Keeping Victoria's Secret (21 page)

“Call me Elvira. I’ve an idea we’ll be seeing
a good deal of one another, after all we are neighbors.”

“Sure,” replied Jack.

“Just let me get Vicky taken care of. Would
you take this up to her?” Elvira nodded toward Vicky’s tray as she
deftly began assembling more sandwiches for Jack. “Then we’ll sit
and have a little breakfast and chat, shall we?”

Taking the tray, he said, “I’m glad you’re
here. You and Doc sure got her in a much better mood. There’s been
an Arctic chill coming from that room.”

Elvira laughed, “I’m glad we could help.”

After delivering breakfast to Victoria, he
hurried down to the kitchen where Elvira had arranged hot
sandwiches and slices of cake on the table. “I’ll set the table,”
he said, gathering plates, coffee mugs, and silverware.

Never one to be shy, Jack filled his plate.
“This is great!”

Sipping her coffee Elvira remarked, “I see
that you’ve spruced up the fruit stand. It looks very sharp. Are
you and Vicky going into business?”

“Yes, we talked about it and we agreed it’s a
good idea. With the new interest in buying local produce, we
thought the area could support it. You need more than one outlet
for a farm’s produce and with a little extra effort; we rake in a
little more money. My Uncle got ornery and tired of dealing with
people so he stopped doing it several years back.”

“I see," said Elvira nodding. "Where were you
living before coming here?”

Working enthusiastically at a mouthful of
breakfast, he said, “My dad is Uncle Charley’s younger brother, but
they didn’t get along that well. No surprise there. We lived out
near the Finger Lakes. I was only here once or twice when I was a
kid.”

She nodded again, sipping coffee. “How was it
you started working here for Charley?”

“Well, after high school I didn’t know what I
wanted to do with my life. Thought of going into the service, toyed
with the idea of college, but I couldn’t make up my mind on a
career. Mom and Dad were becoming pretty disgusted with my aimless
existence. Guess I wasted a couple of years, just bumming around,
attending the community college part-time.” He reached for another
slice of cake. “This is so good. Nutmeg?”

“Yes, plenty of freshly ground nutmeg.”
Smiling at him, Elvira rose and reached for the coffee pot, filling
Jacks empty cup.

“When Dad learned that Uncle Charley was
looking for a hired hand, he figured that I’d nothing better to do,
so I agreed and came on out. He put me to work. The idea was to
just help him for the summer. Dad thought that some hard work on
the farm would send me right back home begging to go back to
college. I realized pretty quick that this farming business was in
my blood and I asked Uncle Charley if I could continue a
while.”

“So farming appealed to you right away.”

“That’s right. He let me finish off that
space over the garage and move in there. Made some friends here and
settled in to a routine. I suppose when he promised me future
ownership of the farm, it was a pretty juicy carrot he dangled in
front of me. The rest is history. Stupid of me wasn’t it.”

She smiled, put down her cup and reached
across the table to squeeze his hand. Sighing deeply she said, “You
certainly weren’t the first person to be hoodwinked by Charley
Conner. He was a silver-tongued devil all right. John always said
that he could probably sell ice to the Eskimos if he put his mind
to it. He apparently snookered Victoria’s grandmother into
marriage, a marriage that turned out to be a terrible mistake. Most
of us, I suppose, are a little gullible and trusting. What’s done
is done now, and there’s no use in looking backward. If you’ll
pardon my saying so Jack, I believe that you could still have a
future here.”

He eyed Elvira warily. What exactly did she
mean by that? He was silent for a long moment, steadily plowing
through his breakfast. He put down his fork and drank his coffee
before speaking. “What do you mean future?”

“I hope it doesn’t seem like I’m prying into
your business Jack, but Vicky can’t manage this place without an
experienced man like yourself. Of course, she might marry someone
that is capable of taking care of the orchards and what not.
Victoria is a wonderful young woman. She’s attractive, talented,
and from what I understand is even a pretty good cook. Too many
young girls today haven’t even the foggiest idea how to boil an
egg. Yes, Victoria will be a good catch for some young man.”

