“How exciting. Has Karen met him yet?”
“Their ‘chance’ meeting should happen within the hour. She’s at the Boys and Girls Club right now where he is going to make an unexpected PR stop.”
“I wish we could watch.”
“That would be too obvious. It’s up to the two of them now.”
Eliza glanced around the room. “Will she still work here? Or have you talked about that?”
“Most of her work is online or on the phones, so we’re going to work it out from Michael’s place.”
“Which means you’ll be here all by yourself.”
Gwen pushed off the couch. “Oh, please…not you, too?” She walked into the kitchen.
“Me too what?” Eliza followed her.
Gwen removed a chilled bottle of Chardonnay from the refrigerator, lifted the bottle for Eliza to see. “Is it too early for wine?”
“It’s never too early for wine.”
Good. Because the “you’re living here alone” conversation needed wine. “I’m getting tired of people treating me as if I’m a child incapable of living on her own. Shortly after you moved out Karen moved in. I’ve loved the company. But I don’t need a keeper.”
“I don’t think I said anything about a keeper.”
Gwen saw the doubt in Eliza’s gaze. “Samantha brought up me living alone and Neil hasn’t stopped coming over to check on me since the news of Michael and Karen broke.” She uncorked the wine, poured two glasses, and handed one to her friend.
“I’m sure having Neil over isn’t a hardship…for you.”
Although Gwen had never confirmed her feelings for Neil to Eliza, her friend had always guessed they were deeper than those of a friend. Besides, she would never say anything in a house Neil listened in on, that might clue him in to just how often she thought of the man.
“It’s nice outside. Let’s go out back.” Where the audio feeds weren’t as clear as Neil liked.
Once outside and seated with their wine, Eliza started in. “OK, Gwen…what’s up?”
“Having…him around isn’t a hardship. It’s a constant reminder that I’ve not had one lover since I moved here. My love life may not have been ideal at home. In fact, it was downright boring after a while, choreographed affairs that usually ended a week after they should have.”
Eliza sipped her wine. “Where did you meet the men you’ve dated?”
“Friends of the family, sons of men my father worked with when he was alive. Boring, predictable. Not once did I have the urge to carry on with any of them.”
“You make it sound like there were a lot.”
“Not that many. These past months I realize how sheltered I’ve been. Living here, although it couldn’t be more different from Albany, is still an extension of that shelter. Eyes are always on me. I’ve even taken to looking over my shoulder lately.”
“That might be your subconscious talking. You’re used to the security of people being around…of cameras and alarms.”
Gwen played with the stem of her glass, chasing the condensation with her manicured nail. “That isn’t real life though, is it?”
“It’s been your life.”
“A sheltered life I don’t need and don’t want.”
Eliza sat forward and lowered her voice. “No one knows more than me what it feels like to have unwanted security guards watching your every move. But you can’t ignore the fact that your brother is titled and very rich. You have a trust fund worth more money than I’ll ever see and there are people out there that wouldn’t think twice about getting to you to get to that money. You want independence. I get that. Lord knows you’re more street-smart now than when you first moved here. But in order to shake off all this security, you’re going to have to prove you can take care of yourself. And not just to your brother and Neil…but to yourself.”
Gwen knew her friend was right. Looking over her shoulder was part insecurity and part paranoia. Both of which made her seek the refuge of her home or even the privacy of her car. If she were ever going to get her own life, and stop riding on that of her brother’s, she’d have to start making some changes.
“You’re right.”
Eliza smiled, satisfied with herself. “So, we have an island wedding to plan.”
“And you’re in charge of the dresses,” Gwen said with a laugh. She’d picked out the yellow bridesmaid gowns they’d worn last year for Blake and Sam’s Texas wedding. Eliza hated them and offered to pick out the dresses for Aruba. Eventually Gwen would get an opportunity to redeem herself. Blake and Samantha repeated their vows every year.
“It’s an island…I’m thinking simple. Beach ceremony. Island food…flowers.”
Gwen thought of the sea gently lapping on the shore and being carried off in the sunset. “Sounds lovely.”
“Good. I’ll pick out the dresses and everything to go with them here and we’ll travel to the island a few days early to finish any details needed. This ceremony is going to be smaller. Samantha wanted only family and close friends.”
“They can’t all be grand.”
“Not when you get married every year.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “I’d settle for once, thank you very much.”
Eliza finished her wine and stepped inside to get the bottle. “You want to get married?”
“I don’t want to live my life as a spinster.” Being Auntie Gwen…the woman who never married. Never had a family of her own. No. She didn’t want that as her legacy.
“It wouldn’t be hard for you to find a husband, Gwen. You just need to put yourself out there. Waiting for you know who to make a move that might not ever come is a waste of your time.” Eliza topped off Gwen’s glass and refilled her own.
“I’m not waiting for anyone.”
“I see right though you. If you’re serious about taking charge of your life, you might try starting with a date.”
