Wife on Approval

by Leigh Michaels

  When Jennifer had buckled herself into the back seat of Paige's minivan, she held out her hands to the stream of warm air coming from the vents. "I hate it here," she announced. "I want to go home."

  "To Atlanta, you mean? You can take that question up with your father, as soon as we find him." Paige calculated the fastest route and made a U-turn to get onto the most direct street.

  At Tanner Electronics, she marched a reluctant Jennifer through the atrium and up to the executive wing. "Why do I have to go to daddy's office?" the child asked mulishly.

  "Because there's no one to look after you at the apartment "

  Jennifer blinked in obvious surprise. "There's you."

  From a five-year-old's point of view, Paige thought it was an eminently sensible statement.

  Outside the closed door of the office which had been Caleb's, sitting at the secretary's desk, was a stiffly-starched middle aged woman who looked from Paige to Jennifer with distaste. Her presence alone was enough to tell Paige that the planned office switch had taken place; not only had Caleb Tanner never bothered with a secretary, but the playboy entrepreneur would have slit his throat with a silicon wafer before hiring one who was less than pleasant to the eye.

  "I'm looking for Austin Weaver," Paige said briskly. "His daughter needs him."

  "Are you from the school? I gave him the message as soon as I could, and I'm sure he'll handle it when he has time. There was no need to take matters into your own hands."

  Paige said grimly, "There was every need. Where is he?"

  "Mr. Weaver is not available." The secretary's voice was prim.

  "Then we'll wait until he's available again. Unless you'd like to look after Jennifer in the meantime?"

  Just as Paige had expected, the secretary shrank back in her chair and waved a hand toward the inner office. "He's out of the building," she said. "But I suppose you can wait in there."

  Paige had expected the office to look bare, but she was startled. For the first time ever, she could see the top of the desk, for it was no longer the electronic junk bin it had resembled in Caleb's day. However, piled along one end and reaching more man a foot high were folders and papers, books and computer disks.

  It looked, she thought, as if Austin had his work cut out for him. He didn't need an In basket, he needed an annex.

  The first hour of their wait passed in relative peace. At the end of it, however, Jennifer flounced in her chair and complained, "If we went to the apartment, we could at least read stories."

  Paige looked around in desperation. "Here's a pencil and the Wall Street Journal. Circle all the words you recognize. It'll be good practice."

  Jennifer rolled her eyes but she took the pencil and paper.

  No more than five minutes later Austin burst through the door. "Paige? What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

  Jennifer observed, without looking up from the newspaper, "That's a naughty word, Daddy."

  "Warm greetings to you, too," Paige said. "I could ask where the...where you've been, but now that you're here, I really don't care."

  "I've been at the school. I got there as soon as I could, only to find that Jennifer was missing. When I finally found a teacher who could tell me whom she'd left with, I still didn't have any hint where you'd gone. I tried the apartment-"

  "Why?" Paige interrupted.

  "Because you still have a key."

  "Oh. I forgot to give it to you, after all, didn't I?"

  "So I finally came back here so I could start organizing some kind of search, and the minute I walk in my secretary greets me with the news that you're in my office."

  "It seemed the logical place to find you in the middle of a workday. Speaking of your new secretary-"

  "I know," Austin said shortly. "She doesn't have particularly good judgment, which is why she didn't pass on the school's message to me right away. She's a temp, okay? Just till I have a chance to interview, which-at this rate-looks as if it will be never. This is not a good time to be running around dealing with details. My first day on the job-"

  "Don't threaten to bite me," Paige said. "I've heard it all before, so there's no point in wasting more time trying to convince me how important your business is. Your daughter is not a detail."

  Austin was obviously taken aback. "I didn't say she was, Paige. I said I had better things to do than chase you all over town."

  "Well, the chasing's done with, so you can relax now. Have a good time together." Paige turned on her heel.

  A much different note in his voice stopped her at the door. "Paige-"

  She didn't turn around.

  Austin came across the room. "Thanks for taking care of her. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I was scared, when I couldn't find her."

