by Terri Reid
“He asked you?” Stacy stammered.
With an impudent smile, Lorraine shrugged. “Well, actually, he suggested we both shower first,” she said. “But I felt a little awkward knowing that you’d be standing in the driveway waiting for him. Besides, if I had agreed to a shower, who knows when he’d finally have gotten out of the house.”
Despair and pain swept through Stacy’s heart. She felt ashamed and angry. How could he do this to her? Holding back her distress, she smiled politely at Lorraine and opened her car door. “Please let Henry know I couldn’t wait,” she said as she stepped in. “There are some things I need to get done first thing.”
“Are you sure?” Lorraine asked. “There’s coffee brewing if you’d like to wait.”
“No, thank you, though,” Stacy said, closing the door and starting the car.
She pulled the car out of the driveway and quickly accelerated down the road. There was no way she could face Henry or drive with him after this. Taking deep, gasping breaths, she wondered if someone could actually die of a broken heart. How could Henry do this? How could he kiss her like he loved her while he was obviously attached to Lorraine? Had he told Lorraine about their time together? Did they laugh about her as they lay snuggled in his bed?
Heartbreak turned to anger. She didn’t need him. She didn’t need anyone. She would march into the main building and insist that Henry no longer be the liaison between the work she was doing and the owner of Adventureland. She’d show him that she was just fine without his help.
She parked her car on the far side of the lot, grabbed her backpack and half-ran to the main building. Slightly out of breath, she hurried down the hall to Dora’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” came the response from inside the office.
Stacy took a deep breath, grasped the door handle and opened the office door.
“Good morning, Miss Gage,” Dora said. “I heard about your ordeal yesterday and, quite frankly, I am surprised to see you here today.”
“Good morning, Ms. Fitzenbottom,” Stacy replied. “Yes, yesterday was quite a day, but I have work to do and saw no reason to stay at home.”
“Well, I quite admire your work ethic,” Dora said with a smile. “Won’t you have a seat?”
“Thank you, I will,” Stacy said, sliding into the seat that was on the other side of the desk. “I’m not quite sure how to go about this, and I was hoping you could guide me.”
Dora templed her fingers and rested them against her lips. “I will be happy to guide you,” she replied. “You have shown yourself to be an exemplary employee.”
Nodding, Stacy’s heart warmed a bit, but she was not going to be deterred from her mission. “As you know, I’ve had a number of ideas regarding the Wildlife Reserve,” she began.
“Wonderful ideas,” Dora inserted.
“Thank you,” Stacy said. “And in the past, I have always passed those ideas through a friend of mine, and he brought them to the owner.”
“And your friend would be?” Dora asked.
“Henry. Henry Guthrie,” Stacy answered. “But I realized that instead of letting Henry become the middle-man, I really need to start bringing my ideas directly to the owner. This way they can be rejected or accepted, and I’m the only one at risk.”
“Does Henry mind risking himself for you?” Dora asked.
Stacy shook her head. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’m an adult with a salaried position with Adventureland. I think I should be able to represent myself now.”
Dora smiled and nodded her head. “I fully agree with you,” she said, pulling an appointment book from a file on her desk. “When would you like to meet with him?”
Stacy felt her heart pound against her chest, but the image of Lorraine wrapped in Henry’s shirt spurred her on. “Well, I have some ideas that I created yesterday,” she said, “before the storm. I was able to save them. If he’s available, I’d like to run those past him before I continue with my designs.”
Dora looked at the book. “Well, he isn’t in yet,” she said, “but I expect him at any moment. Why don’t I suggest to him that he come down to the concessionary and meet you there? Then you could explain the ideas to him in the environment that would be most conducive to the reserve.”
Stacy smiled at Dora. “Thank you so much,” she said, standing up and moving away from the desk. “I really appreciate your guidance.”
“It is my pleasure,” she replied. “Really.”
Chapter Forty-one
Henry jogged out the door and looked expectantly to the side of his house. He stopped in his tracks. He was sure he heard Stacy’s car pull up a few minutes ago. If Lorraine’s father hadn’t called him at the last minute, he would have been out there on time. He looked down at his watch. He had only been a few minutes late. Why hadn’t she waited?
“Hello, Henry,” Lorraine called as she waved from across the street. She was dressed in a thick robe and standing at the end of her driveway, the morning paper in her hand.
“Did you happen to see Stacy Gage?” he asked.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “She drove up, waited a couple minutes and then drove away. She looked like she was in a hurry.”
With a shake of his head, Henry waved back at her. “Well, thanks,” he said, walking over to his car.
Lorraine watched him drive away, a smile of pure satisfaction spreading over her face. Her father walked up behind her and watched Henry’s truck turn at the end of the road. “So, how did the practical joke you were playing on Henry go this morning?” he asked. “He must have thought I was nuts calling him this morning.”
Leaning over, Lorraine placed a quick kiss on her father’s cheek. “It was just perfect, Daddy,” she said. “Just perfect.”
Henry pulled into the parking lot and saw Stacy’s car at the far end. He drove over and parked next to it, hoping he’d at least get the chance to walk her to her car after work. Hurrying to the locker room building, he opened the door and glanced around. Stacy wasn’t in there either. Giving up, he walked over to the main building to check with Dora about his schedule for the day.
