Wendi rolled her eyes. "Not me, thanks."

Again, Sarah struggled not to let her face show she was listening. Sarah told herself she had no reason to be suspicious. After all, she trusted him. Didn't she?

"Someone's waiting for him." This time Jennifer said it loudly enough Sarah couldn't mistake the words were meant for her ears. The blonde hostess' voice dropped, but not far enough. "Looks like a real charity case."

Sarah's stomach lurched to her throat. The room became suddenly, stiflingly hot. Charity case! The words hammered her eardrums hard enough to block out the rest of what the two women were saying. Charity case! The comment rang over and over, causing her head to spin.

Sarah staggered to her feet. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her gaze from the red ooze that seemed to be swimming in her vision. She needed air, and she needed it fast. She needed to get away from The Foxfire.

"Can I help you?" Jennifer's giggles seemed under control for the moment. She tapped her long nails against one of the plastic-coated menus.

"I'm afraid I can't wait for Alex any longer." Sarah's voice trembled, and she clenched her nails into her palms. The sting gave her some strength. "Please tell him Sarah couldn't wait for him any more."

"Sure," Jennifer cooed. "You don't look good, sweetie. You look like you need some air."

Sarah bit her tongue to stifle a nasty retort. She hated being called "sweetie" by someone she didn't even know. That Jennifer was obviously laughing at her distress only made matters worse.

"Just a little too warm," Sarah bit out tersely.

As she pushed her way out the front doors, she thought she heard a cackle of nasty laughter behind her. The cold air hit her like a slap and rocked her head back. It felt wonderful.

She fought the hot tears slipping over her cheeks. If there had been a breeze, they might have dried quickly, but the air was frigid and still. The tears froze to her face as solidly as they froze in her heart.

It was five o'clock before Alex had a moment to sit down and breathe. The blizzard had messed up deliveries all over central Pennsylvania, and he'd had to make a lot of last-minute changes in the Sat.u.r.day specials. Plus, the crowds had been overwhelming. The Foxfire had run out of onion soup, garlic bread, and salmon steaks by one-thirty p.m., and various other things over the rest of the afternoon. Fortunately, most people were just so glad to be out of their houses they willingly accepted subst.i.tutions.

He propped his feet up on his desk with a sigh that came from his toes. Stretching out the kinks in his back, Alex looked at the clock. Blinking, he took another look.

He had promised Sarah lunch today. True, he'd been so busy he hadn't even had time to notice the lunch hour come and go, but surely she would have asked someone to find him. Frowning, he dialed Sarah's phone number.

The answering machine beeped, but no message played in his ear. He knew the power outages had done some damage to it, and he guessed she hadn't had time to fix it yet. He would take the chance that the machine would record his voice.

"Sarah, it's me." He didn't bother to identify himself further because he knew he didn't have to. It was a good feeling. No, a great feeling. "Sorry I missed you today. What happened? Call me when you get in. I'm heading home."

The fact she hadn't shown up or called still disturbed him, but he shrugged off the feeling. Maybe something had come up with her sister. Maybe she'd stopped by, seen how busy he was and didn't want to bother him. Whatever had happened, he was sure he'd see her tonight. They'd talked about renting a really good scary movie, popping some corn, and hanging out at his place for a change. Sarah had never been to his house, and he wanted her to meet Emma.

"Boss, can I talk to you?" Emma stood in the doorway. Chocolate sauce, flour, and a dozen other substances Alex couldn't identify dotted her white smock.

"Sure, Em. What's up?"

She closed the door behind her and plopped down in the soft chair across from him. "It's about this morning."

Alex held up his hands. "Say no more. You're both adults."

Emma sighed. "Tell my mom that, will ya?"

Alex grinned. His older sister Marietta was not known for her open mind or lenient att.i.tude. "I'm not telling your mom anything, Emma. When you came to live with me, she made me promise I'd look out for you. I'm not going to risk my hide by telling her I found a half-naked man coming out of your bedroom."

"Uncle Alex, you're so cool." Emma leaned over the table to kiss his cheek with a loud smack. "I wish Mom were more like you."

"Uncles can be cool. Parents have to play the heavy." The philosophical tone made his niece roll her eyes.

"That coming from the man who swore he'd never 'sow his seed,' to quote you from about a year ago."

Alex remembered saying that. It had been to Marietta, in fact, at the annual Caine family get-together. She'd cornered him and wanted to know why he'd come dateless, when was he going to settle down, and why didn't he think about giving Mom some more grandkids? He'd replied with the comment Emma had just quoted. Marietta hadn't seen the humor in his reply.

"Things change." Her eyes sparkling and her grin wrinkling her freckled nose, Emma pounced toward him. "Boss, you're in love!"

Alex shrugged but couldn't hide his own grin. "Maybe."

Emma shrieked. "With the one you spent the blizzard with?"

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Her name is Sarah, and yes. And don't go telling your mother about where I spent the blizzard."

