A touch of love

by Conn, Phoebe

  Also running late, Aubrey hurried through the back door, quickly locked it, and got into her car without notic-

  ing Trisha's sullen pout. When Trisha slid into the back seat, she wished her a good morning, but didn't turn to look at her before reviewing her notes. "I want to do more with positive affirmations this morning," she told her assistant. 'Then move into creative imagery. It's possible people would like to work on other areas of their life in addition to their careers, so I'll end the day with reinforcement for that."

  Aubrey was dressed in a burgundy silk tunic with burgundy and gray pinstripe pants. It was a striking outfit with her fair coloring and she had caught her hair at her nape with a burgundy chiffon bow to create a more sophisticated hairstyle. As Jesse backed out of the driveway, he found it difficult to concentrate on the road rather than on her. When they reached Shelley's bungalow, he was surprised not to find her waiting for them on the porch.

  ' 'Should I honk the horn?" he asked Aubrey.

  1 'No. Just give her a minute." Aubrey was trying hard to focus on the final day of the seminar, and she didn't need any additional problems.

  "I'll go and get her," Trisha quickly volunteered. She left the car, and when she reached Shelley's door, she turned back and waved.

  "Looks like we're all running late," Jesse said. "You look real pretty in that outfit, by the way. The color is just plain luscious."

  Aubrey didn't look up from her notes. "It's comfortable. That's why I like it."

  Jesse was afraid he had embarrassed her and didn't try to take the exchange any further, but he wished she had thanked him for noticing how good she looked. He thought he looked pretty good himself that morning, but obviously she hadn't noticed.

  "Here they come." Jesse sat up and started the engine.

  As usual, Shelley was wearing pastels. Her tunic sweater

  was a medley of pale hues over a gauze skirt the color of orange sherbert. Her expression was no happier than the previous day, however, and her eyes were swollen from crying. Her voice sounded husky as she entered the car and greeted them.

  As soon as Trisha closed her door, she spoke in an anxious rush. "Prince Charming stood Shelley up last night. Do you believe that? He isn't in town a week before he's up to his old tricks, all of them nasty. I hope the bastard stays lost this time."

  Jesse glanced into the rearview mirror and feared Shelley was too depressed to be of much help that day. "Would you rather stay home?" he asked. "I know enough to take your place today."

  Surprised by his offer, Aubrey turned toward Shelley. "It's your call. Shall we drop you off at your mother's so you can get Annie?"

  "No, please. I'd rather go to work. I'll be all right there, and if I stay home with Annie, I'll just end up crying all day and that won't be any good for her."

  "Nor you, either," Aubrey stressed. She studied her blonde assistant's averted gaze and, as always, was touched by her plight. "I'm proud of you for thinking of Annie's welfare, but what are you going to do tomorrow, or the next day, when you'll be home with her? Will you try to pretend you're not heartbroken over the way Ricky treats you, or will you finally come to terms with making a life for yourself without him?"

  Tears welled up in Shelley's eyes and spilled over her lashes. "I knew it was over last night," she confided sofdy. "He'd said he wanted to take me out to Tony Roma's for ribs; it's our favorite place for dinner. Then we were going to the Old Towne Pub to hear Rifficus Rose, a band we both love. He sounded so excited. He even told me what to wear, but then he didn't show up. If I'm not even worth

  a telephone call to cancel, then it's plain I'll be better off without him."

  "You never had him," Trisha complained, "not in any real, important way, or he would have married you when you got pregnant with Annie. You never should have had her."

  "Trisha!" Shelley cried. "How could you? Annie's the best thing that ever happened to me."

  "Yes, she is," Aubrey agreed. "And you owe her something a whole lot better than the continual misery Ricky Vance provides. Now let's get going or we'll be later than we already are."

  "Yes, ma'am." Jesse looked over his shoulder as he drew away from the curb and spotted a gold Corvette parked about half a block away. The Corvette also pulled out into the road, but with everyone going to work, he did not think it anything other than coincidence.

