His Inherited Wife

by Barbara McMahon

  “So we have a pattern we like. Can’t we work with that developer to get what we want on a special order?” Shannon asked.

  “Too many people would be involved. It would compromise the security levels,” Jase said. He’d looked into this—did she think he hadn’t?

  “Not if you limit the programmers involved and had them working here, but under contract with the other firm. Why reinvent the wheel?” she countered. “I don’t think we need to develop our own.”

  He felt his irritation rise. They’d agreed to present a united front and she was not holding up her end of the bargain.

  “It’s something to consider. We’ll discuss this before making any firm decisions.” Jase looked around the table. “Anything else?”

  Men and women shook their heads, darting uncertain glances at Shannon.

  “Thank you for coming,” he said, standing. He gathered his notes and left the conference room. “Shannon, could I see you a moment?” he asked in passing.

  “I’m on my way out to lunch. Maybe later,” she said, avoiding his eyes.

  From the silence in the conference room, Shannon knew she’d just done something astonishing. Did no one tell the boss no? She gathered the reports, her notes and pencil and rose. Jase was still standing in the doorway, looking at her. Judging by his expression, he wasn’t a happy camper. And she knew why. But she was not going to be intimidated by the man. If he thought she was just some token staff member to placate until the year was up, it was time he found out differently.

  She walked to the doorway, conscious of every eye in the room on her. Smiling politely, she stopped just short of where Jase blocked the entrance. She would not make a scene by pushing past him. But if he didn’t move, they were stuck.

  “This won’t take long,” he said.

  “Then come have lunch with me. I’ll treat. I have an appointment at two to see that apartment on North Point.”

  She watched him clench his jaw and then nod once before he walked out. A moment later he entered his office. She waited for him to slam the door, but he didn’t even close it.

  Shannon went back to her own office, feeling buffeted and shaky. The meeting had gone fine. It was his last challenge that raised her ire. She did not think they should develop their own software—there were a myriad of reasons why ordering special features to a tested product made sense. Alan would have been as concerned.

  Her office gave her no respite. It was stark and un-adorned. If she was to work comfortably here, she wanted plants, some colorful paintings on the wall and maybe an area rug to soften the austerity. Until then, it didn’t feel like hers. She was borrowing the office for a year. Would she feel at home any time in the next twelve months? Could she and Jase work together? So far she felt as if they were walking a fine line, any jarring motion and one or the other would topple.

  She did not plan for it to be her!

  She put her notes down, picked up her purse and turned to leave. She wasn’t sure where to eat, but surely they could find some place on the way to North Point.

  Jase joined her at the elevator. “Thought your invitation was for lunch,” he said.

  “Oh, you didn’t really respond, so I thought the answer was no,” she said sweetly, smiling to confuse the man.

  “And I thought we were going to present a united front to the staff. Your ideas with the software weren’t bad, but have already been considered,” he said.

  Going by his narrowed eyes, she knew he wasn’t buying her happy front.

  “You might have waited to bring up the matter until after we had discussed it. I told you when I first got here that I have reservations about creating our own software,” she replied.

  “You might have kept our nine o’clock appointment so I could bring you up to speed on the subject,” he returned.

  “Is that what you planned at that meeting?” she asked as the elevator doors opened. There were several other people already inside. “To browbeat me into compliance?”

  Several faces turned their way.

  Jase glanced around, frowned and faced the front.

  “I would have gone over the background of the project, so you didn’t need to bring up things we’ve already hashed out.”

  “I thought I should come up to speed with the reports from the operatives directly, to save you repeating everything,” she said. “I didn’t know the software project was imminent.”

  Jase had planned to tell her exactly why he wanted the new software, the ideas that had been bandied around, and why his way was best. Instead, she acted like Alan would have. But if she thought she would be an actual part of the business, she had another think coming. While Shannon might have done a good job running the Washington office, that didn’t necessarily make her partner material. What had Alan been thinking?

  She barely reached his shoulder. Her hair was worn free, brushing her shoulders. The honey-brown tones with their streaks of gold caught the light and seemed to shimmer. The navy suit she wore should have made her look standoffish, but it had the opposite effect on him. He wanted to remove the jacket and see what she wore beneath it. A shell? A camisole? Or only some flirty little lacy bra?

  Jase watched the numbers change as the elevator descended. He could smell the light fragrance she wore. It reminded him of other days—when she’d first come to work for them in Washington. He’d wanted to ask her out, but struggled with the idea of dating an employee.

  Obviously Alan had had no such compunction. Jase still remembered how he felt when Alan had come in one day and said he and Shannon were dating. Unconsciously Jase’s hands fisted. He’d kicked himself for delaying. For once in their relationship, Alan had not been the cautious one.

  When the elevator stopped at the lobby, Shannon walked out and turned toward the double doors leading to the street. “Where’s a good place to eat quickly? The meeting ran longer than I expected. I have to be at the apartment at two.”

  “I’ll take you there. I have my car.”

  “I can get a cab,” she said, stopping to look at him.

  Jase never realized before how blue her eyes were. Deep and clear, they looked up into his with uncertainty.

