Dave took several sips of his brandy before answering. "First of all, Clark, you're acting like Ms. BBW of the Year and I are dating. We're not. I don't date fat chicks and you know it. But I'll tell you what, why don't we go to dinner first, then I take that hot little number Gwen out dancing and you and Cynthia can go to the theatre.

"What is wrong with you, Dave? Cynthia Quinn is a very beautiful and accomplished woman. You should be proud to be seen with her."

"Then you date her. In fact, why aren't you dating her? Seems you're quite taken with Cynthia. You talked more with her than Gwen during dinner and you've talked more about her than Gwen since dinner."

"I have not," Clark shot back, but noted his brother's raised eyebrows.

Later that night in bed, Clark thought about the evening, going over the dinner conversation. Dave was right; he did spend more time conversing with Cynthia than with Gwen. Gwen was smart and delightful, a perfect companion, but she didn't have Cynthia's poise or razor-sharp intelligence. She was also more withdrawn and guarded about herself and changed the subject when asked personal questions. And it had been obvious to him that Gwen looked to Cynthia as her mentor and not just because of the age difference.

He thought about their physical attributes. Gwen's figure was firm and trim and perfectly proportioned; exactly the type of body every woman vied for. Her face was angelic, though bore a deep sadness. He wondered about that. Maybe that was part of her reluctance to talk about herself. Cynthia's face, on the other hand, although also beautiful, was etched with fine lines around her incredible eyes, lines that spoke of hard-earned wisdom. Her body was far from perfect, but Clark couldn't deny the stirrings in his own body when he remembered how her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s pushed against her silk blouse or the sway of her hips as she walked ahead of him to their table. When he thought about Cynthia's body, the word lush came to mind. Why, Clark thought to himself in the dark, couldn't Dave see that?

"NO, NO, NO," Cynthia said the following Monday morning. Gwen had just approached her about attending the theatre Sat.u.r.day. Gwen started to speak, but Cynthia cut her off with a raised index finger. "I said no."

Gwen placed her two hands on Cynthia's desk and leaned forward. "Please, Cyn. I really like Clark and I think he likes me. We were on the phone last night for over an hour."

Cynthia shook her head slowly. "I can see no means about as much to you as it does to my daughter." She looked at Gwen. She had never been this excited about a man before and Clark Baxter did seem very nice. In fact, Cynthia was a bit envious. She would have liked to have been paired with him over his obnoxious brother, any day. "I think Clark is a true gentleman. Why don't you see him one on one now? You don't need me or his pain in the b.u.t.t brother hanging around."

Gwen suddenly looked panicked. "No, Cyn, not yet, please. I know he seems wonderful, but I just need to make sure first. Please do this for me."

Cynthia knew she was beaten. She wanted happiness for Gwen almost as much as she wanted happiness for her daughter, Emma. If Gwen needed her support a little bit longer, she would provide it.

"Okay," she finally said, "bring on the Baxters, both the good and the evil." Gwen skipped around the desk and hugged Cynthia tightly.

CYNTHIA QUINN HAD had enough. It seemed to her that Dave Baxter was going out of his way to make everyone miserable. It was obvious that he had been drafted into the evening just as she had been, but at least she had the good graces to make the best of it. The evening should have been delightful; drinks, the theatre and a lovely supper afterward. But Dave was behaving like a spoiled and petulant child forced to visit a great-aunt with twelve cats. And she knew it had to do with her. Dave pointedly ignored her and spent much of the evening so far ogling c.o.c.ktail waitresses. When he did speak, it was curt and to his brother, with a few spa.r.s.e words to Gwen. He had not said one word to her all evening.

They were finishing up c.o.c.ktails and getting ready to leave for the theatre when Clark reached into his pocket and pulled out a vibrating cell phone.

"Sorry, folks, but my boys said they'd call about now. I'll take this outside."

"Cyn," Gwen said after Clark left the table, "would you like to go to the ladies room with me?"

"No, thank you, Gwen. I think I'll break tradition and stay right here." Cynthia flashed Dave a big saccharine smile. "Besides, I think it's time, Brother Dave and I got to know each other better, don't you, Dave?"

