by Lee McKenzie
“Okay, now I’ll wash off the scrub with warm water and use an almond cleanser. This will unclog your pores and leave your skin feeling totally soft and smooth.”
“It smells wonderful.”
“That’s the bonus of using natural products. Their fragrances add a holistic aromatherapy component to a spa treatment.”
“I see.”
“Now where were we?” Maggie asked. “Oh, right. Opposites. Look at Allison and John. He’s very practical and down-to-earth and Allison is all about appearances.”
Leslie smiled at that.
“I meant that in a good way. She’s completely devoted to her family and her home, and she’ll do everything in her power to make them the best they can be.”
Leslie had known Allison all her life and had never thought of her that way, but Maggie was absolutely right. Allison was also a devoted friend, and it had been selfish of Leslie not to call and let her know what had happened, and that she was all right.
Maggie carefully rinsed the cleanser off Leslie’s face and patted it dry. “Doesn’t that feel wonderful?” she asked.
“Heavenly. You were so right, I needed this.”
“But the best is yet to come.” She picked up a small bowl and stirred its contents. “This is a chocolate facial mask.”
“Chocolate?”
“It sounds ridiculously decadent, but you’re going to love it. It does a fantastic job of moisturizing the skin.”
Leslie loved the feel and smell of the mixture. “It smells good enough to eat.”
“That’s what Nick says about some of the beauty products I make.”
Leslie opened her eyes in time to catch the sparkle in Maggie’s.
“Lucky for him, and me, some of them are.”
Bordering on too much information, Leslie thought. Maggie seemed to think so, too. “I’m sorry. I have a habit of saying too much sometimes. That needs to stay on for ten minutes, so while we wait I can give you a hand treatment. But first, close your eyes and I’ll cover them with these cool compresses.”
“What are those?” Leslie asked as she inhaled.
“Peppermint tea bags.”
Chocolate and peppermint. “I smell like dessert.”
Maggie laughed. “If Brent were here, I bet he’d say you look like dessert, too.”
Fortunately the heat that spread across her face was covered by the mask. Maggie was right, though. It sounded exactly like something he might say. She could even imagine the look in his eyes as he said it.
She heard the sound of a chair on wheels being moved beside her, and Maggie sitting on it.
“Did you spend a lot of time with Nick and Brent when they were working here?” Leslie asked, hoping to keep the subject away from her and Brent, for a while at least. And far away from the topic of opposites. She already knew that she and Brent were, and she didn’t particularly want to find out why Maggie thought she and Gerald weren’t.
“I did. I made lunch for them every day, and of course they checked with me as they did things because I had such a clear vision for what I wanted.”
“It was a good vision. The place is beautiful.”
“Thank you. We had a lot of fun and I’m going to miss them. Well, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing a lot of Nick, but I’ll miss Brent. He was always joking around or pulling some kind of prank.”
“Really?” That’s what was different about him, Leslie realized. He’d always teased and played practical jokes, but for the past few days he’d seemed much more serious. She’d attributed it to maturity but according to Maggie, that wasn’t the case. Now it seemed as though he’d been treating her with kid gloves.
“Did he tell you what he did to my gardening shoes?” Maggie asked.
Leslie shook her head.
“I was carrying the lunch tray outside and stopped to slip my feet into them. When I tried to take a step, I nearly fell over, sandwiches and all.” She was laughing again. “He had nailed them to the floor of the porch!”
And that was classic Brent Borden, Leslie thought. It was always about getting a laugh and never about the consequences.
“I thought we’d die laughing. Nick didn’t think it was funny, but I did. I can’t imagine going through life without a sense of humor, so I’m helping Nick work on his.”
Good luck. The Durrance family was known for many things, but a sense of humor was not one of them.
“Hand massages are so relaxing, don’t you think?” Maggie asked.
Leslie was so relaxed, she felt as though she were floating. “They are. Thank you for suggesting it.”
“My pleasure. So what are your plans for the rest of the week?”
“I have to return the wedding gifts, and I’d like to get that out of the way as quickly as possible. I also have to help a friend find a place to live. She used to be our housekeeper, but she’s retired now.”
“What sort of place is she looking for?” Maggie asked.
Leslie didn’t know, exactly, other than it had to be affordable. “I’m not sure. The old building she was living in on Railway Avenue is being torn down and she has no place to go. Right now—” She hesitated, not sure how much to say to Maggie, until she reminded herself this woman was not going to pass judgment. “Right now she’s at the homeless shelter. I was there yesterday with Brent—he had to repair the laundry equipment. I couldn’t have imagined running into anyone I know, but there she was.”
“How awful,” Maggie said. She slathered something warm and pasty on Leslie’s hand, covered it with a plastic bag and moved the chair around to her other side. “I’d offer to have her here, but the bedrooms upstairs are still crammed with all the furniture that used to be down here and I haven’t had a chance to organize any of it.”
