They were still sleeping soundly when the phone rang early the next morning. Jennifer stirred, but didn’t awaken as Jonathan rolled over to pick up the receiver. A quick glance through slit eyelids told him it was six am. He didn’t have to be at the office till nine that morning.
"Hello," he said, not trying to disguise the sleep in his voice.
There was no response, only the unmistakable sound of someone terminating the call, and then the irritating buzz of the dial tone. Jonathan hung up the phone, remembering Jennifer had answered a similar call on the previous evening. That thought quickly vanished from his mind however, as he looked over at her. She was on her side, her legs curled up below her, and her mouth slightly opened as she breathed regularly in her sleep.
Jonathan knew he should go back to sleep, but he also knew it would be impossible to do so at this time. Studying Jennifer as she slept was one of his greatest joys. She would probably think he was crazy if she knew how many hours he had done this, just laid there gazing at her, drinking in her beauty. He never ceased marveling at her loveliness, both on the outside and the inside. At times, she seemed to totally naïve to the tremendous power she held over him and a vast majority of the men she encountered. It wasn’t enough that she had symmetrical, striking features and a luscious body; there was an inner glow that Jennifer possessed. Her personality was kind and sensitive, yet she was playful and funny, and she had a keen intelligence and quick wit that never failed to amaze Jonathan. She seemed to know how to react to people, causing almost everyone she met to immediately consider her a friend. Most men immediately knew that Jennifer would never consider their entreaties, nor would Jonathan allow it. The few that didn’t get that either gave up, or were left out of the inner circle of Jennifer’s grace and warmth.
She moved a little in her sleep, and a soft sound came from her lips, then was still again. Her hair was slightly tousled, and formed a fiery halo around her stunning face. The only feature Jonathan couldn’t see were her incredible eyes, and sometimes, Jonathan thought that was the reason he enjoyed watching her sleep so much. One glance at her hazel eyes, and he could become lost in their depths. She used her eyes to show expressions only for him, and very early, he had learned to read and respond to them. She would shield their true expressive power from others, only letting her true emotions shine through to him. Her eyes dazzled him constantly, never still and always revealing.
She was blinking them open now, and she looked upward to lock gazes with him. A yawn overtook her, then she said lazily, "Do you ever get the feeling you’re being stared at?" Her voice was light.
He grinned at her, knowing he’d been caught. "I wasn’t staring at you," he informed her casually. It wasn’t the first time he had said that to her.
"Oh, no?" she bantered, beginning to wake up more fully. "What time is it anyway?"
"A little after six," he answered, glad he was off the hook.
"What are doing up so early?" she mused, almost to herself.
"Beats me," he shrugged, not wanting to tell her about the phone call. There was something vaguely upsetting about it, and he didn’t want to ruin the intimate mood that hung around them. "But since we’re up…" he couldn’t suppress another grin, "why don’t we take advantage of it?"
Jennifer couldn’t help but return the smile, her mind returning to the delicious evening they had shared the previous night. "That’s the best idea you’ve had all day," she murmured, moving into his arms.
An hour and a half later, Jonathan rolled out of bed, sated, and ready to face the day. Jennifer was still stretched out over the bed, every part of her body tingling in the aftermath. She could never decide which she liked better, making love at night in the dark house with its soft night sounds, or first thing in the morning, savoring the delightful moments as she went about her day. Jonathan never tired of helping her decide, she thought with a private smile. The thought that Max wasn’t home roused her from her languid pose. She needed to get up and fix breakfast.
She was dressed in her robe, turning pancakes, when Jonathan entered the kitchen. "Good morning," he said, grinning in spite of himself.
"Good morning, Darling," came her response. "Breakfast in two minutes. The coffee’s on the table."
"We’d better not let Max know about all these meals you’ve been cooking," he said, lightheartedly. He poured himself a cup of coffee, then stabbed a fresh strawberry from the chunks of fruit she had set out on the table.
"Why?" she asked, sounding surprised. Jonathan constantly teased her about her culinary skills, but she had felt last night’s dinner was near perfection.
