Page 14 of This Heart Of Mine (Chicago Stars 5)

“Fortunately, he sent me off to boarding school when I was five. Before that, I remember a stream of very attractive nannies.”

“Interesting.” He dropped his feet from the coffee table and picked up the pair of silver-framed Revo sunglasses he’d left there. Molly gazed at them with envy. Two hundred and seventy dollars at Marshall Field’s.

Daphne set the sunglasses that had fallen from Benny’s pocket on her own nose and bent over to admire her reflection in the pond. Parfait! (She believed French was the best language for contemplating personal appearance.)

“Hey!” Benny called out from behind her.

Plop! The sunglasses slid from her nose into the pond.

Kevin rose from the couch, and she could feel his energy filling the room. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“Out for a while. I need some fresh air.”

“Out where?”

He folded in the stems of his sunglasses, the motion deliberate. “It’s been nice talking to you, but I think I’ve had enough questions from management for now.”

“I told you. I’m not management.”

“You’ve got a financial stake in the Stars. In my book that makes you management.”

“Okay. So management wants to know where you’re going.”

“Skiing. Do you have a problem with that?”

No, but she was fairly sure Dan would. “There’s just one alpine ski area around here, and the drop is only a hundred and twe

nty feet. That’s not enough challenge for you.”

“Damn.”

She concealed her amusement.

“I’ll go cross-country, then,” he said. “I’ve heard there are some world class trails up here.”

“Not enough snow.”

“I’m going to find that airfield?” He shot toward the coat closet.

“No! We’ll—we’ll hike.”

“Hike?” He looked as if she’d suggested bird-watching.

She thought fast. “There’s a really treacherous path along the bluffs. It’s so dangerous that it’s closed off when there’s wind or even a hint of snow, but I know a back way to get to it. Except you need to be really sure you want to do this. It’s narrow and icy, and the slightest misstep could send you plunging to your death.”

“You’re making this up.”

“I don’t have that much imagination.”

“You’re a writer.”

“Children’s books. They’re completely nonviolent. Now, if you want to stand around and talk all morning, that’s up to you. But I’d like a little adventure.”

She’d finally caught his interest.

“Let’s get to it, then.”

They had a good time on their hike, even though Molly never quite managed to locate the treacherous path she’d promised Kevin—maybe because she’d invented it. Still, the bluff they crossed was bitterly cold and windy, so he didn’t complain too much. He even reached out to take her hand on an icy stretch, but she wasn’t that foolish. Instead, she gave him a snooty look and told him he’d have to manage on his own because she wasn’t going to prop him up every time he saw a little ice and got scared.

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