AFTER THE CITY COUNCIL meeting, Chris drove to the forestry station, where he was camping out in the break room. The couch there was okay for sleeping, but he missed his bed...and Susan.
He’d moved out to the station after making the mistake of checking into a local motel the first night—the desk clerk was married to one of the paper mill’s foremen. News that he and Susan were having problems must have traveled to his father-in-law with the speed of light. Susan must have hated having the whole town finding out that way, just as much as he’d hated it himself.
And what now?
He’d said they needed some time apart, yet the longer things went, the more it looked like a separation. He had gone back to the house to shower and pick up a few things, but only when Susan wasn’t there. What would a separation mean, anyhow? The first step to a divorce, or just a cooling-off period? He loved his wife and he didn’t want his marriage to end. He just didn’t know how to fix whatever was wrong.
Steve Woods sat on the porch of the forestry station, his chair tipped back. The two of them had worked together the longest at the station. Although Chris was technically Steve’s superior, it hadn’t interfered with their friendship.
“Thought I’d come out and offer you cheap beer and bad company,” Steve told him. “You can drink it later. I won’t tell.”
Dropping into the chair next to Steve, Chris accepted the bottle. He looked at the label. “Cheap? This is a good imported ale.”
“I only brought one bottle. That’s why it’s cheap.”
Chris leaned his head back and breathed deeply. Steve had lost his wife from a burst aneurism a few years before, and for months, Chris had kept a careful watch over his friend’s drinking habits. It appeared that Steve was now returning the favor. Smart—it was entirely too easy to drown your troubles in a bottle.
“I should have expected something to happen,” he said finally. “Joe was due for another cockeyed scheme to destroy the environment. Hell, the only reason my father-in-law hasn’t dammed up every river in California is because he isn’t rich enough. Give him more money and he’ll get it done.” Chris couldn’t bring himself to mention Susan.
Steve nodded. “As you’ve always said, he’s a boil on the butt of creation.”
“I couldn’t believe how bad he was the first time I met him, but by then it was too late.” Chris’s voice trailed off. The moment he’d met Susan, he had instantly fallen head over heels. She’d been so beautiful and smart, so caring of people and full of energy, she had been impossible to resist. He’d done his best to ignore her father’s identity. Then he’d met Joe and realized he was in genuine trouble. By marrying Susan, he’d have to endure Big Joe Jensen for the rest of his life.
He shouldn’t be surprised she was siding with big business on environmental issues. Her father owned a paper mill. Somehow they’d dodged that bullet until now, but their luck had run out.
“Helluva meeting tonight,” Steve commented. “I left early—couldn’t stand the bloodshed. How does Big Joe feel about you staying out here?”
“Gleeful, I’m sure.”
“You could come to our place,” Steve offered. “Rachel said to invite you.”
Steve had remarried three months ago. Chris liked Rachel, but he knew better than to move in with a newlywed couple, even temporarily. Besides, it would be depressing to be around two people happily in love. Better to rough it at the station.
“I’ll hang here, but thank her for me.”
“Well, the offer stays open,” Steve said, getting up and clasping Chris on the shoulder. “Take it easy, pal.”
He drove away and Chris tucked the bottle of ale into his backpack. Maybe he should ask Mandy if any of the seniors would be interested in renting him a room. Her worried smile that evening had told him she was still a friend, and finding a place to live in Willow’s Eve could be a challenge. There were few rentals, and some people might be reluctant to have him for fear of Joe Jensen.
* * *
ON FRIDAY, MANDY smiled at the group of senior citizens trooping into her office and wondered what was up. The Senior Center functioned as a nice place for folks to hang out and socialize. So it wasn’t surprising to see people around in the morning, but it was unusual for a large group to suddenly congregate in her office.
Dorothy took a step forward. “Mandy, we want to ask a favor. Would you represent our interests in the water issue?”
Mandy gaped at them. “What do you mean?”
“We want you to represent us,” Tom Upton repeated Dorothy’s request. “Work with Daniel Whittier, keep track of what’s happening, make sure our concerns are heard and our questions answered.”
“It’s flattering you think I’d be right to do something this important,” Mandy stalled. “But you should choose someone from among yourselves. Besides, I’m not good at this sort of thing. How about Margaret? She’s got mad skills for getting stuff done.”
