“From here on in, I don’t want you to worry about a thing. I’ll do all the worrying for both of us.”
Outside in the hall, Rosie stopped at the atrium and looked around again. She took several deep breaths before she could gather up the energy to walk outside to the parking lot. She was just about to open the van door when she heard someone call her name.
“Hey, Rosie!”
Rosie whirled around. “Jack! What are you doing here?”
“I was at the dentist. It was time to get the pearly whites cleaned.” He grimaced to show off his teeth. Rosie laughed.
“Since you weren’t at the dentist, and the architect is closed for vacation, I guess you were in Donovan’s office.”
Rosie nodded. “I hired Mr. Donovan to represent me in my divorce. Everyone says he’s quite good.”
Jack threw his head back and laughed. Rosie loved the sound. Suddenly, she felt warm all over.
“Half, if not three-quarters of the women in this town owe their well-being to Tim Donovan. He’s a hell of a nice guy. Works out once in a while at the gym. Hey, you want to go for some coffee? I could use some caffeine about now.”
“Sure. How about I meet you there? Where?” she called over her shoulder.
“How does Ryan’s sound to you?”
“Sounds good to me.”
“I’ll see you there in ten minutes.”
Rosie used up the ten minutes telling herself coffee with Jack Silver didn’t mean anything other than they had met by chance and were going to have a cup of coffee together. A chance meeting. Nothing more. Jack was just being friendly and nice because that’s the kind of guy he was.
Would I like it to be more than a friendly cup of coffee? Damn straight I would.
8
Inside the cafe, Jack pulled out Rosie’s chair and took his own seat. “Best table in the house.” He grinned. “You can see everyone coming and going. Listen, Rosie, I’m sorry I had to postpone our run this morning, but I had something I had to attend to. We’re on for tomorrow, right?”
“I hope your confidence in me proves out. Treadmill walking and running is a little different from running on asphalt. I’m game, but if I wimp out before the end, don’t hold it against me.”
Jack settled himself more comfortably in his captain’s chair, his elbows propped on the arms. The picture of a man who didn’t have a worry in the world. “Never happen! How’s the business going, Rosie? You haven’t talked about it lately.”
Rosie looked around the little cafe. She’d only been here once, and it had been redecorated since. Possibly new owners. “It’s going great now that Vickie is back from her three-year European jaunt with Mrs. Simmons. She’s out of the country right now, but she’s due back sometime this morning. She went to Paris to see her fiancé. We hired a lot of college kids for the summer. They think it’s a hoot to walk along the river and pick weeds. We’re almost up to speed. We’re going to be adding a few more pages to next year’s Christmas catalog. You’d be surprised what a few more pages in a catalog can do for your profit margin.
“Also, Luna Mae got this brainstorm a few months ago and acted on it just last week. There are three or four senior citizen living units here in town. I want to say they’re like halfway houses with chaperones. Not really assisted-living facilities but close. They’re in some of the big old mansions that have gone to seed. Anyway, when the college kids leave at the end of the month, the seniors are going to step in. Luna Mae is going to shuttle them back and forth. She said they’re eager to do something besides playing cards and watching television. It’s a good way to supplement their social security now that they can earn money and still collect on their pensions. It’s not hard work, and we certainly have room since we took over the Simmons mansion. The best part is I don’t have to be there twenty-four/seven. The paperwork alone is taking me hours now that we’re rolling along.”
“That’s great. I’m happy for you, Rosie. They should do a spread on you in the Sunday paper. Local girl makes good, that kind of thing. Think of it like this, not only are you making a living for yourself, you’re providing jobs for other people and selling a product that’s a weed. It’s the American Dream.”
Rosie blushed. She never knew quite what to do when someone like Jack paid her a compliment. She shrugged. “How are things at the gym?”
It was Jack’s turn to shrug. “Things slow down in the summer. That’s okay, I can use the break. Once September rolls around, we go full tilt.”
Rosie looked up at the waitress. “I’ll have the fruit bowl, a bran muffin, and black coffee.”
“I’ll have the same thing,” Jack said.