Dave narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing.

Cynthia turned back to Gwen who was now looking like a scared rabbit. Gwen knew very well what that tone meant. Without another word she left the table.

Cynthia turned back to Dave, her fake smile gone. "Now listen up, counselor, my friend Gwen really likes your brother, and I won't have you ruining what should be a nice evening for the two of them. I don't want to be here with you anymore than you want to be here with me, but them's the breaks. We do what we have to for the people we love. So get over yourself and fast. You can go back to being a self-centered and selfish idiot tomorrow."

"Me, self-centered and selfish? Boy, that's rich." Dave tossed back the last of his martini and called to the waitress for another, not bothering to see if Cynthia wanted one. "Why don't you lose some weight so you can get dates on your own and not have to sponge off your cute friends?"

"What?" Cynthia sputtered. "Sponging off my friends? Is that what you think this is all about?"

Dave turned to face her, his face tight and bitter. "Clark told me how Gwen won't go on a date without you. If you really are Gwen's friend, you'll get a life of your own. Or better yet, stay home and eat bonbons so I can have some fun."

"Why, you little...," Cynthia started, but stopped herself. She took several deep breaths in an attempt to keep from knocking his block off. She started to say something more, but stopped when she saw Gwen returning to the table. Instead, she whispered to Dave in a tight, barely controlled voice, "Listen, let's just get through tonight, okay. I don't give a rat's behind what you think of me, but I will not have you spoiling Gwen's evening or your brother's. After tonight, you won't have to see me ever again. Deal?"

"Deal."

DAVE BAXTER WAS digging through the stacks of files on his desk when Clark poked his head into his office. "Hey, Dave, hope you don't mind my popping in on you like this."

Dave beamed at his brother, happy to see him. "Not at all, come on in. What's up?"

"It's about Gwen and Cynthia."

It had been almost three weeks since the theatre evening and Dave had moved into his own apartment in Brentwood shortly after. He'd been so busy with his move and his law practice, he hadn't talked to his brother about much of anything since that night.

"Gwen and Cynthia? Don't tell me you're still putting up with that double dating c.r.a.p? What are you, in high school?"

Clark Baxter plunked down wearily in a chair across from his brother's messy desk. "It's not what you think, Dave. Not at all."

"What I think is that you need to lose that pathetic best friend and have a real relationship with Gwen. If you don't, you're going to be walking down the aisle handcuffed to the both of them." Dave shivered. "There's an ugly thought."

"Dave," Clark began, leaning forward in his chair, "Gwen doesn't have Cynthia tag along because she feels sorry for her. Quite the contrary. Cynthia comes along because Gwen is petrified of men and hasn't been alone with one for years."

"What?"

"It's true. Gwen's ex-husband beat her their entire marriage. Before that, it was her father who abused her. She would only go out with groups of friends until now and now she'll only go out on dates if Cynthia is with her. Cynthia met Gwen when she was doing volunteer work at a battered women's shelter. Cynthia hired her, trained her, and gave her a new start in life."

Dave put down his paperwork and gave his brother his full attention. "I had no idea."

"Neither did I until after that night at the theatre. Gwen told me everything over the phone the following day. Since then we've been out several times, but always with Cynthia. Sometimes Cynthia brings along a date, sometimes she's solo. I know it makes her uncomfortable either way, but she's a good sport about it. She truly wants Gwen to start trusting men again." Clark gave his brother a small smile. "But there has been some progress. I did manage to entice Gwen out for lunch today on her own."

"And how did that go?"

Clark ran a hand through his hair. "That's the thing; I don't know how it went. Gwen was still reluctant to talk about herself or about much of anything. On the phone she's a different person, very chatty in fact. I really missed Cynthia's stimulating conversation at lunch today." He gave a sad chuckle. "I don't know which woman I'm dating ... Cynthia or Gwen."

For the first time in a long time, the glib lawyer didn't know what to say. The two brothers sat in silence for awhile, each thinking different thoughts. Clark pondered his confusion about which woman he was falling for, and Dave berated himself for misjudging Cynthia and treating her like c.r.a.p.

