“No, Dad.” He thought for a moment. “You know, you’d like her. She’s straight-talking, she has a hot temper, and she’s so pretty it hurts to look at her.”

  “And you let her get away?”

  “I told you, she dumped me when she found out I’m a rich guy.”

  Darren Kaiser Sr. sighed loudly, raising his gaze to the ceiling. “Women!”

  A smiling nurse appeared, a small tray in her hands. “Time for your medicine, Mr. Kaiser, and I think this young man has taken up enough of your time for today.” Her smile was still wide but her tone was clear. It was time to go.

  He and his father exchanged a glance, which said, as clearly as his father just had, “Women!”

  Darren moved to the bed and held out his hand. His father shook it. The clasp wasn’t as firm as usual, but it was there.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow, Dad. Take it easy.”

  “You, too, son.” His father was smiling as Darren left.

  KATE KNEW DARREN WAS GONE the minute she returned home to the duplex after work. She felt his absence. It was like a physical ache, knowing he had betrayed her and then left.

  She glanced around, half expecting to see a letter addressed to her, which her fingers itched to tear up, unread—but there wasn’t one. She found her key, though, in the middle of the dining table. He hadn’t even taken it off the silly plastic key ring she’d given him. Just seeing the white plastic computer shape with the red printing, Computer Programmers Do It with Bytes brought an ache of longing.

  She waited for flowers with a “let’s make up” note, but none were delivered. Too bad, the old folks home was probably ready for some new blooms.

  She had expected the first night after he left to be the worst, and it was. She worked doggedly on her homework, determined to make up for the class she’d missed while she was crying her heart out at Ruby’s. She was just as determined to put Darren Edgar Kaiser Jr. out of her mind. But he kept coming back, like the twin specters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde she was writing about for her next essay.

  Dean Edgar was gone. Had never, in fact, existed. But his loss was like the death of a loved one. For she had loved him, and he would never come back.

  Darren Kaiser was the kind of uptown guy who looked down his nose at girls like Kate. All his girlfriends probably had hyphenated last names, and a different purse and shoes to match each designer outfit.

  Kate swore as she scratched out yet another wrong answer to a simple math problem.

  So he’d come to Seattle slumming. He was probably having a few martinis down at some absurdly exclusive rich boys’ club with his friends about now, laughing about his adventures in Seattle. And the girl he’d made a fool of.

  Her teeth ground together; the pencil snapped in her hand. With a cry of frustration she threw the pencil pieces across the room and took herself out for a punishing walk. She had to keep busy or she’d drive herself crazy.

  She took on extra shifts at work, and every spare minute she had, Kate worked on her high school diploma. She was more determined than ever to succeed. And if, at the end of working a double shift and spending several hours plodding through algebra problems, or writing compound complex sentences, she went to bed only to lie wide eyed and aching with a pain that wouldn’t ease, then no one had to know about it.

  Ruby did her best to be a great friend, forcing her out to a movie one night, but unfortunately it turned out to be a bittersweet love story that left Kate sobbing.

  She refused to answer her phone, and a couple of times she stood over the ringing telephone, knowing with some sixth sense that it was Darren at the other end. She turned on her heel and left the apartment before she weakened, the phone still echoing in her ears as she reached the road.

  After several weeks the pain hadn’t lessened. If anything, it was getting worse.

  “You look terrible,” Ruby said to her over a cappuccino at Starbucks.

  “Thanks.” Kate stirred the coffee vigorously until the foam looked like whitewater rapids.

  “What are you trying to prove, girl? Working your tail off, pulling in straight A’s at that foolish school of yours, and for what? To pretend Angel-Butt didn’t break your heart?”

  Kate had spilled some sugar on the table; now she was engrossed in drawing patterns in it. But at this she looked up into the accusing eyes of her friend.

  “Well, he did break your heart. So get over it. Get a life!”

  “I’m trying, Ruby. It’s just so hard,” she said, choking on the words.

