Zander_Heroes at Heart

by Maryann Jordan

  “You ready?”

  Blowing out a puff of breath, she said, “And if I say ‘no’?”

  Chuckling, he climbed out and assisted her from his truck. Walking hand in hand, they moved toward the door with the sign Management Office hanging next to it. Entering, they stepped into a large room with a long counter dividing the front from the back. Two old, wooden desks were behind the counter, which held metal racks filled with forms. As they moved to the counter, Rosalie could see the forms were for apartment applications and maintenance requests. No one was sitting at the desks, but they could hear voices from the back hall.

  “Get over there and fix Ms. Washington’s dripping sink and take care of it today!”

  Not seeing a counter bell, Zander called out, “Anyone here?”

  A full-figured woman appeared from the back, hair in braids arranged in a bun on top of her head, eyes on Zander. Her welcoming smile was white against her ebony skin.

  “Sorry, I was sorting out maintenance. How can I help you?” Before he had a chance to speak, she dropped her gaze to Rosalie. “Lordy be!”

  She rounded the counter faster than Zander thought a woman her size would have been able to. He was barely moving in to protect Rosalie when the woman grabbed her, pulling her into a warm embrace, rocking her back and forth.

  “Rosalie, child, how are you? Are you back? We’ve just rented your apartment, but I’ve got another one coming empty next week.”

  Zander watched nervously as Rosalie’s eyes bugged out, her head pressed against the woman’s shoulder, mouth open in surprise.

  Just as he was about to intervene, Rosalie said, “Martha?”

  The woman pushed her back gently, peering into her face, as though just now seeing the bruises and scar. “Well, of course, I’m Martha. Lordy, child, what happened to you?”

  Rosalie’s hand moved toward her head, fluttering nervously, “I…uh…had a little accident.”

  “Oh, bless you, girl. But, tell me, did the teaching job not work out? Are you and your man here for an apartment?”

  “Teach…teaching job?”

  Martha shot a glare toward Zander before looking back at Rosalie. “What’s going on? What’s happened, Rosalie? And who is this man with you?”

  Staring at the woman, now protectively hovering over Rosalie, he almost laughed but managed to hide his grin, figuring the mama bear would take his head off.

  “I’m sorry,” Rosalie said. “This is Zander…my friend. Well, actually, he’s more than that. He’s my rescuer.”

  “What?” Martha asked, her eyes moving between the two of them.

  “I was…uh… in an accident and he came to my rescue. I, sort of, forgot a lot of things and he’s helping me…uh…put them back together.”

  Mouth hanging open, Martha said, “Well, I never.”

  “We thought coming here would help me piece my past together. Did I leave a forwarding address when I left here?”

  “No, honey. You said you would stay in a motel until you found a new place and you’d send the address as soon as you got it. I was to hold your mail until you let me know your new address.” She turned and went to one of the desks behind the counter, pulling open a bottom drawer. Taking out a small stack of mail, she walked back to Rosalie, handing it to her. “It’s not much. You took care of your utilities before you left and you told me to throw away the ads and junk. But, it does include your refund check. Your place was left spotless, so you got the whole deposit back.”

  Rosalie looked at the check amount and smiled, glad to see that she had money. Feeling Zander’s arm wrap around her shoulders, she turned her smile up to him.

  “Is there anything you can tell us?” he asked. “Even things in general?”

  “Let’s sit,” Martha invited, pointing to a small table in the corner with four chairs around it. As they sat, she moved to the coffee pot behind the counter and poured three cups of coffee.

  Settling into the chair as she joined them, a smile was back on her face. “I could go on all day long about how sweet you are and such a good renter. You always paid on time, kept your place spick and span clean. You even tipped the maintenance men when they had to service your apartment, even though I kept telling you that you didn’t need to.” Warming to her task, she added, “But you were careful with your money.”

  “When did I move here?”

