Untried Heart

by Nicky Charles

  Chapter 20

  A few days later…

  Ben stood up and reached for the coffee pot. “I think I’ll have one more cup before I head into town.”

  “You’re stalling.” Eugenie gave him a knowing look as she gathered the plates from breakfast. “You only have two cups of coffee with breakfast. Never three.”

  He made a face. In just a short time she’d come to know him so well. Usually, he wouldn’t consider that a problem, except for right now.

  “I’m not stalling. It’s more like I’m planning my strategy.” He sat back down and rearranged the placement of the sugar bowl and salt shaker on the table.

  “Ben.” Eugenie wiped her hands on a tea towel and turned to rest her hip against the counter. “Come here.”

  Ruefully, he did as she asked, stopping in front of her. She placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him.

  “I know you’re worried about meeting with the bank manager.”

  “That obvious, huh?”

  “Yes. I’ve never seen you dawdle over a meal like that. And you’ve changed your shirt twice this morning.”

  He glanced down at the blue plaid he was wearing. “Do you think the red would make a better impression? I can go—”

  “No. This one is fine. Honestly, Ben, stop worrying. Just because he asked you in for a meeting doesn’t mean bad news.”

  “I don’t share your optimism.” Truth be told his gut was in a knot anticipating the bank manager was going to tell him time was up and he either had to pay his debts or hand over the farm. The very idea brought a lump to his throat. It wasn’t a fancy place but it had been in his family for ages, a legacy from his father and grandfather…

  “I’m sure the bank manager heard the news about how you helped foil that smuggling ring and he now knows you’re an up-and-coming artist. Plus, you’ve been able to make a few payments with the money from the furniture sales. He’s probably going to offer to renegotiate the payment schedule based on the positive turn your life has taken recently.” She concluded her little speech by smoothing the wrinkles from his shirt and straightening his collar. “There, all tidy and ready to go!”

  He drew her close and kissed the tip of her nose. “You remind me of my mother sending me off to school.”

  “Your mother?” She drew back, her brows raised.

  “Only in respect to your optimism. In all other ways though...” He gave a mock leer, dipped his head and gave her a very thorough kiss. By the time he was done, she was plastered to him in a very un-motherly fashion.

  “Wow.”

  “Maybe we should go to the bedroom and finish this.” He started to walk her backwards towards the hallway but she nimbly slipped from his arms.

  “Nice try, Davis, but only after you get home from the bank.”

  “Eugenie...” He tried to pull her close again but she would have none of it.

  “Nope. You need to head on out.”

  Chip barked at the word ‘out’ and padded to the door, his tail wagging.

  “See?” Eugenie laughed. “Even Chip knows what you need to do.”

  “Fine.” Grumbling, he pulled on his coat and boots.

  She handed him a file of papers showing his recent furniture sales as well as images of the items that had sold stickers on them at the gallery. He didn’t even remember her taking those pictures but assumed he’d been too keyed up to notice small details like that. “Don’t forget to show him this proof of future income.”

  “I won’t.”

  She gave him a peck on the cheek and pushed him out the door.

  Standing on the back step, he squinted against the bright sun reflecting off the snow and took a deep breath. The cold winter air filled his lungs. It matched the cold dread inside him. Eugenie might have managed to put a positive spin on the call from the banker but he knew all too well that the financial world wasn’t as kind and forgiving as she’d like to believe.

  He jingled his keys in his pocket. Enough delaying. It was time he manned up and got the damned meeting over with. Firming his chin, he strode towards his truck.

  Eugenie watched as Ben drove away. She could go with him, follow along invisibly, but knew that wouldn’t be a good move. If she was wrong and the bank manager was foreclosing on Ben’s farm she’d be hard pressed not to make herself known. She’d want to comfort Ben and berate the banker. No, it was better to wait here, even though not knowing what was happening would be difficult.

  After she finished tidying the kitchen, she headed out to the workshop. Keeping busy would distract her from worrying about Ben and with that in mind, she threw herself into her sorting.

  Some time later, she shifted one last box into place and then stood back, hands on her hips admiring her work. The back of Ben’s workshop was considerably tidier and more organized than it had been when she’d first arrived. There was a pile of items for him to dispose of; things he wanted to keep were on the shelves and actual collectibles for sale were tagged and in boxes, their images posted on an online site. With any luck, they’d soon be on their way to some eager collector. Satisfaction at a job well done filled her.

  In her mind’s eye, she envisioned how Ben could reorganize his shop now. There’d be a display area near the front, a place at the rear for actual construction. He could even purchase one of those industrial vacuum devices that helped minimize the sawdust; he’d mentioned it to her just the other day.

  “Whatchya thinking about, Babe?” Zeke appeared beside her and she gave a start.

  “Zeke, you have a bad habit of sneaking up on me.”

  “Or maybe you’re not paying attention.” He laughed and gave her a wink. “I’m kidding.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, in answer to your question, I’m thinking of improvements Ben can make to his workshop. It will be some time before he has enough money to make any changes but it never hurts to plan ahead.”

  “True.” Zeke rubbed his chin. “You know, last night I thought of a place where Ben might be able to sell his furniture.”