“Good morning, Dora,” he said as he settled his things in his office and Dora came into the room. “What’s on the agenda for the day?”
“Well, let’s see,” she said, biting back a smile. “I met with one of your employees this morning who would like to share some ideas with you. She said that she’s been using another employee as a liaison but now feels it’s time to step up and let her ideas fail or succeed on their own.”
“Oh?” Henry asked. “Who was that?”
“Stacy Gage,” Dora replied, eager to see Henry’s reaction.
Stacy…” he sputtered. “She met with you? This morning? And wanted to meet with me?”
“Well, I am under the distinct impression that she has no idea you are her boss,” Dora replied. “Isn’t that interesting?”
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t relevant at the time,” Henry muttered. “Okay, what did you tell her?”
“Nothing,” Dora replied. “But I did set up an appointment for the owner to visit with her at the concessionary this morning.”
“What?” he asked. “How am I supposed to do that?”
Dora shrugged. “She’s going to find out, Henry,” she said. “And it would be much better if it came from you.”
He sighed. “You’re right. So is there anything else I need to deal with this morning?”
“Oh, yes,” she said, moving towards the door as she spoke. “Sam called.”
“What did he want?” Henry asked offhandedly as he flipped through the messages on his desk.
Dora opened the door and slipped behind it, peering around it to address Henry. “He said he advised Stacy to sue Adventureland due to negligence, and he suggests that you offer her a settlement.”
She stepped back and closed the door firmly behind her before he could respond. As soon as she entered her own office, her phone began to ring. “Dora,�
�� Henry said as soon as she answered it. “Could you please get Sam on the line? And stop laughing.”
She put her hand over her mouth to muffle her giggle. “Um, Henry,” she said, once she could catch her breath. “Sam also said to tell you that he’d be out all morning but he’d stop by sometime this afternoon.”
Dora heard the sigh and could picture Henry nodding. “Okay, Dora, thanks,” he said. “If anyone wants me, I’ll be at the concessionary.”
“Good luck,” she replied.
“Thanks, I think I’ll need it.”
Chapter Forty-two
As Stacy walked the nearly two-mile road to the wildlife area, she was surprised at the amount of work that had already been done by the clean-up crews. They must have worked through the night to accomplish as much as they had. Neat piles of logs and brush lay where the fallen trees had been the day before. The twisted remains of fencing were gone, and a new, sturdy fence was in its place. The road was clear, and the signs warning the public of wild animals beyond the fence line were already in place.
She could see the gate ahead of her, and although it was open, she could tell it was a new replacement. She was eager to see the area around the concessionary, and she was praying she had power so she could get some more work done.
Before she reached the gates, she could hear the buzz of chain-saws and other power equipment. Her heart pounded as she passed through the gate and reentered the location of her terrifying experience. Looking around, she could see that in this area as well the crews had been hard at work. The debris had been removed, and except for a scattering of leaves and twigs on the ground, you wouldn’t know this had been a scene of destruction just the afternoon before.
“Hey, Stacy, how are you doing?” Ed called from the front of the concessionary. “I didn’t expect to see you here today. You’re one, tough lady.”
Smiling, Stacy walked over to him. “Hi. You guys have done an amazing job,” she said. “Did you work all night?”
Shrugging, he nodded. “Yeah, the boss offered overtime to get everything back in ship-shape, so we got lots of volunteers,” he said. “But he didn’t want anyone to work stupid, so we split them up in shifts.”
“The boss sounds like he knows what he’s doing,” Stacy commented.
“Yeah, he’s okay,” Ed agreed. “And he was back here with us. Worked until about six and then drove home for a shower.”
“Good grief,” Stacy said. “I bet he’s exhausted.”
“Yeah, but he’s young,” Ed laughed. “He’ll get over it.”
Stacy was surprised to hear that the boss was young. For some reason, she had always pictured him as an older man, closer to Sam’s age. Well, his age wasn’t important; all she needed from him was approval for her new designs. She looked at the building and saw the door was open. “I was hoping I had power in the concessionary,” she said.
Ed nodded. “Yep, I got that done about an hour ago,” he said. “And I also hooked up the radio. I’m real sorry I didn’t get it done right last time. If you had been hurt in the storm, it would have been my fault.”
Stacy thought about Sam’s suggestion to sue and shook her head. “No, it wasn’t your fault,” she said. “It was just an honest mistake. Don’t worry about it. I’m perfectly fine.”
“So, you don’t want to sue Adventureland?” Henry asked from behind her.
She whipped around in time to see Henry walking towards her from the borrowed pick-up truck. “How did you…” then she stopped. “No, I never said I wanted to sue Adventureland.”
“That’s not what I heard,” he said, stopping a few feet in front of her, his arms akimbo.
Stacy imitated his stance. “Well, you heard wrong,” she snapped back.
“Well, if that’s not your plan, then why didn’t you wait for me this morning?” he asked.
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I really don’t do well with crowds.”
