Whitney in Charge

by Craver, Diane

  “You don’t have to move,” Regan said quickly. “What does this place look like?”

  Whitney opened a drawer and took out the paper Ben had given her. “Here’s their website link. I went to the site and it looks charming. Ben said they have a lot of nice trails.”

  Shannon read out loud, “Wild Blossom Lake House. I’ve heard of this place. The guidance counselor mentioned going there in February for some card tournament. I remember that the art teacher took a class there for an exhibit.”

  “Ben mentioned how they have an annual tournament,” Whitney said. “It’s definitely a plus with them having an established business. Do we really know anything about running a resort?”

  “We can learn,” Shannon remarked.

  The coffeepot finished, and Regan took her cup of coffee and sat down. “I hope they don’t want to sell until you get up the courage to go out with Ben. I can see you using the lake resort as an excuse that you’ll too busy to date him.”

  “What about Jack? Have you talked to him recently?” Shannon asked.

  “He called me before you two came over.” Whitney smiled. “Actually, I was getting ready to call him.”

  “Believe me, he’s hot,” Regan said. “Almost as hot as Casey. Jack better not lose any time asking you out with Ben around.”

  Whitney poured a cup of coffee and said over her shoulder, “I’ve already flirted with Ben.”

  “I’m glad you did,” Shannon said. “I think you should go out with Ben on Friday.”

  “I just feel like if I do, I’m betraying Rob.”

  “Remember what Mom told you that Rob would want you to go on with your life,” Shannon said. “You need to start somewhere. Having a business is good but having a man to date is even better.”

  “I do like Ben.” She grinned at Regan. “And maybe I can add some information about a first kiss to your research on types of kisses.”

  “Now, you’re talking, Whit,” Regan said.

  “I wonder where he’ll take you on Friday,” Shannon said.

  “I know one thing I won’t be doing with him on Friday,” Whitney said.

  “Oh my God, I should hope not,” Shannon said with raised eyebrows.

  “Our Whit doesn’t mean she’d go to bed with Ben.” Regan squinted her eyes at Whitney. “What are you talking about?”

  “Flying. Ben loves to fly in his spare time. I told him I hate flying, but he mentioned it again on the phone. He said we could fly to New York.”

  Regan laughed. “Jack doesn’t have a chance. An anesthesiologist and a pilot. I better not tell Casey yet about the flying part. Of course, he’ll say how Jack flies.”

  “What? I didn’t know Jack was a pilot,” Whitney said. Weird that she’d be thinking about dating two guys who liked to fly their own planes.

  “Casey mentioned that Jack was a pilot in the military before he became a paramedic.” Regan arched her eyebrows. “By the way, Shannon and I love to fly and we like spending money in New York.”

  “Maybe with Jack’s or Ben’s help, I can conquer my fear of flying.” Whitney decided to tease her sisters. “If I do, I’ll bring you both something back from New York.”

  Regan winked at her. “I see how it is. You don’t want to go skydiving because you’re afraid of heights, but for a chance to go with Ben in his private plane, you’ll go into the air.”

  Chapter Six

  When Regan mentioned leaving to go to the grocery store, and Shannon said she needed to get home to grade papers, Whitney told them she’d do some housecleaning. She’d teased Regan and said all her counter wiping had inspired her to clean.

  After Whitney dusted the nightstand in her bedroom, she sat on the edge of the bed, holding their wedding picture in her hand. Rob looked so handsome in his tux, but he’d complained about it. She smiled. His words ran through her mind.

  “I’ll wear this monkey suit for you.”

  He also said they could cut the cake together, but he wasn’t following the tradition of feeding each other a piece of cake. He said that was a stupid custom. She had no problem with his suggestion and had agreed. But he’d surprised her while cutting the cake when he’d whispered, “Let’s go ahead and feed each other the cake.”

