“No, you wouldn’t,” Kelly contradicted with a provocative smile. “We’re going to K-Paul’s.”

  “Sure, and wait in line half the night.” A muscle twitched in Mark’s jaw.

  K-Paul’s was a renowned restaurant that was ranked sixth in the world. Famous, but not elegant. The small establishment served creole cooking at its best.

  “No,” Kelly supplied, and the dip in her voice revealed how much she wanted to share this night with her friends. “Andrew’s a friend of Paul’s.”

  Mark looked at Jo Marie and rolled his eyes. “I should have known,” he muttered sarcastically.

  “What time did you say we’d be there, darling?”

  Jo Marie closed her eyes to the sharp flash of pain at the affectionate term Kelly used so freely. These jealous sensations were crazy. She had no right to feel this way. This man…Andrew Beaumont, was a blown-up figment of her imagination. The brief moments they shared should have been forgotten long ago. Kelly was her friend. Her best friend. And Kelly deserved every happiness.

  With a determined jut to her chin, Jo Marie flashed her roommate a warm smile. “Mark and I would be honored to join you tonight.”

  “We would?” Mark didn’t sound pleased. Irritation rounded his dark eyes and he flashed Jo Marie a look that openly contradicted her agreement. Jo Marie wanted to tell him that he owed Kelly this much for all the teasing he’d given her. In addition, her look pleaded with him to understand how much she needed his support tonight. Saying as much was impossible, but she hoped her eyes conveyed the message.

  Jo Marie turned slightly so that she faced the tall figure standing only a few inches from her. “It’s generous of you to include us,” she murmured, but discovered that she was incapable of meeting Andrew’s penetrating gaze.

  “Give us a minute to freshen up and we’ll be on our way,” Kelly’s effervescent enthusiasm filled the room. “Come on, Jo Marie.”

  The two men remained in the compact living room. Jo Marie glanced back to note that Mark looked like a jaguar trapped in an iron cage. When he wasn’t pacing, he stood restlessly shifting his weight repeatedly from one foot to the other. His look was weary and there was an uncharacteristic tightness to his mouth that narrowed his eyes.

  “What do you think?” Kelly whispered, and gave a long sigh. “Isn’t he fantastic? I think I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Of course, we’ll have to wait until after the holidays to make our announcement official. But isn’t Drew wonderful?”

  Jo Marie forced a noncommittal nod. The raw disappointment left an aching void in her heart. Andrew should have been hers. “He’s wonderful.” The words came out sounding more like a tortured whisper than a compliment.

  Kelly paused, lowering the brush. “Jo, are you all right? You sound like you’re going to cry.”

  “Maybe I am.” Tears burned for release, but not for the reason Kelly assumed. “It’s not every day I lose my best friend.”

  “But you’re not losing me.”

  Jo Marie’s fingers curved around the cold bathroom sink. “But you are planning to get married?”

  “Oh yes, we’ll make an official announcement in January, but we haven’t set a definite date for the wedding.”

  That surprised Jo Marie. Andrew didn’t look like the kind of man who would encourage a long engagement. She would have thought that once he’d made a decision, he’d move on it. But then, she didn’t know Andrew Beaumont. Not really.

  A glance in the mirror confirmed that her cheeks were pale, her dark eyes haunted with a wounded, perplexed look. A quick application of blush added color to her bloodless face, but there was little she could do to disguise the troubled look in her eyes. She could only pray that no one would notice.

  “Ready?” Kelly stood just outside the open door.

  Jo Marie’s returning smile was frail as she mentally braced herself for the coming ordeal. She paused long enough to dab perfume to the pulse points at the hollow of her neck and at her wrists.

  “I, for one, am starved,” Kelly announced as they returned to the living room. “And from what I remember of K-Paul’s, eating is an experience we won’t forget.”

  Jo Marie was confident that every part of this evening would be indelibly marked in her memory, but not for the reasons Kelly assumed.