She turned around, nodded politely to Ed and marched through the door into the concessionary. She didn’t turn around but walked to the counter and started unpacking her computer. When she heard the door slam behind her, she tried not to flinch, and kept arranging her work on the table.
“We weren’t finished,” Henry said.
“Oh, I think we are,” she replied, not turning to face him.
“You didn’t answer my question about this morning,” he said.
This time she did turn and stare at him in disbelief. “You really don’t know why I didn’t stay this morning?” she asked. “Perhaps you ought to ask Lorraine.”
“I did,” he replied. “But she didn’t know either.”
“Oh!” she huffed, too angry for words.
She turned and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes to keep back the tears. “Go away, Henry,” she whispered. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Why? Because your lawyer advised against it?” he asked.
“Why would it matter if I spoke with you, anyway?” she asked, turning to face him.
“Because I’m the damn owner of Adventureland,” he yelled.
She shook her head. “No, you’re not,” she said.
“Yes, I am,” he replied evenly, meeting her eyes. “I’m the one who’s responsible for all of this.”
And then an awful truth occurred to her, and she was nearly sick to her stomach. “Is that why?” she asked as she took a deep, shuddering breath. “Is that why you came on to me yesterday, to protect your company? Did you think a few kisses would stop me from suing you?”
“Wait. What are you talking about?” he asked.
Suddenly, a scream from outside interrupted their argument. Running to the door, they saw a large bison charging across the green space towards some of the crew.
“Get a gun!” someone yelled.
“No, it’s George,” Stacy yelled.
She sprinted back to the counter, grabbed the bag of apple slices and ran towards the door. Grabbing her by the arms, Henry stopped her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
“I’m saving George,” she said, twisting to get away.
“No, you’re not,” he yelled, pulling her closer.
“You can’t strong-arm me anymore, Henry Guthrie,” she screamed, and kicked him in the leg. Startled, he let her go, and before he could catch her again, she blindly ran out the door, into the green and into the path of the charging animal.
Chapter Forty-three
Strong arms grabbed her, swung her around, away from the animal, and pulled her into a protective embrace. Stacy and Henry braced for the impact, but at the last moment, the bison altered its course and ran past them. Pushing out of Henry’s arms, Stacy took a deep breath, wiped the tears away from her eyes and stepped away from him.
She turned towards the snorting beast, reached into the bag, pulled out an apple piece and waved it in the air. “Hey, George,” she said, her voice still trembling with emotion. “You missed your treat this morning.”
The huge animal snorted and pawed the ground, shaking his enormous head back and forth. “I know,” she crooned. “It was a really bad day yesterday. For me, too. But now we just have to put on our big girl pants and get back to our lives.”
George snorted again but was less agitated.
“Come on,” she coaxed. “They’re your favorite. Granny Smith.”
The giant bison slowly walked forward, sniffing the air nervously. When he got a few feet in front of her, he extended his head and carefully pulled the apple slice from her fingers.
“Good boy,” she said, continuing in a sing-song manner. “Now, why don’t we move a little closer to the fence, George? And if Henry could open it up, I could lead you inside.”
Henry slowly backed away from Stacy towards the double gate that led into the reserve. Slowly unlatching it so it wouldn’t clang, he carefully pulled each side wide open and then moved back into the reserve area.
Stacy stepped back several feet, holding an apple slice out
as bait. “Come on, George,” she offered. “This piece is even bigger than the last one.”
George hesitated for a moment but then trotted forward and took the proffered slice.
“Good boy, George,” she said, backing up a few more feet. “Here’s more.”
The animal started to move forward again when one of the workers yelled. “There’s another one,” he called out.
Glancing over her shoulder, Stacy could see another large bison slowly heading towards the open gate. George looked past her, snorted and pawed the ground. “George,” Stacy stammered. “It’s okay, George.”
Henry moved from inside the gated area, walking along the open gate towards Stacy. “Stacy, keep moving,” he said softly. “You can’t be between them.”
Her heart pounding, Stacy stepped backwards, nearly tripping in her retreat, but George just followed her movements, waving his head wildly and angrily bellowing at the approaching bison. Stacy looked over her shoulder again. The other bison was only about twenty yards behind her, and she could feel George’s hot breath on her arm in front of her. She started to move back again, but the heel of her shoe got caught on an exposed root. “I can’t move,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “My shoe’s caught.”
“I can’t shoot,” one of the workers called out. “She’s too close.”
Henry frantically looked around and finally found what he needed. A big branch that had fallen in the storm, lay just inside the reserve. It was about six feet long and four inches in diameter. Running over, he grabbed it and held it in both hands like a staff.
He looked at the giant beast standing next to Stacy and his blood ran cold. One misstep and she could be trampled. Moving in slow, steady steps, breathing deeply, he moved up until he stood alongside Stacy. George eyed him suspiciously and shook his massive head. “Hey, George,” Henry said, trying to copy Stacy’s soothing tone. “We’re going to play a new game this morning.”
He took another step forward, holding the branch before him, creating a moving barrier between the bison and Stacy. He took a deep breath and pushed the branch forward, making contact with George’s chest. George snorted, but moved a step back.