Questing (Cosmis Connections, Book One)

by Huffert, Barbara

  “Where is he? I thought interns worked with you.”

  “He usually does. But I also have him set up with a laptop for when I don’t want interruptions. If I’m out like today or over lunch I can forward everything to him if he’s not here. He knows to call if something’s urgent, email if it can wait.”

  “But you haven’t checked you computer since this morning. Shouldn’t you? It’s after four, Jordan.”

  “Well,” he hesitated. “If you’re sure you don’t mind?”

  “Go. What you do has to be time-sensitive.”

  “At times.” He sensed she was uneasy and guessed why. “Coming?” In his office, Jordan quickly scanned his emails, efficiently dealing with each. “Damn,” he sighed tiredly.

  “Something wrong? If my staying today disrupted—”

  “No, that’s not it. I’ve been having some trouble with an insecure CEO who has absolutely no business being in the position he’s in. He calls constantly for reassurance and it’s gotten to be a real pain in the ass. Last time I threatened to close his account if he didn’t quit.”

  “If he’s that bad, why did you take him on in the first place? You said you investigate everyone.”

  “I inherited him. His father was a very good man but he retired early. The company has a financial officer who is more than capable when he’s permitted to do his job.”

  “What will happen if you turn him away? Won’t the company suffer? How many people work there?”

  “If I cut him off entirely the ramifications would be disastrous. Since I have no desire for others to suffer because of his lack of common sense, I’m going to give him away. I had an intern two years ago that I’ve already made arrangements with. She’s the type who won’t mind coddling him constantly.”

  “Aren’t you being a little harsh? What about his father?”

  “I spoke to him when I first started considering this. He knows his son isn’t someone I would choose to do business with. No matter how hard I try, I simply can’t dredge up any patience for him.”

  “But you have infinite patience.”

  “Generally, yes. If he were a single father, fighting to move his kids to a better neighborhood, I’d talk to him every day it that was what he needed, without hesitation. But, since he’s responsible for the fate of one hundred and fifty people, I just can’t overlook his ineptness.” He shrugged. “Yet another factor that swayed my decision away from corporate accounts.

  “I better get this over with.” He phoned his current intern. “Hey Dwight, it’s me…Yeah, I saw it…Go ahead and take the letter. Insist on waiting while he reads it and then make the call from there. I’ll let Sue know to expect you…Anything else? Okay. I like your suggestion for the Prentise account. Good job. I’ll let you set it up. Don’t work too late and enjoy your weekend.”

  “Do you always have an intern?” Kiley asked after he hung up.

  “Usually. I have a new one every semester if I can find someone suitable.”

  “How do you get them? I mean, with who you are, aren’t there hordes of applicants?”

  “Hardly,” Jordan chuckled. “I have the reputation of being very selective. Those who want the position merely for the line on their resume have heard not to bother since they’ve learned that I can always tell.”

  “So how do you choose?” Kiley was fascinated.

  “I have a deal with the college. Every semester I have a questionnaire available. If I like the answers, I observe a class that’s geared toward student participation, where they’re encouraged to ask questions and find the best solution for whatever situation I give to the professor to present. Again, I pick the best of the bunch. The ones that overlap with the few I’ve chosen from the questionnaires get interviewed. If there’s an individual who gives me the right feeling, they become my next intern. If not, I skip a semester. Two years ago I had two at the same time.”

  “You’re always helping someone, aren’t you? It doesn’t matter if it’s a small business owner, a worried parent, a student who may not get chosen because he doesn’t have the highest grade in the class, a widow who needs a ride, me. If someone needs you, you help.”

  “If I can.”

  “You really are too good to be true.”

  Kiley was walking around, studying Brett’s sketches. “Some of these are amazing.”

  “Yeah, especially when you know Brett drew them soon after the event each shows. He’s captured our whole lives, from when we met until this afternoon.”

  “Didn’t you say you met in first grade?”

