His Inherited Wife

by Barbara McMahon

  The problem was it was lonely. That was the reason she didn’t want to leave. Most of the staff had left for the day, but she could hear some muted conversations from down the hall. Even though she wasn’t a part of the group, she didn’t feel so alone here.

  Was Jase still working? He had a lot to catch up on. Maryellen was still doing some of his work while Pam was being trained. Jase received updates daily when he traveled. Still, there had been stacks of things on his desk when she passed by earlier. He’d been in meetings all day and she bet he was still catching up.

  She reached for her purse and glanced around. She was doing a good job, and was beginning to fit in with the San Francisco office. The main office, now that they’d closed the one in Washington. It gave her a sense of purpose, and a feeling of belonging.

  Shannon walked to Jase’s office. The door was ajar, but the light was off. He must have left already. She felt a wave of disappointment. She’d hoped to catch him before he left. To what end? Dinner? Some time together?

  Another kiss?

  The thought came unbidden, and surprised her. She’d tried to forget that kiss and had no business dreaming about her partner now. She’d been married, loved her husband and was now alone. Maybe someday she’d find someone else to make a life with.

  She decided to walk home. It was growing dark, but there were plenty of people on the sidewalk and she could use the exercise and the diversion. Before long she was climbing one of the steep hills that dotted the city. There were fewer people on the sidewalk now. She was alone on her side of the block, but she wasn’t worried. It was a safe neighborhood and she’d be home before long. She only had another couple of blocks of hill before she turned off and had level walking again. Not like if she went to Jase’s place on the top of Nob Hill. That would be a hike and a half.

  Her apartment was nothing like Jase’s. His was cool, modern, contemporary. Now that her furniture had arrived, hers was more eclectic and homey. She missed some of the antiques from the rooms in the Virginia home, but not as much as she had thought she would. Maybe she’d scour antique shops in San Francisco to see what she could pick up.

  For the time being, her secondhand store items suited her. It wasn’t as if she was entertaining, or trying to show off for people. She had entertained a lot in Virginia. But not with her own friends, more with Alan’s. The couples had usually been one or two decades older than she, with their children grown. She hadn’t noticed so much at the time, but thinking back, she remembered rarely having her own friends over. If they had a large pool party in summer, she’d included them. Her friend Marian especially enjoyed those parties. She had a terrific figure and said she loved having all the men watching but not touching.

  Maybe she’d give Marian a call tonight. She was feeling moody and lonely and hearing from her friend would be just the thing to cheer her up. It had been several weeks since they’d just sat and caught up on gossip.

  Or she could call Jase.

  Her heart tripped at the thought. He wouldn’t need to talk to her tonight, he could have seen her all day. Just because he was now back in the same city she was didn’t mean she needed to interact with him.

  But the thought wouldn’t go away. When she reached her apartment, she dropped her purse and went to the phone. Punching in Jase’s home number, she waited with impatience.

  The phone rang a half dozen times before being answered.

  “Pembrooke,” he said.

  His deep, sexy voice sent shivers down her spine.

  “Hi,” Shannon said. “You cut out from work earlier than I expected.”

  “Sorry, did you need something? I got home and crashed. The time change and all.”

  She’d woken him. Now she felt stupid. “I’m sorry, it’s nothing important. Go back to sleep. I’ll catch you in the morning.”

  “I’m awake now.”

  “It’s nothing.” Her mind went blank. It literally was nothing. She had called just to talk, to take the edge off being alone in her apartment. “See you tomorrow.” She hung up, berating herself for acting like a schoolgirl in the throes of a crush on some boy.

  The phone rang. Resigned, she lifted the receiver.

  “Hi.”

  “How is the new project going?”

  “Great. Haven’t you been reading my updates?”

  “Yeah, I read them. Tell me more than bland statistics.”

  “They aren’t bland! We are really taking off.” Shannon sat on the sofa, kicked off her shoes and spoke with enthusiasm of the project.

  When she wound down several minutes later, she noted he hadn’t said much. “You still there?” she asked.

  “Um. Good work.”

  “Really, Jase, you need your sleep. I can tell you’re tired, or you would have nitpicked something.”

  “I do not nitpick,” he objected.

  She laughed, happy to hear him. “Okay, then you would have found something to challenge.”

  “No, I think you have all the bases covered.”

  “Thank you.” She wanted to hear all he’d been doing while he’d been gone. What the new prospects were, how would that change things in their financial plan. But she knew he had to be exhausted.

  “I have to go now, so you can get back to sleep. Thanks for listening.”

  “Anytime, Shannon, you know that.”

  She hung up reluctantly, wishing they could have had longer on the phone. She knew Jase was watching out for her. Sure he’d make time for Alan’s widow.

  Sighing softly, she rose and went to change into comfy sweats. She’d fix a light meal and see if that mystery she was reading could hold her interest.

  Several hours later Shannon became vaguely aware of sirens sounding. She snuggled down, turning over—and almost fell off the sofa. Sitting up, she looked around. She had fallen asleep reading. Before she could think about getting up to go change and go to bed, there were thudding steps in the hall. A moment later someone pounded on her door.

