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“Oh.”
“Damn. I’m glad to hear your voice, too,” he answered irritably.
“I’m sorry. It’s been a busy morning.”
“Okay.” He changed the subject. “What do you want for dinner tonight? It’ll have to be something quick and easy, because I’m already tired and I’ve got four more hours to drive that damned bus.”
“I have to work late. I won’t be home for dinner.”
“Okay. I’ll miss you, though. See you when you get home.”
“Bye.”
“Adrienne, before you hang up, there’s something I have to say.”
“What?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Adrienne didn’t hear from Lloyd until 4:45 P.M. He called from the company limousine, and his voice was low. “I’m parked right outside the building. Let’s not talk about the past in the car, okay?”
Adrienne agreed. Lloyd was obviously a man who liked to keep his private life undercover. He was probably worried that the driver would hear something embarrassing about his youth and mention it to another executive.
They drove out of the city in silence. Lloyd seemed to be in a bad mood. His brows were drawn together, and his bearing was stiff. Adrienne stared out the window feeling uncomfortable while Lloyd sat beside her, reading Advertising Age. She could tell from the sound of the paper rattling that he was having difficulty concentrating.
“Where are you taking me?” she finally ventured timidly.
“A town called Hastings-on-Hudson. There’s a nice quiet restaurant there with excellent food. I think you’ll like it.”
It occurred to Adrienne that Mel might call the job. “I have to call my husband.”
He gave her the phone without saying anything. The line rang a few times, and then the answering machine picked up. “Mel,” Adrienne said, “you won’t be able to reach me at the office. My boss and I are taking the project with us, and we’ll work on it over dinner. Don’t worry, I’ll take a cab home.”
When Adrienne gave Lloyd the phone back, his mouth was twisted into a sardonic smile. “Women,” he spat. “You’ve changed, Adrienne. I can remember when you were a terrible liar.”
“I’m not lying,” Adrienne snapped. “You are my boss, and I’d like to learn more about what is going on at PWE Multicultural.”
“There are different ways of lying. Your husband will think that you’re out with Regina Belvedere. Am I correct?”
Adrienne smarted under the criticism. “I don’t think you’re in a position to lecture me about how I’ve changed, Mr. Whatever-your-name-is.”
He chuckled. “Touché, my dear.”
Le Chateau was an elegant French restaurant tucked away on a side-street between a florist’s shop, which was closed, and a posh boutique for children. The doors of Le Chateau were mahogany with solid-brass door handles. Lloyd opened the door for Adrienne and she gasped at the sheer loveliness of the interior. The color scheme was slender ribbons of pale blue and soft ivory. This pattern curled intricately throughout the marble floors and on the walls. There were only ten tables in the place, and the damask-covered chairs were ivory to match the tablecloths. Two ivory candles burned at each table.
After the waiter took their orders, filet mignon for Lloyd and coq au vin for her, Adrienne unfolded her napkin, laid it across her lap, and smiled engagingly at him. “It’s been so long since I heard from you. I thought you’d forgotten all about me.” Her remark was just supposed to be a coquettish icebreaker, so Adrienne was surprised at Lloyd’s emotional response.
“It’s funny, Adrienne, but I feel like you and I have somehow changed places.”
“What?”
“You come across as lacking confidence and fearful of life in general. Like I used to be long ago.”
Adrienne felt like going home and leaving Lloyd to his stupid thoughts of yesteryear, but it would only hurt her in the end. Lloyd was wealthy. All she had was a depressed husband whom she needed to pay half the household expenses while she dug herself out of a mountain of personal debt.
“I can’t be a seventeen-year-old girl anymore, Lloyd,” she said gently.
