Promises To Keep. Shirley Hailstock

me. I should have been paying more attention.”

      He glanced at the blue ball gown. “Apparently you were.”

      She smiled quickly, only allowing her lips to widen and close. Parker Fordum had to be the most boring man in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. McKenna had had run-ins with him in the past and did not want either a repeat of them or to spend more time in his company than was absolutely necessary.

      “As neither of us is hurt, I’ll say goodbye,” she told him. She reached down and retrieved her bag, then moved to leave, but Parker stopped in front of her.

      “I hear you’re planning an adventure,” he said.

      “I am.” She raised her brows, meeting his gaze, ready for the challenge she knew would be reflected there. She wasn’t disappointed. She had to look up, as Parker stood a head taller than her five feet, five inches.

      He was a good-looking man. She had to admit that. His eyes were piercing and at times they could be comforting. She’d seen him look at Lydia with happiness then changing to a soft warmth.

      Reflecting his European ancestry, Parker had thick dark hair, a square jawline and features that commanded attention. His arms were long, extending from broad shoulders. Equally long were his strong legs. While she wouldn’t call him athletic, Parker and Marshall often went skiing together and they had a regular Saturday morning basketball game. She didn’t know who, if anyone, he played with now that Marshall was gone.

      For all his attributes, college professor described him best, the phrase like a tattoo. In her presence, at least, that was the personality he showed. Granted it was also laced with hostility. She didn’t blame him for that. She was hostile to him, too. The two of them just didn’t hit it off.

      “California, by way of Route 66?” His voice interrupted her assessment of him.

      “How did you know?” McKenna asked.

      “How often do we have the female owner of an international automotive parts corporation restoring a Corvette in her garage and planning to drive it from here to the Pacific?”

      “I suppose word is all over town about my trip.”

      “I don’t think it made it to downtown Chicago, but the entire township of Woodbine Heights has had the privilege.”

      “Adrienne or Sara?”

      “Sara.” He nodded.

      McKenna had no doubt her sister-in-law would be telling the tale, including her opinion of how harebrained the scheme was.

      “Don’t worry about what she says,” Parker told her. “The idea of driving Route 66 is fascinating.”

      “You think so?” she asked. McKenna forced herself not to blink. Was this the real Parker Fordum she was talking to?

      “Absolutely,” he said.

      McKenna looked at Parker to make sure he wasn’t being facetious. She knew people could say one thing and mean another. But his appearance seemed to be genuine.

      “I envy you.”

      “What?” McKenna couldn’t be hearing the straitlaced, put-everything-into-a-box Professor Parker Fordum was envying her.

      “Taking off for the wild unknown with only your wits as backup. It’s a brave thing to do.”

      She was about to thank him, but his next words stopped her.

      “And a foolhardy one.”

      “Excuse me?” McKenna pushed her hand through the plastic bag’s handle. She should have known he was setting her up. Parker was always true to character. How could McKenna have thought for a moment he would agree with her motives? She was going and she didn’t need or want Parker’s opinion.

      “Don’t you understand who you are?”

      “Of course I do.” And she knew who she was not. She wasn’t someone who was going to be talked out of what she wanted to do.

      “You are the owner of a billion-dollar business. You are female.”

      “Thank you for noticing. I might have missed those two points, especially as I come out of the shower each day. And I don’t care to hear any more from you.”

      McKenna moved to pass him. Again he blocked her path.

      “If you were only going on a driving trip, I’d say hail and farewell.”

      “But...” she prompted.

      “But you’re planning to work your way to the coast, doing only what you can afford.”

      “Parker, I’m taking enough money with me to get me there. It’s not like I’m planning to sleep in a field or cook over an open flame. And Jim Talbott is expecting me.”

      “That’s good to hear, but what about the safety factor? The world isn’t as safe as you might think.”

      Leave it to him to put everything on a nice neat little graph.

      “I’m well aware of the dangers and I’ll be careful to stay away from them.”

      “From kidnapping?”

      “You think someone wants to kidnap me?”

      “Why not? You’re a wealthy woman. You’ll only have Lydia as backup and she’ll panic the first time she sees a bug, let alone someone bent on harming the two of you.”

      “What are you talking about?” The bag on her arm was getting heavy. She wanted to be gone. She and Parker had never agreed on anything. Sara may have told him her opinion, but McKenna was leaving in two days and nothing he could say would keep her from going.

      “Even though this is a small town, your movements haven’t been lost on the population. Especially with everyone knowing now about this trip. And a red-and-white ’59 Corvette will be easy to spot. If some guy takes it into his head to subdue you and hold you for ransom, what could you do about it?”

      “I’m not sure. Maybe I could use some of my self-defense training and slam him to the ground with a kick to the groin and a chop to the larynx. Or maybe I should bring you along as my personal bodyguard. The only problem with that is the car only has two seats and they’re occupied.” Her voice virtually oozed with sugar. “The trunk is available but it isn’t big enough for someone with shoulders as wide as yours, or legs as long.” She stepped around him. “See you when I get back.” To herself, she added, but preferably won’t.

      * * *

      BY MORNING, THOUGHTS of Parker weren’t McKenna’s main concern. The call came half an hour ago. Lydia had fallen and was in Mercy Hospital.

      McKenna turned into the parking lot. The lights of an ambulance momentarily blinded her. The car skidded to a stop next to a white van. Slamming the car door, McKenna ran to the hospital entrance. The revolving door hampered her hurried efforts. Inside, she rushed straight to the room number Adrienne had given her.

      Parker Fordum came out of the door as she reached it. McKenna stopped, frowned. She did not want to physically run into him a second time. She remembered his arms around her, the feel of his hands as they steadied her.

      “McKenna,” he said by way of greeting, his head bowing in a curt nod.

      “How is she?” McKenna felt obliged to ask.

      “She’s waiting for you.” He nodded in the fashion of someone used to tipping a hat, but as long as McKenna had known Parker she’d never seen him wear one. He stepped around her and walked down the hall. McKenna watched him go, but he didn’t turn to glance at her. She’d been dismissed as if she was one of his needy students. Impulsively, she wanted to stick her tongue out at him, but someone might see her and it was a childish act.

      “Lydia, are you all right?” McKenna asked breathlessly when she entered her friend’s room.