  “Fire department, anyone inside?” He pounded again.

  She hurried to the door and opened it. A man in full fire turnout gear stood before her, his helmet gleaming in the hall light.

  “Fire on the upper stories, you need to get out. Anyone else in the apartment?”

  “No, I live alone. I’ll get—”

  “Nothing. You have to evacuate immediately. Move, move, move.”

  “My purse, then, that’s all.” She reached back and nabbed it and then was hurried down the hall. The man slapped a large sticker on her door, and shut it. She saw other fire department personnel at other doors, almost pushing the occupants out into the hall, all toward the stairs. It was a strange scene. Fear clogged her. She glanced overhead as if she could see fire, but everything looked normal.

  Heart racing, Shannon joined two of her neighbors in hurrying down the stairs. The fire department personnel had closed the elevator. She could hear another siren coming closer, muffled slightly by the hollow-sounding sounds on the cement stairs.

  Reaching the ground floor, they exited to the street. She hurried into the cool night air wishing she’d picked up a jacket as well as her purse. Others from the apartment building were gathered across the street looking at their building. Most of them were wearing pajamas and robes. She joined them, seeing for the first time the flames coming from upper floor windows that lit up the night.

  A woman near her was sobbing. An older couple looked on, hopelessly. Shannon glanced back. Was the blaze growing? People continued to stream from the building. She hoped no one was in the apartment that was burning and shivered, mesmerized by the flames.

  The hoses began to pour water to the upper reaches. Glass shattered and shards rained down onto the sidewalk in front of the building. The fire was spreading. More trucks arrived and lines were established. Their group was pushed farther away, to get out of the way of the firefighters.

  “Everything I own is in there,” one woman said.

  “Same here,” another replied
.

  “How did it start?” someone asked. No one seemed to know.

  Water was splashing everywhere, the street was soon glistening with it. Still the flames seemed to flare and spread.

  The fight went on for a long time. Shannon didn’t realize she was shivering with cold until her teeth began to chatter. She’d been watching, hoping the fire would soon be extinguished, then wondering if it would be before it consumed the entire building.

  At long last it began to grow darker. The flames weren’t as bright. Men and equipment were everywhere, and finally their teamwork was paying off. The fire was beaten back.

  It looked as if two-thirds of the building had been involved. Broken windows looked like vacant eyes. Even the floors not touched by the fire had been damaged by smoke and water.

  “We’ve arranged for you folks to be taken to one of the local high schools. They have emergency arrangements for large groups. Everything will get sorted out there. The bus is here. Follow me,” one of the firefighters instructed their group. Docilely they all followed to a city bus and climbed aboard. Shannon looked over her shoulder as she got on; her apartment looked as if it had escaped the flames—but not the water damage. How soon before she could return to assess the situation? All her papers were in there, her clothes, what furniture she had, including the new bed and dresser in her bedroom. Surely everything was just wet and could be saved.

  Forty minutes later Shannon had been assigned a cot in a segregated female section of the high school gymnasium. The men were on the opposite side of the cavernous space. The elderly woman who lived on her floor sat on her cot near Shannon, staring at nothing.

  “Are you all right?” Shannon asked, sitting beside her and hugging her a moment.

  “I can’t believe we lost our home. We’ve lived in that apartment for thirty-three years. All we have is there,” she said sadly.

  “I don’t think fire damaged our floor. If it’s only water damage, we’ll save most of our things,” Shannon said, hoping it was true. She had never felt so helpless—except the day Alan had told her he was dying. She wanted to change everything, make the fire never happen, make Alan never get sick. But life didn’t work that way.

  “Is Edward all right?” the elderly woman asked looking around.

  “Your husband?” Shannon asked. At her nod, she looked over her shoulder. “All the guys are over on the other side. I see him near the edge. I’m sure you can go over and tell him good night.”

  “I can’t imagine sleeping tonight. What are we going to do?”

  Shannon wasn’t sure about the next steps to be taken, but she was already wondering if more could have been done to alert the tenants sooner. What has caused the fire? Why hadn’t smoke alarms gone off, or had they, just not on her floor? Maybe as part of their service, the owners should offer a check list of what do to for emergencies just like this. She didn’t have duplicates of her important papers. Her valuable jewelry was merely sitting in a jewelry case on top of her dresser. Shannon didn’t have a clue how to replace things like her marriage license or get another copy of Alan’s death certificate. There was so much the owners could address to offer more to their clients.

  Or maybe Morris and Pembrooke could come up with a checklist in case things went wrong. It could be part of their service to customers. She’d have to talk to Jase about the idea.

  When the lights were dimmed in the huge gym, it was a clear signal it was time to sleep. While darker than it had been, Shannon could still see well enough to get to the doors. Several officials were at the hastily set up staging tables, talking quietly.

  “Any word on when we might be able to return to our homes?” she asked.

  “Not yet. The fire department hasn’t finished. The fire is out, now they are trying to determine the cause. Once they do, and assess the damage and future safety of the building, we will have more word,” one of the men said.

  She thanked him and walked away a few steps. Taking her cell phone from her purse, she dialed Jase.

