White Lies by Linda Howard Read Free Book Online

and she
stared at him incredulously. "You'd pay me to stay here?"
                  "Yes."
                  "But I don't want money to stay with him!
I want to' help him, don't you understand that?"
                  "But you can't, because of your financial
position," Frank said, nodding.
                  "What we're offering to do is take care
of that for you. If you were independently wealthy, would you hesitate to
stay?"
                  "Of course not! I'll do whatever I can to
help him, but the idea of taking money for it is ugly."
                  "We aren't paying you to stay with him,
we're paying you so you can   stay with him. Do you see the
difference?"
                  She had to be going mad, because she did see
the difference between the two halves of the hair he had just split. And his
eyes were so kind that she instinctively trusted him, even though she sensed a
lot going on that she didn't understand.
                  "We'll get an apartment for you close by,
so you can spend more time with him," Frank continued, his voice soothing
and reasonable. "We'll also keep your New York apartment for you, so you'll have that to
go back to. If you give me the word now, we can have a place here ready for you
to move into on Monday." There had to be arguments she could use, but she
couldn't think of any. Frank was sweeping all obstacles out of the way; it
would make her feel mean and petty if she refused to do what he wanted, when he
had gone to so much trouble and they—whoever they were—so badly wanted her to
remain.
                  "I'll have to go home," she said
helplessly. "To New York , that is. I need more clothes, and I'll have to quit my job."
Suddenly she laughed. "If it's possible to quit a job you've already been
fired from."
                  "I'll make the travel arrangements for
you."
                  "How long do you think I'll be
here?" She was estimating a two-or threeweek stay, but she wanted to be
certain. She would have to do something about her mail and utilities.
                  Frank's gaze was level. "A couple of
months, at least. Maybe longer."
                  "Months!"
                  "He'll have to have therapy."
                  "But he'll be conscious then. I thought
you only wanted me to stay until the worst was over!"
                  He cleared his throat. "We'd like you to
stay until he's dismissed from the hospital, at least." He had been trying
to break the idea to her gradually, first by just getting her here, then
convincing her that Steve needed her, then talking her into staying for the
duration. He only hoped it would work.
                  "But why?"
                  "He'll need you. He'll be in pain. I
haven't told you before, but he needs more surgery on his eyes. It will
probably be six to eight weeks before he'll get the bandages off his eyes for
good. He's going to be confused, in pain, and they'll put him through more pain
in therapy. To top it all off, he won't be able to see. Jay, you're going to be
his lifeline."
                  She sat there numbly, staring at him. It
looked as if, after all this time and now that it was too late, Steve was going
to need her more than either of them had ever thought.
     

  Chapter Three
 
                  It felt strange to be back in New York . Jay had flown back on Sunday afternoon and
had spent the hours packing her clothes and other personal possessions, but
even her apartment had felt strange, as if she no longer belonged there. She
packed automatically, her mind on the hospital room in Bethesda . How was he doing? She had spent the
morning with him, constantly talking and stroking his arm, yet she felt frantic
at spending such a long time away from him. On Monday morning she dressed for
work for the last time, and was