He winked at her, as he noticed she had wrinkled her nose, as if she were a little hurt by his comment. "He might feel like we don’t need him anymore," he said.
Realizing he was paying her a compliment, she smiled sweetly at him. "Why, thank you," she purred.
She had just set his filled plate before him, when the phone rang. "I’ve got it, Darling," Jonathan said, knowing she had to get her own plate ready. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised when whomever it was at the other end of the line hung up on him.
"That’s the second call today," he said, hanging up the phone and returning to the table.
"And there were at least two like that yesterday," Jennifer said, joining him.
Jonathan thought about it for a second. "We’ll put a stop to it," he said. "don’t you think it’s about time we got an answering service for that line?"
"I think so," Jennifer responded, with an answering nod.
"I’ll take care of it when I get to work," Jonathan replied, before taking his first bite.
Jonathan arranged the answering service moments after he arrived at the office, but not before there were two more calls. He called to let Jennifer know he had completed his assignment, and to give her details on checking with the service. Feeling their problem was solved, neither of them gave it any thought the rest of the day.
When Jonathan arrived home from work that afternoon, he gave Jennifer an affectionate kiss, then handed her an envelope.
"What’s this?" she asked, looking at it. On the front of the envelope was printed in neat block letters "JENNIFER EDWARDS HART".
"I don’t know, " Jonathan replied. "It was stuck in the phone box by the front gate."
"That’s odd," Jennifer drawled, turning the envelope over a couple of times. She was filled with a sudden sense of apprehension looking at it, although she had no clue what it might be.
"Are you going to open it?" Jonathan asked, watching her. His curious nature was getting the better of him.
"Of course," Jennifer replied, with only a little reluctance. She used her nail to slit open the top of the envelope, then opened it.
"That looks like an invitation", Jonathan observed, when she pulled out a small stiff piece of paper.
"It is, " she replied, studying it with a perplexed look. She handed it to Jonathan.
He read it aloud, " Drake Robinson cordially invites Miss Jennifer Edwards to a dinner party at his residence, June 1st, at 8:00 pm. The occasion will be formal." It was elegantly embossed on expensive paper.
"Drake Robinson," Jonathan mused aloud. "Drake Robinson…." He looked at Jennifer. "Who’s that?"
"I don’t know," Jennifer replied. "It doesn’t even sound familiar."
"Hmmm," Jonathan handed it back to her.
Jennifer studied the invitation. "Well, there’s one thing for certain," she surmised.
"What’s that?"
She smiled at him. "I won’t be able to attend. There’s no address."
The droll way she said them made him laugh. Apparently, she wasn’t going to let this puzzle dampen her mood. "Very good point," he said. "But I can’t help but wonder if this invitation has anything to do with the phone calls."
Jennifer nodded, sobering. She had been trying not to think of that. "I guess we’ll find out", she said finally.
Jonathan gauged her expression carefully. She saw what he was doing, and gave him a small smile. "How about not thinking anymore about it right now?" she suggested.
"Good idea," he replied, more than ready to agree to that. "What would you like to do instead?" It was a loaded question, and he had intended it that way.
Jennifer fingered the lapel of his jacket. "Well, Max, won’t be home for at least three hours," she whispered, seductively.
"Uh huh," he said, making her finish. He liked to encourage her aggressiveness.
"So why don’t we make the most of it…" Her fingers were creeping up to the base of his neck.
"Okay," he said slowly, watching her expectantly.
"Let’s dust the living room," she said, suddenly, a mischievous grin on her face. "Max will kill us if we don’t get it done." That said, she took off in a run for the living room, letting the invitation flutter to the floor.
It took Jonathan a beat to realize what had just happened, but once he had, he took off after her. He caught up with her just as she was passing the sofa, and he made a flying tackle, taking care not to land directly on her as they bounced on the sofa.
She giggled, knowing there were was no escaping his clutches. Sliding her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a breathless kiss.
Max returned home a little after eight pm, sunburned from his long weekend in San Bernadino. Jennifer had kept supper waiting for him, and the three enjoyed a leisurely meal on the terrace. They told Max about the phone calls and the invitation, and he was as puzzled about it as they were.