This was the perfect time to find out who and what Jack Silver was. “How long have you worked at the gym?” She hoped she didn’t come across as coy but more like an interested friend.
Jack looked at her over the rim of his coffee cup. It sounded to him like she didn’t know heowned the Olympus Fitness Centers. He played along. “It seems like forever. A long time.”
Rosie smiled. “I guess that means you like what you do? Are you the top trainer? Luna Mae said you were the best and would only settle for you.”
“Your housekeeper drove a hard bargain. I’m glad she did. That’s just another way of saying I’m pleased with your progress. At some point, I’d like you to join the aerobics class.”
Rosie turned brick red. “Yeah, right! I don’t think so.”
Jack frowned looking perplexed. “Why not?”
“So people can say I look like a beached whale?” Rosie’s voice sounded bitter. “No thank you. All those little size sixes who don’t have an extra ounce of fat on them hopping around while I flounder. Don’t bring it up again, okay?”
“Jesus, Rosie, I’m sorry. I didn’t think…you’re right about the little sizes, but you’re wrong about the beached whale part. Right now you have a little more poundage on you than you should have, but you’re working on that. Stop being so hard on yourself. You have my word that I will not bring it up again.”
Jack shook his head. “Kent Bliss did a number on you, didn’t he? Don’t look back, Rosie. Only forward.”
Rosie speared a piece of kiwi fruit onto her fork. It was halfway to her mouth when she said, “Once words are said aloud, you can’t take them back. Sometimes I think verbal cruelty is worse than physical cruelty. Yes, Kent did a number on me, but I have to take responsibility for it, too. I should have kicked his lazy ass out the first time he said something that offended me. I didn’t. Luna Mae said every dog has his day, so I will just wait patiently for mine.”
Open mouth, insert foot,Jack thought.One of these days I’m going to learn to mind my own business.
Just as he was wondering what it would feel like to kiss Rosie, the door to the cafe opened. He looked straight into Kent Bliss’s eyes. And then he looked at Heather Daniels. He lowered his gaze to Rosie, who was looking for the ripest strawberry in the bowl, unaware that her husband had entered the cafe.
Jack lowered his head, and said softly, “Rosie, don’t look up. Your husband just came into the cafe.”One more time, Silver, open mouth, insert foot. He watched in horror as his breakfast companion’s face turned white.Just like a woman, he thought, when she ignored his words and looked up, then down at the fruit left in the bowl in front of her.
Rosie dabbed at her lips. “I think I’m finished. How about you, Jack?”
“I’m done.” He slapped bills on the table, walked around to pull back her chair. The only way out of the restaurant was past the table where Kent and Heather were sitting.
Jack was so proud of Rosie, he thought the buttons on his Izod shirt were going to pop off when she stopped at her husband’s table, looked down, and said, “How are you, Kent?” She waited for a response, and when there was none, she said, “This is Jack Silver, I’m Mrs. Gardener Bliss,” she said to Heather Daniels, whose jaw dropped. She openly gaped at the woman towering over her. Then Rosie threw her hands in the air and said, “I seem
to have this awesome power over people that renders them speechless. Bye,” she trilled.
She felt like a noodle that had been cooked too long when she made it to the van and sagged against it.
“What you just did in there was a work of art. I’ve never seen anything so slick in my life. You just ruined their day. You do good work, Rosie,” Jack said cheerfully. He reached out to open the door of her van for her. In her haste to get inside, Rosie lurched forward, her foot catching on the running board of the van. Jack had no other recourse but to wrap his arms around her to prevent her from falling. Their eyes met. He knew his own were glassy. Hers were wet, like she was going to cry any second. She smelled sweet and powdery, and there was a woman scent about her that was all hers. He watched as she licked at her lips, and just as he was going to lean forward to kiss her, she said, “You can just stop feeling sorry for me, Jack. I don’t want your pity!” She jerked free and scrambled into the van, pulling the door shut.
“Son of a bitch!” Jack blurted. “Dammit, I wasn’t feeling sorry for you, Rosie. I just wanted to kiss you. What the hell is wrong with kissing?” Of course Rosie couldn’t hear his tortured words because she was blasting out of the parking lot at full speed.
