Should she tell him their disastrous stint with tutoring had pushed her into social work? It had infuriated her to see his potential going to waste.
She couldn't tell Conrad he had been her inspiration. Not with the scent of chai still clinging to his hair. Not wearing that awful magenta Neighborlee High School class roll call T-shirt, and the cartoon drawing of a pike, the school mascot, leering at her through the neat column of names. Although, by some strange miracle, the shirt did look good on him.
"So... You wished I'd smarten up?" he said, when they reached Angela's sheltered little garden. Through the flowering vines and the elm, oak and pine, they could see down the long slope into the park, with the sparkle of Quarry Lake in the distance.
Her face went scorching hot. She had said that, hadn't she? Had she insulted him? Or was that little smile of his amused? Maybe even pleased?
"If you hadn't yelled at me for wasting myself, I'd probably be a two-bit crook." Conrad sighed and settled into the swing hanging from the big old oak. "Sit down, would you? I've got the feeling if Angela says talk, we'd better."
"I should apologize--" She sat, leaving a good three feet of space between them. It wasn't enough. She felt the heat radiating from him.
"Somebody from my firm threatened Eden II. I figured that out. Has to be one of the up-and-comers." His eyes widened. "Gladstone?"
He swore when Gina nodded.
"He's been out to get me since high school." She thought about enduring slimy kisses, probably a little groping, and called herself a baby. If she had put up with a little groping in high school, he wouldn't be trying to bulldoze Eden II now.
"Yeah. I remember him trying to rig the vote for Prom Queen. Why was he so against you? I'd have been proud to be king to the prettiest, smartest girl in our class." He glanced away, toward the park. Gina could have sworn he blushed.
Conrad thought she was pretty and smart? She shook her head, trying to get on track.
Somehow, the whole sordid mess--from refusing to let Reggie slobber all over her in high school, to refusing his date last week and the news of Eden II's eviction--poured out. Straight into Conrad's ears. She was delighted and gratified to see his handsome face crumple in anger.
"It's a contest." His words surprised her. "Wypnash Associates is constructing a new high-rise office building, and our firm has to obtain the site. The junior lawyer who gets the best lot gets a partnership. Gladstone wants the McGuire Factory property."
Horror turned her stomach. "That's why you're here. You're looking for a spot. You came here to take Divine's away from Angela, didn't you?"
"Not anymore!" Conrad leaped to his feet, holding out his hands to ward her off, as if she'd jump him. Which she felt like doing. "I swear. I'd do anything to beat Gladstone. Especially after the way he treated you. But this place..." Wistfulness made him look like a kid again. "I wish I had found this place when we were kids. It's magic."
"I know. And so is Eden II, but nobody is going to save it."
"I'll try." A crooked grin took over his face when her mouth dropped open. Despite that magenta shirt, he was a knight in shining armor. Conrad held out his hand. "I'll make a deal with you, Gina. Help me find a better spot for Wypnash's glass and chrome monstrosity, and we'll both beat out Reggie Gladstone by saving your place. And I'll make sure nobody finds out Divine's shouldn't be here."
Without knowing how, she found her hand clasped in his. Electric tingles went up and down her back at his touch. Despite that magenta shirt, he had to be three times as handsome as he had been in high school. Why had she wasted time yelling in their tutoring sessions, when they could have been making friends?
* * * *
It took all of three hours to walk through the older section of Neighborlee, where Gladys Wypnash wanted the new building established. Conrad tried to imagine Freddie Gladstone's ultra-modern design among the elegant Century homes, the Victorian and Neo-Classical houses with their gables and gingerbread decorations, columns, flowering vines and elegant, ancient trees. It just wouldn't fit.
Gina wasn't just a social worker who cared, who ran Eden II and knew every kid in Neighborlee on sight. She was a font of information on Neighborlee's history. She knew something about every old house and the families who lived there.
Conrad forgot about trying to make the Gladstone monsterpiece fit in, and listened to her bring the town to life. He caught some of her love for the elegant old buildings and her passion for restoration, preserving the old rather than destroying it for the sake of the new. He hadn't cared about the town when he was a teen, but by the time they stopped for lunch at Hunky & Dory's, he realized he liked the look and feel of Neighborlee. Who said the quaint, quiet little college town had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the twenty-first century?