  “Let’s see…you came to us during your third year of college, so that would have been about three years ago. You rented one of our smallest units, a studio. Although, you had a corner unit so you had lots of windows,” she added proudly. “And decorated…it was sweet. You managed to find bargain basement deals and it was so…you. Feminine, pretty. Pastel colors throughout.”

  Rosalie sat still, her mind filling with the image of a bright, corner apartment with distressed white furniture, a coral colored sofa, and floral curtains fluttering in the breeze with the windows open…a tiny kitchen, with white cabinets and colorful jars on the counter.

  “Do you know which bank she used when paying her rent?” Zander asked, eyeing Rosalie carefully, glad to see she appeared pleased with what she was hearing.

  “Bank of America,” Martha said, easily. “I remember because it’s the same one I use and they have a branch just down the street. I also remember you saying that it would be nice to not have to change banks when you moved to Virginia.”

  “About my teaching job? Did I tell you anything in particular?”

  Martha’s face scrunched in thought, but she shook her head sadly. “No, not really. You were excited. You were going to be teaching English Literature…I do remember that.”

  “Was it in Richmond?”

  “Yes, but you didn’t give me any particulars.”

  Nodding, Rosalie looked at Zander, uncertainty in her eyes. “I don’t really know what else to ask,” she admitted.

  “Ma’am, would it be okay if I give you my contact information, so that if you think of anything else, you can get in contact with her?”

  “Lordy, yes, please!”

  Zander wrote down his name, email address, and phone number, sliding the piece of paper over to her. As they stood, Martha pulled her back into a hug, this time reciprocated by Rosalie.

  “Stay in touch, child,” Martha whispered in her ear.

  With a nod and a smile, Rosalie linked her fingers with Zander’s, allowing him to lead her back to his truck.

  Once inside, he looked her over carefully. “You doing okay?”

  “Yeah. Especially since I remembered her. I didn’t say anything, but I remembered my apartment as well.”

  Leaning over, he kissed her forehead. “Alright, princess. Now let’s find out where you worked.”

  21

  Pulling into the parking lot outside the College Park Bar and Grille, Rosalie sat looking out the window.

  “It’s weird,” she said, softly. Looking over, she noted Zander’s quizzical brow. “I can’t tell you that I remember this place, but it also doesn’t look unfamiliar.”

  “From the outside, it looks like so many other buildings but maybe the inside will be more striking.”

  Alighting from the vehicle, again hand in hand, they pushed open the doors to the restaurant. The interior was welcoming and Zander could not help but compare the inviting bar and grille to his more spartan bar. Flat-screened TVs were mounted at every angle and the scent of grilled hamburgers met his nose as a server walked by with a tray. Charlene’s pleas to add a kitchen rang in his ears as he watched more servers taking plates of burgers and wings, along with drinks, to customers. Shaking his head to refocus, he nodded toward the back of the restaurant where he knew the management offices would be.

  Along the way, a pink-haired server did a double take, a wide grin on her face as she called out, “Rosalie!”

  Déjà vu struck as she ran over, pulling Rosalie into a huge hug, similar to Martha’s. The server had a name tag on her shirt, alleviating Rosalie from having to remember her name. Sidney…Sid
ney…yes! Sidney!

  Sidney smiled up at Zander, her jaw dropping just before she said, “Damn girl. You’re gone a month and return with Mr. Handsome.” Thrusting her hand out, she introduced herself, “I’m Sidney. Me and Rosalie go way back.”

  Chuckling, he shook her hand, adding, “Zander.”

  “Well, hello, Zander,” she said, winking at Rosalie. “So, girl, what’s happening? I didn’t expect to see you back visiting so soon.” As her gaze roamed over Rosalie’s face, she cocked her head to the side. “What happened?”

  “Oh, I had an accident,” she replied, the lie now falling easily from her lips. “But, I kind of forgot some things of my past, so we’re here to help connect the dots.”

  “Wow,” Sidney said, her eyes wide. “Listen, I’ve got a break coming up in fifteen minutes. Let me run and tell Jeff you’re here and maybe he’ll let me take time off early.” Without waiting for a reply, she scurried off toward the back hall. After a moment she returned, waving them over. “Come on, he’s dying to see you. I filled him in quickly for you.”

