talk about Jenny during the interviews. He’d lose emotional control. And he didn’t want people to buy his book because they pitied him.
Staring out the window the rest of the flight, he said nothing to the young woman beside him. She was even more beautiful than Jenny, and unlike his wife she had the gift of life. He hoped she appreciated it.
When they finally left the plane, she offered to carry his laptop case for him, in addition to her own briefcase. Did she think grief had incapacitated him?
That thought angered him even more.
He didn’t want to think about his grief.
“No thanks,” he ground out. “I’m fine.”
“Very well.” She went down the aisle ahead of him. When they reached the walkway, she said, “I’ll meet you at the baggage claim.”
“Where are you going?” he demanded.
“I’m going to the ladies’ room. Did you want to accompany me?”
“No,” he growled. He’d deserved that response, he supposed. But she sure wasn’t Mona.
He already had his bags off the baggage carousel when she found him.
“Show me your bags and I’ll get them for you,” he said. It was his way of apologizing again.
“No need. I have a porter with me,” she assured him. “Oscar, these are Dr. Myerson’s bags, if you want to put them on the trolley.” A minute later she pointed to the carousel. “Oh, there they are. Those two tan bags. Thank you, Oscar,” she added as the porter snagged her bags. “Now we need a taxi, and we’ll be on our way.”
“Right this way, Miss Tyler,” Oscar said.
Alex frowned. She’d certainly gotten friendly with the man in a short period of time.
When they got in the taxi, after tipping Oscar, she instructed the driver on their destination. Then she turned to Alex.
“I thought we’d check into the hotel and have an hour or two to relax before we go to the interview. After that, you have the signing. We won’t get dinner until late, so I’ll order a snack for you. If you want to look at the room-service menu, you can tell me what you’d like.”
He nodded. He knew Mona had said she’d make his life easy, but somehow it bothered him that this woman was so in control over him.
Once they arrived in downtown San Francisco they entered a beautiful hotel, whose reception area looked out at an incredible garden. Miss Tyler came to a halt, gasping at the riotous color of the flowers. “How lovely!”
“Yes,” he said without thinking, “Jenny would’ve loved it.” Realizing what he said, he stepped back and frowned at his companion. “I mean, yes, it’s beautiful.”
She gave him a sympathetic smile and continued on her way to the reception desk.
It didn’t take much perception to notice all the men staring at his guide. Tabitha Tyler certainly took the attention in stride.
“Doesn’t it bother you that all the men are staring at you?” he demanded.
“No, I’m quite used to it.”
She must’ve seen the withdrawal from such arrogance in his eyes.
Laughing, she said, “Because I’m one of three. My sisters and I are triplets, Dr. Myerson. People have been staring at us since we were born.”
“Triplets? Do they look just like you?” he asked in astonishment. He couldn’t imagine three of Tabitha Tyler.
“Yes, except that we each wear our hair differently. Mine’s the longest.” She found the shortest line for registration and stood patiently waiting. “The hotel seems awfully crowded.”
“Probably a convention,” he said absent-mindedly, still picturing three of her.
“Don’t worry. I called and confirmed our reservations yesterday.”
When their turn came, Tabitha greeted the young man with a smile and gave their names.
“Welcome, Miss Tyler.” The clerk, who’d maintained his cheerfulness despite the swarm of incoming guests, typed on his keypad, then gave her a white-toothed smile. “We assumed, since you’re traveling together, you would prefer connecting rooms.”
Chapter Two
Alex stared at the man, not believing what he’d heard. Their rooms were going to be connected by a door? That simply wouldn’t do.
Beside him he heard Miss Tyler calmly say, “Is that all you have to offer?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m afraid we’re totally booked,” the clerk returned. “But you’ll have easy access to your client this way. You know, we went to a lot of trouble to save these two rooms for you.”
“Very well,” the woman agreed.
Agreed? Was she kidding him?
Alex grabbed her sleeve. Through clenched teeth he whispered, “I won’t stand for this! I want a room alone.”
“But there are no other accommodations, Dr. Myerson. It’s all right. I won’t be barging in on you. All you have to do is close the door to my room and lock it.”
She signed the charge card receipt and received the two keycards the clerk handed her. In turn, she handed one of them to Alex. Then she gave the bellhop a tip and her room number. “Ready to go up?”
“Yeah.” He glowered at her as he spoke.
Keeping a smile on her face, she moved to the elevators as if everything was hunky-dory. Which only irritated him more.
“This isn’t going to work,” he muttered under his breath in the elevator.
“It will be fine, Dr. Myerson,” she insisted, whispering also.
The elderly woman in front of them turned to face them. “Young man, if you’re having second thoughts, you shouldn’t go in that room with her. After all, you’re a married man, aren’t you?”
Suddenly Miss Tyler wasn’t as calm as she had been. Her voice held an icy tone that frosted the elevator car. “We don’t need your advice, ma’am.”
“When he’s already doubting the wisdom of spending the night with you, I should think you’d be too proud to go ahead with your plans.”
Luckily the elevator stopped then on their floor. Without even a glance to the older woman, Miss Tyler took Alex by the arm and started out.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Alex wrenched his arm from her hold. “I don’t like to be touched!”
She stared at him, opening her mouth as if she was going to say something impetuously. Then she closed it and went down the corridor to their rooms. When he joined her, she said coolly, “I’ll keep that in mind, Dr. Myerson.”
She slipped the keycard in the lock and opened his door, standing back for him to precede her into the room. The suite had a small living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that presented a glorious view of Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Oh, my! I’ve always heard about the beauty of San Francisco, but this is even more beautiful than I imagined.”
She swung around, a broad smile on her face, as if she expected him to join her at the window.
He ignored her. He wasn’t going to talk about the view, or how much she reminded him of Jenny. Until he was alone, he couldn’t regain his composure.
After a sigh, she walked over to the door and opened it to another door. “Here’s the connecting door, Dr. Myerson.” She checked her watch. “You have two and a half hours before you have to appear