Renting to Own

by Linda Rettstatt

  *

  “Chels, I’m going to call Auntie Helen. Do you want to talk to her?”

  “Yeah. I can tell her I baked cookies today.”

  Lily dialed the number and handed the phone to her daughter.

  “Hi, Auntie Helen.” The child listened and grinned. “It’s me. Chelsea.” She giggled. “Chelsea Champion. You know.” She paused. “I’m okay. Me and Mommy planted a garden. And, guess what, today I baked cookies with Mrs. Glenn.”

  Chelsea smiled, listening to whatever Helen was saying. “Okay, here’s Mommy. Love you, too.” She handed the phone to Lily.

  “Hi, Helen.”

  “Hi. Who’s Mrs. Glenn?”

  “Our elderly neighbor next door. She kept Chelsea while I went for the interview.”

  “How’d it go?”

  “I got the job. I start tomorrow. The pay’s good, but no health benefits. He’s willing to help with the cost of health insurance, though.”

  “I’m so glad it worked out. What about daycare for Chelsea?”

  “That’s another issue. I doubt Mrs. Summers will let me enroll her there again. I can take her with me tomorrow, but…”

  “Lily, I have an idea. School doesn’t start again until September, so I’m free until August twenty-fifth. Chelsea could come and stay with me.”

  “Oh, Helen. Thanks, but…” She and Chelsea had never been apart.

  “For two weeks, then I’ll bring her home and spend the rest of the summer there with you. I’d come now and stay, but I have a few appointments already scheduled.”

  “Really? You’d do that?”

  “Actually, I’d like to get out of the city, and I enjoy being with Chelsea. I can be there Friday evening to pick her up. Do you think you can work something out for a few days?”

  “I’m sure of it. Rick’s desperate for my help. He’s already suggested I bring her in with me, as long as she doesn’t interfere with business. But I’ll bring her to you on Saturday after work. I can spend the night.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

  “Helen, thank you. You have no idea what this means.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. See you soon.”

  Lily hung up the phone and blinked back tears. Where would her life have gone if not for Helen?

  An unplanned pregnancy during her senior year in high school had landed Lily without a home or family support. When Lily told her boyfriend Tyler Dixon about the baby, he said he would take care of it. Lily thought he meant marriage. Her stomach roiled, recalling the day he picked her up and, instead of heading for his house to tell his parents, drove her to a clinic. Her hands had been cold and clammy while Tyler led her to the desk and registered her for an abortion. After running to the restroom to throw up, she walked back through the waiting area and straight out the door.

  Tyler’s voice still rang in her ears, asking how he could know “it” was even his. He’d been the first and the only boy with whom she’d had sex. He knew.

  Helen Shaw, who taught senior English at Lakeshore High, asked her to stay after school the next day and questioned if she was okay. Lily’s resolve broke, and she sobbed out the truth, including the fact her father told her she couldn’t stay in his house after graduation because she’d disgraced him. This from a man who stumbled in, falling-down drunk, most every night following her mother’s death. Lily moved into Helen’s home a week later. Her father didn’t stop her.

  One look at Chelsea left little doubt as to her parentage—Tyler’s platinum blond hair sprung in a riot of curls around her daughter’s head. His startling blue eyes occupied an oval face that bore Lily’s straight nose, narrow chin and full lips.

  “Chels, guess what? Auntie Helen’s invited you to come and spend two weeks with her. When she brings you back, she’ll stay with us until school starts.”

  “Yaaaay! Maybe she can take me to the swimmin’ pool. And we can have picnics and play in my sandbox.”

  Lily laughed at her daughter’s delight. “Maybe she will. But, for the next few days, you’ll have to go to work with me. You can take a few of your videos. Mr. Gardner has a TV in the office that you can watch them on. But you’ll have to be quiet and not disturb customers.”

  “Mommy, can I take Pepper to work, too?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Pepper will have to stay home. You can take one of your dolls and some books and crayons, though.”

  “But Pepper’s gonna be lonely without me.”

