Dixie Belle

by Debby Mayne

  He smiled. “I didn’t know a simple request for a date required a prayer.”

  She tightened her jaw. Was he condescending to her? Merely the thought of her saying a prayer obviously amused him. “That’s what I do, and I don’t make excuses, and no one’s—”

  “Whoa.” He held up his hands as if to surrender. “I’m totally fine with praying. I’m a Christian too.”

  “Really?” The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Cissy. Dave didn’t claim to have faith in God, yet her uncle was willing to let her go out with him, while he claimed that this Christian man beside her was the enemy. Then again, Uncle Forest seemed to think Tom was dishonest. Maybe he was just saying he was a Christian to get her to go on a date. She sent him a cautious glance.

  Tom leaned forward with his head cocked to the side as he studied her face. “Well? I promise not to bite.”

  The intensity of his brown-eyed gaze sent a woozy feeling through Cissy, making her insides all rubbery. She finally glanced away and sighed. “Not this week, but maybe next week?”

  “Unless this is a kindhearted Southern girl’s version of a brush-off, I can accept being put on the back burner for a week.” He grinned. “Or longer if necessary. I’m a very patient man.”

  “Oh, trust me, this isn’t a brush-off. I totally want to—” Her face flushed, and she dropped her gaze. “I mean, I would enjoy getting to know you better.” She sighed. “Just not this week . . . I mean, I can’t this week.”

  He gave her a reassuring smile. “I understand. Why don’t you call me when you’re free?”

  She hesitated before nodding. “I can do that.”

  He stood. “I’ll let you get back to your lunch.”

  He started to walk away when she called, “Thank you for the rose last week. That totally made my day.”

  “Good. I’ll do that again sometime.”

  “Is that a promise?”

  Tom nodded and waved. As he walked away, Cissy’s mind started whirling with ideas for a way to get to know him better. Without her uncle finding out, that is.

  Once she recovered, she packed up her lunch and headed back to the office. The second Cissy stepped off the elevator Dave confronted her with a silly grin. “So how was lunch?”

  “Good. Now I have a question for you.” She turned him around and pretended to look at his back. “Where are your wings, bow, and arrow?”

  He made a face. “Huh?”

  “You know, since you’ve decided to take up playin’ Cupid.”

  He laughed so hard he snorted. “I always leave them at the door. I’m surprised you didn’t trip over them. But seriously did you have a chance to talk to Tom?”

  “Yes.” She sat down at her desk and dropped her handbag and cooler into the bottom file drawer before slamming it shut.

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Is that all I’m getting after all the trouble I went through?”

  “All you did was tell him where I was.” She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her phone. “Now what is Charlene’s number? I don’t know where I put her card.”

  Dave stepped back. “Okay, I get it. This is girl-talk stuff. At least you can give me credit for introducing you and Charlene.”

  “True.” Cissy smiled at him. “I like Charlene. She reminds me of some of my old friends.”

  “So there ya go. I’m helping you learn the ropes here in the office, I brought you a new friend, and I’m helping out with your love life.”

  “I reckon I do owe ya for two of those things.” Cissy glanced around before pulling Dave to the side. “What do you know about the place where Charlene lives?”

  He shook his head. “Not much. I’ve never been there. The few times we got together, we met out.”

  “Oh.” Cissy sighed.

  “Why?” Dave’s hair flopped over his forehead as he cocked his head to one side.

  “I’m seriously thinking about looking at an apartment in her building.”

  “That should be interesting. Let me know before you tell your uncle. I wouldn’t want to be in the same room when you do.” He paused. “Or within a one-mile radius.”

  “Well, you’re outta luck, because I’m gonna talk to him about it right now.” Before she could have second thoughts, she marched straight up to Uncle Forest’s office door and knocked.

  “Come in.”

  She eased the door open and stepped inside. “I . . . uh . . . can you talk for a minute?”

