The Last Bachelor

by Judy Christenberry

  Joe quickly agreed. The need to feel her against him, to know she was safe, was important to him, too.

  “I left my car at Archy’s. Justin said he’d use the siren. You made the right decision about staying in the rest room.”

  “They probably didn’t even know I was alarmed. I think I overreacted. I hope I didn’t cause any trouble,” she said louder so Justin could hear her.

  “No, ma’am, no trouble at all. I’d like to ask you a few questions about the man with a knife Joe told me about.”

  She turned and glared at Joe. “It was nothing.”

  “I had to tell Justin, honey. These men might’ve been connected to him,” Joe explained.

  “No, they weren’t. I told that guy what I knew. That was all. I don’t know anything else.”

  “What did you know then?” Justin asked, looking into the rearview mirror.

  “My friend has done nothing wrong, so I don’t think I have to tell you.” She pressed her lips together.

  “Honey—”

  Justin interrupted. “I won’t force you, Ginger, but if these men are connected, it could—”

  “I told you they are not.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Justin said in a dry tone.

  They rode in silence until he stopped in front of Archy’s house.

  “This is Mr. Wainwright’s home?” Ginger asked in awe.

  “Yeah. When we were kids, it was a lot of fun living here. Now I think it would be difficult. Dad won’t admit it, but the house isn’t the same without my mother. They’re divorced, and my mother, Kate, lives in a separate cottage on the property,” Justin explained to Ginger.

  “She seems very nice.”

  “You’ve met her?” Joe asked in surprise.

  “Why, no, but I’ve waited on Mrs. Wainwright before. Sometimes I work the Empire Room on the weekends.”

  “Come on in, and I’ll introduce you to Archy.”

  Joe helped Ginger out. She clung to his hand. “Joe, I don’t think I should. He may not want a waitress in his house.”

  “Don’t worry,” he assured her, grateful she hadn’t been there earlier when he’d revealed his marriage to Archy. “By the way, how did you do on the test?”

  “I think I did well,” she said with a smile. “I forgot all about that when the men scared me.”

  “Put them out of your mind,” Joe said, his arm wrapped around her.

  Archy met them at the door, waving the housekeeper away. “Come in. Everything all right?” he asked as he stuck out his hand to Ginger.

  She shook his hand and said, “I think I overreacted. I’m sorry I disturbed your evening.”

  “Think nothing of it, little lady. Come in.”

  Archy was hospitable to Ginger and they spent half an hour visiting before Joe suggested they leave. He pointed out that Ginger had to work in the morning.

  “You’re still making your wife work?” Archy asked in surprise.

  Joe sent him a rueful grin. “No, my wife insists she continue working, but she’s cut back her hours.”

  Archy turned to Ginger. “You need to be thinking about babies, not working at the club.”

  Ginger appeared startled, and Justin protested Archy’s interference at once.

  “On that note,” Joe said, standing, “I’m taking my wife home. Thanks for the evening and the advice,” he said, shaking Justin’s and Archy’s hands.

  Ginger quietly bid everyone good-night and left with Joe. In the car, she said, “They were very nice. I was afraid they would embarrass you because I’m a waitress.”

  Crossing his fingers, Joe said, “They would never do that, Ginger. Sorry we stayed so late.”

  “It’s all right. It’s only now ten o’clock, when I usually get home from class.”

  “Well, no school tomorrow night. How about we go clothes shopping tomorrow? After you get off work, we can shop and eat dinner out. That would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

  “I don’t need any clothes.” She stared straight ahead at the dark road.

  He shot her a quick look. “Yes, you do. People are going to ask you to go places and do things and there won’t be time to go shopping. So you not only need a dress for Saturday night, but you also need more clothes for all kinds of things.”

  She didn’t say anything.

  He let it go until they got home. Once they were safely locked in their condo, he suggested a piece of the cake she’d made for dinner earlier. “I like chocolate cake.”

  Ginger frowned. “I’ll cut you a piece, but I don’t think I need one.”

