since she’d pumped Zach Hass, the new guy, for information, everyone named in the lawsuit had probably been warned not to talk to her. For all she knew, security wouldn’t even have let her inside. Unless…
She abruptly brought her head up.
Evan Gann. He could get her inside. No one could stop her if she was going to see him. Damn it. Why hadn’t she taken his phone number? Grudgingly she pushed to her feet, and got her cell phone. She hoped like hell his number was listed.
2
A T THREE FORTY- FIVE Evan took a few minutes away from the set and called his office and then his answering service. Because of the consulting job, he only saw patients three days a week, but inevitably, on the rare occasion that he wanted some personal time, there’d be an emergency that would consume the rest of his day. Fortunately, this afternoon he was free to see Liza.
What a shock it had been when she’d called last night. As a result he’d been on edge all day. It seemed as if every shot had gone wrong and there’d been so many retakes that he was afraid he wouldn’t be done when she arrived at four fifteen. He’d finally had to pull the assistant director aside and tell her that he was going to be out of here by four, no matter what.
The truth was, his concentration wasn’t what it should be anyway. He didn’t get why Liza had decided to see him. No sign she’d been interested yesterday. So why the sudden change of heart? And why did she want to meet him at the studio? Strange that she’d want to show her face here at all.
Even stranger that he was still interested in her. Especially this time of the year. Ever since medical school and the Angela debacle, he had no use for the holidays. So what was it about Liza? He couldn’t quite grasp the attraction. Had to be something chemical. Pheromones, maybe. Or maybe that he was a sucker for a crying woman. He had an annoying urge to rescue them.
He checked his watch and saw that the AD had noticed. She gave him a small nod and he didn’t think twice before grabbing his jacket and heading off the set. He was early but he kept an electric razor in his car’s glove box. He could barely make it through the day without dark stubble covering his chin.
He’d made it halfway through the lobby when he heard the receptionist call out his name. Melinda wasn’t at her usual station but was decorating a Christmas tree in the corner. She was blond, petite and pretty, and she wasn’t shy about making her interest in him known. But she was too young and a little too brazen for his taste. Besides, she reminded him of his ex-fiancée.
“You’re right on time, Evan,” she said brightly, holding a glittering star and standing on a short ladder. “I can’t reach the top.” She demonstrated by stretching so high that pretty much everyone in the lobby noticed that she wore pink lacy underwear.
Evan kept his eyes on her face as he stayed en route to the double doors. “Where’s Leroy?” The ex-basketball-player-turned-security-guard wouldn’t even need the ladder.
“I don’t know,” she said petulantly. “Can’t you help me?”
“I’m running late.” He hesitated and glanced out the glass doors. “All right.”
She smiled and handed him the star before slowly descending the ladder, with a seductive sway to her curvy hips.
The tree had to be eight feet tall and since he was only six-two he didn’t dare try securing the star without using the ladder. He got up a couple of rungs and felt Melinda’s hand near his right thigh. He frowned down at her.
“I’m holding the ladder for you,” she said with a wink.
He ignored her, placed the star on the top of the tree and then quickly got down.
“You’re leaving early.” The woman had no concept of personal space.
He backed away from her, at the same time glancing out the glass doors. He spotted Liza pulling into a parking space. “I’ve got to go.”
“You have a date or something?” she asked in a teasing tone.
“Yeah,” he said, and headed out of the building without giving her a second look.
The sky was darker and the air chillier than when he’d come to work midmorning. He buttoned his jacket as he walked, watching for Liza, his gaze staying on the large black SUV she’d parked behind. A second later he saw her, dressed in jeans and a bulky red sweater that unfortunately hid her curves. He waved to get her attention.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked as soon as she got close enough.
Evan checked his watch. “Weren’t we supposed to meet at four fifteen?”
Resentment flashed in her eyes. “Too embarrassed to be seen with me inside?”
“Never even crossed my mind. I was done, and I walked out here to meet you. Is that a problem?”
Her gaze flickered toward the station doors. “No.”
“Shall we take my car?”
“I guess.”
He didn’t appreciate her indifferent tone. “Look, if you’ve changed your mind, no problem.”
Liza shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I’d like to have a drink with you. Anyplace. You choose.”
Evan tried not to smile. Originally she’d asked him just to go for coffee, which was okay because he’d considered it a nice start. A drink was better. Maybe it would even lead to dinner. “How about we go to Sardis?”
“That’s a couple blocks away, isn’t it?”
He nodded.
“Let’s walk.”
“You’re not cold?”
Liza laughed. Nice husky sound. “It’s only the beginning of December. Ask me next month.”
Would she still be around then? Naturally he said nothing. He simply walked alongside her, and when they got to the sidewalk, promptly swung around to take the outside position closer to the street.
Her lips lifted in amusement. “A perfect Southern gentleman, I see.”
He shrugged sheepishly. “My grandfather once made me promise to never let a woman walk on the street side. Do you know how the custom came about?”
“Ah, no.”
Evan smiled. He could tell she didn’t care but she was going to hear it anyway. “It started back in the old west. Unpaved roads, puddles of water…you starting to get the picture?”
She shook her head in mock disgust, but he saw the smile dancing at the corners of her mouth.
“A gentleman always walked on the outside to protect the women from getting their long skirts splashed.”
She laughed, making her eyes sparkle. She wasn’t classically pretty but she had an interesting face. Her eyes were small and almond-shaped, and her nose looked as if it had been sculpted by a skilled surgeon. Although she didn’t strike him
