Keeping Victoria's Secret (19 page)

No wiser, they left Fred’s office.

Jack walked slowly to his pickup, mentally
reviewing the day. What exactly did Fred learn about Jonathan Van
Winkle's claim? Maybe we've got a chance. At least Victoria isn't
mad at me anymore. I have to admit, the way she stood up to Van
Winkle was pretty cool. She might seem timid and naive, but
Victoria does have a certain amount of spunk.

Purposely, he hadn’t brought up his little
indiscretions. "Man, I hope she’s forgiven me for watching her
undress. What guy wouldn’t stare at a hot girl taking her clothes
off? Come on!

Ben Cohen stayed off the road for several
days after his fender bender with Jonathan Van Winkle’s pickup.
Never having had an accident before, he was shaken up and hesitant
to get behind the wheel again. Eventually, with his wife’s
encouragement, he’d somehow found the nerve to take his Caddy into
Pippen’s Grove. It’s just like getting right back up on a horse
after you’ve fallen off. More you think about it harder it’ll get,
he reasoned.

His first stop was at John Van Wart’s Shell
station where the mechanic assured him that the minor dents and
paint loss acquired the week before could be easily fixed. Ben made
a repair appointment for the following week.

The second errand was to the Henry Hudson
Grocery, where he negotiated the isles with his wife’s shopping
list firmly grasped in one knobby fist. Ben Cohen was a careful
shopper. He knew what items were on sale this week and could spot
the clever deceptive merchandising of the manufacturers. Carefully
he studied everything for expiration dates and unit pricing. He
plucked cereal boxes, cans of beans and fruit from shelves,
depositing them into his cart. His last stop was at the ice cream
freezer where he selected cardboard tubs of chocolate, French
vanilla and butter pecan. These items weren't on his wife’s written
list, but rather on his own mental one. Looking closely at the
labels, he vaguely wondered how long ago it was that his favorite
ice cream came packaged as an actual half gallon.

A little ice cream will be a treat, well
deserved after his braving the ever more hazardous roadways. He’d
explain the purchase in just those terms to Edna. He smiled; glad
he’d mustered the courage to make the trip into town. These young
folks nowadays just didn’t have good driving skills. Satisfied at
last that he’d found everything he needed, Ben headed for the
checkout.

Ben Cohen slipped onto the leather seat
behind the wheel of his Cadillac. His groceries were safely stowed
in the trunk. Mentally he reviewed everything Edna had told him
before he left for town. Wouldn’t want to forget anything.
Inserting his key into the ignition, he started the engine and
slowly pulled out of the parking lot, onto Main Street and headed
home.

Carefully he looked both ways, keeping an eye
on his side-view mirrors. He congratulated himself. There, that
wasn’t so difficult. Once you’re over a little initial
apprehension, getting behind the wheel again is no big deal.

Perhaps he spent too long squinting at the
side view mirrors that reflected the light from a brilliant sunset,
as he moved gradually over the center white line.

Confused by the call from Fred Douglas and
the subsequent discussion with Jack and the lawyer, Vicky sat
brooding in her little Toyota. What next? First, I inherit. Then, I
don’t. Now, I might. This is all so confusing.

She couldn’t help wondering about Jack.
There’s a lot more to Jack Conner than I first thought. I’m
probably falling in love with him. How stupid is that? Okay, I
refuse to fall in love with him. Why would I love a man that can
jump in bed with me and then leave as if it’s nothing to him? Women
probably let him do it all the time and he’s gotten used to getting
what he wants. Damn him anyway.

Pippen’s Grove is such a serene little town.
She sighed, started her car and turned the wheel. She looked up and
down the street. Not much traffic tonight. Pulling onto Main
Street, Vicky pressed on the accelerator and started for the farm.
Squinting through the dirty windshield at the sunlight she reminded
herself, “Must get this car washed.”

As the Toyota came around a bend in the road,
the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the big
Cadillac coming straight at her and the wide-eyed, open-mouthed,
Ben Cohen behind the wheel as the two cars collided. She heard the
metallic crunch of bumper on grill, and tinkling of broken
headlight glass. What was that weird whoosh and thwump noise?

