Accidentally Yours (18 page)

When she put the food on the table and called him she noticed he was no longer on-line, but was playing one of the strategy games in her software collection. She felt a sense of satisfaction, which she quickly shrugged off. Zack
’s social life was none of her business. She just wished there were more good men to go around, or at least more good men she felt compatible with. She was having such a terrible time finding a special man to fall in love with, and she knew other women were, too. Why couldn’t there be five men running after every desirable female instead of the other way around?

“
I like this game,” Zack said, interrupting her thoughts. “It makes me think.”

“
I enjoy it, too. But do you think you can pull yourself away from it long enough to have some dinner?”

“
No problem with that. I’m hungry. Something smells really good. Did you bake bread or something?”

“
They’re bread sticks that come from a refrigerated can. The salad came out of a bag. I’m afraid I’m not much of a cook. ‘Add water and stir’ are my favorite instructions.”

He crossed the room on his crutches,
and it pleased her that in spite of his infirmity he was able to balance himself and pull out her chair before he carefully sat down himself. “I’m sure by the time you’re cooking for a family you’ll be fine.”

That was a topic she preferred not to discuss. Fortunately, there was an easy way out
. “Would you like to say grace?”

Zack blessed the table, and as they accented the flavor of the pasta, salad, and bread with grated
Parmesan cheese, salad dressing, and butter, respectively, he asked how her day at work had been. “I don’t even know what you do.”

She told him.
“Actually, I could use some diplomatic advice about a problem that came up at the office today,” she said. She recounted Annemarie’s problem with her boss. “Any suggestions?”

“
Yeah. Let your boss handle it.”

“
She’s out of the office this week. Besides, I want to handle it myself. I’m ready to make a move into management. Because of an upcoming merger, there might be an opportunity opening up for me to get a promotion. I figure they’ll need to have two managers, one for each site. If I go running to my boss with every little thing that’ll only convince her I can’t handle it.”

“
Good point. So what’d you tell the woman?”

“
That I’d take care of it.”

“
All right. Forget it, then.”

“
You mean do nothing after I told her I would resolve it? I can’t do that, Zack! That’s unethical.”

“
I don’t know what else you can do. If it was someone low on the totem pole it would be different, but the man is a manager, Vivian. What are you going to do, call him in your office and tell him he stinks?”

“
I can’t do that either.”

“
Well, then. Your only option is to do nothing, unless you want to send him an anonymous note.”

She frowned. It seemed so unprofessional to not do anything, like wait staff who delivered food and disappeared until it was time to present the check, leaving you to fend for yourself when you wanted Heinz 57 rather than A
-l on your steak.

But she could think about that later.
There was something she wanted to know. “Zack, did you ever find out what happened to your patient, the little girl with the facial injuries?”

He shook his
head. “I stitched her up as best I could and sent her home with her father. I used absorbable sutures, so they didn’t have to have them removed. I do know the mother recovered, but I don’t know if she demanded they see a plastic surgeon. My hunch is probably not. Private consultations are handled differently from emergency situations. With no insurance they probably wouldn’t have gotten any further than the reception desk. We rarely get to find out what happens to the people who come to the ER for treatment after they leave. People pass in and out all the time.”

*****

“I’m sorry I can’t help you with the dishes,” Zack said after dinner. “After all, with me here you’ve got twice as many.”

“
That’s all right. The last thing I want you to do is do more damage to your elbow.” As Vivian carried the dishes to the kitchen sink she noted that there was just a small amount of sauce left. How nice not to be overwhelmed with leftovers for once. She could get used to this…and having dinner with Zack every night, exchanging feelings and ideas as they enjoyed their meal, preferably a meal they had both played a part in preparing. What would happen now that dinner was over?

The telephone began to ring. She glanced at the caller ID panel on her kitchen extension. It was Bernard.

“You haven’t forgotten dinner tomorrow?” he asked.

“
No, of course not, but I’m doing my dishes right now. Can I get the directions from you tomorrow?”

“
Sure. I’ll call you at the office. How did it go today?”

“
Pretty good. You feeling all right?”

“
Better. I’ll be glad to go home this weekend. I’m really looking forward to seeing you, Vivian. I haven’t called because I know you’re busy this week, but I’ve missed you.”

