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“I can do that,” she insisted.
His response sounded suspiciously like a snort. He rifled through the bottles and tubes cluttering the tabletop with a knowledge and decisiveness that could only have come from long experience—a fact that didn’t escape her. Clearly, he was familiar with women. With everything about women. But then, she’d long suspected that when it came to the fairer sex, Luc was an expert.
“Fascinating colors here,” he said in disgust. “Not one of them suits you. Except . . . Here we go.” He swept foundation, blush, eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick into a cosmetic bag and tossed it into her suitcase. Then he turned and folded his arms across his chest. “What’s going on, Grace?”
She shoved her glasses high on the bridge of her nose and cuddled Toni close, as if for protection. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But they both knew she lied.
He lifted an eyebrow, his expression sardonic. “Oh, no? Two separate wardrobes. Two distinct sets of cosmetics. And you have no comment?”
“Right. I have no comment.”
A dangerous light reappeared in his eyes. “You have no comment... yet.”
She swallowed. There was that word again. “Yet?”
He crossed to stand directly in front of her. “Yet. It implies a temporary situation.” He leaned down until they were almost nose to nose. “One that will change in the near future. Are we clear on that?”
She took a hasty step backward. “Crystal.”
“Fine.” He turned to her suitcase and zipped the bag closed. “Just so you know, I’m taking this new Grace home with me. I’ve had the other at the office for quite long enough.” He lifted the suitcase off the bed and eased Toni from her arms. “Get changed and meet me down at the car. Next stop is Toys-a-Trillion.”
She didn’t dare say another word. He was letting her off easy and she knew it. She also didn’t doubt for one little minute he’d eventually ask some pointed questions. She nibbled her lower lip. What would she say when he demanded answers? The thought of telling him the truth about her deal with Dom appalled her.
It had all seemed so simple and harmless when the idea had first been proposed. And now? Luc would not react well if he found out. The chances of his uncovering the truth were becoming more and more likely, which made her dream of starting her own business more and more unlikely.
She didn’t waste any time. Stripping off her dirty clothes, she rushed through her shower. Next came a hasty debate over whether to wear off-duty clothes or office clothing. Wrapped in a wet towel, she stood shivering in front of her closet considering her choices. Not that her decision took a lot of thought. Office won, hands down.
Whether it was a perverse gesture on her part or a desperate need to cling to what camouflage she could, Grace couldn’t say. But the bulky wool suit in a nondescript shade of gray gave her back a sense of security she hadn’t experienced since Toni had fallen into their laps. Gathering up a fistful of pins, she slicked back her damp hair and skewered the wayward curls into a tight, forbidding knot at the nape of her neck. She still hadn’t acquired any more dye, nor did she have any extra bottles stashed at the apartment. Once glance in the mirror warned that bright gold streaks could be detected beneath the mousy brown rinse. How long before Luc noticed, assuming he hadn’t already?
Disguise somewhat in place, she left her apartment. Joining Luc in the car, she glanced anxiously at him to see how he reacted to her costume. Aside from sparing her a quick glance of amusement, he didn’t say a word. Instead, he put the car in motion.
It took them another half hour to drive to the toy store. Located in the East Bay near a large mall, the huge barn of a building contained every imaginable toy ever invented and represented the very antithesis of the type she hoped to one day open. Some insane person had stacked the inventory from the floor to the thirty-foot ceiling. How in the world could anyone possibly obtain, let alone purchase, the higher altitude items? Crazed kids raced up and down the aisles scrambling through the displays, harried mothers in hot pursuit. One ambitious youngster busily scaled the shelving above her head.
She turned to Luc. “Get the manager before that child kills himself,” she ordered.
Luc simply grinned. “Be glad it isn’t closer to Christmas. This place turns into a real zoo, then.”
“You’ve been here before?” she asked in astonishment.
“Of course. Haven’t you?”
“Not recently. And then, only as research,” she admitted, eyeing the determined climber. “And if I’m very lucky, I never will again.”
“Don’t be such a spoilsport.” He reached above her, plucked the squirming youngster off the shelf and set him on the floor. Hollering in protest, the boy rounded a corner and disappeared from view. “I do all my Christmas shopping here. My brothers count on it.”
“Your brothers are grown men,” she informed him.
“Yes, but they’re kids at heart. And they like toys.” He grabbed a cart. “Let’s get down to business. Follow me.”
“Where are you going?” Without answering, he headed toward the middle of the store. Grace scurried behind. If she didn’t keep up with him, she’d get lost. And chances were excellent they wouldn’t find her for at least the next five months, assuming she survived that long.
Presently he stopped in the infant department. “Take a look at these. Baby pouches.” Without further ado, he ripped a carton apart, removed the pouch and tossed the empty box in the shopping basket. “Let’s try it on for size.”
Grace watched, appalled. “Good grief, Luc. You can’t do that. They’ll arrest you for shoplifting or something.”
He shot her a look of disapproval. “Shoplifting implies leaving without paying. I would never do such a thing. The box is in my cart, plain as day. And I have an eager little plastic gold card revving in my pocket.”
“But—”
