“Maybe they had a full bath and a powder room. That would explain why there was only one shower.”
“Hmph. All I can say is if I was handing over that much for rent every month, I’d want three baths.”
Vivian packed several shirts, T-shirts, and pairs of socks for Zack, as well as a pair of slide-in sandals from his closet, which was on the sparse side but was fairly orderly, except for the wool sweaters falling over each other on the shelf. He seemed to have a weakness for hand-knit wool pullovers, but aside from that, no one could call Zack Warner a clothes horse. She fingered the textured material of the red blazer she recognized from the Valentine’s dance, closed her eyes and allowed herself to remember how nice it had been to be held in his arms while they danced that night. Maybe Glenda was right; this would be a good opportunity to get to know him better. As much as he got on her nerves, she already knew he wasn’t completely exasperating from the compassion he had shown for that patient of his—the little girl with the facial injuries. “All right, that part’s done. I just need to get some of his things from the bathroom and then we’re outta here.”
“All I can say is that I could be real comfy cozy livin’ here,” Glenda said as they descended the elegant staircase with its polished banister. Vivian had packed Zack’s toiletries in a plastic supermarket bag to separate them from his clothing.
“It’s nice. He doesn’t seem to have spared any expense in remodeling, but I still see a lot of unused potential.”
“I know. I haven’t seen a man yet who’s any good at decorating. That’s why they need us. The right woman will have those empty rooms furnished in no time.”
Vivian didn’t reply. For a fleeting moment she allowed herself to imagine she was that woman…
*****
Zack laughed into the receiver. “Yeah, well at least I’ll be back on my feet by the time I go on my trip. That might not have been the case if I had broken my ankle. I’ve been planning this trip for over a year.”
“I know,” Desireé replied from the other end of the line. “Ozzie would be going along with you if he didn’t have other plans.”
“I hope you’re not upset about that.”
“Of course not. Maybe the two of us will go next year. It’s something we’ll have to do before we start a family. In the meantime, I don’t think Ozzie will mind going to Taos for our honeymoon.” She chuckled. “I’ve got to make a couple of other calls to people who live out of town. I’ll be talking to Sydney. Anything I can tell her for you?”
Sydney Chambers was Zack’s cousin, with whom he’d grown up. She lived in Michigan now, but had been renting the garden level apartment of his brownstone during the time Desireé was in town. “Tell her ‘hi’ and give her Vivian’s address, in case she wants to send me a fruit basket for being on the disabled list.”
“I’m just tickled that you two have managed to meet. Wait till I tell Ozzie about all the accidents that keep bringing you together. I think it’s priceless.” Desireé laughed. “Now, you be sure to let Vivian know I called to tell her that Ozzie and I settled on a wedding date.”
“I’ll do that. She should be back any minute. Take care, Desireé, and give Oz my best.”
He hung up, and just a few minutes later he heard Vivian’s key in the lock.
“Hi. You all right?”
“Yeah, just a little groggy. Did you find everything okay?”
“No trouble. That alarm scared me a little, though. I had to try three or four times to turn it off. Glenda and I thought it was going to go off and the cops were going to come and haul us away in handcuffs. Here it is.” She placed the duffel bag on the floor within Zack’s reach. “You have a beautiful home, by the way.”
“Thanks. I bought it at auction from the city. It was a mess.” He gestured at the narrow closed armoire on the opposite wall. “Is that a computer in there?”
“Yes.”
“Is it okay if I use it?”
“Yes, go ahead. Did my phone ring while I was gone?”
“Yes. Guess who I just finished talking to.”
She decided right away it couldn’t have been Bernard; that would certainly be no reason for Zack to pick up. “Who?”
“Desireé. She called to tell you they have a firm date for the wedding.” Zack named a date in mid-July.
“Wow, that soon? I was afraid she might run into difficulty.”
“She did, but she got it all settled. The ceremony will be at the chapel of her alma mater, and the reception is going to be at Phil Wallace’s house in Golden. Apparently all the nice places were booked up.” Phil Wallace was Austin’s business partner in the consulting service that bore their surnames.
“Wonderful. Does she want me to call her back?”
“She just asked me to tell you the date. I think she’s calling everyone who’ll be coming from out of town so they can put in for time off and make travel arrangements.”
“I guess she’ll be busy on the phone, then. But I’ll bet she got the shock of her life when you answered my phone.”
He laughed. “She actually thought she dialed the wrong number. And she reminded me that she wanted me to meet a friend of hers when she was here. I’d forgotten about that. She cracked up when I told her we keep running into each other because someone is sick or has had an accident.”
Vivian swallowed over a knot in her throat. The whole thing about pretending she didn’t know who Zack was all this time made her uncomfortable, and she didn’t want to linger on it. Best to acknowledge it and let it go. “Well, now that you mention it, I do remember Desireé wanting to introduce me to a friend of Austin’s. It was so long ago I had forgotten.” She then proceeded to change the subject. “I didn’t get to spend as much time as I would have liked with her before she went back to Colorado, but I like her very much, and I’m happy she invited me to her wedding.”