Margaret turned smug.
“That’s true,” her sister agreed. “But sometimes she’s, well, somewhat abrupt.” Dorothy’s carefully worded comment was a surprise. Most of the time she was a sweetie, but when it came to her sister, she was usually a lot more blunt.
“Maybe that’s what you need,” Mandy argued.
“No, I’m like John Adams, obnoxious and disliked,” Margaret shocked her by saying.
Her husband patted her hand. “Nonsense, dear. But someone else might do better in this situation.”
Holy hell. What had happened to them? Mandy recognized the “obnoxious and disliked” line Margaret had used from the movie 1776, which they had watched on one of their movie afternoons in July. But Mandy never would have expected Margaret, of all people, to recognize aspects of herself in the film’s portrait of the United States’ second president.
“Please, Mandy,” Tom urged. “You’re smart and can figure things out. A lot of young people your age don’t get how things can be for older folks, but we know you understand.”
Heart sinking, Mandy looked at the anxious faces surrounding her desk. She did understand. Senior citizens often felt dismissed and overlooked, as if being retired somehow meant they weren’t as important as “working adults.” And they felt more vulnerable, too, with fixed incomes, higher health costs and less flexibility to recover from financial blows. It was one of the reasons there were so many senior advocacy groups and organizations representing their concerns.
“We’ve been talking about it for days,” Dorothy said. “We finally decided one person should represent us, and everybody wants you.”
Not me, Mandy wanted to protest.
She’d feel awful if things went badly. Besides, it would mean working even closer with Daniel, and she was still having trouble keeping her response to him under control. Yet when she looked into the hopeful, determined eyes of the group, Mandy couldn’t refuse.
“I’ll do my best.”
They discussed it for a few minutes before leaving, then she sat down and doodled on a pad of paper. It was just procrastination; she had to tell Daniel what the seniors had asked, and she wasn’t sure how he’d react. Finally, she tried calling his office. He wasn’t in, but a short while later she ran into him in the hallway.
“Hi,” she said with forced brightness. “Do you have some time? There’s something we need to discuss.”
Daniel glanced at his watch. “I’ve got a few minutes, but we might be interrupted. I’m expecting a phone call.”
“That’s okay.”
But once Mandy was seated in the chair across from his desk, she grew nervous. She hadn’t recognized it before, but Daniel had slowly altered the room since his arrival, and she knew enough about power dynamics to realize he’d probably done it to emphasize that he was in charge. Or maybe he’d just done it instinctively—Daniel Whittier was an alpha male who exuded confidence and authority. Anyway, she wouldn’t let furniture arrangement erode her confidence.
Lifting her chin, she said, “The seniors have asked me to be their voice about the water and sewer issue. It wasn’t my idea,” she added hastily. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I hate politics, but when you’ve got a woman willing to admit she’s too abrasive, and a guy who got shot for his country asking you to serve, it’s impossible to say no.”
Daniel was obviously too much in control of himself to show much reaction, but she suspected he wasn’t happy about the news.
When he had first arrived in Willow’s Eve, Mandy had wondered if he disapproved of her. But that was probably because he seemed a little starched and uptight, reminiscent of her parents, who definitely didn’t approve of their daughter. She could imagine their reaction if they were in Daniel’s shoes right now. Her mother would say Mandy didn’t have the skills or patience to deal with such an important task, and her father would mention some classical joker who’d screwed things up by taking a job he shouldn’t have...all in stiffly perfect English. Then he’d gravely wish her the best because he was glad, at the very least, that she was finally doing something serious with her life.
She shuddered. Jeez, no point in digging up that mental garbage. She didn’t want to work with Daniel for one complicated reason...how sexy he could be when he wasn’t acting like a bureaucratic automaton.
Funny, her mother insisted physical attraction was simply a negligible chemical reaction and what really mattered were common values, shared personality traits and parallel life goals. But Mandy didn’t agree. There was nothing negligible about the way Daniel made her feel. Fortunately, it was just physical.
She also wanted to believe that two people could fall in love and make magic together, even if it wasn’t possible for everyone. In her years of wandering, she’d come to the conclusion that some people were wired that way, and some people weren’t. She was one of the ones who wasn’t geared for love and happily ever after.
Nevertheless, it had been a long time since she’d found a guy so compelling. Perhaps she was one of those masochistic types, getting hot and bothered about someone entirely wrong for her.
