Serendipity

by Fern Michaels

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Jory rubbed at her aching shoulders. She’d been sitting here at her father’s desk working on her column since dawn. It was now twelve-thirty. The calendar her eyes kept straying to said it was December sixth. A little over two weeks since the legal letter written by Brian Kelly went out to Justine Landers. Four of those days had been added to Justine’s deadline because of the long Thanksgiving weekend. A little over two weeks since she’d spent the afternoon with Woo.

  Her Thanksgiving dinner had never materialized. Instead she’d made a pot of spaghetti, large enough to last a whole week. At the last minute she’d made a pumpkin pie to ease her conscience. Coward that she was, she’d written a note saying she was too busy to prepare a big dinner and stuffed it in Woo’s mailbox.

  Jory looked around the dark-paneled office. She was spending entirely too much time in this room. What kind of life was this? All she did was work, eat, sleep, and go to the market three times a week. The only fresh air she got was when she walked the dogs or went food shopping. She was bored and angry at the same time. She hated what she was doing, hated the way she was forced to wait for Brian Kelly to call her, hated Woo’s silence, hated the circumstances she’d created for herself.

  In a few more weeks it would be Christmas, and then New Year’s. A year since the accident.

  What was it she wanted from life? Better yet, what was it she expected? Happiness and contentment? But then everyone had a right to expect happiness and contentment. One either worked at it or fell into the trap she now found herself in.

  Jory yanked at the paper in the typewriter. She scanned the jumble of words and then crunched it into a ball. “Enough!” she shouted. “I quit!”

  She was a whirling dervish then as she gathered up her files and the letters she’d been working on. The sack of mail next to the desk made her clench her teeth. It took her an hour to sort and carry her boxes of files to the front door. She dragged two mail sacks and set them alongside the boxes. Another hour was used up changing her clothes, applying makeup, and fixing her hair. At three-thirty she was in the Democrat’s office surrendering her files and the two mailbags. “This is consuming my life and I can’t do it anymore. You don’t pay me enough money. I appreciate your kindness to me in the past, but I need to do other things. My columns are three months ahead, which will give you ample time to find a replacement. Mail me my check!”

  Outside, it was snowing lightly. It looked wonderful and it felt wonderful. Her shoulders felt pounds lighter. She felt like singing.

  The streets were busy with Christmas shoppers carrying colorful bags and beribboned boxes. Maybe she should do some shopping, she thought, and immediately changed her mind. She’d come to town to do other things, and she wasn’t going home until those things were taken care of. She stopped long enough to get her bearings as she tried to decide if she should walk or go back for the car and drive to Brian Kelly’s office. She opted to walk when she realized she was only a block and a half away.

  “You timed your visit perfectly,” the young attorney told her. “I just got back from court. Please, sit down. Can I get you coffee or a soft drink?”

  “No, thanks. Have you heard from Mrs. Landers or her attorney?” Jory asked.

  “Not a word. I called the sheriff two days ago, but he was out sick with bronchitis. His aide said he would be back in the office today and would take care of things. I would imagine by now the building has new locks on all the doors and Mrs. Landers is . . . someplace other than the building. Let me give the sheriff a call.”

  He seemed nice, the kind of young man Woo would call a friend. He was tall and thin, with round horn-rimmed glasses he kept pushing up on his nose. He looked so ordinary she couldn’t help but wonder how he did in court. Maybe he was a scrapper, or maybe he was just a fine attorney. His offices were neither plush nor shabby. Comfortable and easy on the eyes. She particularly liked the tropical fish tank against one wall. She’d read somewhere once that watching fish was supposed to be relaxing. They were certainly colorful. She jerked her eyes back to the attorney when he hung up the phone.

  “I’m sorry, but it wasn’t done today. The sheriff did try, but Mrs. Landers wasn’t in the office and her staff said they didn’t know where she was. He’s going back at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. If you wish to go along, he says you’re welcome. He’ll meet you in the front lobby. If your next question is, is she avoiding him, the sheriff said he didn’t announce himself and her car wasn’t in the parking lot. We have a court order.”

