Rescuing Diana by Linda Cajio Page B

man.
    On that thought, he ushered her into the Tropical Room. The decor was overdone with bamboo and palm fronds. Even the waitresses’ sarong uniforms looked hokey to Adam. But the place had a certain thirties-era charm.
    They were seated in tall fanback chairs by one of the panoramic windows and ordered drinks. Adam watched in amusement as Diana kept fiddling with the zipper on her purse. After a minute she asked, “How was Richmond?”
    “Very good. We’re doing the renovations for several commercial properties, and the construction is just about ready to start. Between the massive redevelopment projects here in Oakland and there, my partner, John Polaski, and I figure we won’t be out of work for the next hundred years or so.”
    “That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed. “When did you start your business?”
    “About three years ago.” He grinned lopsidedly. “Like you, I prefer working for myself, even though I work harder. But it’s worth it.”
    She nodded. Suddenly she leaned forward, staring directly into his eyes. “You know, I never asked you … but are you married?”
    He burst into laughter.
    Diana felt a hot blush cover her cheeks. Really, she thought. He didn’t have to laugh quite that loud. Maybe the question wasn’t exactly subtle, but it had suddenly occurred to her that she ought to know. Now she wished she’d never asked.
    “I just thought I’d check, that’s all,” she said in a rush, trying to cover her embarrassment. “I nean … you never said … I never knew …” She collapsed back in the chair and began to laugh. “It was a heck of a question, wasn’t it?”
    “It sure was,” he agreed. “And no, I’m not married. Never even came close.”
    “Why?” she asked, curious.
    He shrugged. “Just never found the right woman. Why aren’t you married?”
    She shrugged. “Too busy, I guess.”
    “Same here.”
    Grinning, she said, “Taking a page from your book, what about fantasies, hopes, and aspirations?”
    He grinned back. “My fantasies couldn’t get much better than last night. My hope is that there will be more nights like that. My aspiration is to figure out how to change the oil in my car without getting the stuff all over me.”
    She laughed at the last. She refused to think about the first two. “Are you originally from here?” she asked in an attempt to change the subject.
    He shook his head. “Seattle. My family is still there. I moved here about five years ago to work for a big architectural firm. Then John and I struck out on our own.”
    She couldn’t have asked for a better opening.“Oh!” she said very innocently. “Seattle is where your brother’s software company is. Starbright, right?”
    “Starlight,” he corrected her in an amused voice. “We sound like we’re rhyming sentences.”
    “I have to admit I’m a little curious about your brother, seeing as we’re in the same line of work. Has his company been in business long?”
    Before Adam could answer, a waitress, different from the one who had taken their order, arrived with their drinks. A very attractive waitress with blond streaks in her dark, windblown-styled hair. She bent especially low when she placed Adam’s Scotch and water on the wicker table. Diana couldn’t see the waitress’s face, but somehow the woman’s whole body seemed to exude sexual invitation.
    Feeling like a struggling rookie surrounded by superstars, Diana glanced down at her sweater and old navy skirt. The silver snowflakes that had distinguished the sweater from the others on the rack now looked childish, and to her critical eyes the skirt showed its age. Her navy pumps, with their short, squat heels, were so damned sensible too.
    The waitress left with a last swish of her sarong. Diana cringed, wondering how she could have been so stupid as to think her own appearance was the least sophisticated or womanly. Her attention had been focused on the waitress, but she could well imagine Adam’s