Dreams (Part Two) (Dreams #2)(30)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

As Colby walked Diana down the hall, she heard the concerted rush of her former co-workers surging forward to get into the newest office game.

Colby said nothing until they were outside the building. It wasn’t until they reached her car in the garage that he spoke. “I know you’re upset because returning to Carruthers and Yale didn’t work out,“ he began gruffly as he took the key from her hand and slid in beside her. “But it’s for the best. You heard that jerk – he deliberately sabotaged your promotion.“

“What made you come by the office today, Colby?“ she interrupted quietly. She was so tense her fingers were shaking.

“You know why I’m here.“ He guided the Buick out of the garage and into the traffic.

“You were going to make certain I followed orders and got home on time tonight. It may interest you to know I was preparing to leave at exactly four-thirty today.“ She clenched her fingers, trying to control their trembling.

Colby grunted. “I believe you probably intended to leave on time, but I’m not so sure you would have made it.“

“I’d have made it. The reason Aaron was manhandling me, as you put it, was that I had just told him very firmly there would be no more overtime.“

“It’s finished. I don’t want to argue about it any more.“

“And that’s the end of it?“ she asked coolly. “You don’t want to discuss it further, so we just dismiss the whole subject?“

“What’s to talk about? You’re not going back to Carruthers and Yale. You wrote that resignation out yourself. I didn’t make you do it.“

“I know.“ She lapsed into silence.

“Diana?“

“Yes?“

“Are you going to give me the silent treatment because of what happened today?“ He sounded only mildly interested in her answer.

“You’re the one who said you didn’t want to talk about it.“

“But that won’t stop you from thinking about it and analyzing it and fretting over it, will it?“

“It’s my career that’s at stake here, Colby.“

“And that’s all you can think about?“

Anger shot through her. The last of her precious self-control snapped. She whipped around in the seat, her eyes blazing.

“It’s not all I think about.“ She fought to keep her voice from rising. “I also spend a lot of time thinking about being married to a man who doesn’t seem to understand how important it is to me to be able to support myself. When I’ve analyzed that to death, I spend hours thinking about this baby I’m carrying and trying to plan for a future I never expected.“

“Take it easy, honey. You’ve been under a lot of stress lately.“

“Stress? Is that what you call it? That’s a wimpy term for what I’ve been feeling lately. Let me tell you what I’ve been going through. I can hardly get into my clothes anymore, Colby. I’ve been a size eight for fifteen years, and in another couple of weeks I won’t be able to button my skirts or jeans. I’ve been browsing through the pregnancy section of the bookstores and realizing that I don’t handle pain very well. I break out in a cold sweat while getting a shot of Novocain at the dentist’s, for heaven’s sake.“

“You’re scared, aren’t you?“ he said with sudden, unexpected insight. “One of the reasons you were so determined on going back to work until the baby arrives is that you thought it would help keep your mind off what’s happening to you.“

She closed her eyes and drew a steadying breath. “Yes, I’m scared. And yes, a job would have helped me cope.

But the fear isn’t the worst of it. What’s really getting to me is this awful sensation of being totally out of control.“

“I know.“

“No, you don’t. Because you’re totally in control. You always are. But look at me, Colby. I’ve lost control of my career, my body, my future and even my dreams.“

“Honey, I’ve told you, I’ve had those cave dreams for years, and they’re meaningless.“

“Well, they’re not meaningless to me. They’re beginning to frighten me. It’s not natural to share a recurring dream with someone else. I’m getting a horrible feeling that those dreams of ours are somehow linked to the fact that I’m pregnant.“

“That’s just your imagination,“ Colby said soothingly.

Tears burned in her eyes. She dashed them away with the back of her hand. “On top of everything else, I’ve even lost control of my emotions. Look at these stupid tears-.“

Colby threw her a concerned glance as he eased the Buick into the apartment garage. “Pregnancy makes women very emotional. Don’t worry about it.“

‘“Don’t worry about it,’ he says.“ Diana shoved open the car door and leaped out. She wiped away more tears as she hurried toward the elevator. “Don’t worry about it. My whole life is coming apart and he tells me not to worry about it.“

Colby caught up with her. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side as he punched the call button. “As I said, it’s just stress that’s getting to you. You’ve been through a lot of changes in the past couple of months.“

“So have you,“ she snapped. “I don’t see you falling apart.“

“You’re not falling apart. You’re just a little tense.“

She glared up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. “Do you want some advice, Colby? Don’t say another word.“

He ignored her, squeezing her gently as he urged her into the elevator. “What you need is to take a nice hot shower, get into a robe and have a cup of tea or something while I get dinner on the table. You’ve had a hard day and you need to relax.“

“Colby, I’m warning you. If you say anything else, I may scream. Don’t treat me as if I were some silly, emotional, bubble-headed idiot.“

He smiled. “I’ve never claimed you were an idiot. And you’re never silly. You are, however, feeling a little emotional at the moment and it’s perfectly understandable.“

“Is it?“ she asked with a dangerous expression.

“Sure.“ He moved a hand expansively. “Look at what you’ve been through this summer. You’ve lost a job. You’ve gotten pregnant. You’ve been forced to marry a man you hardly know…“