She chose her words carefully.
“It’ll be nice to see you, Bernard.”

Tension underscored her mood as she washed the dishes, sprayed disinfectant on her counters and then put the dishes away. Her heart was thumping loudly, and her airway felt like it had shrunken. She couldn
’t wait until this dinner tomorrow was over. It wasn’t like she could put down her napkin after dessert and tell him she wasn’t going to see him anymore, but surely she could count on his mother to help pave the way.

“
Hey Vivling, I’ll bet I can beat you at this game,” Zack yelled from the living room. “You wanna try?”

She wrung out the sponge and joined Zack, the unpleasantness of the forthcoming breakup with Bernard going down the drain along with
the excess water. She moved the other Queen Anne chair in front of the armoire, next to where he sat.

She was the victor, although not by much. Before she knew it, it was nine-fifteen, and she had planned to be in bed by nine.
“Time for me to turn in. I’ll open up the sofa for you. I’m surprised you were able to get it closed.”

“
It wasn’t hard. I leaned on it with my good arm and hopped a few times.”

“
Well, if you don’t feel up to it tomorrow don’t worry about it”

“
You’re so good to me, Vivling.”

She looked at him sharply. Was he trying to be sarcastic? But he was gazing at her inten
tly. Before she knew what was happening, he was leaning toward her, and she found herself doing the same.

They kissed once, sof
tly, like a whisper; and then his hand cupped her jaw and began again. His firm mouth and searching tongue demanded a response, and she kissed him back with an eagerness that surprised her.

“
I hope you didn’t mind,” he said when it was over. “Something about us playing this game, sitting here side by side like Ma and Pa Kettle...I guess I’m getting a taste of what I’ve been missing.”

She smiled at him shyly.
“It’s nice, isn’t it?” She rose and pulled the chair back into place on the side of the armoire. Silently she removed the sofa cushions and pulled out the bed, spreading the blanket he had neatly folded, and placing the pillow in place at the head. She knew it would be a lot harder for him to pull the bed out than it had been for him to push it back. “Good night, Zack.”

Zack watched her movements uncertainly. Her mouth had tasted so fresh and sweet, her skin felt so soft. He was glad he
’d kissed her; he’d wanted to do it almost from the very beginning. He liked being at her apartment, working in her tiny kitchen like he lived there, too. He’d actually looked forward to the moment when she would unlock the door and enter at the end of her workday, dissolving his loneliness. The whole thing was rather absurd, like he was a househusband or something. After he kissed her she didn’t seem angry—she’d all but admitted something was missing from her life, too—but she clearly wasn’t comfortable with it, either. That was plain from the swift way she arranged the sofa bed, like it was timed to blow up in three minutes, and then disappeared into her bedroom like she was being chased. Maybe kissing her hadn’t been such a good idea after all, but surely she knew she had nothing to fear from him. Perhaps it was unsettling to have a man whom she really didn’t know all that well sleeping on her couch, but because of his injuries he certainly didn’t pose much of a threat. She’d said it herself—all she had to do was connect to his bad arm, or his bad leg.

Vivian was trembling as she closed her bedroom door. Here she felt safe. She felt a
little uneasy, having shared a passionate kiss with Zack and knowing he would be spending the night just a few feet away from where she slept. There had been such power in the way he held her jaw, yet such gentleness when he stroked her skin. It had been a long time since she’d been kissed with such ardor, where she felt its effects to the tips of her toes. Kissing a man as he left her apartment was one thing, but Zack wasn’t leaving, and that was why she felt so flustered.

She was still cold when she got into bed, pulling the covers up to her neck and curling into an S position. The Quiet Storm love songs she usually fell asleep to bothered her tonight, so she changed the radio to the easy listening station. She quickly fell asleep.

She left for work on Tuesday without waking Zack. He already had everything he needed, knew where everything was, and how to reach her. If he needed anything he could call.

She pulled her 626 into the company parking lot behind a newer model by Mazda, a Millenia in dramatic midnight blue. She hadn
’t noticed it before in the always-crowded parking lot and wondered whose it was.

The vehicles parked side-by-side, and she alighted at the same time as the other driver. She recognized the tall brown-skinned man as the senior auditor from the accounting firm the company utilized to inspect their financial records each year.
“Good morning,” she said, wishing she could remember his name.