HILDY PARKER, RECEPTIONIST for Quinn Legal Staffing, buzzed her boss with a call. "There's a David Baxter on the phone for you."

Cynthia hesitated, thinking Hildy had the name wrong. "You're sure it's not Clark Baxter?"

"I'm sure. It's definitely David Baxter."

"Tell him I'm in a meeting."

A moment later Hildy buzzed Cynthia back. "He says he's an attorney and that it's urgent."

Suddenly, Cynthia became worried. Maybe something had happened to Clark. She picked up the call. "Dave? Is something wrong?"

"Hi, Cynthia. Thanks for taking my call, not that I deserve it."

"Is something wrong?" she repeated. She didn't have time for idle chit-chat with this fool.

"Yes, something is very wrong. I've been a selfish, conceited idiot, just as you called it."

"Is this admission supposed to shock me somehow?"

"Ouch, I deserved that." There was a pause then Dave continued. "Cynthia, this is probably the last invitation you want to receive, but I'd like to take you to dinner, as a way of apology."

"Apology accepted, but dinner is not necessary." Another evening with Dave Baxter and Cynthia thought she would really own a gun.

"Please say yes. Come on, how often do you hear an attorney beg?"

"Actually, all the time," she said, laughing slightly. "They beg me to send them qualified help who will put up with their inappropriate and childish behavior."

They met that night after work at Typhoon, an Asian restaurant overlooking the runway at the Santa Monica Airport. She had suggested it and he had said it was one of his favorites, too.

"Thanks for coming," Dave told her after their order was taken and the wine served. "I also wanted to talk to you about something."

For the first time, Dave realized that his brother was right; Cynthia Quinn was attractive, very attractive. She sat across from him in a navy blue silk suit that accentuated her remarkable eyes and golden hair. She held herself almost regally, yet her facial features combined to reflect mischievousness just beneath the surface. Why hadn't he seen that before?

"I'm all ears," she said, adjusting the napkin on her lap.

"My brother told me about Gwen's situation. And about why you are always with her." He paused to take a drink of wine. "Very good wine, don't you think? Client recommended it once."

She looked Dave straight in the eyes and smiled. "You're stalling."

He gave a soft nervous laugh. "Guilty." Being alone with Cynthia was definitely making him uneasy, but not in an unpleasant way.

"Anyway, Cynthia, I'm sorry about accusing you of being a lonely heart on their dates. It was wrong of me to make such an a.s.sumption and even more wrong of me to have treated you so shabbily."

Cynthia raised her winegla.s.s to him. "Apology accepted." Dave raised his gla.s.s and they clinked.

Their appetizer came. Over tuna tartare, Dave shared his concerns with her. "I know my brother cares for Gwen a great deal, but is she capable of having a normal relationship with him?"

"Is that any of our business?" she asked.

"Might be, considering you go on all their dates and he's my brother. Clark went through a very tough time when Nancy was killed. I don't want to see him hurt again. Just as you don't want to see Gwen hurt. But I can a.s.sure you my brother is not into brutalizing women in any fashion."

"I don't believe he is either. I've grown quite fond of him myself and would never encourage Gwen if I thought he could harm her in any way."

"Back to my original question then. Do you think she is capable of eventually having a normal relationship with Clark, or any man for that matter?"

Cynthia shifted uneasily in the booth and played with her fork. "I'm not a shrink, Dave, so I don't know. But I would like to think so. Gwen Rodgers is a wonderful woman with so very much to offer the right man."

"And so are you." Dave quickly looked around the restaurant in mock shock. "Oops, did I really say that out loud?"

Cynthia blushed deeply.

"Seriously, Cynthia, right now I'd be a whole lot more comfortable for my brother's sake if it were you he was dating."

"Don't say that, Dave. Give Gwen a chance and please don't interfere. It's not fair, to Gwen or to Clark."

