"It's in a bag in the closet." Maxine crossed her hands behind her head. "Don't forget the shoes," she said loudly. "They're in the Piedmont's box."
She turned her head to grin at Tony before she closed her eyes and smiled. "I have this big salary and nothing to spend it on, so I'm afraid that I've become a clothes hound."
"Why don't you guys move into a bigger apartment?"
"Sure, as soon as you convince my darling sister that I'm done having things and I am perfectly capable of contributing to the household."
"What do you mean?
"She wants me to move, but she won't move with me. I deserve nice things, she says." She threw her arm over her eyes, burnt out from painting. "Makes me angry. That girl saved me, literally and figuratively. Saved my life from any number of horrors and repeats of horrors, and she expects me just to leave her in this rat hole and move because I make a good salary." She moved her arm and raised her head to look at him. "But, in two more years, Sarah gets out of school. Maybe I can get her to relax a little then."
"How many dresses in bags do you have?" Robin's voice was muffled, but irritated just the same. "Geeze, Maxi!"
Maxine sighed then pushed herself to her feet. "I'll go rescue my wardrobe." She jumped over the couch. "Make yourself at home. I have to talk her into the shoes, too."
Tony chuckled. "Take your time."
He made a quick phone call and pushed his reservation back by thirty minutes. He stood in the cramped living room, touched his fingers to his tie to make sure the knot was still in place, and felt the present in his pocket again.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Sarah stand and sling her backpack over her shoulder. He turned to fully face her.
"I have to get to my parents' house. We're having a planning meeting tonight for our church's fall festival."
Tony's interested was peaked. "What church?"
"Crescent Christian in Framingham."
Mentally shifting through names and faces and people and places, he finally identified Crescent. "I know that church. Isn't Dr. Skinner the senior pastor there?"
"He is now, but he's retiring soon. There is already some uproar about staffing and such going on."
Tony nodded. "People don't like change." He slipped his hands in his pockets and his fingertips ran over Robin's gift. "Tell me about this festival."
"We have games and candy and blow up toys where kids can bounce and play. We serve hot dogs and chili and popcorn. It's a lot of fun. Tons of kids from the neighborhood come who would never have come to the church for another reason."
"We do something very similar. I go to Boston Central Christian. I've never served on the planning committee, but I'm often approached about donations and sponsorships. Let me know if there's anything you need in the way of anything like that." Out of a pocket he pulled a business card. From his shirt pocket, he extracted a gold pen and wrote on the back of the card. "This is my secretary's name and direct extension. She knows your name. Just let her know anything you need. Any gaps we can fill."
Sarah took the card, feeling a little intimidated and overwhelmed at the same time. "Your secretary knows my name?"
Tony smiled and shrugged. "Sure. You're Robin's sister."
They struggled every year to put on the festival. To think that this year the financial burden could be lifted brought hot tears to her eyes. She felt her face flood with heat. "I don't know what to say."
Tony smiled, trying to put her at ease. "There's no reason to say anything. We're all working for one goal, are we not?"
Sarah sniffled. "I wish everyone I had to work with thought the same way you do." She shifted her glasses on her face and hoped he couldn't see the tears swimming through her eyes. "How does Robin handle your faith?"
His laugh barked through the room. "With blinders. If she doesn't mention it, then it doesn't affect her, I think." His face turned serious. "But I pray for her, constantly."
Sarah opened her mouth then closed it. She closed her eyes, huffed out a breath, and decided to surge forward. "Listen, I've known her for a long time. She isn't open to the Word."
"She wouldn't be from you."
Her eyes widened. "Why not?"
"Because in her mind, she is responsible for you. She is the eldest, the protector, the provider." He smiled just to soften the next sentence, for him and for her. "She's already been in hell, so what can you possibly teach her?"
Leaning against the arm of the couch, Sarah shrugged and nodded again. "I know. Even Christ was rejected by his own people. But I've at least tried to serve as a silent witness for Robin and Maxi. I don't think I've ever done any good."
"While on this earth, we'll never see all of the fruits of our labors. You've planted seeds. And between your seed and my …" He almost said his love for her sister, but stopped short. When he confessed his love for Robin, it would be while looking into her amazing sapphire eyes, not talking to her little sister in a cramped living room. "… and my not so silent witness, we can only pray that those seeds will grow and root and bloom and eventually thrive."
Sarah's pocket buzzed and she pulled out a phone, quickly scanning the text message that had just come in. "I'm going to be late. I enjoyed talking to you, Tony. I hope we get a chance to talk when we don't each already have other plans."
He smiled, wanting to hug her. His brotherly feelings for her didn't surprise him in the slightest. "I look forward to it."
After Sarah left, he turned back to the painting to study it further, in awe of the detail and the beauty. Maxine had surprised him, and he enjoyed that. He took in the painting and searched it with a sense of discovery and near excitement. So very often, Tony felt at least one step ahead of everyone all the time. Tony endured – and invented new ways to cope with – the boredom suffered by the brilliant every single day. He found most of life, and most people he encountered, extremely predictable. Maxine proved unpredictable. He liked that.
