Third Time's a Charm

by Virginia Smith

  Tori picked up a gleaming silver fork and speared a crisp lettuce leaf. “Winston Street off South Limestone.”

  Ryan paused with his fork in front of his mouth, his brows arched. “On U.K.’s campus?” He sounded skeptical.

  “Not right on campus, but nearby.” Tori looked around the room. Ryan was right to look skeptical. The college crowd would feel totally out of place here. Not to mention the fact that most of them couldn’t afford to walk through the front door. “I’m planning to go down there and check it out later this week, as soon as I get some breathing room.”

  The salad was excellent, with a blend of lettuces and just the right amount of vegetables. Tori sliced into a cherry tomato. Enough about her job, which she’d rather forget for a while. “Tell me about growing up on a farm.”

  “I still can’t believe you have never been on one.” He shook his head, laughter coloring his words. “You really are a city girl.”

  She gave him a wry look. “Danville can hardly be considered a major metropolitan center of culture.”

  He cocked his head, a grin lighting his eyes. “It is to someone from Junction City.”

  “I suppose that’s true.” She chuckled, then assumed a superior tone. “But I have actually been on a farm, I’ll have you know.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “I was in third grade, and my class took a field trip to the Double Stink Pig Farm.”

  He tossed his fork on his plate and sat back in the chair, laughing. “That is not a farm.”

  “It is too,” she said, indignant. “We each got to pick a pumpkin in this huge field, and they had a petting zoo with camels and sheep and even some kangaroos.”

  “Well, we don’t raise camels or kangaroos on our farm. But we do have hogs.” His lips twitched behind the rim of his glass. “Chickens and cows too. And lots of corn and tobacco.” After he’d gulped a long drink of water, he set the glass down. “I’ll show it to you sometime, if you want to see what a real farm is like.”

  Tori smiled and gave a noncommittal nod, focusing on her salad plate while trying to study him without looking at him. Was there something more behind that invitation than a chance to see a bunch of pigs? Like, maybe, an introduction to his family? Well, he was a nice guy and all, but she wasn’t at all ready for that. Besides, she’d already met part of his family and been baptized with coffee in the process.

  She was relieved when the waiter appeared with their soup. After he’d placed a bubbly, cheese-covered crock in front of each of them and left, Ryan changed the subject.

  “So, how’s the clean-up project at your grandmother’s house going?”

  “We’ve barely begun.” Tori wrinkled her nose. “But it’s a dirty job.” An apt description for the process of trudging through an ugly past. Hopefully he would think she referred to the dust in Gram’s attic.

  “Your grandmother has lived in that house a long time, hasn’t she?”

  Tori nodded. “She and my grandpa built it, the first house on that street. It’s really the only home I’ve ever known.”

  His voice grew soft. “It must be tough going through all those things from your past and deciding which to keep and which to give away.”

  A lump formed in her throat and threatened to choke her. “Not only that, but you know what I found Sunday afternoon?” She snapped her mouth shut. Why did she say that? She didn’t intend to lay out her family’s sordid history for Ryan’s inspection.

  “What did you find?”

  His spoon poised over his own crock as he waited for her to take a spoonful of steaming soup and then wash it down with water.

  “Oh, just a bunch of my father’s things.” She tried to make it sound casual, like it was no big deal. But her voice sounded tight, like air squeezed out through a balloon’s narrow opening.

  Understanding dawned on his face. “The box in your trunk?” He paused, then explained his guess. “I thought you looked troubled when you saw it.”

  Mom always said she wore her heart on her face. With halting words, Tori told Ryan about the shoebox full of photographs that she hadn’t been able to even take out of her trunk yet, much less open and look at. He listened without interrupting, his face such a mask of sympathy that she didn’t stop there, but went on to detail what she’d discovered about her father from Mom.

  “Wow. It’s hard to believe a man could just walk away from his family like that.” She must have looked startled, because he immediately covered her hand with his. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”

  “No, that’s okay.” She smiled to reassure him, trying to ignore the warmth from his palm as it rested on the back of her hand. “I’ve thought the same thing for fifteen years.”

