Third Time's a Charm

by Virginia Smith

  “First date.” He glanced at the bouquets in the case. “But I didn’t call ahead. Was I supposed to?”

  She dismissed that with a flick of her hand. “Not necessarily. I can fix something up quickly. Not red roses, since this is a first date. Did you have sometime specific in mind?”

  “Daisies. There’s a special color she likes. Some strange color I never heard of.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember the word. Not fuchsia. “Gerber, or something like that.”

  The woman’s stare was blank for a moment, then she covered a sudden grin with her hand. “Do you mean Gerbera?”

  Ryan snapped his fingers. “That’s it.”

  Her laughter broke forth and sent an answering wave of dismay through him. Was she laughing at him?

  The laughter ended abruptly, and she patted his arm in a motherly gesture. “That’s not a color, honey. It’s a kind of flower. Here, let me show you.”

  Ryan followed her to the case and watched as she opened the door and pulled out a round glass vase stuffed with huge multicolored blooms. They looked like psychedelic daisies on steroids.

  He fingered one delicate red petal. “They’re giant daisies?”

  “Actually, they’re in the sunflower family.”

  Made sense. None of the blooms in this arrangement were white with yellow centers, like the daisies he knew. But the reds, yellows, and pinks were certainly more vibrant than the traditional kind. “So, how much is this bouquet?”

  “Forty-nine ninety-five plus tax.”

  Ryan winced. Fifty bucks for flowers? He sure hadn’t anticipated that.

  She saw his expression. “This is a deluxe arrangement, though. I can put together something smaller for you, if you like.”

  He gulped. He hated to seem like a cheapskate, but . . . “What can you do for around twenty-five?”

  Her smile became sympathetic. “Let me see. I’ll be right back.”

  She set the vase back on the shelf and disappeared through the doorway. Ryan examined the other flowers in the case. A couple of huge vases of roses, their deep red blooms startling and beautiful amid leafy green foliage. If this place got fifty bucks for a dozen giant daisies, how much would a dozen roses cost? His gaze slid sideways. Maybe he could afford that one, with only three flowers. No, Allie said roses were too formal for a first date, and the florist mentioned the same thing.

  He closed the glass door, his fingers twitching with sudden nerves. Apparently there was a whole list of do’s and don’ts associated with first dates that he knew nothing about. Where did women learn this stuff? There ought to be a class or something a guy could take.

  She had only been gone a few minutes when she returned carrying a smaller version of the same bouquet. “How’s this look?”

  Ryan inspected it with relief. Only six flowers, but the artful arrangement looked real nice. She’d even tied a pretty red bow around the neck of the vase. “It’s great. Thank you.”

  She grinned. “No problem. I hope she likes it.”

  Ryan paid her and left, carrying the vase to the car carefully in both hands. He hoped so too.

  “Yes, I did include a projected inflation rate on media costs.” Tori spoke calmly, a direct contrast to Kate’s irritable tone.

  “How much?” Her boss’s question barked through the phone.

  “Five percent.” The same as the last analysis you assigned me to do. And if you’d read the footnote on the graph I stayed up until 4 a.m. creating, you’d see that for yourself.

  The low hum of voices from conversations around the office rose and fell, blending with the sound of the ringing phones and fifties music coming from the next cubicle. Diana kept her radio on that station all day, and sometimes it drove Tori crazy. Sock hop tunes wouldn’t be her first choice of background music to inspire professional creativity. At the moment, though, the music provided a welcome distraction to her boss’s irritating cross-examination.

  “The workshop I just got out of said it should be six and a half,” Kate snapped.

  Tori clamped her jaw shut. Why did she sound so accusing, like Tori should have known that? She wasn’t the one at a conference learning all the latest trends. Apparently she was supposed to pick it up from her boss by osmosis or something.

  When she could keep her tone even, she said, “Alright. I’ll change it and email the updated numbers to you. Shouldn’t take too long.”

  “Fine.” Kate bit the word short. “Transfer me to Mitch.”

