by Katie Dowe
“I believe that there is a God, yes.” Gina had answered slowly.
“So do I,” she had said nodding solemnly. “I was in love with my husband and we had a good life and my son went off to serve his country knowing that he might not make it back home, but he went anyway and I am happy he died doing something for this great country of ours.”
Now she roused from her nap and took the glass of water from Gina. “A beautiful girl like you should not be hanging around sick old people like me.” She commented as she sipped the water slowly.
“No place I would rather be,” Gina told her sincerely.
“You should find yourself a nice husband and get married and have kids.”
“One day I will, but not right now. I am learning so much from being here,” Gina’s brown eyes twinkled. “Did you know that Clifton had his own farm where he raised pigs and cows and chickens? He was telling me about the good old days on his farm where he used to eat food fresh from the farm.”
“And yet he is right here with us suffering from cancer. What are the odds?” Greta said dryly looking over to where Clifton sat in a chair dozing with his mouth opened and snoring. “He has been married three times and the last time he tied the knot the woman ran off with his brother. They have not spoken since.” She shook her white head. “His first wife is the one coming by to visit him these days. She never stopped loving him. Men!” she snorted in disgust. “They are like little boys who have no idea what they really want.”
“Except your Alfred,” Gina said with a low laugh. She had some rounds to do with the other residents. making sure they had what they needed but she always loved talking to Greta, the woman was a fount of wisdom.
“My Alfred decided one day very early in our marriage that he did not want to be married to me anymore and picked up his bag and left.”
“What did you do?” Gina asked her fascinated.
“Nothing,” Greta said with a chuckle. “I prayed and left it in the hands of the Almighty and went about my way as usual. He came back with his hat in his hands two days later and begged for my forgiveness.”
“And?”
“I gave it to him and told him that if it happens again I am going to give him a thrashing the likes he had never experienced from his mama.” She said with a straight face.
Gina stared at the woman and then burst out laughing causing the other residents to look over at them. “You are priceless!” Gina said leaning over to kiss her parchment like cheek. “I will come by and check on you before I leave.”
Nurse Weathers clasped her hand as she walked over to her. “Sylvester is getting low, my dear. Could you perhaps read him his favorite book? He says he likes your voice because it is cultured and you pronounce the words the way they are supposed to be pronounced.” She said rolling her green eyes.
“I think he is a little in love with me.” Gina said with a laugh.
“I suspect so.” Nurse Weathers said as she hurried away.
Gina took a copy of Pride and Prejudice and headed for his room, a smile on her face.
Chapter 2
“When are you going to go back into the corporate world?” Milton asked her as he passed her a can of beer. It was the weekend and she had decided to come out of the house and visit her best friend. Milton Walker was paralyzed from his waist down but worked from home as a graphic designer. He had lost his wife in the accident that had left him paralyzed and had spent two years feeling sorry for himself before he had decided to make the best of it. He made a very good living at what he did and was in high demands for his talent. His wife’s photo still had a place of honor above the mantle inside his living room and he had told Gina that he had a feeling that there was no one who could take her place. “Unless it is you,” he had told her teasingly. She had met him when she started working at the rec center and he had come there for physiotherapy. They had become fast friends ever since because as Gina told him she never really had time for female friends because all they tend to talk about were men and clothes, and she had no time for either.
“Why?” she asked him now as she curled her feet beneath her. They were out in the yard soaking up the brilliant afternoon sunshine. It was the middle of August and the heat was lingering and making its presence felt. The yard was small but neat complete with a hammock suspended from the large oak tree near the fence and the garden was blazing with flowers.
“Because you happen to be the best accountant I have ever known and I feel that you are wasting your gift.” He moved his electric chair closer to the one she was sitting in and stared at her. He was a little in love with her and who would not be? He thought. She was more than beautiful. There was a vivacity about her that touched whoever came in contact with her. She was wearing a red and white thigh high romper and her coffee and cream complexion was glowing with health. Her thick curls were caught haphazardly on top of her head with a few strands loose and she was not wearing makeup.
“Being an accountant is not a gift sweetie,” she told him in amusement as her brown eyes met his hazel ones. “It is something that you learn in school. It is not like I am a singer or a writer or something like that.”
“Still, you could be making a ton of money.”
“I made a ton of money that is just sitting in the bank and I was not happy in the least. I am happy and contented now.”
“You do realize that you are in your twenties and not on your last, do you?” he asked her dryly as he sipped his beer.
“I know,” she said with a grin. “I intend to enjoy life doing what I love to do.”
“Or maybe that’s the guilt talking.” Their eyes met and she looked away for a minute. There were tiny weeds struggling to survive among the bluebells and the rose bushes needed pruning.