  Lily observed the cat’s forlorn look as he struggled to free himself from Chelsea’s embrace. Pepper’s going to thank me for this. “I’m going upstairs to change clothes, and then I have to water the garden.”

  In her room, Lily fell back onto the bed, a smile creasing her face. She drew in a few deep breaths and exhaled. Okay, we’ve dodged another bullet. For now.

  Chapter Four

  “Come on, Chels. We have to leave. I can’t be late on my first day.” Lily grabbed their lunches from the fridge and picked up Chelsea’s backpack.

  “I have to say goodbye to Pepper, but I can’t find him.”

  Lily smiled. He’s probably hiding to avoid a farewell hug. “Just shout goodbye. I’m sure he’ll hear you.”

  Chelsea put an open hand to each side of her mouth and yelled, “Goodbye, Pepper. Be good.”

  “Do you have Grilla?”

  “No. Wait.” She ran up the stairs and down again, the ragged-looking monkey tucked under her arm.

  Morning traffic in a small town is only a problem when you reach the one main intersection that’s controlled by a four-way stop sign instead of a traffic light. Lily drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited her turn to cross. She found the small parking lot behind Gardner Realty where Rick had told her she could park.

  The back door didn’t budge, and there was no other car in the lot. “Let’s go around front and see if Rick’s here yet.” Lily grasped Chelsea’s hand.

  “Who’s Rick?”

  “He’s my new boss. But you should call him Mr. Gardner. I’ll introduce you.”

  The front door was locked as well. Lily put her face to the glass, shielded it with her hand, and peered inside. No lights. No movement.

  “Looking for me?”

  She jumped at the baritone voice behind her. “You scared me.”

  “Get used to it. I like to sneak up on people.” His grin told her he was teasing. He looked down, then squatted on his haunches in front of Chelsea and asked, “And who are you?”

  “I’m Chelsea Champion. And this is Grilla.” She squinted at him. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Rick.”

  Lily intervened. “This is Mr. Gardner.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you Chelsea. And you, too, Grilla.” He looked up at Lily. “Do you mind if she calls me Rick? I prefer it.”

  She worked at teaching Chelsea to respect her elders. This was going to undo one of her lessons. “If it’s what you prefer.”

  “Good.” He stood and removed keys from his pocket. “Let me open up. I’ll get you started and give you a set of keys so this won’t happen again. Can’t have you standing on the street waiting for me every morning. You may get offers you don’t anticipate.”

  “Mommy, that’s the nickel man.”

  “Excuse me?” Lily responded.

  “At the store, he gave you a nickel for the milk.” Chelsea grinned up at Rick.

  “That was you?” Rick asked. “I wondered why you looked familiar.”

  “Yes. Thank you, again. I don’t usually accept donations from strangers, but…”

  “It’s rough when you have checks or a credit card, and they don’t accept either. Been there myself.”

  His sensitivity at downplaying an otherwise embarrassing situation scored points with her. Handsome, kind, generous, nice to kids—Lily noted the attributes in her mental file on Rick.

  Rick unlocked the door and flipped on the lights. He motioned to the reception desk. “There�
�s your workspace. Make yourselves at home. I’ll take care of coffee, just for today.” He turned to Lily. “How do you like it?”

  “It’s fine. It’s a nice desk.”

  He cocked his head and stared at her. “I meant your coffee. You didn’t think I was going to make it, did you? There’s a Starbucks a few doors down.”

  Lily felt her face warm. “Oh. I’ll have a decaf non-fat latte.”

  “And how about you and Grilla?” he asked, smiling at Chelsea.

  “I don’t drink coffee. Mommy says it will stunt my growth. And Grilla’s a monkey. He doesn’t drink coffee, either.”

  Rick laughed. “I can’t wait to hear more of what your mommy says. How about juice?”

  “Okay.”

  Lily gave her a warning look. “What else do you say?”

  “Thank you. Can I watch a movie now?” she asked, looking back at her mother.

  “You two get comfortable. I’ll be right back.” Rick strode out the door and turned right, disappearing from view.

