Third Time's a Charm

by Virginia Smith

“Okay.” He lifted the lid and lifted out a piece of paper. “What’s this?”

  “Oh, that.” Tori took it from his hand and set it on the table. “It’s nothing. Just an old form I found.”

  He nodded and reached into the box again. A smile lit his face. “Hey, look at you.”

  He held the family portrait she’d seen in the attic, the one where Daddy stood behind Mom. “I think I was about two months old in that one.”

  “You were a cute baby. Sort of like Joanie, with that white-blonde hair.”

  Tori glanced at her infant self. “Only I was chubbier.” She reached into the box and pulled out another one. She flipped it over, and her breath caught in her throat. A wedding picture. Mom’s dress was a floor-length strapless sheath, no train, but with a lace overlay. Perfect for her tall, slim figure. Beside her stood Daddy in a suit and tie.

  “Wow, look how young Carla was.” Ryan studied the photo. “How old was she when they married?”

  “Twenty-two,” Tori replied absently. “Two years younger than I am now.”

  “I never noticed how much Allie looks like her.” He glanced up at her face. “And you too, a little. But Joan looks a lot like your father.”

  Tori nodded, her gaze fixed on the photo. Joan’s eyes stared up at her from Daddy’s face. Funny, she’d never noticed how gaunt he was, how his cheeks sank in. Where Joan’s body was lean and athletic, his was too thin. He didn’t look like that later on, did he? With hesitant fingers, she reached into the box and sifted through the photos until she found the one of Daddy washing his car. Not chubby by any means, but he was more filled out then, several years after marrying Mom.

  “Hey, look at that. A 1978 Buick Skylark.”

  That made Tori chuckle. Guys always noticed the cars. “I thought we were looking at pictures of my father.”

  “And you. I want to see one of you as a little girl.” He grinned as he reached into the box. “If your mother is anything like mine, there might be some embarrassing ones, like of you taking your first bath.”

  She slapped playfully at his hand. “These are pictures Mom packed away of Daddy, so there won’t be any of me by myself in there. Those are all in the photo albums at home.”

  “Just my luck.” He pulled out a couple of snapshots and flipped through them, then held one up. “Who’s this?”

  Tori’s heart wrenched as she looked at the photo he held. “That’s Allie with my grandpa and Daddy.” The two men sat side by side on the sofa that still graced the living room of the family home, an adolescent Allie wedged between them. She couldn’t take her gaze from Grandpa’s kind face. A prickle began in the back of her eyes. If she wasn’t careful, she would embarrass herself and blubber.

  She sifted quickly through the stack she held in her hand. Many of these were familiar, though she hadn’t seen them since she was a young child. Mom had obviously cleaned out the photo albums after the divorce.

  She came across a family shot she remembered. She was dressed like a fairy princess, complete with cardboard wings and a glittery wand. Allie wore a pirate’s eye patch, and Joan had cat whiskers drawn on her face. “Here’s one of me.” She held the old Polaroid up for Ryan to see. “I think I was about seven. I still remember that Halloween costume. We went trick-or-treating at Gram and Grandpa’s house, and Gram snapped this.”

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the photo. “Your father doesn’t look thrilled to be there.”

  He didn’t. In fact, he looked bored. In the photo, Allie and Joan stood on either side of Daddy, while Tori hugged Mom’s legs with one hand and held her wand in the other. A noticeable gap stretched between her parents. Between young Tori and her father.

  “I think I was kind of a mama’s girl.” She stared at her arm wrapped around her mother.

  “Kids that age are,” Ryan said. “Butch wouldn’t let Loralee out of his sight until about last year.”

  Tori tore her gaze away from the photograph. “Were you?”

  “Honestly?” He lowered his voice and leaned close. “I still am. She cooks better than Pop does.”

  Tori joined his laughter, her somber mood broken by his lighthearted manner. When he leaned forward to take another photo from the box, he placed an arm casually across the back of her chair. She hid a smile. Tonight he would kiss her goodnight, for sure.