That was when he got the idea.
* * * *
"Yes, I see what you're getting at," Mr. Carr said.
Conrad had waited until that evening, when everyone else had left the suite of offices and only he and his mentor were still working. Sunset had faded to spring twilight. He sat on the edge of the cracked leather cushion of the wingback chair in front of Mr. Carr's desk. He watched the old man stroke his white goatee, frowning and nodding.
"Gina Sinclair, hmm?" A twinkle brightened those faded blue eyes. "About time you straightened up and pursued her."
"Sir, I'm not--"
"Save Eden II from that spoiled snot, Gladstone, and save that lovely girl from him, too. I'm surprised he didn't demand she sacrifice herself to save the center. Of course, for all we know, he's been letting her stew about it all day, and he's over at her place right now, making his offer."
Conrad stammered a few seconds before darting out of the office. He wasn't even sure where he headed, until he found himself in his car, pulling out of the parking lot.
His cell phone rang. He answered it, ready to tell whoever it was to stow the emergency. It was Mr. Carr, with Gina's address.
* * * *
Pebbles hitting her balcony door jolted Gina out of an exhausted daydream. For a few seconds, she couldn't identify the sound. Then she remembered Conrad saying he had a great idea, he just needed to get some advice. She couldn't remember telling him where she lived, but he was so smart and observant, he would have no trouble finding her. She grinned and stepped out onto her balcony.
She dropped her sandwich when she saw obscenely handsome, obscenely arrogant Reggie Gladstone standing on the front step of the apartment building below her. He had a bouquet cradled in his arm and a bottle of champagne in his other hand, and was trying to ring the doorbell without putting down the bottle. Gina sighed. How had he ever gotten through college, much less law school?
There was something to be said for having enough money to buy the integrity of an entire school.
"I'm not letting you up here," she said, as he reached with his pinky to press her buzzer. There were only four apartments in the building, so it was easy to see which apartment he was about to ring. She had hoped for two seconds that he had thrown pebbles at the wrong door by accident. "Just go away."
"Darling." Reggie grinned.
Where were Neighborlee's police when she really needed them? "I'm not your darling. Go away."
"I have a proposal." He gestured at the ladder that could slide down from the balcony. At one time, it had been a fire escape, but the landlord had renovated that, along with the kitchen and the bathroom last year. "Let me come up. I'll make it very worth your while. We can start by resuming our friendship."
"We were never friends. We went on one date and you tried to put your hand down my shirt." Gina's heart pounded so fast and loud, she barely heard the scream of brakes in the street in front of the building. "If you think I'm going to let you get within twenty feet of me without pepper spray, think again."
"Do you want to save Eden II?" His smirk turned oily. "I'll make a deal with you. Be my Eve, and you can keep Eden."
She caught her breath, unsure if she felt
dizzy or nauseous. Two hours ago, Conrad had promised to keep working to save Eden and Divine's. He had been a perfect gentleman and seemed genuinely interested in her passion for saving Neighborlee's look and feel.
Could she believe him? What if it was an act?
Conrad worked in the same firm as Reggie Gladstone. He had been the town's bad boy in high school. He was a lawyer. Even discounting all the bad jokes about lawyers, could she really trust one? Even one who looked that good in a magenta Neighborlee High School T-shirt?
They had met at Divine's that morning because he had come out there to claim Divine's for the Wypnash site. Could she trust Conrad?
"Talk about Eden and Eve You must be the snake."
"Wilson? What are you doing here?" Reggie snarled.
That's what Gina wanted to know. How long had Conrad been there? It just showed how much Reggie had her flustered, that she hadn't seen his car pull up in front of her building, even if she had heard him skid to a stop.
Reggie dropped the bottle of champagne. It hit the slate sidewalk and didn't even foam when it shattered. Very cheap champagne.
"Saving my girl and my town, that's what I'm doing." Conrad crossed his arms and leaned back against his cherry, black '69 Mustang. "You're not getting Eden II, or any other building in this town."
