Rules of Engagement by Carla Cassidy

Rules of Engagement by Carla Cassidy

Author:Carla Cassidy
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 0373197020
Publisher: Silhouette Books
Published: 2004-07-10T04:00:00+00:00


Chapter Six

Nate stood at the window and stared out at the snow that fell from the gray skies. It was early morning and he didn't expect Kat in for another hour or so.

She'd remained firm about the hours she worked. She came in around eight, took an hour lunch at noon, then worked until six or seven and called it a night.

Twice in the past week he had taken her to dinner. He told himself he was simply doing his job, treating a fellow co-worker well, but the truth was he'd enjoyed those dinners with her.

She made him see the world differently. She made it seem like an enchanted wonderland where everything was new and exciting. That had been her charm before, and she hadn't lost it.

He'd been shocked by her background. She'd always seemed so centered, so sure of herself and where she was going in life. Nobody would have guessed at the chaos that had apparently been her childhood.

There had been no chaos in his childhood. His had been one of order, structure. No noise, no fuss, no messy emotions. He frowned thoughtfully and realized it had been too long since he'd last checked in with his parents.

His parents were early risers. By this time they would be finishing up their morning coffee at the kitchen table, preparing to go to the university for morning classes.

He left the window and sat at his desk, then picked up the phone and punched in their number. It rang three times before it was answered. "Leeman residence," a pleasant female voice said.

"Mrs Richards, it's Nate."

"How are you, Mr Nate?"

"Fine, just fine." Nate didn't know the housekeeper well. She was the latest in a long string of people who had worked for his parents at one time or another. "Is my mother or father home?"

"No, they're gone. They left on research leave last week. You just caught me here watering the plants and checking on things."

"Research leave? How long are they going to be gone?" Nate felt a heaviness in his chest as he realized they'd taken off without a word of goodbye. He didn't know why it bothered him this time. It had certainly happened often enough in the past.

"Three months," Mrs. Richards replied. "They plan to be out of the country until the end of March."

"Where did they go?"

"Someplace in England. I can't remember offhand, but if you'll hold a minute I have their itinerary in my purse."

"No, no, that's all right," Nate said hurriedly. "I'm sure I'll hear from them sometime in the next couple of days. Thanks, Mrs. Richards."

He murmured a goodbye, then hung up.

Three months.

They wouldn't be here when Utopia was unveiled and made public. They wouldn't be here to see his success, to revel in his accomplishment.

Big deal, he told himself. He shoved away from the desk and went back to stare out into the gray beginning of the day. He was thirty-one years old. He didn't exactly need his mommy and daddy to be at his side.



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