by Lynn Galli
Pulling on some jeans, I was just throwing my arms through a cotton blouse when the gate chime rang. So much for hoping to meet the guy at the gate, now he’d have to drive up to the house. I pressed the intercom button to greet the messenger. The sound was barely good enough to distinguish the voice as female. It reminded me that I needed to get the failing communication device replaced before the winter rain this year. I stepped into some leather sandals, tangled my lighter-for-the-summer-months brown hair into a ponytail that reached past my collar, and headed outside to accept the package from the messenger.
A green Beemer crunched its way around the bend in the drive and headed toward the front porch. Okay, I’d now be checking the financials to find out how much Archie paid his messengers. “Hello,” I spoke to the opening door, unable to see inside the car through the tinted glass. “I’m Jos—” The rest of my name died in my throat as Raven emerged from the vehicle.
She broke into a wide smile. “Howdy, Jos.”
“Raven?” I hadn’t meant it to be a question, but she was a complete shocker.
“Uncle Archie didn’t mention I’d be coming by, did he?
I guess that makes us even because he didn’t mention that he’d be sending me to your house.” Her eyes bounced around my property before returning to mine. “I expected to drop this by your office where I hoped I wouldn’t find you working on such a beautiful day.”
Still a little stunned to find her in my driveway, I barely managed to put together something coherent to say. “So, not only are you the CFO, but your uncle uses you as a messenger, too?”
She chuckled, erasing the tension from the surprise visit.
“Family business, what can I say? Actually, I live close by. I figured you must have an office around here, and I’d get to say hello on my way home if you were working. This place is magnificent, Joslyn. Tell me it’s yours, that you’re not just house-sitting?”
Pride stretched my smile wide. “All mine. Took a year to build, but it’s my dream house.”
“I’m just looking at the front of it and it’s mine, too. Are you saying you built it yourself?”
“With a contractor, but I spent every weekend and two or three nights a week out here getting in his way, helping out where I could. Mostly it takes being able to make decisions, sticking to them, and being organized. If you can’t make decisions, add five months, if you can’t stick to them, double the budget, and if you’re unorganized, scrap the whole project.”
She let that uncontrolled laugh loose, and I found myself staring at her mouth, looking for the delightful tone that escaped it. “I’ve been dying to start from scratch on my lot, but it’s a daunting task. Now that I know the secrets, maybe I’ll stop dreaming about it and go for it.”
“Jump head first; believe me, it’s worth it.” Because she’d been so enthusiastic and I realized I didn’t want her to leave right away, I invited her inside. “Come take a look around.”
“Would you mind?” she asked even though her legs were already moving toward the house with me.
Once we hit the front porch, she made appropriate sounds of awe as we looked around the rustic façade and entered the sunlight foyer. Miles of hardwood led in two directions, down a long hallway toward the sunroom at the back and into the living room, kitchen, and dining room off to the side.
“It’s exquisite, Joslyn. Honestly, I’d never go outside.” She fingered the mix of antiques and modern furniture of the living room as we walked through.
“I’m often guilty of taking a couple weeks off in between assignments.”
From the sunroom I heard the excited scuffles of nails on tile and questioning soft barks from the dogs. I knew they were contemplating vaulting the security gate I had up between their room and the rest of the house. I wasn’t a very good disciplinarian. Raven must have heard something as well because she turned an expectant look my way. “What kind of dog do you have?”
Before I could respond, they made their presence known. All five of them, and like the perfect puppies they were, they dropped anxiously at Raven’s feet, waiting for introductions. This part I’d worked on with them so they wouldn’t overwhelm any guests.
“Five! You’ve got five dogs?” She looked from them to me and back to them. She extended a hand without trepidation, allowing each to sniff her scent and accept a welcome pat before they decided if she was going to be a future playmate.
“I used to have eight.”
Her head swung up to stare at me. “You’re pulling my leg.”
I laughed and ran my hands over each dog to calm them a smidge. “Nope.”
“Give it up.” She beckoned with her fingers. For a second, I didn’t know what she was talking about. As I was trying to figure it out, an image flickered through my mind that was so quick all I got from it was the sensation of something indescribably electric.
After what seemed like months just standing there, I finally landed on what she was asking. “Oh, when I decided I wanted a dog, I went by the only shelter in the small town where I lived at the time. It didn’t have a no-kill policy, and without thinking, I went to the pen with the two dogs that were slated to be put down that month.” I stooped to pat Eras, one of those first two dogs. The other had passed away last year. I was still getting over it.
“Four months go by and I get a call from the woman running the shelter. She’s got another dog that they’ll have to put down the next day if he isn’t adopted. I show up to take that one off her hands, and that’s when she knew she had me.”
Raven’s eyes sparkled. “I was right, you are a softy.”
“More like a sucker,” I snickered. “Anyway, five more dogs and two years later, I decide there has to be a better way to deal with this. So, I organized a fundraising shindig and got the businesses in town to donate everything. We did well enough the first year to keep the shelter from ever having to euthanize another pet and now local businesses bid for the chance to host the event each year. They raise enough for operating expenses and expansion as well as donations to other shelters.”