Gwen hated that her friend was right. Hated it even more that a coward lurked inside her head and kept her from finding the nearest pub and picking up a man…even for one night.
Chapter Six
Moisture gathered on the palms of Karen’s hands. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous.
“Miss Jones?”
Karen forced her attention to the study group at her table. There were four girls and three boys with open math books and paper sitting in front of them. Two of the boys were busy texting on their phones while one flirted with the oldest girl at the table.
“I’m sorry, Amy, what did you ask?”
“Is this right?”
Karen glanced at the paper and noticed Amy’s mistake instantly. “Add the fraction again.”
Helping the kids after school with their math, or English, or whatever schoolwork they had was something she could do to help these kids stay in school. They were good kids…kids from broken families, or parents who had to work second jobs to make ends meet and couldn’t be around to help their kids with their homework. Kids who needed a safe haven from the streets on which they lived.
Karen always spotted those kids. The ones who didn’t have enough food, who kept the world from knowing that they lived in a car, or on the street…or a lean-to structure beside someone’s yard. Homeless kids…kids ready to give up on a normal life and reduce themselves to drugs…to dropping out of school.
Amy pushed the paper in front of Karen again. “Perfect.”
Jeff, the club director, walked toward her. His grin spread across his face and Karen could swear he was skipping. “Karen, can I talk to you?”
“Sure.”
The unusually excited tone of Jeff’s voice had the kids looking between them. “Boys. Let’s see if you can get at least two problems done before I get back.”
One of the boys ignored her and continued playing on his phone. The other two straightened up, pulled their homework in front of them, and picked up pencils.
“What’s up, Jeff?” she asked as they walked away.
“I just g
ot a call from a man named Tony. Says he works with a celebrity who wants to come by today and check out our facility.”
Her heart skipped. “A celebrity?”
Jeff nodded. “Tony said the actor is looking for kid charities to spend some of his money on. Needs the tax write-off or some such thing.”
Well that’s original. She wanted to roll her eyes but didn’t. “Really? What does this have to do with me?”
“He wants someone who’s been here awhile to show him the place.” Jeff shuffled his feet with excitement or maybe it was nerves, Karen couldn’t tell.
She shrugged, trying to act uninterested. “You’ve been here awhile. Why don’t you do it?”
Jeff stood a little taller. “I’ll be with you…but you know the kids better than anyone here. If anyone can plead their need it’s you.”
“Fine. Let me know when moneybags gets here.” And the Oscar goes to…
She moved back to the kids at her table and checked their work.
“You know, Juan, if you ever want to move past algebra you’re going to have to do some of the work,” she told the one teen at the table who acted like he didn’t want to be there.
“I’m never going to use this stuff.”
“You don’t know that.”
Juan stopped leaning back in his chair and glared at her. “Yeah, I do.”
He was probably right, but she’d take a bite out of her own tongue before telling him that. “So where do you hide your crystal ball…the one that tells you the future?”
Juan smirked.
“C’mon. I’ll spring for pizza on Friday after your test if you come back with a C or better.”
The other kids at the table perked up.
If she thought for a minute that Juan wasn’t capable of obtaining a C in his sleep, she wouldn’t have added the pressure. The kid wasn’t unintelligent, just cocky and uninterested.
His friend smacked him upside his arm. “C’mon, Juan. I can help.”
Juan picked up his pencil and started solving for x.
Twenty minutes and several problems later, the noise level in the room started to rise. Karen and the kids at her table looked toward the entrance.
Wearing designer jeans and sunglasses that probably cost enough to feed every kid there pizza for a week, was her future husband. Michael stood next to Jeff and a shorter man Karen didn’t recognize.
When Jeff motioned for her to come their way, the kids started whispering.
“Oh, my God. Is that Michael Wolfe?”
“Michael who?” Karen asked. Might as well make this good.
“The actor,” Amy said, her face unable to contain her excitement.
Karen pushed away from the table. “Action flicks, right?”
“Seriously, Miss Jones, you don’t know?”
Karen winked at the girls. “I go to the movies, too. He’s just a person, no better than you or me.” Making the kids believe they were just as valuable to society as Michael Wolfe might be difficult, but not impossible.
She offered a polite smile when Michael caught her eyes.
“Here she is,” Jeff said. “Karen Jones, this is Michael Wolfe, who I’m sure you recognize, and his manager, Tony.”
“Action flicks…right?” She asked, extending her hand.
He took her palm in his and sandwiched it with his other hand.
Oh, the two-sided handshake. Very convincing.
“That’s right.”
She turned to Tony. “Nice to meet you.”
“Mr. Wolfe wanted a tour of the place, Karen.”
“Sure. Anything to help the kids. You don’t mind meeting some of them, do you Mr. Wolfe?”
“Michael. Please call me Michael.” He tucked his sunglasses into his shirt and looked around the room. It seemed everything and everyone stood silent as he walked between her and Jeff. “I’d love to meet the kids, Miss Jones.”