  Tori punched the buttons to send Kate’s call to Mitch’s extension, and hung up without announcing the transfer, a breach of office telephone etiquette. Then she wilted against the chair back and massaged her temples. She had managed to avoid Mitch all morning, and if it were up to her, she’d continue to do so. She wasn’t ready to face him after that startling comment last night.

  After a few moments of deep breathing had restored a semblance of calm, she straightened and reached for her computer. The sooner she got that analysis updated and sent off, the sooner she could return to putting flesh on the skeleton of her Maguire marketing plan.

  Her fingers had just touched the keyboard when someone stepped into the entrance of her cubicle. She looked up, and then blinked as her mind made the transition from business life to personal.

  “Joan. What are you doing here?”

  Her sister’s smile stretched across her face. “I took the day off work to shop for a wedding present for Ken. I’m here to have lunch with you.”

  “Oh, Joan, I can’t.” She waved vaguely in the direction of the phone. “I’m working on a project for my boss, and I can’t leave right now.”

  “You don’t have to leave.” She held up a bag she’d kept hidden behind the cubicle wall. “I picked up Subway. And look.” She reached into the bag and pulled out a smaller one. “Your favorite junk food—Doritos!”

  Tori glanced at the computer screen. What was the chance Kate was hanging out by her laptop, counting the minutes until the updated report arrived? Slim. And Joan rarely took a day off work.

  She shoved the keyboard away. “Okay. But let’s go into the small conference room.” She stood and looked over the row of cubicles, where several curious heads were turned their way, probably listening to their conversation. “It has a door.”

  The office on the other side of Kate’s had been furnished with a polished cherry conference table and six executive swivel chairs. The view was identical to Kate’s, and as soon as they entered, Joan tossed the bag on the table and crossed to the window.

  “Wow. Great view.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Tori stooped to get a couple of bottles of water out of the small refrigerator in the corner. “You should see it after dark, when the lights in the fountain are on.”

  Joan turned. “You shouldn’t see it after dark. Isn’t this supposed to be a nine-to-five job?”

  Tori answered that with a snort. “Yeah, right.”

  They sat side by side facing the window and Joan unwrapped their sandwiches. When she’d placed a turkey sub with all the veggies in front of Tori, she dropped her hands into her lap and bowed her head to say the blessing. The gesture took Tori by surprise, not because she was unaccustomed to saying grace before a meal with her family, but because here, in this professional environment, a prayer seemed out of place. After a moment’s hesitation, she bowed her head too.

  “Dear Lord, thank You for giving us this time together to enjoy one another’s company. Bless our food, and the hands that prepared it. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  “Amen.” One good thing about Joan. When she prayed, she made her point and then shut her mouth. Unlike Allie, who attempted to sneak a sermon in every time it was her turn to say the blessing.

  Tori unfolded a napkin and laid it across her skirt before she picked up her sandwich. “So, what are you going to give Ken as a wedding gift?” She was proud of herself. She didn’t scowl as she mentioned his name or anything.

  “I have absolutely no idea.” Joan squashed h
er overflowing sub flat-handed before picking it up. “I wish you could come with me and help me pick something out.”

  Tori nodded as she chewed. Shopping was her thing. Turn her loose in the mall with a credit card and she’d come up with the perfect gift every time.

  She swallowed. “A watch?”

  “He has one.” Joan took a bite.

  “Does he wear jewelry? You could get him a gold chain with a cross or a St. Christopher or something.” A religious nut like Ken would probably like that.

  Chewing, Joan scrunched her nose and shook her head.

  Tori twisted the cap off of the water bottle and took a long drink. “I know! Get him a gold-plated stethoscope. All the other doctors will turn green with envy. He’ll start a fashion trend in medical-wear.”

  Joan’s shoulders hunched forward with her laugh, and she snatched a napkin to cover her full mouth. She gulped. “Ken is many things, but he’s not a trend setter.”

  Tori shook her head. “I don’t know, then. But I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

  The laughter faded from Joan’s face as she opened the chips and divided them on their makeshift placemats. She didn’t look at Tori as she spoke. “I wish you two got along better. He really likes you, you know.”

