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“How about a cooler for the formula?”
“Terrific. One more thing to carry.”
He slung the diaper bag over one shoulder, picked up the cooler and his jacket, and headed for the door. “Come on, Grace. It’s getting late and we have a lot to do today.”
Keeping her temper while working for Luc, day after day, had proved a challenge. Keeping her temper while stuck with him day in and day out was an impossibility. She planted her hands on her hips. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
He glanced around. “Diaper bag, cooler, jacket, changing pad, and a plastic bag for dirty diapers. Nope. Got it all.”
Grace sighed. “Everything except the baby. Why don’t I take care of that?”
Thirty minutes later, with Toni safely ensconced in her car seat, they crossed the Bay Bridge out of San Francisco and drove to the small apartment Grace rented on the Oakland-Berkeley line. It was a short walk to BART, the electric railway, which made for an easy commute to work each day. It also cost far less than living in the city.
“I’ll just run upstairs and pack a bag,” she suggested. “Why don’t you wait here with Toni.”
To her dismay Luc released his seat belt, climbed out of the car, and calmly unfastened the baby from her car seat. “Toni would like to see your apartment and so would I. Besides, I want to make sure you don’t pack any of Will-William’s clothes.”
She stared at him in confusion. “William’s clothes?”
“The clothes you wear for him. The ones two sizes too large and three decades too old.”
Having no choice, she led the way to her door. “Make yourself at home,” she said with more than a hint of irony. “I’ll go pack.”
In the bedroom, she retrieved a small cloth suitcase from the shelf in her closet and began tossing in the essentials. A minute later, Luc and Toni appeared at the door.
And in Luc’s hand was her third place award for Salvatore’s young entrepreneur contest.
He held it up, his gaze cool and watchful. “What’s this, Grace?”
Chapter 5
The Great Lie
Day 338: And Grace’s disguise is slipping . . .
Crossingto Luc’s side, Grace took the award from him and placed it on her bureau. “You know what it is.”
“You’re right, I do. I guess my question is, what are you doing with it?”
Returning to her packing, she carefully folded a blouse and tucked it into the suitcase. “I think that’s obvious, too. I won it.”
“In this past year’s contest?”
“Why the questions, Luc? What’s the problem?” she snapped. “Yes. I won third place in this past year’s contest. As a result, I met Dom.”
“And?”
“And,” she finished impatiently, “he thought highly enough of me to recommend me for the job as your assistant. I thought you knew all that.”
“No. I didn’t.”
He frowned, his gaze searching, and she glanced hastily away. But it was too late. He suspected she was hiding something, and knowing Luc he wouldn’t leave it alone until he’d settled the issue to his satisfaction. She could practically see the wheels turning as he mulled over what he perceived to be a puzzle.
“Let’s try this tack and see if it gets us anywhere. Why did you take the job as my assistant?”
“This is ridiculous. I took the job for the same reason millions of people all over the world take jobs.” Using less than her usual care, she balled up another blouse and thrust it into the suitcase. She just wanted to end this conversation and get out of here before she did something, or more likely,saidsomething, incriminating. “I needed to earn money.”
“Yes, but contestants who enter the young entrepreneur contest are interested in starting their own business, not working for someone else.”