"Yeah?" Reggie sputtered for a few seconds, but didn't seem able to come up with a better retort.
Gina felt her fury drain away under the pressure of giggles. It was a good thing Reggie hadn't become a trial lawyer, with his lack of poise and inability to think on his feet.
Finally, he gave up and stomped away, sputtering. When he tripped over an uneven section of the sidewalk, he dropped fragments of the bouquet. He climbed into his gleaming Volvo and nearly stripped the gears three times, getting out of the neighborhood.
Conrad grinned up at her. "You okay?"
"Your girl?" She grinned back. "Since when?"
"Hopefully after our celebration dinner tonight."
"Are we celebrating something?"
"I talked over my idea with Mr. Carr and he thinks it's a go, and since he's the senior partner... "
"What idea? You left me without a clue what you were planning."
"Renovating a building that's already there, preserving the historic character of the town, and making sure Reggie and his moronic would-be architect cousin who designed the new building don't get their hands on Eden or Divine's. Sound good to you?"
"Sounds real good." She glanced back into her apartment. It was a mess, as usual, full of paperwork and laundry that hadn't been folded. The four paperbacks she was currently reading lay facedown on the kitchen table, couch, bathroom counter, and TV set. She suspected Conrad wouldn't mind the mess--but she did. "Um, I can be down in two minutes. Should I dress up?"
"You look great just like you are."
Gina knew she looked awful. Her cutoffs were patched on the butt and her sleeveless Willis-Brooks College sweatshirt was faded. "You're a little more dressed up than me."
"So, we'll stop at Divine's and get that T-shirt back from Angela, how about that?"
"Deal." She skidded through her apartment, changing into white capris and a lime green tank top in forty seconds flat. The heat in Conrad's eyes when she appeared downstairs made the effort more than worthwhile.
Mr. Carr stood at the counter, talking with Angela, when they walked into Divine's twenty minutes later. Gina knew she and Conrad had to look like bookends, with their mouths hanging open. She didn't blame Angela for laughing.
"I'm disappointed in you, my boy," Mr. Carr said. He waved some ancient-looking documents at them as they approached the counter. "I had no trouble finding the documents proving Divine's owns this property." He winked at Angela. "I don't know what this younger generation is coming to."
"Must be the bad influence of the other junior lawyers in the firm, sir," Conrad said.
"Must be." Mr. Carr patted Angela's hand and headed for the door. "It's been lovely seeing you again, my dear. I'm grateful the boy reminded me you were here."
"You'll come back?" Angela said.
"Most definitely. And it won't be so long between visits." He stopped at the front door. "Conrad, we'll get started on your proposal in the morning. Take good care of Miss Sinclair."
"Yes, sir." Conrad saluted, which earned a chuckle from his mentor, echoed by the chiming of the bells as the door closed.
"You know Mr. Carr?" Gina blurted.
"Oh, we've been friends for just...years," Angela said with a smile and a tiny shrug. "Now, have you two resolved your differences?"
"I don't know. Conrad has an idea, but he hasn't told me anything yet beyond a few vague clues." She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. It felt perfectly natural, as if they had been picking on each other for years.
He laughed. The warm look in his eyes stole her breath.
"It's actually your idea," he said. "You mentioned the Neighborlee Historical Preservation Society, and I remembered Gladys Wypnash is the founder."
"Then why would she tear down old buildings for a new one?" Gina wondered if she had heard right.
"Want to bet she wouldn't know until the deed was done?"
"She will now," Angela said. "How about an iced vanilla chai to celebrate?"
* * * *
Dressed like characters from Heidi, Maurice and Holly strolled through an Alpine meadow in her dream, carrying a huge picnic basket.
"You didn't!" Holly said, laughing.
"Yep. You think I went too far with good old Reggie?"
"Not far enough. I remember Conrad from school. He and Reggie were four years ahead of me. I was there during the great Prom Queen campaign, and I know the whole wretched story. Subliminally programming him into thinking Gina wanted him to give her a second chance, setting it up so he got royally put down by Conrad, that was priceless. The only thing that could have made it better is if that fire escape ladder fell on his head. Maurice, you are my hero!"
