to seeing you, Sara,” he said, his voice so low and husky her mouth went dry. Then he disconnected the call, leaving her weak-kneed and questioning the prudence of showing up tonight.
Of course she would. She had better manners than to stand anyone up. Oh, God. Where was Shelby when she needed her? Sara took a deep breath and headed back into the salon to face the stares and exchanged looks as she passed through the lobby. She ignored them all as she nonchalantly lowered herself back into Chloe’s chair.
Chloe didn’t miss a beat. She draped the cape Sara had discarded, then picked up the bowl of color solution. After glancing around, Chloe leaned close to Sara’s ear. “What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured.”
Sara disregarded the sarcasm. This wasn’t something she’d discuss with Chloe, especially since the woman’s answer for everything was to go for it. Besides, Chloe didn’t understand what it meant to be rich. She was like so many other people who thought money solved every problem. How could you be unhappy if you could buy anything you wanted?
Fortunately, they hadn’t been defined by a trust fund, like Sara and her sister. As soon as a man heard Sara’s last name, it was over. There was no way to tell if it was her he wanted. Or the money. Or the publicity. Those people who thought she had it so good hadn’t had expectations so huge they thought they would choke on them. One mistake and the local press was all over them, almost as if they’d been waiting for one of the Wellingtons to fall from grace. There was no privacy. Not in Atlanta, anyway.
And here Cody was. In the thick of things. What was he doing here for an entire week? It didn’t make sense. At least she knew where he was staying. She could call and excuse herself for tonight. Tell him she’d forgotten an engagement on her calendar.
In fact, now she had his cell number. Her gaze fell to the small cell phone she still clutched in her hand. Should she program his number, or…
“Fine. Give me the silent treatment.” Chloe turned to sip her French vanilla latte and then with an acerbic look returned to brushing on the highlights.
Sara wasn’t big on sharing confidences. Except, of course, with Shelby. Although she didn’t have to worry about Chloe. She was discreet, just like every other stylist at Papillon in deference to their high-profile clientele.
“Okay, there was this guy in New York…”
“Yeah?” Chloe’s eyebrows went up but she kept working. “And?”
“He didn’t step up to the plate until my last night there. So honest, nothing to tell.”
Stepping back, Chloe gave her a wry look.
“I’m serious.”
“He give you the bracelet?”
“Yes, but nothing happened. He was…out of reach, you know?”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were high. The only man that could be out of reach for you is damn Prince Charles, but that’s not the point. When was the last time you had a date?”
“I can always count on you to make me feel better.”
“Sorry.” Chloe smiled sheepishly. “Tell me about this guy and I promise to skip the editorials.”
She breathed in deeply. “He’s an attorney, a senior partner in one of the foremost law firms in Manhattan. But I think he’s only about thirty-five. Which means he’s intelligent and ambitious.”
“Or that he’s sleeping with the boss.” Chloe winced, when Sara gave her a dirty look. “I’m supposed to shut up.”
“That’s what I get for asking the impossible.”
“No, come on. What does he look like?”
“Tall, maybe just over six feet. Athletic-looking. Kind of light brown hair, or maybe you’d call it dark blond. I’m not sure what the difference is.” She stopped and thought a moment. He wore his hair too short, in her opinion, so she really hadn’t noticed it much. It was his eyes that got to her. “Bluish green,” she said and then looked at an obviously confused Chloe. “His eyes. They’re this bluish green color that’s really hard to describe.”
Chloe smiled and kept working.
“What?”
“Girl, you got it bad.”
“I do not. He’s just—” She slumped. “Okay, so what do I do about it?”
“You have to ask?”
“Ouch!” Sara jerked.
Chloe eased up on the hair she was applying color to. “That wasn’t deliberate. Although I hope it jarred some sense into you.”
“All right, all right. He’s here for a week. I promise to see him at least twice.”
Chloe sighed dramatically. “I’m so proud.”
“I have one little problem.” Sara met her eyes and waited for her words to sink in.
“He doesn’t know who you are,” Chloe said quietly.
Sara shook her head. “Which means I can’t take him back to Shelby’s and my apartment. And he’s staying at the Ritz-Carlton.”
“Shit.”
“Couldn’t have put it better myself.”
“Wait.” Chloe freed her hands and pulled out the top drawer. She withdrew a ridiculously small red purse and dug inside until she produced a set of keys. “Ta da. The answer is my apartment. Think about it. The timing is perfect.” Careful of her long red fingernails, she separated a key from the others and handed it to Sara. “I’ll be gone for a week. I have to be at the airport tonight at six, so it’s yours from 4 p.m. on.”
Sara stared at the silver key in her hand. Was this fate, or what?
Chloe went back to work as if the matter were settled. “The microwave died a couple of months ago. I don’t eat at home much, so I haven’t replaced it. I don’t even know if the oven works. But I’ve only had the apartment for two years.”
Sara laughed. “You’re sure about this? Because I can—”
“Come on, you wanna get laid, or what?”
Sara briefly closed her eyes. Not a good day for Chloe to be testing her patience.
“Relax. Nobody heard.”
“Look, Chloe, I appreciate what you’re doing, but you can’t tell anyone about this. I’m serious.”
“That hurt.”
“I apologize.” Sara sighed. This whole thing was too bizarre for words. “I do. I totally trust you.”
“You gotta lighten up. You’re only twenty-seven. Have some fun.”
Technically Sara was still twenty-six, but darn it, Chloe was absolutely right. For the rest of her life she’d regret not jumping at this chance to be with Cody. She only wished the opportunity had presented itself in New York and not Atlanta where she knew half the people in the city. Or rather, they knew her.
2
A T SEVEN-FIFTEEN, Cody slowly got out of the cab in front of Café Tu Tu Tango. He knew this was the right restaurant. Unlikely he’d have gotten both the name and location wrong, and the driver had known exactly where to go. But this definitely wasn’t the type of restaurant he’d had in mind. Nor would he have guessed it was the kind of place that met with Sara’s taste.
But then again, what did he really know about the woman? Other than she couldn’t be more wrong for him and had a wide smile that made him behave like a stupid prepubescent teen. In his saner moments he’d wondered about her many