by Jeanne Tosti
“Humph,” was his only answer.
“I wouldn’t mind some company, though.” She was sincere about that. She didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts right now.
“Are you inviting me to stay?”
Sarah flushed, “I meant stay for a while this evening.”
“You know, I would be happy with the sofa if you change your mind. I’d be willing to observe whatever rules you want. I’m worried about you staying there alone.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think it is necessary.” Sarah then changed the subject and they continued downtown.
They parked in a parking garage adjacent to the building where the apartment was located. As they approached the front of the building a doorman immediately recognized Sarah and rushed out to assist with her bags.
“Hi, Stan,” Sarah said. “I’m going to be staying at the apartment for a while. This is Ben Taggert. It’s O.K. to send him up if he stops by. No one else, though, O.K.?”
“Sure, Mrs. Lawrence. Whatever you say,” Stan answered.
Ben pulled Stan aside out of Sarah’s hearing. She could see him telling Stan something and Stan nodding in agreement. Ben then returned to where she was standing and picked up the bags.
“What were you telling Stan?” She was a little annoyed that she had been left out of the conversation.
“Nothing much. I told him I could handle the bags and he didn’t need to see us upstairs.”
“You talked longer than that. What else did you say to him?” She knew there was more.
“I told him to look out for any strangers making inquiries about you, not to give out any information, and to let us know if anyone does ask about you.”
“I guess that’s probably wise.” Although she doubted it was necessary.
They took the elevator to the fourth floor and arrived at the apartment. Sarah unlocked the door and started to go in, but Ben stopped her and went in first. He did a quick look though all the rooms and then announced it was O.K. for her to enter.
Once a cop, always a cop, she thought.
He put the bags in the bedroom and then familiarized himself with the apartment. Key lock and deadbolt on the door along with a peep hole—good. Bedroom and living room windows locked, no fire escape access to the windows—good. He walked out into the hallway. There were three other apartment doors that had access to the hallway and a door to the stairwell. He checked the stairwell door and frowned. It could be opened from both the hallway and inside the stairwell. He would have preferred one-way access only from the hallway into the stairwell. He walked back to the apartment and walked in.
“You need to keep this door locked all the time. Someone could come up the elevator or stairs,” he said.
“The doorman is there. He would stop any strangers from coming in.”
“It only takes a moment of distraction for someone to slip by. Stan could be out at the curb assisting someone with packages or showing someone to their apartment. Anyone could walk in. Someone could be armed and then it wouldn’t matter if there was a doorman or not.”
“Alright, I surrender. I’ll keep the door locked.”
“Do you know the other tenants on the floor?”
“These are all corporate apartments on this floor and the next one up.” She could tell by the look on Ben’s face that he was waiting for more of an answer than that. “The building was looking for tenants a few years back and put together a very attractive package for corporations looking for a place to put up extended stay guests. They rolled the rental rate in with a furniture package and a cleaning service. It was a very economical alternative to standard hotel charges for long term stays.”
“So what you are saying is that you wouldn’t be able to tell if someone belonged on this floor or not, right?”
“Well, I guess that’s true. Sometimes the units are occupied and sometimes they are vacant for months. The corporate guests change all the time.”
Ben disliked this arrangement more and more. At least it was a place off her typical daily routine and it distanced her from Ruth’s family. He would keep trying to wear her down. Maybe she would relent and let him stay the night.
“My stomach has been growling for the last hour,” Ben said. “How do you feel about going to get something to eat?”
Sarah hadn’t noticed how late it was. “O.K., but I should give Ruth a call first. She will have a panic attack if I don’t.” She made the phone call and then was ready to leave.
They made their way to a small restaurant not far from the apartment and had a quiet dinner. Ben watched her as she ate. His eyes moved across the soft contours of her face and the sleek curves of her hair. He was starting to feel very comfortable with her, and it surprised him.
He hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time—he hadn’t had time. His writing career had become more lucrative than even he could have imagined, but it left him little time for anything else. He also had to admit that he might have been avoiding social opportunities because he had no desire to complicate his life with emotional entanglements.
Ever since he had met Sarah a conflict had been roiling inside him. He felt a surprising connection the night of the play, but pushed it aside knowing she was married. When Jordan disappeared, he felt compelled to step into the unfolding pandemonium of her life, and he didn’t know why. With the latest break-in at her townhouse, one part of him wanted to take control and spirit her out of town to somewhere safe until the police investigation ran its course and another inner voice told him that he had no right to intrude uninvited into her private life. Tonight the internal conflict was over. He wanted to be with her and wasn’t leaving. He would do everything he could to keep her safe.
They finished dinner and walked back toward the corporate apartment. Sarah stopped at a small convenience store sandwiched between two office buildings and bought a few groceries and some toiletries. They arrived at the apartment building and as they started to enter, Ben stopped and turned suddenly staring down the street. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a male figure slip around the corner.
“What’s wrong?” Sarah asked. She backed up and looked in the same direction, but could see nothing.