He didn’t like the turn this conversation was
taking. Victoria is a nice girl and all, but no way am I getting
married. That's right, isn't it? No marriage for me, not now, but
when? The unanswered question remained in his mind, leaden and
immovable. Realizing that he'd been staring into space, fork in
hand, he turned back to Elvira. “Right now I’m not sure what to do.
I like Victoria. She needs me here to run the farm and I want to do
all I can; but I have a knack for annoying her.”

Elvira smiled at him indulgently.

Doc walked in and interrupted them. “Vicky is
doing just fine. I told her to take it easy for the next few days,
but I do believe I can release the patient from further confinement
and bed rest. She’s going to come down in a minute and will bring
little Two and Three. Now, please pass me a plate and we’ll see if
that crumb cake tastes as good as it looks.”

Grateful for Doc’s timely entrance, he was
glad to put an end to this discussion of a future between Victoria
and himself. His relief was short lived. After proclaiming the
crumb cake the best he’d ever eaten, Doc said, “You know Jack,
Victoria will make a wonderful wife someday. She is really a very
nice young lady. The men in this town have noticed and someone will
snap her up soon.”

“Jack and I were discussing that very thing.
Funny you should mention it,” said Elvira.

He looked down at his plate, and was dismayed
to see nothing there but a scattering of crumbs. There was no
escaping the issue by cramming his mouth full of cake.

“Anyone like more coffee?” He jumped up
abruptly, pushing back his chair so it clattered against the wall.
Brandishing the pot, he topped off all their mugs. “Could I have
another piece of that wonderful cake?” Lifting his coffee mug, he
grabbed a large piece of cake and backed quickly through the screen
door with his hands full, calling out, “I’ve got to get to work.
This place can’t just run itself. Doc, Elvira, thanks for the cake,
and thanks for the kittens. I think that was just the thing for
Victoria.” Turning he was crossing the yard before they had a
chance to respond.

He sped toward his apartment, eager to get
away. Despite what Doc and Elvira think, everyone else in town will
assume I’m only trying to get my hands on the farm, especially if
Fred manages to win the Van Winkle case. Victoria is vulnerable and
I need to protect her, but that’s all.

Doc looked at his wife, brows raised. “What
in tarnation was that boy talking about? It almost seemed as though
he was frightened by something we said. You know, he ought to ask
Vicky out on a date or something before someone else gets the idea.
Take her out for dinner and a movie. Can’t imagine why the young
idiot hasn’t done so before now.”

“He’ll figure it out in time. Jack’s a smart
young man,” she said confidently.

“Well when he does you can explain to me why
it took him so long. Young people today mystify me. They’re not at
all like we were, Dear.” Doc said grinning at her and wiggling his
eyebrows suggestively as he cut himself another slice of cake. He
enjoyed watching Elvira blush as much as he enjoyed her coffee
cake.

The weather grew increasingly hot and sticky
in the Hudson Valley as June melted away into July. In the orchards
of the Willet Farm, tiny apples appeared on trees and in ploughed
fields squash and cucumber vines snaked over the warm damp earth,
every day growing longer. As Jack predicted, the corn stalks were
“knee high by the fourth of July.”

An oscillating fan was perched on the
bookshelf behind Vicky blowing warm air back and forth around the
room. Late morning, the day was already oppressively hot as she sat
contemplating the screen of her laptop. She tipped back in her
office chair, bare toes on the desktop, wearing a lightweight
strapless sundress, her hair curling in the humidity. She was
trying with an economy of movement, not to perspire and ruin her
makeup.

All morning, she’d stared at the last
paragraphs she’d written the day before, unable to go any further.
Today she hadn’t written a single word. This didn’t often happen,
but for whatever reason, she was stuck, out of new ideas. She
wasn’t overly bothered by this, because she knew from experience
that the lassitude would last for a day or two only. Perhaps it’s
just the unusually hot humid weather.

Startled by a loud rapping from the porch,
she sat up and quickly closed the “Caribbean Fire” file on the
computer and went to the door. Jack’s grinning face was on the
other side of the screen. “Oh. Hi, Jack,” she said stepping back to
let him in. “Come on in.”

He pushed through the door and stood
confidently before her in the kitchen.

“Does it always get this hot up here in
July?” she asked, pushing her hair off her forehead.