  Uncle Forest looked up at her and nodded as he pointed to the chair beside his desk. “Sit while I finish up here.”

  She waited for a couple of minutes as he punched a few numbers into the program and then closed it out. Finally he leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. “What do you need?”

  In her nervousness the words tumbled out in a garbled rush. “I have this new friend, Charlene, and she told me about an apartment opening up in her building not far away. I understand that’s rare, and I don’t want to miss out on this great opportunity, and Charlene—”

  “You what?” Uncle Forest stood up from his desk and bellowed so loud her ears rang. “Why on earth would you come all the way up just to live in my house and work at my company and then turn around and move into some ratty apartment?”

  “It’s not ratty,” Cissy said.

  “How would you know? Have you seen it?” He placed a hand on his hip and leaned toward her.

  She forced herself not to cower. “Um . . . no, not yet. But I’m sure it’s nice since Charlene lives there.”

  “Don’t be so sure. I’ve seen a few of the apartments around here, and I don’t think you have any idea what they’re like. How much is it?”

  “That’s another thing. It’s rather pricey, so I’m sure it must be nice.”

  Uncle Forest howled with laughter. “You sure do have a lot to learn about living in the city, Cissy. Everything is pricey in New York, even shoebox-sized apartments.”

  Cissy pulled her teeth between her lips to keep from mouthing off. She’d just have to show him to prove he was mistaken.

  They had a several-second stare-down before he finally lifted his hands in surrender. “Okay, Cissy, I know how stubborn you can be. You’ll just have to see for yourself. Go look at that apartment, and if it’s something you think you can tolerate and afford, move into it. Just don’t come crying to me when the four walls close in around you.” The look on his face nearly broke her heart.

  She looked away so he wouldn’t see her raw emotion. “I didn’t say I was going to move. I just want to look.”

  “Then do it.” He sat down at his desk and turned to face his computer monitor to let her know that he planned to have the last word in the discussion. “I hate to say ‘I told you so,’ but you’ll see that I’m right. Even if you like the apartment, I doubt you can make it on your own in this city long enough to pay your second month’s rent.”

  She hated when people were so sure they were right when there was no way they’d have any idea. Now, more than ever, Cissy was determined to prove herself. She had to show her uncle, Mama, and everyone else she could stand on her own two feet.

  “I’ll go look at the place after work,” Cissy said. “So I’ll take the train to your house when I’m done.”

  He drummed the desktop with his fingers. “You’ll do no such thing. Bootsie would serve my head on a platter if I didn’t wait for you.”

  All the more reason she needed to do this. How could anyone expect her to get around on her own if they kept her on a leash? She wanted to argue, but he’d already turned his gaze back to the computer screen, so she knew it would be futile.

  Trying her best to keep her excitement contained, Cissy relayed the conversation to Dave, who congratulated her wryly on her courage. Charlene squealed with delight when Cissy called and told her. “I’ll call the landlord right away. There are several other people interested in it, but I think I can get you in if you want it. The landlord likes me, and I think he trusts me to only refer good people who
are gainfully employed. It’ll be so fun having you down the hall.” She paused for a few seconds. “One thing I want to warn you about, though, is this apartment isn’t what you’re used to back home.”

  “Of course it’s not,” Cissy said. “In fact, I’d be disappointed if it was.” The image of scenes from Friends reruns flitted through her mind. “I can’t wait!”

  They made arrangements to meet at the Starbucks on the corner after work.

  Throughout the rest of the workday bolts of excitement shot through Cissy, and she caught herself grinning.

  Dave walked past her and chuckled. “You look like a kid waiting to see what Santa brought. I can’t wait to see what you’re like during the holidays.”

  “Oh, but this is so much more exciting. I’ve shared apartments with friends before, but this is the first time I’ll ever do something completely on my own. I can decorate it just like I want to without having to ask someone else’s opinion.” She let out a sigh of satisfaction. “It’s gonna be so cute.”

  He gave her a warning look. “Don’t expect too much.”

