No Crystal Stair by Eva Rutland

Author:Eva Rutland
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: IWP Book Publishers
Published: 2012-07-23T22:00:00+00:00

“Cora’s too shy and warm-hearted to realize what a power she is,” Ann Elizabeth told Rob a few weeks later.

“Power?” he’d asked. “What do you mean?”

“She’s the wife of top executive Charles Samples, so Cora Samples is a power among the wives. And she doesn’t even know it. She’s sure made it easy for me to slip in.”

He stared at her. “Into what? Parties? That’s nonsense. It’s you. All by yourself.” He pulled her up from the sofa where she’d been sitting, rocked her in his arms. “I’ve watched you. You’re so unintimidated and comfortable. You make others feel that way, too. And you’re... well, you’re delightful. Charming. Do you have any idea how proud I am to have you beside me?”

She kissed him. “I love you, too, Mr. Metcalf.” But she knew it was Cora who had set the tone for her entry into the select circle, and she was grateful. She liked being there, like hearing about Rob.

Oh, she knew about his promotions and bigger paycheck. But it was at the small social functions that she learned of the liking and respect he had gained from the people with whom he worked. At a small dinner party, she heard Samples say, “Rob’s got people savvy.”

You’re right about that,” an officer agreed. ”Rob can make a mad dog lay a bone at his feet when he was all set to bite.”

“So you’re a master at handling people,” she said as she and Rob drove home.

He grinned. “Have to be. People are more complex than planes, more of a challenge than fixing the bird.”

The way he spoke, it sounded simple, straightforward—but she knew it wasn’t. By this time, Rob was a supervising engineer with a staff of four, and was traveling even more extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He found it a little irksome that he was accommodated more easily outside the United States than inside.

Ann Elizabeth was proud that Rob was doing so well. She kept herself busy, tried not to mind his frequent absences and never complained about them. But the house seemed empty without him. Empty without his quick light step, hearty laughter and those tunes he was always singing or whistling.

One day when he returned from a trip to Colorado Springs, he wasn’t whistling or singing. He looked grim.

“Didn’t the meeting go well?” she asked.

“Great!” he replied. “Mission approved in all aspects.”

“So what’s wrong?” she asked.

“I just did a damn-fool thing.”

“Oh?” She felt a twinge of alarm. “Tell me.”

“I impersonated a prince.”

“You... What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I’m stupid. We were on a high. Great job. So. We—Walt, Colonel Bavin and I—felt like celebrating. We go to this posh restaurant in Colorado Springs. Mistake. They don’t serve—guess who?”

“Oh, Rob...” she knew it hurt every time it happened.

He shrugged. “Bavin gets hot, but I calm him down and we go into the Officers’Club, where we should have gone in the first place. But Bavin’s still stewing the next day when we’re at the hotel in Denver, waiting for the shuttle to the airport.

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