by Barbara Lohr
“Of course.” Mercedes was as beautiful as Kate but in a different way. More edgy. Stylish. “I've heard about you.”
“That sounds ominous. What have you heard?”
“No, I didn't mean it that way.” Diana held out a hand. “So nice to meet you. I'm glad to help with Moonlight Madness. All the shops need more promotion.”
“You do good work. Do you have an art background?”
She only wished. Art had been one of the fields she considered before she quit school and opened her own shop. “Let's just say my background is a mixed bag.”
Kate's sister glanced around. “So, what’s your plan for Moonlight Madness?”
“Thirty percent off skirts.” She still had margin left after that.
“Great. Sounds good.” Apparently, her offer met with Mercedes' approval. Diana liked her no-nonsense approach.
“Want to try something on?” Looking over the skirts, Diana grabbed some from the racks in greenish-brown colors that would probably look fabulous on Mercedes. “Let's see, you must be a small. Extra small?” Kate's sister was rail thin.
“What? Oh, no.” Already backing away, Mercedes shook her head. “Not today. I don’t have time.”
Well, all right then. Diana slid the hangers back onto the rack, feeling like her stock had just been kicked to the curb.
“At least, not right now.”
While Mercedes tried to save herself, Diana did an inside eye roll. “Today I have to work my way up Red Arrow with these flyers.”
“Ah, huh. Right.” Having lived in Chicago, Diana knew a city girl when she saw one. She'd seen the tortoiseshell headbands, tasteful gold earrings and Jimmy Choo sandals before. The only time city girls came in to buy her merchandise was when they were on vacation. Impulse buys.
Mercedes edged toward the door. “Ah, I should hit the road. So nice meeting you, Diana. And again, thank you.”
Diana followed Mercedes out into the sunlight. “Stop in again when you have more time. Are you going to join Kate's book group?”
Mercedes looked stricken. “No, I don’t think so.”
Diana took her laughter back inside. So Kate’s sister wasn’t into books? Or maybe she just didn’t have time right now. Wasn't easy to move to a new city. The screech of brakes brought her flying back to the window. Mercedes had her head down on the steering wheel. “Everything all right?” Diana called out.
She couldn’t hear the answer, but Mercedes backed up and put on her left blinker. Not many folks in Gull Harbor drove luxury cars, especially not one that matched their name. Diana liked Mercedes. Should she call her for lunch? Maybe after Moonlight Madness.
Around noon, Diana was straightening stock. Times like these, she wished she could afford to have Rachel work more often. The bell rang behind her, interrupting her thoughts. Was this Kelsey from the care center, sauntering into the store? Diana’s heart about stopped when she saw what the girl was wearing. The blouse with embroidered neckline and sleeves sure looked like the one Diana had sold to Will not too long ago.
“Hi, Kelsey. Can I help you?” Drawing closer, Diana couldn't help studying the blouse. Yes, this was a soft cotton with the blue and green pattern stitching.
Smiling, Kelsey ran a hand down one sleeve. “I'm just looking.”
Her hair was long and dark, the kind of dark that came from a bottle. But Diana wasn’t one to criticize. She hadn't been born with blonde hair, that's for sure.
“Let me know if you need anything, Kelsey. Sizes. Colors—anything like that.” How did this girl end up with the gift Will had bought for his sister?
“Sure will.” The girl gave her a coy smile.
Diana’s heart froze. Did Will even have a sister?
Retreating to the jewelry counter, Diana put sets of earrings and necklaces together while she kept an eye on Kelsey. A delicate silver chain tangled. Diana started to sweat. Not wanting to turn up the air, she flipped on the overhead fan.
Hangers screeched as Kelsey pushed through the clothing. When Diana heard a hanger snap, she closed the jewelry display case and walked over. “Sure I can’t help you?”
“Oh no. I just thought I'd stop by. See what you have.” Kelsey traced the neckline of the blouse with one green-tipped finger. “A friend of mine shops here.”
“Oh, really? He buys things here?” Too late, Diana realized her mistake.
