Seasons

by Bonnie Hopkins

  They noticed one of them was real estate developer J.P. Gilmore, who attended the hearings in search of potential properties he could purchase.

  “What’s that drop-dead gorgeous J.P. Gilmore still doing here?” Gloria whispered. Jaci glanced across the room to where the good-looking man stood. Well above six feet, his muscular body was always immaculately dressed, whether it was casual or business attire; the clothes molded his body as though custom-made for him. They probably were.

  “I don’t know. But are you complaining? Just enjoy the view,” Jaci replied, still sneaking looks. His wavy black hair, sprinkled with a few gray strands around the sides, complimented his pecan colored skin. And his classically handsome face included piercing dark eyes and a wide sensual mouth topped by a well trimmed sexy mustache. Yep! Definitely a hunk!

  “Don’t you think he looks a little like Judge Joe Brown? Even his mannerisms and the way his deep voice resonates when he talks—it gives me goose bumps!” Gloria stated.

  “Well, any way you size him up, Mr. Gilmore is a hunk,” Jaci agreed. “Not that it excites me. It’s just a fact. I found out a long time ago that good looks on the outside often hide a rotten inside. He is something special to look at though. Just looking being the operative words.”

  “Um, Um, Um! I sure could be tempted to find out what’s on the inside if I had the chance,” Gloria added, staring unashamedly at J.P.

  “Jaci,” Bill said, walking over to where she stood, “why don’t you talk to that contractor over there with Gilmore? He might be able to give you some leads on good roofers.”

  The men turned and moved toward them. J.P., who had purposely waited for the right moment, walked up to Jaci. “Good hearing, Ms. Winters, and thanks for the information on the commercial properties. I really appreciate your help.”

  “No problem,” Jaci said. “It’s all about getting rid of those dangerous buildings.”

  “I see you guys are trying to get out of here,” J.P. continued. “I hope I didn’t detain you, but I was hoping to get a chance to speak to you.” When Jaci gave him a questioning look, he continued. “It’s not about the hearings, it’s on a totally different matter. Is it okay if I call you tomorrow?”

  “Sorry, I’m off tomorrow. But I’ll be here Monday. You can call any time after eight.” Although Jaci arrived at seven, she used the first hour each morning to organize and focus on whatever she had to accomplish over the course of the day.

  J.P. pulled a business card out of his pocket, scribbled some numbers on the back, and handed it to her. “Well, if you get some time over the weekend, give me a call. If you don’t get me at the office, try the home number or the cell anytime. Just leave a message; if I don’t answer, I’ll get right back to you.”

  “Okay,” she answered slowly, with a puzzled look.

  J.P. waved good-bye to them, and as he walked away, he turned and pointed to the card, saying, “Please don’t throw that away.”

  Jaci blushed, realizing he must have observed her doing just that with others. Turning away in embarrassment, she rushed to catch the contractor to talk to him about her roof.

  “Girl, what is wrong with you?” Gloria asked minutes later as they walked down the hall to their offices. “That hunk wants to talk to you and here you are acting crazy. You’d better call that man tonight!”

  “Pul . . . lease!” Jaci said, rolling her eyes. “You know that guy probably has a wife and hundreds of women after him. No thanks! I can do without that kind of drama.”

  Gloria shook her head. She couldn’t figure Jaci out. She was not only beautiful, she was a kind, caring person as well. She tried to get along with everyone, but refused to let people get too close. She had problems with both the men and the women in the department. Gloria knew it was because of the reserved way she carried herself. People who liked gossip and mess couldn’t handle that.

  In the years they had worked together, Gloria knew of only one man who had gotten to first base with her. Evidently it hadn’t worked out well, and since then, Gloria watched as several other men around the department tried, but failed. Jaci would often comment about a man being fine or a hunk, but she rejected the many flirtatious advances she received, so she had earned the reputation of being a cold fish and was often the target of unkind words and jokes.