  They went through the pictures quickly, and finished by the time their pizza arrived. As the server set a Garden Special in front of them, Tori shuffled all the photos into a semblance of order and stored them back in the box. She started to replace the lid, and Ryan picked up the folded paper.

  “Don’t forget this.” He unfolded it, glanced at it, and looked up at her. “A tax form?”

  She took it from him, avoiding his eyes. “Yeah, after we talked the other day I snitched it from the attic. I figured if I ever wanted to try to find him, I’d need his social security number.”

  He placed it inside the box. “That would probably help, but I don’t think you need it.”

  “I don’t?”

  He shook his head. “A customer in the store last year was talking about tracking down his old high school buddies on the Internet. Apparently all you need is a name and a state where they used to live.”

  “Really?”

  His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I’ve never done it, but that’s what he said.”

  Could it be that easy? Now that she thought about it, Tori felt a little foolish that she’d never even looked to see if she could trace Daddy. She was a market research analyst. She, of all people, knew how easy it was to search public records on the Internet. Just today she’d pulled up property values and sales history with a few mouse clicks.

  “Mmm, this looks great.” Ryan lifted a slice of pizza onto a small plate and swept the hanging strings of hot cheese with a finger before setting it in front of her. “I’m starving.”

  A moment ago, Tori’s stomach had churned with dread at the thought of looking at pictures of Daddy. Now the task was accomplished, and it hadn’t turned out nearly as bad as she expected. She pried a napkin out of the holder and handed it to him with a smile. “Me too.”

  A trace of humidity hung in the warm night air as Tori walked beside Ryan from his car to her apartment. The fountain in the duck pond had been turned off for the night, and the silence around the complex was broken only by a host of crickets serenading them from somewhere in the shrubbery that lined the sidewalk. Ryan carried the box of photos tucked under one arm.

  As she walked, Tori hooked her hand through his other arm, enjoying the strength she felt in him. “I had a really nice time tonight.”

  His glance held a smile. “Even going through these pictures?” She wrinkled her nose, then admitted, “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Even though . . .”

  Her words trailed off as they mounted the steps in the breezeway that led to her door.

  “Even though what?”

  Tori released his arm and took her time opening her purse, feeling inside for her keys. The anxiety that had wrenched her stomach into knots every time she thought of those photos in the past few days was gone, chased away by the act of looking at them. But an uneasiness had taken its place. Her fingers touched metal.

  “I don’t think I really had much of a relationship with my father.” She spoke slowly as she extracted her key chain. “Looking at those pictures, it’s Allie and Joan who were always with Daddy, while I hung back with Mom. And that’s how I remember it too.”

  “Well, they were older.” Ryan’s voice was gentle. “They had more time with him before he left. And maybe the last few years he was becoming distant. I mean, a guy doesn’t just decide to leave his family on an impulse. Maybe he went through a period where he separated himself emotionally.”

  That made sense, especially since most of her memories of Daddy before the divorce were of him sitting in front of the television, present in body but his attention focused elsewhere. Was he stoned during those times? Had he begun to
slip into his addictive lifestyle then?

  She nodded without looking up. “You’re probably right. I . . . feel sort of bad. Like my sisters had a relationship with a man I never had a chance to know.”

  “That was his loss.” The admiration shining in Ryan’s eyes softened the sharp edges of her discomfort.

  “Thank you.” She pitched her tone low, inviting him to come closer as she stood very still and gazed deeply into his eyes. Now would be a good time for him to kiss her. She knew he wanted to, could feel the attraction vibrating between them almost like a magnetic force.

  The feeling broke when he leaned away and thrust the box toward her. “I had a good time tonight too.”

  Fighting a shaft of disappointment, Tori took the shoe-box from him. “Thanks for driving me around.” She unlocked the door and pushed it open.

  “Glad to help.” He stepped back, his eyes fixed on her face. “Hey, I was wondering if you’d like to come out to my parents’ place Sunday afternoon. Butch and Cody have something for you.”

  Ah, the meet-the-parents trip. A bit soon, since he hadn’t even kissed her yet.

  She tilted her head and gave him a look of mock distrust. “It doesn’t involve coffee, does it?”