  Rob had been such a non-conformist and sometimes it was irritating, but other times very endearing to her. She gazed at his happy face in the picture and wondered again what thoughts had been in his mind the day he died. Was it a good day before the bomb went off? She knew he was planning on a big broadcast for the evening news but was killed before he made it. Did he have any regrets about their life together during his final moments on earth?

  She was being silly. They’d had a good marriage. They looked so right and good together. She had fitted so well in his arms at night. She couldn’t imagine sleeping with another man. Okay, not just sleeping but making love. Maybe their lovemaking had been even better because they had to make up for lost time. Rob had been away too much as the network’s war correspondent.

  Although she put their picture back on the nightstand, she decided it was time to do something of importance. It had to be done so she could start to move on with her life without Rob in it. She stood and walked to her jewelry box. After removing the diamond ring, she put it on the dresser next to the box. Tears fell as she slowly removed her wedding band. She held it and read the inscription inside the band. Whitney, my heart belongs to you.

  “Rob, I have to take this off now. I know it’s crazy I’m talking as if you were in the room with me, but I need to voice it out loud. Who knows? Maybe my love for our past will filter through to you in the spirit world. I can’t live in the shadows any longer. If I take my rings off, I’m hoping I can finally move forward.”

  Whitney dropped the wedding band on the velvet-lined drawer. She picked up her engagement ring. What should she do about her diamond? After several minutes of staring at it, she decided to put it on her right hand as Shannon had suggested doing.

  Even though her bare wedding finger made her sad, a calmness came over her. She used her sleeve to wipe the tears away. Just as she closed the drawer, the phone rang. Figuring it was one of her sisters, she picked up and said, “You just left! What do you need now?”

  A deep, rumbling laugh carried through the phone. “It’s been at least four hours.”

  When Whitney heard Ben’s voice, she wanted to put the phone down and grab her ring. Maybe she should slide it back on her finger. After all, Ben probably had noticed she still wore her rings, and it might appear obvious to have a bare finger if they went out for a date. And that was a big if.

  “I thought you might like to take a drive with me and see the lake resort this evening. We could hike on one of the trails. I remember you said you liked to hike. Adam has karate this evening so we can drop him off on the way to the resort.”

  “My sisters might want to see it too.”

  “It’s not for sale yet so there’s plenty of time for them to see it.”

  Ben definitely wanted to be with her on a trail. The idea of being alone with him made her nerves tingle and her pulse jump. “Do you know how soon it’ll be on the market?”

  “I just talked to them and they’d like to have it sold by the end of the summer or early fall.”

  She did want to see it even though they should get started on their business earlier than late summer. It’d be nice to go with Ben since he knew the owners, and see now if the resort was worth waiting several months before they could purchase it. After convincing herself that this was about seeing the resort, not seeing Ben, she conceded. “I’ll go with you tonight. Thanks for thinking of it.”

  “Good. Adam’s class starts at six-thirty so I’ll pick you up at six. I better get off here and get back to work.”

  The phone rang again, a few minutes later. She learned her lesson last time, and checked the caller ID, and her heart skipped a beat. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath before picking up the line. “Hello, Jack.”

  “Hi, Whi
tney.”

  His voice was so rough and deep, it made her feel warm and she really did like the way he said her name. “Did you need something?”

  He cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking about it, Whitney, and I’d like to meet you in person today. I know it’s short notice, but would you like to go out to dinner tonight?”

  When it rained it poured. And Whitney realized that she was more disappointed at the thought of not seeing Jack than she expected. She wanted to meet him, even after just a few phone calls. But it’d be rude to cancel her date with Ben, even though he hadn’t called it a ‘date’. Whitney sighed. “I’m sorry. I have plans this evening with a friend to go hiking.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Asking you on such short notice was a bad idea on my part. I’m on call, anyway. I’d hate for something to happen tonight and I’d have to cut our evening short.”

  “I hope not. That must be scary when you receive a call.”