“I’m glad, too. Uh, maybe you and I can fly out there together.”
“I think I’d like that,” she said truthfully. “Uh, were there any other calls?”
“No.”
That figures. Of all times for Bernard to be considerate. She would have loved for Zack to see his name show up on her caller ID. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“No, I’m fine. I was going to tie up your bathroom for a few minutes, if that’s all right. I’m in desperate need of a shower.” The duffel bag already in hand, he reached for his crutches.
“Go right ahead. I’m going to look at the paper and then get ready for work tomorrow, so I’ll take my shower in the morning. I’ve got some microwaveable hot wings in the freezer. Why don’t I make you some? I’m sure you’re ready to eat something.”
“As long as I know they’re in the freezer, I’ll go ahead and make them myself when I’m cleaned up. You’ve done a lot for me today, Vivian. Don’t think I’m not aware of it, or that I don’t appreciate it.” He stood facing her now, and with his left hand he touched her cheek. “Get some rest. I’ll be all right.” Then he removed his hand and in an instant she felt his lips on her cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered.
She turned and watched him make his way toward the hall. Was it her imagination or had his voice just broken, like he was overcome with emotion?
It wasn’t until she heard the bathroom door close that she realized she was standing with her fingertips caressing her still-warm cheek.
Chapter 10
Bad
Vivian sprang into action when the alarm buzzed the next morning. She threw on a bathrobe and checked on Zack before beginning her daily routine of getting dressed for work. He was fast asleep on the opened sofa bed, his bandaged foot elevated on the two sofa pillows.
She waited until she was fully dressed to wake him. His chest was rising and falling in even movements, but he didn’t snore. She was glad. That would ruin the picture, like talking on the phone with a male job applicant with a sexy voice and having him show up weighing three hundred pounds. “Zack.”
“Uhhhh.�
�
“Zack,” she repeated, this time a little louder.
He muttered something that sounded like, “Go away,” and rolled over.
Vivian leaned over and shook his shoulders. “Zack, I’m getting ready to leave. I just need to talk to you for a minute, then you can go back to sleep.”
He opened his eyes and looked at her through narrowed eyes, his forehead wrinkled in annoyance. Vivian found his obvious displeasure startling, but then his expression suddenly softened and he reached out, taking her hand in his. “Come to bed,” he said just before his eyes fluttered shut.
Come to bed? Was the man car-azy? She had to bring him back to earth, and quickly. “Zack, if you don’t wake up this minute I’m going to sit on your ankle.”
That did it. He opened his eyes, and this time she could tell he saw her clearly. Once again his forehead wrinkled, but this time he appeared confused. “Vivling. Why are you threatening to hurt me?”
He looked so earnest, so innocent, that she regretted her harshness, but couldn’t he remember what he had said just a moment ago? “I’m sorry, Zack, but I’ve got to leave for work. I’m leaving you my number at the office. I’ll put it by the phone and the remote control for the TV. Now, last night I stopped at the store and picked up some cereal. There’s some cold cuts in the fridge, and the bread is on the counter. I put a couple of jars of soup on the counter, so you won’t need to open a can. And help yourself to anything in the freezer. I always keep microwave-able snacks in there.”
“I really appreciate this, Vivian. You know I’ll reimburse you for all this, your gas, the extra food, and for your time.”
“Don’t worry about it, Zack.”
His eyes roamed down her body and then up again. “You look good.”
That was just what she needed to hear, and she didn’t bother to hide her delight. “Thank you. I’ve got to go now. Go back to sleep now. Call if you need anything.”
“How about a kiss?”
Vivian felt so good about his compliment that she leaned down and pressed her lips against his stubbly cheek just for an instant. When she stood up she saw the outline of her lips, a deep berry color courtesy of her lipstick, on his skin. “Goodbye.”
“I’ll have some sweet dreams, that’s for sure.”
She didn’t look back, but she was smiling.
*****
At her office, Vivian checked her schedule. There was one new-hire starting today, a systems analyst, and Harriet told her he was waiting in the lobby. She also said Connie had called in sick. “Personally, I think she’s job hunting.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s been unhappy ever since that episode with the memo being photocopied. I can’t say I’d want to work with people who would do that, either. But it’ll be all right. Lisa gave me a key to her office, so in case I have to get in there it won’t be a problem. Would you bring—” she glanced at the name written on her calendar—“Dennis in, please?”
“Sure. Be right back.”
Dennis Chin was twenty-four years old and two years out of college, a studious-looking young man with a slight build and glasses. This would be his second job. She knew his type well—they changed jobs every two or three years, always for a better position and a larger paycheck. She predicted he would be the head of an MIS department by the time he was thirty. His soft-spoken manner and somewhat geeky appearance reminded her a little of Bill Gates of Microsoft.
When Harriet returned with Dennis, Vivian welcomed him to the company, went over the benefits package they offered, and finally inspected the paperwork he had filled out and determined it was complete. She then turned him back over to Harriet, who took him upstairs to his department.