  "Yeah." Paige's voice was gruff. "I can understand that."

  "But I shouldn't have taken it out on you. Look, can I buy you lunch somewhere?" Austin asked.

  "I'm hungry, Daddy," Jennifer said.

  Paige raised an eyebrow at him.

  "I mean both of you, of course."

  She shook her head. "Thanks, but I've got a load of work to do. It was already a heavy day before I lost a couple of hours. And before you offer to pay me for my time, don't bother. I'll just put it on the company's bill as services provided to executive staff."

  He didn't protest, which surprised Paige. "You're determined to be independent, aren't you? You didn't call me when you got home the other night, either."

  "I told you I wouldn't, Austin."

  "What harm would it have done to check in? I'd have called you, but I didn't have your number."

  "Ask Jennifer next time," Paige said with a tinge of humor. "She seems to have my cell phone down pat."

  "And the regular number?"

  "Persistent, aren't you? It's in the book, under Rent-A-Wife."

  "Your home is also Rent-A-Wife?"

  "Is there something wrong with home-based businesses, oh great executive?"

  "No. But something's wrong with your life if you don't need a separate number for your friends."

  "Thanks for that insight," Paige said gently. "I'll remember to call you next time I need counseling." She retraced her steps and held out a hand to Jennifer. "See you later, kid."

  Jennifer pushed her hand aside and gave her a hug instead.

  Paige, startled by the sudden gesture, happened to look over the child's shoulder at Austin. His eyes were narrowed, his face thoughtful, and there were two tiny furrows between his brows.

  He looked, she speculated, as if he'd seen something he didn't much like.

  Well, that was no surprise. The only real question was why it should make her feel sad.

  Austin didn't take Jennifer out for lunch, after all; he sent his secretary for take-out. And a good decision that had been, Austin thought as he watched his daughter stack cold French fries into a sort of split-rail fence along the edge of his desk. His own sandwich had long since been disposed of and he'd returned to work, but his gaze kept straying from the spreadsheets in front of him to the child's ketchup-smeared face.

  There was no doubt that Jennifer preferred chicken nuggets and fries out of a paper bag to more sophisticated fare and more elegant surroundings. He couldn't quite say the same for himself. In fact, he wished he'd asked the secretary to bring him some antacid for dessert.

  Still, it was just as well that Paige hadn't taken him up on his offer to buy her lunch. His invitation had been so impulsive he'd been surprised himself when the words popped out, and she'd looked just as startled as he'd felt.

  She'd looked, in fact, as if she wanted to ask what on earth they would find to talk about. The old days, maybe? The days when any restaurant with a tablecloth was above their budget-so far out of reach, in fact, that some weeks a walk to the neighborhood shop for a soft-serve ice cream cone was the height of extravagance. Who wanted to be reminded of things like that?

  Though in fact, he thought, there had been something almost magical about the evenings when they
'd walked home in the twilight, and he'd watched as her tongue darted over the cold confection, and he'd ended up hungry for a lot more than ice cream....

  "Daddy?" Jennifer sounded impatient. "I told you, I'm done."

  "Then tear down the French fry fence and put it in the wastebasket," he said absently.

  Nostalgia was all very well, he thought, if it involved events and situations which were safely in the past. Which was true of their marriage, of course-for both of them, it was long over and done with. But where money was concerned...

  He could afford to be nostalgic about twilight walks and ice cream cones. But he had the feeling, despite Paige's protestations that her business was doing very well indeed, that financially she hadn't come so very far from the soft-ice-cream days.

  And he found himself starting to wonder if they couldn't work out some kind of a deal.

  The first thing Paige saw when she stepped into the bungalow's kitchen that evening was the single pink rose in a white china vase and surrounded by asparagus fern and baby's breath, which sat in the middle of the table.

  The first thing she heard was her mother's voice, coming from the living room. "There's water in the sink, you said? Good for you, getting that far by yourself."

  The sarcasm in Eileen's tone was thick enough to slice, Paige thought, and felt a rush of sympathy for whoever was on the receiving end of it.