  “Every time we go out, we have no real idea what we’re dealing with until we get there. That’s the worst of it. Not being prepared or at least, I don’t feel prepared sometimes.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Casey talk like that,” Whitney said. “But I imagine he must.”

  “I do mean it, Whitney. I’d like to meet you. I didn’t at first, I’ll admit, because I’m not a fan of being set up.”

  “Join the club. I hate it too.”

  “I’ve enjoyed talking with you. I’d like to do it face-to-face. Over dinner or coffee or whatever. How about later in the week?”

  “I would like that, Jack,” she answered, knowing she meant it.

  They hung up, and Whitney tried to convince herself she could still have fun with Ben even though her mind would be on Jack that evening. She took a long soak in a bubble filled bath, determined to have fun.

  With a huge towel wrapped around her body, she stood in front of her closet. Finally, she decided on a new pair of jeans that fit her snugly, but not too tight for the hiking she looked forward to doing with Ben. She slipped on a Liz Claiborne light green top she’d bought recently. A few minutes before six, she decided to go on the front porch to wait for Ben and Adam.

  She picked up her purse and felt the buzz of her phone inside. Rummaging through until she found it, she managed to answer before it went to voicemail. It was Regan. She’d sent a text message to Regan about her date with Ben. “I’m still going. I didn’t cancel.”

  Regan laughed. “You know me too well. I’m glad you both like to hike. I bet you’ll have fun together.”

  “I hope Adam doesn’t mind his dad won’t be picking him up after karate. Ben called me again and said we wouldn’t have enough time to hike and get something to eat if he got Adam after his class. So his sister’s picking him up instead.”

  “Actually I know,” Regan said. “I called Ben and offered to drive Adam after I got your text. I wanted you to have enough time for your date. What did you decide to wear?”

  After she told her, Ben pulled into the driveway. “Regan, I have to go. Ben’s here.”

  “Find out if he’s a good kisser.”

  She hurried off the porch to walk to Ben’s car. “We’re just going hiking, no smooching allowed on the trails.”

  Regan laughed. “You’re kidding. He’s taking you on a trail to kiss you. I could tell right off the bat Ben was a romantic kind of guy.”

  She stopped by Ben’s car. “Bye, Sis.”

  “Wait. Don’t forget to take notes about the resort.”

  “Maybe we should come pick you up so you can just go too.”

  “No way. I’m not getting in the way of Ben’s romantic plans.”

  Whitney shook her head. “Talk to you later. We’re leaving now.”

  She dropped the phone into her bag as Ben came around her side and opened the door. “Hi, Ben.”

  He grinned. “I bet it was Regan. Am I right?”

  She nodded before climbing into the car. “How did you know it was Regan and not Shannon?”

  “You told me Shannon had a college meeting to attend tonight, and Regan had cupcakes to bake for a school carnival. I figured Regan decided she wanted to know more about the resort.”

  Looking up at him from the front seat, she said, “You’re a good listener.” She turned around to look at Adam. “Hi, Adam.”

  “Hi, Mrs. Benson.”

  “Please call me Whitney.” Another step in the direction she needed to take. In order to have any kind of a relationship with Ben or maybe someone else, she needed to get rid of the Missus part of her name. “I like your karate clothes.”

  Ben eased out of the driveway. “Karate’s great, isn’t it Adam?”

  Adam gave a vigorous nod. “It’s fun.”

  “The kids learn to pay better attention and to follow directions so that carries over to school,” Ben said. “They develop confidence and many other things are learned that’ll help them later in life.”

  “Maybe Regan should sign Lily up for karate. I’ll mention it to her.”

  They chatted comfortably until arriving at the small dojo in town where the class was held. Ben walked Adam to the building and went inside with him. After a few moments, he rejoined Whitney in the car.

  Before starting the vehicle, he turned slightly in his seat and stared at her. “You look very pretty. Your eyes are such a brilliant green.”

  She felt the heat creep into her cheeks. “Thank you. Wearing green makes my eyes more noticeable.”