“That’s not only a great idea, it’s impressive as hell.”
“Purely selfish, I assure you,” I brushed aside her compliment. “I love these guys, but I couldn’t handle taking in every dog that didn’t get adopted. When I got a call about several cats that needed a home, something had to be done.”
“Heaven forbid you take in cats,” she teased, placing a hand on my shoulder and leaning toward me. I caught a whiff of rosewater and, for a moment, my knees felt like they would give out. Being an entirely new sensation, I didn’t know if I should step back to distance myself from the source and risk crumpling to the floor or simply continue to stand here being assaulted by the unfamiliar feelings. Fortunately, Augustus, my foxhound mix, chose that moment to whip his body around and stumble into me for a rub. The motion forced me back a step, and I used the excuse to grasp him to regain my figurative balance.
“Whoa, somebody needs a little attention.” I rubbed his hindquarters.
“Jealous boys, I see.” She looked down at the two males, who doubled as the biggest attention seekers in the bunch.
“They’re hams, these guys. My ladies are perfect angels.” I indicated the others.
“I can see that. They must be fun to have around.”
“They are that. Any pets?” I swept everybody into motion toward the kitchen for a continued tour.
“Two horses. It’s why I live out this way,” she referenced the remote by Seattle standards part of the eastside where we were. “I bought my place for the land, the barn, and the corral. Now, if I could just get my house to look like this, I’d never leave.”
“Oh, thank you. I’ve been thinking about adding a corral for horses, but I figured I’ve got enough with these guys.”
“Do you ride?” She faced me, excitement animating her features.
“Not regularly, but I love to ride when I get the chance.”
“Say you’ll join me someti
me? I don’t know many people who like to ride, and if I take one horse out without the other, talk about jealousy when I get back to the barn.” Another acceptance screamed inside my head, but something kept me from blurting it out. She was my client, well, the niece of my client, and I should keep things professional. There’s a difference between possibly sitting together at a basketball game for which we both have tickets and going to her home to spend several hours exploring the countryside on unpredictable beasts.
She seemed to sense my reluctance. “I’m about ten minutes away, and it would be great to get your input on remodeling or starting from scratch with my place.” I stared at her for a moment longer, unconsciously making my decision. “That sounds fun. We’ll definitely have to take a ride.”
“Something tells me that I’d better pin down a specific day or it will always be a someday sort of thing with you.” Any second I expected to start feeling defensive about how easily she’d read me, deny her guess, and shut down her attempt at becoming friends, but miraculously the self-preservation didn’t occur. “You might be right.” She smiled like she’d just discovered a secret about me.
“Next weekend? Not only will we get to ride, but we’ll keep you from working. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’re in the office most weekends. I’m amazed to see you here now.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how well she seemed to know me. “You must be just as guilty if you’re noticing that I’m in the office on the weekends.”
“Definitely guilty. Kelly always gives me a hard time about it. She claims that my working weekends makes me crankier every day of the week, not just on Monday mornings. But now that it’s summer, I make it a point to take as much of my weekend off as I can manage.” The mention of Kelly felt like she just snapped her fingers in front of my face. That’s right. Raven’s not entirely the incredibly sophisticated, amazingly smart, uniquely together woman she appears to be. I wanted to slap myself for being so critical of her, but the affair with Kelly went completely against type for her. Not that I knew her that well, but it was such an anomaly from the rest of the character traits she presented every time we were together.
I took a step to the side, nearly stumbling over Dria who liked to keep her little terrier body close to my feet. The movement broke the cycle of verdicts running through my head about this woman. Raven clasped my arm to make sure I didn’t fall but dropped her hand when I made a show of righting myself. She studied me cautiously, obviously confused by my sudden change in demeanor. I tried to hide it under the guise of continuing our tour.
When we’d looked through the rest of the house, I took her out back to the extra building that could serve as a barn if I ever got livestock, or a guest house if I ever had guests, but currently acted as a combo gymnasium and game room.
“Oh, wow!” Raven exclaimed on the walk over. I thought she was talking about the three bold yet temporary splashes of color on the side wall of the building, but she wasn’t facing that direction anymore. She’d started toward my open garage. “That’s a ’63?” She reverently ran a hand over the hood of my car.
A chuckle escaped before I could answer her. “’65, I liked the back end better.”
She moved to the rear to get a look. “It’s a beauty.”
“You like old cars?”
“It’s kind of a thing with me. My first car was a ’64 Mustang. Then I upgraded to a ’68 Camero SS. I don’t know why I got rid of either.”
“Yeah, I’d have to agree. You’re crazy for letting those classics get away,” I joked.
“Go ahead, give me grief. I berate myself daily. This is a true classic right here, topped only by the ’57 Thunderbird, maybe.”
“Please!” I argued playfully. “Nothing beats a Stingray, especially when you get your hands dirty doing most of the work.”
Her appraising eyes turned back to me. “You’re a modern marvel, aren’t you? General contractor, auto mechanic, dog rescuer—”
“Corporate raider, thief of jobs—”
“All right, I can see I won’t win this one.” She waved a hand, pushing aside the argument.