“
Hello. Vivian, isn’t it?”

“
Yes. I was admiring your car. I have a Mazda, myself, but I’ll probably have to get a newer one next year. Are you happy with yours?”

“
Very. I got it at a great price. These Millenias are nice cars, but they haven’t been big sellers, so a couple of years back Mazda offered a purchase plan with a fat rebate and an interest rate next to nothing. I jumped on it, and I’ve never been sorry. I come in from Stamford, a fair drive, so naturally I want to be comfortable. This car fits the bill.”

“
Thank you. I’ll remember that”

“
Glad I could help.”

“
How’s the audit going?”

“
We’re actually winding up.”

That didn
’t surprise her. The auditors showed up in January and were there for all the snow and ice storms. By the time heavy overcoats gave way to suit jackets in the spring they were on their way out

“
Since I’ll be leaving soon, I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch with me, say Friday?”

She was taken aback by the unexpected invitation—he wore no wedding ring, and at a good fifteen years her senior he certainly was no youngster—but she quickly recovered. It was only lunch.
“I’d like that. Except…well, this is embarrassing, but I can’t remember your name.”

He laughed, a rich baritone sound that appealed to her ears.
“It’s Timothy Golden.”

“
All right, Timothy. I’m on the phone list under Vivian St. James.”

He held the front door open for her to enter, and after quick smiles they parted ways, she down the hall to her office and he upstairs to his desk in the accounting department.

“You look happy,” Harriet said when Vivian walked in.

She shrugged.
“It looks like it’s going to be a good day.” After yesterday I could use one.

Chapter 1
1

Worse

“I
s Connie coming in today?” Vivian asked Harriet after she sat down to work.

“
No. She just called. She’s leaving to spend a few days in Pennsylvania with her mother. She says she’ll be back to work on Monday.”

“
I wonder what Lisa will have to say about that.”

“
Connie said Lisa knew she was going to take some time off.”

“
A day or two, yes; but not the whole week.”

Vivian was
working on the list of additions and deletions from the company’s health insurance during the previous month when Lisa called from New Jersey.

“
I tried to get Connie, but I didn’t get an answer. Is she in today?”

“
She’s taking the week off. I think she told Harriet you knew about it.”

There was a tense silence before Lisa spoke again.
“I approved two days without pay. She didn’t say anything about being gone the whole week. I never would have okayed that; I’m going to need her.”

“
Is there anything Harriet or I might be able to help with?”

“
Yes, but I’ll have to get back to you on that. Right now I’ve got something a little more pressing to handle. I need you to read me something from a memo I left on my desk.”

“
Sure. I’ll put you on hold and pick up the line in your office.” Vivian took the key to Lisa’s office from her desk drawer, then ran down the hall. She had to unlock both the door to the outer office where Connie sat as well as the one to Lisa’s private office. She picked up the receiver and pressed the blinking button. “Okay, I’m here.” She listened as Lisa instructed her where to find the paper she was looking for. It was a memo to her from the company CEO. “Did you want me to fax this to you?”

“
No, I just need you to read me part of it. There’s a paragraph on the bottom of the first page that begins with...”

Vivian read the section Lisa requested, then waited while Lisa put her on hold to confer with someone. She was still waiting when the other line began to ring. When Harriet didn
’t answer by the third ring she hit the hold button and picked it up. “Human Resources, Vivian speaking.”

Harriet was the one calling.
“There you are. Pete Arnold is waiting to see you. He says he has something important to give you.” She lowered her voice. “I’m going to ask him to wait in the hall so I can close the office door. I was on my way to the restroom.”

“
Go ahead. I’ll be right in.” She switched over to the other line. “Lisa?” Silence. She waited, but had to return the call to hold when one of the other lines began to ring, then the other. She was really missing Connie right about now.

The caller on line three had a quick question, and that call ended promp
tly, but the person on two was still waiting. “I’ll be right with you,” she said quickly, then returned the call to hold. She had to see if Lisa was back.

She was.
“Sorry about that, Lisa. Harriet had to step out for a minute, and all the lines started ringing. You’d think we had an ad in the paper or something. Would you mind if I go back to the person still waiting? It might be something I can answer quickly.”

