Forever Mine, Valentine

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  “Decided to make an end run around me, did you?” she said, lifting penciled brows.

  The muscles twitched in Spence’s jaw. “I tried to talk to you about this. We couldn’t come to terms.”

  “So you’re hoping to rally the tenants, I suppose.”

  “Something like that.”

  “You won’t have time. I’ll close the Anderson deal by next week. Besides that, you’re wrong, Spence. This is a shopping mall, not some altruistic dream city of the future. We operate to make a profit, not to run a free amusement park. When my corporation bought this mall I asked for the assignment because I knew I could cut flab and boost revenue quickly.”

  “And ruin a unique concept in the process.”

  “Ruin? Don’t be silly. We’ll still have the Victorian gingerbread, the light posts, probably even the trolley, although not quite so loaded down. Have you any idea how much electricity it takes to cart those deadbeats up and down the mall? We’ll save on that, too.”

  Lips pressed in a straight line, Spence started to turn away when she caught his arm. “What’s this about some old guy living in the back of your store?”

  Jill held her breath. She’d been afraid Tippy had heard that remark.

  Spence’s eyes narrowed. “It’s my store,” he said in a low voice.

  “And ultimately my corporation’s liability. Your family may have owned this property once, but they sold it, Spence. You’re not the kingpin around here anymore, and I want that man out of your store. Tonight.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Really? Then you’d better read the fine print on your contract and notify your lawyer, because I intend to press the matter.”

  “You bi—”

  “Spencer, my boy,” Charlie said, rushing forward and grabbing him by the arm. “We simply must talk with you. Have you a minute now? Excuse me, madam. Is it Ms Henderson? I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, but we must take this dear boy away from you for a minute.”

  Jill was amazed at the strength Charlie exhibited as he steered Spence away from Tippy. Robert and George quickly got into the act, and before long they were all barreling down the upper deck of the mall as if they were race-walking.

  “I don’t care what she threatens, Charlie, you’re staying,” Spence announced as they all headed for the brass-railed stairway.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Charlie replied, puffing slightly from the pace. “You have enough problems without adding me to the list.”

  “She could win this one, Spence,” Bernie advised, using his walking stick to propel his lanky frame along in step with the others. “Everyone’s been willing to look the other way because we all like Charlie, but I wager Tippy can get him evicted.”

  “I wish my parents had never sold the property,” Spence muttered as the contingent hurried into his store.

  “How’d it go?” asked Stephanie from behind the cash register.

  “Don’t ask,” cautioned Gladys. “We’ll be in conference.”

  They all crowded into Spence’s office. Gladys and Jill took the chairs across from the oak desk and Spence waved Charlie into the swivel desk chair. Robert, Bernie and George leaned against the wall while Spence paced the remaining floor space. For a while no one spoke.

  Finally Spence broke the silence. “Maybe if I hired Charlie as my personal night watchman…”

  “I think you’d have to prove that he’s trained in that function,” Robert said. “He might even have to carry a gun.”

  Charlie recoiled in horror. “Never!”

  “Well, then I’ll think of something else,” Spence vowed.

  “No, you won’t, my boy,” Charlie said, leaning his elbows on the desk. “I’m leaving tonight.”

  “I won’t have it,” Spence said. “There’s snow out there, Charlie, and the temperature will be down in the twenties tonight. No way are you leaving.”

  “Of course he’s leaving,” Gladys said. “He’ll stay with me.” All eyes focused on her.

  “Well, if it comes to that, he could stay at my house,” Spence said. “I don’t know why that didn’t occur to me in the first place.”

  “Or mine,” added Bernie.

  “I don’t have an extra bedroom, but there’s the fold-out sofa in the living room,” George said. “You’re welcome to it, Charlie.”