"Don’t worry about it," Jonathan said finally, waving his hands as if to dismiss it. "We just wanted to let you know what was going on.
"No problem, Mr. H," Max replied. "I’ll keep my eyes open, just in case."
"Thanks, Max," the Harts intoned simultaneously.
Life continued on as normal the next few days. The answering service kept track of the number of calls without messages, and the first two days, there were over twenty such calls, but by the third day, the phantom caller had apparently given up. June 1st, the day on the invitation was a little over two weeks away.
Jonathan, for his part, ran the name Drake Richardson through the computer at his office, and was unable to come up with the existence of any such person. He called the Los Angeles Police Department, asking for Lieutenant Herschel Gray. Lt. Gray had been friends with the Harts for a long time, and had worked with them on cases many times. Herschel ran the name through the police computer, and also came up with nothing. It was as if the man did not exist.
Jennifer was writing a series of articles on the various parks in the Los Angeles area, which kept her traveling every day. She liked this sort of work, being gone all day and returning home about the same time Jonathan did. Some days, she would drop him off at work, and then they’d ride home together. If anything, the articles were going too well. She would be finished before her deadline, with a few days to spare.
One particularly beautiful May afternoon, Jennifer was in Griffith Park, observing the activities around her. School had let out for the day not long before, and the park was quickly becoming a very busy place. Jennifer sat at one of the picnic tables, writing notes, and occasionally getting up to take a photo or two. A few people stopped to talk to her; some were curious as to what she was writing, and more than one were gentlemen curious as to whether or not she was available. Jennifer handled each one of them with her usual style and panache.
She was in the middle of describing a charming scene in which some children were frolicking at the edge of Griffith Lake. They had a dog with them, a huge black and brown mutt of some kind, and he was splashing in the shallow water too.
A shadow fell across her paper, and she looked up. Standing before her was a man she had never seen before. He was an extremely handsome man, with curly short dark brown hair, and dark blue eyes. He smiled at Jennifer, flashing perfectly white teeth.
"Hello," he said.
"Hello," Jennifer responded, smiling politely. She wished the man hadn’t chosen to stand between her and the giggling children.
"I know you don’t know me," the man continued, unaware he was interfering with her work, "but I know you. You’re Jennifer Edwards Hart."
That got Jennifer’s full attention. It wasn’t unusual for her to be recognized, but it was very unusual to be recognized by her maiden name. She had lived in Maryland and New York up until the time she had married Jonathan, and in California, had always been Jennifer Hart.
"You’ve got me at a disadvantage", she said.
"Sorry," he replied. "I’ve been a follower of your work for some time. You’re extremely talented."
"Why, thank you," Jennifer responded. "That’s very kind of you."
He continued to smile at her, making her feel vaguely uncomfortable. Then he finally spoke again, "I’ve never done anything like this before, but…" His voice trailed off.
Jennifer was suddenly a little uneasy about what he might say next. "But what?" she asked finally, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Well," he said slowly, "could I please have your autograph?"
This was a new one for Jennifer, and it took her by surprise. But, she was flattered too, so she shrugged, "Sure," she said. She dug through her portfolio, and came up with a blank piece of paper. "Will this do?"
"That’d be great!" he beamed.
Jennifer nodded and picked up her pen. "What’s your name?" she asked him.
The smile never left his face. "D.J.", he said. "Everyone calls me D.J."
"All right, D.J." She was at a loss for what to right, but finally scrawled "To D.J., Best wishes now and always, Jennifer Hart." She handed the paper to him.
"Thank you very much," he said, beaming. "Thank you!"
"You’re welcome," she replied, "And thank you."
"I’ll let you get back to your work," he said. "Thanks again." He gave her a little wave, then turned to go.
"Goodbye," she said, then watched him leave. By the time he was gone, the children had left their game by the lake, so Jennifer sketched the scene from memory. When she had finished, she closed up her notebook. It was time to pick Jonathan up from work.
She gathered up her belongings, and walked to where her car was parked. As she got in her car, she noticed another car blocking the entrance to the parking lot. She recognized the curly-headed driver. It was D.J. Pausing, she gave him a wave. He waved back, and then backed out of the lot and drove off. He was in a dark blue Thunderbird.
