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grinned. "They'll be able to buy a
new van!"
    She smiled, but her heart wasn't in it. She didn't want
to be notorious, whether or not she deserved to.
    "Cheer up," he said. "It'll be old news
tomorrow. Just don't answer the phone for a day or two. It
will blow over as soon as some new tragedy
catches the editorial eye."
    "I guess you're right."
    "Next Saturday," he reminded
her. "I'll pick you up at six."
    "Where
will you be until then?" she asked, surprised, because he often came by for coffee in the afternoon.
    "Memphis," he said with a sigh. "A business
deal that I have
    to conduct personally. I'll be out of town for a week. Bad timing, too."
    "I'll be fine," she assured
him. "Mrs. Lester's right here."
    "I
guess so. I do worry about you." He smiled sheepishly. "I don't have any family, either. You're sort of the
only relative I have, even though you
aren't."
    "Same here."
    He searched her eyes. "Two of a kind, aren't we? We
loved not wisely, and too well."
    "As you said, it's their loss," she said
stubbornly. "Have a safe trip. Are you
taking Big Red?"
    He shook his head. "They won't let me take him on
the plane," he said. "Walters is going to
stand guard over him in the garage with a
shotgun while I'm gone, though. Maybe he won't pine."
    She burst out laughing. "I'm glad I have you for a
friend," she said sincerely.
    He
took her hand and held it gently. "That works both ways. Take care. I'll phone you sometime during the
week, just to make sure you're okay.
If you need me..."
    "I have your mobile number," she assured him.
"But I'll be fine."
    "See you next week, then."
    "Thanks for the ride home,"
she said.
    He shrugged and flashed her a white
smile. "My pleasure."
    She watched him drive away with sad eyes. She was going
to have to live down the bad publicity without
telling her side of the story. Well, what did it matter, she
reasoned. It could, after all, have been
worse.

Diana Palmer
    187

Chapter 3
      The week passed
slowly until the charity ball on Saturday eve ning. It was to be a lavish one, hosted by the Carlisles ,
a founding family in the area and large supporters of the local hospital's charity
work. Their huge brick mansion was just south of the perimeter of San Antonio, set in a grove of mesquite and pecan
trees with its own duck pond and a huge formal garden. Tira had always loved coming to the house in the past
for these gatherings, but she knew that Simon
would be on the guest list. It was going to be hard facing him again after what
had happened. It was going to be difficult
appearing in public at all.
    She did plan to go down with all flags flying, however,
having poured her exquisite figure into a sleeveless,
long black velvet evening gown with lace appliques in entrancing places and a lace- up bodice that left little gaps from her diaphragm to her
breasts. Her hair was in an elegant French
twist with a diamond clip that matched her dangling
earrings and delicate waterfall diamond necklace. She looked wealthy and sophisticated and Charles gave her a wicked grin when she came through to the living
room with a black velvet and jewel wrap over one bare shoulder. It was November and the weather was unseasonably warm, so the
wrap was just right.
    Charles dressed up nicely, she thought, studying him. His
tux edo played up his extreme good looks and his
fairness.
    ''Don't we make a pair?" he mused, glancing in the
hall mirror at them. "Pity it isn't the right
one."
    "We'll both survive the
evening," she assured him.
    "Only if we drink hard enough," he said with
graveyard hu mor. Then he noticed her expression and
grimaced. "Sorry," he said genuinely.
    "No need to apologize," she replied with a wry
smile. "I did something stupid and had the misfortune to be found doing
it. I'll survive all the gossip. But whatever you do, don't leave me alone with Simon, okay?"
    "Count on it. What are friends
for?"
    She smiled at him. "To get us through rough
times," she said, and was suddenly
very grateful that she had a