Charade by Sandra Brown Read Free Book Online Page B

best assets. She'd learned to maximize them. Cameras loved them. "I'm an unabashed fan, Ms. Delaney," Bill Webster was saying. "Please, call me Cat. And unabashed fans are my favorite kind." "Only a very important luncheon appointment can keep me from tuning in Passages every day." "I'm flattered." "I attribute the show's enormous success to you and the character of Laura Madison." "Thank you, but you're far too generous. Passages was successful before Laura Madison was written into it. And it held its own in the ratings during my absence. I share the show's success with everyone involved, the scriptwriters, the whole cast and crew." Webster looked at Dean. "Is she always this modest?" "To a fault, I'm afraid." "You're a very fortunate man." "Hey, guys," she said, "I think it only fair to warn you that one of my pet peeves is being talked about as though I'm invisible." "Sorry," Webster said. "I was just picking up the conversation where we left off when you joined us. I had just congratulated Dr. Spicer on your impending marriage." Cat's smile faltered. Angry heat rushed to her head. This wasn't the first time Dean had fabricated their engagement. His self-esteem wouldn't allow him to take seriously her declinations to his repeated marriage proposals. In the beginning, their developing friendship had jeopardized his objectivity as her cardiologist. Throughout her illness and following her transplant she'd relied on that friendship. During the past year, it had advanced to a deeper, more mature level. He was important to her, but he continued to misread the nature of her love for him. "Thank you, Bill, but Dean and I haven't set a definite date." Despite her attempt to hide her irritation with Dean, Webster must have sensed it. Self-consciously he cleared his throat and said,
    "Well, there are a lot of people here wanting your attention, Cat, so I'll say good night." She extended her hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope our paths will cross again." He squeezed her hand. "You can count on it." She believed him.
    Chapter Eight
    October 10, 1991
    The day was only minutes old when they decided they'd had enough of the video games. After the darkness of the arcade, where one individual's features were more or less indistinguishable from another's, the fluorescent light in the empty shopping mall seemed unnaturally harsh and bright. They laughed at having to give their eyes time to adjust. The mall's stores and cafes had been closed for hours. Their voices echoed in the cavernous atrium, but it was a relief to carry on a conversation without having to shout above the electronic cacophony inside the arcade. "You're sure it'll be okay?" Jerry Ward shot his new companion the cocky, confident grin that belongs exclusively to happy, well adjusted, sixteen-year-old boys. "My folks'll be asleep by now. They don't wait up for me." "I don't know. It seems strange for you to invite me home with you just like that. I mean, we hardly know each other." "What better way to get to know each other?" Jerry saw that he still had some convincing to do. "Look, you just got laid off and
    need a job, right? My dad's got a business. He's always hiring new people. He'll find something for you. "And tonight you need a place to crash. It'll save you some bucks to stay at my house. We've got a guest room. If you're nervous about what my mom and dad will think about you spending the night, I'll sneak you out first thing in the morning and introduce you to them later. They never have to know you slept over. So, relax." He laughed and spread his arms wide. "Okay? You cool?" Jerry's amiability was contagious and earned him an uncertain smile. "I'm cool." "Good. Wow! Look at those blades!" Jerry jogged to a sporting goods store. In the window were displayed in-line skates and all the safety paraphernalia. "See that pair there, the ones with the green wheels. They're bad. That's what I want for Christmas. And the helmet, too. The whole outfit." "I've never