  “I’ll take you,” he reiterated.

  “Why would you bother?” she asked.

  “To make sure you get a good deal,” he said. “You can bargain with the landlord, you know. Don’t sign at the first price.”

  She shrugged. “No, I didn’t know. I lived with roommates before I married Alan and then we lived in his home. Thank you for the tip.”

  It was the least he could do for his friend. Make sure his wife—widow—didn’t get rooked by some landlord asking more than he should for an apartment.

  By late afternoon Shannon was frustrated beyond measure. The apartment on North Point had been small, dark and damp. She had not liked it at all. Jason had firmly vetoed the idea after seeing only the entrance and front door.

  “No security,” he’d said.

  “I’ll be fine,” she’d argued, just to keep her hand in.

  “We need to practice what we preach,” he said smoothly, standing in the living room as she viewed the bedroom and bath.

  “It’s not for me,” she said. “But not because of the lack of security.”

  The landlord had blustered that they lived in a safe neighborhood, but Jase had quoted statistics on the crime rate that had shut the man up.

  He’d taken her to two other addresses on her list, more to show her what she was looking at for the price than because he thought she should seriously consider either neighborhood.

  “So where should I live?” she asked when they were back in his car after the third apartment had fallen short of her expectations.

  “My neighborhood, but there’s nothing available I know about. I’ll put out some feelers.”

  “Great. And in the meantime I stay in the hotel? I can’t afford that indefinitely.” Shannon wondered if Jase’s plan was to get her so discouraged she retreated to Washington
, leaving him in complete control.

  He looked at her, not starting the car. “I’m going to Vancouver later in the week and I’ll be gone several days. You can stay in the guest room at my place while you keep looking. I’ll have Maryellen try to get some other listings,” he offered.

  “Stay at your place?” For a moment her heart seemed to skip a beat. Stay with Jason?

  “Alan did whenever he came without you,” Jase said easily.

  “I know, but it’s hardly the same thing.”

  “Relax, Shannon. I won’t even be there. Take the time to find a good place, and save some money by staying free at my apartment.”

  It made sense. If he were gone, why not?

  “Okay, thanks for the offer. When do you leave?”

  “Wednesday afternoon, after work.”

  “What will you be doing in Vancouver?” she asked.

  “We have a prospective deal lined up with a firm up there that does a lot of work with the Asian markets. A number of Chinese from Hong Kong resettled in Vancouver. Some of the businessmen there are interested in security for travel back and forth to various cities in Asia.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “A week or longer. I’m not sure.”

  That gave her a week to find an apartment and move. If not, she could always go back to the hotel. But at least she’d save a few dollars in the meantime. Not that money was tight yet. But she hated to dip into her savings.

  Though, now that the time was at hand, she wanted to talk to Jase about her salary.

  By Wednesday when Jason was scheduled to leave, Shannon felt more at home at the office. She was still reviewing reports from various operators. Her exposure to the operatives in Washington had been limited. This was the real heart of the organization. Had Alan known that?

  Keeping in touch with their east coast operatives also took hours each day. She went back to the hotel tired each night, but satisfied she was doing what she could for Morris and Pembrooke.

  Wednesday, she’d checked out of the hotel at lunch and taken a cab to Jason’s apartment. The driver carried up her bags and placed them just inside the door.

  Jason drove her to the apartment building after work. He’d pick up his own suitcase before heading to the airport.

  “I can leave you the car,” he said as they drove through the rush-hour traffic.

  “I don’t need it. I can get to work with no trouble and I’ll take cabs when going to see prospective apartments. I’m not some green country girl unused to the big city. I’m from Washington, remember.” Looking at the traffic, she knew she’d rather have someone else drive—not risk a ding on his expensive sports car.

  “Okay. Just don’t sign any lease until I see the place,” he said.

  Shannon wanted to argue, but she knew better. Jason had a stubborn streak a mile wide. If it made him feel better to vet her new place before she signed on the dotted line, so be it. But she would choose the apartment, and negotiate the deal. She was not going to depend on him.

  He opened the door to the apartment. Jason had given her a key earlier, but she still felt very much a visitor.

  “Brief tour,” he said. Pointing to the left, “Kitchen and eating area. Straight ahead is the living room. Feel free to use the CD player, TV, whatever. To our right are the bedrooms.” He lifted her suitcases and walked down the hall, passing two rooms and entering the last one. He put the cases near the bed, glancing around.

  Shannon followed him in. The large bed was centered against the side wall. Drapes flanked the high window. There was a dresser and nightstand. Carpet on the floor muffled her steps.

  “It’s nice,” she said politely, wondering if he had something against pictures. There were none on any walls that she could see.

  “Bath through there. It also opens into the hall.”

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded and went to one of the doors he’d passed earlier. A moment later he came out carrying his own suitcase. Shannon walked into the living room, feeling out of place in the modern design. She and Alan had used his family’s furnishing, most of them antiques.

  “Have a good trip,” she said as he opened the front door. Nodding his thanks, he left the apartment. She closed the door and turned; now she could explore to her heart’s content, without his critical eye on her.

