Memories Read Free

and lately he'd sensed from her an eagerness to commit. He wasn't ready for that now, and maybe he never would be.
     This time when Michael finally fell to sleep his dreams were not filled with smoke and heat and death, but instead with the face of a young, blond, blue-eyed woman telling him he was okay, everything was going to be fine.
     

 
     
    Chapter Two
     
     
    Dani spent the entire morning looking over jewelry samples and listening to sales presentations until her head ached. When finally she escaped the dealers with her purchases completed and walked out of the stuffy showroom into the bright morning sunlight, she felt as if she could breathe again.
     It was only ten o'clock and although she wasn't expected at Cathy's until eleven, she hurried in the direction of the city train in the hope of arriving early so they could chat. Dani hated driving the busy streets in downtown Chicago, so she had left her car in the hotel parking garage and used the trains instead. While waiting in the crowd to board, a load of people alighted the train and passed through and a man in a tan trench coat with briefcase in hand elbowed into Dani, stopping only long enough to turn and say a quick "excuse me" before hurrying on his way. For a moment, Dani thought she recognized him, but then shook her head no. He wouldn't be here, in a trench coat, on his way to the garment district. There was simply no way. But, as Dani rode along in the crowded train car toward the suburbs of Chicago, she couldn't help but see that man's face over and over in her mind.
     Catherine Jamison was delighted to see her dearest friend. "Oh Dani, it's been so long!" she exclaimed as the two hugged in the doorway. Dani took off her light coat and hung it in the hall closet while Cathy talked a blue streak. "How was your drive? Isn't the weather gorgeous? Oh, I wish you had stayed with me instead of at a hotel, there's so much to catch up on!"
     Dani laughed at her friend's barrage of questions and comments with no chance for her to reply. Cathy looked refined in her red silk blouse and cream trousers, her three-inch heels giving her five-foot, three-inch frame added height. But her bubbly nature defied her appearance, changing her into the college girl Dani remembered so well. Finally, Cathy steered Dani to the plush cream sofa, sat down and simply asked, "How have you been?"
     Dani answered her friend's questions one by one as the two visited easily in Cathy's comfortable living room. "I would have loved staying here with you," Dani told her. "But with my meeting schedule, I thought it best to be at a hotel."
     Cathy nodded. "I understand how buying trips are," she said. "More meetings and paperwork than there is time."
     "Speaking of which," Dani raised her eyebrows at Cathy. "Tell me about this new love in your life. All I know is his name is Michael, he owns Regal Coats and he's your boss."
     For the first time since Dani arrived, Cathy was quiet, her eyes pensive. Pushing back a strand of her thick, auburn hair, she began. "Michael is...different. Not in a bad or strange way, he's just his own kind of person. He's a great boss to work for and a much respected businessman, and he's very kind and attentive," Cathy's words trailed off.
     "But?" Dani asked as Cathy hesitated.
     "Well, sometimes he seems so far away, distant, hard to get close to. And then his mood breaks and he's warm and loving again."
     "Do you think he's 'the one'?"
     "I don't know," Cathy answered honestly. "For a while I thought we were becoming that close, but lately things have been different. Like something is missing. I wonder sometimes if he just doesn't want to commit to anyone, now or ever." Cathy sighed. "Guess I can't blame him though. He's already been married once and has a grown daughter. He's even a grandfather!" Cathy made a face and both women laughed, their mood brightening again.
     "Not that it matters," Cathy continued. "I don't know if I would want to start a