Vivian's Diamonds

Chapter 1

Jess couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t because of the restaurant’s famous garlic-roasted crab, the candles flickering in the intimate atmosphere, or the heady scent of the dark red old-fashioned rose in its crystal bud vase. It wasn’t deterred by the low conversations of other diners or the fog obscuring everything outside the window. She was certain stars shone in her eyes but was past the point of caring -- she was having dinner with Marcus for the first time.

After their work assignment had concluded that afternoon, he had turned to her and casually inquired, “Do you like crab? Since we’re in San Francisco, I know a great restaurant...” It had taken all her will-power to simply smile and keep her face its habitual calm as she accepted. But all the while, her heart had pounded against her chest as her inner voice screamed, I can’t believe he just asked me out to dinner!

He was smiling too. That was a good sign, wasn’t it? He had smiled all through dinner. Jess had followed his light conversational lead, avoiding all mention of work -- the rumored security breach they had been sent to investigate, the suspicion that international criminal Vancetti had been responsible. Work didn't exist in this magical atmosphere, infused with romance, made for lovers. All the while, she wondered frantically when he would suddenly wake up from this magic enchantment and realize he was sitting across from plain-faced Jess.

She had noticed other women’s eyes sliding to him. The candlelight silvered his ash-blonde hair and darkened his hazel eyes, drawing the planes of his aristocratic face in dramatic contrast, hiding the scar on his chin, and the lines at the corners of his eyes, of his mouth.

But he was having dinner with her. Making her heart tattoo erratically, her breath come in shallow gasps, her palms sweat. And her lips smile endlessly. Probably dreamily.

A part of her warned her, You’ll scare him away! He only asked you to dinner for something to do, someone to eat with. Tomorrow, the two of you will fly back to Washington and return to your old working relationship.

Her smile faltered. That made more sense. She played idly with her tiramisu. Suddenly she wasn’t hungry anymore.

Marcus paid the bill and stood. Collecting her purse, she rose, but paused in confusion. His eyes were riveted on her face, intense and serious. His smile was...different. Smokey.

Smokey? Get real.

No really--if he hadn’t been staring at her, she could almost believe it was...seductive. Her heart started to slam in her chest.

He took her arm, maintaining that strange eye contact, and guided her out of the restaurant. They paused after the glass double-doors whooshed! closed behind them while Jess fumbled in her purse for the rental car keys. They stood just close enough that their sleeves tentatively brushed each other.

She kept her eyes on her purse, afraid to look at him. He had always unnerved her, but because they worked so closely together, she always forced herself to focus and present an expressionless mask of efficiency. But tonight...that odd look, odd smile...She couldn’t trust herself to hide her attraction to him.

She stalled by glancing around. Directly on the pier with almost one foot in the water, The Crab Factory restaurant shed mellow lights on the few other tourists strolling on the wooden sidewalk. The fog-shrouded darkness beyond was studded with tiny electric stars from the distant streetlights and the city buildings. The mist cloaked all sound except for the slapping of water on the handful of private boats moored directly across the pier from the restaurant.

Jess carefully schooled her expression, then forced herself to look up at Marcus. His eyes glowed like burning coals in his shadowed face. A smile played on his lips, deepening the lines on the corners.

“Ready for coffee?” he suggested.

She laughed in surprise and giddy joy. “Haven’t had enough of me?”

Jess thought his eyes glowed even brighter as he opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by a sultry, “Marcus! How marvelous to see you!”

Jess knew it was too good to be true.

She reluctantly turned. A svelte bombshell stood before them. Arching eyebrows framed heavy-lidded moss-colored eyes, made greener by her pale cream complexion and luscious strawberry lips. Gold gleamed from her ears, from a large ruby-studded pendant on her trendy Egyptian-style necklace. Rippling waves of shining ebony hair cascaded down her back, contrasting her skin-tight scarlet pantsuit and low-heeled black leather boots. Italian. Like her exotic perfume, which wafted into Jess as the woman wrapped around Marcus in an ardent embrace.

She looked familiar, strangely enough. Jess didn’t know any fabulously gorgeous women...

Vivian Farraday. Jess started violently. She hadn’t seen Vivian since boarding school. Gawky, late-blooming Vivian. Like Jess, she had been thin, bony, plain and unpopular. They had so much in common, they should have been friends. But Vivian had despised Jess for trying to fade into the background, for retreating into her studies. Vivian had been socially aggressive with the popular girls, relentless in her desire for attention, constant in ridiculing bookish, awkward Jess.

But now...Vivian had become a vision. While she was still Colorless Jess.

How did Vivian know Marcus? It seemed like a horribly LONG embrace. Jess stepped back and pointedly turned away. She idly fiddled with a strand of her own long hair, contrasting the ash-brown with Vivian’s shimmering onyx. She stifled a whimper.

As they parted, Jess turned back reluctantly. Marcus’ cheeks flushed a dull red and his eyes flashed at the tall beauty; he didn’t seem particularly happy to see her. As Vivian released him, those alluring green eyes gave Jess a sidelong look for an infinitesimal moment before she circled her perfect oval face around with a surprised, friendly smile.

"Jess!" Air-kiss near her cheek. “I haven’t seen you in ages!” Her friendly tone made Jess feel like a sulking child. She felt a frown gathering on her forehead and damped down her frustration. Vivian always managed to make her feel gauche.

“How have you been?” she asked in a neutral tone.

“Oh, insanely busy,” Vivian confided with fervor. “I took over Daddy’s business. It was simply a mess.”

“I’d heard your father died. My condolences.”

Vivian’s smile grew slightly brittle. “Thank you. Papa was so well-liked. I didn’t know you knew Marcus,” she continued. “He and I are close friends."

Jess caught the emphasis on "close”.

Vivian tucked her hand in Marcus’ arm and flashed him a spectacular smile. “I haven't seen you since we graduated college! How have you been? How are your parents?”

She knows his parents?! Jess swallowed hard.

It took barely a second for Jess to absorb the lovely picture Vivian presented--her sinfully fabulous body, her confidence, her bright conversation and brilliant smile--and compare it to herself: average height, average weight, her makeup long gone. Plainly clothed in a black business suit, feeling rumpled because a dress shoe’s broken heel had forced her to hide leather boots under the hem of her pants. Uncomfortable, insecure and tongue-tied.

In a poof! the magic of the evening disappeared--the tolling stroke of midnight, her coach turned back into a pumpkin. She wasn’t much of a Cinderella next to Beauty, over there, anyway.

Suddenly she needed to run away. She wanted to hide. She couldn’t bear to stand here, torturing herself with the obvious differences between them, feeling like a brown mouse, a sullen child, noticed only because it was impolite to ignore her. She no longer noticed Marcus, or Vivian--she simply felt ashamed to be seen.

“Why don’t you two catch up.” Jess quickly turned away--she couldn’t look at her anymore, and see everything she wasn’t. She hoped she sounded agreeably cheerful. “Marcus, I’ll meet you at the car.”

She turned and walked away.