  Surveying the living room she was struck again by the sleek masculine lines everywhere. The dark furniture was rather heavy for her tastes, but would be perfect for a man like Jason. She was surprised there weren’t pictures anywhere on the walls. No clutter marred the polished surfaces of the tables either. It looked like a photo shoot in Modern Living or something. Didn’t the man live here?

  She walked down the hall. The first bedroom was his. She paused in the doorway, peering in. The king-size bed dominated the room. There was a highboy dresser and a night table with a lamp. Nothing else. She stepped inside and realized immediately that she could smell him in the air. Her eyes went to his closet door, and she wondered what was inside. There was a door on the adjacent wall leading to a private bath.

  Sighing softly, she turned back to the hall and went to her bedroom. Smaller than his, with a queen-size bed, it looked as stark as her hotel room. She placed her suitcase on the mattress and opened the door to a large walk-in closet. Her clothes wouldn’t take up a tenth of the space.

  Quickly she put away her things, then went to the kitchen to make herself some dinner.

  Shannon felt Jase’s presence around her as she worked. The refrigerator had been freshly stocked. There were plenty of canned goods and packaged food in the pantry, but she suspected the man ate out a lot, or ordered dinner delivered.

  After eating, she took a quick shower and changed into casual clothes. She had the entire evening ahead of her. She went over the new listings Maryellen had printed out but nothing struck her fancy. Maybe she should spend Saturday wandering around the city to get a feel for the different neighborhoods.

  She watched TV until almost eleven, growing bored with the last show and switching it off before it ended.

  When the phone rang, she hesitated. Should she answer it? Surely Jase had an answering machine.

  He did, and she could hear it from the living room.

  “Shannon? Are you still up?” It was Jase.

  She picked up the portable phone on the coffee table. “I am,” she said.

  “I forgot to tell you about the security code,” he said.

  “For?”

  “The lock on the front door. Didn’t you notice it?”

  She looked at the door. Beside it was a panel of buttons.

  “I do now,” she said. She and Alan had had a similar one in their home. These men believed in security in their own homes as well as the ones they sold to clients.

  “Do you need to write the code down?”

  “Yes, I had better. I know, don’t leave it lying around,” she said before he could. Alan had drilled that into her often enough.

  “I expected you’d know the routine,” he said.

  “Are you in Vancouver already?”

  “Got in about twenty minutes ago. Still waiting for luggage.”

  “Okay, ready,” she said. She jotted down the numbers on the pad. “Hold on while I give it a shot.”

  She carried the phone with her to the door, punching in the code. The green light was replaced by red.

  “I’m armed. Just let some burglar try to come in,” she said. “How was your flight?”

  “Uneventful. What did you do this evening?”

  “Fixed dinner. You have a lot of food. Bought for me?”

  “I eat, too,” he said, evading a direct answer.

  “Then I watched some TV. I got bored, however, and was about to go to bed.”

  “I won’t keep you. Call me if you need anything.” He gave her the name of the hotel he was staying in before he hung up.

  She jotted that down on the notepad as well. The call had cheered her somewhat. She was
feeling lonely. At home she had friends and activities and, of course, for the last five years, she’d had a husband.

  Slowly she turned off the lights and went to the bedroom. She hadn’t worked through all the stages of grief yet, but with the change of scenery, change of work and standing up to Jase all the time, she wasn’t as sad and lonely as she had been those first weeks after Alan’s death.

  What was Jase doing tonight? Having a quick drink at a bar before going to bed? Or reviewing the proposal he was giving to the consortium in the morning? She knew so little about him when she thought about it.

  Would he think about her at all tonight?

  Shannon felt the subtle difference in the office Thursday and Friday with Jason gone. The atmosphere was more relaxed. Everyone worked, but that edge she’d come to expect was missing. Employees took things just a little easier without Jase around.

  She found some nice prints at a shop nearby on her lunch break one day, and they now hung on her wall, providing colorful contrasts to the austerity of the furnishing. Two potted violets sat where they got the most light, and one was in full bloom. The rich purple color was one of her favorites.

  Her role was still not clear. She had read every recent report in an attempt to come up to speed on the clients serviced from this office. She kept in constant contact with the employees now working from their homes in the D.C. area. But her days didn’t feel as full as she had hoped. Hadn’t Alan had more involvement? He’d seemed to spend hours on the phone, talking with operatives, with clients. Maybe she should take on a larger role with the clients.

  Friday night she ordered in a pizza, and ate it while watching an old movie. She needed to make some new friends. It was hard to keep in touch with those in Washington. Because of the time difference, by the time she got home, they were getting ready for bed. Once settled in her new apartment, she’d meet her neighbors, scope out neighborhood activities. Maybe get a dog or cat.

  No, not a cat. Too stereotypical of an old maid. Which she wasn’t.

  For a moment panic flared. Would she remain single the rest of her life? She was still young, some of her friends back at home hadn’t even married for the first time, and she didn’t consider them old maids, just busy career women who hadn’t met their true love yet. She had met hers early—and lost him far too soon.