‘Thank you for today,’ Velvet said softly so as not to disturb the sleeping child.
‘That’s okay,’ he said tersely. ‘Thank you.’
‘Oh, I didn’t do anything.’
‘You were there. Vicki appreciated it.’
She swallowed hard, strangely reluctant to part from him. ‘Do I owe you anything—for my food—and things?’
‘No,’ he rasped. ‘Get to bed now, Velvet. It’s late.’
He didn’t even say goodbye to her the next day. She didn’t see anything of either him or Vicki. When she enquired at the desk she was told that Mr and Miss Daniels were both out, and that they didn’t know when to expect them back.
‘No goodbye?’
She spun round to find Greg standing behind her, and was hardly able to contain her disappointment. She had hoped it was Jerard, as Paul, Carly and herself were just booking out of the hotel. And still there was no sign of Jerard or Vicki!
She gave a bright smile. ‘I would have found you before I left.’
‘But you’re just going,’ he said accusingly.
‘Just checking out,’ she corrected. ‘We don’t leave for a few minutes yet.’
He pulled her to one side. ‘I wish you’d told me about you and Mr Daniels,’ he said reproachfully. ‘I could have really put my foot in it with him.’
Velvet frowned. ‘I don’t see how.’
‘Well—You and he—’
‘Now wait a minute,’ she interrupted firmly. ‘He and I, what?’
Greg looked uncomfortable. ‘I was talking to one of the other employees, and he remembers you and Mr Daniels being here together before.’
She went very pale, swallowing hard. ‘He does?’ Was that croaky voice really hers?
‘Mm,’ Greg nodded. ‘A couple of years back. And he says the two of you were really close even then.’
‘I see.’ She bit her lip. So it really was true, she really had spent that time here with Jerard! ‘Do we look “close” now?’ She looked at Greg unflinchingly.
‘Not that I’ve seen. But you have just been away with him!’
‘I went to be with his daughter, not him.’
Greg looked sceptical. ‘If you say so—not that it’s any of my business anyway.’ He grinned. ‘You’ve been longing to say that, haven’t you?’
She laughed up at him. ‘How did you guess?’
‘It wasn’t hard.’ He bent to kiss her lightly on the mouth. ‘Take care, Velvet.’
‘You too, Greg.’
‘I hate to break up this touching little scene,’ cut in a mocking voice, ‘but don’t you have a plane to catch, Mrs Dale?’
Jerard! And he was calling her ‘Mrs Dale’ again. He was alone, looking formally attractive in a lightweight cream suit and contrasting brown shirt. Velvet’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at him, his sensuality reaching out and captivating her.
‘See you,’ Greg said softly before disappearing back into his office.
‘Ready?’ Paul and Carly joined herself and Jerard.
‘I—Yes, I’m ready. Goodbye, Mr Daniels—’
‘Not goodbye, Velvet,’ he said mockingly. ‘I’m driving you to the airport, didn’t you know that?’
‘No,’ she mumbled. All that worry that she wasn’t going to see him again before she left and all the time he had been going to drive them to Miami! ‘Paul didn’t tell me,’ she added accusingly.
‘I’ve hardly seen you lately to tell you anything,’ Paul told her pointedly.
Paul and Carly got into the back of the car, so Velvet of necessity had to sit in the front beside Jerard. ‘Where’s Vicki this afternoon?’ she asked him.
‘With Faye,’ he revealed abruptly. ‘She has no idea you’re leaving today.’
‘Oh.’
‘Oh indeed,’ he drawled grimly. ‘She thinks I’m at a business meeting.’
Velvet frowned. ‘Is that wise?.
‘Of course it isn’t wise!’ he snapped. ‘But I didn’t feel up to the scene this morning. She was pleased to have Faye back, but only because she thought she would be seeing you later. Still, it isn’t your problem, is it?’
Another slap in the face for her. She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from giving him a sharp retort, but was conscious of Paul and Carly. Instead she chose to remain silent, and the journey to Miami passed with Jerard and Paul discussing business.
Velvet hadn’t envisaged Jerard seeing them off at the airport, and a curious lump rose in her throat as it came time to say goodbye. He shook hands with Paul and Carly first.
Velvet licked her lips nervously as he turned to her, unsure what to say—or do. Jerard had no such reservations.
‘Goodbye, Mrs Dale,’ he held out his hand to her as formally as he had to the other couple. ‘Thank you for taking care of my daughter the last couple of days. I appreciate it.’
Not enough to drop the formality, obviously. ‘I enjoyed it,’ she said stiffly. ‘Goodbye, Mr Daniels,’ she added as their flight was called.
‘Goodbye,’ he nodded tersely, his expression remote.
Her chin went up, her head held high as she walked with Paul and Carly to the departure gate. She handed her boarding card over, finally plucking up the courage to turn. He had already gone—Jerard had gone!
‘It didn’t work out, hmm?’ Carly said gently.
‘There was nothing to work out,’ Velvet replied abruptly.
‘But—’
‘Please, Carly, I’d rather not talk about it just now. I—I have a headache.’
She did indeed have a headache as she tried to hold back the tears for most of the nine-hour flight, each minute taking her closer to Tony—but farther away from Jerard!
CHAPTER SIX
IN typical English summer fashion it was raining when they arrived back at Heathrow in the early hours of the morning, made all the more miserable for Velvet because she had told Simon not to meet her, that she would spend what was left of the night at her apartment and pick Tony up in the morning.
Paul and Carly dropped her off from their taxi on