Inside the cafe, Heather Daniels glared across the table at Kent.“That was your wife!” She might as well have said, “thatcreature from the Black Lagoon is your wife!”
Kent’s mind raced. What the hell was Rosalie doing with the owner of Olympus Gyms? Was she having an affair? Was that why she’d booted him out of the house? Rosalie having an affair! It was almost too ridiculous for words. Still, it would explain Silver’s snotty attitude toward him. And to think he’d tried to impress him by plunking down four hundred clams. He tried to put the picture of his wife and Silver out of his mind by concentrating on the problem at-hand.
There were two ways to play this. One would be for him to agree with Heather that his wife was a mess. The other would be for him to take the high road and downplay it and stick up for Rosie. He chose the latter, deciding it would only make him look better than good. Rosie and Silver. He wanted to laugh out loud. Then his eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what they had in common, if anything.
“That’s not very kind of you, Heather. Rosalie has had some problems. I think she’s working on them. She’s a very kind, compassionate person once you get to know her. Just because we’re getting divorced doesn’t mean I have to make her out to be something she isn’t.”
Heather looked properly chastised. She immediately compared herself at a size eight to Rosie’s size fourteen, maybe a twelve. Women couldn’t help it if they were homely. Just because she herself was beautiful didn’t mean everyone was. She knew how lucky she was. Rosie was probably trying to compensate and not doing a very good job of it. She nodded. “You’re right, Kent. I’m sorry. That was so rude of me. I don’t know what I expected in regard to your wife. You never mention her. I just didn’t know she was so…big.”
Kent listened with half an ear as he contemplated the breakfast menu. He’d tricked Heather into buying breakfast because he was down to his last two hundred dollars. Earlier when she’d asked to go to breakfast, he’d said no, thinking he would have to pay for it. She’d coaxed and pleaded, saying her fridge was bare, and she needed to eat something. Like he didn’t. Finally, he’d acquiesced, and said, “Okay, but you’re buying.” She had happily agreed.
“There’s big, and then there’s big,” he said gently. “Just because you have a perfect figure and are beautiful, you should never knowingly put down someone else. I thought better of you, Heather.” She looked like she was ready to cry.Good. That means she’ll buy some food and actually cook tonight.
Kent had been putting off asking Jason Maloy for another advance and trying to stretch out his money until the closings on his recent sales came due. He wished he had something more to pawn.
“I’m really sorry, Kent. I’m jealous, that’s my problem.”
“Jealousy is not a very becoming trait. If you knew Rosie, you would like her.”
“No, Kent, I wouldn’t like her. I’m in love with you. She’s my adversary. I could never like her.”
She was in love with him. Ho-hum. Like he didn’t already know that. He wished she would show her appreciation a little more with some pricey gifts. Maybe he needed to hint a little more. Or, be more blatant. Sometimes Heather was on the thick side. She was much too frugal. Actually, she was downrightcheap.
Kent smiled over the top of the menu. “I think I’m going to have a real Southern breakfast. How about you, honey?”
“I’ll just have juice, coffee, and a muffin. I don’t want to end up looking like…like my neighbor.”
Kent gave his order to the waitress. “I think I’ll have two eggs over easy, grits, biscuits, and gravy, and a side order of bacon and sausage. Oh, and three blueberry pancakes. Decaf coffee and a slice of melon.” Eating a hearty breakfast would take him through lunch, too, and he wouldn’t have to worry about his stomach until dinnertime. He needed to start eating more, and on a regular basis like normal people. He couldn’t afford to lose any more weight.
Heather tugged at the skimpy dress she was wearing when she noticed a man looking at her thighs, knowing full well Kent would have something to say about it later. Hoping to wipe away the annoyance she was seeing on his face, she said, “How would you like to go to the house on the river this weekend, Kent? There won’t be anyone there, just us. And the servants, but they won’t bother us.”
She was sucking up. That was good. At least he’d get to eat like a king. He shrugged as he sipped at his coffee.