There were voices and other sounds. With her
eyes closed, Vicky tried to make sense of it all. Where am I
anyway? Then she slept.

She opened her eyes and objects swam before
her. My head hurts. Four faces stared down at her. Vicky blinked
rapidly trying to focus her eyes. The faces ceased floating and
attached themselves to the people standing at the end of the
bed.

That beeping sound is a hospital monitor? Am
I in the hospital? Turning her head gingerly, she saw the hospital
room. She turned back and studied the faces watching her, wondering
if they were going to tell her what was happening.

It came back to her slowly. I tripped, or no,
I slipped and hit my head when I fell. I remember falling. No,
that’s not it either. The fall was before. What happened? I
remember the old man’s face coming at me. A car accident. That’s
it, but when?

There’s Jack and the policeman. His name is
Vince something or other. There’s Jimmy and that nice Dr. Sweeney
smiling at me. I guess that’s a good sign. Jack and the policeman
look serious, like something’s wrong. Trying to move, she realized
there were things attached to her arms.

Dr. Sweeney spoke. “Well now, glad to see
you’re awake, my dear. You gave us a bit of a scare. How are you
feeling?”

Vicky opened her mouth to reply, and realized
it was very dry. She tried to speak but couldn’t make a sound.
Clearing her throat, she tried once more and managed to croak, “I’m
okay.”

“Wonderful. I imagine you’ve got a bit of a
headache, but I’ve given you something strong for the pain. It
might make you feel a little dizzy, so don’t attempt to get up
without help. You’ll be bruised for a while, but there’s nothing
seriously wrong. You’re going to be just fine. I don’t want you to
worry, but just to be on the safe side, I’m keeping you in here
overnight.”

“In here?” she croaked.

A grinning Jimmy replied first. “Miss Vicky,
you’re in the hospital. Penny is just one floor up in the maternity
ward. Vince came up and told me when the ambulance brought you into
emergency, so I came on down. Jack and the Doc were already here.
Glad to see you’re awake.”

Jack came around beside her at the head of
the bed, and offered her a cup of water with a paper straw. She
couldn’t help but notice the concern in his eyes.

“Your air bag deployed. Those things always
give a person quite a wallop.” Jack looked tenderly at her bruises
and once more handed her the water. “How do you feel?”

Smiling, she sipped and handed it back. Vicky
had no idea how bruised her face was, her black eyes giving her a
queer owlish expression. Jack tried not to grin, looking at her odd
appearance, and certainly even he knew better than to mention
it.

Vicky giggled. “I feel fine.” She giggled
again. “I feel really great! It’s so nice of you all to come see
me.”

Doc winked at them and whispered. “It’s what
I gave her for the pain. I believe it’s beginning to take
effect.”

“Jack. Yesterday was wonderful, wonderful...
It was yesterday, right?”

“Yes, it was yesterday.” He looked over at
the others nervously. “We’ll talk later.”

“Jack, I don’t mind anymore that you been
watching me undress through my window. I’m sorry I got angry.” She
giggled. “I don’t mind you seeing me naked. Do you think I’m
pretty? Am I talking too much?” She giggled again.

Jack slipped his hand into hers, smiling
tenderly. “You’re beautiful. Right now though, just rest. Try to
sleep some more. Maybe you shouldn’t try to talk anymore.” He
looked over his shoulder and met Vince’s curious stare.

“What?” he said innocently.

Vince’s eyebrows lifted another half inch
toward the ceiling. “Tell me I didn’t just hear her say you’re a
Peeping Tom?”

The next day Jack went to town early, and
returned to the farm with several cans of paint and a load of
lumber. He immediately set to work shoring up the roadside produce
stand. With broom and leaf blower, he dislodged years of
accumulated dust and cobwebs. After the little building was once
more standing upright and clean, he moved in with paint and
brushes.

When Doc drove up that afternoon with a
bruised and sore Victoria in the passenger seat of his car, Jack
was just finishing the lettering over the stand. She could see his
smiling face was spattered with paint as he looked down from his
perch atop a step ladder. The stand was white, with bright green
trim and lettering across the top that read:

“How does it look?” he called out, gesturing
at the stand with his paintbrush, obviously pleased with the
results of his days work.