  After quickly putting things away, Bill and Gloria called out, “Good night” to let Jaci know they were leaving. Jaci kept working to clear her desk and pondered J.P. Gilmore’s request that she call him. She had no intention of calling him over the weekend, but was admittedly very curious. What could he possibly want to talk to her about? He was probably just living up to his reputation as a playboy, she concluded. Maybe she should throw that card in the trash, she admonished herself.

  Jaci was the topic of her coworkers’ conversation on their walk to the parking lot. “What do you think makes Jaci tick? As far as men are concerned, that is,” Bill asked Gloria.

  “I don’t believe she thinks much of them. I think maybe she’s been badly hurt at some point.”

  “Yeah. She’s had some bad experiences,” Bill said thoughtfully. “How long have you known her?”

  “About ten years, since she became supervisor of hearing coordination and hired me as her assistant. Why?”

  “Well, I’ve known her ever since she came to the Housing Compliance Department—more than twenty years. She’s worked all over the department, from clerical to administrative positions. Did you know she made history by becoming the first woman investigator in the Dangerous Buildings Section? I give her a hard time sometimes, but I have a lot of respect for that lady. That’s a dangerous and uncomfortable job, even for a man, but for a woman, doubly so.”

  “Yeah,” Gloria said. “She told me about some of her experiences when she first became an investigator. She said the biggest problem wasn’t the actual work, but the people here in the department. I don’t know why people are so hard on a woman trying to make it up the ladder the right way. But Jaci said there was no way she was giving up. She’s a tough lady, that’s for sure.”

  “You ain’t telling me nothing I don’t know. The only reason she got the investigator position was because of management’s fears of gender discrimination lawsuits. The threats weren’t coming from Jaci, but she’s the one who ended up with the job because of her qualifications and experience. After getting the position, she received very little support from management. And she had to deal with some pretty rough treatment from the men in the department who either wanted the position or felt it should have been given to a man.”

  “Was it really that bad?” Gloria asked.

  “Oh man! That lady was programmed for failure in so many ways, it’s a wonder she made it. That’s how she gained my respect. I admit, at first I was kind of grudging, too, because I just didn’t think a woman could handle the job. But when I saw her hanging tough and refusing to give up, I knew she had to be motivated by something other than just wanting to be the first woman to hold the position. I started helping her. I took some heat, but I just couldn’t stand by and watch her struggling like that. And when I started helping her, some of the other guys jumped in and helped her, too. It was only later that I found out she was a single parent and needed the higher salary.”

  “Oh, Bill, I’m so glad you did that for her. She’s a very caring person and will do anything to help you. Remember when I had surgery a few years ago? She would come up here on weekends and bring her daughter to help me keep up with my work so Wynola wouldn’t try to replace me. I’ll always be grateful for that. You know, I think that Gilmore guy is interested in her, but Jaci won’t cooperate.”

  As they were talking, J.P., who had gotten detained by someone on his way out of the building, was slowly driving out of the garage. When he saw them standing there in deep discussion, he pulled over and stopped. The thought occurred to him that these two people worked closely with Jaci and perhaps he could pump them for information about her. He got out of the car and walked ov
er to them.

  “Hi. I just thought I’d let you all know how much I appreciate all the help you guys give me. It saves me from having to go through a lot of hassle for the information.”

  “No problem, glad to be of service,” Bill said.

  Seeing an opportunity for them to play matchmakers, Gloria jumped in with both feet. Giving Bill an eye that said, “follow my lead,” she said, “You know, we were just talking about our boss, Ms. Winters. If it weren’t for her we probably wouldn’t be able to offer you much help. She’s the one who’s worked and fought hard to get our division to where it is.”

  “Right,” Bill kicked in. “I was just telling Gloria how much I respect and admire Jaci. She’s been our supervisor for several years now, and I haven’t regretted a minute of it. Jaci has the division so organized that a punch of a button will give you anything you need to know about any building on file. And I gotta tell you, it hasn’t always been that way. Man, I remember when it would take us days to locate a file. And then, nine times out of ten, no current information would be in it. But now, it had better be in there or somebody’s butt is in serious trouble.”