  “Same here,” said Robert. “The wife and I deliberately cut down on space when we bought the town house, but temporarily we could—”

  “This is silly,” Gladys said, before Robert could finish. “Improper as you all might consider my suggestion, it makes perfect sense. I have a two-bedroom condo within walking distance of the mall. Why would you want to drag Charlie halfway across town, where the rest of you live, when he can stay with me?”

  Jill glanced at Charlie, whose lined face grew redder by the moment. He fiddled with his gold lapel pin and seemed greatly interested in the papers on Spence’s desk.

  Spence paused in his pacing and looked from Charlie to Gladys. “You may have a point,” he said with an almost imperceptible smile. “What do you say, Charlie?”

  “I hesitate to inconvenience this dear lady,” Charlie said, still looking down at the materials on the desk.

  “Nonsense.” Gladys scoffed. “You’re blind as a bat if you think I’d be inconvenienced.”

  Charlie coughed and looked up. “Well, then, I, um, accept your generous offer.”

  “Wonderful.”

  Jill peeked over at Spence, and they exchanged a smile. She could see now why Charlie enjoyed this matchmaking business. Watching the relationship between Charlie and Gladys unfold gave Jill a real high.

  “If that’s settled, I suppose we’d better face our second problem.” Spence began to pace again. “Tippy’s made more headway than I had expected, although we’re not entirely without allies. The woman who seconded my motion to adjourn, Hedda Kramer from the candle shop, is behind us, and she says there are others.”

  “They certainly didn’t make themselves known,” Bernie grumbled. “All we heard were the money-grubbers.”

  “Hedda estimates we might have about thirty percent of the tenants in our corner,” Spencer said. “It’s not a majority, but it’s a start.”

  Jill decided to plunge in. “Thirty percent isn’t bad,” she said, “and I have an idea for bringing the others into our camp.”

  “So speak up, my dear,” Charlie encouraged.

  “The thing is, it will mean an outlay of money.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Spence said. “What’s your idea?”

  “The tenants’ association isn’t a cohesive unit,” she explained, and then turned in her chair to focus on everyone in the room. “The first step in getting them to pull together for the common good, I think, is to create a team spirit. And they have to believe in the cause.”

  “Which maybe seventy percent don’t,” Robert commented.

  “I’ll bet most of that seventy percent are transplants from other parts of the country,” Jill said. “They haven’t been given much chance to develop a sense of community, of pride in the history of the region. I think we should take them all on a bus trip, a historical tour of the area. If you throw in some sort of hot dog roast, if the weather’s not horrendous, they’ll also have a chance to socialize and nurture that feeling of comradery.”

  Spence’s dark eyes glowed with pride. “Great idea.”

  “I agree,” said Robert, and he collected nods of assent from Bernie and George. “If you need funding for this project, let me know, Spence.”

  Jill gazed at the three men. “I know you’re all retired now, but who are you, really?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Bernie said, leaning on his walking stick and smiling mysteriously. “We’re just three old geezers who want to help, that’s all.”

  Jill accepted his nonanswer, but she didn’t have to use much imagination to put Bernie in a three-piece suit at the head of a long table in a corporate boardroom.

  �
��The only trouble with the bus trip is that we have to move fast,” Spence commented. “Tippy has the Anderson representative coming in tomorrow, and she’s bragged about closing the deal by next week.”

  “I’ll start calling the tour bus companies first thing in the morning,” Jill said. “I’ll set it up as soon as they can do it. Will we have any trouble getting people to come, do you think?”

  “I doubt it,” Robert said. “We’re giving an afternoon’s outing for nothing. Who wouldn’t welcome a break from routine to ride in a comfortable bus, see the sights and get fed? Incidentally, I know some people who do wonderful catered events, even outdoors, even in the winter. Let me know the day, and I’ll arrange the meal.”

  “That would be expensive,” Jill warned.

  “Never mind that,” Robert said, with an assurance that fed Jill’s belief that he, as well as Bernie, had left a lucrative position that provided him with retirement benefits most people only dreamed of.

