Eclipse of the Heart

chapter 14

"Rosie." Amanda flipped through a rack of beautiful dresses at an exclusive Madison Avenue boutique. "I don't want to be indebted to Logan."

"Don't think of it like that." Rosie picked up a silver stiletto and looked it over. "You're doing this for me. Logan said so."

Amanda eyed her doubtfully. Today Rosie wore lime green leggings, black combat boots and an ivory lace dress. She looked adorable, and had announced that the entire outfit cost only twenty-five bucks.

But Amanda needed more sophisticated clothes, and the price tags Rosie steered her to were eye-popping.

"I thought you were going to make my clothes."

"I'm working on that." Rosie yanked out a gold, silk crepe dress with a narrow band of blonde lace decorating a deep, scalloped neck. "This is it. Perfect for you."

When Amanda reluctantly tried on the dress, she had to stare at herself. The crepe hugged her breasts, with the open neckline pointing subtly to them. The bias cut flattered her midsection, and the skirt flared gently around her knees, swishing when she moved.

"You can't pass this up," the saleslady said happily. "The dress was made for you."

"It's too expensive," Amanda said quickly. She didn't want to disappoint the saleslady, but there was no point in raising her hopes either.

"She'll take it," Rosie said.

The clerk glanced from Rosie to Amanda and back.

"I pay the bills," Rosie said. "And my reputation is at stake. Logan will love this."

The saleslady raised her eyebrows. "I see."

"Rosie," Amanda hissed when the dress was borne off. "You made her think I'm a mistress or something."

"Who cares?" Rosie handed over another dress. "You don't know her."

"This is exactly what happened when I went to that fundraiser at the Spensor Museum." Amanda's cheeks flushed at the memory. "Everyone thought I was his paid escort."

"That blue dress did make you look hot," Rosie said, giggling.

"I don't want to be hot!" Well, that was a little white lie, but whatever. She didn't want to be viewed as a hooker.

"Amanda." Rosie tapped her foot on the carpet. "Every woman wants to be hot for the right man."

"Logan is not the right man. I'm going out with Josh this Friday." Damn, she hadn't meant to say that. On the other hand, the sooner the office gossip mill got hold of the fact, the better.

"Excellent," Rosie said cheerfully. "You can wear the gold dress for that date, also. See how economical we're being?"

Amanda had to laugh. "You do know how to look on the bright side of everything."

"Exactly." Rosie leaned down to straighten the hem on a black cocktail dress. "You stick with me, and you'll go places."

"Into the unemployment line, when Logan sees how much you're spending."

Rosie frowned. "I think black is too severe for you." She waved a hand. "Take it off." She plucked another dress off its hanger. "As for Logan, he has so much money that no clothing wardrobe could make a dent in it."

"You don't know that."

Rosie tilted her head to view the new dress at an angle. "I may not have the facts and figures, but he owns all of Winter Enterprises. He ain't poor."

"He has some partners. We don't know what stakes they each have."

"The man has a private jet, for God's sake. He has an oceanfront estate on Cape Cod."

"He does?" That was one of the first facts Amanda had ever heard about his private life. She couldn't resist prying for more information. "How do you know that?"

"Well, the caretaker has been buggin' me about some upkeep for the house. I had to send a contractor over there." Rosie grinned. "So, once I had the address, I looked it up on Zillow."

"I wonder who lives there. Does he have family?"

Rosie moved in a little closer and lowered her voice. "My aunt warned me never, on pain of death, to ask about family."

"Strange."

"So of course, that's exactly what I want to know." Rosie flashed her leprechaun smile, a pointy triangle offset by red hair and sparkling eyes. "I've tried to ask around the company, but if anyone knows anything, they're keepin' it to themselves."

"It's really not our business." Amanda glanced in the mirror. Wow, this was another knockout dress. Rosie did have a knack for choosing clothes.

"But nothing's more fun than finding out what we're not supposed to know, right?" Rosie narrowed her eyes. "Perfect dress. Try on the matching coat."

Amanda was glad to change the subject. She really shouldn't be gossiping about her boss. As much fun as it might be, gossip could only lead to trouble.

She added the blue dress and coat to her order. It would be perfect for the lung association gala she was attending with Josh. Her twinge of guilt was banished with a reminder that Logan had authorized these purchases to help Rosie. Plus, he would never know she was using his money to dress for another man.

***

Josh's eyes lit up when she opened the door on Friday night. "You look beautiful," he said. "You've been hiding your light."

"Thanks." Amanda smiled. "I think."

He laughed. "I guess you do need to look professional at work. Sorry if my comment was tactless."

Amanda lifted the matching coat out of her tiny closet. "No need to apologize. You're right. But I do like to dress up when I have the opportunity." Even though she felt like she was lying by omission, she could hardly tell Josh that Logan was buying her a wardrobe to help Rosie get a design business off the ground.

He helped her on with the coat and then crooked his elbow for her hand. "Ready?"

Downstairs, he hailed a taxi and, when they reached their destination, they had a brief tussle over who would pay for the cab.

"You got the tickets," Josh said. "So I should pay for everything else."

"But this isn't a date," Amanda argued. "Remember? Even if it was, I asked you so I should pay." It was hard to be so noble when she was budgeting every penny, but right was right.

"If I asked you out, would you expect me to pay for everything?"

She looked up at him, nonplused.

"Exactly." He laughed, and by then, the cab driver had been paid.

Inside, they circled the tables that offered silent auction items. Amanda put her name down for a few things that wouldn't go too high. A spa afternoon had a one year expiration date. It would make a nice gift for her sister when she returned from Denver.

"Do you do a lot of these charity events?" Josh said.

"No." The single word sounded too abrupt, and she liked Josh. "My sister, Julie, is sick with a serious lung problem," she said. "Interstitial lung disease, to be precise."

"Hey." Josh put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed lightly. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. She's in Denver for some specialized treatment."

"That's rough," Josh said. "I hope her treatment plan works out."

"Amanda!" An older couple waved her over, and Amanda was grateful for the interruption.

"Josh, this is Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien. They're the chairpersons for this gala."

After the introductions had been completed, Mrs. O'Brien smiled at Amanda. "I've heard that Julie is progressing well under her new treatment plan."

"Yes, we're very hopeful that she's turning a corner."

"I hope we can get together for lunch soon," the older woman said. "I'd love to get all the details."

Amanda nodded. "I'll be going to Denver for Christmas, and meeting with her doctors. I'll take good notes for you."

"Smile!" A photographer with a huge camera aimed it at them.

"Sorry." Mr. O'Brien grimaced in Josh's direction. "This is part of the drill."

"No problem." Josh slung his arm around Amanda and smiled gamely into the flashing lights. Flashbulbs popped, once, twice, three times.