She thought of suggesting he use her first name, but that would be way too easy.
A couple of the braver girls followed behind them while others huddled together in the corners whispering.
The kids’ goo-goo eyes weren’t going to leave them alone. Karen placed a hand on his briefly and stopped their progression through the club.
“Hey, guys?” she called to the kids in the room. “We’re going to give Mr. Wolfe a quick tour of your club but he’s promised to stick around after to meet you. So why don’t you go back to what you were doing, OK?”
Most of the kids kept staring, but some moved back to their work or to playing whatever it was they were playing before Michael walked in.
“I don’t think Mr. Wolfe promised anything, Karen,” Jeff said under his breath.
“Yeah he did…he said he’d meet the kids. Right, Michael?”
“That’s what I said.” He smiled and stared at her. His gaze would have been unnerving if this were a chance meeting.
He’s gay, she reminded herself.
“Have you ever been in a Boys and Girls Club?”
“No, I haven’t.”
She walked him through the game room. Several couches and chairs, beanbag chairs, and pillows were thrown about. “Our mission statement really does define what we do for the kids. To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.” Karen had memorized the statement a long time ago.
“We accomplish that by having a safe place for kids to hang out after school. Kids love video games so we have that here for them.” There was a big-screen television she had personally bought for the club along with two gaming stations. A few older arcade games were lined up along the walls. “There’s also table tennis and a pool table when the video monitor isn’t working for them. We have a yard outside I’ll show you when we get there.”
“How many kids come in?”
“It varies. We’ve had up to a hundred kids signed up to come in daily…but double that who only come in periodically.”
Michael looked at the kids who were trying to act uninterested but failed. “They have to sign up?”
“For our insurance purposes they do. We have a pay-what-you-can system. Most of these kids aren’t able to pay. We rely on donations and outside fundraisers.”
“The kids themselves do some of the fundraisers,” Jeff added. “We had a car wash last month that brought in a couple hundred dollars.”
“A couple hundred doesn’t sound like it would pay your power bill.”
“It doesn’t,” Karen said, surprised at the level of interest in Michael’s voice.
“We help the kids after school with their homework and school projects. It’s mainly teens but sometimes we get kids that are eleven or twelve.” Karen walked by her math table and glanced at Juan’s paper as she did. “You’re never gonna get that pizza if you don’t get past problem six, dude.” There was laughter in her voice. She really did want the kids to do well.
“Yes, Miss Jones.”
She walked Michael into the kitchen. “The kitchen is fully functioning. We provide snacks and occasional meals. The truth is, there are plenty of kids out there who don’t get a solid meal at home. Every one of them knows they can find something here. Most are too embarrassed to say they’re hungry.”
“How do you get past that?”
“We let them know when we’re providing meals, and none of them miss that day.”
“Why not provide a meal every day?”
Karen met Michael’s eyes. “Funds.”
“Oh.”
He held the door to the back open and she walked through. Jeff had fallen behind with Tony, who was asking about details of what it cost to run the club.
“There’s a basketball court and a yard where the kids play. We try to organize scrimmage games for them. Seems the only way to get them off the video games.”
He watched her now, and she was highly conscious of the smile on her face.
“Sounds like you love it here.”
&nb
sp; “The kids are great. Not all of them are disadvantaged. Just misguided. I like to think we keep them off the streets and away from drugs and gangs.”
He placed his sunglasses over his eyes. “Do you have a lot of that here?”
“We’ve had a couple of problem kids. But we deal with them as soon as we know anything about it. Two or three times a month a youth counselor is available. I think of this place as a safe haven for these kids. We have no tolerance for bullying and don’t judge.”
“Interesting.”
Jeff stood several yards away, well outside of hearing range. The teens lingering in the yard talked among themselves.
She lowered her voice. “Kid charities to spend your money on?”
Michael looked behind them. “Worked, didn’t it?”
Karen laughed. “So, what do you think?”
He shook his head. “I think Gwen was wrong. I think you are a saint. You do all this for free?”
“That would be the definition of volunteer.”
He chuckled. “Oh, a smart-ass…you’ll fit right in.”
She pointed a finger to his chest. “Saintly smart-ass. Get it right. Does Tony know why you’re really here?”
He shook his head. “Only you and I…and Gwen.”
Jeff and Tony were walking their way so Karen quickly changed the subject. “Well, what do you think?”
“I like it. There are plenty of youth charities out there helping kids after they’ve fallen down the wrong path. This one seems to want to get a hold of at risk kids before they tumble.” Even if Michael was acting the part, he did it successfully.
They walked back into the main room, where none of the kids had moved.
Michael leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Time to turn on the charm.”
And he did.
Karen found a stool for him to sit on as he encouraged the kids to ask questions. “Where do you guys go to school?” he asked them, helping to break the ice. “What do you like most about school?”
Several kids told him they liked going home.
Amy told him she liked coming to the club after school.
“What do you like least about school?”
Fiancé by Friday Page 5