  The waiter approached, and Ryan withdrew his hand. Tori placed hers in her lap where it lay, tingling faintly. When they’d both declined dessert, the man set a leather folder on the table and withdrew to a discreet distance. Tori folded her napkin as Ryan placed enough cash in the folder to cover the check and tip, and then they left the restaurant. She gave the place a final scrutinizing examination as she headed for the door, trying to soak in the ambiance. As soon as she got home she’d record her thoughts while they were still fresh. Her notes would come in handy when she started working on the branding ideas.

  They chatted about nothing in particular on the drive downtown, and in a few minutes Ryan pulled into the parking garage beneath her building. He parked next to her car and climbed out. Tori waited for him to circle around to open her door. They’d come to the time of the date that caused her hands to sweat and her stomach to knot with nerves. Would he kiss her? What would she do if he did? All the reasons she’d listed to Allie for avoiding a romantic relationship with Ryan Adams still existed. And yet, she’d had a nice time with him this evening. No use denying he was an attractive man. So maybe if he tried to kiss her . . .

  He opened her door and extended a hand to assist her out of the car. The firmness in his arm as he steadied her reminded her again of a lumberjack. There was something wholesome and outdoorsy about his strength. Tori’s fingers felt small and dainty in his.

  He released her the moment she stood steady on her sandals. Biting back a sigh, Tori pushed the Unlock button on her car’s remote and waited for him to open it for her. The traffic noise from outside filtered into the empty parking garage.

  “Thank you for the flowers, and for dinner.” She smiled up at him. “And for changing your plans so I could see Maguire’s. It really helped me to be there and soak up the atmosphere.”

  “It was my pleasure.” He sounded as though he really meant it.

  A thought occurred to her. Research on Maguire’s new restaurant site would be much more fun with someone else along. She spoke before she could reconsider. “You mentioned that you don’t have class on Wednesday nights. Do you want to go with me to check out the new location? There’s a restaurant nearby that has awesome pizza.”

  He shifted his gaze downward, and Tori experienced a stab of discomfort. Had she offended him? She thought he’d enjoyed the evening tonight, as she had. Maybe he was an old-fashioned kind of guy who didn’t like girls taking the initiative.

  He gave a little nod and held her gaze. “And maybe while we’re there, you could show me those pictures.”

  The suggestion dropped into Tori’s stomach like a lump of ice. She opened her mouth to protest, but he went on in a gentle tone.

  “It might help to have someone else there when you look at them, you know? Just so you’re not alone.”

  She closed her mouth again. Ryan was right. Going through those pictures in the solitude of her apartment would be nothing but gruesome. And looking at them with Allie and Joan, listening to her sisters’ commentaries on each one, would be even worse.

  Her voice croaked when she asked, “What time?”

  The smile that crept onto Ryan’s face went a long way toward warming her cold insides. “Since I don’t have class tomorrow, I’m free anytime after six, wh
en I get off work.”

  She really should work tomorrow night, since nights seemed to be the only time she was able to get anything done on her project. But technically, the date would be research for her project. Sort of.

  “I’ll be ready to go at seven thirty.” She managed a thin smile. “Why don’t you pick me up at my apartment this time?”

  She gave him directions, then slid into the seat. He stood watching as she backed out of the parking place and headed for the exit.

  He hadn’t even tried to kiss her goodnight. Her stomach was in such turmoil from the thought of going through those pictures with him tomorrow night, Tori couldn’t tell if she was relieved or disappointed.

  10

  When Ryan pulled into the parking lot of Long’s Hardware and Building Supply Wednesday morning, he was only mildly surprised to see Allie’s car already waiting. He’d figured she would come by again this morning and try to pry the blow-by-blow details of their date out of him. But then the passenger door opened and Joan climbed out. Uh oh. He was about to be tag-teamed.