Time passed, but he didn't mind the wait. There was no reason to hurry. He sipped his water and considered the painting, trying to see all of the hidden elements.
"Hi."
He turned, stopping short when he saw Robin.
"Wow." He managed.
Her dress – a long blue sheath that fell tightly from her breasts to the floor – had a slit on one leg that reached to her knee and two thin spaghetti straps at the shoulders. It molded her curves beautifully, showed the faintest hint of cleavage, and accented the flare of her hips. For once, she hadn't put her hair up and it cascaded halfway down her back.
"You look amazing." Tony expressed sincerely after a thorough appraisal.
Her cheeks fused with color. "Thank you." She held up the thin wisp of material that served as the scarf. "What do I do with this?"
"Well," he said, reaching into his pocket with one hand while he took the scarf from her and stepped behind her. "What some do is drape it around their necks and let the ends trail behind them." He pulled the necklace out of his pocket and slipped it around her neck before she knew what he was doing. "But when you wear jewelry, it's fine just to drape it over one arm."
She gasped as her hand flew up to her neck. "What did – " Her fingers traced the sapphires, feeling the shape of the dripping gems, brushing over the rough diamonds, feeling the weight of actual stones against her skin. She didn't turn around, instead she skipped to the mirror hanging next to the door and gasped again at the sight. "Tony, I don't want – "
He followed her until he stood behind her and tenderly laid his fingertips on her bare shoulders. His eyes met hers in the mirror. "Sshh. It's perfect for the dress."
She stared at him, feeling a mixture of excitement and anger. Her hand never left the necklace. "I don't want jewelry from you, Tony. That's not why I'm with you."
"I believe you. I remember how you returned my tip." He grinned in genuine pleasure and his eyes twinkled with mischief. "And, ironically, it only makes me even more inclined to give you expensive gifts." His fingers moved softly up and
down her arms. "I bought it a few days ago because the blue sapphires were a near perfect match with your eyes."
His fingers sent shivers through her whole body, but she slowly shook her head. "No. I'm not the type to shower with expensive gifts. Please, I don't want – "
He turned her around so that he could look directly at her. He slid an arm around her lower back, pulling her gently to him. "Just for tonight." His lips gently brushed hers. "We're celebrating in style because you deserve it."
Robin's lips tingled and she wanted to step forward and ask him to kiss her again. Kiss her deeper, longer. This close to him, feeling the heat from his body and smelling the amazing tang of his aftershave, she felt safe, secure, important. The warmth of his eyes beckoned her to let him give her this necklace, and she relented because, for some reason, pleasing him was important to her.
"Okay." She ran her hands over the length of it, until she felt the clasp in the back, terrified it wasn't secured properly and she'd lose what surely cost a few semesters worth of medical books. "Okay, but just this one time."
Tony ran a hand down her arm until he could clasp her fingers with his and bring her hand up to his mouth. He brushed his lips over her knuckles. "Thank you, cara. You make that necklace look beautiful. Shall we go?"
YOU know, I applied here before Benedict's." Robin took a sip of her water then propped her chin in her hand. "Almost got the job, too." In the dim light of the restaurant, with the candlelight flickering on their table, she felt very alone with him. In the intimate setting, other couples at other tables seemed to feel it, too, because people spoke quietly, almost in hushed tones, keeping up the secluded facade.
"Oh? What happened?"
"The manager objected to the fact that I wouldn't sleep with him."
"Really?" His voice was very calm, very cool, and his eyes were very hard. "And which manager was that?"
She felt a chill run up her back, glad that she wasn't the object of his anger. "Umm, his name was Brad, I think. No. No, wait, it was Brian."
He relaxed almost visibly. "I see. I fired him years ago."
"You?" She laughed. Not because he fired someone. She often feared losing one or both of her jobs and being left with nothing. She laughed because of the casual way he just dismissed it. "Of course. Why wouldn't I think that you owned this, too?"
His smile was quick and his eyes looked almost warm again. "I own a lot of things." He quickly reached out and took her hand. "I'm very happy that you're going to take the job."
She decided to be straightforward with him again. There was no sense in pretenses. "What happens when we – " she let the sentence hang in the air, confident that he would know what she asked.
He laced their fingers and looked at their joined hands. He liked the contrasts. Her hand light, his dark. Hers small and delicate, his bigger and stronger. "What happens when we break up and have all of this anger and angst and you still work for me?"
She couldn't help smiling at his choice of wording. "Yeah. Something like that."
"I don't know. I have zero experience with this. All I know is that I want to spend time with you. I want you to want to spend time with me. And you're the perfect person to manage Hanks. There has to be a way to do it all."
Robin shook her head. "I haven't signed the contract yet. Maybe -"
Tony squeezed her hand. "Listen. I really like you, and I respect you so much for everything you've done in your life. Whether or not we're involved romantically isn't going to change that."