  Walking, hands still linked, they followed the bubbly woman into an office Zander noted was much like his…full of papers and orderly chaos. The manager was an older man, his short salt and pepper hair neatly trimmed. A stomach that hung slightly over his belt indicated he might have tasted his restaurant’s food a few times too many. His smile was warm toward Rosalie and she visibly relaxed. Greetings over, they all settled into chairs and she gave a quick rendition of why she was there.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your accident,” Jeff said, his gaze warm. “You were so looking forward to your teaching job, although I hated to lose you.”

  “I know I worked here for several years—”

  “Eight years to be exact,” he interrupted. “You started here when you were just in high school.”

  Eyes wide, she said, “So you knew me when my mother died?”

  Both Jeff and Sidney’s faces fell, a solemn pall falling over them. His shoulders slumped as he nodded. “Yes…for a while we became your family. I guess we were until you graduated and moved away last month.”

  Taking in the information, she sat quietly, sifting through images that floated through her mind—she and Sidney singing Happy Birthday to a customer in the restaurant, Jeff adding a Christmas bonus into her paycheck, Sidney slipping—

  “You slipped on a spilled beer and fell on your back, the tray of drinks in your hands flying into the air, landing all over a table of guys!” Rosalie blurted.

  Sidney giggled while Jeff rolled his eyes heavenward. “Oh, my God, that was so funny! I can’t believe I didn’t break my tailbone!”

  Rosalie turned toward Zander, saying, “I don’t remember everything, but little snatches of memories are coming.”

  His smile reached inside her, causing tingles to flow over her body. He reached his arm around her back, his hand caressing her shoulder. “Good for you, princess.”

  “Princess? Oh, my God, Rosalie. That’s so cute,” Sidney gushed.

  Interrupting, Jeff said, “Are you coming back to Baltimore?”

  Afraid to look at Zander, she stumbled, “I…uh…well, not right now. I need to find out about the teaching job—”

  “It’s too early for her to be thinking about moving,” Zander stated, his voice firm.

  She relaxed against his side, glad to have someone answering the hard questions. Looking at Sidney, she asked, “Do you know the name of the school I was going to?”

  Sidney bit her bottom lip, her brow scrunched. “Let’s see…I know it was a high school. You were excited to be teaching English Lit. Um…Kennedy…Lincoln…Washington? It was a president’s name, I know that much.”

  Jeff once more rolled his eyes. “Well that only narrows it down to about 40 something choices.”

  Laughing, Rosalie said, “That’s fine. I should be able to find it with that information.”

  Looking at Sidney, she asked, “Do you know anything about my car? I know I have one registered to me, but no one’s reported it as abandoned.”

  “You left it here, Rosalie. It was on its last leg and you weren’t sure it would make the trip to Richmond, so you left it here and I was supposed to sell it for you.” Blushing, she said, “I’ve got an advertisement out, but so far, no takers.”

  “So that’s why I didn’t have a car there,” she exclaimed.

  “You took a bus down to Richmond and said you’d buy a car as soon as you could. You said you wanted it to have Virginia tags.”

  “And my furniture?”

  “It’s in my mom’s garage. You said once you had an apartment, we’d get some of the guys here to help move it to your new place.”

  They spent the next hour talking, Sidney mostly about their teenage years, reminding Rosalie they had been friends since seventh grade. Memories of her parents began to flow through her mind as well, and gaining her old home address, she determined to add that to her visit.

  Zander sat quietly, watching the play of emotions cross Rosalie’s face with each story and anecdote shared with her. His fears of her being overwhelmed seemed to have been unfounded, as she appeared to relish each tale.

  When they finally stood with promises to stay in touch, and Zander having given them his address and phone number, hugs ensued.

  About to leave the office, Sidney said, “Oh, do you remember Mr. Creepy?” At Rosalie’s crinkled brow, Sidney added, “You know, the man who would come in, always ask for your section and leave a big tip?”