  Spence glanced around at the group assembled in his office. “I’m impressed with the way you’ve all turned this thing around. We’ve solved the problem with Charlie and have a good start on the mall situation.”

  “I think we have to hand it to the women,” George said with a chuckle. “They’re the ones with the solutions. All we have to do is help implement them.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Spence agreed with a grin. “Shall we wrap this up? I’m sure you all have other things to do besides deal with this craziness.”

  “I should get home to the wife,” Robert said. “She accuses me of being busier since I retired.”

  “I have a few projects going, too,” Bernie said.

  “Yeah, so do I,” George added. “Guess we’ll leave you folks.”

  “And Charlie needs to pack,” Gladys said when the three men had left.

  Charlie stood and walked around the desk. “That won’t take long, dear lady. I should warn you that I have very few material possessions in this world. By the way, do you play chess?”

  “No, I never learned.”

  Charlie paused, and Jill worried that this would be a stumbling block for the otherwise compatible couple. Chess obviously meant a great deal to Charlie, considering that his set was apparently the only thing of value he owned, besides his gold lapel pin.

  Charlie smiled at Gladys. “Then I shall teach you,” he said, and Jill gave a small sigh of relief.

  Charlie’s leave-taking seemed to go on for a long time. Jill sensed that despite their original bravery, Gladys and Charlie were ambivalent about this major step in their courtship. She understood the feeling. Once Charlie moved into Gladys’s condo, there would be no going back to a more casual friendship. She faced a similar crossroads with Spence.

  THE MALL WAS CLOSING by the time Gladys and Charlie waved their final farewell and walked together toward the nearest exit. Charlie carried his briefcase and a quilted jacket Spence had forced on him. Jill and Spence watched them until they reached the double glass doors leading outside. They stopped while Charlie put on his new quilted jacket after helping Gladys into her fur-lined suede coat. Then Charlie held the door for Gladys, and they disappeared into the night.

  “I hope it works out,” Jill said, gazing after them.

  “Me, too.” Spence guided her back inside and reached for the handle on the metal grid. “I never thought I’d be glad for anything Tippy did, but she may have inadvertently done Charlie a favor.” He pulled the heavy door halfway down, then turned to the young woman at the counter. “We’ll be in back, Stephanie, if you need anything.”

  Jill followed him to Charlie’s vacated living quarters. “I think your habit of leaving your employees alone to close up is wonderful,” she said, standing in the center of the small room. The furnishings were unchanged, except for the absence of the books and the chess set. “That really builds an atmosphere of trust.”

  “I hope so.” Spence waved her to the armchair and she sat down. “I started doing it when Charlie arrived, because the nightly chess games made the whole thing seem natural. Looks like I’ll have to get another chess partner.” He sat on the edge of Charlie’s bed. “Do you play?”

  Jill smiled. “Not very well.”

  “Then maybe I should take a page out of Charlie’s book and teach you.”

  “That doesn’t make much sense, considering how soon I’ll be leaving.”

  His expression darkened. “I don’t like to think about that. I—”

  Stephanie called from the curtained doorway. “Spence? I’ve totaled out the cash drawer.”

  “Be right there,” he called back. “Don’t go away,” he said to Jill, as he got to his feet. “I’ll let her out the front and lock up.”

  “I should probably leave with her,” Jill said, starting to rise from the chair.

  He paused. “I wish you wouldn’t.”

  She met his gaze and her skin tingled. Charlie was gone. In a few minutes, Stephanie would be gone, too. Neither Jill nor Spence could pretend that there was more business to transact. All that could be said about the mall project had been said in Spence’s office. If Jill agreed to stay, it could only be for one reason. Heart pounding, she looked into his eyes.

  7

  JILL SWALLOWED; her throat was dry. “All right,” she said.

  “Thank you.”

  Spence’s quiet gratitude shook her. He wore no smile of triumph, just a look of appreciation. Perhaps she wasn’t being so foolish, after all.

