Behind the Red Doors

by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Stephanie Bond

  “I’ll go with you,” Faith said. “Elevator or stairs?”

  “Stairs, of course.”

  “Of course,” Faith said. “I don’t know why I even asked a woman who ice skates on her lunch hour. Okay, stairs it is. I can use the exercise. Bye, Dev.”

  “Bye, Dev,” Jamie echoed.

  Dev stood, too. He’d hoped to subtly find out if Jamie would be home tonight without letting her know he’d be stopping by with the replacement for her cup. He didn’t want to tell her what he planned because he was afraid she’d suggest that he bring the cup to the office instead. No, a surprise visit was best.

  But here she was leaving already, and he had no idea what her plans were for tonight. He didn’t want to go all the way over there and find her gone, or worse, discover Faith was there.

  Finally, when she was partway up the stairs, he had no choice but to ask her straight out. “Jamie, are you going to be home tonight?”

  She froze. Then she glanced at him over her shoulder. “Um, I think so. Why?”

  Faith looked at him strangely. Well, he didn’t have time to worry about that. He had a big hairy lie to tell. “One guy I contacted about the questionnaire said his computer’s in the shop, so he couldn’t do the e-mail thing. But if I give him your number, you can ask him the questions over the phone.”

  “That would be fine. I should be around.”

  “Good. I’ll tell him.” If he didn’t know better, he’d swear that she looked disappointed. Maybe she’d wanted his question to lead to something else, something involving him. But that was crazy. She’d had several chances the night before to encourage him, and other than the kiss she’d dismissed as a fluke, she’d kept her distance.

  “Then it’s off to work we go,” Faith said brightly.

  Mr. Willis hurried after Faith with a lidded coffee cup in his hand. “I wonder if you would be so kind as to deliver this to Mrs. Merriweather? I know how much everyone depends on a bracing cup of coffee in the morning.”

  Faith took the coffee. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that, Mr. Willis.” Then she followed Jamie up the winding staircase.

  Dev turned away, not wanting to be caught staring after Jamie as she climbed the stairs. But he wanted to watch. Each step she took made the material of her skirt cup her trim little bottom. Instead he polished off his coffee, stood and handed the mug to Mr. Willis.

  “They all work too hard,” the older man said.

  “Sometimes you have to, if you want to get a business off the ground.” Dev knew that was something else that attracted him to Jamie. She threw herself heart and soul into whatever she tackled.

  “Yes, I suppose that’s true. But I hate to see them missing out on the small pleasures of life.”

  Dev was touched by the older man’s concern. Obviously he was in a service job because he was the soul of service. “Your coffee sure qualifies as one of the pleasures of life. I don’t know how I lived without it before.” He couldn’t imagine going without his daily doses of Jamie, either, as they shared this morning ritual.

  “Thank you, Mr. Sherman. That’s kind of you to say so.”

  “It’s Dev.”

  Mr. Willis gave him a rare smile. “Old habits are hard to break. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go see to the espresso machine. It was acting up yesterday.”

  “I need to take off, myself.” He glanced at the stairway. Jamie and Faith were gone. “Thanks again for the coffee.”

  “My pleasure, Mr. Sherman.”

  As Dev headed for the side entrance, making the same trip he had every morning since November when The Red Doors opened, he offered up a little prayer that the business would survive. Besides temporarily lowering the rent on the space, his father would do nothing else to shore up the venture.

  Outsiders might think that with Faith as a partner in The Red Doors, the business was automatically backed with Sherman money. Not so. Even the break on the rent had been a hard-won concession. D. H. Sherman believed in educating his children and letting them make their own way.

  Ten years ago Dev had resented the hell out of his father’s attitude. After partying his way through college, he’d expected to slide right into a slot with the brokerage firm. He’d been convinced his father was bluffing.

  Instead he’d been required to dig for every client, and he’d nearly bombed out. But he’d made it, made it very nicely. Grudgingly, he’d admitted to himself that his father had been right in forcing him to grow up.