“I just caught a glimpse of someone going around the corner. I thought he may have been following us. I’m not sure. It might just have been just someone walking on the street.”
“There’s a lot of foot traffic around here. It was probably nothing.”
Sarah said hello to Stan who was still manning the reception desk in the building. She pushed the button for the elevator. She had to admit to herself that she was a little on edge with everything that had happened and was glad that Ben was at her side as she went up to the apartment.
Inside the elevator Ben said, “Let me have your key.”
“But you’re carrying all the bags. I can take care of the door.”
Ben didn’t say anything. He just gave her a stern look and held out his hand.
“You’re getting as bad as Ruth. She thinks she’s my mother sometimes.” She handed him the key with an exaggerated scowl on her face.
“You can believe me when I say I have no desire to be your mother.” He gave her a sly smile and then slipped the key into the door lock. His tone then became serious, “Let me just do a quick check to make sure everything is alright.”
He went in and quickly moved through the three room apartment. Nothing was disturbed. He motioned for her to come in and then quickly closed and locked the door behind her.
Sarah put away the few grocery items she had purchased and Ben made himself comfortable on the sofa. He noted with satisfaction it opened into an extra bed.
“Would you like some coffee? I have some packaged brownies we could have for dessert.”
“Sounds good to me, do you need any help?”
“No, I think I can manage this. The kitchen is too small for two people to move around in anyway.”
She brewed the coffee and arranged the brownies on a plate she
found in the cupboard. She assembled everything on a tray she found in another cupboard and carried it out to the living room. She set it on the coffee table and handed Ben a napkin.
“There, just like home,” she said.
“Not like my home,” he said in a sincere tone. “There’s no one there serving me fresh brewed coffee and treats. This is the next best thing to heaven.” He picked up his coffee in one hand and a chocolate brownie in the other. He took a big bite of the brownie and then gave her an expression of approval.
Sarah laughed, “I’ve bought them before so I knew they would pass muster.” She hadn’t laughed in a while. It felt good.
They spent the rest of the evening just talking. Sarah asked Ben about his time with the police force and about his writing career. She was surprised to hear that he had written several books in addition to all the freelance work he did for magazines. From the sound of it, he was quite successful. She told him about growing up in Chicago and her job in advertising, but she felt it was all pretty mundane compared to his story.
Sarah glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that they had been talking for several hours. It was getting late and she planned to go to work in the morning, despite Ruth’s pleading to take some time off.
“Maybe we should wind things up. It’s getting late and I have to get up for work in the morning,” she said.
“You can go to bed. I’ll be fine right here.” He patted the sofa with his hand.
“No. You are going to leave. I’ll be fine. I can’t get into too much trouble behind a locked door.”
“I think I should stay and I don’t think you should go to your office tomorrow. It’s too predictable.”
“Nonsense! I am going to work tomorrow and you are going back to Ruth’s house tonight. Now get yourself moving so I can get ready for bed.” She pointed to the door.
Ben stood up slowly and walked over to her. “I’m serious. This is not a good idea.”
“I’m not going to change my mind. We can get together tomorrow after work if you like. You have your apartment to get organized tomorrow and I have a ton of things to do at my office. I’ll call you when I’m done. We can go to dinner.”
With grave misgivings he accepted her decision. “Call me when you get up so I know you’re alright. I’ll come and take you to work.”
“No, I can walk to work from here. Sleep in and enjoy your morning.” She gently pushed him in the direction of the door.
Ben stopped and turned toward her. He looked down into her face and said softly. “You know, you should listen to me. I know what I am talking about.” Their eyes locked and then he leaned down and kissed her. He opened the door and started out, but then turned back and said, “And I will be back here in the morning to take you to work. Call me.”
Sarah watched as he made his way down the hallway to the elevator.
At the elevator Ben turned, “Go inside and lock the door. Don’t open it until you see me in the morning.”
Sarah slipped back inside the apartment and locked the door as Ben instructed. She sat down on the couch trying to sort out what had just happened. Her emotions were in turmoil. She was still trying to get her head around the fact that her relationship with Jordan had been nothing but a lie.
She liked Ben—maybe even more than that. But after everything she had been through in the last few weeks, she wasn’t sure how she felt about anything. It was too much to think about right now, but she was glad about one thing—he would be back in the morning.
She went into the bedroom and put on her night clothes. She was more tired than she had thought. She finished in the bathroom, turned off the lights, and climbed into bed. The silence and darkness enveloped her and drew her in as she drifted off to sleep.
Images floated through her dreams—her devastated townhouse, Brandon and Kate running through Ruth’s kitchen, Jordan’s face, a body lying on her living room floor, Ben’s kiss. She awoke and looked at the clock. It was 2:30 a.m.