  Andrew’s deep blue Mercedes was parked beside Mark’s old clunker. The differences between the two men were as obvious as the vehicles they drove.

  Clearly ill at ease, Mark stood on the sidewalk in front of his car. “Why don’t Jo Marie and I follow you?”

  “Nonsense,” Kelly returned, “there’s plenty of room in Drew’s car for everyone. You know what the traffic is like. We could get separated. I wouldn’t want that to happen.”

  Mark’s twisted mouth said that he would have given a week’s pay to suddenly disappear. Jo Marie studied her brother carefully from her position in the back seat. His displeasure at being included in this evening’s celebration was confusing. There was far more than reluctance in his attitude. He might not get along with Kelly, but she would have thought that Mark would wish Kelly every happiness. But he didn’t. Not by the stiff, unnatural behavior she’d witnessed from him tonight.

  Mark’s attitude didn’t change any at the restaurant. Paul, the robust chef, came out from the kitchen and greeted the party himself.

  After they’d ordered, the small party sat facing one another in stony silence. Kelly made a couple of attempts to start up the conversation, but her efforts were to no avail. The two men eyed each other, looking as if they were ready to do battle at the slightest provocation.

  Several times while they ate their succulent shrimp remoulade, Jo Marie found her gaze drawn to Andrew. In many ways he was exactly as she remembered. In others, he was completely different. His voice was low pitched and had a faint drawl. And he wasn’t a talker. His expression was sober almost to the point of being somber, which was unusual for a man celebrating his engagement. Another word that her mind tossed out was disillusioned. Andrew Beaumont looked as though he was disenchanted with life. From everything she’d learned he was wealthy and successful. He owned a land development firm. Delta Development, Inc. had been in the Beaumont family for three generations. According to Kelly, the firm had expanded extensively under Andrew’s direction.

  But if Jo Marie was paying attention to Andrew, he was nothing more than polite to her. He didn’t acknowledge her with anything more than an occasional look. And since she hadn’t directed any questions to him, he hadn’t spoken either. At least not to her.

  Paul’s special touch for creole cooking made the meal memorable. And although her thoughts were troubled and her heart perplexed, when the waitress took Jo Marie’s plate away she had done justice to the meal. Even Mark, who had sat uncommunicative and sullen through most of the dinner, had left little on his plate.

  After K-Paul’s, Kelly insisted they visit the French Quarter. The others were not as enthusiastic. After an hour of walking around and sampling some of the best jazz sounds New Orleans had to offer, they returned to the apartment.

  “I’ll make the coffee,” Kelly proposed as they climbed from the luxury car.

  Mark made a show of glancing at his watch. “I think I’ll skip the chicory,” he remarked in a flippant tone. “Tomorrow’s a busy day.”

  “Come on, Mark—” Kelly pouted prettily “—don’t be a spoil sport.”

  Mark’s face darkened with a scowl. “If you insist.”

  “It isn’t every day I celebrate my engagement. And, Mark, have you noticed that we haven’t fought once all night? That must be some kind of a record.”

  A poor facsimile of a smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “It must be,” he agreed wryly. He lagged behind as they climbed the stairs to the second-story apartment.

  Jo Marie knew her brother well enough to know he’d have the coffee and leave as soon as it was polite to do so.

  They sat in stilted silence, drinking their coffee.

  “Do you two work together?” Andrew directed his question to Jo Marie.

  Flustered she raised her palm to her breast. “Me?”

  “Yes. Did you and Kelly meet at Tulane Hospital?”

  “No, I’m a travel agent. Mark’s the one in the family with the brains.” She heard the breathlessness in her voice and hoped that he hadn’t.

  “Don’t put yourself down,” Kelly objected. “You’re no dummy. Did you know that Jo Marie is actively involved in saving our wetlands? She volunteers her time as an office worker for the Land For The Future organization.”

  “That doesn’t require intelligence, only time,” Jo Marie murmured self-consciously and congratulated herself for keeping her voice even.