  “I’ll be there,” Jory said firmly. “How much do I owe you?”

  Brian waved away her words. “Nothing. I did it for Woo. He’d do the same for me. I’m sorry it’s running into overtime, but that’s the way it works out sometimes. How is Woo?”

  “He’s making progress. The therapist comes out every day and works with him. It will take a while, but I think he’s making good progress.”

  “Ross did all right by him. I heard about his handsome settlement. He really held out and brought the company to its knees, and deservedly so. I’m particularly glad about the van with the hand controls. That should buoy old Woo. Tell him I asked about him.”

  “I’ll do that, and thanks again.”

  “It was my pleasure. I hesitate to ask this, but does Ross know about the . . . eviction?”

  “I didn’t tell him. I don’t know if Woo did or not. As a matter of fact I’m driving over to Ross’s office when I leave here. I planned on telling him, because I thought . . . I expected the eviction to . . . what’s the right word here?”

  “To have taken place?”

  “Yes. Well, if I want to make it before Ross leaves, I better go now. Would it be too much of an imposition for me to ask you to call him and tell him I’m on my way and to wait for me?”

  “Not at all. If anything goes awry tomorrow, Miss Ryan, call me. I’ll be in the office all day. Give my regards to Woo.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  The snow flurries had ended while she was in Kelly’s office, with no accumulation. If the snow had started to stick, Jory knew she would have headed for home immediately.

  On the ride to Ross’s office, all she thought about was Woo and the last two weeks. She’d been so certain during the first few days that he would call her or come over to the house, but he hadn’t. More than once her hand had been on the phone to call him, but she didn’t know what to say to the big man. Now, two weeks later, she still didn’t know what to say.

  When exactly had her feeling for Woo changed from friendship to something more? Before the accident? After the accident? Before Christmas, before Ross’s visit that night when they put up the tree?

  Did she love Pete Woojalesky? Woo. In her thoughts he was Woo, always Woo, but when she spoke his name or called him, it was Pete. She thought it strange, but she’d never dwelled on the matter. Pete was Pete. Maybe it had something to do with Ross, since it was Ross who’d nicknamed him Woo in college and the name had stuck. When he’d introduced himself to her that first time, eons ago, he’d said his name was Pete Woojalesky.

  Did Pete have feelings for her? It seemed like he did that night; that afternoon, she corrected herself. She remembered the way he stood in the doorway, the miserable look on his face. She hadn’t helped matters at all. He didn’t want to be a part of her problem. That was all fine and well, but she’d been willing to overlook his handicap, had overlooked it, simply because it wasn’t important to her. Didn’t that come under the heading of problems? Evidently it didn’t, at least in Woo’s eyes.

  Damn, she hated it when she got to this part of the memory. She was doing the same thing she’d done with Ross, taking all the blame. God, didn’t she learn anything during those long years? What were the rules? Why did they need rules anyway? They’d done something that was natural and spontaneous. Who thought about rules at a time like that? It had been so wonderful, those hours she spent in his arms, and then it soured so quickly, she was at a loss to ex
plain it.

  “The hell with it,” she muttered.

  She drove slowly, her eyes searching for Ross’s office number and a parking space at the same time. She spotted the storefront office and then a parking space two blocks away. She walked back, her hands jammed into her pockets, her collar pulled up around her neck. She hated the cold, more so since her accident. Every bone in her body seemed to ache when it got cold or it rained.

  The warm air of the office seemed to slam against her. Her breath exploded in a loud whoosh.

  The receptionist, a middle-aged woman with gray curly hair and round circles of rouge on her cheeks, looked up. Purple barrettes held back the curls, and her earrings, the size of pennies, were purple too. Her smile was warm and friendly. Two purple plastic bracelets clicked against each other when she motioned for Jory to take a seat. “Are you Miss Ryan?” Jory nodded. “Mr. Landers will be with you momentarily.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, the phone at her elbow buzzed.

  “She’s here now, sir.” To Jory she said, “You can go in now, the first door on the right.”

  Each time she saw him, he seemed to grow more handsome. His tie was jerked loose, his shirtsleeves rolled to his elbow. Ross reached for his jacket, a tired smile on his face.