  He hadn’t said so to the old man yet, but he would, eventually. Just not right now, when Faith was struggling. His father might get all full of himself and his excellent parenting skills and decide to hike the rent.

  That would be horrendous for Faith, but even worse for Jamie, who had sunk everything she had into the business. Although it didn’t make a lot of sense, he felt responsible for whether she made it or not. He’d helped her earn that original stake, and he’d been there when she’d had the brainstorm that could make her even more money. He didn’t want to see her fail. That was another good reason to stay close to her, so he could keep an eye on things.

  JAMIE WALKED with Faith down a hallway between Heaven Scent and The Diamond Mine. In allotting space, they’d reasoned out that Sheer Delights required the most floor space, so the other two boutiques had been scaled down to allow for a hallway that led back to a storeroom and office area.

  “Okay, I think we’re out of earshot now,” Faith said. “Tell me about last night.”

  Jamie glanced at her. “Faith, it’s hopeless. I think it’s sweet, what you tried to do, but Dev and I are not meant for each other. I’ve known that all along.”

  “How can you be so sure? What happened? Did you fight?”

  “No. But we’re not on the same wavelength, okay?” She opened the door and immediately heard Dixie, her tone sweeter than a mint julep as she talked on the phone to the supplier. She was giving him hell, but he was probably so mesmerized by her accent that he didn’t even realize it.

  Dixie’s cubby was off to the left, partitioned as was the rest of the area with portable walls that could be rearranged according to staffing needs.

  If the elegant public areas of The Red Doors were Faith’s natural environment, the back room was Jamie’s. Practicality was the watchword. She’d made sure the desks, computers and telephones were reasonably priced and easy to use.

  Because the business wouldn’t open for another half hour, Jamie, Dixie and Faith were the only ones there. Jason, the person Jamie needed to consult about retooling the program, would arrive at any minute.

  “Come sit with me until Jason gets here so you can tell me what happened,” Faith said. She led the way past Dixie’s cubby and deposited the coffee on Dixie’s cluttered desk. Dixie waved her thanks.

  Jamie obliged Faith’s request because she wanted this to be over. Faith was going to embarrass her if she continued with the matchmaking plans. “Just keep your voice down,” she said softly. “I really don’t want Dixie to know about any of this, and I’m sure she could listen to us and ream the supplier at the same time.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Faith continued past Jamie’s cubicle to her own, and to her credit, she lowered her voice. “When you didn’t call me last night I was hoping you and Dev had become so involved that you forgot everything else.”

  “You have to give it up.” Jamie tossed her coat over the back of a chair in front of Faith’s desk and sat. “Trust me, I’m not the right woman for Dev.”

  Faith sat across from her, took a sip of her coffee and made a face. “Cold. We’ll have to nuke these—but not now. Jason could show up anytime, and I’m dying to hear why you’d be so terrible for my big brother.”

  “I’m not going to get specific.”

  “His answers to the questionnaire, huh? Too far out?”

  “Not me, not ever. Not by any stretch of the imagination.”

  Faith rolled her eyes. “You know guys. They think they want all this fantasy stuff, but what they
really want is a good woman who will love them even when they leave socks on the floor and the toilet seat up. So what if you’re not into his preferences? Use them to grab his interest. I can’t believe you’ll have to dress up like Xena the Warrior Princess very often after that.”

  Jamie’s jaw dropped. She didn’t think Faith was a hacker, but the description was so on the nose, it was as if Faith had broken into Jamie’s computer and read Dev’s questionnaire.

  “I guessed?” Faith laughed. “What a hoot.”

  Jamie felt the heat rising to her cheeks. “I’m not saying a word—not a single word.”

  “You don’t have to. One look at your face was all I needed. Oh, Jamie, he’s not really into all that. He’s just being a guy.” She eyed Jamie, her blue eyes merry. “We could organize an ensemble, you know. There’s that little leather outfit we special-ordered for the woman who changed her mind. She was about your size, and I’m positive we haven’t sent it back.”

