On Saturday, she took the twins to see Santa Claus then out for lunch at McDonald’s, where they could exhaust themselves in the PlayPlace. The glow from her night with Luke stayed with her throughout the rest of the weekend, memories she allowed herself to indulge in. By Monday, she allowed herself to hope Charles would sign the final papers quickly and she could get on with her life.
“Next time, you can stay home and I’ll go on the trip,” Claire said, grinning when Julia walked into the office. A blonde collection of high-energy molecules, she was a good foil for Julia. They balanced each other in both looks and temperament.
Julia lifted an eyebrow. “And you say this because?”
“Because then I’d get the phone calls from the guy with the sexiest voice in America.”
Julia turned away, afraid Claire would spot some telltale sign on her face. A blush, at the very least. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“If you say so, kiddo.” Claire’s voice held a hint of amusement. “But Luke Buchanan’s called three times. He wants you to call him back as soon as you get in.”
“It’s business,” Julia said, hoping to derail whatever Claire was thinking. “And I think it’s good news. He told me they’d probably make a decision this week whether to sign with us or not. Maybe they met this morning. It’s an hour later there, you know.”
“Here’s for luck.” Claire held up crossed fingers.
Julia went into her private office and picked up the phone, then put it down. This was just a business call. Nothing more. She needed to pull herself together and act like the professional she was.
She looked at the number written on the message slip Claire gave her. The only thing familiar was the area code. Was this his private number? When she dialed and he answered himself, she’d guessed right.
“Luke Buchanan.”
“Good morning. This is Julia.”
“Good morning.”
She promised herself she would be strictly professional when they spoke, but the deep, warm sound of his voice sent shivers along her spine. Instantly, the image of their naked bodies tangled together in bed came unbidden to her mind.
“Claire told me you called earlier.”
“I did.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “How was your holiday?”
“It was…as expected.” The less said about it, the better.
Luke laughed a full, rich sound. “Well, that could mean a lot of things. Did you enjoy yourself?”
Like having a root canal without anesthetic.
“It was tolerable.” Liar! “And you?”
“I could say ‘as expected’ also.”
She visualized him, imagined him in his office, his big body loose in a desk chair, shirt sleeves rolled back as they’d been Tuesday night. The vision of his face nearly undid her.
“Well, I guess we’ve taken care of the pleasantries.” Now she was laughing, and suddenly she felt easy, relaxed. He was like a balm to her tightly strung nerves.
“I hope not,” he told her. “I’m hoping this entire conversation will be pleasant.” He paused. “We signed the contract this morning. Everyone agrees it’s exactly what we need and you’ve hit on the mood we want to project.”
“Oh, Luke, how wonderful.” She wanted to leap from the chair and dance. This was their biggest contract yet. “We’ll do a great job for you.”
“I expect you to. I’ve seen what you’ve done before and I have a lot of faith in your work.”
“If you could fax the contract to us, we’ll sign it and get it right back to you. Then we can get started fleshing out the outline right away.”
“It’s on the way right now. But will you be able to get much done with the Christmas holidays coming up?”
“Oh, yes. Claire and I will work on it this afternoon and tomorrow. Then I’ll call you with some specifics. But we’ll kick into high gear after New Year’s.”
“Can you get away for a couple of days next week?” He cleared his throat. “I’d like you to see the plant and meet the folks who work there, plus see the samples of the new line. With March as our first target date, I don’t want to waste any time.”
Get away? Was he kidding? How about right now?
“I think I can make arrangements.” Her stomach twisted when she thought of Charles discovering she was once again leaving town. But she’d see Luke again. Oh, God. She’d have to call her attorney and have him force Charles to sign the papers right away.
“Fine. See if you can work it out to be here next Tuesday and stay until Thursday. Call me when you’ve made your arrangements.” He was silent again. “I miss you, Julia.”
“I miss you, too,” she whispered, so softly she wasn’t sure he could even hear her.
But then he answered. “Good.” He paused. “How is…everything else?”
The divorce.
“I’m calling my attorney as soon as I hang up. Charles has sidestepped this long enough. I want those papers signed now.”
“Will you be okay in the meantime?”
“Yes. I can handle things.” She smiled to herself. “And next week, I’ll see you.”
He clicked off and she sat at her desk, the receiver still in her hand, her heart beating a little faster.
“And exactly what kind of business arrangement did you say this was?”
Julia hadn’t even heard Claire open the door, much less enter the tiny office.
“They bought the package,” she said, grinning hugely. “We got the contract.”
“I know.” Claire leaned in the doorway. “I came to tell you the paperwork came through on the fax, but I guess you already know.”
“Yes.” She opened her day planner and began turning pages. “We need to block out some time together today and tomorrow to go over the outline. They’d