  For the first time that evening, Andrew directed his attention to her and smiled. The effect it had on Jo Marie’s pulse was devastating. To disguise her reaction, she raised the delicate china cup to her lips and took a tentative sip of the steaming coffee.

  “And all these years I thought the LFTF was for little old ladies.”

  “No.” Jo Marie was able to manage only the one word.

  “At one time Jo Marie wanted to be a biologist,” Kelly supplied.

  Andrew arched two thick brows. “What stopped you?”

  “Me,” Mark cut in defensively. “The schooling she required was extensive and our parents couldn’t afford to pay for us both to attend university at the same time. Jo Marie decided to drop out.”

  “That’s not altogether true.” Mark was making her sound noble and self-sacrificing. “It wasn’t like that. If I’d wanted to continue my schooling there were lots of ways I could have done so.”

  “And you didn’t?” Again Andrew’s attention was focused on her.

  She moistened her dry lips before continuing. “No. I plan to go back to school someday. Until then I’m staying active in the causes that mean the most to me and to the future of New Orleans.”

  “Jo Marie’s our neighborhood scientist,” Kelly added proudly. “She has a science club for children every other Saturday morning. I swear she’s a natural with those kids. She’s always taking them on hikes and planning field trips for them.”

  “You must like children.” Again Andrew’s gaze slid to Jo Marie.

  “Yes,” she answered self-consciously and lowered her eyes. She was grateful when the topic of conversation drifted to other subjects. When she chanced a look at Andrew, she discovered that his gaze centered on her lips. It took a great deal of restraint not to moisten them. And even more to force the memory of his kiss from her mind.

  Once again, Mark made a show of looking at his watch and standing. “The evening’s been—” he faltered looking for an adequate description “—interesting. Nice meeting you, Beaumont. Best wishes to you and Florence Nightingale.”

  The sip of coffee stuck in Jo Marie’s throat, causing a moment of intense pain until her muscles relaxed enough to allow her to swallow. Grateful that no one had noticed, Jo Marie set her cup aside and walked with her brother to the front door. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said in farewell.

  Mark wiped a hand across his eyes. He looked more tired than Jo Marie could remember seeing him in a long time. “I’ve been dying to ask you all night. Isn’t Kelly’s rich friend the one who filled in the swampland for that housing development you fought so hard against?”

  “And lost.” Jo Marie groaned inwardly. She had been a staunch supporter of the environmentalists and had helped gather signatures against the project. But to no avail. “Then he’s also the one who bought out Rose’s,” she murmured thoughtfully as a feeling of dread washed over her. Rose’s Hotel was in the French Quarter and was one of the landmarks of Louisiana. In addition to being a part of New Orleans’ history, the hotel was used to house transients. It was true that Rose’s was badly in need of repairs, but Jo Marie hated to see the wonderful old building destroyed in the name of progress. If annihilating the breeding habitat of a hundred different species of birds hadn’t troubled Andrew Beaumont, then she doubted that an old hotel in ill-repair would matter to him either.

  Rubbing her temple to relieve an unexpected and throbbing headache, Jo Marie nodded. “I remember Kelly saying something about a cousin being responsible for Rose’s. But I hadn’t put the two together.”

  “He has,” Mark countered disdainfully. “And come up with megabucks. Our little Kelly has reeled in quite a catch, if you like the cold, heartless sort.”

  Jo Marie’s mind immediately rejected that thought. Andrew Beaumont may be the man responsible for several controversial land acquisitions, but he wasn’t heartless. Five minutes with him at the Mardi Gras had proven otherwise.

  Mark’s amused chuckle carried into the living room. “You’ve got that battle look in your eye. What are you thinking?”

  “Nothing,” she returned absently. But already her mind was racing furiously. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll give you a call,” Mark promised and was gone.

  When Jo Marie returned to the living room, she found Kelly and Andrew chatting companionably. They paused and glanced at her as she rejoined them.

  “You’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t you?” Jo Marie lifted the half-full china cup, making an excuse to linger. She sat on the arm of the love seat, unable to decide if she should stay and speak her mind or repress her tongue.