  “Is that right?” J.P. asked, eagerly taking in everything they were saying. “So, Ms. Winters is something else, huh?” He felt like he had hit the jackpot.

  Bill started chuckling. “You better believe it. Needless to say, she’s become an expert at anything to do with the demolition process.”

  “How did she end up coordinating these hearings?” J.P. asked.

  “They practically forced it on her,” Bill answered. “Jaci already knew the administrative paper flow and the kind of documentation needed to get a structure demolished. After she became an investigator, and she was the first woman to hold that position, it didn’t take long before she was finding ways to improve how information was collected and expeditiously transferred to the file. And like I said, she’s a stickler for detail and hard work. Her production was soon way over everyone else’s and her files never got kicked back. The powers that be soon realized it was in their best interest to utilize her abilities to increase overall production. So they created the Hearing Coordination Section and put Jaci in charge of it. I agreed to come over and work with her. Best move I ever made.”

  J.P. had heard enough. They had given him an idea for a plan. “It’s been good talking to ya’ll. I gotta go but just wanted to let ya’ll know how much I appreciate your help. I’ll talk to you guys later. Thanks again.” He waved to them as he got into his car, feeling good about what he had just heard and about the plan forming in his mind.

  Maxie

  Maxie sat in his worn recliner, TV remote in hand, idly flipping through channels, but his mind was on Jacetta—again. He tried to recall how she looked, but he couldn’t put a face with that sexy voice he had heard on her answering machine. He knew she couldn’t be bad looking since he didn’t deal with unattractive women. But he did remember her being a little chubby. That was all right too since he didn’t like skinny women either. “I bet she’s really fat now,” he said to himself, deciding to ask George about it.

  “Hey, George, how’s it going, man?” Maxie asked when he heard George’s voice on the phone. “I hate to bother you, but I’ve tried to follow your suggestion and call Jacetta. I’ve dialed the number you gave me several times, but I always get an answering machine. Under the circumstances, I’m reluctant to leave a message, you know?”

  “Oh, so you decided to call, huh?”

  “Yep. She sure sounds different, but you know I’m relying on an old memory. She still look about the same?”

  The first time Maxie called Jacetta’s number and heard the husky, sensual voice instructing the caller to leave a message, he had been so intrigued he hung up, then called right back, just to hear that voice again. Her voice didn’t sound like that when he knew her.

  “Well, Jacetta is a hard person to catch,” George answered. “Probably still working two jobs—always has. But the last news I heard, her daughter was having problems with that baby she’s carrying. Serious problems. You just gon’ have a hard time catching her. And you messed up big time when you cut out on her, man. And I’m not just saying this because she’s my niece either. Jace is a beautiful woman. I never have figured out why she’s not married. The men in Houston must be blind or crazy.”

  “Oh really?” Maxie asked, a sliver of unexplained excitement running through him. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to be patient and keep trying until I can catch her.”

  After his conversation with George, he decided that it might be better to just take a trip down to Houston. It was only a thirty-minute flight and he could easily get Jaci’s address. Yes. That was a more interesting course of action he decided, and he began to plan a trip to Houston.

  Jaci

  Jaci tried to push J.P. Gilmore to the back of her mind as she went about her weekend activities, but thoughts of him intruded at regular intervals. What could he possibly want to discuss with her other than Housing Compliance business? She knew of his reputation with women and didn’t believe he had that kind of interest in her, because from what she had heard, he went for the young and beautiful, and she certainly didn’t fit either description. Curiosity nearly got the best of her, and she almost dialed his number a couple of times, but she managed to fight off the temptation. No, she decided, she would wait for his call on Monday.

  Monday was hectic! An unscheduled staff meeting interrupted her plans to begin writing the disposition reports from Thursday’s hearing. And her daughter called and begged Jaci to accompany her to a doctor’s appointment. Randi’s second pregnancy was turning out to be difficult.