I looked down at the car and made a decision. “I haven’t been able to drive it for a while, but I finished putting in a transmission earlier. I’d planned to meet the messenger, you, at the gate, and get back here to enjoy the work. Now that I actually know the messenger, you, want to go for a spin?”
What sounded like a blissful moan left her mouth, causing a swimming sensation to flood my senses. I must not have gotten enough to eat today because these reactions were so unlike me. “Even more than I wanted to look at your house. Are you sure you don’t mind company for your test drive?”
“No, and I’d like it even better if you drove.” Her face registered excited shock. “Tell me you’re just the nicest person on the planet and not letting me drive because you’re about to recommend that Uncle Archie shut down the business?”
“You’ll find out when I present to the board, I guess,” I quipped.
She took the proffered keys and slipped behind the wheel. Her hands ran over the dash, along the steering wheel, around the gear shift, and across the immaculate interior. It seemed as if things weren’t real to her until she touched them; this wasn’t the first time I’d noticed. After kicking over the engine, she turned what amounted to an illegal grin my way. She could be jailed for the potency of that smile. I had no choice but to return the grin as we edged out of the garage.
My first full weekend away from work and, so far, nothing about it was going as planned. Looking over at Raven, I honestly couldn’t care less.
Chapter 8
Mired in hour three of analysis, I wasn’t all that bothered about it today. Especially when I felt that shoulder brush against me again. Raven was reaching for last year’s financials and inadvertently tilted toward me.
“Sorry,” she murmured, settling back in her seat.
Like I was going to protest. It wasn’t just that we’d spent the better part of Saturday afternoon driving around and getting to know each other. No, it had started with Kelly’s kiss. That kiss had more than surprised me, it had awakened my senses. I’d never been more aware of my personal space than I was right now. To distract my imaginings, I asked,
“Are you seeing the same line item appear prior to 2002?” She flipped through page after page of expenses. “Yes, but it’s not nearly as large as what we’ve been questioning. How did you pick up on this?”
“Number crunching is my life.”
“Ahh, a person who really knows how to live.” She bumped her shoulder against me on purpose this time.
“You’re a little twisted, aren’t you?” I risked that she’d understand my sense of humor and not get offended.
“Just a little?” Okay, she definitely gets it.
“Do I need to ask who your favorite Sesame Street character was?”
“Big Bird,” she responded immediately.
“Liar.” My accusation started a round of laughter, and I felt dismayed by how much I already liked her. It wouldn’t be the first time I got along with one of my clients, but definitely the first time I’d consider extending the friendship past the contract period.
“Hey, Auntie R,” a cheery voice called out just before a young woman sailed through the doorway. “Oh, excuse me. Kelly wasn’t at her desk, so I didn’t realize you were busy. Hi, I’m Ray.” She waved and brushed her long brown hair back over her shoulder in the same motion. The wide smile she wore reminded me of someone else in the room.
Raven and I stood from the table together as she introduced me. “Joslyn Simonini, meet my favorite niece.” Ray chortled at the introduction but accepted her aunt’s warm embrace. “She means her only niece.”
“Doesn’t mean you’re not my favorite, kid.”
“Hi, Ray, nice to meet you.” I shook her hand in greeting.
“Nice to meet you, too.” She responded before turning her flashing brown eyes to her aunt. “Quick question since
you’re busy. Can I steal you for dinner sometime this week?”
“Is that code for take me out to dinner before I kill my parents while I’m on summer break?” Raven touched her forehead to her niece’s. The simple display of affection spoke volumes about their closeness.
“They’re driving me crazy.” Her statement didn’t come with the usual petulant exasperation of youth. “I want to be an actor, so what? Can’t you talk to my dad at least?”
“Hon, they’re parents; it’s their job to worry. You could appease them with a fallback major, you know.” Raven managed not to sound authoritative or condescending when giving this advice.
“Like this company isn’t my fallback? Come on, it’s everyone’s fallback.” The young woman sighed dramatically before her eyes snapped back to her aunt’s.
“Not yours, I mean, but everyone else in this family. I already spend my summers here. Uncle Nathan tries to make me commit to an employment contract every year before I go back to college. I think Dad’s been bribing him.”
“Well, you are a whiz with computer security, youngster.”
Ray gave her an exasperated look that said she thought absolutely everyone was good with computers. “So, dinner? What do you say?”
“Sure, we can try that new Indian place over by your house. How’s Thursday?”
“Cool for me. Thanks, Auntie R.”
Kelly interrupted from the doorway with a message for Raven. “Dwayne Lightfoot is on line one for the third time today.”
“Excuse me a moment.” She looked tempted to roll her eyes but went to pick up the phone instead.
Kelly joined us and squeezed Ray’s shoulder in greeting.
She turned to me and asked in a hushed voice, “Did Raven find the cash flow statements from 2000-2002?”
“She did, thanks. I think we’re going to need ’95-’99 as well.”
“Oh sure, I can get those out of storage on my way back from lunch.”