“It is not.” She said quietly. “I told you how I pushed myself for the position at my company years ago. I was ruthless and I did not much care whose toes I stepped on to get to where I got to. I went after the lucrative accounts with a singlemindedness that was astounding and earned me the admiration of the males in the office. I did not keep friends with the other women there because that would mean that I have to share confidences and I did not want that. I used to be the first there and the last to leave.” She shook her head and stared across the yard. “I am not doing that again.”
“It does not have to be on a big scale.” Milton told her gently.
“You mean like doing your books for you and the measly stipend you pay me?” she arched well shaped brows at him.
“Okay, I pay you way less than you are worth, but you have to have pity on a poor cripple like myself.”
“That does not work with me buddy,” she told him dryly. “I see what you make, so cut it out.”
“Okay, darling,” he said with a grin. “I was going to raise your salary anyway, a whole five percent more.”
“Wow! I can spring for the Porsche!”
“Sarcasm does not become you.” He told her with a laugh.
“So I have a meeting on Monday with Brady’s Developers.” She told him causally after a pause.
“Looking for a position there?”
“Yea right,” she snorted. She told him about the rec center’s plight as she got up to fix them a plate of chips and dips and brought it over.
“I had no idea they were in such a plight.” He murmured as he scooped up some of the chips in his hands. “I know of their reputation for buying out small businesses, tearing them down and making them into big conglomerates. Paul Brady is a whiz at that and he is quite ruthless about it.”
“Any pointers when I meet with the team on Monday?”
“Use your abundance of charms,” he told her lightly admiring the way the soft fold of the material molded her body. He had never approached her as anything except a friend but sometimes he wished he could be more.
“What if I am meeting with a female?” she asked him with a lift of her brow.
“Use that doggedness that served you well in the corporate world.�
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“Okay enough of this, let’s see if you can finally beat me in checkers.”
*****
Paul stirred his juice lazily and watched as Mikhail and Andre play water polo. The day was scorching and he had just finished playing a round of tennis with Jeremy. The club was a sort of getaway for people like him who had to contend with the corporate world. It was relaxing and it was a chance to take a load off even though many business deals had been made around the tables inside or even on the various courts. Paul lived several miles away but he made it his point of duty to head out some weekends when he was free and even some late afternoons when he left the office. His father had been a member before him and that was how the membership grew: second and third generations. He had become best friends with Jeremy and Andre, and they usually met and drank and talked about businesses together. Leesa Wellington was the spokesperson for the wives and usually planned the different functions. Linda had been shy and retiring and had not been much for going to functions except when it was required of her, so she had not been a part of the crowd.
“Hey, wake up man,” Jeremy Langley was the owner of the club which had been passed on to him by his grandfather several years ago. He was married to Deidre, who was an interior designer, and he was completely devoted to her. His blue grey eyes twinkled as he took a seat next to his friend.
“I am awake,” Paul retorted. “I am just watching Mikhail get his ass kicked by Andre and wondering if I should join the fray.”
Jeremy looked over and a smile lit his face. “Maybe you should. Mikhail put some more power behind the throw!” he called out. The dark haired Russian American sent him a thumbs up sign and went back to the game.
“How is Deidre?” Paul asked him.
“Still trying to adjust to having another son. Jared is practically driving us crazy.” Jeremy said with a wry grin. His wife had given birth three months ago and he had come to the club passing out free champagne to celebrate. Paul envied the life Jeremy had and wondered if he would ever have something like that. “It will happen eventually,”
Paul looked at him sharply and saw the shrewd look on his face.
“I suppose it will.” He said with a laconic shrug. “I am not putting a lot of stock into it.”
“You just have to be patient.”
He remembered those words when he got back to his apartment much later that night. He had ended up having dinner there. His mother had invited him over but he had declined, not really in the mood to hear about the beautiful women available to him. He took down her photo and stared at her for a moment. Linda had not been outstandingly beautiful but she had had a serene attractiveness about her that settled like an aura around her. The long blonde hair had been caught in an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck, and her light blue eyes had a slight smile in them. He had teased her several times and told her that she had lost her way from heaven because she was like an angel. He put back the photo and sat in the sofa looking towards the fireplace broodingly. He had wondered why there had never been a child involved and never thought she would be gone from him so quickly!
*****
He had told them that he would be in on the meeting. He had no idea why he had felt that his presence was needed there because usually he did not interfere with what the different departments were dealing with, but this time he felt he needed to be there. He had gone to look at the small plaza where the rec center was and in his mind’s eye he could see the towering glass building with offices that could meet the needs of the people in town. It was a small sleepy town but that could be changed with what he had in mind.
“Ms. Phillips is here, Paul,” his secretary told him over the intercom. They were in the conference room and the head of the acquisition department, Larry Baird, was already there.
“Send her in.”