  ““Really? Where?”

  “The props warehouse. I should have thought of it sooner.”

  “Props warehouse?”

  “Yeah. When a GA is on a long-term assignment they need a certain number of earthly possessions to help support the persona they created. Cars, boats, fancy furniture, the whole nine yards.”

  “You don’t buy what you need each time?”

  He shook his head. “We reuse and recycle whenever possible. Have to be environmentally responsible, you know.”

  She nodded. It made sense. “Ok, so where is this warehouse?”

  “I’ll show you, but first I have to give you this!” Zeke extended his hand and the carving appeared.

  “You got it back! But how? Don’t the police need it for evidence or something?”

  “I did a switch and the cops have an exact duplicate so Ben can have this one. Plus, I did some memory altering, fudged a few records...” He shrugged. “The bad guys will still be brought to justice but Ben won’t be involved in anyway.”

  “But he’ll wonder—”

  Zeke was shaking his head even before she could finish her thought. “Don’t worry. An RCMP detective has called him and said there’s enough evidence against Brown using the stuff they found in the farm house.”

  “And what about Ms. Standish? Will she be brought up on charges?”

  Zeke shrugged. “I don’t know, but I doubt it. She’ll claim she sold it in good faith and had no idea it was destined for criminal activity. I wouldn’t be surprised if she closes up shop and moves to a different community though. Small towns are notorious for everyone knowing everyone else’s business. There are bound to be rumours.”

  “I hope she doesn’t leave before paying Ben!” Eugenie frowned as she considered an idea. “I wonder if she could be convinced to pay Ben early.”

  “What are you thinking, Babe?”

  “Zeke, could you and I pay her a visit? Maybe encourage her to pa
y Ben ahead of time?”

  Zeke grinned and pressed a hand to his chest. “Babe, I’m so proud. That’s a plan worthy of me!”

  She patted his arm. “I had a good teacher.”

  Using angelic power, they appeared in the Maple Leaf Gallery behind a very large and hideous abstract sculpture.

  “I can’t believe people buy things like this,” Eugenie whispered.

  “It takes all kinds.” Zeke replied. He straightened his collar. He was once again dressed as he’d been for the show, complete with diamond earring. “Are you ready?”

  She nodded and together they stepped out into view. Ms. Standish was on the phone, her back to them. Zeke cleared his throat and the proprietress turned, her eyes widening in shock.

  “I’ll call you back.” She hung up the phone without seeming to wait for a reply. “How did you get in here? I didn’t hear the bell?” Her gaze darted to the door and then back to them.

  “You must have been distracted.” Eugenie shrugged. “Perhaps making another ‘deal’ with someone.”

  “I’m an art dealer. I make a number of deals.” Ms. Standish folded her arms. “Why are you here? And who is this?” She flicked a look up and down Zeke. “You look familiar.”

  “I was at your show a few nights ago.” Zeke leaned against a counter and fixed his gaze on her, offering no other information.

  “Oh.”

  Eugenie stepped forward. “I want you to write a cheque to Ben for the items you’ve sold.”

  Ms. Standish gave a derisive sniff. “And I said I would at the end of the month.”

  “That won’t suffice.”

  “Too bad.” Ms. Standish moved to leave and Zeke took a step to the side blocking her path. “I…” She turned and glared at Eugenie. “What is this all about?”

  Eugenie blinked innocently. “All I’m asking is for you to pay Ben what’s owed him.”

  “No.”

  “Oh. That is a shame.” Eugenie made a little moue. “I guess I’ll be on my way. By the way, did you find your panties?”

  “My what?” Ms. Standish appeared confused.

  “The ones that you left on the floor of your office when you and the security guard were…well…you know.” She smiled sweetly. “And you were so busy, you left your computer on with your email open. It made for some very interesting reading; how Ben’s sculpture could be hollowed out…” She let her voice trail off.

  “How… I mean… You broke in…” Ms. Standish sputtered.

  “The alarm didn’t go off, did it? There’s nothing on the surveillance cameras, is there?”

  “Then how?”

  “We have our ways.” Zeke finally spoke and took a step closer into Ms. Standish’s personal space, causing the woman to back up.

  “Of course, the events of that night can remain our little secret.” Eugenie explained. “The police need never know…unless Ben doesn’t get paid of course.”

  “Fine!” Ms. Standish’s cheeks were infused with red as she side-stepped Zeke and dashed off a cheque. “Here, take the money. I’m done with you and Benjamin Davis.”

  “And you’d better stay ‘done’ with him. Keep your claws out of my Ben, you…you…” For the life of her she couldn’t think of a proper term.

  “Bitch?” Zeke suggested.

  Ms. Standish gasped. “Well, I never…”

  “Oh lady, I’m sure you have,” Zeke looked her up and down. “And more than once.” He gave Eugenie a wink and then offered her his arm. “Time for us to be on our way. Have a good day, Ms. Standish.” He gave her a nod and they strolled out of the gallery, arms linked.

  Once outside, Eugenie collapsed against the wall laughing. “I can’t believe we did that!”

  “You did that,” Zeke corrected. “I was proud of you, how you put her in her place.”

