Authors: Kate Vale
“Do you agree—that it is?” She looked up at him, her eyes dancing.
“Especially when a pretty woman walks with me,” he replied.
The coloring in her cheeks, already pink from the cold, seemed to deepen.
“Would you like to get a cup of coffee, or hot chocolate?” he offered, not wanting to leave, afraid they would soon have completed their walk as they approached an area of parked cars.
“Let me put Sammie in my car first.” She pointed to a van under a tall maple, its branches bare.
He held the door for her as she urged the dog to jump in. Sam whined when she shut and locked the door.
“He’ll be all right?”
“Maybe unhappy, but he’ll be fine. We can get hot chocolate in that place over there.” She pointed to a small café just off the park.
He ordered two cups and carried them back to the table where she was unbuttoning her heavy coat. He willed his eyes to move upward from her body and back to her face.
“So, what else is new besides the dog? Didn’t you say, when you were at the beach, that you wanted to do some traveling?”
Maybe in my direction?
She looked up at him when he said that. “I’m surprised you remember.”
The way she was looking at him. Was that why his blood was surging?
“Actually, I took a cruise, but I’m thinking of taking a road trip—maybe this summer, after the snow’s gone.”
“You’re welcome to stop at my place—if you ever get to Montana,” he said.
She sipped her hot chocolate, her lashes covering downcast eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good.” He thought about other things he wanted to ask her then decided against it, not wanting her to think he was pushy. When it was clear she’d finished her drink and his cup, too, was empty, he rose and extended his hand. “It was nice to see you again, Suzanna.” She placed her small hand in his larger, tanned one. A zing of something like electricity shot through him. Whatever he’d been thinking to ask her was gone. Burned out of his brain.
When he returned to Jamie’s car, he realized he hadn’t asked for her phone number. A quick drive to the other parking area revealed she’d already left.
Damn.
An opportunity lost. What were the chances he’d be lucky enough to bump into her again?
Chapter 4
Suzanna looked around the reserved parking spots beneath Brad’s highrise office building. Some cars like Brad’s Mercedes dotted the area. Nearby, she spied a pair of vans.
Soccer moms?
Maybe employees.
Her brain jumped to Tiffany, Brad’s most recent paralegal. A chill skittered down her back.
I do
not
want to see her
.
The elevator was blessedly empty. She used the time it took to whoosh her to the twenty-fifth floor to gain a semblance of calm. She patted her hair and ran a hand down the front of her camel hair coat. When the doors opened, she was caught, as always, by the look of ultraprofessionalism of the glass-and-steel entrance to the law office.
Boyington, French and Wallace.
T
he dark silver lettering shone against the glass door.
When will they change the name?
The receptionist smiled at her. “Welcome, Mrs. Wallace.”
It’s been so long. What is her name?
Suzanna handed over her coat. “Thank you.”
George opened his door and smiled broadly at her. “Suzanna. I’m glad you could come in today.” He nodded briefly to the receptionist. “Please hold my calls, Joan.”
Joan Whitehead. I should have remembered that.
He directed Suzanna to the small conference table near the floor-to-ceiling windows of his corner office and held her chair for her. “Would you like coffee or tea?”
“Tea, please.” She scanned the office. George’s desk was a polished lake of beautiful burled oak. The wall of law books behind the desk clearly stated what he did.
“Let me tell you what Lloyd and I have come up with,” he began, and for the next ten minutes he briefed her on how the partners were suggesting she sell Brad’s portion of the practice. “If we haven’t identified a potential new partner, a buyer, in six months, Lloyd and I will reconsider all this.”
“Do you think you’ll have trouble finding someone?”
He gave her a soothing smile.
“No. I’ve taken the liberty of alerting two men at the law school. They are familiar with our firm and the work we do. I’ve already received the names of three people who look promising. We’re conducting formal interviews in the next few days. We’ve reserved the right to approve the sale with the stipulation that whoever comes into the practice will be purchasing it from you.”
“What about a payment schedule? Surely someone new won’t necessarily have the money to buy it outright.”