  “We did. Brett’s been drawing us ever since. Of course, he’s improved over the years but I could always tell what it was supposed to be. I kept every one he ever gave me. The ones that aren’t framed are in an album. I did the same for Brett and Shane too. I used to take theirs after they’d forgotten them and saved them along with mine.”

  “You must have spent a small fortune getting them framed.”

  “Not really. I did it myself.”

  “No way!” She looked more closely. “You built all these frames?”

  “Sure, why not? I also hung them all, mine and theirs. It was so great when they got home from work and saw them.”

  “You made these frames?” she repeated.

  “Oh, I get it. I’m in finances so that means I can’t use a saw and a hammer.”

  Kiley blushed. “Well…I…”

  “Don’t start acting like the rest of the world on me. My dad is the town Mr.-Fix-It, remember? He and Mom, not to mention Brett’s parents, made sure the three of us were capable of taking care of ourselves. I’ll have you know I also do my own laundry, cook most nights, know how to grow vegetables and redid the inside of this house, including the floors. I mow grass, shovel snow and can change the oil in my car. I do own my own tux and can tie a real bow tie. I can fix a flat on a bicycle, fish, hunt and pitch a tent. I can start a fire without matches and, last year, when Brett’s parents were on a cruise, I used his mom’s recipe and baked his favorite cake.”

  Kiley didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. He was so vehement, listing his skills with such a fierce expression on his face. When he paused and took a deep breath, ready to continue, Kiley held up her hands in surrender. “Enough. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you couldn’t do normal things.”

  ‘Normal things!”

  “I mean ordinary guy stuff.”

  “Ordinary guy stuff! What am I, Kiley? I thought we’d already established that I’m just a guy.”

  “Wait! Just wait. Please? I was surprised about the frames is all. I know not everyone can just do that and have them come out square, with the corners matched up perfectly. I never meant to offend you.” She looked slightly scared.

  Jordan stood, staring at her. Eventually, he began to grin. “I’d say that’s what is called overreacting. Forgive me?”

  “If you’ll forgive me for sounding like I expected you to pay people to do things for you just because you can afford to.”

  “I guess I’m more anxious than I thought for you to see me for who I am, not what my image says I should be.”

  “And I guess I’m more intimidated by your image than I’m letting myself admit. Do you think this counts as our first fight?”

  “Absolutely not. This was a minor misunderstanding caused by the newness of us. We just need to get to know each other better. You’ll see.”

  “You’re really not mad?”

  “Of course not. If anything, you should be mad at me.”

  “Well, I’m not so I guess that makes us okay then, right?”

  “Right.” She still looked uncertain. “Want me to make love to you like I did earlier to prove it?” He kissed her sweetly.

  By the time the kiss ended, Kiley was clinging to him. “More than anything, Jordan. But one, I believe you so you have nothing to prove and two, I can’t handle that yet,” she answered honestly.

  “All right.” Jordan smiled. She’d said yet so that reinforced th
ere would be a time for tenderness eventually. “Why don’t you wander around and look at Brett’s sketches? I’ll get the album too. Pick one and I’ll tell you the story behind it while we cook.”

  Kiley quickly agreed glad to put the misunderstanding behind them and also for the opportunity learn more about him. Once she’d seen them, she went back to the one she’d chosen. “This one.”

  The sketch was one of Brett, Jordan and Shane. There were tents in the background and mosquitoes buzzing around. Brett and Jordan looked up to no good, while Shane’s expression was a mixture of amusement and pride.

  “That was the summer Brett and I turned thirteen. Both our birthdays are in July and by then we were asking Shane for a joint present. That year, he and his friends planned to hike into the woods and camp out overnight. We wanted to go along so that’s what we told Shane. At first, he offered us a campout of our own, just the three of us but Brett and I wanted to be one of the guys. They were in high school and we thought it’d be so cool, hanging out with them.

