From the Heart

muttered, frowning at it. “I don’t think so.” She tossed it back into her purse and smiled at the clerk who was boxing her unicorn. “Do you know what time it is?”
    “One-fifty.” He responded to the smile.
    Deciding she could make twenty blocks in ten minutes at an easy jog, she took off without hailing a cab. When she arrived at Rajah, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were brilliant. She passed through the elaborate entranceway and stepped inside.
    The heat rushed to meet her. It felt wonderful after the stinging cold, and she pulled off her gloves to stuff them into her bag.
    “Madam.”
    She turned her smile on the mâitre d’. “Jordan Taylor.”
    “Mr. Taylor just arrived.” He bowed in her direction. “This way, please.”
    Three hours of shopping and no breakfast had left her famished. Jordan watched her coming toward him and rose.
    “Hi.” She kissed him, then let him help her off with her coat.
    “You were serious about the shopping, I see,” he commented, glancing at the bag before she tucked it under the table.
    “Deadly,” she agreed as she accepted a chair. “I bought you a present. You can have it after I see the menu. I’m starving.”
    “Some wine first?” He gave the order to the captain at his elbow while Kasey buried her face behind the menu.
    “The Crab Goa’s always good. And the Barra Kabab.” She put the menu down and grinned. “I think I’ll have both. Shopping gives me an appetite.”
    “Everything seems to,” Jordan commented wryly. He took her hand, needing to touch her. “I’ve watched you eat. It’s amazing.” He brought her hand to his lips. “Did you really buy me a present?”
    “Yes. It’s in the bag with Alison’s sweatshirts.” Kasey reached down to forage and brought up the box. “You can open it if you promise to order immediately afterward.”
    “Agreed.” He lifted the top of the box and uncovered the unicorn.
    “It’s for luck,” Kasey told him as the captain brought their wine. “You can’t go wrong with a unicorn. I almost bought you a bumper sticker with a lewd saying, but I didn’t think it would look quite right on your Mercedes.”
    “Kasey.” Touched, he took her hand again. “You’re outrageously sweet.” Jordan tasted the wine and nodded to the captain. “The lady will have the Crab Goa and Barra Kabab. I’ll have the Fish Curry.”
    “How hungry are you?” she asked when the captain withdrew.
    “Hungry enough, why?”
    “I was wondering if I’d get any of your fish.” She smiled when he laughed and slipped the small box into his pocket.
    “So you bought me a unicorn and Alison sweatshirts. Did you buy anything for yourself?”
    “No.” She tossed her hair out of her eyes, then settled her elbows on the table and cradled her chin on her hands. “There were some earrings in the shop where I got the unicorn, flashy little drops in scrolled gold, but they wouldn’t bargain with me. I was in the bargaining mood. And I got hungry.” She grinned and reached for her wine. “How was your meeting?”
    “Fine.” He had debated discussing the royalties with her and had decided against it. She might object, citing Agnes’s argument about the original agreement, and in any case, he didn’t want business to intrude on their time together. They had only one night left. “I’ve another one at four with Germaine. He’ll probably ask me to use my influence to talk you into writing that book.”
    Kasey laughed and shook her head. “I think the writing’s safer in your hands. But give him my best.”
    “What would you like to do tonight?” A basket of bread was placed before them, and Kasey dove into it immediately. “Would you like to see a play?”
    “ Mmm, a musical.” She buttered the bread lavishly and offered him some. Jordan shook his head, smiling as she took a hefty bite. “Something with a lot of flash and a happy ending.”
    “I’ll meet you back at the hotel at six?”
    Kasey nodded, then reached for more bread. “Okay.” Narrowing her eyes, she calculated the time between six and curtain. She smiled over the rim of her glass. “We’d better plan on having a late supper.”
     
    Kasey was dreaming. It was a familiar dream, too familiar, and her mind struggled to reject it before it took hold. She was alone, abruptly dropped down into a pure white sea in a small boat. She knew what would happen next and tried to push the image aside. But she wasn’t strong enough.
    The boat began