“Not yet.”
“They go hand in hand. Since he’s got you for a resource, they would be a natural for him.”
“I agree. What I’m hoping is that his father will help him do the rest when he gets back from his trip.”
“Brock’s a cute boy.”
“He’s a terrific kid.”
“As I’ve found out in the last twenty-four hours, your nephew’s lucky to have you for a friend.”
She felt Cord’s eyes linger on her before he came to a stop in front of a building with a sign that said Good Neighbor Youth Club. “Go ahead and find out if they’re taking applications. I’ll wait for you.”
“Thank you. I’ll try not to be long.”
“It’s my job.”
Maybe it was, but Kit knew she was getting special treatment.
The office inside the main doors was locked. She talked to the man setting up a volleyball net in the gym. Just as she’d assumed, they’d already signed up the people they needed for the summer. He suggested she try the county recreational department. Kit thanked him and went back out to the van. She climbed inside and they took off.
“Any luck?”
“No, but that doesn’t surprise me. School’s almost out and everyone is staffed. He suggested I try the county recreational department.”
“Good idea. You never know what might turn up.”
A couple miles farther he pulled into the parking lot of the county park services. Kit emerged from their offices within a few minutes, secretly glad to announce there were no job openings.
Undaunted, Cord said, “We’ll try another place I know of. It’s above the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon.”
When Kit arrived in Salt Lake, the lady from the Traveler’s Aid had given her some literature about the city and its environs. Last night she’d read everything with great interest. The various canyons, where some of the country’s most famous ski resorts were located, were only a half hour from the city center.
“You have the perfect job, Cord. Who wouldn’t love to work in the city during the day and escape to the mountains at night? They’re beautiful. Almost frightening, they’re so close.”
“A lot of people who’ve never lived around them before say that. You’ll get used to them, and then you’ll never want to leave.” So spoke a man who loved his home.
By now they were following the highway at the base of the foothills leading into the canyons. She saw a sign for Big Cottonwood. They kept going south until the road curved to the left up Little Cottonwood.
A steep climb began. Kit gasped softly as she gazed at the rugged forested terrain, the narrow canyon walls and granite cliffs. With the windows open she could hear the ferocity of the creek, tumbling downward.
“Look way up high and you may see some mountain goats.”
“You’re kidding! How could we be in the heart of the mountains so fast?”
“That’s the beauty of living at five thousand feet before you even start your ascent.”
The excitement of being with Cord in such grandeur deprived Kit of words. She kept turning her head, trying to take in the majesty of their surroundings. No wonder he chose to live up here! She hadn’t realized just how incredible it was. Kit had always thought the ocean was so spectacular, nothing else could ever compare….
Cord slowed the van suddenly, rounding the next curve. “Here we are. Camp Baldy.” They’d come upon it so quickly, she was disappointed. She hadn’t wanted their ride to end.
He drove into a small parking area and shut off the motor. “You’ll find the clubhouse through those trees.”
Cooler air met her the second she got out of the van. The smell of pine and the sound of rushing water was intoxicating. This was a place she would love to work if she were going to stay in Salt Lake for a summer.
She hurried along the path to the log cabin clubhouse she could see half-hidden in the pines. A man and woman in jeans, T-shirts and baseball caps, both in their forties, were busy applying a clear protective varnish to the exterior.
“Hello!” the woman called out.
“Good morning! My name is Kit Burke.”
The man smiled and put his brush down, then extended his hand, which she shook. “It’s nice to meet you, Kit. I’m George Kitakis. This is my wife, Janet.”
“How do you do.”
“The camp won’t be open until Monday, in case you were wondering.”
“To be honest, I’m looking for a job.”
He shook his head. “We’re fully staffed.”
“I figured as much.”
“Do you have any experience with kids?” his wife asked. “You look young.”
Kit smiled. “How nice to hear. Actually, I’m twenty-six and have been a camp counselor in California every summer for the past four years. The camp was in Venice Beach, so we did a lot of water sports as well as camping activities. I’m certified in lifesaving and CPR, and I’ve also been a Webelos leader for the Cub Scouts.”
“Well.” Mr. Kitakis nodded. “You certainly have the qualifications we look for in our counselors. What about your schooling?”
“I only have one more year of college, then I’ll graduate in elementary education.”
“A teacher,” his wife murmured. She eyed her husband for a moment. “Tell you what. Come on in and fill out an application. We’ll want some references. Though we can’t promise you anything yet, in a few days we’ll know what kind of enrollment we’re going to have.
“This is a day camp for children from seven to eleven. If we have to run double sessions for the kids who stay till five, we might be able to use you.”
Uh-oh.
Kit followed her inside and sat down at one of the tables to fill out the forms.
“We pay twelve dollars an hour. I’m afraid there are no insurance benefits. You have to get your own way here and back. You’ll eat lunch with the children.”
“It all sounds fine.” It sounded heavenly. If she hadn’t come to Salt Lake to get answers that could affect her life and the McFarlands’ forever, she would adore getting this job.