  “We assumed they agreed because they didn’t really mind us tagging along. Then, maybe two days before we went, I overheard Dad and Shane talking. His friends only gave in because they planned on pulling stuff on us. Dad made Shane promise not to let it go too far. Instead of being mad or scared or backing out, Brett and I took it as a challenge. We decided to get them before they got us.”

  “Did you tell your brother that you knew?” Kiley asked as they worked side by side.

  “Nope. We didn’t want him involved in case our ideas backfired.”

  “What happened?”

  “To start with they made us carry the heaviest stuff. We’d expected that. It was hot and we were tired but we kept our mouths shut. They also made us set up the tents. Shane and his buddies had one big enough for the four of them and Brett and I were sharing a little one. After they picked out a nice, smooth spot for us to pitch their tent on, we slid some rocks underneath while they weren’t looking. We knew they wouldn’t complain since it would be like admitting they chose wrong. When we laid out their stuff inside, we found their flashlights. We turned the one on in the pack we weren’t supposed to open and we broke the bulb in the other one.

  “We were camped next to a stream so Brett and I jumped in to cool off. When we came out we made such a big deal about putting on mosquito repellent that they called us wusses. We offered them some but they’d teased us so much they had to act too tough to want it. When we ate Brett and I waited until after they finished their sodas before we messed around with ours. Of course they sprayed all over us when we opened them. Again, Brett and I acted like babies, making sure it was all washed off before drenching ourselves with bug spray again. We tried to avoid hitting Shane as much as possible. When it started getting dark, we made a big deal about zipping the tents, saying several times how we’d hate to let any mosquitoes in with us. Since Shane knew a few bites never bothered us before he suspected we were up to something so he put repellant on when his buddies weren’t paying attention.

  “We sat around the fire with them telling creepy stories to get us primed for whatever they had planned. Once we were in the tents, they pretended to be asleep, waiting for us to settle down. Brett kept mumbling while I crawled out of our tent and used a twist tie to hold their zipper down. That way they wouldn’t be able to get out without making a lot of noise and since their flashlights didn’t work, they couldn’t see what it was stuck on.

  “Next, Brett and I took turns sneaking around the camp, snapping twigs and scratching the ground like an animal. The one of us near the tent made it seem like we were still talking, being sure to sound scared. Soon they quit trying to open their zipper. After they were asleep, I took off the twist tie off.”

  “Why did you make such a fuss with the bug spray?” Kiley could picture them laughing in their tent, looking just like they did in Brett’s sketch.

  “Ah, that was the best part.” Jordan grinned like a little boy. “After I heard Shane and Dad, Brett and I spent the two days capturing mosquitoes. When Brett zipped up the tents, he dumped them in theirs. Remember we’d sprayed the guys with soda, sugar water, to ensure they got bitten. And, since they’d busted on us, they had to suck it up and try not to scratch.

  “Between the bites, the rocks under the tent, which, by the way, we spared Shane from too, being trapped in the dark and the noises we made, they had a pretty rough night.”

  “Did they figure it out?”

  “Shane did but not the others. We had a good laugh when we got home. After that we were included even when their little brothers weren’t.” Jordan smile at the memory. “Brett did a sketch for each of us. His has us crawling to their tent. He’s holding the jar of mosquitoes and I have the twist tie. Shane’s friends are inside, cowering while Shane sleeps. Shane’s has his friends looking miserable, him standing in the middle and us peeking out from behind him.”

  “It’s hard to remember that Brett was only thirteen. This is great and I bet the other two are just as detailed.”

  “They are. Brett’s always said he’s just doodling but I think his drawings are spectacular. You should have seen his reaction when he saw that I hung them up all over the place. He tried to act like it wasn’t a big deal but I knew he was pleased.”

  “You’re a good friend, Jordan.” Kiley finished tossing the salad.

  “So is he.” Jordan was leaning on the counter, looking at her. “How many times has he spoken to you?”

  “He talks to me all the time.”