  “I’ll be right back,” he murmured.

  When he left, Jill leaned against the chair and took a deep breath. It didn’t help; her heartbeat still seemed unnaturally fast and her hands were clammy. She’d agreed to stay, but now she wasn’t sure what that implied, exactly. Perhaps she’d better decide before he returned, she thought.

  Her gaze drifted to the single bed and she trembled. He couldn’t expect… No matter, she wouldn’t allow matters to progress to that stage. She merely wanted to explore the feelings between them, to find out if the magic of his kiss still affected her the way she remembered from two nights ago.

  But they would be alone, with no Charlie to interrupt them. One kiss would lead to another, and another… Nervousness drove her from the chair and sent her prowling around the small cubicle. How typical of her, she thought, to say yes to something without fully exploring the consequences.

  She heard the metal door clang shut on the entrance to the store and knew that Stephanie was gone. She considered making the excuse that she’d skipped dinner, but he’d probably offer to buy her something, and she definitely wasn’t hungry anymore. What could she possibly say to him that wouldn’t sound foolish, as if she didn’t know her own mind? Jill of All Trades was vacillating again.

  Feeling trapped by her impulsiveness, she kept moving around the small room while waiting for him to reappear. Eventually she heard his footsteps on the cement of the storeroom floor. She faced the makeshift doorway.

  He walked through the opening and stopped, his smile of anticipation fading. “You look like a caged animal.”

  “I…” She turned away, embarrassed.

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know you. You don’t know me. You probably think…” She couldn’t finish.

  “I probably think what?” He crossed the room and stood near her, waiting.

  She steeled herself. Something had to be said. “I won’t go to bed with you tonight.”

  His concern mellowed into gentleness. “Okay,” he said with a slow smile.

  “I mean it.” She cringed at her defensive tone. It sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as well as him.

  “Good. Then we’re in agreement on that subject.”

  She blinked. “We are?”

  “Sure.” He reached for her as though he was approaching a skittish animal. “Hey, Jill,” he said softly, drawing her closer, “I know our time together is limited, but that’s no excuse to rush and bungle everything. I plan to give this as much time as
it deserves.”

  “I was afraid… I mean, there is a bed in here.” She felt the warmth of his body through the soft cotton of his blue turtleneck, and her arms seemed to slip automatically over his shoulders.

  “And maybe we’ll lie on it together.” He pressed his lips to her forehead.

  “I don’t think that’s a good—”

  “You gave me your trust when you agreed to stay for a while.” He kissed her temple. “I won’t violate your trust, Jill.”

  “Perhaps you wouldn’t mean to, but we’re very much alone, and it would be easy to get carried away.” So easy, she thought, as his slow kisses over her face replaced her tension with a languid willingness to be loved.

  “Yes, we’re very much alone.” He traced the curve of her cheek with his lips. “But I didn’t plan it, didn’t plan for it.” He leaned back and smiled at her. “Even if I had all sorts of seduction techniques in mind, I couldn’t follow through. The Drug Mart is closed.”

  “What?”

  “You know. The drugstore, where they sell—”

  “Oh.” She flushed. “Well, of course I didn’t even think about that.”

  He traced the line of her chin with one finger. “Maybe you imagine I keep something on hand at all times?”

  “Not necessarily. For all I know you think that I—”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Not in keeping with what you’ve told me about this trip.”

  “I like the fact that you’re unprepared, too,” she admitted, stroking the back of his neck. “Once you knew Charlie would be at Gladys’s house tonight, you could have made some excuse and dashed off to the drugstore.”

  “Honesty time. I thought of it.”

  “But you didn’t do it,” she said softly. She was melting for this man. He was more than she’d dared hope.

  “No. I wanted to put the brakes on myself. I—” He paused and glanced away. “This sounds corny.”

  “Try me.”

  He gazed at her. “I’m beginning to believe Charlie’s right. When I look at you, I see… You’ll think I’m crazy.”