  “This is getting way too weird for me. And if you say one word to Dev, I’m in such big trouble. I promised him that everything would be anonymous, especially in his case, because he’s so paranoid about people trying to marry him off.”

  Faith shook her head. “I’ve never been part of that, which I keep trying to tell him. And why would I snitch on you? It would screw up any chance you have with him, and right now the only person I’d like to see dating my brother is you. I haven’t liked anybody he’s gone out with in the past five years. No, make that ten years. Actually, make that forever.”

  Jamie heard Jason’s voice as he came in with Veronica, a clerk working the morning shift in Heaven Scent. “I have to go. All this aside, we have to get the revised program up and running.”

  “I know.” Faith’s expression sobered. “I went by the other store yesterday afternoon on my way home. It’s cheesy, but I saw guys walking in there, guys we should have had coming to The Red Doors.”

  “I think Dixie’s idea will work. Career women are busy, too, so why wouldn’t they like a program that helps them pick out something sexy to wear for that certain man?”

  “Indeed.” The twinkle returned to Faith’s eyes. “You would think that once a woman had that kind of information about a man who interests her, she’d put it to good use.” She winked at Jamie. “At least, if she’s as smart as I think she is.”

  Jamie groaned. “Do you have any idea how much courage it would take for me to do something like that?”

  “Do you realize how many regrets you’ll have if you fail to use the information that fate has dropped in your lap?”

  Stuck for the answer, Jamie gazed at her friend. “I have to go talk with Jason.”

  “I know. I have to dream up a new ad. But you’ll have a few spare moments to consider what I just said, so I hope you do think about it.”

  Jamie was sure she’d think of nothing else.

  DEV SPENT his entire lunch hour looking for a blue cup. Twice he walked past the skating rink and saw Jamie there, her red hair catching the noon sunlight streaming down between the buildings. He stayed within the protective coloring of the passing crowd, not wanting her to notice him and later ask what he’d been doing.

  He’d hoped to accomplish this cup-buying himself, without the help of his secretary Edna, but after looking through several department stores with no luck, he returned to the office in defeat. Mostly he tried to act like a grown-up around Edna, because she was old enough to be his mother and tended to treat him as if he were a little boy.

  She’d been with Sherman Investments longer than he had. Recognizing gold when he saw it, Dev had talked her into working for him when one of the senior members retired. She was more efficient than he was, looked like Tootsie, and he paid her really, really well. He hoped she wouldn’t quit until she was at least eighty.

  “Edna, I’m looking for a blue cup.” He took off his trench coat and came over to stand by her desk.

  Edna adjusted her glasses and swung away from her computer screen to gaze at him. “Did you lose one?”

  “No, I broke one. It looked like a giant teacup, but it was heavy, like a mug and…someone served me coffee in it. I dropped it and I want to replace it, but I don’t know where to find one.” He felt about six.

  “What color blue?”

  “Sky-blue. Or maybe lake-blue. Something along those lines. Not pale blue and not dark blue. In between.”

  “Would you like me to go buy you one?”

  He gazed at her. “You’re not gonna tell me where I can get it myself, are you?”

  Her smile was prim. “If I told you all my secrets, then you wouldn’t need me anymore.”

  “I will need you forever. But if you would take an hour off and go buy that cup from whatever secret source you have, I will give you stock options.”

  “I already have enough stock options.”

  “Then take time to get yourself a double mocha espresso at The Red Bean while you’re out, and charge it to me.”

  “Bingo.” Edna turned off her computer and rummaged in her bottom desk drawer for her purse.

  “How much money do you need?”

  She glanced up at him with that same prim smile on her face. “I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you, Edna. I will be forever in your debt.”

  “That’s my plan.” Then she walked to the coat-rack, took down her red wool coat, and left the office.

  Forty-five minutes later she tapped on his office door. When she came in, she placed a gift-wrapped package on his desk. The gift wrapping was a nice touch that he never would have thought of.