  “Yes, you do. All that adrenaline takes a lot out of you. Besides, as your husband, I can tell you I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” he assured her, waggling his eyebrows to try to raise a smile.

  Ginger was still worrying, but she agreed to join him at the table.

  After she took her first bite of chocolate cake, she said, “My life has changed a lot since last Friday.”

  “Yeah, mine, too. So much has happened in such a short time. But you’ll have to admit it’s been interesting,” he added.

  They finished their cake and rinsed the dishes.

  “Ready for bed?” Joe asked, sensing some tension still in Ginger.

  She ducked her head. “It’s silly, I know, but—but I’m a little nervous about being alone.”

  “Honey, you can sleep with me if you want. I’ll be happy to hold you all night.”

  She smiled but shook her head. “I’ve caused you enough problems. I’m sure I’ll go to sleep quickly. I’ll be fine.”

  “Tell you what, after you get ready for bed, you can open your door before you go to sleep. I’ll stay up until you’re all tucked in. I’ll leave my door open, too, so I can hear you if you need something.”

  She leaned closer and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Joe. You are so sweet to me.”

  She slipped into her bedroom and closed the door. Joe wandered over to the sofa and turned on a baseball game from the West Coast. He needed something to keep him from thinking about holding Ginger in his arms in his big bed.

  He wanted to hold her for many reasons, not least of which was the hunger that was growing every day. A hunger he needed to control, because he’d promised her he wouldn’t take advantage of her situation.

  But he also wanted to hold her safe. Ginger may think she overreacted tonight, but he didn’t. If those men hadn’t been waiting for her, why did they run? No, they were waiting for Ginger. But why?

  They had another leisurely breakfast, which, Ginger decided, was a lovely way to start off the day. She couldn’t remember any leisure time before she married Joe.

  She also discovered that returning to the routine of her job was a relief, too. She was with Daisy, able to exchange thoughts and laugh together. Though the opening for the Men’s Grill wasn’t until Saturday evening, they were already serving meals there. Daisy was sent there, but Ginger, too young to serve the drinks in the Men’s Grill, remained in the Yellow Rose Café.

  Still, even without Daisy in the room, Ginger was relaxed. Because they weren’t crowded today, she had time to chat with her customers and even take a break or two.

  Toward the end of lunch hour, Johnny Mercado came in. Ginger had never served him before because Erica had always insisted that he sit in her section. Erica, however, wasn’t working today. One of the other waitresses told Ginger that Erica had cut down on her hours also, a couple of days before Ginger did so.

  Poor Harvey Small. He must be looking to hire new waitresses.

  With a smile, Ginger approached Mr. Mercado’s table. Though rumored to be part of the local crime syndicate, he looked to Ginger like a nice grand-fatherly type, gray-haired and quiet.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Mercado,” she said. “What may I bring you to drink?”

  “Iced tea, please. And I’ll have a club sandwich. It won’t take long, will it?”

  “No, sir. I’ll put the order in right away.”

  “Thank you.”
/>   Ginger did as she’d promised, wondering all the while if the rumor was true.

  Ginger brought his iced tea and then, when it was ready, the sandwich. “Is there anything else I can bring you?”

  “No, thanks.”

  Since he was her last customer, she went behind the partition that kept customers from seeing the kitchen and perched on a stool. If she was going to shop this afternoon, she should save her feet as much as possible.

  Startled by the ring of a telephone, she peeked around the partition to see Mr. Mercado answering his cell phone. She sat back on the stool, leaning her head against the wall.

  “Ricky? That you? I’ve been worried.”

  She realized she was hearing Mr. Mercado’s phone conversation, but she was sure it didn’t matter. Besides, she had nowhere else to sit.

  “A success? You mean Luke and Westin are all right?” After a pause, he said, “Oh, no! That’s terrible!”

  Ginger decided half a conversation wasn’t very satisfying. Besides, she didn’t know who Luke and Westin were.

  “No, there’s not much going on around here—oh, except there was a kidnapping. That baby they found out on the golf course—she was taken from the Carson ranch.”

