The Honeymoon House. Patty Salier

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СКАЧАТЬ the word platonic, he reminded himself. Don’t ever let it leave your brain.

      Just then, Paul heard a loud sizzle. He turned to the stove. White foam was overflowing from the pot with the macaroni. He jumped up and quickly turned down the flame. He picked up the wooden spoon and stirred the macaroni in the boiling water, hoping Danielle wouldn’t mind.

      He noticed the flowery wallpaper in her kitchen and the stack of food-stained recipe books piled on the side of the counter. Pot holders hung from a nail on the wall. A magnetized picture of an attractive elderly couple hugging was on the refrigerator door. He wondered if the people were Danielle’s parents.

      Like home, that’s what her apartment felt to Paul. His muscles relaxed. He felt he could kick off his shoes, unbutton his shirt and let all his anxieties go.

      He tasted the macaroni to see if it was ready. Not yet. He’d let it cook a few more minutes longer. His eyes caught the magnetized photo again. He pulled out a magnet from his pocket. It was in the shape of a hammer, with Richards General Contracting printed on it. He stuck his magnet on her refrigerator door.

      

      In the living room, Danielle nudged Lisa to get off the telephone. “Paul’s here!”

      She glanced anxiously toward the kitchen door. She could see Paul’s yellow roses beaming from the vase on the table. Her heart leaped: he was in the kitchen waiting for her!

      “Manny, I love you!” Lisa moaned into the phone. “I love you!”

      The moment Lisa hung up, Danielle whispered in her ear, “Don’t say a word about Mr. Harrington or the honeymoon house.”

      Danielle knew that her sister had a tendency to open her mouth when she shouldn’t, and Danielle wanted to make sure that Lisa didn’t with Paul.

      Before Lisa could respond. Paul stuck his head into the living room. “Dinner’s ready.”

      “The macaroni!” Danielle rushed into the kitchen.

      “Don’t worry,” Paul said. “Everything’s taken care of.”

      Danielle’s mouth dropped open. Paul had set the steamy macaroni in a large, flowered bowl he’d found in the cabinet. He’d put out the lasagna and garlic bread on the table, too.

      Her cheeks flamed. “Paul, you’re our guest. You shouldn’t have—”

      “Did I do it the way you want?” he asked, a bit worried.

      “Perfect,” she replied.

      The pleased smile on his face and twinkle in his eyes made her melt inside. Why did it feel so natural having him in her apartment, when she had practically just met him?

      Lisa entered the kitchen. “Paul Richards?”

      Her voice had a mischievous tone that immediately bothered Danielle.

      “Mr. Harrington has told me so much about you.”

      “Really?” Paul said, glancing at Danielle. “Exactly what did he say about me?”

      “Well—” Lisa began.

      “Lee, get the salad, will you?” Danielle immediately cut in, shooting her sister a warning look that she’d better not say a word about Paul’s watchdog role in her honeymoon house plans.

      Paul took it all in. “From Danielle’s reaction, sounds to me like Mr. Harrington didn’t give me any gold stars.”

      Danielle quickly took the salad bowl from her sister’s hands and set it on the table. “I’m starved,” she said, determined to change the subject.

      Lisa gave her a secret smile and then sat at the table. “I’ve been waiting for this treat all day.”

      Danielle went to the utensil drawer to get serving spoons. She didn’t want to think about Paul’s relationship with Mr. Harrington. She just wanted to enjoy being with Paul for a little while, even though she knew the feeling would end the moment they started working together.

      At the kitchen counter, Danielle suddenly sensed Paul behind her.

      “Danielle, did I do or say something to upset you?” he asked.

      She could feel his warm breath on her hair. “No, not at all,” she nervously replied.

      His eyes caught hers. “Are you sure?”

      For a split second, she knew he would never hurt her, that he really cared how she felt. She wished she could forget that he would be spying on her work.

      “I’m positive,” she told him as they sat down at the table. “Enjoy your dinner.”

      Lisa passed Paul the lasagna, studying him. “Paul, how well do you know Mr. Harrington?”

      Danielle kicked her sister under the table to shut her up.

      “A few years ago, I built a house for a friend of his,” Paul explained. “Mr. Harrington liked my work and hired me on a couple of his housing projects.”

      “Has he ever fired an architect you’ve worked with?” Lisa inquired.

      Danielle stopped eating. Paul looked at her worriedly. She knew he knew why Lisa was asking that question.

      “Just once,” Paul replied a bit uneasily. “In the middle of construction, Mr. Harrington was dissatisfied with the architect’s work and hired another architect to take over the job.”

      Danielle suddenly felt ill. Was that going to happen to her when she worked with Paul?

      Just then, Paul’s beeper went off. “I’m sorry,” he said as he set a slice of garlic bread on his plate. “I should’ve left my beeper in the van.” He glanced at the number on his beeper. “Can I use your phone?”

      Danielle pointed to the telephone in the living room rather than the wall phone in the kitchen. “You’ll have more privacy,” she said.

      “Please forgive me,” he said again.

      

      In the living room, Paul dialed Butch’s phone number, impatiently tapping his foot on the carpeted floor. He glanced toward the kitchen door. He’d upset Danielle by telling her about Mr. Harrington’s having fired another architect. Somehow, her sister had found out that Mr. Harrington had asked him to watch over Danielle’s work.

      When Paul saw the anxious look on Danielle’s face about the fate of her job, he wanted to draw her into his arms and tell her not to worry. He’d make sure she kept her job right to the very end, no matter what Mr. Harrington had requested of him.

      When Butch’s upset voice came onto the phone, Paul knew it was trouble. “Man, somebody broke onto the construction site at the Barry property,” Butch said.

      “Damn!” Paul muttered. “What’d they take?” He dreaded hearing. He’d wanted the Barry project to finish smoothly like all his other assignments. Why at the last moment did СКАЧАТЬ