  She made a face. “And don’t be so negative. You sound just like Uncle Forest. This is such an exciting adventure. I can’t believe only a few weeks ago I thought my life was over.” She sighed. “And now I’m happy to announce that it’s just getting started.” She lifted her hands in the air. “I feel like Mary Tyler Moore.” She closed her eyes and envisioned throwing her hat in the sky. When she opened them, she saw Dave staring at her with a look of disbelief. “You do know who Mary Tyler Moore is, right?”

  “Of course I do, but Minneapolis is nothing like New York.” He placed his palms on her desk and faced her. “And neither are the apartments. I know you’re excited about all this, but you really need to be more cautious.”

  “I’ve never been cautious in my life,” Cissy admitted.

  He stood back and tilted his head toward her. “That’s exactly why you need to start now. Learn from your past mistakes.”

  She waved him off. “Don’t go spoutin’ off old sayings. Mama does that, and it annoys me to no end.”

  “You’re hopeless.” Dave’s grimace changed to a grin. “But very charming, I have to admit.”

  Uncle Forest headed toward them, so Dave backed away. “We’d better get back to work.”

  For the remainder of the workday Cissy glanced up at the wall clock every fifteen minutes. Time crept by so slowly she wondered if the day would ever be over. Finally, when five o’clock rolled around, Uncle Forest walked over to her desk.

  “Go on and see about the apartment you’re itching to see. I’ll be right here when you get back, and then you can tell me all the reasons you can’t possibly move out of my nice, spacious, comfortable home in Long Island with meals ready when you arrive.” He let out a laugh that made Cissy more determined than ever to follow through with moving out.

  Chapter 8

  JUST AS PLANNED, Charlene stood in front of the coffee shop, fidgeting with the strap on her handbag, looking at least as nervous as Cissy felt. “Hey, I was afraid you’d changed your mind.”

  “No way,” Cissy said. “When I say I’m gonna do something, you can pretty much count on it.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  All the way to the apartment building Charlene chattered nervously about how she’d looked for something—anything—close to her office before finding this place. “It’s not really all that great, but the location couldn’t be better . . . and at least the utilities are included.” She repeated the rent amount. Cissy had done some calculating and wondered if maybe her uncle was right. Now that she was about to actually see the apartment, she’d have to be more practical than she’d ever been before. Could she afford the rent on what he was paying her? She tried to make up a budget in her head but realized she didn’t even know what food cost in New York, much less furniture or anything else she’d need.

  Charlene suddenly stopped, interrupting Cissy’s thoughts.

  “What’s wrong?” Cissy asked.

  “Nothing. We’ve arrived.”

  Cissy took a long look around. The neighborhood seemed rather . . . commercial. The building Charlene gestured toward was older than anything she’d ever lived in. But Charlene was right. The location was perfect, only a fifteen-minute walk from work.

  She took hold of Charlene’s arm and tugged her toward the door. “Then let’s go inside and see that apartment.”

  Cissy waited as Charlene punched a code into the box before turning around and shoving the door open. She took a step before turning to Cissy. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  The second Cissy walked into the building, the combination of a musty smell and something burning nearly knocked her out. Charlene didn’t make eye contact as she led the way down the dark hall covered in ratty old carpet with worn spots and dirt smudges. One of the doors they passed had a bag of very smelly garbage sitting beside it. The dim lighting in the hallway cast an eerie glow.

  “He always puts his garbage here before he takes it down to the street on garbage day,” she explained. “The carpet is gross, but we’ve been promised a renovation soon. Once the owner replaces it, the superintendent says he won’t be able to do that anymore.”

  “That’s good.” Cissy tried really hard to keep her tone level, but she worried her disappointment might have come through.

  “Oh, we’re getting new lighting too.” Charlene stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall and knocked. “This is where the superintendent lives.”

  Cissy took a deep breath and nodded. This was just a hallway. The apartment had to be better than this.