  Which implied Joan knew Tori didn’t like him. Guilt stabbed at her. “I like him too.” At Joan’s disbelieving glance, she backpedaled. “Well, I mean I don’t dislike him.” Joan’s stare didn’t waver, until it was Tori’s turn to look down. “Okay, so maybe he wouldn’t be my first choice to hang out with on a Saturday night. But I’m not marrying him. You are.”

  Joan’s hand covered Tori’s. Sparkles winked at her from the ring that hailed the upcoming wedding. “You’re my sister. I love you both, and I want you to love each other.” Tori’s skin felt cool when Joan pulled her hand back. “Why don’t you like him, anyway?”

  Tori heaved a sigh and picked up an olive that had spilled from her sub onto the paper. She’d never made a secret of the fact that Ken’s over-the-top attitude toward religion got on her nerves, but now didn’t seem to be a good time to get into that issue with her sister. “I’m just worried that you’re moving too fast. Marriage is such a huge risk these days, and if it fails it can be devastating for everyone. We have the perfect example in our parents.” She held the olive in front of her mouth. “Do you really want to risk subjecting yourself to another divorce?”

  “Of course not. If I weren’t one hundred percent positive, I wouldn’t have accepted Ken’s proposal.” Joan’s smile was tender. “We love each other, Tori. Really.”

  Tori forestalled an answer by putting the olive in her mouth and chasing it with a swig of water. Mom had loved Daddy too, once upon a time. The expression on her face Sunday evening as she talked about him was proof of that. But Mom’s fairy tale ended in tragedy.

  Her sister must have read her mind. “We are not going to end up like Mom and Daddy. I promise.”

  Joan sounded absolutely confident. And Tori couldn’t deny that the mention of Ken’s name ignited a light in her sister’s eyes that outshone the glow from the ring on her finger. A crack formed in the shell of Tori’s resistance. Maybe she ought to make an effort to accept the inevitable and do her part to keep peace in the family. Even if it meant being nice to the religious nut.

  “Well, alright.” She picked up her sandwich. “I’ll make an effort if he will.”

  Joan’s smile brightened the room. “Thank you. And now, tell me about your hot date tonight.”

  Tori groaned. “Allie told you.”

  “The minute you hung up on her.” Joan twisted her lips. “You really should call her back.”

  “I know, I know. I’ll call her this afternoon.” She’d meant to call Allie back yesterday and apologize for hanging up so abruptly, but after Mitch’s startling comment about them speaking the same language, she’d been too distracted to think about much else. “Or maybe I’ll wait until tomorrow, so I can deliver all the scoop about my date tonight.”

  Joan swiveled her chair around and relaxed against the leather back. “I want the scoop now. I know about the coffee mishap, but something must have gone right the other day if you agreed to go out with him again. Did sparks fly between you two?”

  Tori remembered the almost electric tingle of attraction when she touched Ryan’s arm. She allowed a small grin. “Maybe a few small ones. But as I told Allie—”

  The door behind them opened, and Tori stopped mid-sentence as she turned to see who was interrupting them. Her stomach gave a dizzying flip-flop when Mitch thrust his head through the doorway.

  “There you are, Sanderson.” The familiar smirk had reappeared, along with the impersonal use of her last name.

  O-kay. If that’s the way he wanted to play it.

  She ignored an unreasonable stab of disappointment and told him coldly, “I’m having lunch.”

  “I can see that.” Unfazed, he opened the door wider and stepped into the room, eyeing first the sandwiches on the table, and then Joan. His smile widened as he spoke to Tori while staring at Joan with undisguised admiration. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

  The flirt. Tori used her hand to gesture toward each of them as she performed a quick introduction. “Mitch Jackson, meet my sister, Joan.”

  “Well, hello there.” Mitch came forward to take Joan’s hand, and did not release it. “I see beauty is a Sanderson family trait.”

  “Mitch.” Joan pronounced his name with recognition as she gently disengaged herself from his grip. “You’re the one who was hired about a month after Tori came to work here.”

  “The one and only.” Mitch’s smile grew smug. “I’m glad to know she talks about me outside the office.”