  Jaci knew she probably wouldn’t be returning to work, so she was trying to get as much as possible done before leaving. It was almost lunchtime when she remembered J.P. Gilmore’s promised call. Oh well, it must not have been too important, she decided.

  As if her thoughts had somehow been communicated to J.P., Jaci’s phone rang, and when she heard his voice, she couldn’t help but wonder: Wow! what’s up with this?

  “Ms. Winters, how are you today?” She felt a shiver travel down her spine. His deep voice caused all kinds of reactions in Jaci. “I hope I caught you before you had lunch. I was wondering . . . if you’re free, I’d like to take you to lunch. I apologize for the short notice, but it’s been one of those mornings.”

  The invitation was the last thing Jaci expected, so she was caught off guard and left floundering for a response. She finally pulled her haywire thoughts together enough to recall her plans. “I . . . uh . . . I can’t today. I’ll be leaving here shortly for a doctor’s appointment with my daughter.”

  “Well, how about dinner then? That would be better anyway, since we won’t have to watch the clock.”

  Again, Jaci hesitated. She really didn’t know the man and had no idea what he wanted to talk to her about. Under these circumstances she didn’t feel comfortable going to dinner with him. “I don’t think so, Mr. Gilmore. I’d better not make any plans. You never know how these doctor visits will go.”

  “Okay. But before we go any further, I have a request. Would you please call me J.P. or Jason. Every time you call me Mr. Gilmore, I look around for my father.”

  Jaci laughed. “Only if you’ll call me Jaci, or Jacetta.”

  “Whew! I’m glad we got past that! Now, how about dinner tomorrow night? Think you can make that?”

  “Sorry, I have choir rehearsal tomorrow night. Let’s make it lunch and you’ve got a deal.” She could tell J.P. was disappointed, but he covered it well. They arranged the time and location, and just as she was about to hang up, he said, “Tell me if I’m too presumptuous, but is anything serious going on with your daughter?”

  “No, but it’s very nice of you to ask. Hopefully, it’s nothing a little time won’t cure. She’s just having some complications with her pregnancy.”

  “Pregnancy!” he yelled in an amazed voice. “You have a daughter old enough to be pregnant?”


  Jaci laughed. “Yes, and if that’s a shock, you’d better sit down for this one. I’m already the grandmother of an eighteen-month-old.”

  After a stunned silence he said, “I see I have a lot to learn about you, Ms. . . . uh, Jaci. I never would have thought you were a grandmother.”

  “Well, thank God it’s not the case with me, but you know these days you can find grandmothers in their twenties.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  Jaci had another restless night as she raked her mind for some fathomable reason for J.P.’s request to talk to her. She really hoped he wasn’t seeking a casual affair. For some reason, she knew she would be very disappointed if that was the case.

  The next day, she was nervous all the way to the restaurant. What if he doesn’t show up? What if all he wanted was to make some kind of pass. Jaci made a lifestyle of rebuffing passes and had finally gotten to a point where her body language and the way she carried herself sent the message that she was not interested. Men still made passes, but she could tell they were doing so only to see if they could get a different reaction from her.

  Her fears about his not showing up proved to be groundless. As soon as she turned into the parking lot, she saw him waiting for her in a prominent place where he couldn’t be missed. Pappadeaux’s was one of Houston’s most popular seafood restaurants and also one of her favorites. They made small talk until they were shown to a table, where J.P. solicitously seated her before taking his own seat. She knew what she wanted to order because she always ate the same thing here.

  When she told him this, he looked astonished. “Why don’t you try something different today? This is our first meal together, so start a new tradition.”

  Jaci didn’t know how to respond to that suggestion, so she adamantly stuck to her usual, then began worrying about what was coming next.

  She didn’t have long to wait. “I know you’re curious about why I wanted to talk to you,” he stated. “First, let me say how much I admire the way you do your job. You’re very good at what you do. Do you like your job?”