  Dressed in gym shorts and running shoes, Joan approached his car while Allie got the baby out of the backseat. Ryan turned the engine off and eyed her through the window. Joan was a nice girl, easygoing and easy to talk to. But at the moment she wore the same eager expression as her older sister, and it made him want to lock the doors and run for cover. Instead, he resolutely got out of the car.

  “Hey, Joan. You’re out early this morning.”

  “Allie and I go to the gym together a couple of days a week before I go to work.” She fell in step beside him as he headed for the store. “We thought we’d drop by and see how it went last night.”

  Okay, the gym was right down the road, so that was at least a believable excuse.

  “It went fine.” The doors swept open at their approach, and Allie joined them as they entered. “We had a good time.” He spared a fleeting hope that they’d settle for “a good time,” but there was zero possibility of that. They’d want every tiny insignificant detail.

  “And?” Allie looked like she’d just been handed a shovel and told to dig diamonds out of a pile of sand. He recognized that relentless determination from the women in his own family and sucked in a resigned breath.

  “I took her flowers.”

  “Gerbera daisies?”

  He nodded, then scowled at Allie. “You could have told me that was a kind of flower and not a color.” The look they both gave him bordered on pity, so he went on. “She seemed to like them.”

  “And you picked her up at her office, right?” Allie asked.

  Sheesh, if she already knew the answer, why make him repeat it? He stooped to pick up a gum wrapper on the floor, trying to decide if he could throw them out of the store. No, probably not. His mother’s lessons were too deeply ingrained to allow him to be rude, especially to women. Even if they were busybodies.

  He straightened and forced a smile. “That’s right. At eight forty-five, like I promised.”

  “Good. Tori likes punctuality.” Joan nodded, encouraging him to continue.

  An image of Tori coming to meet him as he stepped off the elevator rose in his mind. “She looked amazing.”

  “What was she wearing?” Allie shifted the baby to her other hip.

  “A dress.” They both waited, their expressions demanding more. “Uh, a red dress. And shoes.”

  “Was it sleeveless, scooped neck, hem below the knee, with a belted waist?”

  “Yeah,” he said, “that’s the one.”

  Allie turned to Joan. “I was with her when she bought that dress. She looks great in it.” She faced Ryan again. “Go on.”

  Ryan rubbed his forehead. “Uh, there was a guy there. Someone she works with. Mitch Somebody.”

  Joan pursed her lips. “The one I told you about,” she said to Allie.

  “He was still there at almost nine o’clock last night?” A line of concern creased the skin between Allie’s eyes. “That’s not good.”

  “It’s not?” Ryan half turned away from them to straighten a rack of lug nuts, his thoughts tangling into a knot. He’d known there was something about that guy he didn’t like.

  “Don’t worry.” Joan placed a hand on his arm. “We’re on your side.”

  Allie’s look became fierce. “Yeah, that guy doesn’t stand a chance.”

  My side? There were sides being taken all of a sudden?

  Of course, if sides were being drawn, he definitely wanted Allie and Joan in his camp. They may be busybodies, but they were also insiders.

  “So, you took her to deSha’s, like we discussed?”

  He glanced at Allie. “No, she wanted to go to Maguire’s because of that big project she’s working on.”

  Both of them looked impressed at that news, which lightened his mood a shade.

  “Maguire’s. Wow.” Joan folded her arms, nodding with satisfaction. “Nice move, Ryan.”

  He started to relax when Allie gave him a stern look. “Don’t get cocky. We have to plan your next move.”

  “Actually, the next move is already planned.” Both sets of eyebrows arched. Ryan shoved his hands into his pockets. “She asked me to go with her tonight to check out the location for Maguire’s new restaurant.”

  “She asked you?” Delight colored Joan’s tone.

  When he nodded, Allie raised her hand toward her sister for a high-five. He almost laughed at the glee on their faces.

  “I think you two are happier than me.” He didn’t quite manage to filter a hint of distrust out of his tone.

  Allie zeroed in on it. “We just want what’s best for our sister.”

