by Donna Hill
Barbara put her hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. “I really don’t see what’s so funny.”
“Not that it’s funny, ha ha funny. But funny in the brilliant sense. Pure genius.” He stopped chuckling and looked dead at her. “Who knows what men want more than a woman?”
Her breath stopped somewhere in her chest and refused to move. She started to feel lightheaded and began coughing—choking was more like it.
Alarmed, Wil sprung into action and began patting her back. “Are you all right? Can I get you something?”
She bent over, still coughing, but loving the feel of those big hands on her back, the sound of his voice in her ear. She unscrewed the cap on her bottle of water and took a long swallow.
By degrees her coughing subsided and she slowly stood up. “Sorry about that,” she choked out. “Guess something went down the wrong way.”
“Sure you’re okay?”
She nodded.
“Married?” he asked out of the blue.
She almost lapsed into another coughing attack.
“No. Widowed.”
“Sorry.”
She dared to look at him. “You?”
“Was. It’s been over for years now.”
“So you’re a single parent.”
“That’s what they call us.” He waited a beat.
“Kids?”
“No,” she barely murmured.
He lowered his gaze for an instant, not wanting to witness the sadness he saw in hers. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ve gotten over that part of my life.”
She drew in a breath. “Well, if we don’t finish this tour your son will be wondering what I’ve done with you down here.”
“I could think of a few things, but then there might be witnesses.”
She didn’t even want to begin to imagine what he meant by that. “Uh, down this hallway is the massage room.” She caught his grin before she turned away.
“So you do the massages?” he asked looking around.
“Yes, but we’re in the process of hiring some permanent help. My full-time job is at the hospital in rehabilitation. I’m on vacation this week.”
“Wow. I’m impressed.” He frowned for a moment, trying to put it together in his head. “So you only do this part-time. How long have you been open?”
She grinned. “This is only day two if you can believe it.”
He chuckled. “Now I really am impressed. Like I said, pure genius. You ladies have a goldmine here.”
“We hope so.”
“So what does a hardworking brother need to do to sign up for a well-deserved massage?”
“Uh, it can be taken care of at the front desk.”
His gaze held her in place.
“You look good woman.”
The pulse in her throat went on a rampage. “Thank you,” she managed to say.
She watched his shoulders rise and fall.
“Guess I better get back.”
She nodded numbly.
They stood staring at each other for what felt like a wonderful eternity.
Finally, Wil said, “After you.”
Barbara shook off the cobwebs forming around her brain and led the way back to the front desk.
Elizabeth was working with a client.
“Uh, I can get you all signed up or you can wait for Elizabeth.”
“If you’re not busy…”
She thought about her next client that was due any minute. But she also wanted just a few more minutes alone with Wil.
“Sure. Have a seat.” She walked behind the check-in counter. “I just need to get some information from you…”
As she listened to him respond to her questions, his answers hit her like tiny pellets. Marital Status: Divorced; Next of Kin: Son; D.O.B.: September 20, 1952; Contact #: 212 555-8855; Height: 6’3”, Weight: 225 lbs.; Employer: USPS; Mailing Address: One Hundred and Thirty-Eighth Street; Method of Payment: Fully paid—cash.
She now knew where he lived and worked—right in her own backyard—for years. They didn’t call New York City the melting pot for no reason. You could come here and virtually disappear in the stew. She had his home number. But she wouldn’t use it. It was against policy. The very same policy she’d admonished Ann Marie about.
She hit the Save button then asked him to face the Webcam and she took his picture for the files.
“Well, all done.” She handed him his membership card.
“Can I make that appointment now?” He leaned casually against the counter.
Her eyes darted around for a minute. “Uh, sure.” She cleared her throat. “Do you have a day in mind?”
“How about tomorrow around seven?”
She swallowed as she brought up the schedule on the screen. “I’m booked at seven but I have an opening at six.”
“Fine. Six.” He stood back. “I’ll see you then.”
Before she could respond in the slightest, he turned and walked toward the café.
Barbara was shaking all over. Not in a lifetime did she think she’d see him again. And here of all places. She’d never told Marvin about Wil. She’d never told the girls, either.
But life being what it was, the long buried secret of her past would be all over the place in a heartbeat.
Chapter 9
Sterling twirled the pen around between his fingers, ruminating over the information he’d gathered regarding Ann Marie and her marriage.
He tossed the pen aside and watched it roll across the desk until it ran into a crystal paperweight of the scales of justice and stopped.
The U.S. laws and those of Jamaica were a bit different on this particular issue. He’d hoped to have found a loophole of some sort, but that was not the case.
He hadn’t bargained on getting involved with a married woman. If he really wanted to be honest with himself, he had no real desire for any long lasting commitment in any form. Marriage was not in the cards for him. He enjoyed the life of a bachelor and couldn’t imagine coming home to the same face day after day.
