Free Falling Star by Diana Dempsey Page B

face. She was one of the few blondes in
southern California whose color didn't come out of a bottle.
    "Geoff, are you still there?"
    "Yup. Still here." He cleared his throat and
forced himself to pause the VCR. "So what are you up to now?"
    "I was thinking I might drop by your office,
see if I could tempt you away from work for a little while. I
packed a picnic basket." Her voice dipped to a lower register. "We
don't even have to go out."
    He grinned. Code language, though he knew it
was more a tease than a true intention. "Why, Miss Janet Roswell,
you have my full attention."
    She giggled. "I hope to have more than that
before long."
    "How fast can you get here?"
    "About an hour."
    "See you then." He rang off. Janet. He
slapped his mahogany desk firmly. Janet. She was perfect for him.
He'd done the starlet thing, more times than he could count. He was
over it.
    But Janet? She was wonderful. Stunningly
beautiful, athletic, from a great family. In a town of fakes, she
was the real thing.
    And it was time. For both of them. They'd
been dating on and off for two years now and Janet was a few months
shy of her thirtieth birthday. Though she was far too well bred to
start issuing ultimatums, he knew if he didn't act soon, he could
lose her. And as for himself? He was thirty-seven, he'd made senior
partner, and even his younger brother Russell had married and
fathered a child. It was time.
    He unlocked the narrowest of his desk drawers
and extracted a small eggshell-blue Tiffany box. Inside was an even
smaller black velvet box.
    He opened it carefully.
    Diamonds twinkled in the afternoon sunshine
glinting through his windows. One large emerald-cut stone,
encircled by smaller circular stones. All beautifully massed on a
gold band.
    He sat for a moment, thinking. Then he
snapped shut the velvet lid and tucked the box away, carefully
locking the drawer. He punched a button on the remote and out
popped the tape from the VCR. What had she said her favorite
restaurant was?
    Recollection struck. That's right. Four
Oaks.
    He called directory assistance, then the
restaurant, forgoing his habit of having his secretary make all the
necessary arrangements. Yes, he told the maitre d', he'd like an
8:30 seating on Saturday. Yes, and a corner table in the parlor. He
preordered a bottle of La Grande Dame Veuve Clicquot 1990, his
current favorite, which must be delivered chilled to their table
the instant they arrived.
    He rang off and smiled. He'd put on a
wonderful birthday celebration. Natalie would love it.
    *
    Kelly decided the smart thing was to show up
early at Tony's office for the meeting with the Manns and their
attorney. The smart thing, since they were threatening to sue her
butt to kingdom come, was to be on her best behavior. She knew she
freaked out everybody at the station the second she showed up
because she sure wasn't dressed like usual. Instead of her normal
work outfit of short skirt and chunky heels, she'd bought a boxy
black two-piece suit that even Ruth might have plucked off the
sales rack. With almost no makeup, flat heels, and opaque tights,
Kelly knew she could pass for a Sunday school teacher.
    That might be something Howard would enjoy,
come to think of it.
    She shot out of her chair the instant the
Manns appeared at Tony's office, breaking the first rule he'd given
her. She wasn't supposed to do anything, say anything, unless Tony
asked her something straight out. But she'd thought about it and
decided her way was better. So now, her features all serious, she
held out her hand. "Good afternoon." She tried hard to sound
sincere. "I'm Kelly Devlin."
    She knew Susan and Eric Mann would have to
shake her hand if she kept holding it out and sure enough they did.
So did their attorney. Kelly gave him a once-over, though even if
she hadn't seen his TV ads she'd know right off he was an ambulance
chaser. Talk about a cheap suit. She went back to her chair, but
not before directing all three to Tony's plaid couch, the best