When Vivian went to get coffee, the buzz on the cafeteria line was about the meeting the executives were having this week, and several people asked her if she knew what was going to happen. She had expected this and had a stock answer ready. “I don’t know any more than you do. I’m sure their plans will be announced soon.”
Zack called at nine-thirty. “Good morning.”
“Good morning. I’m surprised you’re up. You were practically in a coma just a few hours ago when I left. I’ll bet you don’t even remember talking to me.”
“I remember how good you looked. And a vague recollection of your telling me to help myself to what was in your cupboards and fridge. I don’t remember anything else. I’ve always been a deep sleeper. Hope I wasn’t too obnoxious.”
“No more than usual,” she said with a smile. “What’s up?”
“Do you have any hot sauce?”
“Hot sauce? On cereal?”
“I decided to have two of those frozen sausage biscuits you’ve got.”
“Hot sauce? On a biscuit?”
“You’re starting to sound repetitious, Vivling. I like hot sauce. It’s in my roots.”
“Where are you from?”
“Actually, I’ m from One Hundred Fifty-Eighth Street, but my mother is from Trinidad.”
“There should be some hot sauce in the pantry. Look behind the ketchup and steak sauce. I try to keep all the condiments together. Are you okay otherwise?”
“Yeah. How’s it going with you?”
“Oh, just another Monday morning. I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’ll be here. I might even have a surprise for you.”
“‘Might have’ isn’t fair.”
“Maybe not, but unfortunately, it’s the best I can do. See you later.”
Vivian hung up the phone. She had lived alone for ten years, and it was odd to call her own number and have a man answer. It would probably feel even more so to go home and find Zack there. Not bad peculiar, just peculiar.
The day went without incident until four o’clock, when clerical worker Annemarie Giacomo stopped by the department “Vivian, can I speak with you privately for a minute?”
“Sure. Come in and close the door.”
Annemarie, an attractive brunette in her late forties, took a seat facing Vivian’s desk. “This is so embarrassing. I don’t know how to say it”
“I hope you’re not unhappy working for George Anderson.” Annemarie had recently transferred from sales to the purchasing department.
“I’d be a lot happier if he used some deodorant.”
“What?” It was an involuntary response; Vivian had heard her perfectly. It was just that she expected Annemarie to say something along the lines of George was a tyrant or that he had her running his personal errands.
“The man has BO something fierce, Vivian. I can’t stand it”
She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t had much contact with George, who had been hired a few months before when the previous manager retired.
“Of course, I don’t want to be the one to say anything to him. The man is my boss. He’ll be the one to make out my next performance appraisal and recommend a salary increase. I don’t even want my name mentioned when you talk to him.”
She raised an eyebrow. When I talk to him? But in Lisa’s absence, it was her responsibility. Of course, she’d be only too glad to let Lisa deal with this delicate situation, but being a manager meant managing, and this was part of it. She had to cope with both the sour and the sweet, or in this case, the fragrant and the foul.
“This type of situation can be rather difficult to handle, for obvious reasons,” she said slowly.
Annemarie looked as if she were about to cry. “My sense of smell is probably more keen than most people’s, but at this point I’m ready to respond to another job posting.”
“I don’t think anything is open for you right now,” Vivian said quickly. She knew she had to take action and reassure Annemarie, even if she hadn’t the faintest idea of what she was going to do. “As I was saying, it’s a delicate matter, but I will take care of it for you.”
“Thanks so much, Vivian. But please remember…”
“Don’t worry. No one else will know you were the one to complain about it.”
Vivi
an thought about the situation during the drive home. It would be so much easier if the offender was merely one of the purchasing agents, but George Anderson was a department head. No way she could call him down and tell him there had been complaints about his personal hygiene. On the other hand, putting out a memo reminding everyone about something they should already know was silly. Past memos Lisa had written regarding sensitive topics like sexual harassment and excessive use of perfume had resulted in groups gathering around the various bulletin boards exchanging whispers about who they believed the respective guilty parties were.
Zack was at the computer when she let herself in with the day’s mail in hand, having pulled one of the matching Queen Anne chairs that generally flanked her armoire desk in front of it. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I logged into my account so I could check my e-mail and send a few messages to let people know I’m not at home. I’m not giving out your phone number or anything—I didn’t even tell my job—but there are some folks who need to know I’m all right. My parents might try to call me from Virginia. They never did memorize my cell number.”
“That’s very considerate of you. No, I don’t mind.” While she felt he truly was concerned about his parents, she also believed he wanted to contact all his female friends who would be looking for him at home and at the hospital, but of course it was none of her business. Part of her wanted to tell him that she wouldn’t be offended if he wanted to email his lady friends from her machine, but she realized she wouldn’t be able to without the words sticking in her throat. Besides, if he was signed in to his own email account, he could do whatever he wanted. Commenting on it would only make her sound jealous…which she absolutely was not. Still, it bothered her that he had felt it necessary to mention his parents specifically. It was as if he was trying to pull a fast one on her. Just saying he wanted to contact the people he knew would have been sufficient.
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