  “Jory, it’s wonderful to see you. I can’t imagine what you’re doing here, so I have to assume you came just to see me. Can we have dinner? How’s Woo?”

  “No dinner, Woo is coming along, and yes, I came here on a . . . personal . . . business matter. Is Jasper here?”

  “He was a few minutes ago. I’m not sure if he left or not. I can find out in a minute.” Jory heard him ask the receptionist to tell his father he needed to see him.

  Jasper, his sleeves rolled up, his tie askew too, walked into the office a few minutes later.

  Jory waved aside the amenities. She took a deep breath. “Please, both of you sit down. I’ve come here to tell you something. I don’t know if you’ll be upset or not, but you, Jasper, placed me in this position, and now I’ve been forced to act on your generosity. And you, Ross, gave me the go-ahead. For the past year I’ve been writing notes to Justine asking her to pay rent. She didn’t see fit to answer any of my notes, nor has she paid me. Brian Kelly, an attorney in town, sent her a certified letter on my behalf telling her if she didn’t pay rent she would be evicted. The sheriff was supposed to act on it days ago, but he was sick with bronchitis. He went there today to do it, but Justine wasn’t available. He’ll go back tomorrow morning. Now you know,” Jory said tightly.

  Both men gaped at her, their eyes wide, their mouths open.

  “What I want to know, Jasper, is this: Did you give me that building as a way to get back at Justine for something she did to you?”

  “My dear, Justine had nothing to do with my gift to you, other than the fact she was a paying tenant. I wanted you to have some measure of security. She still hasn’t paid you anything?”

  “No, Jasper. If I go ahead with the eviction, will it harm you in any way?”

  “Absolutely not. We’re legally separated,” Jasper said. “I hope this doesn’t offend you, Jory, but I didn’t think you had the guts to do something like this.”

  “I didn’t think I did either, but I did it. Ross, what do you have to say?”

  He grinned. “Well done, Jory. I might just go into town to watch the proceedings myself. What time?”

  “Nine o’clock. Am I doing the right thing? Justine is your mother, Ross, and she’s still your wife, Jasper, even though you’re separated. I feel terrible,” Jory mumbled.

  “You’re taking charge of your property. Think of Justine as you would any other tenant. Would you let anyone else get away with nonpayment of rent if they were raking in over a million dollars a year?” Jasper said quietly.

  “Well, no, but . . . I feel like . . . it doesn’t seem right.”

  “Justine believes she’s a law unto herself. It doesn’t work that way. She chose to ignore your requests for payment, and she’s ignored the letter from the attorney you hired. Now she’s going to have to deal with the result of those decisions. My advice is to follow through.”

  “And that’s good advice,” Ross said, seconding his father. “Why can’t you have dinner with me?”

  “I have to get home, Ross. I’ve been in town since three o’clock. I don’t like leaving the dogs too long. I quit my job this afternoon,” she said.

  “We should talk about that. We never did have that dinner you agreed to, the one where we were going to celebrate our divorce. Woo is ambulatory now, can’t he let the dogs out?”

  “Not really,” Jory said, a catch in her voice. “If they run off, he can’t go after them. Four leashes are something even I have trouble with.”

  “The most they’ll do is make a mess by the back door,” said Ross. “Their dinner’s been late before. I’m sure you left a bowl of dry food for them. I think you’ve just run out of excuses. Now that I’m looking at you a little closer, I’d say you look like you need a drink and a nice dinner. There’s a very good restaurant not far from here. As a matter of fact it’s so close we can walk. You haven’t taken your coat off, so you’re ready to go. I’m ready,” Ross said, reaching for his topcoat. “So, let’s go.”

  “Go along, children, I’ll close up. I’m almost finished, but today is the day I water the plants, so I stay later. Don’t worry about tomorrow, Jory. You do what you have to do and go on from there. Neither Ross nor I will blame you for anything.”

  “All right. You talked me into it, but we can’t dawdle. One drink, dinner, and then I have to be on my way.”

