So here she was, on the upper deck of a double-decker bus motoring down Interstate 80 to New York City. Three hours into the trip, the bus stopped at a convenience store. Her stomach growled. With the early pickup in Shadow Falls, she had barely made it to the bus stop on time much less have breakfast. She grabbed a chili dog and chips and returned to her seat on the bus.
When she saw the Statue of Liberty in the distance, her heart rose into her throat. The years dropped away and she was eighteen again, just out of high school, arriving at Clark University in Hoboken on a scholarship. Her parents had been so proud. She had loved the city with the occasional trips home. Then the accident, and suddenly she was guardian to an eleven-year-old and caretaker to a woman in her eighties.
She inspected her nails. Clean, but short. She dug out a bottle of nail polish. As she painted her nails, the fumes actually made her gag. The weaving of the bus also didn’t help. By the time the bus pulled into the terminal, she was nauseous. She looked around, expecting to see Cyrus towering above everyone. Despite having to take a taxi from the airport, he still would have arrived sooner than she.
Exiting the bus terminal, she found a bench and checked her phone. Nothing. She looked up and down the side street facing the entrance to the terminal. Bright orange cones narrowed the two-way street to one way, causing the traffic to back up. The heat and humidity seemed to hold the exhaust fumes close to the ground. She leaned her head against the brick wall and shut her eyes. She never should have come. The garden needed watering and weeding. Feeding the animals was too much to ask of Shawn, still weak from his bout with pneumonia.
“Sera.”
She opened her eyes. Ten feet away, a couple waved down a taxi. Maybe she should get a taxi. Then she realized Cy hadn’t mentioned the name of the hotel.
“Sera.” She did hear her name. To her left a box truck unloaded mattresses for the store across the street. She looked to her right. Pushing through a trio of laughing women, a man in a gray suit lifted his arm and waved, but a woman exiting the terminal waved back.
She checked her phone again.
“Sera.” She noticed the man in the gray suit was standing directly in front of her.
Her gaze traveled up the neatly pressed pants to the apricot tie and matching pocket handkerchief to brown eyes. Her stomach flipped. “Alex?”
Looking left and then right as people pushed past, Alex joined her on the bench. “How was your trip?”
As her stomach continued to churn, Sera didn’t see the point in engaging in niceties. She didn’t spend six hours on a bus to see this man. “What are you doing here?”
Avoiding her gaze, Alex eyed the men unloading the mattresses. “My cousin called in a favor.”
Studying his face, Sera concluded Alex wasn’t much happier than she was. “Your cousin asks a lot of favors from you.” She should have gone with her gut. Not the one that was presently giving her tiny shots of pain, but the one that had warned her she would be better off staying home and working. Because instead of enjoying a weekend in the city with her old friend Cy, she was stuck in the city with Cy’s cousin, the annoying but definitely well-dressed attorney.
* * *
SHE PULLED HER hand away when Alex reached for it. “The streets are packed, Sera. We can’t get separated.”
He had been sitting at his desk, working on one of the theater shopping mall projects, but he had been thinking about Sera. About Cy picking her up, showing her the city, how her blue-green eyes would light up with pleasure. When his phone signaled a text, he stared at the message on his phone. As his father was fond of saying...unbelievable. Cyrus wasn’t coming. Then he remembered the trip, which Jean had pounced on, had been his idea. Cyrus hadn’t been crazy about the idea from the start. For a big man, Cy was a big chicken. Texting instead of calling. Who does that?
“So why are you here instead of Cy?” She kept her hands pressed to her stomach, as if she were afraid to touch him.
“Three of his prize cows are having calving difficulties. Cy had to call the vet. He said he’ll fly up in the morning.” He reached for the small overnight bag by her feet and then stood up.
“The vet, huh? Figures.” She remained seated, her hands still at her stomach. “Maybe I should go back home.”
“Nonsense. I have... I mean, Cy has the weekend planned.” He looked around, anxious to get away from the crowded bus terminal. “I suppose we should check into the hotel first and get rid of your suitcase.”
She lifted her gaze. “I didn’t make a reservation. Cy was supposed to do that.”
“I’ve taken care of it.” He reached again for her hand. This time she took it.
* * *
SHE OPENED HER eyes and instantly her brain began to puzzle over the events of the previous evening. She had been sick. Extremely sick. She remembered pressing her sweating forehead against the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, changing into shorts and a T-shirt. Someone had wiped her face with a damp cloth and helped her back to bed. She wasn’t home because her sheets were white, not dark brown. Where was she? The hotel. She closed her eyes and just appreciated the feel of the cool, crisp sheet against her cheek.
Cy had picked a nice hotel where people took care of sick customers. She smiled. In the distance she heard an announcer’s voice giving a play-by-play of a baseball game. The New York Yankees. Of course.
A male voice asked, “Feel like a cup of tea?”
Her eyes popped open. The maid? Were maids male? Her gaze focused on the nightstand next to the bed. A wallet and a handful of change.
“I can make you some toast if you’re up to it.”
She rolled over and squinted at the backlit form filling the doorway. She rubbed her eyes and looked again, certain she must be dreaming. “Alex?” She struggled to sit.