  “It was fun,” she admitted. “And Ben has his money. I’ll pop it in the mail so he’ll think the gallery sent it.”

  “Good idea.”

  “I hope the other artists get paid, as well.” She bit her lip. “Is there a way we can share our evidence with the police without creating suspicion? If she’s under investigation, she wouldn’t be allowed to leave town.”

  “Let it go, Eugenie. As a GA, you can’t always tie up every loose end. You have to trust the humans can do a few things themselves. Now let’s go visit the warehouse.”

  With greater speed and ease than Eugenie ever thought possible, arrangements were made for a number of pieces of Ben’s furniture to be purchased over the course of the next few weeks. There was also the promise of more future business as new cases sometimes require specialized items.

  She and Zeke concocted a plausible story to tell Ben, and even created the necessary supporting paperwork.

  “He’s going to be so excited when he gets home. Not only does he have the carving back but he has work as well.” She was almost bouncing on her toes, eager to share the news.

  “Well then, you’d better zip back to earth because he’ll probably be getting home soon.” Zeke made a shooing motion with his hand. “And I need to head back to my other job.”

  “Okay. Thanks again, Zeke. You’ve been a huge help.” She waved and returned to the farm in time to see Ben pulling in.

  Not sure how his meeting with the banker had gone, she crossed her fingers hoping he had good news. In the short time she’d been there, she’d come to think of the farm as home. Silly of her, since she couldn’t stay forever; but if she felt that way, how must Ben feel about the place?

  “Eugenie, guess what?” Ben was calling her name before the truck had stopped. From his tone, the meeting must have gone well.

  Relieved, she hurried to greet him. “What?”

  “I have fantastic news! The bank manager was at the art show the other night and he’s friends with a well-known art dealer in Toronto. A few phone calls back and forth and, voila, I have a dealer who’s going to represent me and make sure my work is seen by all the right people.”

  “That’s wonderful!” She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.

  He returned the gesture before continuing. “And best of all, based on projected sales, the banker rearranged my payment schedule. I don’t have to worry about losing the farm now.”

  “I’m so happy for you.”

  “I can’t begin to describe what a relief it is.” He smiled down at her and then seemed to realize they were outside and she wasn’t wearing a coat. “You’re going to get sick standing outside with only that thin sweater on. Get inside!” He ushered her into the house.

  “I’ll make us lunch and we can celebrate.” She was turning to go to the kitchen when she noticed Ben shaking his head.

  “Sorry, I can’t stay. I only came home to tell you the news because I knew you’d be wondering. The art dealer is meeting me at the gallery in town. He’s going to talk to Daphne Standish about the unsold items she has.”

  “Oh.” Mention of the woman momentarily dampened Eugenie’s mood but she tried to hide it. “Okay. Well, you go do what you have to do and we’ll talk over dinner.”

  “Right.” He pulled her close for a hug and a kiss. “I love you. See you tonight.”

  “Bye!” She waved him off, a smile on her face. While she didn’t like Ben meeting with the Standish woman again, he wouldn’t be alone. And it was good to see him looking so happy and at ease. It was a far cry from the man she’d met a short time ago. Back then, his life had been in ruins, his attitude negative. Now he was looking forward to the future. The farm was safe, and he was going to become a famous artist, she was sure of it. And in the meantime, he had his furniture sales to keep him afloat. She laughed. She hadn’t even had time to show him the paperwork from the warehouse!

  She pulled the document from her pocket and set it on the kitchen table where it could be easily seen. Turning, she looked around for something to keep her busy while she waited for Ben’s return. The kitchen was clean, bright and cheery so she wandered into the living room, trailing her
fingers over the brightly polished wood of the mantel, then pausing to admire the painting of herself that had been done so long ago. How her life had changed from that long-ago day! Her skills as a GA were growing, she knew what true love felt like. It was so much more than she’d ever imagined possible.

  Grinning at the memories, she surveyed the room. It was tidy and so was the rest of the house. Ben’s workshop was organized now and... A realization hit her.

  Her job was done.

  Ben didn’t need a guardian angel anymore. It was time for her to leave.

  The smile faded from her face and she did a slow turn in the middle of the room, taking in the sofa where she and Ben had spent so many evenings, the fireplace where they’d roasted marshmallows, the carpet where they’d made love for the first time.

  It was over.

  Her first interactive assignment had been successfully completed.

  She tried to force a smile but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate. Instead her chin quivered and the back of her eyes seemed to prick. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, pressing her hand to her aching chest.

  Was it always this difficult when a case was concluded?

  Fighting to maintain her composure, she pressed her lips tightly together. She had to leave but what to do? Unable to focus, she looked around distractedly as mental images of herself and Ben passed by in rapid succession.

  She had to wipe Ben’s memory of her, make him forget he ever loved her. Her time with him would be a vague recollection of a woman who had stopped by one day. Eventually even that would fade. He’d find another woman to love and...

  A sob escaped her. Oh damn. Her hands were shaking as she tried to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t be the one to erase his memory.

  Michael. She’d ask him to do it.

  Without even worrying about the fact she didn’t have an appointment, she grabbed her coat and scarf then whisked herself away to his office.

  Chapter 21