  Out on the street, Ross linked her arm with his. “This is great, just great,” he said. “You know, we have things to celebrate. It’s almost a year since the accident. Look at you, you’re here and in good health. Reason enough to celebrate.”

  Jory gasped as a cold gust of wind buffeted her backward. “It was snowing earlier and I panicked. I mean I really panicked. By the time I left the Democrat, it stopped. I think my heart did too. I am mortally afraid of the snow these days,” she confided.

  “Don’t dwell on the past, Jory, it doesn’t do any good. I’m the living proof. It took me a while to learn that, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have the relationship I now have with my father. We went fishing this fall. Can you believe that? We all learn from our mistakes,” Ross said.

  “I suppose you’re right, I try not to look back. How much farther, Ross?” Jory asked.

  “A few more steps.” Half a block later he said, “We’re here,” relinquishing her arm to open the door.

  It was a charming little restaurant with checkered tablecloths and wine bottles on the tables. Jory sniffed, her nostrils flaring at the rich scent of garlic and cheese.

  Ross grinned. “Garlic will ooze out of your pores for three days, but the food is worth it. Everything on the menu is great, but the ziti is superb. They wrap the leftovers if you want them. Meatballs on the side. The wine has the kick of a mule. Be warned. You look great, Jory.”

  Flustered, Jory thanked him for the compliment. “So do you. I guess family law agrees with you.”

  “You wouldn’t believe the satisfaction I get out of it. I can’t wait for the first of the year when Woo comes into work. We have quite a client list. We aren’t exactly making the rent, but we’re close. By this time next year I think we’ll be in the black, and if we aren’t, who cares?”

  “It’s fortunate you have outside income. Do you take a salary?”

  “Nah. I’m just banking the checks. Half the time we don’t get paid in money. We’ve accumulated quite a roster of clients, though. I get free car maintenance for the next five years, and anytime I need carpentry work done, it’s mine for the asking.”

  Jory laughed. “I can picture Woo doing that, but not you. You were always so . . . Landerish. And I simply cannot get over Jasper, now that I think about it. He looks and acts like a normal person. I’m sorry if this offends you, but it’s the way I see
it.”

  “A couple of rich stuffed shirts, eh? It’s all true. I never wanted to be that person. I’m happy now with who I am, who my father has become, and glad that I’m in a position to do what I really want to do. I probably never would have done any of this if it wasn’t for Woo. That guy has been such a positive influence in my life. I owe everything to him. I mean that sincerely. Now, what should we drink to?” Ross said, pouring the Burgundy into thick wineglasses.

  “Freedom of choice, options, good friends, or all the above,” Jory said, holding her glass aloft.

  “To all of the above,” Ross said, clicking his glass against hers.

  After they drank, Ross asked curiously, “What are you going to do now that you’ve quit your job?”

  “I’ve been thinking about going into business for myself. The one thing I did like about doing the column was working on my own, for myself, with no one breathing down my neck, issuing orders. I’m the first one to admit working at home is not ideal in many ways. I’ve made no friends, I haven’t participated in community affairs at all. When I first came back I wanted to do some volunteer work at the children’s hospital, but I couldn’t find time. I can’t continue to lead such a narrow existence. Before you know it, I’ll wither and die on the vine.” Jory smiled. “I don’t know what kind of business I want to go into, if that’s your next question. I plan to think about it from now till the first of the year. That’s my personal deadline.”

  “I approve. In case it hasn’t occurred to you, you will have a perfect base of operations if you go through with your plan to evict my mother. The whole damn building will be available to you. There’s over twenty-five thousand square feet of space, did you know that? There’s space in the parking lot for seventy-five cars. It’s a handsome piece of property, Jory. You aren’t going to boot out the old gentlemen, are you?”

  “Of course not. I like what you said. I’ll think about it. Rent-free. I like that too.” Jory smiled.

  “I thought you would. Tell me, how is Woo doing? I haven’t talked to him much lately. He’s . . . different these days. He’ll chat for a moment or two and then say he has to hang up. What the hell is he doing besides therapy? I have this feeling he’s . . . avoiding me. Is anything wrong?”