Vicky replied, “It’s wonderful. You did all
that just today? When will you actually have something to
sell?”

He beamed back at her. “Maybe a month or so.
Always depends on the weather. How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay. Still a little sore. Doc’s given
me some pills for the pain.”

“Good. After I finish up here I’ll get
cleaned up and be with you as soon as I can,” he said.

Waving to Jack, Doc drove farther in to help
Vicky out of the car at the back door.

Pleased with his work, Jack began to gather
up brushes and paint cans, glad to have the job finished.

Later, Jack entered the farmhouse, much
cleaner after a long hot shower. He found Doc waiting for him in
the kitchen. “Where’s Victoria? Did she crash already?”

“I only released her from the hospital on
condition that she goes straight up to her bed.” Doc lowered his
voice, becoming serious. “I want you to keep a close eye on our
friend over the next several days. When you jumped out at her naked
a couple of weeks ago, and Vicky had that fall, it caused a
concussion. That was serious enough, but nothing to worry about. A
second incident so soon after, compounds the situation and she may
exhibit symptoms of greater severity.”

He looked up in alarm. “What symptoms?”

“I want you to let me know if she has trouble
thinking clearly or remembering things. Maybe she’ll find it
difficult to concentrate, or even have dizzy spells.”

He looked at Doc defensively. “Hey! What do
you mean I jumped out at her? For the last time, let’s get the
facts straight on that. I was very innocently taking a shower and
all of a sudden; there she was, staring at me. It wasn’t my fault.”
He opened the refrigerator and extracted a beer. “Want one?”

Amused, Doc grinned at him. “No Thanks. I’m
serious about this Jack. A blow to the head for a second time is
nothing to joke about. I want you to check on her frequently. Could
be she’ll have trouble sleeping, or perhaps may sleep more than
usual. Concussion is a funny thing. She might seem unusually
irritable or emotional.”

“Doc, how would I know if she was unusually
irritable and emotional? That’s kind of like her normal state. Know
what I mean?”

Doc gave him a stern look. “Don’t leave her
alone for too long. I’d like you to sleep over here for a couple of
nights. Check on her from time to time and let me know right away
if you notice anything out of the ordinary.”

“Okay. I won’t make any more jokes. To tell
you the truth; I kind of like our Victoria. Things have gotten very
interesting around here since she showed up. What with that ass,
Jonathan, threatening her and that crazy old guy showing up and
scaring her, I feel like she needs my protection. Don’t you worry
Doc; I’ll take care of her.”

Doc leaned back, smiling and nodding
thoughtfully. He gave the younger man an appraising look.

“What’s on your mind, Doc? Something else I
need to know about Victoria?”

“No no, Jack. Just remember to look in on
her. I’m right down the road if you need anything. You’ll stay over
here, at least for a couple of nights then?”

“Sure. No problem.”

“Remember to call me if you notice anything
unusual.” The doctor sighed and got to his feet, yawned and
stretched. “I thought I was retired. Getting a little old for this
doctoring business, I guess.” He looked around the kitchen as
though he were searching for something. “You know what’s entirely
lacking here?”

Jack followed his gaze and then looked out
the back door to the yard and beyond. “Haven’t a clue. What is it
we don’t have?”

“What kind of farmhouse or barnyard doesn’t
have some pets? You know, dogs or cats? That’s what you need
here.”

“I suppose you’re right. Uncle Charley didn’t
like dogs, cats, or little children. He didn’t like anyone or
anything very much. That’s why we don’t have any. Hey, I wonder if
Victoria would like a pet? Might be just the thing for her right
now.”

“Jack, I believe I might be able to rectify
this problem. Elvira’s cat had a litter of kittens a couple of
months ago. There are five. I’m sure we could spare one or two.
What do you think?”

Jack shrugged. “Sure Doc, why not. Who
doesn’t like kittens?” He lowered his voice conspiratorially.
“Let’s make it a surprise for her. How about you and Elvira come by
tomorrow and bring a pair of kittens?”

“Yes yes, Elvira wanted to look in on Vicky
in any case. No doubt, she’s made a coffee cake or something. Now,
I’ve got to be going.”