Christmas Star (Contemporary, Romance) by Roz Denny Fox Page B

red-haired temptress.
    * * *
    S TARR TRIED to regain control of her senses during the solitary cab ride back to work. Stanley’s taxi was just pulling away from the curb when hers arrived. If only she hadn’t stayed to fight that losing battle with Clay McLeod, she might already have made her peace with Stanley. They’d been friends since college and had always worked well together.
    For the first time, Starr wondered if Stanley felt more than friendship for her. If so, it wasn’t because she’d offered any encouragement.
    Not that she encouraged Barclay McLeod, either. Nor would she. Ever. She knew his type—a talented womanizer like her father. She loved her father, but she’d never tolerate that kind of husband for herself. Reportedly, Samuel Lederman dallied with every starlet who walked onto one of his sets. Yet, true to double standard, he didn’t want his wife so much as talking to another man. Starr had watched her mother live with the rumors—and realities—of his infidelities.
    Women, young and old, threw themselves at her father. The man she’d just left back at the restaurant exuded the same kind of sexy charisma, Starr thought grimly as she paid her fare.
    “Too sexy for my own good,” she murmured aloud placing blame where it belonged. She dashed into the building.
    At first the date to start Harrison’s project had seemed impossibly close; now SeLi’s Christmas break didn’t seem close enough. Better to be camping at Idyllwild beyond reach of both McLeods than to be here, stuck in the middle of their family squabble.
    Leaving the elevator, Starr walked right on past Stanley’s closed door. She’d had all she could take of sulky men for one day.
    Starr rolled up her sleeves and set to work filing. As a rule, she didn’t mind filing volumes of lab slips or filling out reports in triplicate. Today her mind drifted to other matters, and she grew bored.
    Budget cuts—which gave some indication of the shape their state was in—were responsible for a shortage in support staff. If Starr truly wanted to get back into Stanley’s good graces, all she needed to do was volunteer her clerical services for a few hours.
    By midafternoon Starr decided it was the least she could do, considering it was her daughter who’d come up with the silly name. Friends were important; Clay McLeod was a virtual stranger.
    But was she guilty of using Stanley to keep the wolves at bay, as Clay had insinuated? If so, she wasn’t proud of herself. She tapped on Stanley’s door and poked her head inside.
    “Stanley, I’m sorry. I do value our friendship. Could you use some help filing lab slips?”
    Stanley didn’t wait for her to change her mind. Nothing she offered could’ve worked half as fast at alleviating his hurt feelings. By the end of the day he’d even handed over the gel-plates.
    “I still think I deserve your honesty,” he grumbled. “You know I’m a team player, Starr.”
    Starr nodded and glanced at the clock above his head. “Wow, I didn’t realize it was so late. Thank goodness Darcy picked the kids up from school. I guess SeLi can play with the boys until I get home. Thanks for the plates, Stanley. I’ve gotta split.”
    “Yeah. Go on. I’ll put the kits on your desk.”
    Starr didn’t like keeping secrets. It helped ease her guilt a little to get out in the fresh, rainwashed air. She more than half expected to see Clay McLeod’s rig at the door and was at a loss to explain her disappointment at its absence. “Darn,” she muttered, climbing onto the bus. His inconsistency threw her into a tailspin.
    By the time her bus made the requisite twenty-two stops, darkness had fallen. Though the rain had all but disappeared, a thick fog had settled over the city. Until now, Starr hadn’t realized how draining the day had been.
    With any luck, Darcy would have fed SeLi along with the twins. On Saturday maybe she’d reciprocate—take the kids ice-skating, and let Darcy sleep late.
    “Hi, Miss