  Joan’s eyes gleamed, and she spoke in a teasing tone. “Oh, yes. She told the whole family about the big project you two are working on, and how much she’s going to enjoy becoming your boss.”

  Surprise momentarily wiped the smirk off of his face. Tori didn’t bother to hide her grin. Score one for her side.

  “I see beauty isn’t the only thing that runs in the family.” His head dipped slightly toward Joan in a silent acknowledgment before he spoke to Tori. “Our favorite ulcer dispenser is trying to reach you. She wants you to call her back as soon as you return to your desk.”

  Tori groaned and leaned her head against the high chair back. “I’ll be so glad when she gets back to the office and has her own work to do.”

  “I hear you.” He picked up a Dorito and popped it into his mouth before heading toward the door. “Nice to meet you,” he told Joan before he slipped out.

  “I hope I wasn’t rude to him.” Softhearted Joan sounded worried.

  Tori laughed. “Even if you had been, he wouldn’t have noticed. Subtle jabs are lost on Mitch. He’s too focused on himself.”

  Joan was studying her with an odd expression. “I don’t think he’s only focused on himself. He seemed pretty taken with you.”

  An odd sense of excitement made Tori swing toward the table and start wrapping what was left of her sandwich. “You’re imagining things. He’s the office flirt, that’s all.” Obviously that’s all last night’s comment was to him. Flirting with a co-worker.

  “Hmmm.” Joan ate the last bite of her own sub and wadded the paper. “Is he a Christian?”

  “Mitch?” Tori aimed a surprised look toward the closed door. “I don’t know. The subject has never come up.”

  Joan’s shoulders deflated a tiny bit, and Tori saw that she was biting the inside of her lip. Probably disappointed that her baby sister hadn’t cross-examined the guy about his religious standing the minute after they met, as she certainly would have. Yet another sign of Ken Fletcher’s influence on the Sanderson family. They just didn’t understand that religion had no place in a professional office environment.

  She tossed the rest of the chips back in the bag and folded the top. “Thanks for bringing lunch. I’d better call my boss before she has a coronary o
r something.”

  “I’m glad you could take a few minutes to eat with me.”

  They walked together to the elevator and Joan pushed the button. For once, the doors opened almost immediately. Joan stepped inside, turned, and put her hand across the door to prevent it from closing.

  “Have fun tonight.” Even, white teeth appeared as she bit her lower lip, apparently trying to decide if she should say something. “You know, Ryan is a really nice guy.”

  Ah. Pushing the good Christian boy over the flirty coworker.

  “I know he is.” Tori smiled. “Call me and let me know what you pick out for Ken’s wedding present.”

  Joan nodded and lowered her hand. The doors started to close. “Oh!” She thrust a hand out and halted them. “I forgot to ask. Are you coming to Sunday school this week?”

  Tori narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

  “No reason. Just wondering.” Joan gave her an innocent look. She and Allie probably want to give me another not-so-subtle shove in Ryan’s direction. Save me a seat beside him or something.

  “You should come.” Joan’s tone coaxed. “You haven’t been in a month.”

  Longer, actually. She pictured Gram’s fretful expression last Sunday when she arrived at the house long after church was over. Gram loved having her whole family together, crowded into the pew where she sat every Sunday morning.

  Actually, this Sunday would be better than most to be away from the office. Kate was scheduled to fly back from Chicago on Sunday, so hopefully she’d be too busy to bother her harried employees.

  “Yes, I’ll be in Sunday school,” she told her sister.

  Joan gave a satisfied nod and dropped her hand to her side. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” The doors swooshed closed.

  Tori stood there a moment, staring at her blurry reflection in the polished silver doors. If Joan’s visit hadn’t been cut short, she would have loved to turn the conversation around to Daddy so she could question Joan about Mom’s revelations Sunday afternoon. Her boss’s interruption had eliminated that possibility. So, what else was new? Kate made a habit of disrupting Tori’s plans.

  With a sigh, she headed back to her cubicle to call Kate and find out the latest crisis that would prevent her from working on her Maguire marketing plan.