She sat back while the waiter arrived with their first course. As he set the bowls of French onion soup in front of them, Robin watched Tony. He was sincere, she thought. He wasn't the type to play games. She picked up her spoon as the waiter departed, and felt excitement building. She hoped that they could work together once they were apart. All she knew right now was that she wanted to spend this time with Tony and she really wanted to manage Hanks.
"Besides," Tony said, "I believe God brought us together for a purpose. I don't see anger and angst involved in fulfilling God's desires.' He winked and held out his hand. "Shall we bless our meal?"
Robin set her spoon back down and took his hand.
CHAPTER 12
FOR weeks, rain pummeled the city, a cold rain that drove people indoors and off the streets while autumn surrendered to winter. Thanksgiving passed and the rain turned into sleet, which then turned into ice and snow.
The city buildings looked even more gray, morphing to match the dirty slush lining the roads. Even though the sun hadn't shown in weeks and the cold gray world remained perpetually wet, Robin's spirits remained high.
She understood now, what Maxine had meant when she said that she'd simply felt happier and not happy. For the first time in her life, Robin looked forward to the next new day. She looked forward to it with a smile and a sense of anticipation.
After giving Benedicts notice, Robin took over for Hank as if the place belonged to her. The staff never felt the bump in the transition, and never once challenged her authority. She had worked as a bartender and a waitress for years. Despite the grueling aspect of maintaining two physically stressful jobs, neither one of them challenged her. Managing Hank's challenged every part of her – intellectually, emotionally, physically – and she woke each morning anticipating what new challenges would face her that day.
Viscolli Enterprises sent in a tutor to teach her the fundamentals of accounting. She fell in love with perfect columns of numbers on a spreadsheet, with balance sheets and figures and projections. She spent hours after hours working with the accounting team to streamline the archaic records keeping of Hanks from handwritten ledgers to a state-of-the-art computer system that linked her to the Viscolli empire. As she worked, she learned. And learned. And soaked up everything that she could from the team of accountants and computer experts.
Hank's wife had served as his assistant manager, so she had a hole to fill with both of them suddenly leaving. After learning how to read a resume, then reading what felt like an endless stream of resumes, she finally settled on the current head hostess, Kelly Addison. Robin felt like, most importantly, that she could trust Kelly and that they could work together. The thirty-seven-year-old Navy wife and mother of three teenagers had not applied for the position but readily, and tearfully, accepted the offer. Then it was back to the resumes to find a new host or hostess.
Every turn in the bed, every new hour of every single day, brought something new and exciting to her life, and she realized that she loved her job.
Her little office in the back of the restaurant gradually became "hers" and not "Hank's". She no longer paused at the door with a hand raised to knock, and instead went through the threshold to her own inner sanctuary. Thanks to Maxine, photographs of her sisters showed up in pretty frames around the previously Spartan room. Then, thanks to Sarah, plants filled empty spots on shelves and the small window ledge. Her contributions included tins of peppermints, books on management and accounting, scattered coffee cups. Inside the walls of the little room, she could breathe, take a moment before charging back out into the challenge that was Hanks.
Robin also discovered sleep. What a phenomenon. She slept six or even eight hours a night, now. Between two full time jobs and the nightmares, good, restful sleep had become something of a luxury. Now, she left work as the restaurant closed, slept until late morning, and returned again as the lunch hour started.
Per company policy, she took two days off a week. Managers could work as many hours as required five days a week, but Viscolli Enterprises demanded without exception that, in addition to not working Sunday, another day off be taken. She resisted. Tony threatened to fire her. She'd already quit Benedict's. She capitulated.
She went to work early Mondays to do paperwork and place orders in the silence of the closed restaurant and worked until closing. Mondays had become her favorite day of the week. Typically, she took Wednesdays off. Wednesdays tended to be the slowest days of the week. She had always enjoyed ha
ving Sundays off, but adding an extra day of rest to her schedule threw her for a loop. She probably would have found herself climbing the walls of her apartment had it not been for Tony.
Despite the fact that he constantly worked out of town, acquiring this or merging that, Tony called her every morning. She found that she looked forward to his calls, anticipated them. She would lie in bed, relaxed, rested, half a smile on her face and wait for the phone to ring.
He almost always showed up on Wednesday to spend the day with her. He would call the office on Tuesday afternoon and confirm plans for this movie or that museum or this lunch. They started holding hands as they walked. He would put his arm around her at the movie. He would kiss her, oh how he would kiss her, hello and good-bye and times and times in between.
The more time they spent together, the more relaxed he became about touching her. He would brush her hair from her face, run a hand down her arm, rub her neck. However, despite her request that night so many weeks ago in that dirty laundry room, Tony never took anything any further than casual touching, warm hugs, or tender kisses. Robin thought that maybe, instinctively, she could feel him holding something back. It confused her to think that as warm and – loving – as he was, he wasn't really giving her everything. Thinking that maybe his faith had something to do with it, she wondered why he agreed to her request the night of his birthday in the first place. Regardless, she didn't feel like she could approach the subject with anything less than mortification, so she left it alone and decided to wait and see what came next.
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