Jennifer didn’t give it a second thought. She drove to Jonathan’s office.
"Hello, Deanne," Jennifer smiled brightly, as she entered Jonathan’s outer office.
Jonathan’s private secretary, Deanne Collins, was seating at her desk, typing some dictation into her computer. She looked up with a wide smile. Mrs. Hart was one of her favorite people. Always polite and classy, always well groomed and well coifed, Jennifer lit up any room she entered. "Hello, Mrs. Hart," she replied.
"What’s that husband of mine up to?" Jennifer asked. She was never one to just assume she could walk into Jonathan’s office, although she could never think of a time when he didn’t want her to.
"Actually," Deanne replied, "he went downstairs to one of the boardrooms. Some of the people in advertising kind of got into it over a print ad, and Mr. Hart went to straighten it out."
That surprised Jennifer a little. Usually, the goings-on at Hart Industries ran smoothly. "Anything serious?" she asked.
Deanne frowned slightly, looking at her computer screen, distracted. "No, I don’t think so, " she answered. "Mr. Hart just wanted to nip it in the bud."
Jennifer nodded, then leaning over to look at the screen, said, "Are you having troubles too?"
"Yes," Deanne sighed. "It’s this darn computer program. It’s got a spell-check feature, which is fine, except it automatically replaces every word it thinks is misspelled, whether or not it really is. I’m trying to write this letter to Mr. Alan Havens, and the computer wants it to go to ‘Alas Heavens’."
Jennifer had to laugh and that made Deanne giggle too. "Would you like me to take a look at it?" Jennifer asked.
"Would you?" Deanne asked, not disguising the gratitude in her voice.
"Sure," Jennifer beamed, and Deanne stood so Jennifer could take her seat and look at the program.
Jonathan walked through the halls of Hart Industries, returning the numerous greetings his employees gave him. He had just defused a potentially volatile situation and it had set him on edge. He had ended up firing a man who had been with the company for three years. Malcolm Winters had been quite brilliant with many good ideas, but his abrasive, aggressive personality and had caused more arguments and friction than Jonathan could allow. By the time Jonathan had arrived in the boardroom, Winters was ready to go to blows with Shawn Anderson and Jorge Rivera, two of Jonathan’s most dedicated employees. Jonathan decided it was more important to protect the employees who were reliable and loyal, than keep a genius on board who seemed bent on keeping his co-workers on edge.
Jonathan pulled the door to his outer office open, and stood just inside, amusement suddenly melting away all the tension he had been feeling five seconds before. He knew it was close to the time Jennifer would be arriving to pick him up, but he didn’t expect to see her seated at his secretary’s desk, while his secretary was bent over it. Their heads were close together, and Jennifer was pointing at the screen, explaining something or other. They were so engrossed in their work, that they didn’t notice his presence for a few seconds. Finally, some movement must have caught Deanne’s eye, because she looked over in his direction.
He quickly winked at her, and held his index finger to his pursed lips, letting her know not to tip Jennifer off to his presence. She nodded with a grin, and bent close to Jennifer, asking some pertinent question. Jennifer didn’t notice anything amiss.
Jonathan walked quietly to where they were working, taking care to stay out of Jennifer’s sight line. She was absorbed in the computer screen.
He was now standing to the side of the desk, behind the area Jennifer was focused on. "No offense, Deanne," he said, suddenly, "but I like the choice the secretary pool sent as your replacement while you’re on vacation."
Of course, Jennifer had known it was him the second the first word had left his lips, but she let him finish before she turned to face him. "I have excellent shorthand," she said, her voice taking a teasing, husky tone.
Deanne, who was quite used to their interactions, just smiled.
"Oh yeah?" Jonathan asked merrily. "Let’s go into my office and you can give me a demonstration."
"All right," Jennifer replied with a laugh. "You think you’ve got it, Deanne?" she asked the laughing girl beside her.
"I sure do, Mrs. Hart, thanks," she responded.
"No problem," Jennifer replied. She patted Deanne’s shoulder, and followed Jonathan into his office.