"Yeah?" He grinned, finally relaxing. Angela had been pleased, but she wouldn't have quite approved of all his tactics if she had known everything he did to help Gina and Conrad get together.
It had been close, timing things, whispering in Mr. Carr's ear to give Conrad the idea that Gina was in danger from Reggie. How long would Gina have stood there on her balcony, defying Reggie, before he got nasty and called in reinforcements, or stomped away to start the process for turning Eden II into a heap of rubble? Maurice had whispered in a few more ears that afternoon, nudging people to investigate the documents Reggie had found, allegedly proving that Eden II didn't have a valid lease. It was all he could do without actually changing deeds and charters or maybe messing with Reggie's bank account and getting him run out of town, penniless and wanted for tax evasion.
"Definitely yeah," Holly whispered, and kissed his cheek. Then she blushed and kissed him lightly on the lips.
Maurice understood why champagne bottles popped their corks.
"Sometimes," Holly continued, "when I manage to fall into a really horrid, scary-ific dream, I wish I could bring the really nasty people from town in here--like Reggie and his snaky Gladstone cousins--and pay them back for what they did to me and my friends in high school. You never met Sylvia--she got herself killed last New Year's Eve--but there were times I just wanted to tear her hair out by the roots and make Reggie sing soprano. And that's just for starters."
"Gee," he drawled, "somebody'd think you didn't like them."
"I hope when I wake up tomorrow, I find out everything you've been telling me was real. That would be great, even if I don't remember that you told me now."
"Miracles happen all the time," Maurice offered, wishing he could put the sparkles back into her eyes.
"True ..."
"So why the sad face, Holly Berry?"
"Miracles never happen for me, that's all," she said, and shrugged.
"What kind of miracle would you want?"
"Nothing big and impossible. Little thing
s like this. The picnic and spending time together and just being happy."
"Ah...correct me, but isn't that what we're doing?"
"It's not real." She shrugged and cast a brave little smile up at him. "I know it's not real. A guy like you would never give me a second look, in the real world."
"Who says?" Maurice hadn't felt hot, righteous indignation in a long time, but it rose up now on Holly's behalf. "If this could be real, if I was real--"
"I'd think you were a set-up. That you were playing a really nasty trick. That someone had asked you to help them trick the brainy girl."
"Somebody did that to you once, didn't they?"
"Just once. That's all it takes." She swung the picnic basket a little harder.
"Someday, Holly Berry, I promise, all of this will be real."
"I learned to stop wishing for anything to change in the real world. This is enough for me. Dreams are better. If you're careful, they last forever." She forced another smile and pointed at a pretty little level spot, sheltered by pines, with a glistening pool in one corner. "Look. Up there is the place I wanted to show you. When the sun sets, it's the most spectacular light show in the entire world." She took hold of his hand, and ran to the spot.
Maurice kept up with her, his heart on the verge of shattering.
* * * *
Two weeks later, Maurice hovered over Holly's shoulder in Angela's back yard garden. He watched her face, as Gina laughed and chattered with her and Angela and Diane. She related the lightning-fast developments that had evolved from that hot spring day's events.
Wypnash Associates had bought the Blomgast mansion in the center of the formerly high society section of Neighborlee. The planned restoration project was garnering nationwide interest and probable participation from preservation groups.
Carr, Cooper and Crenshaw had contracted to take the entire ground floor suite when all the renovations were finished by the next summer. Horace Carr was already referring to Conrad Wilson as a junior partner, even though the other two partners hadn't made it official yet. He had put Conrad in charge of all Wypnash contracts and projects.
Reggie Gladstone and his idiot cousin had made fools out of themselves, storming into the Carr, Cooper and Crenshaw offices. They'd thrown a temper tantrum and make threats against the law firm, in front of Gladys Wypnash, leading members of the Historical Preservation Society, and an even dozen influential and powerful people in the community. Reggie had been almost foaming at the mouth when his Aunt Gladys got through with chewing him out. His cousin broke down in tears when Gladys stated she hated the design of the new building. She'd threatened to cut them out of her will altogether if they didn't reform--in another town. Preferably in another state.
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