Kelsey smiled. “Oh, yes he did.” Her hand went to the long sleeve Diana knew was soft cotton. The comfortable blouses had quickly sold out, and she meant to place a new order. But the summer was almost over. Time for heavier fall merchandise. Relief washed over her when Kelsey turned toward the door. The sunlight spilling through the glass outlined her perfect figure. Oh to be eighteen again, although she wasn’t much older.
“Well, have to get back to work. I'm on my lunch hour, although my boss never minds if I take more time.” Her mascara-caked eyelashes batted. The girl should let them dry between coats.
A burning started deep in Diana's stomach. She’d bite her tongue off before she gave this customer the usual “stop in again.” Watching Kelsey climb into an old sedan with some sort of beads hanging from the mirror, Diana was glad the shop was empty. As she turned toward the back, she stepped on one of the pins Will had dropped that first time he stopped in. Stooping, she picked it up, thinking about the excitement of that day. She sure hoped she was wrong.
Since the Sunday outing, she’d obsessed about Will. What he wore. What he said. What she wished he’d say. He seemed too good to be true and maybe he was. Maybe she was attracted to men who lied with honest eyes and convincing stories.
She’d thought he was different.
Kelsey? Really?
Going into the back, she cut open a box of fall clothing that had just arrived. Carefully slitting the top, she pulled out pieces in rich fall citron and dark velvety browns. With quick, jerky tugs, she ripped off the plastic protection. For the next hour, she changed all the mannequins. Summer styles were relegated to the sale rack. The front window was filled with fall russet and olive green. As a final step, she changed the stance of the mannequins until they had a jaunty don’t-mess-with-me attitude. Perfect.
She was so into it that she almost didn’t hear her phone ping. A text message popped up.
“Want to stop in Oink’s tonight? Explore?”
Sinking onto the window platform, she stared at the screen until it blurred. No way was she dodging this issue. How should she answer? Customers interrupted her and she slipped her phone into the pocket of her skirt. The burning in her chest, where her heart should be, seared through to her backbone. Might as well deal with this now. When the women were all tucked into fitting rooms, she slipped behind the counter and jabbed at the phone. “Your receptionist stopped in today. She was wearing that blouse you bought for your ‘sister.’ See you at 7:30.”
She pressed Send. Maybe he wouldn’t even show up. Her past drew her back into a recurring nightmare. In the dream, she wandered in a dense fog, unable to find the address on the slip of paper in her hand. By the time she flipped the closed sign on the door, she was thoroughly disgusted. This time she wasn't going to take it. This time she was nipping it in the bud.
How she hoped Will had an answer.
~.~
Will stared at his phone. What was this? He'd been checking last month’s figures when Diana’s text finally came. He could hardly wait to see her tonight...but the deal about the blouse? Then it hit him. The phone slipped from his hands and thunked onto the desk. Right, he'd left that Hippy Chick bag with Kelsey.
Since Sunday, he’d thought of little else but Diana. How she smelled. How she felt. Now this. She sure didn’t sound happy. No way was he letting this snowball. Tackling problems head on had always been his approach, so he called Jan. “Can you send someone to the front desk to sit in for Kelsey for about ten minutes?”
“Sure. Is she sick?”
“No, not yet.” But he shouldn’t get ahead of himself. He hated it whe
n people jumped to conclusions.
“I'll send Felicity down.”
When he came to Gull Harbor Care Center, Will had quickly become friends with Jan Lawson. If anything, she was the older sister he didn't have. She’d shown him the ropes. Gave him insights about the owners. Helped him avoid making mistakes and always had his back.
Next call went to Kelsey. She picked up immediately. “Kelsey, Mrs. Lawson is sending Felicity down to relieve you for a minute. Come to my office when she gets there.”
“Sure, is anything wrong?”
“Not really. Just want to talk to you about something.”
He could almost hear her gulp. While he waited, he stared out at the courtyard. His office faced the back. The scene of family barbecues and parties, the broad space held a gazebo and a huge grill. He'd have to ask Raymond to fertilize the flowers. They were getting leggy, as his mother always said at the end of summer.