“I see,” Daniel said in a brisk voice. “What does representing the seniors mean?”
“Darned if I know,” Mandy answered candidly. “But I did get them to say they’d funnel their questions through me.”
His left eyebrow raised as he nodded. “That should save time. Keep notes and we’ll meet as needed to go over their concerns and questions. That will keep us both informed in a more organized manner.”
“All right,” she said. “I’ll go now and let you get ready for your phone call.”
“Thanks. Have a pleasant weekend.”
“You, too.”
“I’m planning on it.” He grinned, looking much happier. “My family is arriving.”
“That’s wonderful.”
Mandy left and went to the kitchen to check on lunch. She’d wondered when Daniel’s daughter and ex-mother-in-law would be joining him, though when he’d first said “I’m planning on it” so enthusiastically, the thought had instantly occurred that he had a hot date, only to be dismissed with equal speed.
It would be easier for her if Daniel became involved with someone. It would head off her useless speculations about what kind of woman he preferred, what kind of woman his ex-wife was...and whether he’d really gotten aroused that time they’d argued.
* * *
SATURDAY MORNING, DANIEL waited on the front steps of the house. Joyce had called to say they were ten minutes out, and he didn’t want Samantha to be overwhelmed by the Victorian. Seeing her father first thing would help. Uneasily, he recalled taking his daughter to Disneyland and her wide-eyed stare at the haunted mansion. The house in Willow’s Eve didn’t look like the one in Disneyland, but it was big and old and might evoke negative images.
Yet Samantha didn’t even seem to see the house when she arrived. She simply dashed up the walkway to fling herself into Daniel’s arms.
“I missed you, Daddy,” she cried.
“Oh, I missed you, too, pumpkin.” With Samantha still clinging to his waist, he straightened to give Joyce a hug. “And I missed you, too, Mom.”
Joyce’s eyes suddenly went teary, and Daniel realized it was the first time he’d called her that.
“It’s so good to see you, Daniel.”
“How was your trip?”
“Lovely. Mount Shasta is as beautiful as I remembered.”
Daniel smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Well, you two, here’s our new home.”
Joyce looked up and shook her head. “It’s enormous.”
“It’s bigger than enormous. I’m told it’s the showplace of the entire area.”
Samantha’s eyes grew round as she finally focused on the house. Walking across the porch, she put her hand against the stained glass window on the right side of the door. “It’s pretty, Daddy.”
“It is pretty, and wait until you see the rest,” he told her, keeping his tone lighthearted.
Hoping she would still like it after seeing the whole place, he led them through the rooms on the ground floor, then up the steps. They toured several spare bedrooms, then the large one he’d set up for Joyce.
“It’s beautiful,” she declared with a pleased smile. “And it has this lovely bay window where I can sit and look into the trees and across the landscape.”
Remembering her fondness for nature, he had chosen the room with the best view.
“I hoped it would be right, but if you’d rather have a different room or furniture, I’ll be happy to move whatever you want,” he assured.
“This couldn’t be better.”
Finally, he led Samantha into her bedroom at the front of the house.
“Daddy! It’s a princess bedroom,” she squealed. “Only better. It’s like that book Grandma read me, about the girl who went into a house that was empty except for one special room.”
“The Velvet Room?” Joyce guessed.
“Uh-huh.” Samantha ran to the alcove and pulled the curtain closed. “See?”
“So, you want to keep this room, Samantha?”
“It’s my favorite. You guessed right, Daddy!”
It was what Mandy had predicted, not that it was strange she had figured it out. After all, she’d once been a little girl too, and probably remembered what she would have enjoyed.
Mandy.
Daniel’s gut tightened.
The mayor had come by Friday afternoon for one of his informal chats, the primary topic being the seniors’ choice of Mandy Colson to help with the water project.
“It’s a fine idea,” Howard had said with uncharacteristic certainty. “She can work alongside you. She, uh, doesn’t have long ties in Willow’s Eve, but people around here...you know, trust her.”
At a guess, the mayor hadn’t wanted to point out that Willow’s Eve still didn’t trust their new city manager. But Daniel wasn’t offended by the idea. Why should they trust him? He’d been on the job a few weeks, and while Howard clearly believed in the power of a professional city manager, it didn’t mean everyone felt the same.