  Lily walked to the TV, turned it on and popped one of the movies into the DVD player. “Chels, here you go. Bring your pack over here and watch TV.” Lily sat behind the desk, opening drawers to inspect their contents. The last receptionist was obviously not a neat freak.

  “Rick’s nice.”

  “Hmmm? Yes, he seems to be a nice man.”

  “Can he come to our house for dinner sometime?”

  “I don’t think so, honey. He’s my boss. We’ll just see each other here at work.”

  “How come?”

  “Because that’s the way it should be between a boss and an employee.”

  Lily began to pull stacks of papers from the desk drawers. The phone rang and she froze.

  “Mommy, the phone’s ringing,” Chelsea called out.

  “I know.” Lily picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Gardner Realty?” the man asked.

  “Oh, yes. Gardner Realty.”

  “Is Gardner in?”

  “No. Rick just went out… I mean, Mr. Gardner’s not available. May I take a message?”

  A deep chuckle rumbled through the phone. “Another new assistant, huh? Just tell him Dave called about the Grayson Building. Tell him the per-square-foot cost has gone up, and we need to negotiate.”

  “Just a minute. I have to find a pen.”

  “Just tell him to call Dave Anderson.”

  She still had the receiver to her ear, listening to the dial tone, when Rick returned. When she hung up, he asked, “Who was that?”

  “Oh, Dave Anderson says you should call him. Something about square feet and needing to negotiate.”

  Rick grinned. “I hope he caught you off guard and that’s not your typical style of taking messages.” He set a large cup of coffee on the desk. “I’m teasing. Sometimes I don’t know when to hold my tongue.”

  “It’s okay.” Her face warmed—again. “I wasn’t quite ready, and I couldn’t find a pen. I did find stacks of papers in every drawer, however.”

  Rick delivered a small bottle of apple juice to Chelsea and returned to Lily’s desk. “That would be the underdeveloped filing system of my last assistant. She had her good points, but none of them had anything to do with office management. Consequently, you’re now in her chair.” He went into his office and then stuck his head back through the open door. “You’re not looking for a husband, are you?”

  Lily choked on her coffee. “Excuse me?”

  “Hillary, your predecessor, was more interested in snagging a husband than in filing. It was a close one, but I escaped. I’m just checking.”

  “I can promise you the only thing I’m looking for is a decent paycheck. Rest assured. And from the looks of things, I’ll have plenty to keep me occupied.”

  “Good. I have calls to make. There are supplies in that room.” He pointed to a walk-in closet across from her desk. “There’s a refrigerator in there, too, if you brought lunch. Help yourself to whatever you find, but you may want to check the expiration dates first. Oh and, Lily, I’m pretty sure there are pens in there—just in case we get another phone call.” He winked before closing the door behind him.

  She smiled. Rick seemed easygoing, and he was nice with Chelsea. Lily began to feel at ease. This was going to work out fine, as soon as she found her footing.

  The morning passed quickly. In between answering calls, she sorted through papers from her desk and the stacks Rick had lined up on the counter. Chelsea finished watching a movie and played quietly with her doll. The door opened and a middle-aged couple approached the desk.

  “May I help you?” Lily asked.

  “I’m Susan Wyland, and this is my husband Stephen. We’re looking to relocate, and we’d like to see about houses available for sale. We need something fast.”

  “We also need something reasonable,” Stephen added.

  “One moment. I’ll see if Mr. Gardner is available to speak with you.” She tapped on Rick’s door and went inside. “There’s a couple out here, Mr. and Mrs. Wyland, who want to see about buying a house.”

  “Great. I’ll be right with them.”

  Rick emerged from his office a moment later, smiling. “Mr. and Mrs. Wyland. Thank you for choosing Gardner Realty. Please, come in.” He ushered the couple past Lily’s desk and into his office, closing the door.

  The intercom buzzed for the first time, and Lily jumped in her seat. She stared at the phone. It was a much less sophisticated phone system than the law offices had. No button indicated the intercom.

  A moment later, Rick’s door opened and he leaned out. “Lily, would you please print out the current listing of three-bedroom homes available for sale in Leesport?”