He shut the door behind her, and took her into his arms. "Hi," he said, smiling down into her eyes.
"Why, Mr. Hart, " she replied, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she slipped back into her guise as secretary. "How do you think Mrs. Hart would feel about your supervisor-employee relations?"
"Oh, I think she’d approve," he replied in kind. "She’s all for…keeping it in the family."
The jig was up and Jennifer knew it. She laughed and pressed her face to his for a kiss.
"Very nice," he said approvingly when their lips separated. "I heartily approve of your dictation skills too."
She giggled at his silliness and pressed another quick kiss to him. "Did you get the problem taken care of downstairs?"
"All taken care of," he answered, with a wave of his hand. He obviously didn’t want any unpleasantness to spoil the mood. "I’ve made us dinner reservations at Roget’s."
"Mmmm," Jennifer responded, thinking of the wonderful French cuisine. "Sounds great. Are you ready to go?"
"Just about…give me five minutes, and I’ll be finished here."
"Okay, Darling," Jennifer answered. "I’ll go check with Deanne and make sure my computer lesson stuck with her."
He was already seated at his desk by the time she left the office, but he watched her leave anyway. It was a view he never grew tired of.
The dinner was lovely, and after they left the restaurant, Jonathan suggested they take a drive by the ocean. There was a full moon, and coupled with a warm breeze and cloudless skies, it was a beautiful evening. Jonathan lowered the top of the Mercedes, and they sat there for a long time, holding hands, talking, flirting, and watching the tide. It was close to eleven pm when they finally returned home.
With their arms around each other, they walked into their house. They were planning on going straight upstairs, assuming Max was already in bed, but Jennifer glanced in the darkened living room and nudged Jonathan. His head followed her gaze, and they could see Max on the sofa, his head tilted to one side.
"He must have waited up for us and fallen asleep," Jennifer whispered, with an endearing smile.
Jonathan nodded and they changed their course of direction, walking to the sofa. As they walked around it, they could see Max wasn’t alone. There was a gray-headed woman, her face lined, but still very attractive, also slumbering there. Her head was resting against Max’s shoulder.
"I don’t think I’ve seen her before," Jonathan whispered. "He must have another new one." Max wasn’t the most attractive man in the world, far from it, in fact; but his charm and personality never left him short of female companionship.
"Let’s let them be," Jennifer said, quietly. "No sense of making this an awkward situation."
"All right," Jonathan replied amiably. "Besides, we can always tease him about it in the morning."
Jennifer stifled a laugh. Jonathan took her hand and they started for the bedroom once again.
"Hello?" a female voice said from the living room, just as they reached the base of the stairs. Apparently, they had inadvertently awakened Max’s friend.
With an almost inaudible sigh, Jonathan made a u-turn, guiding Jennifer with him. "Hello," Jennifer said pleasantly.
Max was stirring as the Harts approached them. "Oh, hi Mr. H, Mrs. H."
"Hi, Max," Jennifer replied and Jonathan nodded. Both were much amused by the situation.
Max and the lady tried to recover some of their dignity, and then Max said, as if suddenly remembered, "Uh, this is Annie Carlton."
"How do you do?" Jonathan said politely, as both of them leaned down to shake Annie’s hand.
"It’s nice to meet you," she replied with a pleasant smile.
"Annie was telling me something I thought you’d be interested in," Max said. "Especially you, Mrs. H."
"Oh yeah?" Jonathan asked. "What’s that?" He and Jennifer sat on the sofa opposite them. They both looked at Annie expectantly.
"Well," she said, "I like to read, and Max and I were talking about the two of you, and when he mentioned your maiden name was Edwards," she indicated Jennifer, "I realized I had just read a book where the main character’s name was Jennifer Edwards."
"Really?" Jennifer intoned, looking slightly bemused.
"Yeah, and that’s not all," Max interjected, excitement in his voice.
"What else, Max?" Jennifer asked.
Max looked from Jennifer to Jonathan to Jennifer again, pausing dramatically before he answered. "Annie said there’s two main guys in the book, and one of them is named Drake Richardson."