“Oh. Thank you for offering but…ah…I was planning to have her stay with me while we look for an apartment for her.” Which couldn’t have been further from the truth. Leslie was mortified that the idea hadn’t crossed her mind until Maggie, a complete stranger, had offered Hannah a temporary place to stay. Why hadn’t she thought of it herself? She had a huge town house, complete with a guest room on the main floor. Hannah wouldn’t even have to manage the stairs if she wasn’t up to them.
“Good for you,” Maggie said, as though she hadn’t been the one to think of it first. “And it’ll probably be nice to have some company right now. It’ll help keep your mind off things.”
If Leslie hadn’t been lying there slathered in chocolate and peppermint and with her hands wrapped in plastic, she would have hugged Maggie. This was exactly what she needed, and exactly what Hannah needed.
A win-win situation, she thought, then inwardly cringed at the sound of it. That was something Gerald would have said.
What would Brent call it? He’d probably say it was a helluva good idea. And that it was.
“Okay,” Maggie said, lifting the tea bags off Leslie’s eyes. “I’ll wash off the mask and the hand treatment, apply some moisturizer and then you’re good to go.”
Leslie blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. “Thank you very much. This has been wonderful.”
“Anytime. You’ll be one of my preferred clients,” Maggie said, removing the cape.
Leslie liked the sound of that. There was something about Maggie she liked a lot, and she couldn’t remember the last time a conversation had been so enlightening, and on so many levels.
She stood and Maggie walked with her to the front door.
“How much do I owe you?” Leslie asked.
“I wouldn’t dream of accepting anything. I invited you, and this is for you, too.”
Leslie accepted a small, handmade sachet.
“Those are lavender bath salts, so you can have a nice, relaxing soak in the tub when you get home.”
“Thank you. This is very generous of you, but next time I come, I insist on paying.”
“And I’ll let you,” Maggie said, smiling broadly. “And meanwhile you might tell some of your friend
s about me.”
“Of course I will.” If she still had any.
She said goodbye to Maggie and let herself out, pausing for a moment at the gate. Maggie had been right. She did feel like a million dollars. In fact, she felt like a different person. She glanced next door and saw Allison’s car parked in the driveway. It was time to stop thinking about herself, and hope her friend would understand why she hadn’t called.
LESLIE HAD BEEN anxious to get to the shelter so her visit with Allison had been brief, but long enough to know that all her worrying over Allison’s phone messages had been unfounded. Her friend had been genuinely concerned about her, and her real anger had been intended for Gerald. All was well, and they agreed to meet for coffee later in the week.
At the homeless shelter, Leslie pulled her BMW into the spot where Brent had parked yesterday. The same group of men—at least, they looked like the same group—was sitting on the steps, exactly where they’d been yesterday. Today she found them less intimidating.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen.”
“Afternoon,” one of them replied. Another tipped his hat.
She wove her way between them and up to the front door. She had hoped to get in and out without encountering Colleen Borden, but she wasn’t that lucky. After she was buzzed in, Brent’s mother was the first person she bumped into.
Colleen was clearly surprised to see her. “Leslie? What are you doing here?”
“Oh, hello. Nice to see you again.” For once she felt as though she had the upper hand and she tried to keep her voice sounding breezy but professional. “Is Hannah still here?”
That question earned her a somewhat scornful look. “I wish I could say we’d solved the homeless crisis overnight but yes, she’s still with us.”
Leslie refused to be baited. “Well, Hannah’s crisis has been. I’m taking her home with me.”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to take a few more while you’re at it.”
The woman was a laugh a minute. She’d dropped her sarcastic tone from yesterday, though, and she seemed uncharacteristically defeated. “I’m afraid Hannah is all I can manage right now. Is something wrong?”
“You could say that. We received this in the mail today.” She handed a sheet of paper to her.
Leslie unfolded it and scanned the contents. It was an eviction notice. The building was slated for demolition and the Helping Hands Foundation that ran the shelter had until the end of the year to vacate the premises.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. From what Brent had told her about his mother, she knew the woman was completely devoted to this cause. “Maybe you’ll find a new location that doesn’t need so many repairs.”
Colleen took the letter from her. “This place is being torn down to build condos or a mall or something, just like every other old building in this town. There are no new locations. By Christmastime, these people won’t just be homeless, they won’t have a shelter to go to, either.”
“Is the situation really that hopeless?”
“I’m afraid so. We can barely come up with enough money to pay the rent on this place. Even if we are lucky enough to find another building, and that’s a big if, the rent will be a lot higher.”
“You could hold a fund-raising event,” Leslie suggested. “That would help.”
Colleen gave an exaggerated sigh. “We’ve tried that and I’m afraid it wasn’t very successful.”
“What if I offered to organize it?”
For once Colleen was speechless.
“I need to go look for Hannah, but I’ll tell you what. I’ll jot down a few ideas about a fund-raiser and come back tomorrow to discuss it with you. By then I’ll have had a chance to launder the clothes I borrowed. I’ll bring those with me, too.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Will ten o’clock work for you?”
“Ten. Sure.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.” She couldn’t help feeling a little smug at finally doing something that seemed to impress Brent’s mother. Or at least catch her off guard enough to soften her hostility.