“Hi, Will. You wanted to see me?” Kelsey stood in the doorway, one hip propped against the frame. Why had he asked employees to call him by his first name? Today that familiarity felt problematic.
“Come on in, Kelsey. Have a seat.”
Was she wearing the blouse he'd given her? He’d never really looked at it. His eyes had been on Diana the day he bought it.
The girl slid into the chair across from him. The long top almost totally covered her mini skirt, especially when she crossed her legs. All that cleavage. Leaning forward, she caught his glance and fingered the low neckline. His eyes shot up to her face. “Everything going okay at the main desk?”
“Oh yes. Fine. I know how to do my job.” She recrossed her legs. Yes, definitely a postage stamp skirt. He had to talk to Jan about their dress policy.
Will cleared his throat. “Kelsey, I thought I should explain about the gift I gave you a while back. It was a spur of the minute thing. I stopped in at a friend’s store, a very good friend. And I wanted to buy something to support her.”
Kelsey's full lips pressed into a straight line. “Right. So?”
Perspiration prickled along the back of his neck. “Since my sister’s birthday and Christmas are such a long way off, I thought it would be foolish to save the shirt until then. It's a summer top, right?” He was so out of his league here.
“Of course it is. Don’t you think I look pretty in it?”
Will’s sweaty palms gripped the arms of his chair. “The blouse looks very nice. But I wanted to clarify that it was not purchased with you in mind. I could have given it to Jan or Beverly.” And I really wish I had.
Clearly, Kelsey wasn’t happy. If Will could dial back time, he’d handle that pretty little bag differently. But he hadn’t been thinking. He’d been feeling.
“But I like it,” Kelsey whispered. “And I like you, Will. A lot.”
Good God, it looked like she was getting up from her chair. When he made a motion for her to sit down, she leaned over with an expectant smile.
This was worse than he'd imagined. What signals had he missed? Maybe this was how Russ Crafton, his administrator in Indianapolis, had started on the slippery slope. Small gestures that could be misunderstood. For Russ, it had led to a relationship that eventually got him fired, and rightly so.
“And I like you too, Kelsey. But I want you to see this top...blouse...whatever, for what it is. If I gave you the wrong idea, I apologize.”
Cheeks bright red, Kelsey folded her arms across her chest.
“Would you like some water?” He kept a small refrigerator in his office to help him get through busy days. She sat down again with a plop that echoed through the office.
“Some water, please.”
“Sure.” Opening the refrig, he breathed in the cold air. He heard Kelsey take a tissue from the box he kept on his desk. Oh, great. Was she crying? When he turned with the bottled water, Kelsey was stabbing at her eyes.
Stomach twisting, Will handed her the bottle. “Do you have a boyfriend, Kelsey?”
Hands playing with the white cap of the bottle, she shook her head. What could he say to restore some sense of dignity for this poor kid? She was a pretty high school graduate working as a receptionist in a long-term care facility. Must be about as exciting as watching paint dry.
“I mean, I don’t have a boyfriend anymore.” Her nose was running and dark stuff dribbled from the outer corner of her eyes. He reached behind him for another tissue and she took it. Outside the sun was shining and the crunch of gravel reminded him that folks were arriving for lunchtime visits. But he wasn’t going to rush this.
Kelsey balled the tissue in one hand. “I had a boyfriend all through high school. But then he decided he liked my best friend Melissa better and…” She was off, running through a painful list of hurts. Will would give her all the time she needed. Keeping eye contact, he settled back until finally she wrapped up. “That's it for me.”
So young and so much pain. Was this what it was like after high school for girls? “Kelsey, for what it's worth, you're a pretty girl. Someone else will come along.” But he could read her mind. How?
She sniffed. He forged ahead. “Have you thought of going back to school?”
Her cheeks puffed out. “Why would I do that? I hated school.”
Will counted to five. “Sometimes technical colleges can help you figure out what to do with your life. What about the two-year college in Berrien Springs? See what kind classes they’re offering. Maybe you could be a legal secretary, go into information systems or human resources.” Her eyes brightened a little.