  Ginger straightened from the wall. The man was talking about Daisy’s baby.

  “I don’t know, Ricky. Frank seems to think so. I want to believe it, but it’s been a long time since they told us Haley died. If Haley is alive, why wouldn’t she let us know?”

  Ginger wondered who Haley was and what she was to Mr. Mercado.

  “Yeah, I know Frank was crazy about her, but—You could be right. Okay, I’ll keep my eye on him. When will you be back?”

  He picked up a quarter of his sandwich and took a bite. “That soon? Good, we can go to the opening of the Men’s Grill together Saturday night. Hurry home, son.”

  Well, at least now she knew who Ricky was. Did Joe know him? Should she say anything to him about it? No, she didn’t think so. It was none of her business. What could it matter, anyway?

  She got off the stool and took a pitcher of iced tea to the man’s table to refill his drink.

  She only had half an hour before she could go home. She was discovering a lot of pleasure in her new schedule, thanks to Joe.

  “Hi, honey. Got time to serve me a hamburger?” Joe asked as he slid into a booth in Ginger’s section.

  “Of course. But there’s plenty of food at home,” she reminded him.

  “Yeah, but we’re going shopping. I don’t want to take the time to go home and fix lunch. Have you eaten yet?”

  “No, I don’t want to eat free when I’m leaving at two.”

  Joe sighed but he had a grin on his face. “Lady, you are too tenderhearted. Order two hamburgers to go.”

  “What do you want on them?” she asked with a frown.

  “Everything but onions since we’re going shopping. Put what you want on the other one.”

  Shaking her head, she went back to the kitchen.

  When they left a few minutes later, Ginger carried the sack with their lunch. Once they were in the car, they started eating.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I asked my mother and Amy to come with us.”

  “Okay. Do they need to shop, too?”

  Joe chuckled. “No. But I figured you might have questions about what would be appropriate for Saturday night, and I wouldn’t have the answers. That’s why Amy is coming along. Mom is there to make sure you buy enough.”

  She stared at him, horror on her face. “That—that’s rotten! I don’t want to buy a lot of clothes. That would be wasting your money!”

  He was still grinning. “I want to be proud of my wife! You’re beautiful, Ginger. I want everyone to know it.”

  “Is this part of being your wife so people will believe us?”

  “Exactly.” Joe knew that tactic would work. He changed the subject. “How was work today? Were you crowded?”

  “No, not at all. Uh, do you know who Johnny Mercado is?”

  He frowned. “Yeah, why?”

  “I just wondered. The other waitresses say he’s like my stepfather, but he seems very nice.”

  “I’m not sure what the truth is, honey, but let’s not hang around him. We’ve got enough to deal with.”

  “Okay,” she said agreeably.

  When they got to his mother’s house, Amy was already there. She’d made her husband take half a day off and come baby-sit the kids, which she thought was a good idea.

  Joe pulled her aside. “Amy, I’ve already told Mom, but I want Ginger dressed from the skin out. She’ll protest buying anything. Try to hide the price tags and tell her it’s expected for my wife to dress nicely. People will think I’m a failure if she isn’t dressed well.”

  “Joe, surely I won’t have to go that far,” Amy said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, you will. Especially for the underwear, because she’ll point out it can’t be seen. She’s had a rough life. I want to make her happy. But we’ll have to force her.”

  Several hours later, Amy understood what Joe had meant. Only following Joe’s advice enabled her to convince Ginger to buy the outfits. As Joe had predicted, the underwear was especially difficult to get her to buy. Mrs. Turner helped there.

  “But, dear, you want to please your husband when—I mean, every bride wants to tempt her husband.”

  Ginger’s cheeks flamed and she hurriedly agreed, not protesting again until she caught sight of the price tag for one lacy bra in sky blue. “That’s too expensive!” she exclaimed.

  “Oh, no, dear, it’s well worth it,” Vivian said. “That’s the exact color of your eyes.”

  “It’s not her eyes he’ll be looking at,” Amy whispered, chuckling.