“We’re not recommending that. From a tax standpoint, it probably would be better if you receive monthly payments for at least a couple of years with an option of a balloon payment at the end of that period. I suggest you talk to your accountant about that. If she has other ideas, have her call me.”
“That’s sounds fair.” Suzanna recalled the amount in her savings account, reviewed the other day, and what she had received from the sale of Brad’s car. “Brad left us comfortable,” she murmured, remembering her surprise at the large insurance payment that had arrived shortly after the funeral, a policy she never knew he had.
“Good. I don’t believe I told you how shocked we were when we learned of Brad’s death.” The man’s eyes skimmed her face then seemed to focus on his half-empty coffee cup. “A heart attack… and while you were on vacation, taking time off. We’d urged him to do that, you know.”
She recalled how angry Brad had been when he came home that day, spitting fire that the senior partners had said he had to take a vacation.
I’m going to ask.
She hoped it seemed casual when she covered her heated cheeks with her hands.
“George, is Brad’s paralegal still here?”
His eyes darkened when he glanced back at her. “Uh, no. We let her go a few days after Brad left on vacation. She wasn’t working out. We, Lloyd and I… We thought it best that she be gone before Brad returned. We had arranged for him to use one of our paralegals until he found the right person …” His voice trailed off.
He turned in his chair and reached for the documents that had been placed on his desk by the woman who’d entered and left again so quietly while they’d been talking.
“This is the draft of the contract pertaining to the sale of Brad’s practice. Take it home. If you want to have it reviewed by an attorney of your choosing, feel free.”
“I don’t think I need to do that. I trust you, George—you and Lloyd.”
“I know you do, but don’t let that stop you from getting independent legal advice. Perhaps you’ll want to have your accountant review it, too.”
Her eyes misted over without warning. She reached for a tissue and blew her nose, hoping George hadn’t noticed.
He refilled her tea cup and handed her a small plate with those exquisite chocolate-covered shortbread cookies she remembered from previous visits to the office. Kevin loved those cookies.
“So, tell me, Suzanna. What are you doing these days? Making any plans for the warmer weather, when it finally arrives? We’ve had such a long winter this year.”
She smiled at the man, always so impeccably dressed, every silver hair in place. “Actually, yes—in spite of Penny’s objections.”
“You always were so organized, so efficient.” He paused as he seemed to appraise her. “I see you’re wearing your hair differently. Very becoming.” A dimple in his left cheek she’d never noticed before winked at her. “Is it true that Kevin’s got a serious lady friend? My son said something to me the other day when I was on campus.”
Suzanna broke off her gaze out the window. “Kevin? Oh. You must know something I don’t. He hasn’t mentioned anyone. Then again, he seems to go through girlfriends every other week.”
Let’s hope he doesn’t keep doing that after he ties the knot.
“I understand Penelope’s working for that firm in White Bear Lake.”
“She’s their marketing person, the newer one, which makes her low person on the totem pole. But to hear her tell it, they can’t function without her,” she chuckled.
“Young people need to think they’re indispensable. I’m sure she’ll do well there.” George rose from his seat.
Suzanna reached for the documents and clutched her purse to her side as she walked with the older man to the door. “Thanks, George. I appreciate you going over this with me. I only wish I’d come in sooner. I know you want to find someone as soon as possible.”
“No need to rush. We want to find the right person.” He bussed her cheek affectionately.
“Yes, well … How two such nice people as you and Lloyd could put up with Brad all these years. It still escapes me.”
“He was a talented attorney, Suzanna. His clients are going to miss him. So will we.” But the look in his eye told her perhaps George was also relieved.
Two days later, Penny gazed at her calendar with little post-its tacked over every work day. Too much to do. She would stay late today. Quiet is what she needed, to make her marketing proposal shine.
She opened her phone to order a pizza, then frowned. Her mother had called and invited her for dinner. She hated to turn her down, but every time she went home, she learned of more changes. Her hunger pangs disappeared, replaced by an ache in her stomach as she tried to imagine what was next on her mother’s agenda, and
why
she was changing. The sun was already going down. She needed to get back to work until she had to leave for dinner.