  His chest swelled out. “And you think I’m what’s best for Tori?”

  “You’ll do in a pinch.” Joan punched him lightly on the shoulder, grinning. Then she sobered. “Seriously, she spends too much time at work. We don’t want to see her end up like that boss of hers, with her whole life revolving around her job.”

  “And besides, we know you’re a Christian.” Allie settled the baby on her other hip. “We’d rather see her with you than with someone like that Mitch guy that we don’t know anything about.”

  The store’s phone rang, and Ryan turned toward the counter, but Gary, the owner and his boss, emerged from the stock room and beat him to it.

  “We’d better let you get to work,” Joan said.

  Allie nodded, but grabbed his arm for a parting piece of advice. “No flowers this time. You don’t want to look like you’re buttering her up or anything. Just be fun and relaxing.”

  Ryan shifted his weight, suddenly uncomfortable. Fun? Relaxing? Maybe his suggestion about those pictures wasn’t such a good idea after all.

  “Hey, Ryan.”

  He turned toward the sales counter to find Gary holding the phone receiver toward him. “It’s your mother.”

  Great. Gary was probably wondering if he was going to get any work done at all today, or spend the whole time on personal business.

  Allie threw him a parting threat as she followed Joan out the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow and find out how it went.”

  With an apologetic grimace at his boss, Ryan took the receiver. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hi, honey. Loralee and I were just sitting here having a cup of coffee between chores and she was telling me about your date last night. How did it go?”

  A low groan rumbled in his throat. “Mom, I can’t talk right now. I’m at work.”

  Her voice became muffled as she spoke to someone in the room with her, probably covering the phone with her hand. “Says he can’t talk right now.” He heard Loralee in the distance, but couldn’t make out her words, then Mom spoke to him again. “At least tell us if you had a good time.”

  “Yes, we had a good time.”

  “And are you going out with her again?”

  He heaved an audible sigh for her benefit. “Yes, I am.” He wasn’t about to go into the details twice within a ten-minute period.

  “Good. Well,
I want you to ask her over here for lunch on Sunday so your father and I can meet her. Loralee says she’s a real pretty girl.”

  Ryan was aware of Gary standing at the end of the counter, not exactly watching him, but obviously listening. He turned his body slightly and lowered his voice. “Mom, I am not going to bring her out there for your inspection. Besides, I happen to know she has dinner every Sunday with her own family.”

  “Dessert, then. I’ll fix a nice peach cobbler, and your father can churn some ice cream. And I promise to leave my magnifying glass in the desk drawer.”

  In the background he heard Loralee say, “Tell him the boys have something to give her. A present they bought with their own money.”

  “Did you hear that?” Mom asked.

  “I heard.” The doors slid open and a customer came into the store. Ryan straightened. “I’ve got to go, Mom. I have a customer.”

  “Alright, honey. You let me know about that cobbler. Love you.”

  When Ryan replaced the receiver, he turned to find Gary staring openly at him, his lips twisted into a grin. “Had a date last night, didja?”

  Ryan eyed his boss warily. “You’re not going to cross-examine me about it, are you?”

  Gary’s eyes went round, and he held his hands up. “Not me.” His grin deepened. “’Sides, all I have to do is stand around and listen. You got women coming out of the woodwork to do the job for me.”

  When Tori stepped off the elevator at seven fifty-eight Wednesday morning, Fran was just getting to her desk.

  “Good morning.” Tori started to sweep past.

  The receptionist’s keys jingled as she unlocked her desk and placed her purse in the bottom door. “How was the date?”

  Tori paused. “How do you know I had a date last night?”

  Tapping a sparkly tipped finger on her chin, Fran said, “Let’s see. One, you brought clothes and makeup with you to work yesterday. Two, your sister told you to ‘have fun’ before she left.” She grinned. “And three, Mitch told us yesterday afternoon.”

  Tori rolled her eyes. Mitch was a worse gossip than any of his female co-workers. “I should have known. No secrets in this office.”