Alex set a cup on the nightstand and gently pushed her back against the pillow. “You should take it easy. You were pretty sick last night.”
“What happened?”
He sat at the foot of the double bed, pushed into a corner of the small room. “I think the chili dog turned on you.”
She groaned. At the same time she realized what she must look like. She tried to smooth her hair, but her fingers kept getting tangled in the knots. “Where am I?”
“My place.” He handed her the cup. “I had booked you in to a hotel in Times Square, but I didn’t think you should be alone last night. This was easier and closer.”
The tea slid down her throat. The warmth spread through her belly. “You’re being awfully nice to me.”
“Despite your opinion, I’m not a bad guy.”
She handed him the cup and then lay back against the pillow and studied him. “Did you wipe my face with a washcloth?”
“My mom used to do that for me.” Making himself more comfortable, he stretched one leg along the foot of the bed. The gray suit pants had been replaced by gray sweatpants. “I remember it always helped.”
The heat moved up her neck and onto her cheeks at memories of the previous night. She covered her face with her hands. “You watched me throw up.”
“No big deal.”
She peeked through her fingers. He was smiling. “I must look a fright.”
“You look pretty good, considering. You’re lucky you didn’t eat much yesterday.”
“Cy. When does Cy get here?” She sat up and then grimaced as pain shot through her belly. She pressed a hand to her stomach and leaned back against the headboard.
He glanced out the room’s single window, which looked out onto a fire escape and the neighboring brick building. “It’s raining.”
She followed his gaze. The curtainless window was streaked with rain. “I see, but when does Cy arrive?”
Alex seemed to be looking everywhere but at her. “He can’t fly in bad weather. He’s only VFR ra
ted. Visual flight rules, you know? When I told him you were sick...”
She glanced down into her cup, absorbing the news, knowing she should be disappointed. And yet she wasn’t. “Knowing Cy, he probably said good thing he didn’t fly all the way up here for nothing.” Alex’s embarrassed glance at the floor told her she was close to the truth.
“He did plan on taking you around the city. Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building. We can still do that if you’re up to it.”
The thought of traipsing through the city under cloudy skies caused her to rub her belly. “I don’t think I’m ready. But don’t let me keep you from anything.”
“It’s a rainy Saturday. I’d be at home whether you were here or not.”
“Besides, I’ve already seen the sights.” She ran a hand over the chocolate-brown sheet. Soft. High thread count.
“Cy mentioned you went to school not far from here.” Alex sounded skeptical, as if he could hardly believe the country girl had been educated in the city.
She realized that Alex’s impression of her was of a young woman afraid to leave home. “It was a long time ago, but we used to come into the city quite often.”
“What was your major?”
She smiled at the memories. At his look of interest she continued. “I received a scholarship to Clark Institute of Technology. Majored in science communication and minored in music and technology.”
Alex’s mouth dropped open. His only response was “Wow.”
“Who would’ve guessed, right?” Sera felt a sense of accomplishment at rendering the man temporarily speechless. “Little ole me in the big city.”
“But you didn’t finish.”
Somehow the forced intimacy of the rain outside, sitting together on the bed, made telling the story a little less difficult. “Ten years ago our family was in great shape. Dad was on the road. His band was booked solid nine months out of the year. Mom had a successful produce business. I was in my third year on a full scholarship.” She sipped her tea, which had gone cold. She set the cup on the nightstand and glanced up at Alex, who remained quiet. “You don’t want to hear this, do you?”
“I’m curious why you didn’t finish, but if the telling of the story is too much...”
She shrugged. “The story is years in the past. I should be able to talk about it by now, don’t you think?”
Alex slid sideways, propping himself on the mattress with one elbow. “Some people never get over things no matter how far in the past they are.”
“But I want to. I want to move on.” She felt a sudden resolve and sat up straighter, as if doing so would help the story emerge from her memories. “Dad had been home for a month, busy completing Mom’s list of chores. He was supposed to fly into Buffalo to meet the rest of the band at the beginning of March. Mom wasn’t preoccupied with what was growing in the fields yet, so he asked her to go along. They wanted to run up to Niagara Falls for a little side trip.” She paused, pursing her lips, remembering the phone call from Aunt Hope. “The plane went down. A late winter storm caused icing. I came home. Chance was devastated. I never went back.”
Alex scooted up next to her and pulled her into his arms. Sera squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears. Ten years. Her voice was a whisper. “Why cry after ten years?”
Alex didn’t say a word. He just patted her back and held her tight.
* * *
HE GOT THE idea when she fell asleep in his arms. Cy was determined to buy her farm which, obvious to anyone, was steadily going downhill. The young woman had set goals before, she could do so again.
He eased her onto the pillow and inched down to the bottom of the bed. Trying to work quietly in the next room, he studied the theater mall account and then made some phone calls. By late afternoon he heard her stirring. He was watching a second game when she appeared in the door. “You have some color in your face.”
“I feel much better.” She padded over to the living room window. In the distance the setting sun lit the underside of the storm clouds. She looked down. “What a pretty street. Where are we?”