He felt the jolt when she walked in! She had on business basic: a black pant suit with a pale pink blouse beneath. She was tall and her curves were clearly defined. Her natural curls were twisted away from an exquisite face and secured at the nape of her neck. He felt a measure of annoyance as Larry jumped to his feet to meet her halfway.
“Ms. Phillips, this way please,”
She took the hand he extended and gave him a smile revealing white teeth against the pale pink of her lip gloss. “Thank you.”
“I am Larry Baird and this is Paul Brady.” He told her.
“Regina Phillips, but I prefer to be called Gina.” She told them, her eyes caught by the look in Paul’s slate grey eyes.
“Why do you want to save the center?” his deep voice came at her suddenly without warning.
“Because it is essential to the people using it and it has been there for a great number of years.” Her eyes met his directly. “It has been a part of the town’s history since the beginning and it would be a shame to have it torn down just because your company needs to put up another high-rise building.”
“Ms. Phillips those–”
“You are against changes and improvement?” Paul cut off whatever Larry was about to say without batting an eye.
“Tearing down the town’s original structure can not necessarily be referred to as improvement and changes are not necessarily a good thing when it interferes with people’s way of life.” Her tone was challenging without an effort.
He stared at her for a moment and it was like it was only the two of them in the room.
Larry cleared his throat and spoke tentatively. “The small plaza is ideal for small businesses Ms. Phillips, and we are trying to revive a town that has been stagnant for a long time.”
“Bell Rivers has been steeped in history and is a quaint and wonderful town where the neighbors know each other. Children are free to ride their bikes on the streets without fear of being abducted, and parents can leave their doors open at nights. In this day and age, where are you going to find that? When you introduce these high-rise buildings, you not only take away the quaintness of the town, you take away the peace and complacency of the people living here. On my way here, I saw a lot of empty lots of lands where you can build your high-rise buildings without interfering with what is already established.”
This time the silence was a little longer and Gina wondered if she had gone too far.
“Larry, could you give us a few minutes?” Paul said to the man who stood up immediately.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Phillips.” He said before hurrying out of the large conference room.
“Would you like something to drink?” Paul asked as he got to his feet and went to a cabinet where there were several drinks available.
“Orange juice if you have it.”
He poured two glasses and brought one over to her. He did not go immediately to his chair but leaned on the desk with one hand folded and the other with the drink which he lifted to his lips. “You worked at Lane’s Accounting until two years ago and then you came home when you found out your mother had cancer.”
Gina did not appear surprised that he had checked up on her, as a matter of fact she had expected him to. “Were you asking a question?”
He stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable. “You could be doing anything and yet you are working at the rec center and at the home for cancer patients. Why?”
“I am giving back,” she met his gaze coolly. “Something you should have no problem appreciating seeing as how your wife died in that manner.”
She saw when his body stiffened and did not care that she had gone too far.
He left his position and went back to his seat at the head of the table. “You are young and beautiful and yet you spend your time around the sick and the elderly. What are you trying to prove Ms. Phillips?”
She finished the cold and refreshing drink and put the glass onto the table before responding. “That I am human.” She told him succinctly getting to her feet. “Life is too short for me to be spending it accumulating a ton of money and not having peace of mind. The people I work amongst are simple people who h
ave no hidden agendas or want to use me to further their own means. They are just living what is left of their lives and I want to help them to do so. Think about that Mr. Brady when you look at the building you plan to tear down.” Without waiting to be dismissed, she walked out of the room with him staring after her.
Gina felt the adrenalin rushing through her as soon as she reached downstairs and into her car. She rested her head on the steering wheel and took a deep fortifying breath. She had checked up on him as well and knew that he did not allow anything to stand in his way whenever he had his eyes on something. He moved with the very powerful and his mother was friends with the First Lady of the United States. He had used work as a therapy for a broken heart after he had lost his wife and she could empathize with that. She turned the engine and backed out of the large and spacious car park making her way out onto the streets wondering if she had somehow made the situation much worse!
*****
“My dear, I have no idea how you did it!” Miriam Brightly greeted her the next day as soon as she came into the large area she used as one to work out with the elders.
“Excuse me?” Gina placed her bag onto the table and turned to face the woman who was bearing down on her as if she had every intention of hugging her. She had come in half an hour earlier to get in some routines by herself before they started coming in.
“I got a call from Brady’s Developers telling me that they were no longer interested in acquiring the center and they will be giving us a check for ten thousand dollars to help with the refurbishing.” She said in excitement. “What on earth did you say to them?”
“I have no idea.” Gina told her. “Who called you?”
“Mr. Brady himself”,” she said with a beaming smile. “He told me to keep up the good work. You saved us and oh! A past patient of ours, Milton Walker, is also making a contribution. Isn’t he a friend of yours?”