Trading Christmas - Debbie Macomber [117]
“Lindy’s resigning came as a surprise to you, then?”
“Yes, this whole thing caught me completely unawares. Lindy didn’t even mention the other job offer to me. I always thought we were good friends.”
“Lindy is your friend,” Paul said with enough conviction to persuade the patrons at the nearby tables. “You wouldn’t believe what a good friend she is.”
“I…know that.” But friends sometimes had surprises up their sleeves. Lindy was a good example of that, and apparently so was Joe.
“I find Lindy an exceptional woman,” Paul commented, watching Cait closely.
“She’s probably one of the best stockbrokers in the business,” Cait said, taking a sip of her wine.
“My…admiration for her goes beyond her keen business mind.”
“Oh, mine, too,” Cait was quick to agree. Lindy was the kind of friend who would trudge through the blazing sun of Mexico looking for a conch shell because she knew Cait really wanted to take one home. And Lindy had listened to countless hours of Cait’s bemoaning her sorry fate of unrequited love for Paul.
“She’s a wonderful woman.”
Joe was wonderful, too, Cait thought. So wonderful her heart ached at his indifference when she’d announced she would be dining with Paul.
“Lindy’s the kind of woman a man could treasure all his life,” Paul went on.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Cait said. Now, if only Joe would realize what a treasure she was. He’d married her once—well, sort of—and surely the possibility of spending their lives together had crossed his mind in the past few weeks.
Paul hesitated as though at a loss for words. “I don’t suppose you’ve given any thought to the reason Lindy made this unexpected decision to resign?”
Frankly Cait hadn’t. Her mind and her heart had been so full of Joe that deciphering her friend’s actions had somehow escaped her. “She received a better offer, didn’t she?” Which was understandable. Lindy would be an asset to any firm.
It was then that Cait understood. Paul hadn’t asked her to dinner out of any desire to develop a romantic relationship with her. He saw her as a means of discovering what had prompted Lindy to resign. This new awareness came as a relief, a burden lifted from her shoulders. Paul wasn’t interested in her. He never had been and probably never would be. A few weeks ago, that realization would have been a crushing defeat, but all Cait experienced now was an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
“I’m sure if you talk to Lindy, she might reconsider,” Cait suggested.
“I’ve tried, trust me. But there’s a problem.”
“Oh?” Now that Cait had sampled the salmon, she discovered it to be truly delicious. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was.
“Cait, look at me,” Paul said, raising his voice slightly. His face was pinched, his eyes intense. “Damn, but you’ve made this nearly impossible.”
She looked up at him, her face puzzled. “What is it, Paul?”
“You have no idea, do you? I swear you’ve got to be the most obtuse woman in the world.” He pushed aside his plate and briefly closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I’m in love with Lindy. I have been for weeks…months. But for the life of me I couldn’t get her to notice me. I swear I did everything but turn cartwheels in her office. It finally dawned on me why she wasn’t responding.”
“Me?” Cait asked in a feeble, mouselike squeak.
“Exactly. She didn’t want to betray your friendship. Then one afternoon—I think it was the day you first recognized Joe—we, Lindy and I, were in my office and— Oh, hell, I don’t know how it happened, but Lindy was looking something up for me and she stumbled over one of the cords the construction crew was using. Fortunately I was able to catch her before she fell to the floor. I know it wasn’t her fault, but I was so angry, afraid she might have been hurt. Lindy was just as angry with me for being angry with her, and it seemed the only way to shut her up was to kiss her. That was the