  “No, you are not trying. You are wallowing in self-pity. How many letters have you got from him?”

  “None.” Kate jabbed the air with her index finger.

  “What! You telling me you dumped a guy and he doesn’t even have the decency to grovel?”

  “Well, he sent me eight letters so far, but I tore them all up before I read them,” Kate admitted.

  “Well, all right. That’s better…. Phone calls?”

  Kate flicked her hair back over her shoulders. “I don’t answer my phone, and I unplugged my answering machine.”

  “Ooh, you’ve got it bad.” Ruby sat back and crossed her arms. “You’re going to have to move.”

  “Move?” Kate was stunned.

  “Sure. That place is full of memories. Every time the phone rings you think it’s him. Every time the mail arrives you check to see if there’s a letter or a card from Angel-Butt just so you can tear it up. You gotta get out of there before you end up as Mrs. Butt.”

  “Not hardly. Didn’t you see Darren on Entertainment Tonight?”

  “Damn, I was hoping you’d missed it. I never would have recognized him.”

  There’d been a short feature about the return of the Match of the Year, but the report had focused on Darren’s father and his brush with death, how his devoted son had rushed back to his father’s side. When pressed as to what he’d been doing all this time, Darren had merely said, “I was pursuing some personal interests.”

  Kate had almost broken her television remote control when she jabbed the off button. He’d found time for a haircut and his color was back to golden-boy blond. He’d worn casual clothes, but not the garish shirts and board shorts she’d grown to like. No. He could play a round of golf in Beverly Hills in these casual clothes.

  Unlike Ruby, she’d have recognized him anywhere.

  She had to get him out of her mind, out of her heart and out of her dreams. Moving was so logical, Kate couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it herself.

  “You’re right. A new start, that’s what I need. I should find a cheaper place, anyway. Maybe I can get something closer to the university.” Since she’d be cutting back on her hours at the salon to attend classes in the fall, it made perfect sense.

  “And far from bad memories.”

  “Ruby, you are a genius.” She raised her cappuccino cup in a mock toast, forcing cheer into her voice. “To a new beginning.”

  Once she’d decided on her course of action, Kate wasted no time. She gave notice on her apartment and started concentrating on her new life while she tried to put the old one behind her.

  When the telegram arrived, Kate had her head under the kitchen sink packing up the cleaning supplies. She answered the door, debating whether to keep the bug spray or, since she was too much of a softy ever to spray bugs, anyway, to throw the stuff out.

  “Is your phone out of order, miss?” the uniformed messenger asked. “We’ve been trying to get you.”

  The phone had been ringing every hour, spurring Kate’s cleaning and packing efforts. She blushed. “Oh, I’ve been busy, sorry.”

  Telegrams delivered at the door always reminded her of war movies when the little square of paper said somebody wasn’t coming home from battle. Maybe that’s why she just signed the receipt book before checking who it was from. She shut the door and tore open the telegram with anxious hands.

  Kate:

  Arrive Seattle tonight. Must see you.

  Darren.

  “Damn you, Darren Edgar Kaiser,” she shouted at the paper in her hands, then tore it into pieces over and over again until it looked like confetti all over the floor.

  She uncapped the lethal bug destroyer and sprayed the little pieces of paper with a vicious hissing until she was coughing in a cloud of noxious fumes.

  She grabbed the phone and dialed. “Ruby, Darren’s coming back tonight. Can I stay at your place for a couple of days?”

  “Don’t you think you should at least see him?”

  The bug spray was on the kitchen counter, pictures of scaly lifeless corpses on a satisfyingly bloodthirsty red background. “If I see him I’ll end up arrested for murder. You’ve got to help me out.”

  “Sure, honey. Come on over. We’ll have a Friday night pizza and rent a movie. Sound good?”

  THE SALON WAS BUSY with the usual Saturday rush.

  Kate and Ruby worked side by side perming, coloring, curling, snipping, exchanging a few brief words in passing.