It took lots of self-control not to check the clock on the wall. Time spent with an employee made the facility run more smoothly. The last thing he wanted was for Kelsey to end up like his sister. By the time she left for the reception desk, she’d gotten herself together. Will gave himself a mental high-five.
“What did you say to her?” Jan asked later when she stuck her head in the door.
“Just encouraged her to go to school.”
“But Will, she’s an excellent receptionist.”
Tucking his hands behind his head, he leaned back. “We can always find another receptionist. I like to think about the futures of our employees, especially when they're as young as Kelsey.”
“You’re too good.” Jan shook her head.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It’s not. How did you get to be so kind, Will Applegate?”
“Don’t you have work to do?” His chair thumping to the floor, he reached for some census reports.
His VP of Nursing laughed at him. “I love it when your face gets all red. And so does she, probably.” Jan wiggled her graying brows.
“She who?” Heat flamed in his face.
“Oh, I think you know who.” With a final wag of her finger, Jan took off. Her white shoes squished softly on the tile floor.
Sounded like his heart felt right now.
Chapter 10
Diana wanted to see the look in Will’s eyes when he tried to explain. Men did not buy personal gifts for employees. Not without a reason, that is.
She heard the rumble of the vintage Mustang while she was still dabbing cream blush on her cheeks. Thank God, her blemish had faded. Taking a pencil to her lip line, she filled it in, blotted then applied a finishing coat. Did her lashes need more mascara? Diana held up her magnifying mirror. But remembering the heavy hand of Will’s receptionist, she screwed the mascara closed. The doorbell rang and she swept everything into her makeup bag and went to answer the door.
Not going to rush. Not going to be nervous.
Sure. Right. She opened the door.
“Hey, beautiful.” Will kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t you look pretty.”
“Thank you.” Her white jean shorts were set off by an aqua peasant top, and she’d swept her hair into a thick braid. Will gave it a tug when she turned to grab her purse, but she wasn’t feeling playful. Will seemed to get the message.
“Oink’s is only three blocks away,” Will told her
when they got to the car. “Would you rather walk?”
Her eyes flitted to the red convertible. “And miss this?” She might be upset but she wasn’t crazy.
Laughing, he opened the door. “I totally agree.”
“Mercedes Kennedy stopped in today,” she told Will during the short drive.
“Kate's sister? Was she shopping?”
“She wanted to thank me for the map.” Sliding down in the seat, she let the cooling air bathe her face. “We might have things in common. You can tell she’s lived in a big city. Has that certain edge.”
Pulling up next to the ice cream parlor, Will laughed. “What? So you big city girls stick together? Sounds dangerous.”
How she hoped she was wrong about Will. He was such fun. As they entered the ice cream shop, suspicion clawed inside her chest. She hated it.
“Whoa.” She wasn't prepared for the wild collections crammed inside. Craning her neck, she stared up at the ceiling. Whisks and sifters. Can openers and old-fashioned signs.
“Kind of crazy, right?” The blast of cold air inside made her shiver. Standing behind her, Will rubbed his hands up her bare arms. How she hoped he had an explanation. One that was true. Like the Will she thought she knew. “So, what'll it be?”
Skin prickling, she eyed the list of offerings. “Such a long list.”
“Take your time.” He leaned against the display case, studying her.
“What? You already know what you want?”
“Yep. Guilty as charged.” But he didn’t look at all sorry. “I’ve been here before, and I get the same thing every time. Creature of habit.”
“Coconut almond fudge.” She hadn’t eaten dinner. “And what’s your choice?”
“Pistachio...with chocolate sauce.”
“But they have a caramel sundae here.” She pointed.
The fellow waiting on them stood ready, scoop in hand.
Will tilted his head with a crooked smile. “I have a favorite at every ice cream shop. That’s just how I roll.”
Tonight that comment hit her the wrong way. Was that like a woman in every port? Every town? She fell quiet. When Will gave her a curious look, she got busy collecting napkins.