Dave studied her over the rim of his wine gla.s.s. Cynthia Quinn really was a genuinely sincere and caring person. He was also finding her quite exciting. His eyes focused on her full rosy lips and for a moment he was lost in thoughts of kissing them. Quickly he cleared his throat "How about fair to you?" he asked. "Are your feelings for my brother strictly platonic?"

Their entree arrived and Cynthia avoided the question. It was the first time a fried catfish had ever come to her rescue. They ate in companionable silence for awhile before Cynthia spoke up.

"You know that Gwen and Clark had lunch together alone yesterday?"

"Yes, Clark told me. I saw him right after that."

"That was a big step for Gwen. I was out of the office, so she had to make that decision on her own. She likes Clark a great deal. I encouraged her to do lunch again and soon. I think she's going to ask him to brunch this weekend, just the two of them. She'll meet him at a place at the beach."

The catfish was delicious and Dave mulled things over while he ate. He knew his brother was torn between the two women, and with good reason. He agreed with Cynthia that Gwen and Clark should spend more time together alone, but something inside him wanted Cynthia to spend more time with Clark, too. But was it because he wanted Clark to think seriously about Cynthia or because he wanted to see more of her himself? He thought about asking her out on a real date, but after the way he had treated her, he didn't think she'd agree.

"I have a plan that I'd like to run past you," he finally told her.

"I'm all ears."

"How about you encourage Gwen to spend more time with Clark during the day, meet him for lunches and weekend stuff in public, so he can get to know her better and she'll become more comfortable. And when he wants to take her out at night, you and I will go along. Just until she's ready to fly solo, that is.

Cynthia squinted at Dave suspiciously. "Okay, who are you and what did you do with David Baxter? Not that we want him back."

Dave laughed so hard he choked on a bit of fish and had to wash it down with a big gulp of wine.

FOR THE NEXT few weeks Gwen and Clark had many daytime dates without chaperones. Each time Gwen met Clark in public she reported back to Cynthia that everything was wonderful and amazing. They were really growing attached to each other and Gwen was glowing like a lava lamp. Every Sat.u.r.day night the four of them went out together and those evenings were filled with fun and laughter. Cynthia felt certain that Gwen was about to enter into a full relationship with Clark at any moment, and was surprised she hadn't yet.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Gwen asked Cynthia one morning over coffee.

"Not much, just the usual. Why?"

"Clark wants us all to go to a cabin in Big Bear for the weekend. A client is loaning it to him. He says it's very large and beautiful and right on the lake. Dave's already said yes."

"You and Clark are getting quite close. Sure you don't want to go away alone?"

Gwen blushed. "Actually, part of me wants that very much, but another part of me is still too frightened. We haven't done anything physical beyond a few deep kisses. Clark has been very patient."

Frankly, Cynthia thought, Clark's been a saint. He and Gwen still had not had an evening alone together, and Gwen still was not allowing him to pick her up at her apartment. Sometimes it felt like she and Dave were the couple and Gwen and Clark the chaperones.

"Well, okay, if you really want me to go."

"It'll be so much fun."

The cabin in Big Bear was more like a small rustic mansion. It had five bedrooms, four bathrooms, seven color televisions and DVD players, a state-of-the-art kitchen, two decks and a hot tub. It was off season, so the little mountain town and the lake were quiet. The four of them drove up together in Clark's car, leaving Los Angeles at noon to beat the Friday night commute traffic. That night before a fire, they ate popcorn and played Scrabble.

Sat.u.r.day they spent exploring the charming mountain village and doing some light hiking. They had just returned to the cabin from a tasty and satisfying dinner at a pub in town. Cynthia was on the deck overlooking the lake, the sky was clear and the stars looked newly polished. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Dave. He was holding up an afghan.

"Hard to believe those are the same stars we have back in the city," he said as he approached her. "I thought you might need this." He placed the afghan over her shoulders. "Gets nippy up here at night."

"Thanks, Dave, it was getting a bit cold, but I was too stubborn to go inside. I didn't want to miss a moment of this peacefulness."

"Did you bring your swimsuit?"

"Huh?"

Dave nodded over at the hot tub steaming away on the deck near them. "Clark turned it on before we left for dinner. It should be warm enough now."