  The phone rang several times. No wonder, it was four in the morning. Jase was still asleep.

  “Pembrooke,” he responded.

  “Sorry to bother you at this time of night,” Shannon said.

  “What’s wrong?” His voice sounded crisp and alert, not as if she’d just woken him.

  “There was a fire—”

  “At your place? Are you all right?”

  “In my building and yes, I’m fine. But homeless for a while.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “Some high school that is set up for emergencies. All of us from the apartment are here. Almost half the building burned. I don’t think my apartment was touched, except by water.”

  “Which high school? I’ll come get you.”

  “I’ll be fine here,” she said. But she wanted him to come for her. She wanted to be someplace she felt safe. She shivered again, still struggling with the reality of possibly losing her home and maybe some of her possessions.

  “Which high school?” he repeated in a tone of voice that warned her not to argue any further.

  She asked one of the officials and then told Jase. He said he’d be there in less than half an hour.

  Shannon stayed with the people in the hall, not wanting to return to the gym where it was dark and quiet. The despair from everyone was almost tangible. When she heard the firm steps in the hallway, she looked and saw Jase striding toward her. Acting instinctively, she ran until she was enclosed in his strong arms and held tightly. For the first time since she’d woken she felt safe.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “ARE YOU ALL right?” Jase asked again, holding her against him.

  Shannon nodded, rubbing her cheek against his chest. “Tired, and a bit cranky, but physically fine. We don’t know the extent of the damage or when we can reenter the building. At least I had clothes on because I fell asleep reading. Most of the people here are in pajamas and robes. One woman was barefoot. Imagine how cold her feet must be standing on the bare concrete sidewalk. We watched and watched, until the fire was out. Oh, Jase, it was awful.”

  “Was anyone hurt?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Be thankful for that. Come on, you’re coming home with me.”

  She nodded and waved goodbye to the people at the table.

  “I don’t have any clothes to wear to work tomorrow. And I don’t know if water damage has ruined everything I own.”

  “We’ll see to all that when daylight arrives. For now, it’s home and into bed with you.”

  Shannon was soon in the guest bed she’d used when she first arrived in San Francisco. She snuggled down in the covers, feeling chilled to the bone. Knowing Jase was only a few feet away had her warming up fast. She felt safe and secure and slowly she drifted to sleep.

  When she awoke, it was midmorning. She raced from her room, but the rest of the apartment was empty. In the kitchen, propped up by the coffeemaker, was a note from Jase.

  “Thought you needed your sleep. Call me when you wake up and I’ll take you shopping. I’ll check with the fire department on the status of your place.” She studied the bold handwriting, recognizing it from all the notes she’d seen over the years. No ending.

  She tossed it down and poured herself a cup of coffee. What had she expected, love and kisses?

  Not expected, but wouldn’t have minded, she thought.

  Here she was, full circle. She’d stayed at Jase’s when she first came, waiting for her furniture and things. Now she could be stuck here a couple of days, waiting to see when she could return to her apartment.

  She sipped her coffee and made plans. She could get a cab to Union Square and shop in some of the stores there. She just needed the basics for a couple of days. Surely by then she could get back into her apartment. Today was Friday. She’d get two outfits, some undergarments and sleep wear. One new pair of shoes would tide her over. If for some reason she couldn’t get back into her apartment soon, she’d go shoppi
ng for more things tomorrow afternoon.

  No need to trouble Jase. He was not her keeper, much as Alan would have liked.

  At one-fifteen Shannon arrived at work. Harv was the first to spot her and he came over to see how she was. Maryellen and two of the other women’s operatives joined him in pelting her with questions.

  Jase heard the noise and came out of his office and stared at her.

  “I thought you were going to call me,” he said.

  “No need both of us being away from the office. I stopped at the store and got some things and here I am, ready to get back to work. Did you hear anything about when I can return to my apartment?” She still carried the bags containing her old sweats, and the other new clothes she’d bought.

  “Come into my office. I’m sure everyone has things to do,” Jase said.

  The staff took the hint and fled.

  Shannon wondered if she’d ever master that technique. She followed Jase and put her shopping bags on one of the chairs. “Sound like that isn’t good news,” she said. He looked so much better today than yesterday. A night’s sleep—even if interrupted—seemed to have done him a world of good. She knew she looked ragged. It wasn’t fair.

  “According to the fire marshal, they’re still trying to verify the cause of the fire, but it points to wiring that wasn’t up to code. If that’s the case, the entire building will have to be rewired to code before they’ll let the rest of the repairs commence.”

  “Which means no moving back in anytime soon.”

  “They also have to assess the structural damage, to see if it’s safe for anyone to enter. They are hoping to let residents in one at a time over the weekend, to salvage what they can. However, no one will be moving back in soon.”

  “I liked that place,” she said, sitting on one of the visitor chairs. “Now I have to start looking again. And who knows when I’ll get my stuff out of there.”

  “I’ll take you Saturday to get what we can carry out. Furniture will have to remain behind for the moment. But you can get your clothes and things.”

  “The jewelry Alan gave me. Wouldn’t Dean love knowing it’s sitting unprotected in an empty building.”