  Thursday was another long day for Ginger. Joe thought about trying to convince her to skip school, but he decided that would be wrong of him. After two o’clock Friday, she would have the rest of the day and the entire weekend free.

  Except for Saturday evening when she would appear at the opening as his wife and make every man there jealous. Amy and his mother had helped her select a blue watered-taffeta sheath the exact color of her eyes. When she’d come out of the dressing room to seek his approval, she’d taken his breath away.

  Remembering the way she looked wasn’t good for his blood pressure. Or his self-control. And he had to stay in control because he needed to stay close to her to make sure she was safe.

  So here he was sitting in his car at the club, fifteen minutes early, to pick her up. Maybe he’d go in and find her. That would be better than just sitting here. The air was warming up and he didn’t like getting hot.

  Inside, he found a lot of people still dining in the café. He grabbed a small table and asked Ginger for a soda when she had a minute. At least here he could watch her work. Her graceful movements and friendly smile told him why she was so popular.

  When two o’clock rolled around, she set a plate of nachos in front of him.

  “What’s this? Aren’t we ready to leave?”

  “Mr. Small needs me to stay another half hour and he said maybe you wouldn’t mind if you had something to munch on.”

  He glared at her. “You’re supposed to get off at two. You have a class tonight.”

  “Please, Joe? It’s just half an hour. Or as soon as my tables clear. It won’t be that long.”

  “I suppose so, but I don’t like it.”

  “Pedro put extra cheese on the nachos,” she told him with a smile.

  He sniffed the nachos and pretended to be overcome by the aroma. “Oh, well, in that case…” Then he gave her a stern look. “Two-thirty, no longer. You need to rest.”

  To his surprise, she kissed him on the cheek and sang out, “Yes, dear, whatever you say.” Then she danced away to the kitchen.

  He grinned at the nachos. She was getting sassy now that she was getting some rest. He liked that. But he suspected she’d have him wrapped around her finger in no time—if she hadn’t already.

/>   His mother had told him last night how much she’d enjoyed herself. Amy had always been her favorite daughter-in-law, but already Ginger was a close second. Unfortunately, she’d gone on to say as soon as she gave his mother grandchildren, Ginger would be as much a favorite as Amy.

  Those words brought to mind a picture of Ginger holding a redheaded baby in her arms and giving Joe that teasing smile she’d just used. He’d never thought about having children. Now, however, he would give anything to know that his future included Ginger and their children.

  Ginger appeared beside him. “I’m ready now. See, it only took twenty minutes. You haven’t even finished your nachos.”

  “I wanted to save some for you, sweetheart.” He shoved the platter toward her. She slipped into the seat across from him and ate a couple. His hunger had returned and he joined her. In no time, the platter was empty.

  “I’ll take this to the kitchen and wipe off the table. Then we can go,” she assured him with a grin.

  He rose and moved to the hall that led to the parking lot.

  Quickly she joined him and slipped her arm in his. “I’m going to wear my new jeans and the dark blue sweater when I get home. Thank you so much for my beautiful new clothes.”

  “My pleasure, honey. Since I get to see you in them, it really is my pleasure.” He leaned over and kissed her soft lips.

  She made no objection at first. Her lips were soft and sweet and he couldn’t help himself. But then she jerked away. “We mustn’t do that. There’s no one watching.” She pulled her hand away and rushed down the hall in front of him.

  Joe didn’t try to catch up. Maybe they both needed a little distance.

  But when he came through the door and saw the same two men from Tuesday night dragging Ginger toward a nearby car, he changed his mind.

  Eight

  “Stop!” Joe shouted, charging the two men. Movement out of the corner of his eye showed him one of the kitchen workers having a cigarette, staring openmouthed at the situation. “Go call 911! Hurry!”

  Ginger appeared to bite one of the men who was trying to hold a handkerchief to her nose. She wobbled a little, but Joe grabbed the other man’s arm and jerked him away from Ginger. As he did so, he ordered, “Scream, Ginger, as loud as you can.”