  In defiance of her low spirits, Kate was brightly dressed in an electric-blue cotton miniskirt and a blue-and-fluorescent-green floral sleeveless top.

  It was about midday and she was between clients when she noticed a run in her panty hose and dashed into the supply room to change into a fresh pair. She had the old pair off and the new one pulled up to her knees when the receptionist ran in.

  “Oh, there you are, Kate. You’ve got a new customer and he’s a hottie. I put him in your chair already.” The girl tried to leave but Kate grabbed her by the arm.

  “Wait,” she squeaked, dragging the girl back into the small room. She dove behind the door and peeked out through the crack.

  Just as she’d suspected. It was Darren. Sitting there, in her chair, just like he had a right to be there.

  “Ow, you’re hurting my arm! What’s going on?” the girl cried out from behind her.

  “Get Ruby. Send her in here.”

  “But she’s just going off on her lunch break.”

  “Do it!” Kate turned savagely on the young receptionist, who stepped back hastily when she saw Kate’s face.

  “All right. Be cool.”

  The girl sped out of the room.

  Kate remained crouched behind the door, eyes narrowed to slits, glaring out at Darren.

  He was sitting at ease in her chair, looking around with interest at the salon.

  She wanted to use her hot curling iron like a cattle prod and eject him out of her chair. The nerve of him, coming into her salon and sitting in her chair, just as though he hadn’t lied to her and broken her heart.

  How dare he?

  She didn’t see Ruby coming until the door flew open. She squealed with pain and fell back onto the floor, holding her throbbing nose.

  “What is going on?” Ruby hissed. “Sally thinks you’re having a fit of some kind.”

  “It’s hib.” Kate gestured with one hand, the other still clapped to her nose. “Id by chair.”

  Ruby stared out the door, a slow smile warming her face. “Angel-Butt went and got himself gorgeous.”

  “He’s evil.” Her nose felt like it was swollen. “I think I broke by dose.”

  Ruby peered down at her, still crouched on the floor. “No, you didn’t,” she said kindly. “If you’d broken it you’d be bleeding all over the place like a stuck pig.”

  “You have to do him, Ruby. I’ll sneak out the back.”

  Her friend glanced out the door again and then back. She shook her head. “He’s your customer, and that’s your chair.”

  “I can’t, Ruby, I can’t.” Surely the tears that welled in her eyes were due to her injured nose. She sniffed loudly, prodding gingerly to see how badly swollen it was.

  “Honey, it’s time to stop running and hiding. You’re a big girl. If you don’t want him, tell him to his handsome face.” She put her hands on her hips. “And then put him in my chair.”

  Kate’s chest felt like an elephant was standing on it. “I’m scared,” she whispered.

  “Look, you’re on your turf, with your friends and customers all around you. What can he do? Be a grownup and get it over with.” She held out a hand to help Kate up.

  She struggled to her feet and pushed her hair back over her shoulders. “You’re right. I can’t wait to take my scissors to him.” She reached for the doorknob.

  “Honey?”

  She turned back to Ruby, her brows lifted.

  “You’ll make a better impression if you pull up your panty hose first.”

  THEIR EYES MET IN THE mirror. She saw emotion blaze in his and then it was gone.

  “Hello, Kate.” That deep rich voice that had once whispered endearments and promises to her was steady.

  She licked dry lips, willing her heart to slow down. “What do you want?”

  I want you back his eyes said. “A haircut,” he said out loud. He’d already had at least one since she’d last seen him. He wore a burgundy golf shirt with an insignia on the pocket and perfectly pressed taupe pants. He resembled the man in the picture the private detective had shown her.

  “Last time I offered you a haircut you turned me down.”

  “I changed my mind.”

  She was determined to hang on to her professional demeanor in spite of the hurt and anger that threatened to overwhelm her. She picked up a comb and ran it through his hair. The thick strands brushed her fingers and brought back memories of all the times she had run her fingers through his hair in play and passion. Of course, it had been brown in those days. Just part of the false veneer.