  The superintendent grunted as he answered the door and didn’t utter a word as he made his way to the elevator. He wore pleated khakis and a plaid shirt rolled to the elbows, an outfit that didn’t fit Cissy’s image of a New York City property manager. As the elevator slowly rose, Cissy marveled at how such a rickety machine that groaned until it came to a stop on the third floor still moved.

  “Here we are. I’ll unlock the door and leave the two of you to look around,” the middle-aged man said. “I’ll come back later and make sure everything is still intact.”

  As soon as he walked away, Cissy started to go inside, but Charlene grabbed her arm. “Don’t think you have to do this just because I live here.”

  “What are you talking about?” Cissy said. “You obviously don’t know me that well, or you wouldn’t even think such a thought. I don’t do anything that I don’t think is right for me.”

  “Remember that this isn’t like it is back home. Things are different here.” Charlene gulped. “Very different.”

  “Of course.” Without waiting for another of Charlene’s stalling comments, Cissy went on into the apartment. She glanced around the small room not even as big as the guest room at Uncle Forest and Aunt Bootsie’s place and turned toward Charlene. “Where’s the door to the bedroom?”

  “This is the bedroom . . . and the living room . . . ” Charlene gestured toward the wall on the left. “And the kitchen.”

  Along one side of the wall was a two-burner range with an oven that wouldn’t even fit a frozen pizza. The fridge was about the size of the one in her college dorm room. Beside the single sink was about a foot of countertop with a cabinet directly below it and one that was the width of the sink above it.

  “This is a joke, right?” Cissy resisted the urge to run screaming from the building. “It’s not even—”

  Charlene shot her an apologetic look. “I told you it was small.”

  Small wasn’t the word for this place. Cissy blinked a few times, walked around the room, and pushed the door to the bathroom open, until it met resistance. She leaned around it and saw that the space was so small the toilet prevented the door from having full clearance. A small shower fit into the room, and the sink was on a pedestal, so it didn’t even have a place to store her makeup. She leaned around and looked for a closet or cupboard, but there was none.

  She
spun around and made eye contact with Charlene. “How big is your apartment?”

  “My place is exactly like this, only flip-flopped. Wanna see it?”

  “Um . . . sure.” That would give Cissy at least some idea of how a person could live in such a small space.

  Charlene was uncharacteristically quiet as they walked a few steps across the hall to her apartment. “I did the best I could with what I had.” She unlocked the door and opened it with a sweeping gesture. “Ta da.”

  Cissy walked inside and looked around. Yep, it still looked just as small, but at least it had some personality. She sniffed. “It smells nice in here.”

  “That took time,” Charlene admitted. “I opened the window and sprayed gallons of air freshener.” She motioned for Cissy to follow her to the bathroom. “I went to one of the container stores and got a small shelf with some drawers for the bathroom.” She pointed to the shelf she’d wedged beneath the sink between the pipes and the floor.

  Cissy was impressed by the way Charlene made use of every inch of space in her bathroom. She had even positioned a small heart-shaped mat. “Cute rug. Where did you get it?”

  “It started out rectangular, but it was too big for the floor, so I had to cut it to fit. I figured while I was at it, I might as well have fun with the shape,” she explained. “So what do you think?”

  Never one to hurt someone’s feelings, Cissy bought time by walking back out and looking at all the artwork on the walls. “You’ve really turned this place into a home.”

  “Okay, Cissy, stop beatin’ around the bush. I know it’s not as nice as anything you’ve had back home, but this is the best you’ll get for the price in this prime location in New York City. In fact, when I spoke to the superintendent, he said he already showed it to a couple people. One was even ready to put a deposit on it.”

  “So that means I have to make a decision soon?”

  Charlene nodded. “Yes, like today.”

  Cissy gestured aimlessly. “It’s just that . . . well, I have to talk to Uncle Forest and figure out if I can afford it. Besides, I don’t even have a bed.”