“We’ll call you next week.”
“I just moved here and don’t have a phone yet,” she said as she handed the other woman the form.
“Then check back Wednesday afternoon. By then we should know how full we’re going to be.”
“I’ll do that.” Except that by Wednesday Kit fully expected to have met Richard McFarland. Who knew what her life would be like once he heard what she had to say?
The woman wrote down the phone number for her. “Here you go.”
Kit put it in her purse. She didn’t want anyone calling Renaissance House asking for her.
She thanked Mrs. Kitakis and hurried back to the van. Cord studied her features after she’d climbed in.
“Did you get the job?”
“It’s iffy. I’ll know more on Wednesday afternoon.”
“This calls for a celebratory lunch. Afterward we’ll check out a few more youth camps for backup. How does that sound?”
He knew how it sounded.
He knew how she felt.
GWEN FOLLOWED CORD into his office. “You’ve been gone a long time. It’s after five. Did you learn anything about our latest tenant that has set off alarm bells?”
“Yes.” His brows formed a dark bar. “When I asked her what kind of a job she really wanted, she said she’d like to be a summer camp counselor and do cleaning or laundry at night. I went along with it and took her around to the various clubs to make applications. No doubt she’s anxious to work two jobs in order to get ahead, but she didn’t press to go to the interviews you set up. Something doesn’t add up, but I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“I must say she’s very charming.”
Cord agreed. His attraction to her was getting in the way. “Were there any emergencies while I was driving her around?”
“No. Only the month’s hospital bills the accountant put on your desk.”
“I’
ll look them over. Go on home to your husband and enjoy yourself.”
“I will. See you in the morning.”
Once Gwen left his office, Cord sat down at his desk, anxious to get on the computer. He opened the file on tenants and waited for Kit’s name to appear on the screen. Being in her company most of the day had been an exhilarating experience. Too exhilarating.
Spending time with her was like seeing the world through new eyes. She enjoyed everything, was grateful for everything. He hadn’t wanted the day to end.
That was the problem. He didn’t know if he could trust her as far as he could throw her. In light of everything he’d learned today, deep down inside he was hoping against hope he could believe what she’d told him about herself.
You’re losing it, McFarland.
In a minute his attention was drawn to the information that came up on the monitor. Her full name was Kit Burke. The words single and no children leaped out at him. It could all be lies.
He looked over her work record and phoned the number she’d given Gwen for a reference. With one call to California verifying her employment, Cord learned that Kit had been a valued employee for A-1 Cleaning for the past six years. No lie there.
Filled with relief, he read on.
Twenty-six years old…like Kathryn, if she were still alive.
Three years at USC in Los Angeles. The daughter of an alcoholic mother. No father around. Bank foreclosed on the house.
House? She could afford a house when California real estate sold at a premium? Cord didn’t think so.
He studied the rest. Hospital bills. Mother now deceased.
It made a great story. If it were all true, then she’d had a hard life. No one deserved a break from cleaning and laundry work more than she did.
Between stops today where she’d filled out more applications, he’d given her the minitour of the Salt Lake Valley he’d wanted to take her on yesterday. The desire to know everything about her was fast turning into a driving need. There’d been moments when he could have sworn she felt the same way about him, even if she might have an agenda.
He stared blindly at the screen, rubbing the back of his neck. Two people could be struck by an instantaneous attraction upon meeting, but Cord had never experienced anything quite like this.
Before he got in any deeper, he wanted to check something else out. He had a close friend in the attorney general’s office, Brent, who would do him a favor and contact USC to find out if she’d really been a student there. That would tell him a lot.
After he’d made the call, Cord decided to clean up the pile of paperwork on his desk. Forty-five minutes later a fax came in for him.
He pulled it out of the machine to read. Everything about her schooling jibed with the information Kit had given Gwen. She was enrolled in the college of education and had been attending USC for three years up until Christmas of this last year, maintaining a grade point average of 3.7.
Her last address and social security number were the same. So what part of what she’d told Gwen wasn’t true? In order to get those answers he would have to lean on Brent again.
He phoned his friend back, thanked him for the fax, then asked him to search the California tax records to find out if she’d purchased a home. If so, would he also contact the L.A. Times and find out through the public notices if her house had been foreclosed on?
Brent told him it might take several days. He’d fax him as soon as anything came in.
Cord thanked him and hung up, inordinately relieved he hadn’t yet caught Kit in a lie. While he waited for the bad news to surface, he would give himself permission to continue enjoying her company. There would be bad news. He could feel it.
Until then, he’d keep all this to himself. No one in his family had to know what was going on. That’s the way he wanted it.
After his breakup with Lisa a year ago, his mother had gone from denial to worrying that he wasn’t doing anything to find another woman to take Lisa’s place. His mom would be upset if she knew he was attracted to one of the homeless tenants.