  “We’ve known each other since childhood.” Kelly answered for the pair.

  “And Andrew is the distant cousin you said had bought Rose’s.”

  Kelly’s sigh was uncomfortable. “I was hoping you wouldn’t put two and two together.”

  “To be honest, I didn’t. Mark figured it out.”

  A frustrated look tightened Kelly’s once happy features.

  “Will someone kindly tell me what you two are talking about?” Andrew asked.

  “Rose’s,” they chimed in unison.

  “Rose’s,” he repeated slowly and a frown appeared between his gray eyes.

  Apparently Andrew Beaumont had so much land one small hotel didn’t matter.

  “The hotel.”

  The unexpected sharpness in his voice caused Jo Marie to square her shoulders. “It may seem like a little thing to you.”

  “Not for what that piece of land cost me,” he countered in a hard voice.

  “I don’t think Drew likes to mix business with pleasure,” Kelly warned, but Jo Marie disregarded the well-intended advice.

  “But the men living in Rose’s will have nowhere to go.”

  “They’re bums.”

  A sadness filled her at the insensitive way he referred to these men. “Rose’s had housed homeless men for twenty years. These men need someplace where they can get a hot meal and can sleep.”

  “It’s a prime location for luxury condominiums,” he said cynically.

  “But what about the transients? What will become of them?”

  “That, Miss Early, is no concern of mine.”

  Unbelievably Jo Marie felt tears burn behind her eyes. She blinked them back. Andrew Beaumont wasn’t the dream man she’d fantasized over all these months. He was cold and cynical. The only love he had in his life was profit. A sadness settled over her with a weight she thought would be crippling.

  “I feel very sorry for you, Mr. Beaumont,” she said smoothly, belying her turbulent emotions. “You may be very rich, but there’s no man poorer than one who has no tolerance for the weakness of others.”

  Kelly gasped softly and groaned. “I knew this was going to happen.”

  “Are you always so opinionated, Miss Early?” There was no disguising the icy tones.

  “No, but there are times when things are so wrong that I can’t remain silent.” She turned to Kelly. “I apologize if I’ve ruined your evening. If you’ll excuse me now, I think I’ll go to bed. Good night, Mr. Beaumont. May you and Kelly have many years of happiness together.” The words nearly stuck in her throat but she managed to get them out before walking from the room.

  * * *

  —

  “If this offends you in any way I won’t do it.” Jo Marie studied her roommate carefully. The demonstration in front of Rose’s had been planned weeks ago. Jo Marie’s wooden picket sign felt heavy in her hand. For the first time in her life, her convictions conflicted with her feelings. She didn’t want to march against Andrew. It didn’t matter what he’d done, but she couldn’t stand by and see those poor men turned into the streets, either. Not in the name of progress. Not when progress was at the cost of the less fortunate and the fate of a once lovely hotel.

  “This picket line was arranged long before you met Drew.”

  “That hasn’t got anything to do with this. Drew is important to you. I wouldn’t want to do something that will place your relationship with him in jeopardy.”

  “It won’t.”

  Kelly sounded far more confident than Jo Marie felt.

  “In fact,” she continued, “I doubt that Drew even knows anything about the demonstration. Those things usually do nothing to sway his decision. In fact, I’d say they do more harm than good as far as he’s concerned.”

  Jo Marie had figured that much out herself, but she couldn’t stand by doing nothing. Rose’s was scheduled to be shut down the following week…a short month before Christmas. Jo Marie didn’t know how anyone could be so heartless. The hotel was to be torn down a week later and new construction was scheduled to begin right after the first of the year.

  Kelly paused at the front door while Jo Marie picked up her picket sign and tossed the long strap of her purse over her shoulder.

  “You do understand why I can’t join you?” she asked hesitatingly.

  “Of course,” Jo Marie said and exhaled softly. She’d never expected Kelly to participate. This fight couldn’t include her friend without causing bitter feelings.