“The Lower East Side.”
“I thought you would live on the Upper West.”
“I moved here for an internship and got to like the neighborhood. There’s a guy two doors down who makes the best homemade soups. Archie moved here from Greece. If you’re hungry, I’ll go get some.”
She settled on the opposite end of his couch and wrapped her arms around her bare legs. “Maybe in a little bit. I’m still a little groggy.”
“More tea?”
“No, thank you. You’ve been an excellent host.”
“You’re surprised, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little.” She looked around the apartment. “I should check to see if there’s a bus leaving anytime soon. I’ve outstayed my welcome, I’m sure.” She gave him a sideways look.
“No, you haven’t. I’m enjoying your company.” His reply seemed to throw her off balance. “You might as well stay and go back tomorrow as planned.”
“I suppose I could.” She was quiet for a minute. “Where do your parents stay when they visit?”
He smiled inwardly at her change of subject. “Dad doesn’t visit. When Mom comes up for a show and to shop, I give her the bed and I take the couch.”
“The good son.” She propped her chin on her knees. “You don’t talk about your dad much. You don’t get along?”
“He didn’t take kindly to my accepting a job here in the city.” At the sound of wild applause from the television, he returned his gaze to the screen.
“Do you think you’ll ever move back home?”
“I’ll never say never, but Dad’s found a new reason to criticize me. He’s not too happy with a decision our company made recently.”
“Which was?”
He watched a player round third base and wished the subject would go away. Like a bad penny, the topic kept turning up. “We used the eminent domain law to force an elderly couple to sell their home. They had no children and were forced to move into a nursing home. Well, turns out the nursing home in their area couldn’t accommodate the husband because he was diagnosed with dementia.” He looked up. “So they were separated.”
“Oh, boy. I don’t know your dad, but from what I’ve heard about him he wouldn’t stand for that outcome.”
Her response took him by surprise. She was absolutely right. His father would have insisted on a different outcome. Alex had just pushed the whole affair to the back of his mind. “The last time I was home, my father asked me if I was there to throw him and Mom out of the house.”
“Nice.” She kept her chin on her knees and stared into space. “Have you checked other facilities in their area?”
“Their property was in eastern Pennsylvania. I assumed somebody had.”
“Maybe not. Maybe there are facilities that could keep them together as a couple.”
“We’ve moved on from that job. It’s in the construction phase now.”
“It’s not your job, I know, but there’s nothing stopping you from doing a little research, is there? Going back to see them?”
Alex thought for a minute. “No, I suppose not.”
“You might feel better about the whole issue if you can offer a solution.” She stood and stretched. “Since I’m staying, why don’t I shower, and then we’ll check out that soup?”
Alex watched her walk back into the bedroom and shut the door. All this time he had been thinking she was the one who needed help. Her simple comment made him realize...he could accept a little advice, as well.
* * *
“ARE YOU SURE you’re up for this?” Alex inspected Sera’s face for signs of strain, but she looked happy to be outside in the morning sun. The rain of the day before had blown out to sea. Church bells rang in the dista
nce.
“I’m starved. Archie’s soup last night was great, but my belly is still empty.” She lifted her face to the sun and breathed deep. “Wow, what’s this heavenly aroma?”
Alex pointed to a storefront. The smell of fresh bread wafting along the quiet street was an everyday occurrence. Sera reminded him the aroma of baking was one of the great things about the small neighborhood. “Another reason not to move.”
“Is this your favorite bagel place?” Sera reached for his hand and they crossed the narrow street.
Minutes later they were sitting at the counter that stretched along the length of the front window. “Are you up for walking? I had an idea yesterday.”
“I’m fine. Believe me. The chili dog is long gone.” She smiled and spread cream cheese on a plain bagel. “What are you having?”
“A whole wheat everything with sun-dried-tomato cream cheese.” He took a bite and closed his eyes in ecstasy. When they finished they stood outside the shop, then he led her toward the center of town. “Tell me about your parents.”
“My dad, Jack, was the life of the party. It’s funny, now that I think about it, the farm came down through his family, yet he was rarely home. His grandfather won the farm after betting on a horse race.”
“You’re kidding. The whole farm?”
Sera nodded. “And Great-grandmother Moira told him if he gambled again, she was gone. The farm was his last chance.”
“Sounds like a tough woman.” He elbowed her in the side. “Like someone else I know.” The look she threw his way warmed his heart. Shy and proud at the same time.
“Aunt Hope was born the year after Murdoch and Moira moved to the farm. My grandfather didn’t come along for another ten years, like Chance and I. In fact, my brother was named after him.” She slanted a look his way. “That’s why the decision to sell has been so difficult. Aunt Hope has her mind set on Last Chance Farm receiving Century Farm designation.”
The smile had faded. Alex tried to think of a way to bring it back. “Tell me about your mom.”
“That’s just it. Last Chance Farm came down through the Callahan family, but my mom, Jill, was the one who stayed and managed the place. She was the stable influence in our family while my dad jumped around the country having fun. Why, his band even went to Ireland once.”
Deal of a Lifetime Page 10