  She reached for the tiny card which was tucked in among the baby's breath and realized the envelope had already been opened. Now I'm in for it, she thought.

  Eileen wheeled her chair around the corner into the kitchen, cupped her hand over the telephone and stared at Paige. "Who's Jennifer," she asked, "and why is she sending you flowers?"

  The tightness in Paige's chest relaxed a bit, and she looked at the card. Thank you from Jennifer was all it said. She didn't think for a moment that the rose had actually been Jennifer's idea, but at least Austin hadn't caused unnecessary problems by signing his own name. "Since when do you open my cards?" she countered.

  "The only thing on the envelope was the address," Eileen said. "I was trying to make sure it was correct. So who's Jennifer?"

  "The little girl I was taking care of Saturday night."

  "Is this a policy change? If Rent-A-Wife's taking payment in roses now, I think I should know about it."

  "It wouldn't be the first time a grateful client has done more to show appreciation than simply write a check."

  Eileen looked sharply at her, but just then Paige heard a murmur from the other end of the telephone that commanded her mother's attention once more.

  "No," Eileen said firmly, "if the water's been in the sink since this morning, you can't use it." She wheeled herself over to the stove and lifted the lid on a pan. "I don't care if it's still clean, it'll be cold. Empty the sink and run some more. And make it hot enough to give off steam."

  Paige touched a velvety pink petal, loosing a torrent of scent. "What are you doing, Mother?"

  "Taking things into my own hands." Eileen's voice was tart. "And trying to cover up for you, I might add. Someone has to wash Ben Orcutt's dishes, and since you didn't show up and I can't go over there and do it myself-"

  Paige closed her eyes in pain. "I can't believe I forgot Ben Orcutt's dishes." But in fact, she realized, it was a wonder she hadn't forgotten a whole lot more; her encounter with Austin had knocked any idea of orderliness from the rest of her day. Anything that hadn't been on her carefully prepared list-and Ben Orcutt had been an extra-had gone completely out of her mind.

  "I know you forgot," Eileen said. "He called to tell me all about it. Is the water run yet, Mr. Orcutt? What did you say? No, you may not bring the dirty dishes here. Whatever you think it sounded like, I was not volunteering to do your housework. Do you have a pair of rubber gloves?"

  "Tell him I'll come this evening," Paige said. "In fact, I'll come right now."

  Eileen covered the phone again. "Don't be ridiculous. He'd be perfectly capable if you just hadn't pampered him by letting him depend on you."

  "You've never met Ben Orcutt," Paige warned. But Eileen had plunged into step-by-step instructions, and there was obviously no point in trying to interrupt the flow.

  I'll stop by tomorrow morning, Paige thought, and clear up the mess. She just hoped that between them, Ben and Eileen didn't flood his kitchen in the meantime.

  She changed into jeans and a sweatshirt and was just coming down the stairs, intending to tackle Rent-A-Wife's accounts receivable, when the doorbell rang. Eileen, she noted, had only begun the rinse stage, so Paige peeked out through the viewer and swore at what she saw.

  She pulled the door open a couple of inches and said, "Do you have a suicide wish? What if my mother had answered the door?"

  Austin shrugged. "The dragon on wheels would have either slammed it in my face or given me a piece of her mind. Or she might have done the totally unexpected and been pleasant, which would have come closer to giving me a heart attack. Besides, Jennifer saw your van and knew you were home, so I figured we had a fifty-fifty chance."

  Jennifer accused, "You didn't tell me you had a kid, Paige."

  Paige shook her head, confused. "I don't. What makes you think-" She followed the child's pointing finger. "Oh, the second peek hole in the door?"

  Jennifer nodded. "It's just my size." She demonstrated.

  "Well, it's also just the right size for my mother. When she's sitting in her wheelchair, she can't see out the top one, so we added an extra."

  Jennifer looked disappointed.

  "What can I do for you, Austin?"

  "Come for a walk. Just around the block."

  From the kitchen, Paige heard her mother say, "Now just keep doing that, one plate at a time, and before you know it you'll be done."