“It’s the Fourth of July, and it’s supposed
to be hot,” he said smiling. “You’re right though, this is a little
unusual, but it’ll pass in a day or two after a good
rainstorm.”

Her auburn hair hung in loose curls over her
bare shoulders. She noticed that his gaze was drawn to where the
little red sundress ended well above her knees. It was tied with a
blue and white sash at her trim waist.

Jack cleared his throat suddenly sounding
uncomfortable. “I’m going to town for the celebration and as long
as I’m going, I thought you’d like to ride along. You’re wearing
the proper colors I see. It’s mandatory everyone wear red, white,
and blue.”

She noticed that he was wearing blue shorts
and a red baseball cap. His well-developed arms and chest stretched
a white t-shirt to its limits. Eyeing him, she fought down an urge
to touch the arms and chest, and lightly press her lips onto his.
For a month, Jack had kept his distance. He’d waved from the barn
or the yard, or on his way down the drive. On occasion, he’d stop
the truck, smile for a moment, then just stare, hand still
suspended out the window. She wasn’t sure whether she liked this
new aloof Jack Conner, feeling neglected, casually cast off after
their one-night-stand.

Then of course, I do have Joe Vandersmoot to
think about. Very attractive, he’s tall, as tall as Jack is, with
wavy blond hair and smiling blue eyes. He’d grown increasingly
attentive, coming out frequently to show her what and where to
plant in the flowerbeds.

The kittens came thundering into the kitchen,
curious to see what the commotion was all about. They were now in
that awkward coltish faze, between kitten and cat. Slipping and
sliding to a halt on the ancient gray linoleum, they looked up at
Jack and Vicky, purring.

“Oh Jack, I almost forgot to tell you. I
finally gave them names the other day.” She bent and scooped up the
gray and white female, scratching her behind the ears.

Jack couldn’t resist the eager wide-eyed
little Tom and picked him up. “So they’re no longer just Two and
Three?”

“Let me explain. The other day, this one was
sitting on the windowsill in my bedroom, just as the sun was coming
up. It was a beautiful sunrise, the light coming in through the
window. She was looking down at her brother with the sun behind
her, and he looked like he wanted to be up there with her. Maybe he
wasn’t sure he could make the long jump without falling back on his
little butt. It came to me then, the line from Shakespeare. ‘What
light from yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the
sun.’ It’s when Romeo’s looking up at her on the balcony as the sun
rises, remember? So I decided to call them Romeo and Juliet. What
do you think?”

“Hmm, I guess those names are as good as any.
Okay Romeo, here you go.” He put down the orange cat and nudged him
on his way. Juliet jumped from Victoria’s arms and the two of them
dashed back into the living room, following an agenda known only to
them.

“By celebration I guess you mean the parade,
fireworks and all that?” she said hesitantly toying with the sash
at her waist. Looking away her gaze followed the disappearing gray
and orange tails.

“Victoria, it’s the fourth of July! Pippen’s
Grove does it up right. There’s food and drink, and besides the
parade, a carnival midway with games for the kids, and later of
course, a fairly impressive fireworks display for a small town.
You’re coming into town with me and we’ll make a day of it. Go get
ready, put something, maybe a little something more on." Nervously,
he glanced down again at her bare legs, revealed by the short
dress. "I’ll wait. It’ll be almost like a date. I’m taking you out
for a night on the town and fireworks. What do you say?”

She smiled gleefully and laughed at his
awkward little speech. She felt sorry for him, and just a little
guilty. Brushing her hair from her forehead, she resisted the
temptation to reach out and touch those bulging muscles beneath his
shirt once more. Surprisingly, even though he’d ignored her for so
long, the thought of spending all day and evening with Jack was
tempting. “I’m sorry you didn’t ask me sooner Jack, but I really
can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t? Why not?
Everybody goes into the Grove on the Fourth. I’m not going to let
you stay out here all alone.”

He was interrupted by the sound of tires
crunching the gravel outside. Turning he saw a grinning Joe
Vandersmoot climbing down from his truck cab. “What’s he doing
here?”

“Joe asked me last week to go with him to the
July fourth celebration. He’s been so nice, helping me with Nanna’s
flowerbeds. It does sound like fun.”