  “I assume the cup’s in there?” he asked.

  “It is.”

  Although he was glad it looked so festive, it was probably Edna’s way of making sure he couldn’t see inside so he had to take her word that she’d found the right cup. Silently she handed him the bill, and he reached for his wallet.

  “Thank you,” he said, giving her the money. “I love you to pieces, Edna, but you’re a real control freak.”

  Behind her glasses, her eyes twinkled, as if he’d given her a compliment. “And that’s why your office runs with the precision of a Rolex watch. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to do. Fortunately I now have enough caffeine in my system to get most of it done, despite the delay. Thank you for the espresso.”

  “You’re welcome. And Edna, this cup thing…was important.”

  “I could tell.”

  As she walked out the door, Dev picked up the square package and took a closer look at the wrapping paper. It had wedding bells on it. “Edna! What’s with the wrapping paper?”

  She turned. “They had a special going. Anything that was a wedding gift they wrapped for free.”

  “But—”

  “Don’t you think it looks pretty?”

  “Yes, I do, but this isn’t—”

  “Do you want me to take it back and get different wrapping paper?” She frowned at him exactly the way his mother used to when he’d been an ungrateful little kid. “Surely you wouldn’t want to waste that beautiful job, not to mention my time?”

  “No. This is fine.” Dev decided it didn’t matter all that much. At first glance he hadn’t even noticed the wedding bells. Jamie might not, either, and he’d wad the paper up as soon as she unwrapped the box.

  “Okay, then.” Edna left the office.

  So he had the cup. Now all he had to do was deliver it. Then he had another brainstorm. After work he’d use one of The Red Doors kiosks to order up something else for Jamie. He’d start with Heaven Scent, her favorite boutique.

  If things went well tonight, he might consider a purchase from Sheer Delights next. Then maybe he’d go for something from The Diamond Mine.

  Whoa. The Diamond Mine? He sat looking at the paper with the wedding bells on it. He thought about the picture over the love seat in Jamie’s apartment. His stomach felt funny. Either he had a major case of indigestion from the chili dog he’d wolfed down at lunch, or he was getting
in much deeper than he’d planned.

  Probably the chili dog.

  CHAPTER SIX

  DURING THE DAY Jamie accessed her home computer’s e-mail and discovered three more of Dev’s friends had sent in answers to her questionnaire. She interviewed her brothers at home, and Faith forwarded answers from two men she used to work with. Jason offered to fill out a questionnaire, too, and he had some great ideas for tweaking the program. Thanks to everyone’s cooperation, there was enough data to move forward.

  By five, when she peeked into Jason’s cubby on the way home, he was deep in his work and showed no signs of leaving.

  “You don’t have to burn the midnight oil on this, Jason.” She said it to clear her conscience, but she knew he would anyway. Jason was so intense, but maybe that was partly because he was twenty-four, involved with his first live-in girlfriend, and determined to make good at his first real job.

  He glanced up at her, his round face serious. “You know I’m a midnight-oil kind of guy,” he said. “I do my best work between twelve and three.”

  “What about Wendy? That can’t be very popular with her, you being at the office in the wee small hours.”

  “She’s cool with it,” Jason said with a touch of pride. “She understands my work is important to me. And I—” he flushed slightly “—I make it up to her on the weekends.”

  Jamie smiled at him. “That’s good to know.” She had a tough time imagining Jason as a great lover, but she’d seen his questionnaire answers and the guy had more imagination in that department than she’d given him credit for. “Wendy’s a lucky lady,” she added. “Well, guess I’ll be taking off, then.”

  “Have a good night.”

  “Thanks.” As she walked down the hallway she wondered how long it had been since she’d had what could be called a good night. Almost two years, come to think of it. Her last good night had been the Valentine’s dinner with Faith and Dev.

  She wouldn’t call last night good. Overstimulation was more like it. By contrast, tonight would be understimulation, with nothing to look forward to except a phone call from one of Dev’s friends with his questionnaire answers.