He swung his chair toward the window and looked out upon the Manhattan skyline. Ann Marie caught his eye. No question. There was something about her that was no-nonsense and vulnerable at the same time—a lethal combination. He could only imagine all that island fire let loose.
He drew in a breath, turned his chair back toward his desk and dialed the cell phone number she’d given him.
Ann Marie had finished up with her last real estate client of the morning and was preparing to leave and head over to the spa when her cell phone rang. She checked the number on the lighted dial. A slow smile eased across her lips.
“Hi.”
“Hey there. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No, not at all. I was just leaving to head over to the spa.”
“I have some free time. What if I meet you over there?”
Barbara’s warning sounded in her head. She ignored it. “Sure. I should be there in about a half hour. I’ll meet you in the café. Don’t know what’s on the menu, but I’m sure it’s something good.”
“Perfect. I have about two hours then I need to get back for court.”
“See you then.” She disconnected the call and dropped the phone in her purse. “I’m gone for the rest of the day,” she called out.
Carol popped up from behind her desk just as Ann Marie passed by.
“Ann Marie.” She looked around as if she expected something awful to happen to her.
Ann Marie stood and tried to keep the annoyance off her face and out of her voice.
“Yes?”
Carol came from behind her desk. She kept her voice low. “A call came in for you earlier. You were with a client.”
Ann Marie frowned. “So why didn’t you just give it to me?” she snapped.
“I just thought…well, I’ve been watching you lately and you haven’t been yourself since those flowers came.”
Now she really was annoyed and not afraid to show
it. “What does that have to do with giving me my messages? That’s your job!”
Carol was unfazed by Ann Marie’s growing ire. “The message was from the same man who sent the flowers…and called the other day. It seemed to upset you so much. So I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to see you upset again.”
The plaintive tone reached that hidden spot in Ann Marie’s heart. She felt herself soften to this silly girl who maybe wasn’t so silly after all, but simply a nice girl who cared.
Ann Marie lowered her head. She had to stop thinking the worst of everyone. She finally looked at Carol.
“I…appreciate your concern. But I can handle my business.” She paused, taking in the sunken expression on Carol’s face. “Thank you. Very much.”
A smile sprung across Carol’s mouth. “No problem. Any way I can help.” She started to return to her desk.
“Uh, Carol…”
“Yes?” She frowned for a moment.
“The message…”
“Oh.” She sputtered a nervous laugh. She plucked the message slip from her desk and gingerly handed it to Ann Marie.
Ann Marie stared down at the neat script. Terrance Bishop. Please return the call. Important.
Tightness built in her chest. What could Terrance possibly want now? Hadn’t he just about ruined everything already? And they hadn’t even seen each other yet. She looked around. The office was buzzing with activity. She shoved the note in her purse. She’d call him from her cell phone once she got in her car.
She pushed through the glass and wood door and stepped out into the steamy afternoon. August had been barely tolerable and September still had a hold on them. She loosened the top button of her blouse then deactivated the alarm on her car.
Slipping inside she immediately turned on the engine followed by the air conditioning. She sat there for a few minutes until the car began to cool. She stole a glance at her purse almost as if the note inside was calling out to her, whispering her name—in Terrance’s voice.
She shook off the sensation. The hell with Terrance Bishop. Whatever he wanted would wait. She’d promised to meet Sterling and she had no intention of keeping him waiting.
When she pulled up across the street from Pause she caught a glimpse of Sterling walking inside. Her heart thumped one good time. He sure was a good looking man, she mused, watching the way his body fit just right in his pinstriped suit and the easy way he moved. She sat there staring until he disappeared inside and a car horn blared behind her to get out of the way. She glanced over her shoulder, wanted to give the impatient driver the finger but changed her mind. The last thing she needed was an incident in front of her place of business. She pulled off and cruised around the block several times before she found a parking space.
By the time she got inside she’d already lost fifteen precious minutes.
“Hey Ann,” Elizabeth greeted from the front desk. “Glad you’re here. I desperately need to take a break. Barbara is busy with a client and Stephanie is holding it down in the exercise room.” She shook her head and stepped from behind the desk. “We have got to get some more help in here and quick. Desiree is in the café. She and Dawne are taking turns but they have their own business to run.”
Elizabeth rambled on about the staffing shortage and all Ann Marie wanted to do was make a quick dash in Sterling’s direction. From her vantage point she could see him in the café area.
“I saw Mr. Chambers a minute ago. But he didn’t look like he was here for any treatment. He didn’t even sign in, even though I asked him to.” She sounded annoyed. “He went straight to the café.”
“I know, I was supposed to meet him here for a quick lunch. He has to get back to court this afternoon.”
“Well maybe you can explain the policy. Every member needs to check in when they arrive. We need to know exactly who is here, when and for how long. Know what I mean? We’re liable for everyone who sets foot in the door.”
Ann Marie twisted her lips in annoyance. Since when had the not-too-long-ago Suzy Homemaker become such a stickler for business rules and etiquette? It was right on Ann Marie’s tongue to say as much, but she’d made a mini-promise to herself not to think so badly of other people. The flipside was Elizabeth was right. The last thing they needed was someone claiming something happened to them on the premises and they weren’t even there.