  “Uh-huh.” She stared at him.

  He pointed and whispered, “It’s in your computer under homes for sale.”

  “Oh. Sure. I’ll get it right away.” It would have helped if I’d been told that first. She resolved to explore the computer files next.

  “Thank you.”

  Lily found the file and printed out the list. She knocked on Rick’s door, entered and carried the list to him. “Will you need anything else, Mr. Gardner?”

  He lifted one eyebrow and smirked. “No, thank you, Ms. Champion.”

  She returned to her desk to find a woman standing at the counter. “May I help you?”

  The woman tapped long fire engine red nails on the countertop. She wore a tight-fitting dress that emphasized her more than ample chest. “Is Rick busy?”

  “He’s with a client right now. Would you care to have a seat?”

  The woman looked her over from head to toe. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Lily, Mr. Gardner’s new office manager.”

  “I see. Well, remind Mr. Gardner I’m meeting him at Malone’s for lunch and not to be late.”

  “Excuse me. Your name?”

  “Mariah.” The woman swiveled on her three-inch heels, hips swinging as she sashayed out the door.

  “Mariah,” Lily said aloud as she wrote the name on a pink message pad. “Sounds like a stripper.”

  “What’s a stripper?” the small voice asked.

  Lily jerked her head up to see Chelsea, raised on her toes and hanging by her fingertips from the counter.

  “Nothing. Pretend you didn’t hear that. What do you need, honey?”

  “I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “It’s right over here.” She took her to the bathroom, turned on the light and closed the door.

  Rick exited his office with the couple. “I’m taking the Wylands to look at a few properties. Here’s my cell number if you need to reach me. Let’s plan to sit down and go over some operational things at three o’clock.” He jotted the phone number on a note pad and waved as he left the office.

  At noon, Lily pulled the lunches she’d packed from the refrigerator. “Hey, pumpkin, want to have a picnic for lunch? We can walk over to the park.”

  Chelsea didn’t reply, but slowly rose to her feet. />
  “You don’t seem very excited about the idea. What’s wrong?”

  “I’m bored. And I miss Pepper.”

  “Just one more day, Chels. Can you hang in for one more day?”

  “I guess.”

  A breeze carrying the scent of lilacs cooled her skin against the bright sun as she clutched Chelsea’s hand and crossed to the park.

  “Can we eat by the pond?” Chelsea asked.

  “How about if we eat at a bench in the shade, then you can feed the fish a piece of bread at the pond?”

  “Okay.”

  Lily smiled at her daughter. She was truly blessed to have such an agreeable child. Sure, Chelsea had her uncooperative moments, but they were few and disagreements easily settled.

  After feeding the fish bread from Lily’s sandwich, Chelsea asked, “Who was that lady that came in all dressed up?”

  Omigod, I forgot to give Rick the message. “I don’t know, honey. But we have to get back to the office right away.”

  Lily unlocked the door and checked the phone messages. Mariah’s voice crackled, “Rick, where are you? I look like an idiot sitting here by myself having lunch at Malone’s. You’re late, and you’re not answering your cell.”

  The second message indicated her heightened anger. “Rick! I swear if you think this is funny, you’re dead wrong. I suppose you’re planning to snuggle up to that new secretary I met this morning. I expect a call, with a good explanation.”

  “That lady sounds mean.” Chelsea stood next to Lily’s desk.

  “It’s okay, honey. She’s not mad at you or me.” Not yet, anyway.

  Lily tried Rick’s cell phone, but got his voicemail. “Um, you had a message about lunch with Mariah. I forgot to give it to you before you left. I’m so sorry. I think she’s really pis…um, angry. Oh, this is Lily.”

  What is wrong with me? I’m better than this. I’m professional, efficient, organized…usually.

  Rick breezed back into the office at two-thirty. “Hi. Any calls?”

  Lily face burned. “I guess you didn’t check your cell phone, huh?”

  He removed the phone from his pocket and glanced at it. “Oh. Sorry. What’d you need?”

  “I need to apologize. I think I really screwed something up for you.”