  It was apparent that the conversation would be finished any minute now, and then Eileen would no doubt wheel into the living room to see who had rung the bell. Paige reached for a heavy jacket and called, "I'm going out for a few minutes, Mother." Before Eileen could have a chance to respond, Paige was on the doorstep, closing the door behind her.

  "But I don't want to go for a walk," Jennifer grumbled. "I'm cold!"

  "If you don't stop saying that," Austin warned, "your vocal cords will lock into position and you won't be able to say anything else."

  "Really?" Jennifer sounded half doubtful, but she brightened immediately. "Hey, then I wouldn't have to answer any of the teachers' questions at school. I'm cold. I'm cold. I'm-"

  Paige had to bite her lip to keep from giggling.

  Austin sighed. "That was not quite the result I had in mind." He started down the sidewalk.

  Paige dug her hands into her pockets. Automatically, her stride lengthened as she dropped into step beside him and picked up the half-remembered rhythm of walking together. She soon realized what she was doing, and this time, when she bit her lip, it wasn't to control her sense of humor.

  The last time she'd gone for a walk with him, she remembered, was before he'd told her he was leaving Denver. When she had still thought everything was wonderful and that their love would shine forever....

  Jennifer trailed behind them, hopping over sidewalk cracks and muttering to herself. Paige glanced over her shoulder to be sure the child wasn't listening. "To tell the truth," she said, "I'm a little cold myself. So what do you want, Austin?"

  "I've got a problem."

  "And here I thought you were just nostalgic for a cheap date," Paige mocked. Too late, she regretted reminding him of the many hours they'd spent on walks during their brief marriage. He might suspect that she dwelled on her memories of their shared and inexpensive entertainments, while in fact, she told herself firmly, she did nothing of the kind.

  But Austin didn't seem to notice. "The latest report from the academy is that there will be no school tomorrow, and probably not for the next few days."

  Paige gave a soft whistle. "The furnace blew up that badly, hmm?"

  "Apparently it's a vintage model, and
getting parts could take a while."

  "I hope Jennifer liked your office. You might want to take some books tomorrow, though."

  "Not a bad idea. I understand I have you to thank for the fact that in my copy of Tanner's latest budget and annual report to stockholders, all the easy-to-read words are circled."

  Paige winced. "I didn't give her the stockholders' report, only the newspaper."

  "Once started, she showed no discretion." "Sorry about that."

  Austin shrugged. “The point is, I can't make her sit in my office all week while I work, Paige. It would be cruel to her."

  "To say nothing of being dangerous to your office," she murmured. "Welcome to the joys of single parenthood."

  "And I can't take time off after one day on the job- especially this job. I'm up to my neck in complications here."

  "Things aren't running as smoothly at Tanner as you thought they were going to?"

  Austin shot a look at her. "Not exactly," he admitted. "Stuff that should have been handled weeks ago was simply left to wait for the new CEO, and the minute I walked in, it all descended on me."

  Paige shrugged. "I guess in that case you'd better call the nanny and tell her that vacation time is over. Rent-A-Wife will meet her plane, if you like-we go back and forth to the airport at least a couple of times a week on errands like that."

  "She's not coming to Denver at all."

  "Why? Didn't she like the climate any more than Jennifer does? Then I suppose you'll have to hire another one."

  "By tomorrow? You have no idea how hard it is to find someone who's qualified."

  "No," Paige said judiciously. "I haven't had that problem. In the meantime, I'm sure Tricia Cade would help you out. The way she so enthusiastically volunteered Saturday night... After Jennifer was safely asleep, of course, but I'm sure that was only coincidence."

  "And Jennifer really would like that idea, too," Austin said dryly. "She'd be marching a picket line by the end of the first day. Unless she drew circles on a rental contract and Tricia hung her from the top of the building."

  Paige couldn't stop herself. "Does Jennifer even know you took Tricia to a party?"

  Austin didn't answer. "I really thought we could make this work," he said heavily. "With Jennifer in school every day, in an academy that offers all sorts of after-school activities, I thought we could surely get along without a nanny."