She walked into the lounge and, sure enough, Hannah was there. She seemed even more surprised to see her than Colleen had been. “Leslie! I knew you’d come back to see me, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.”
Leslie sat on the old sofa and took the woman’s workworn hands in hers. “I came to take you home. That is, I hope you’ll come with me.”
“You always were a sweet girl and I appreciate your thinking about me, but this isn’t necessary. I’ll be fine.”
“I hope you’ll reconsider. I have plenty of room. You’ll have your own bedroom with a private bath. It’s on the main floor, so you don’t have to worry about stairs.”
Hannah looked indignant. “Until last month, my apartment was on the third floor of a building and there was no elevator. I can manage stairs if I have to.”
Leslie smiled at the way Hannah had risen to the challenge. “Then you’ll come with me?”
Still the woman hesitated.
“You’d actually be doing me a real favor,” Leslie said. “To be honest, my place seems too big for just me and…” She paused before using her trump card.
“And you don’t want to be alone right now,” Hannah said, after listening to the details of the wedding that wasn’t.
Leslie nodded.
“If I say yes, we need to be clear about who’s doing who the favor here.”
“Whatever you say.”
“And I’ll earn my keep. I’m no freeloader, you know.”
She knew Hannah would never agree to being her guest. “You can work away to your heart’s content.”
“And help with the cooking.”
“I’m a very good cook, you know.” She leaned forward and gently squeezed Hannah’s hands. “I learned from the best. And I have a cleaning woman who comes in once a week, so there isn’t a lot to do.”
Hannah’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve never been waited on in my life. You’ll have to tell that cleaning woman to stay out of my room.”
Leslie pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. “Your room is off-limits. And you and I can cook together. It’ll be fun.”
“It sounds wonderful,” Hannah said, finally conceding. “This place isn’t a whole lot of fun.”
“Then let’s go tell Colleen you’re coming with me.”
“She’s been helping me look for a place of my own, but we haven’t found anything I can afford.”
“I’ll help, too. Meanwhile, you can stay with me as long as you need to.” She could stay forever, but Leslie knew she’d never agree to that.
“You’ll change your mind about having an old lady in the house when all those young friends of yours start coming around.”
Leslie was sure that even Hannah would find her parties tame. “Let’s get your things. My car isn’t very big, but we can take what we can and I’ll send for the rest.”
“I don’t have much. I gave some things to a friend and left the rest behind.”
“Oh, Hannah. That’s terrible. Do you think we’ll still be able to get them back?”
“They’re just things. I have my health and all my faculties. And my good friends,” she said, patting Leslie’s hand. “No one can take those away from me.”
Leslie leaned over and gave her a hug. “You’re so right, Hannah. Thank you for reminding me.”
Spending those two days with Brent, seeing the work Colleen did here at the shelter and meeting Hannah again were exactly what she’d needed to regain some perspective. She stood and helped Hannah to her feet.
“Let’s go home.” Tomorrow she could worry about winning over Colleen Borden.
FOR MOST of the morning Brent kept himself busy by washing the breakfast dishes, taking Max for a walk and mowing the lawn. At lunchtime he poured himself a cup of leftover coffee and stuck it in the microwave. While he waited for it to heat up, Max wandered in and sat on his haunches, staring up at him.
“What are yo
u looking at?”
Max whined softly.
“Tell me about it,” he said, giving the dog a scruff on the head. “I miss her, too.”
Max’s gaze didn’t waver.
“It’s not my fault she left.”
But it was. He’d moved too fast last night, and this morning she’d decided it was safer to take her chances with Collingwood Station’s tongue-waggers than to stay with him. Now he didn’t know what to do with himself, and neither did Max.
Too bad Nick had decided to put off starting the new job till tomorrow. If Brent had been thinking more clearly, he’d have offered to go in on his own and get things started. But he didn’t have the plans or the keys, and no way was he calling Nick to get them. So he was stuck at home in a house that suddenly felt too big and too empty.
The microwave pinged. He took out the coffee and carried it into the room Leslie had slept in and looked around. She had offered to strip the bed and wash the sheets but he’d told her to leave it. The bed had been made and his clothes were neatly folded and piled on the end. He picked up the shirt, wanting to bury his face in it, but resisted the urge. He’d already tortured himself enough.
Damn it. He shouldn’t have rushed her. If he hadn’t, she’d still be here. Now the most he could hope for was that he hadn’t completely blown his chances and that she’d agree to see him again.
He dropped the shirt back on the bed and opened the top drawer of the dresser. If she had left something behind, he’d have a good reason to call her and return it.
But the drawer was empty. So were the others. He opened the closet.
Aha.
Her wedding dress.
Did he dare to hope that she had left it here on purpose? A reason to come back and pick it up? Yeah, right. In his dreams.
He could call and offer to drop off the dress at her place, but what if she didn’t want it? He’d have to come up with another excuse to see her.
Better not to risk a phone call. He’d wait a couple of days, or at least till tomorrow—wouldn’t want to look too eager—and then he’d take it to her place in person.