  Their eyes met again in the mirror.

  He felt it, too, she could tell. Then, as he scanned her face, a frown appeared between his lying, 20/20 eyes.

  “What happened to your nose?” he asked.

  She flushed uncomfortably. “I banged into a door,” she said stiffly.

  “How are you?”

  “I’m fine. Never been better.” Lies, lies, lies.

  She wasn’t going to tell him about her own life. She’d chatter all that inconsequential stuff she managed all day long. Except she couldn’t think of a single inane thing to say.

  Instead, she babbled the first thing that came to mind.

  “Brian has a new girlfriend. A woman he met at AA. He came by the salon last week to apologize to me. I guess he’s getting himself straightened out.”

  “Did he give you the rest of your money back?”

  She nodded. “He sold his car.”

  “It’s one of those steps they have to take in the program. Right old wrongs and stuff. His girlfriend was with him. She’ll be good for him; she’s tough, she’ll keep him in line.”

  Darren settled back in his seat. “Good.”

  “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get you shampooed.”

  Of course, the shampoo girl already had one wet head in her sink and another customer waiting. If she stuck Darren in the line, he’d be in the salon that much longer. She just wanted him out of her chair and out of her life as soon as possible, which meant shampooing him herself.

  She sat him down, stuck his head in the sink and tried to remember which shampoo smelled the worst.

  She worked the lather through his hair, massaging his scalp just as she would with any customer. Never had a simple shampoo been so difficult. She was forced to bend over him, knowing her breasts were just inches from his face. She felt herself responding to his nearness, while she felt him looking at her, breathing beneath her, and she wanted to hurt him. And she wanted to kiss him.

  She rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and wrapped a clean towel round his head, giving it a brisk rub, then led him back to her station.

  She combed his wet hair and made a production of preparing her scissors and combs on the tray in front of her. Then she took a deep breath and picked up a comb and scissors, and began trimming his hair.

  “Kate, I started to tell you who I was about twenty times, but I always got scared. I thought I’d lose you.” His voice was low and intense. She forced herself to concentrate on his hair so she wouldn’t weaken and gaze longingly into the gray eyes reflected in the mirror.

  His hair grated against the sharp blades of the scissors as she cut through it. “You were right,” she said coldly.

  “You thought I was lying, but I wasn’t. That guy you knew is me as well.”

  Snip, snip.

  “God, I don’t even know who I am anymore. The time I spent in Seattle was more real to me than my other life. It’s so easy to get trapped into what other people think we should be. How we should act, how we should look, who we should be with. It takes courage to change.”

  “Or some hair dye and a handy discount store.”

  “I was a coward, I ran away because I was turning into something I didn’t want to be. Can you see that? I was always That Darren Kaiser, who was only a vice president of Kaiser Image Makers because his father built the company. I wanted to know if I could do anything else but be That Darren Kaiser. The Matchmaker magazine was the kick in the ass I needed. It gave me the perfect excuse to follow my own path, and I found out I could be the real me.”

  He raised his head to search her face in the mirror. “And I found you.”

  “Stop moving your head, please.” She meant it to sound sharp and professional, but her voice wavered. He’d be served right if she gave him a buzz cut that would take months to grow out.

  “I was so busy thinking about myself, I never thought about what this might do to you. Right from the beginning I tried to stay miles away from you, make sure you didn’t want to know me. But I was lost from the minute I saw you.”

  “Bend forward.” She moved behind him, pushing his head forward with unnecessary force. She heard his chin strike his chest.

  “I’m not asking you to take me back.” His voice was muffled against his chest. “I just want you to give this new guy a try. Get to know me. I’m miserable without you. And you look pretty miserable, too.”

  “Well, I’m not. I’m tired from studying.” She paused. “I start college in the fall.”

  His head flew up, almost knocking the scissors out of her hand. “Kate, that’s great.” He beamed at her. “Come on. Let me take you out to dinner tonight, to celebrate. As friends, no more.”