  “I thought we could go for a hike first, and then get something to eat. But if you’re hungry, we can eat first.”

  She shook her head. “No, I’d like to hike first. I ate some fruit and cheese not too long ago.”

  * * *

  When Ben introduced Whitney to Susan and Gary Myers, she was surprised to see how young they looked. She’d guess forties by looking at them, but since she knew they wanted to retire, she figured they had to be well into their fifties. Not quite the usual retirement age, but if they made good money from Wild Blossom Lake Resort, then they probably could afford to retire young.

  Which meant good things for her and her sisters if they purchased the resort.

  Gary smiled at her, causing small lines at the corners of his friendly eyes. “I heard you’re in the market for a business,” he said as he sat down at the rustic, worn table in the main hall of the resort.

  She nodded. “My sisters and I want to either start our own business or buy something like this that’s already established.” While looking around at the high cedar beams, she noticed the lovely Native American wall hangings. Brightly colored rugs were in several places on the hardwood floors.

  “You came to the right place,” Susan said. “It’ll be hard to sell because it’s been wonderful living here. And we invested time in improvements, especially since we built the five cabins ourselves. The resort was the only thing here when we bought this place, but—”

  Gary interrupted and said, “The restaurant was here and the boat dock with paddle boats and canoes. We fell in love with the beautiful view.”

  “Oh yes, be sure to go on that trail. It’s a little hard to climb but so worth it.” Susan glanced at her husband, her eyes sparkling with affection. “We’re selling because we want to travel to Europe and so many other places before we get too old.”

  “We tried to get our son and daughter interested in the resort so we could keep it as a family business, but I guess we worked them too hard when they were teenagers.” Gary laughed. “Seriously, it was great for our family. We had some fun times together.”

  “It’s a beautiful place. I’m definitely interested but the only problem is my sisters don’t want to run it during the winter months. I’m not sure if I want to do it myself.”

  “We never took any reservations for the month of January and half of February, so maybe you could close two to three months,” Gary said. “Just to warn you the card tournament is a big draw in late February.”

  Susan gave Gary a nudge. �
�What about the art show in March?” She grinned at them. “You can tell Gary thinks the card playing is a bigger attraction than all the creative people we have coming here to see art. We have several talented local artists, and I showcase their work in the main lobby.”

  “My sister Shannon mentioned both the tournament and art show when I gave her your website.” How embarrassing though she’d never heard of their resort when they’d obviously done a fantastic job of having all kinds of events year round. “I’m surprised I never heard of your resort until Ben told me about it. How long have you had it?”

  “Ten years,” Gary said.

  “Oh, I see why I didn’t know about it. Ten years ago I was in college in New York. I’ve only recently come back to this area.”

  Ben grabbed her hand, as he stood from the table, drawing Whitney with him. “I think we better get started on our hike.”

  Whitney said, “Okay, but it’s going to be hard to leave here. I small bread baking.”

  “I love baking, especially bread. After your hike be sure to come back to eat,” Susan said.

  Gary mentioned, “Susan bakes whole wheat and white bread.”

  “Mmmmmm, I can’t wait,” Whitney said with a grin.

  They said good-bye, giving quick waves as they started toward the trail signs. Susan called after them, “Be careful.”

  Ben turned and gave a broad smile at Susan. “Hey, we’re experienced hikers.”

  At first they could walk side by side but as it narrowed, Ben took the lead. They stopped frequently to look at the wildflowers scattered in the woods and along the trail. When they saw a small waterfall, Whitney leaned against a rock staring at it. “The waterfall’s beautiful. I love hearing the sound of water falling against the rocks. Of course, this isn’t anything like Niagara Falls, but it reminds me how much I loved going there with my parents and sisters when I was little.”

  Ben stepped next to her and pulled her into his arms. “I wanted to kiss you when you brought the casserole over for us. And I’m feeling the same way again.”

  She grinned. “You’ll lucky. Whenever water’s near, I feel like kissing someone.”