Lisa consented, and Vivian retrieved the line on hold. It was the director of research and development
. Alan Konishima was one of the lucky people who knew his job was safe. It had been stated in the initial announcement that the companies’ respective laboratories would be consolidated to one location under the direction of their present leaders. He was a good-natured man who told her he would continue to wait.

Vivian returned to Lisa, who, n
ot surprisingly, decided to get the memo faxed to her after all. “Sure,” Vivian said. “I’ll get it to you in the next five minutes.” Then she quickly picked up line two and offered Dr. Konishima an apology for the delay, then listened to his reason for calling. “Yes, I have that information in my office. I’m in Lisa’s office right now, but if you can hold just one more moment I’ll get it for you. I promise it will only take me about fifteen seconds. All right. Thanks.” She put the phone on the desk and, memo in hand, made a dash for her office, stopping only to turn off the light and latch the door before shutting it.

Pete Arnold
stood in the hall outside her office. She had forgotten all about him. He probably had his rollover check, but she saw no reason why he couldn’t just leave it with Harriet.

“
Pete, just one minute. I’ve got to answer a question for someone.”

She found the information quickly and told Dr. Konishima what he needed to know.
“Okay, Pete,” she said loudly as she hung up. “Come on in.”

“
I’m back,” Harriet called.

“
Good. It was crazy while you were gone. Now that you’re back maybe it’ll slow down.”

“
You’re very busy this morning,” Pete observed.

“
Oh, yeah.” She spoke pleasantly, not giving any clues to her distaste for obvious trivialities, like “It sure is coming down, isn’t it?” when anyone with two functional eyes could see it was pouring.

“
I wanted to give you that check for my rollover, and the completed form as well.”

She took the envelope he offered.
“That’s fine. I’ll see that this goes out today.”

“
Thanks. Have a nice day.” He left.

She made a face. If there was anything that made her want to scream more than motorists who didn
’t use their turn signals, it was hearing that expression. It was so insincere sounding, no matter how heartfelt the intention. “You do the same,” she returned, not wanting to be rude.

She scribbled a cover page to Lisa and asked Harriet to fax it then resumed work on the insurance updates.

“Vivian, are you on two?” Harriet asked about fifteen minutes later.

“
No.” She heard Harriet saying “Hello? Hello?”

Harriet appeared in the doorway.
“That’s funny. There’s nobody here, but the light doesn’t go out when I hang up.”

“
I haven’t been on two since I took a call while I was in Lisa’s off—” Vivian broke off abruptly, remembering how she had put the phone down without hanging it up in her haste to get back to her office to answer Dr. Konishima’s question. “Oh, I know what I did. I’ll be right back.”

She was halfway between the two offices when she drew in her breath, realizing that she had left
her keys on Lisa’s desk and locked the door behind her, taking only the document to be faxed when she left. Her pulse began to pound in panic. She wasn’t sure if Harriet had a set of keys. Not only was she unable to get back into Lisa’s office if she should need to, she couldn’t break the connection, meaning one of their lines was out of service.

She turned and went back to her own office.

“The light’s still on,” Harriet said.

“
Yes, I know. I left the phone off the hook in Lisa’s. I just realized I locked my keys in there.” Vivian chewed her lower lip, daring to hope. “Do you have a set, by any chance?”

“
I have a key to the outer office. Maybe Connie keeps her key to Lisa’s office in her desk drawer. Let’s go see.”

“
Thanks, Harriet.”

Together they went next door. Once in the outer office they rushed to Connie
’s desk, and Harriet tugged at the top drawer.

Nothing happened.

“Oh, no. It’s locked.” Vivian slammed her palm on the surface of the desk.

“
And Connie’s on the road to Pennsylvania by now. I’m so sorry, Vivian.”

“
It’s my own fault.”

“
I just wish I had a key to Lisa’s office.”

“
I know. It’s all right.”

“
I’ll go look up a locksmith for you.” Harriet left the room.

Vivian didn
’t reply. Lisa would have to sign off on a locksmith bill. Some great impression she was making. Her hopes of a promotion were fading like a noncolorfast garment after a washing.