“And, I thought I’d cook tonight if you don’t mind staying in. We could watch some movies, then we could…”
“Just like an old married couple on Saturday night,” Kent muttered. “How cozy.”
It was exactly what he wanted, and she’d come up with the idea all by herself. Now he had to move in for the kill. His leased Mustang was costing him way too much money.
“So when are you going to get me a vehicle?”
“Anytime, darlin’. I talked to Daddy about it last week. He said we, as in you and I, could consider the silver one you were admiring, as ours. Since I have my own car, you can use it and get rid of that tacky Ford you’re driving. Are youever going to get your Porsche back?”
“Only if Rosalie has a change of heart. Right now she’s not too happy with me since I’m the one who wanted out of the marriage. Everything will be settled in due time. It doesn’t pay to rush things when so much money is at stake.” Kent hoped she didn’t ask how much money or want details. He felt pleased with himself. Either Heather was incredibly stupid, or he was incredibly smart at snowing her. He preferred to believe it was the latter.
“You seem to be having a problem with this, Heather. We should clear the air now before we get any more involved.”
“No. No, I’m just…Like I said, I’m jealous. I want you all to myself, and at the same time I want to scratch out your wife’s eyes for making you go through this. It’s so unfair. You are just the sweetest man, darlin’.”
Kent smiled again. “I’ll see if Jason can get along without me this weekend. It would help if I sold a house or two in the next few days. That man is so greedy. He has dollar signs in his eyes.”
“Isn’t that the truth!” Heather crumbled her muffin but made no attempt to eat it.
Kent watched her out of the corner of his eye. Something was bothering her. He let her stew. Sooner or later it would come out. Heather wanted what she wanted when she wanted it. He’d met and conquered spoiled brats like her before. All he had to do was keep her on a short leash. He looked up, his eyes guileless. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes. No. Oh, I don’t know. I feel so guilty, Kent. I know you’re having a tough time of it with the divorce and all. When you asked me for a temporary loan, and I said no, it has just been eating at me. Daddy always said neither a borrower nor a lender be. I guess I took that to hear
t. I’m sorry now.”
Kent’s eyes narrowed. That little episode had been one hell of a harrowing experience. In his wildest dreams he’d never thought she would say no when he’d asked her for the loan, but she had.
Kent reached for a slice of the crisp bacon. He waved it in the air like a baton. “Don’t you go worrying your pretty little head about it. I’m going to the house after work tonight to talk to Rosalie. Being the fine person she is, I’m sure she’ll loan me some money till we settle up. As I said, Rosalie is a kind person. I’m the one who wanted the divorce, not her. Maybe we better not plan on dinner. Rosalie will probably want me to have dinner with her. She’s like that. So genteel. I’m still fond of her in my own way.”
Heather was sputtering now. “But darlin’, what if she tries to…to…seduce you or something like that? Sweet cakes, that would just undo me. I won’t have a moment’s rest until you’re out of there completely.”
So predictable.“Well, Heather, I’m not going to be out of it for some time yet, so you had better get used to the idea. Until we’re legally divorced, Rosalie is still my wife.”
The muffin on the plate in front of Heather was a mountain of crumbs. “I know that, and I just hate it. I just hate it, Kent! If I loan you the money, you won’t have to go to your wife’s house tonight, and we could keep our plans intact. I won’t even charge you interest or make you sign a note like your wife would.”
“Heather,” Kent said patiently, “Rosalie is not like that. She would simply hand me a wad of cash, and that would be the end of it. Rosalie knows I am a man of my word, just the way she is a woman of her word. Now, let’s finish our breakfast so I can get to work.”
Heather pouted. Kent ignored her. He knew that within an hour of their leaving the restaurant, Heather would go to her bank and come to the office and hand him an envelope.So predictable. Still, he had to let her know how much he needed. How could he do that without seeming calculating?
Kent finished the last slice of bacon. He drained his coffee cup, then patted his lips. “There is not a more generous person on this planet than my wife. If I ask her to loan me five thousand, she’ll give me ten thousand and wink. That’s Rosalie.”
Pretty Woman Page 12