Emma quickly drew an X on her chest with one finger. "She won't hear it from my lips. G.o.d forbid I stay home alone at the ripe old age of twenty-four. So, tell me about her!"

What could he say about Sarah? There was too much, all mixed up inside with the feelings he'd never thought to experience. He couldn't describe her because words could simply not do her justice.

"She's great." That would not be enough for Emma. "I can talk to her."

"Wow." Emma sounded as solemn as if he'd recited a sonnet in Sarah's honor. "I've never heard you say that about anyone before. She must be great.

And crazy."

"Why crazy?"

"To fall for you." Emma danced out of his grasp.

"No crazier than Michel." Alex cowered under Emma's flurry of tiny punches. "Hey, stop that, Squirt!"

His use of the dreaded nickname from the past stopped Emma in her tracks. "Don't call me that!"

Alex, who knew just how to tease his niece into a frenzy, replied calmly, "Squirt."

Emma shrieked again, launching herself over the desk at him to pummel him soundly. Alex responded by twisting her arm up behind her back and tickling her mercilessly. Both ended by laughing hysterically.

"So when can I meet Sarah the Great?"

"How about tonight? She's supposed to come over and watch a movie."

Emma nodded. "Cool. Maybe I'll ask Mike to come over, too. It can be a double date."

A discreet knock came at the door. Jennifer stuck her head inside, her brilliant smile fading a bit when she saw Emma. The s.p.u.n.ky redhead took that as her cue to leave and pressed another kiss to Alex's cheek.

"Alex." Jennifer's voice was smooth. "Wendi and I are going to Wanda's Beach Club after work. Do you want to come?"

"Thanks, Jen, but I've got other plans." Wanda's was a meat market that Alex had never liked. The thought of going there with Jennifer and Wendi made him shudder.

Already the thought of curling up on his battered sofa with Sarah was making him smile. They'd make some popcorn. Maybe they'd play a board game with Emma and Michel. It was the kind of domesticated evening that would have made him run screaming into the night only several months ago, but with Sarah, it seemed perfect.

Jennifer pouted. "Too bad. We've missed you coming out with us, Alex."

He shrugged. Jennifer's wide-eyed gaze and pouty smile were starting to wear thin. She was acting as though the few times he'd seen her socially had been dates, which they most adamantly weren't. Alex didn't do anything beyond casual flirtation with anybody he worked with.

"Got other plans."

She just didn't seem to be getting the hint.

"A hot date?" Her voice made it clear that any date not with her couldn't possibly be hot enough.

"Just renting a movie."

"Alone?"

For some reason, he didn't want to tell Jennifer he was planning on staying in with Sarah. It was just the sort of private information that could lead to rumors around the restaurant, and he didn't want that. Besides, what he did on his own time was his own affair. More than that, he had an idea telling Jennifer about Sarah would only lead to more questions he didn't feel like answering.

"Yeah."

"Okay for you." Jennifer shrugged. "You're going to miss out on a great night. Tonight's the wet T-shirt contest."

Alex managed a smile. "I'll survive, Jennifer."

"If you say so." She left the office.Alex hooked his coat from the rack and grabbed his keys. The evening manager, Frank Philips, had already come on duty, so The Foxfire was under control. As he slipped out the back exit and into the parking lot, however, Alex discovered he wasn't going to be heading straight home after all. The Foxfire back lot edged up against the parking lot to the building housing offices for one of Harrisburg's most prestigious law firms. Typically, the building was dark and the lot empty at this time, but tonight Alex saw a dark-colored Lexus still there. It was parked facing him, just a few s.p.a.ces away from the Tahoe.

The car's presence was a little strange. He headed toward his truck, but it wasn't until he saw a brief flash of white from the Lexus' pa.s.senger side that he could tell how strange. As Alex got closer, he realized with some surprise the flash he'd seen was flesh. Bare flesh.

The Lexus was moving a little, rocking slightly back and forth in a very characteristic way. Now that he drew nearer the car, Alex could see its windows were steamed up. Another flash of white, and this time he recognized it as a foot pressing against the front windshield.

Now he was uncomfortable. In order to get to his truck, he'd have to pa.s.s right by the Lexus, close enough to see inside. Whoever was in there wouldn't appreciate an audience, of that Alex was certain. He was debating whether to slink by with eyes averted or go back to The Foxfire and catch a cab when the Lexus' front door opened and a woman almost tumbled out.

She was, Alex was immensely relieved to note, clothed. Not fully, and certainly not well enough for the cold weather, but she wasn't naked. A tall, chesty brunette, the woman leaned against the car and began taking long, deep drags on her cigarette. She didn't notice Alex.

"Get back in here!" a male voice demanded from inside the car. "You want someone to see you?"

The brunette stuck up her middle finger at him. "If you won't let me smoke in the car then I gotta do it outside. And I ain't giving up my after-s.e.x cigarette just 'cause your wife's got a nose like a bloodhound."