“I’ll be sure to remind him. He was probably in a hurry.”
Elizabeth huffed. “Thanks. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes.” She started to walk away.
“Ellie.”
She turned, her usual amicable demeanor back in place.
“Do me a quick favor. Drop in the café and just let Sterling know that I’m tied up for a few minutes.”
“Sure.” She walked toward the café while Ann Marie took her spot behind the desk.
Folks sure were changing, Ann Marie thought as she sat down. There was a time when Elizabeth would have put her own needs aside and let Ann Marie go to Sterling, nor would she have had the backbone to give her a lecture on business. Go figure. Maybe her impending divorce from Matt was finally putting some starch in her spine.
She stuck her purse in the desk drawer just as Sterling walked up.
“Hey,” he said.
She smiled. “Hey yourself. Sorry about the delay. First it was parking, now it’s staffing.”
“Not a problem. I totally understand.” He checked his watch. “Unfortunately, I don’t have as much time as I thought I would. Traffic was brutal getting here from downtown. I don’t want to get stuck going back and be late for court.”
“Sure.” She looked around quickly. “We can talk here.”
He leaned against the counter. “I’ll get right to the point. According to everything I’ve found out, you are still very much married to Terrance Bishop. It doesn’t matter that it’s been so many years since you two have lived together or even communicated. I was hoping to find some kind of loophole but there aren’t any.”
Her spirits sank.
“Cheer up,” he said, reading the look in her eyes. “Maybe that’s why he wants to see you, to finally put an end to it all. Maybe he wants to get married again.”
Something sharp stuck her in the center of her chest. An image of her wedding day on the balmy island of Jamaica leaped into her mind. They’d gotten married on the beach with the midnight blue sky and the stars as their canopy. Coconut and palm trees danced with the ocean breeze. She was young, in love and walking down an aisle made of tropical flowers toward the man that was to be her husband and father of her child. She thought it would be forever, that her love would tame his wild ways.
Terrance married again—to someone else? The idea had never occurred to her. As much as she’d distanced herself from her husband and her marriage, she’d never envisioned Terrance with someone else—at least not a wife.
“Are you okay?”
She blinked then focused on Sterling. She flashed a half-hearted smile. “Fine. Taking it in I guess.” She drew in a breath. “Nothing in this life is easy.”
Sterling chuckled. “That’s an understatement.” He waited a beat. “Listen I have to run. Sorry I couldn’t have been a bearer of better news. But as a consolation, I’d love to take you out tonight.”
Her expression brightened. “I’d really like that.”
“What time do you get off?”
“We close at nine. Is that too late?”
“We’ll both be good and starved by then. I have an idea—if you’re willing to take chances.”
She frowned. “What kind of chances?”
“I should be finished in court by five. I’ll dart to the market, fix dinner and then pick you up. We can eat at my place, relax, talk and unwind. How’s that sound?”
Her features creased. “Can you cook?”
Sterling laughed from deep in his stomach. “I haven’t killed anyone yet.”
“That’s not very comforting.” She eyed him for a moment. “On one condition.”<
br />
“What’s that?”
She wagged her finger at him. “Don’t be late.”
He grinned. “Nine on the dot.” He took her finger, leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips, taking her by complete surprise. He paused inches away from her mouth. “Hope that’s not against the rules,” he whispered.
If it was she didn’t care. “I’ll have to look that up in the employee handbook,” she said.
He grinned. “See you at nine.”
“Oh, wait. Why don’t I just come directly to your place? I want to go home and change first. Is that okay?”
“Sure.” He gave her the address. “So then I’ll see you around ten. Is an hour enough time?”
“Sure.” She smiled.
“Great. See you later.”
She watched him leave and began counting the hours, Terrance all but forgotten.
Chapter 10
Stephanie tried to keep her attention focused on the client who was asking about lifetime membership. She rattled off something that sounded relatively intelligent but her mind was on her own dilemma—getting enough money to facilitate the additional care her sister would need. Her visit to the facility earlier had left her more shaken than she’d let on.
She smiled her best PR smile as the client left, hopefully satisfied with whatever it was she’d told him.
With a few moments of downtime she returned to the office. They’d sent out information on the positions available and she wanted to check her e-mail and phone messages for any responses.
She opened the e-mail file on the computer and was very pleased with what she saw. Just a quick glance showed that there were more than twenty responses from Craig’s List as well as the Swedish Institute that trained massage therapists. They’d used two of the students on opening night. They’d done an excellent job. Stephanie tucked their information in a folder.
She opened each e-mail and noted the qualifications, printing out those that met the requirements. By the time she was done, she had a solid fifteen candidates to choose from. She stuck the resumes in the folder and marked it Applicants. When Pause closed for the night, she and the girls would have to go over them and start setting up interviews as soon as possible.