  “I…I don’t remember,” she confessed.

  “Well, he came in after you left and was not happy that you were no longer here. He asked me where you went and I told him you had moved to Richmond. I figured he finally accepted you weren’t interested because he stopped coming in.”

  Zander’s hard voice cut in. “Describe him.”

  Sidney looked up, surprise in her eyes. “Um…I guess he was in his late twenties or early thirties…brown hair. Built decently. Kind of walked like he owned the place. Always looked at Rosalie like he wanted her to be on the menu.”

  His gaze shot to Rosalie but she looked towards the ceiling, shaking her head. “I don’t remember.”

  Jeff’s intelligent eyes caught and held his. “Is there something I should know?”

  He looked at Rosalie, “Princess?” At her slight nod, he said, “Rosalie’s accident was actually an assault. A man attacked her.”

  Both Sidney and Jeff reared back simultaneously, mouths open as wide as their eyes.

  “What can you tell me about this guy? Do you have surveillance?”

  Jeff cursed, “Damn. Not that far back. The tapes are only kept a month and then trashed.”

  “Name? Credit card receipts?”

  “He always paid cash,” Sidney said, shaking her head, reaching over to clasp Rosalie’s hand. “Oh, honey, do you think he followed you?”

  “I can’t imagine anyone would follow me from here to Richmond,” she said, her voice strained.

  Fury began building in Zander at the idea that she had not only been attacked, but might have been stalked for months. “The description you gave is much like the man that we suspect, but the police have no evidence.” Tucking Rosalie into his side, he shook Jeff’s hand and with a nod toward Sidney, added, “If you see or think of anything, give me a call.”

  Outside, after seeing her buckled safely in his truck, he swung up into the driver’s seat. Her mood, considerably more somber, hit his heart. “You know you’re safe with me, right? I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

  “Zander, you didn’t let anyone hurt me last time. It just happened and you found me.”

  Her words shot through him and he opened his mouth to confess, but the words stuck in his throat.

  “We were going to find my childhood home,” she said, her voice soft. “Do you still want to?”

  “Princess, you’ve regained so many memories today and I hate that your smile left with that last news. I’ll take you any
where you want to go.”

  The corners of her lips curved up as her blue eyes sought his. “Okay, then. Let’s not let the last information ruin everything. Let’s go.”

  Meeting her smile, he said, “Sounds good, babe.” Plugging the address into his phone’s GPS, they pulled out of the parking lot.

  Ten minutes later, they entered an older neighborhood, sidewalk lined streets filled with neat brick homes. Finding the address, they parked outside her former home and sat for a long time, neither speaking.

  Not wanting to interrupt wherever her mind was taking her, he watched her face carefully. For once, her expression gave nothing away.

  Finally, sighing, she leaned back against the seat. “I get fleeting images of playing in the yard and riding my bicycle down the street. I think I remember baking cookies with my mom and the kitchen was painted yellow.” Rubbing her brow, she sighed again.

  Leaning over, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in so her head tucked underneath his chin and her cheek rested on his chest. “You’ve had a big day and you’re exhausted. So far, your memories are returning when you see things, interact with them. Maybe when you’re rested and Sidney sends the pictures of you two growing up you’ll be able to remember more. Don’t push it.”

  Knowing Zander was right, Rosalie nodded against his soft shirt. “You’re right. I’m ready to go home, Zander.”

  “Home?”

  “Yeah, back to your place.” Twisting her head to look up at him, she said, “Is that okay? I don’t want to overstay my welcome—”

  Hearing her calling his apartment home warmed his heart. He never thought of it as home as much as just a place to crash. Miss Ethel’s house always felt like home. But with Rosalie going back with him, home was just where he wanted to be.

  Smiling, he whispered with his lips touching her hair, “It’s more than okay, princess. Let’s go home.”

  22

  Zander fumed while staring at Pete, sitting in the police station. “I’m telling you, I got a bad feeling about this—”