"Tammy, please get back inside." The man in the car poked his head out the door.

He was a handsome man with cla.s.sic features and a full head of sandy hair. He looked like a polo player. He was probably one of the lawyers from next door.

"Billy!" Tammy's voice became an annoying whine. "Just let me have my smoke."

Billy saw Alex at that moment. The man's handsome face turned as pinched as a dried apple, and he barked at Tammy to get back in the car before he drove off without her. Turning to see what exactly had her paramour in such a state, Tammy spied Alex watching.

"Pervert." She sniffed and slid back into the Lexus, which roared into life immediately.

As the car sped from the parking lot, Alex caught another glimpse of the car's pa.s.sengers. He looked like he'd been eating sour fruit. Tammy, on the other hand, was smiling.

Shaking his head, Alex slipped behind the wheel of his Tahoe. Some people. He was glad he and Sarah didn't have to resort to that sort of behavior. Sarah. At the thought, he pressed his foot to the floor and headed for home.

CHAPTER 9.

Alex hung up the phone and cracked his knuckles nervously. Where could she be? She had left no message, not on his machine at home or at the restaurant. He knew because he had called to be sure. She had obviously not been home recently because her machine was full. He hadn't even been able to leave a message this time.

He had called the gallery, but got no answer. Mick and Rivka's line, too, rang on and on before their machine had picked up. They were probably all together. Maybe Sarah had forgotten their plans.

He was only trying to make himself feel better. The fact was Sarah had either stood him up or something had happened to prevent her from returning his call. Both scenarios made his stomach churn.

Crunching another set of antacid tablets, Alex began pacing his living room. The television was on, blaring, but he barely noticed. He had gone ahead to the video store and picked up several good horror movies. Not one of them appealed to him now. Not when he was becoming more and more fearful something bad had happened to Sarah.

The thought of Sarah lying white and silent in a hospital bed made him sit down suddenly. He cracked his knuckles some more, a nervous habit that drove Emma crazy. She wasn't there to complain, however. She and Michel had decided to take the two-hour drive to visit her parents. Under other circ.u.mstances, Alex would have been quite happy for his niece, but tonight all he could think about was Sarah. Where was she?

Sitting around his house wasn't going to do anything but give him an ulcer. His stomach already felt like it was on fire, even though he'd crunched up half a roll of antacids. He decided to go to her house. Even if she wasn't there, he could wait for her.

As soon as he'd made his decision, Alex began to feel better. Anything would be better than waiting for the phone to ring, even sitting in the cold on Sarah's front porch. At least this way, he'd be there when she got home. A sudden, chilling thought struck him. Unless she already was home.

One of the videos he'd rented seemed to scream out at him. Afraid of the Dark was a cheesy, low-budget horror flick about a young woman who lived alone, attacked by a maniac hiding in her bas.e.m.e.nt. Alex had rented the movie because of its melodramatic t.i.tle and cover art. Now, thinking of Sarah, he flung the video onto the floor.

Heart pounding, he pulled on an extra sweatshirt. Going to the hall closet, he found heavy woolen gloves with a matching hat and scarf. It was bound to be cold while waiting, but he knew he wouldn't mind. He'd wait until his fingers and toes fell off as long as it meant Sarah was all right.

Maybe she'd been in an accident. Alex froze again, his stomach lurching ominously. He had always been cursed with an oversensitive stomach and an overactive imagination. Both were working overtime tonight. Forcing away the image of Sarah's car crushed beneath the tires of an eighteen-wheeler, he continued dressing.

He would try phoning her one last time. Perhaps she had gotten home in the half hour since he'd last called. The phone rang and rang, but this time the machine did pick up. As he left another message, Alex's queasy stomach began settling slightly. She had been home to get her messages.

Unless the man hiding in her bas.e.m.e.nt had checked the machine for her.

"Sarah? Honey, it's me. Please call me right away. I'm worried sick about you."

Hanging up, he decided to head over there anyway. He couldn't sit here and wait for her to call him back. The tension was unbearable.

Just as he reached the front door, the bell rang. Sarah! It must be! Eagerly, Alex flung open the heavy carved door without even bothering to look out the window.

"Hi, Alex," Jennifer said with a bright grin.

Wendi was with her. Both wore micro-miniskirts: Jen's in vibrant red, and Wendi's in harsh lime green, and both wore black leather jackets that looked none too warm. Both were shivering, and no wonder, Alex noted. Neither wore stockings of any kind. Their bare feet were shoved into the highest stiletto heels he'd ever seen.

"Can we come in?" Wendi's teeth chattered. "It's freezing out here."

Too surprised to see them to think about turning them away, Alex stepped aside to let them in. Surrounded by a cloud of perfume so strong it made his eyes water, the women pushed past him and into the living room. He closed the door firmly and followed them.

"I was just on my way out." He waved one glove to show he, at least, was dressed for the weather.