  The traffic was slightly heavier than the previous day, but they still arrived with a few minutes to spare. As soon as Jesse entered the bank's underground parking lot, he reached out to take Aubrey's hand. "If you want me to speak to the group again, will you tell me now so that I'll have a moment to plan?"

  Aubrey was ashamed that she hadn't shown him that courtesy yesterday, and quickly pulled her hand from his. At least touching him hadn't sparked any grostesque visions, but she did not want to take any chances. "I'm afraid that was a spontaneous gesture yesterday," she claimed, knowing full well it had been no such thing. She had been angry with him for forcing his way into the seminar, but he had proven his worth, and after a restless night, she was actually grateful to have him along with her today.

  "Have you ever used creative imagery for something

  other than your career?" she asked as soon as he had parked the car.

  "Does seducing women count?" he teased, but Aubrey's eyes widened in shock rather than amusement and he realized the remark had been in extremely poor taste. "I didn't mean that," he insisted, but it was too late to take back the remark. "Give me some time to think about it, and maybe I can come up with something."

  "Yes, please do." Aubrey left the car and started for the elevators with a long, sure stride. She slapped the button, but was still waiting when her assistants and Jesse caught up with her. "Let's just get through today as best we can," she told them. "Then we can rest until Saturday."

  "What's happening Saturday?" Jesse asked before he recalled the seminar he had attended had been the first of six. "Never mind. I remember." Aubrey looked tired, and he wondered how many seminars she had given recently and whether she had any vacations planned. Before he could ask, the doors slid open on die elevator, several bank employees rushed up to catch it, and the opportunity was lost.

  Gardner always arrived before Aubrey and the rest of the team, but he had been even earlier than usual that morning. Yesterday, he had left for home angry with the way Jesse had talked to him, but then found himself driving straight to the Santa Anita Fashion Park. Two hours later he had walked out of the sprawling mall with a stylish haircut and a whole new wardrobe.

  It wasn't until he started to get dressed that morning that he began to feel foolish. But wanting more than anything to get Jesse off his back, he had worn a new pair of gray slacks, loafers instead of Nikes, and a pale blue dress shirt with a brightly patterned silk tie. He hadn't made up his mind about getting contacts, but just having to push his

  glasses into place every time he bent over was so reassuring, he doubted he would go that far.

  "My God!" Trisha squealed. "What have you done to yourself, Gardner?"

  Gardner had heard the door open, and braced himself, but as usual, he couldn't think of anything clever to say. "It hasn't been that long since I got a haircut," he muttered under his breath.

  Trisha walked up to him and, clearly approving of his new look, slapped him on the back. "You look terrific," she exclaimed. "You ought to keep your hair that length so that it curls rather than shoots out as though you'd stuck your finger in a light socket. Your new clothes are a big improvement, too. Doesn't he look cute, Shelley?"

  Shelley barely glanced Gardner's way, but when she did, she smiled shyly. "Yes. He always does."

  "Always?" Trisha repeated in an astonished gasp that swelled into a delighted giggle. "Did you hear that, Gardner?"

  Gardner caught Jesse's eye and frowned. He had wanted to impress Trisha, not send her into hysterical laughter, and he felt as though he had failed miserably. So much for getting a haircut and buying new clothes. He was still the same ma
n, and clearly she didn't want anything to do with him.

  "Would you please step out of my way," he scolded. "I need to finish setting up."

  Startled by that burst of assertiveness, Trisha spun on her heel and walked away, but she was intrigued, and glanced back over her shoulder. In the baggy clothes Gardner usually wore, he had looked pudgy, but now she realized he actually had a trim, athletic build. The men she dated often spent as much effort on their looks as she did on hers, but no one would ever accuse Gardner of being

  conceited. She was surprised by the sudden change in his appearance, but not at all disappointed.

