A Chance Encounter by Lindsay McKenna Page B

saunter to the back of the small desk area, winding his way through the chattering, smiling customers like a fox through sheep.
    Katie felt some of her apprehension lift as Taylor shot her a brief smile. “Just a minute and I’ll show you the way upstairs,” she told him, thanking the customer. “Maud,” she added, “I’ll be right back.”
    “Fine, Katie.”
    Katie smoothed her floor-length purple skirt and retucked the shell-pink blouse. She straightened the red sash she wore around her slender waist and, wedging between the customers, hurried toward Taylor. Together they exited the bookstore, Taylor’s hand firm on her elbow.
    “Did the police come?” he asked.
    “Yes, but they think I’m making the whole thing up, Taylor. I’m sure of it.”
    His eyes narrowed as he retrieved an overnight bag from the car. “But they will tap your line?”
    She ran her fingers through her ebony hair, pushing it away from her face. “Yes, for the next seven days.”
    “That’s all we want. I don’t care whether they believe us or not. Okay, lead the way to this magical apartment that you refuse to leave, princess.”
    “It’s my home! Don’t you love to come home after a hard day’s work at the office?” She led him up a darkened stairway that was set between two stores.
    “What? Come home to an empty house?”
    Katie heard the pain in his voice. At the top of the stairs she halted, inserted the key and pushed open the door. “Well, for the next few days, I doubt you’ll be lonely.”
    Taylor gave her an enigmatic look. Her subtle lilac fragrance enticed him; he yearned to reach out and take her in his arms. At that moment she appeared so vulnerable, so incapable of protecting herself…. “Somehow, I agree with you,” he murmured dryly, as he walked into her apartment.
    He halted and looked around as Katie shut the door. The coolness provided by the air-conditioning enveloped him, a shock after the eighty-degree heat on the street. He missed nothing in his inspection of the spacious apartment. The walls were painted a pale lavender. The drapes were of ivory lace, and through them the sun placed its muted pattern on the opposite wall. The carpet was a dusty rose, thick and luxurious beneath his feet. The furniture was bamboo, chairs and couches adorned with thick, wine-colored pillows that invited him to kick off his shoes, sit back and relax. The multitude of greenery amazed him. It was as if they had stepped into a beautiful jungle. Chairs and a settee had been placed among the verdant splendor. Thick, luxuriant Boston ferns hung long, graceful arms near each of the three windows, while several palm and fig trees gave the living room a true breath of life.
    Life , Taylor thought, as he looked around. The place had an amazing feeling of life about it. He could feel the energy, sense it. There was an unexplained joy and serenity in the room, and he halted, unable to pinpoint its exact source. And then, slowly, he turned his head to Katie, standing a few feet away. There was a knowing glint in her deep blue eyes.
    And then he saw the grand piano in the corner. It was black lacquer and highly polished. Setting down his bag, he walked over to it and Katie followed.
    “You said you played?” he asked.
    “A little.”
    “Oh, I think more than just a little if you have a grand. I’ll bet this instrument cost over ten thousand dollars.”
    Katie ran her hand lightly over the side of the piano, caressing it as if it were a living creature. “When my parents died unexpectedly, I inherited this piano. It was my mother’s,” she added in a wistful voice.
    Taylor watched her expression, marveling at her ability to communicate so effectively with those eyes and that wonderfully soft mouth. “What happened to your parents?”
    “They were coming out to celebrate the opening of my book shop five years ago. Their plane crashed on takeoff.”
    She took a deep breath. “It was a shock,” she finished inaudibly, her