  He grinned like a little boy. “I have no idea. But if they come at you with anything liquid, I promise to throw myself in front of you like a human shield.” His grin deepened. “Besides, I can show you the difference between a real farm and a tourist attraction.”

  “I’d like that.” Tori realized she spoke the truth. She really wanted to see Ryan in his home environment, to see how different his home was from hers.

  He spoke as he backed down the stairs. “Great. I’ll pick you up at your grandmother’s house around two.”

  “See you then.”

  Tori stepped into her apartment and closed the door. She leaned against it for a moment, reviewing the evening. Ryan was an interesting man. Uncomplicated, unlike most guys she’d dated since college. A what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of guy. Definitely different from Mitch.

  12

  “Long’s Hardware.” Ryan propped the phone on his shoulder so his hands were free to tear open a box of plastic bags as he talked.

  “It’s Allie. How’d it go last night?”

  He’d expected to see her car in the parking lot when he came to work this morning, so her phone call wasn’t a surprise. “Fine. We had a good time.”

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “Details, Ryan! I want details!”

  He grinned as he positioned the bags beneath the counter, ready for use with the next customer. “Okay. We had the Garden Special with extra cheese. She sprinkled Parmesan on hers. I used crushed red pepper.”

  Her disgusted grunt made him laugh. “Did she have a good time? What did you talk about? Are you going out again?”

  No way he was going to mention the photographs. “You know, Allie, at some point you’re going to have to let go and trust me to handle things on my own.”

  “I know, but we’re not there yet. Answer the questions.”

  He blew a loud sigh in her ear. “We both had a good time. We talked about her project and my father’s farm. And yes.”

  A pause. “Yes? You mean she agreed to go out with you again?”

  She sounded so surprised he wondered if he should take offense. “You sound shocked.”

  “Well, frankly, I am. Three times in a row is something of a record for Tori. Where are you taking her this time?”

  “We’re going out to the farm Sunday afternoon. My nephews are going to give her a present or something, to apologize for the coffee incident, and my mom’s fixing dessert.” The door slid open and a customer entered. Ryan straightened and held the phone to his right ear.

  “That’s great news, Ryan! I can’t believe she agreed to meet your family. Just wait ’til I tell Joan.”

  The delight in her voice was enough to bring a smile to his face. No doubt she’d call Joan as soon as they hung up.

  He shifted the phone to his other ear. “Listen, I’ve got a customer. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Okay, but one more thing. Her favorite dessert is lemon meringue pie. Feed her lemon meringue pie and she’ll love you forever.”

  “I thought you said if I feed her mocha-flavored coffee she’d love me forever.”

  “Yes, but you didn’t feed that to her,” Allie said dryly. “You dumped it on her.”

  Good point. “Okay, thanks for the tip.”

  He shook his head as he hung up the phone. Mom’s cobbler was her specialty, but maybe she wouldn’t mind making a pie instead.

  At seven o’clock Friday morning, Tori pulled into the parking lot of the strip mall that housed Nolan’s Ark. She glanced at the three vehicles parked near the pet store. Thankfully, she didn’t recognize any of them. She’d been half afraid Mitch would show up this morning to horn in on the commercial shoot. All day yesterday she’d kept quiet about this assignment, and as far as she could tell, Phil hadn’t said a word to anyone about asking her to help out. That suited her fine. If Mitch heard about it, he would elbow his way in for sure. And if Kate had caught wind of it, she might have put the kibosh on Tori’s involvement. Why Tori thought so, she couldn’t really pinpoint, except Kate seemed like the kind of person who didn’t voluntarily share her employees. She probably hogged the crayon box when she was in kindergarten too.

  Tori parked next to a small white van with the Artistic Video logo on the door. The freelance company was one of several that Connolly and Farrin hired to handle the commercial filming for their clients, but Tori had never met them. She glanced into the rearview mirror to assure herself that her makeup was okay, then got out of the car and smoothed a crease in her skirt. Phil said all she had to do was show up and watch. Surely she could handle that without looking like an amateur.