  Shelley had sworn he had a crush on her, but Trisha sure hadn't seen any evidence of it that morning. In fact, Gardner had been downright rude, when all she had done was tease him a little bit. Obviously Shelley didn't know what she was talking about. But Trisha glanced toward Gardner again and decided it was high time they got to know each other better.

  On the last day of a seminar, Aubrey was usually relaxed, but she feared she would have a difficult time projecting an air of tranquility that day. She greeted the participants warmly, but she was relying on experience rather than any true sense of enthusiasm. "I'd like to spend a few minutes this morning talking about magic," she began.

  "We've all marveled at the cleverness of magicians' tricks, but we know they're masters of illusion, rather than extraordinary beings with true supernatural powers. There's a very real temptation to visualize the life we wish to live, and then expect it to come about as if by magic, without any effort of our own. I want to caution you against falling into that trap, because that's exactly what it is. When we want something very badly, but don't actively work to do whatever it takes to bring that dream into reality, we've forged our own chains and kept ourselves stuck in lives that will never be truly satisfying."

  Jesse understood exactly the point Aubrey was making, and from the appreciative nods coming from the audience, it was plain the bankers did, too. He glanced over at Gardner, who had probably heard this same speech dozens of times, and wondered if he had ever really grasped Aubrey's meaning. Then there was Shelley, who was caught in a relationship as predictable as a merry-go-round, and while it might provide an occasional thrill, it would never take her anywhere she wished to go.

  As for Trisha, she would probably just continue skipping over the hearts she crushed beneath her tiny feet, and Jesse didn't wish her on anyone, least of all Gardner. Since reading The Mind's Eye, he would never accuse Aubrey of avoiding her problems and expecting solutions to appear magically, but he knew despite her obvious sincerity, she was still hiding something. What a group! he moaned silendy, and decided right then and there to speak on the wisdom of working on one's own problems rather than attempting to solve someone else's.

  He was about to tell Aubrey that he did indeed have something to say when it occurred to him that she had been hired to present a method for overcoming career-related stress. Thinking he would be smart to stick to that subject, he searched his mind for a pertinent anecdote, and soon found one. When she glanced his way, he came forward.

  "1 told you yesterday how hard I worked to visualize a prize-winning ride before I took it. Well, bulls being the unpredictable beasts they are, sometimes my best efforts didn't win me anything but a mouthful of dust. Considering the alternative, even that could be called lucky." He paused while everyone caught his meaning and either laughed or cringed.

  "What I'm getting at here is that there's a real temptation to come down hard on ourselves when we fail, even though it may not be our fault. I've certainly done it, and I'll bet most of you have, too." He was interrupted then by several enthusiastic comments which sounded very much like amen!

  "Good. I'm glad you understand what I mean. Just having a peaceful place in your mind, a retreat, if you will, can help you get over the discouraging setbacks we all suffer. For me, it's the memory of the first snowfall each winter in Montana. I've no desire to shovel off a walk ever

  again, but the silent beauty of a snowy night is something I'll never forget.

  "Next time your plans don't work out as you'd hoped, take a few minutes to create your favorite image—be it the warm waters surrounding a tropical isle, a snowy mountain top, or anything in between—and just enjoy it. Then when you get back to work, you'll feel refreshed rather than defeated."

  Again pleased by Jesse's sensible advice, Aubrey thanked him and pushed his suggestion a step further. 'Those of you who love nature will easily take comfort in the scenery Jesse described, but others of you might prefer remembering a time when everything went right. It could have been a holiday when you felt especially close to your family. Perhaps you recall a joyous wedding, maybe your own, or a favorite aunt who never failed to make you feel special."

  Jarred by that reference, Jesse felt guilty for not even telephoning his Aunt Edith since he had moved in with Aubrey on Monday. It had only been two days since he had last seen her, but he knew she must be worried about whether or not he was making any progress investigating his cousin's disappearance. He would call her at the break, but he sure didn't have much to report, other than a plan to lure Aubrey back to his cousin's home tomorrow.