  When she deliberately misunderstood, he folded his arms across his chest and waited. Once it became clear that she wasn’t going to say more, Jordan reached out and settled his hands on her shoulders. “Kiley,” he paused until her eyes met his, “I am willing to bet every cent I have that Brett gave you some sort of lecture, warning, insight, or guidance about how you’re supposed to treat me. We’ve been friends for over twenty years so we can both pretty much guess what the other is going to do. If Brett declared that a woman we’d met less than five minutes earlier was the one he was meant to share his life with, I’d make sure I was around to get to know her. If she returned his interest, I’d leave no doubt that I was willing to protect him in anyway I had to even if it meant asking a lot of uncomfortable, personal questions and prying into her life. Now, I’ll ask again, how many times has Brett talked to you?”

  “A couple,” she admitted.

  “I’m sorry if he put you in an awkward position.”

  “It’s okay, Jordan, really. I know he meant no harm. He’s concerned because he cares for you.”

  “Can I ask what he said?”

  “I’d rather you didn’t. I thought it was sort of sweet and even though I’d prefer you have Brett tell you what was said if you really want to know, I will assure you that he was very nice about it. I can’t imagine having a friend like that, one you know will always be there.”

  “If you take a chance with me, Kiley, you’ll know what that’s like. You’ll have me and I’ll share everything with you, hopes, dreams, worries and thoughts, no matter how inconsequential or monumental they may be. Add that to your list of things to think about.” Jordan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You know what else I’d bet on? If you become a part of my life, Brett will accept you and be your friend too.”

  “I…” Kiley was flustered.

  “Sh, there’s no need for you to say anything. I’m just letting you know what I’m thinking not trying to pressure you into anything. I asked Brett to trust me about you but, apparently, he feels I’m too emotional to think straight.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. “Perhaps this would be a good time to change the subject?” She nodded against him. “How do you like your steak? That should be safe enough.”

  “Will I horrify you if I say rare? I don’t like the center to still be squishy but not much more done than that.”

  “Sounds perfect to me. Ready to eat?”

  “Yes but you haven’
t let me do much of anything.”

  “Fine. You can tend the steaks while I get us set up.” He indicated the built-in grill next to the stove.

  “Oh,” she sighed, “I don’t know how to use that. I’m afraid I’ve never seen one of these before.”

  “It’s just like a regular grill. You just have to make sure you turn on the ventilation so it doesn’t get smoky.” He turned it on for her. While Kiley cooked the meat, Jordan opened the wine they picked up earlier. He handed her a glass and raised his. “To us and a fun, relaxing evening at home.”

  She clinked her glass to his. “To getting to know each other.”

  “Can I suggest we eat in here?” He put the silverware on the kitchen table. “I assure you all traces of our activities are completely cleaned away. Since we’re aiming for comfortable tonight, I think the kitchen is better than candlelight and soft music in the dining room.”

  “If you don’t mind.” Kiley sensed that Jordan was trying not to make her uneasy by showing too much emotion. “Can I pick some CDs? You’ll have to show me how to work the stereo too.”

  “Sure. That’d be great.”

  They quickly had her choices in the player. “If you push this button, they’ll play in order, this one and songs will be randomly selected.” She chose the second button. “You made some interesting selections,” he commented as they sat to eat.

  “You sound surprised. Should I be equally surprised by your CD collection?” Kiley grinned. “Or are you surprised that we have similar taste in music?”

  “Ah, I guess it’s my turn to apologize for making assumptions. Jimmy Buffett, I understand. Warren Zevon, The Doors and George Thoroughgood?”

  “You’re forgetting that I spent most of my childhood living on Marine bases. I bet I could surprise you with lots of things.”

  “I guess you could. Tell me,” he teased, “do you swear like a Marine?”

  “Yeah but not as smoothly as Alyssa does. She looks fierce when she lets out a string. I tend to blush.”

  “I can’t wait. I bet you’re incredible.”

  “Let’s get something straight right now.” Kiley poked his arm. “I only swear when I’m really, really angry so you better watch what you say once I get started.”