinned and added, “No pun intended.”

      As Mrs. Sterling chuckled at her own little joke, Evan reappeared, looking composed and confident. He’d removed his raincoat and was leafing casually through the file. He glanced over at Jessica and his face relaxed in a broad smile.

      “You’re an angel,” he said, kissing her cheek as he walked past. Jessica had seen him kiss Mrs. Sterling in the same affectionate manner.

      “I’ll be in a meeting with Damian this morning,” Evan announced on his way out the door.

      As the morning went on, Jessica found herself wondering exactly what her role in the office was. Although Evan had recently been assigned the Earl Kress case, his work load had been light during the past few months. Now that she’d finished the research, there was barely enough to keep her busy.

      From various bits and pieces she’d heard, Jessica gathered that Evan’s interest in corporate law had waned. Surely Damian hadn’t hired her expecting miracles! Since he was so closemouthed about Evan’s troubles, Jessica wondered if Mrs. Sterling could fill in some details. She didn’t want to be obvious about asking, which could prove tricky since the woman was so clearly devoted to her employer.

      “That Evan’s a real charmer, isn’t he?” Jessica began conversationally.

      “He always could charm the birds right out the trees,” Mrs. Sterling answered proudly.

      “He’s different now from the way I remember him. More … intense.”

      Evan’s personal assistant nodded and muttered, “I’d like to shoot that woman.”

      Jessica’s heart leapt with excitement. “What woman?” she asked, trying to hide her eagerness. She was about to learn what had happened to change Evan so drastically from the man she’d known.

      Mrs. Sterling glanced up, as if surprised that Jessica had heard her mumbling. “Oh … it’s nothing.”

      “But it must be something. Evan isn’t anything like he was a few years back. Oh, he’s charming and sweet, but there’s an edge to him now. A sharpness, I guess. Something I can’t put my finger on.” She looked expectantly at the other woman.

      “That’s true enough,” Mrs. Sterling reluctantly conceded.

      “You say a woman’s responsible for the changes in Evan?”

      “Isn’t it always a woman?”

      “What happened?” Might as well try a more direct approach, Jessica thought. Tact wasn’t getting her anywhere.

      “It’s a pity, a real pity.”

      “Yes, Evan just isn’t the same,” Jessica said again, hoping to encourage the other woman to continue.

      “It shouldn’t come as any surprise, really. Yet it does, Mr. Dryden being the charmer he is. Plain and simple, he fell in love with someone who didn’t feel the same way about him.” Then she clamped her mouth shut as though she’d already said far more than she should—far more than was circumspect for a personal