  Aubrey was pleased with the morning session, but unwilling to spend another lunch hour alone with Jesse, she went with the others to the cafeteria. She ate a fruit salad, while Jesse ate a hamburger and fries with so many appreciative murmurs she was embarrassed to think she had not provided enough in the way of meals. "I think we should dine out this evening," she suggested as they returned to the conference room.

  Jesse had been hoping he could talk her into returning to the Barkley for another steak. "Yes. Let's do. Do you

  ever take your whole team out to celebrate the end of a seminar?"

  "I haven't yet, but it's a nice idea. Let's not do it tonight, though."

  Aubrey moved away from him to speak with Gardner, and Jesse marveled at how easily they had fallen into a comfortable routine. He was used to spending time with women, that was nothing new, but never as much as he had spent with Aubrey in the last few days. Rather than feeling the restlessness that usually drove him from a woman's arms, he just wanted more of her. He wasn't so fascinated by her, however, that he forgot he was supposed to be looking out for trouble.

  The afternoon session was relaxed, but productive, and as the seminar drew to a close, everyone attending seemed genuinely pleased by the experience. "I hope this will be a yearly event," someone offered, and the suggestion was met with enthusiastic applause. Then a slender young man seated in the rear rose to his feet.

  "I've been appointed the group's spokesman, and while we've all enjoyed your seminar, we've had a difficult time waiting to ask about the photograph that appeared in the Times on Monday. Would you tell us what prompted your visit to the Ferrells', and how you plan to solve the case? Can you do it with intuition and creative imagery alone?"

  Aubrey supposed she should have expected the question and had an answer prepared. She felt Jesse move up behind her and knew he was about to respond for her, but able to take care of herself, she spoke first. "The Ferrells are Jesse's cousins," she explained. "We'd stopped by merely to check on the property, but unfortunately, the reaon for our visit was completely misinterpreted. I've no involvement in the case whatsoever."

  She turned and looked up at Jesse, her steady gaze a clear warning to be still, and while his eyes narrowed slightly in

  a silent dare, he nodded on cue. Relieved, Aubrey turned back to the audience. "Now I'd like to thank all of you for being so willing to experiment with creative imagery. You're the ones who've made the seminar a success.''

  After another burst of applause, a few of the executives left immediately, while others lingered and presented copies of The Mind's Eye for Aubrey to autograph. Shelley was used to working primarily behind the scenes to guarantee everything ran smoothly, and as the last of the bankers finally moved toward the door, she went to Gardner's side to offer help.

  "Is t
here anything I can do?" she asked. "You're always the first to arrive and the last to leave and that's never seemed fair to me."

  "I don't mind," Gardner exclaimed, and rather than thank Shelley for her kindness, he followed Irish's progress toward the door. She was speaking with a tall blonde who looked as though he must have played basketball in college, and Gardner was surprised he didn't just grab her around the waist and pluck her off her feet so that he could look her in the eye while they talked. The way he was bending down was not only awkward, it looked painful, but the man was giving Trisha such rapt attention he obviously didn't feel a single twinge of back pain.

  "Looks like Trisha's made another conquest," Gardner complained.

  "Perhaps, but she's not interesed in him, so it doesn't matter." Shelley waited a moment, but when Gardner continued to watch Trisha's extended farewell, she walked away. He had a dolly to tote his equipment out to his van, and plenty of experience doing it, so she wasn't really surprised he didn't need her.

  As they drove home, Aubrey noted how frequently Jesse's glance strayed to the rearview mirror, and turned to look

  over her shoulder at the traffic trailing them. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "I don't see anything."

  Jesse was sorry she had caught him being so vigilant, but figured if she were unaware of a possible danger, then she couldn't look out for it. "There's a gold Corvette two cars behind us that I saw near Shelley's house this morning."

  "So what? Plenty of people drive into LA every day to work."

  "That's true, but I've got a bad feeling about the car. Give me some credit for having a smidgen of intuition, will you? Shelley, do any of your neighbors drive a gold Corvette?"