She slowly walked the few yards to her office. She didn
’t go back to the insurance list; instead she leaned back in her chair, her clasped hands supporting her head, and stared at the ceiling. What she needed was a key, and if not that, a miracle. Of all weeks for Connie to take off.

She sat up. Wait a second. All those squares that made up the ceiling were removable, not just the plastic that covered the tubular fluorescent light bulbs. They concealed all the telephone and electrical wires.
“Harriet, hold off on the locksmith. I’m going to call maintenance. I think they might be able to help me. Just cross your fingers that Lisa doesn’t call again and want me to get something else from her office.”

It was nearly noon by the time a maintenance man arrived with a ladder. He promp
tly disappeared into the ceiling, and if all went well he would be able to crawl next door, come down in Lisa’s office and unlock the door. Vivian completed the insurance updates and placed calls to those who had not yet selected a plan.

The envelope from Pete Arnold was on top of her
inbox. It was sealed, and she opened it with a silver letter opener. Her eyes widened when she saw the amount of the check. No wonder he wanted to hand it to her personally. Eighty-three thousand dollars was a nice piece of change, and it still had many years to grow before Pete would be ready to retire. It was a personal check, so it hadn’t been a direct rollover. She hoped he hadn’t had the funds more than sixty days, not that it was any of her concern.

She checked the corresponding form and made sure it was complete, then addressed an envelope to the investment firm that handled the employees
’ 401(k) accounts. She picked up the check, preparing to put it inside the folded form. Eighty-three thousand dollars, made out to…Vivian St. James.

What! Payable to
her?
What was Peter Arnold thinking of? He should have made it payable to the investment firm.

Someone entered her office.
“There you are. I’ve been calling you, but your line’s been busy.” It was Glenda. “What’s up with that? You and Zack didn’t talk enough last night?”

“
It’s got nothing to do with Zack. I’m having a miserable morning.” Vivian told her friend about the telephone problem. “And if that’s not enough, look what your boy has done now.” She handed over Pete’s check and enjoyed Glenda’s bewildered expression.

“
Why’s he giving you eighty-three thousand dollars?” she hissed.

“
Relax, I haven’t been keeping a secret from you. It’s for a 401(k) rollover. He made it out to me by mistake. Can you imagine?”

“
Good thing you’re honest.”

Vivian was relieved when five o
’clock came. Maintenance had been successful in getting into Lisa’s office from the ceiling, and the line was now free.

She realized on the way home that Zack hadn
’t called. She supposed no news was good news. He was probably answering replies to all those emails he’d sent out yesterday.

She smelled the meat cooking as soon as she opened the apartment door.
“What are you cooking now? It smells fabulous.”

“
I marinated a couple of steaks.”

The computer was on, but he’d been
playing the strategy game, not writing email. Once again this made her glad, and once again she forced thoughts of his female admirers out of her mind. “You’re a handy man to have around the house, Zack. But—”

“
I confess I had ulterior motives. I’m dying to get out of this house. Not that there’s anything wrong with it; it’s just that I’ve been in for two days, and I’m not used to being housebound.”

“
I understand, but—”

“
Maybe you and I can go out for drinks and dessert or something.”

Vivian chewed on her lip nervously.
“I’m sorry, Zack. I should have told you. I have plans for tonight. I won’t even be able to have dinner.” She felt terrible. It hadn’t crossed her mind that he might make dinner again tonight. She figured he would have one of those microwave meals she had in the freezer. They were actually quite good. But that look on his face—he looked so lonely and unhappy. She had to say something encouraging.

“
I’m sure I won’t be too late. A friend invited me over for dinner, but since it’s a Tuesday I don’t think it’ll run very late. If you feel up to climbing the stairs we can go somewhere later.” It would mean a late night for her, but she’d be all right. Surely tomorrow she would have a calm day. She was certainly overdue for some tranquility.

After she left, Zack fixed his plate. The steak tasted flat to him, the potato dry and the salad was like eating tree leaves. There was nothing wrong with the way the food had been prepared, but disappointment had dulled his taste buds. The draped
maroon blouse and brown tweed slacks Vivian had changed into, casual but feminine, told him she wasn’t dining with a female. She was going on a date. The only reason the guy wasn’t picking her up was because she wouldn’t be able to explain his being here.