done to occupy her Sunday night. Of course, he didn't want the responsibility to fall to him, but he was the one with the means and opportunity.
Three quick steps took him to his laptop and he xed out solitaire to peruse another program instead. He'd cursed the return of email to his life, but now he was happy to scroll down the list of correspondence he'd trashed after barely glancing at it.
There.
It took but a moment to compose a quick RSVP. Griffin Lowell plus guest.
The women were still in their seats when he strode onto the deck. His businesslike footsteps caused the wooden surface to vibrate, but not even his sister looked his way. The trio continued their avid perusal of the half-naked firefighters on another scramble over the rocks.
For a second he considered running over there and showing the rookies how it was really done, but he had another item on his agenda. He sailed a paper airplane toward the book doctor. The breeze caught it, and it nearly flew over her head. But at the last moment the wind died, and the folded sheet dropped, landing on the table right in front of her.
Jane glanced up.
So sweet and innocent she looked, with those wide-set eyes and that soft mouth. "Do you need something?" she asked.
"Yeah." He reminded himself that she was a favorite of his agent. He owed the man, which just made this rescue more imperative. Frank would never forgive him if he let Jane find trouble here at Crescent Cove. "I require your assistance."
"Now?" She made to rise.
He shook his head. "Tomorrow night. We leave in the morning. Pack a bag. Put in a party dress." It struck him as he said it how rarely he'd left the beach house. See what she was making him do! But still he was determined to take her away. Save her from herself.
She arched a brow. "I told Tess I'd babysit."
"Look at it that way, if you want," he said with a shrug. "In any case, I need a date."
* * *
LONGNECK BEER in hand, Griffin leaned against the wall of the California Pioneer Heritage Museum near L.A.'s Griffith Park. "How are you?" he murmured to a passing guest when their gazes briefly caught.
"Great. You?" the other man answered, without pausing for Griffin's answer.
"Smug," he murmured to the guy's retreating back. The evening was working out better than he'd planned. Not only had it given him a legitimate excuse to avoid writing, but it was restful to disappear in the crowd. His original motivation still stood, however. He'd accepted the invitation to the book launch party - another of Frank's clients was making a big splash with a literary mystery set during L.A.'s Spanish Era - in order to save Governess Jane from making a romantic misstep. She might say she was interested in "satisfaction" and not a relationship, but that didn't add up to Griffin. With her prim appearance and rule-bound nature, he figured she was ripe for throwing her heart into the wrong ring.
Griffin had learned the lesson about honesty when it came to women, but there was no guarantee that Teague White was the kind of man who would be up-front with her. He might take what she offered without being straightforward about his own intentions. By insisting she leave the cove tonight, Griffin figured he'd prevented Jane from being hurt.
Though why he was going all hero about this, he wasn't quite sure. Maybe she was starting to feel like a little sister to him.
He ran his gaze around the room, trying to catch sight of her. They'd checked in to a nearby hotel earlier in the day, a few hours before leaving for the party. While he'd gone for a run, she'd borrowed his car to swing by her place for some clothing.
Her apartment was an hour from the party and she'd made noises about staying there overnight, but he wasn't having it. The suite he'd booked had two bedrooms, and that way there'd be no concerns about drinking and driving. Upon her return, they'd ordered room service for an early dinner and then she'd retired to her room to change.
She'd come out in a deep violet dress of some swishy fabric that fluttered and swirled a few inches above her knees. The neckline skimmed her throat, and she had a matching long-sleeved, waist-length jacket on top of it. Her shoes were Jane all the way, lavender-colored and ultrafeminine, the wide straps across the toes