Clay was on the telephone again when she walked into her apartment after work. Again she had the impression that he was talking to Frank. He saw her this time as soon as she entered the room, stopped whatever he was saying in midsentence, then went on with a few vague, general remarks that could mean anything before hanging up.
"Just checking on things in San Francisco," he explained.
"How are things in San Francisco?" Maybe now he would tell her his plans, she thought.
"Oh, just fine," he answered uninformatively. "Hey, did I tell you I heard from Thelma a couple of weeks ago?"
"No, you didn't. How is she?" He was putting her off again. Why?
"She's doing great. She's crazy about her aunt and she's being tutored this summer so that she'll be ready for tenth grade this fall. She's in music classes and she's made a couple of friends—and she assures me they're nice kids who won't lead her into more trouble. I've got a lot of hope for that kid."
"She owes a great deal to you, Clay."
He flushed unexpectedly and shrugged. "Just doing my job."
His job? He'd never made a penny from his work at Halloran House, where he'd met Thelma, and she knew it. She smiled at his modesty.
"You haven't even kissed me yet," Clay told her suddenly. "C'mere."
After the kiss her arms remained around him, tightening compulsively as she held him. She never wanted to let him go.
Clay returned the hug with enthusiasm, then held her away from him. "What did I do to deserve that?"
"I love you," she told him, unable to smile.
"I love you, too." He kissed her again, then laughed and turned her toward the kitchen, keeping his arm snugly around her waist. "Let's find something to eat before we get distracted and miss dinner again. I'm starving."
Slipping into the determinedly lighthearted mood that she was rapidly becoming an expert at assuming, she matched her steps to his. "How did your meeting With Dr. Random go today? Are you still intrigued by his new method?"
"Very much so. I had a few suggestions to make that he seemed to like, and we had an informal consultation on a couple of kids he's been treating lately—no names, of course. We managed to preserve his confidentiality. We're having lunch tomorrow."
She looked up at him in surprise. "You must really be interested in this man's work."
"Of course I am. It's the same work as mine," he answered logically, smiling as he released her to open the refrigerator door and peer hopefully inside.
He must be missing his work very much, Spring thought sadly, if he was spending so much time just talking about another man's job. He must be looking forward to getting home.
Oh, good, Spring. Why don't you twist the knife a little harder? she asked herself impatiently. Deciding abruptly to make some iced tea, she reached into the cabinet for tea bags, groaning when her sudden move bumped her elbow into the sugar bowl on the counter.
Sugar spilled across the counter and onto the tile floor at her feet in a glistening white stream. "Damn."
Without pausing a beat Clay leaped into the puddle of sugar on the floor and began to do a soft-shoe routine, whistling "Tea for Two" as he slid the toe of his sneaker through the white powder. Spring had to laugh as she pulled out the broom and dustpan, shaking her head at his antics. God, she was going to miss him!
* * *
Kelsey acted oddly on Thursday. Spring asked twice if her friend was ill or troubled about something, but Kelsey only looked mysterious and shook her dark head, her brown eyes twinkling with mischief. Even Andi kept eyeing Spring with a secretive smile that was making her decidedly nervous. What was going on, anyway?
She found out right after lunch. She'd just finished with a patient and walked out into the hallway to find Clay waiting for her. He grabbed her and kissed her, right in front of Kelsey and Andi, before she could speak.
When he released her, she frowned at the expressions on the three faces grinning at her. "What's going on? What are you doing here, Clay?"
"I'm kidnapping you for the afternoon," he informed her. "Get your purse."
She sighed. "Clay, I have appointments this afternoon. I can't just leave."
"Wrong," Andi told her. "You're quite free this afternoon."
"Are you crazy? I looked at the calendar this morning. The afternoon was booked."