In the quiet darkness she turned on her back and leaned against the pillow. She was thinking about that last image when she heard a faint clicking sound coming from the living room. She sat up with a start and her heart began to race. She eased herself out of bed in the darkness and moved slowly towards the living room. She could see a crack of light coming from under the apartment door from the hallway. She moved closer to the door and stood silently as she listened. The locked handle of the door moved slightly back and forth as if someone was trying to open it.
Her heart was in her throat. There was someone on the other side of the door. She was afraid to look through the peephole for fear the person on the other side would know she was there. In the dark she searched for the phone she remembered seeing on the end table. Her hands found it just as she heard a commotion in the hallway.
“Joe, stop! Down here! You’ve got the wrong door. Man, you need a guide dog when you’ve been drinking. Get over here!”
Sarah could hear several male voices laughing loudly. She looked through the peephole and saw a male figure back away from her door and stagger down the hallway a short distance to where two other men were standing. They all disappeared into an apartment close to the elevator.
Sarah backed away from the door and plopped onto the couch. A sense of relief flooded over her. She sat there for a couple of minutes and then made her way back to bed. She crawled under the covers and snuggled into her pillow. I guess now I can tell Ben I’ve met some of the neighbors, she thought.
Morning came all too soon. She got up, brushed her teeth and showered. As she started to dress she remembered she promised to call Ben. She found her phone and made the call. He answered on the first ring.
“I’m up and just getting dressed. Everything is fine.” she said.
He sounded relieved. “O.K., I’ll be there in a little bit.” Then the phone clicked off.
Sarah was surprised at the abrupt end to their call. She went back to the bedroom to finish dressing. Just as she started to run a brush through her hair there was a knock at the door. She walked to the door and looked through the peephole. It was Ben. He must have been waiting downstairs for her call. She opened the door and the smell of fresh coffee and bakery wafted through the air.
“Hi, I’ve come bearing gifts.” He held up a bag and walked in.
“How long have you been waiting downstairs?” She said with a scowl.
“Long enough to hear most of Stan’s life history and hash over all the local sports news. We were venturing dangerously close to politics. You saved me from that,” he said.
He carried the bag containing coffee and sweet rolls to the kitchen and set it on the small table. He then rummaged through the cupboards and drawers looking for plates and utensils.
“Here, I’ll take care of that.” She pushed him toward a seat at the small table and then quickly assembled napkins, plates, and silverware. She then slid into a chair across from him.
“So let’s see what kind of goodies you brought.” She opened the bag and peeked in. “You brought enough to feed an army,” she said in surprise.
“Yes, well—everything looked so good, I couldn’t decide. I just bought two of everything.”
There were at least a dozen sweet rolls and doughnuts in the bag. She carefully set them on a large plate and then they each selected a favorite from the pyramid of pastries.
“I thought I would take you to work and then go to my apartment to make sure that the furniture delivery goes smoothly. Then I’ll pick you up from work. We can go to dinner, and you can come over to see my new castle.”
“Sounds like you have my whole day planned for me,” she said as she licked chocolate icing from her fingers.
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I guess I am out of practice with this,” he said awkwardly. “Let me try this again. Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight? I’d like to show you my new apartment afterwards. That is, if you’re up for it.”
“And what about the, I’m goi
ng to take you and pick you up from work, thing?” she countered.
“Oh, that’s a given. You don’t get a choice about that,” he said as he took a big bite of a sugar doughnut.
“Really? Who says so?”
“I have orders from Ruth. If you have any complaints, you’ll have to take it up with her.”
Sarah gave up. She knew she would be on the losing side if Ruth was behind it. They finished their coffee and Sarah collected her purse and a sweater before they left for her work. The air conditioning in her office was often frigid and she wanted to be prepared.
The weather was sunny and the walk to her office from the apartment took only a few minutes. Ben entered the building with her making the excuse that he wanted to see where she worked so he could find it at the end of the day. They went up the elevator to the eleventh floor where her office was located.
The elevator opened and she stepped out. She turned to Ben and said, “I’ll see you after work. I should be done around 5 p.m.”
“Not so fast. I’m not leaving until I’m sure you’re behind a closed door.” He hopped out of the elevator and followed her down the hall to a large glass door with a sign arching across the top proclaiming the name Marston & Clark Advertising Agency.
Inside the door was a reception desk occupied by a young woman. “Good morning, Mrs. Lawrence,” she said with a cordial smile.
“Good morning, Annie. This is Ben Taggert. He’ll be returning at the end of the day. If he annoys you, you have my permission to make him wait outside in the hallway.”
“Oh, now that’s not fair,” Ben countered in defense. “I am the consummate gentleman, Annie. You have nothing to worry about.”
Annie seemed flustered by the good natured banter between the two and just continued to smile blankly. The phone on her desk rang and she grabbed it on the first ring, glad to escape into the comfort of a familiar task, “Good morning, Marston & Clark.”
Sarah said goodbye to Ben and he promised to be back by five o’clock. She went to her office and began sorting through the pile of work that had accumulated on her desk. She returned calls to clients, reviewed proposed advertising campaigns and put together several quotes for some radio and TV spot.