  She paused for a moment to allow her nerves to settle and examined the exterior of the store. A window looked in on a display box where a litter of cuddly kittens played. She watched them for a moment, smiling when a gray-and-white striped one pounced on the fuzzy tail of another.

  The door was locked, but she caught the eye of a man inside who hurried over to let her in.

  “Are you Miss Sanderson?” A film of sweat glistened on his forehead as he ushered her inside and locked the door behind her.

  Tori expected to step into cool air, but the store’s interior was almost as warm as outside, only stuffier. The smell that hit her was a mixture of wood shavings and wet fur. Ugh. With an effort, she didn’t wrinkle her nose as she answered. “Yes. And you’re Mr. Nolan?”

  “Call me Ed.” He led her toward the back of the store. On the far left, a wall of kennels housed a dozen or more dogs. Ed raised his voice to be heard over their yapping and barking. “Can you believe it? The air conditioner went out yesterday, and the repairman can’t come until later this morning. And let me tell you, those lights are hot!”

  The sales counter was situated at the rear of the store, and the two people whose T-shirts identified them as the Artistic Video team had already set up the lights and two silver-lined umbrellas. A severe-faced woman caught sight of Tori and advanced with an outstretched hand.

  “Susan Murphy.” Her grip was so firm as to be almost painful. “I’m the director. And this is Hal.”

  The cameraman lifted his eye from a camera mounted on a tripod long enough to nod in Tori’s direction.

  “Tori Sanderson, from Connolly and Farrin.” She retrieved her hand and, by sheer willpower, didn’t massage it to rub out the sting.

  “We’re almost ready,” Susan told her. “Just give us a minute to get the lighting right and we’ll get started.”

  “Okay, let me know if you need me to help.” Tori had no idea what assistance she could possibly offer, since she knew absolutely nothing, but as her company’s representative, she felt the offer was expected. Thank goodness Susan and Hal seemed to know what they were doing.


  Ed Nolan had gone to stand at the edge of the counter to study a typewritten page. He picked up a red handkerchief and mopped at his forehead and the back of his neck as he read. Judging from the way the paper trembled in his hand, his sweating wasn’t entirely due to the heat inside the store.

  Not wanting to get in anyone’s way, Tori stood to one side, near a wall of large aquariums. Heat radiated from the spotlights angled into each one. A movement inside the nearest drew her attention. She glanced down and then recoiled, her skin crawling with revulsion. A large gray lizard scurried across the sand-covered floor of its glass home. Yuck. She crossed quickly to the other side of the store and stood near another rack of aquariums, these filled with schools of brightly colored fish. She didn’t have time to care for any kind of pet, but if she had to choose, fish seemed to be the least labor intensive. And they didn’t mistake the carpet for a toilet, either.

  A little girl rounded the fishy wall. Tori watched the curly-haired child skip across the floor toward Ed, a wiggling ball of white fuzz clutched in her arms. “Daddy, Miss Muffett is hungry. Can I give her a treat?”

  Daddy. Tori looked at the girl more closely. Around five, maybe, with a strong resemblance to Ed in her high, rounded forehead and thick dark hair.

  “Hmm?” Ed looked up from his paper, distracted. “Not now, Zoe. Daddy’s getting ready to film the commercial. Remember we talked about how you have to stay quiet this morning?”

  “I remember, but Miss Muffett is hungry.”

  Ed waved a hand absently as though shooing the girl away. “Alright, but only one. And break it up for her.” He went back to his perusal of the paper.

  The little girl shot a look toward the ceiling in a gesture that would have made a teenager proud. “I know the rules, Dad.”

  She went to the opposite end of the counter to retrieve a treat from a cookie jar shaped like a dog, then headed back in the direction she came from. As she passed, Tori saw that the fuzz ball she held was the world’s tiniest dog. Two black eyes peered out from a cuddly, teddy bear face. In fact, this creature was more the size of a guinea pig. Now, that might be a dog Tori could handle. Unlike that monster of Ken’s. Tori watched as the girl went into another section of the store and disappeared behind a waist-high barrier where, presumably, she would feed Miss Muffett her treat.