Kevin’s words to her the other night rang in her ears for the hundredth time. That Daddy and Mother hadn’t been getting along and that it wasn’t all her mother’s fault. How could he accuse his own father? Especially when he wasn’t here to defend himself? But Kevin had refused to go into detail, telling her only that she needed to lighten up, to let their mother have some space.
Penny looked out the window at the lights in the businesses across the street and took several deep breaths. She turned back to her laptop and spent the next hour concentrating on her proposal before closing her laptop and turning out the office lights.
When she arrived at the house, this week’s surprise was parked in front of the house.
“A Jeep?
You got a
Jeep
—and in those awful colors? But you’ve already got a van.
What will the neighbors say?”
Penny asked as soon as she cornered her mother in the kitchen.
“It’s a Wrangler, and it needed a good home
,” her mother replied
.
“
Besides, it
doesn’t
matter what the neighbors s
ay.
Honestly,
Penny, you can’t
live your life
worried about what others think.
”
“But Daddy did. And he …” She knew he never would have approved.
“It’s awesome!” Kevin exclaimed when he
arrived
.
After checking out
the interior, he added, “I
t’s
loaded, GPS even
. You can play your favorite
CD
s
, too
.”
“Yes, I thought it would be just perfect for when I take my
road
trip.”
Her mother handed Penny the salad bowl.
“What trip?” Penny
stared at her. “Y
ou just got back from the cruise.”
“That was six months ago, sis. Besides, if Mom wants to
take a trip
, visit her friends, why shouldn’t she?”
“Her friends all live here, Kev.” Penny
glared at
her brother
.
“
And
that hideous c
amo
!
It looks
like you’re driving an Army car.
”
“
Marine, actually
,” Suzanna said.
“The seller advertised in the newspaper. His son died in Iraq and he wanted his son’s vehicle to go to someone who would enjoy it. That’s me.”
“Aren’t you
at least
going to
have it repainted
?”
Penny asked.
“No.
It’s nearly new, and I
like that color.
Makes
it easier to find at the mall.”
Her mother was grinning at her. Was she daring her to object?
Penny sighed, giving up the battle.
“Mother, have you thought of getting a
highlight and
rinse when you go to the hairdresser’s? I noticed some gray hairs—and it’s getting
really
long.
You really do need a cut.
”
Suzanna pursed her lips
, her voice unusually firm
. “
Penelope May.
My hair has always been brown,
but
when it turns white
, so be it. Besides,
I’ve earned
every one of those gray hairs.
” She
sat down at the table
.
“Kevin, are you ready for a spin
after dinner
? How about you,
Penny
?”
“I’ll pass.”
After dinner, Kevin opened the passenger door of the Wrangler.
“I’m ready
to check out this baby
.”
He looked at his mother. “
What about Sam? Can he come, too?”
“Sur
e.”
Penny watched them go, then left for her office. Maybe working on her proposal would settle her nerves.
Margaret opened the back door and entered Suzanna’s kitchen. “So, what’
s
going on
?”
“
I’m thinking of
taking
a trip.”
“
Back to the beach house? Want me to bring you the key
?”
Suzanna shook her head. “
No more beach for a while.
I was
driving the Jeep the other day
, and it was fun tooling down the road with the
CD player
on, and no one to bother me.
Before the children, I dreamed about
exploring
the country
. What do you think? Am I crazy
to even consider such a thing?”
The invitation from that nice Mr. Kingsley came to mind.
“
You’re not crazy. I’d say you’re totally sane, and it’s about time you moved yourself to the head of the line.
”
Suzanna
placed her tea cup on the matching saucer.
“
I’m going to ask Penny to take
care of the household bills
while I’m gone. Maybe that will help her be more positive, sort of like she’s taking care of me, like she keeps trying to do. George called this morning and said they’d found a new associate, and he’s going to buy Brad’s portion of the practice. That’s one less thing to worry about
.”