Cord? Why a stranger in dire circumstances when there are lovely, eligible women you could be meeting? Where’s your judgment?
He’d been asking himself the same question since yesterday, but still hadn’t come up with an answer.
Though his mother was a champion of his personal project and felt it was a necessary obligation God would hold their family accountable for, Cord recognized she might undergo the same initial reaction to Kit as Brock had. Since Cord himself had no idea where the situation with Kit was headed, he preferred to keep his own counsel.
Too bad his mother didn’t worry more over Maggie’s single status. Ellen McFarland needed and depended on her too much and didn’t seem to realize it was depriving her daughter of a life of her own.
While Cord’s father had involved himself in politics and big business matters, his mother had turned more and more to Maggie to fill up emotional space.
Now that the senator had retired, he was almost like an unwanted guest in his own home, having to tiptoe around his depressed wife instead of being the bulwark she’d once clung to. If Ben’s wife, Julie, moved to Colorado to be near her parents, Cord had a feeling his dad would be in even worse shape without the grandchildren around.
But Cord couldn’t do anything about that problem right now. He had other things on his mind and glanced at his watch. Kit would be at dinner. On his way to the garage later, he would walk by the cottage and intercept her.
When he realized where his thoughts were leading, he made a sound of self-disgust. So much for taking things slowly….
AT TEN AFTER SIX, Kit entered the mansion through the front doors. Like last evening she was struck by the magnificent foyer with its marble floors, Oriental rugs, paintings, gilded moldings and enormous chandelier.
She said hello to the man seated at the ornate desk. Last night a woman had been in charge. He looked to be in his sixties and wore a name tag that read Mac. This was the other security guard Cord had mentioned.
After signing in, she walked toward the dining room through the tall, gleaming, wood-paneled doors. A middle-aged woman in jeans and a blouse came down the grand staircase and entered the converted ballroom ahead of her.
Women and children were already being served by four uniformed waiters and waitresses. Two long tables had been set with fresh flowers from the garden. Once again Kit marveled as she took in the linen cloths, gleaming cutlery, fine glassware and china.
She had worked in several hotels, but had never seen anything like this before. Three glittering crystal chandeliers hung from the tall, richly corniced ceiling. Most people in the world would never have an opportunity to live in such sumptuous splendor, surrounded by priceless paintings and lighted wall sconces.
Only through the incredible generosity of a family like the McFarlands could the public get a taste of what it would be like to have been born into such vast wealth.
Not just any of the public, Kit. A person had to be homeless in order to experience three weeks of being treated like royalty.
She looked around until she found the last place not taken. Everyone introduced themselves, using first names only. Some of the women seemed to have formed friendships, and talked quietly. Others ate in silence. Most everyone seemed to be in their thirties or older, but there were a few who might be closer to Kit’s age. They were the ones with children.
The food rivaled anything served in the best hotels. To be transported from a soup kitchen to a royal banquet hall had to be the reason for the quiet atmosphere, as if everyone felt enchanted.
In high school she’d been in a play called The Prince and The Pauper. At the moment she felt a little like Tom Canty, the poor boy from the streets who’d switched places with Prince Edward of England for a time.
While Kit made desultory conversation with the women seated around her, her throat kept swelling with emotion over the goodness of the McFarland family. They’d turned their terrible
tragedy into a great blessing for others. Many people in the world with fabulous wealth continued to expand their fortunes. But not all of them became philanthropists. The McFarlands were an exception. Theirs was the gift that kept on giving….
Kit finished the last of her peach pie à la mode before turning to the woman on her right. “How long have you been here?”
“Two weeks.”
“Have you ever met Mr. McFarland?”
“Who’s that?”
Kit’s breath caught. “The man who runs Renaissance House.”
“No, but this sure is some place.”
It surely is, and Richard McFarland is surely one of the best people alive. He might even be my brother.
“Have you found a job yet?” Kit asked.
“Yes. They got me into Zilla’s Craft Store. I like working with artificial flower arrangements and things like that.”
“Good for you.”
“What about you?”
“This is only my second day. I’m trying to get a youth summer camp job. They do a lot of crafts there.”
She nodded. “You must like kids.”
“I love them.”
The other woman suddenly got up from her chair. “It’s time for my favorite show on TV. Got to get in the activity room before the others or I’ll have to watch something else. It’s been nice talking to you.”
“You, too.”
Kit had a feeling the mention of children had driven her from the table. No doubt there was a sad history to be learned, but right now she didn’t think she could handle hearing it. The day spent with Cord had made her so happy, she didn’t want anything to dampen her spirits. She was glad she could go back to the cottage, and her solitude.
On the way out she approached Mac, who was still seated at the desk in the foyer. “Excuse me. Would it be possible to speak to Mr. McFarland? I’d like to thank him personally for taking me in and helping me.”
Mac’s brown eyes lit up. “I’m sure he’d appreciate that. He’s here on the weekdays. Just ask Gwen Barber. She’ll make certain you get in to see him.”
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