“Wouldn’t it be better to have one of the property owners instead?” Daniel had asked carefully. “Mandy mentioned not enjoying this sort of thing.”
“No, no,” Howard said heartily. “She’ll do fine. And a property owner would be biased, don’t you see? There’d be too much emotion. Mandy is a good choice, and she can go with you to those meetings you’re planning in Sacramento. I’d expected to attend myself, but she’s the natural one to do it now.”
Obviously, the mayor was relieved at the prospect of dumping more of the responsibility for the water project onto someone else, even if it was a free-spirited young woman they’d hired because no one else was available.
Personally, Daniel was far from happy at the thought of more intensive time with Mandy than he’d anticipated. She threw him off balance with her emotional outbursts and sexy allure. But after all, this was only one of the challenges he’d have to deal with as a newly single man, so he’d have to accept the inevitable.
After a quick tour of the Victorian, they sat in the living room, Samantha perched on Daniel’s lap as she told him about the trip and school. She said nothing about her mother or the wedding.
“Today we’ll get you unpacked and settled in, then tomorrow afternoon we can go for a picnic at the beach,” he suggested.
“Goody,” Samantha cried and Joyce nodded happily.
It was a terrific day as they unpacked and became acquainted with the house. Joyce even went down to the Handy Spandy to get some groceries. At five-thirty, they had just finished supper at the kitchen table when Samantha screeched with excitement.
“Look, Daddy!”
It was Mr. Spock. One of the doors must have been left open, because the large cat had strolled in and was surveying the kitchen.
“That’s our neighbor’s cat,” he told her. “His name is Mr. Spock and he likes to visit.”
Samantha regarded the animal hesitantly, but the cat had no reservations. He strolled forward and sniffed at her knee.
“Merrrrow!”
His daughter jerked at the sound.
“It’s all right,” Daniel told her. “I think that’s his way of saying hello.”
“Mr. Spock,” called a voice in the distance.
Daniel picked up the feline and went to the front of the house, where he saw Mandy patrolling the sidewalk and calling the cat’s name again.
“He’s here.”
Going down the steps, he handed the cat to her.
“I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed. “I was trying to keep him in so he wouldn’t go over and be a bother when your family arrived, but he sneaked out anyway.”
* * *
MANDY HELD ON TO Mr. Spock, feeling bad that he’d interrupted Daniel’s first day back with his family.
“I’ll go now, and see you Monday,” she said quickly and turned to leave.
“Hello,” said a child’s voice.
Mandy glanced back and saw that a little girl had come out of the house and was standing close to her father.
“Hello,” she said in return, smiling both at the child and the older woman on the porch.
“Joyce, Samantha, this is Mandy Colson,” Daniel introduced them. “She’s our next-door neighbor, and she also works at City Hall as the director of the Senior Center.”
“I’m sorry my cat barged in,” she said.
Joyce smiled. “He was just being neighborly.”
“Can I pet him?” Samantha asked.
“Uh...” Mandy looked at Daniel, who nodded slightly. “Sure.” Since Mr. Spock had lived with her only a short time, she wasn’t sure how he’d behave with a child. Holding him firmly, she knelt down. Samantha gently touched the cat’s fur. A purr rolled from his chest and he licked the youngster’s wrist.
“Oooh!” Samantha pulled her hand away.
“Don’t worry,” Mandy assured her. “He was just kissing you. He doesn’t know how rough his tongue is.”
“Oh.”
Samantha cautiously began her soft strokes again, but after a few minutes, Mr. Spock got bored. He wriggled free and wandered over to investigate a grasshopper.
Mandy stood. “I’m really sorry for intruding. I’ll take him home now.”
“Not at all. It’s nice to meet you, Mandy,” Joyce said. “May I ask a question about the Senior Center before you go?”
“Of course.”
“I met some people at the store this afternoon and they invited me to the senior lunch. I’ll probably want to get settled first, but is it all right?”
“Of course. You’re more than welcome.”
“It’s just that I haven’t been a resident, so I wasn’t sure.”
“That doesn’t matter, and it’s a great way to get to know people,” Mandy told her enthusiastically. “Come down anytime. It’s more than lunch. We have classes and movie afternoons, a sewing and crafts group that meets several mornings a week, and another crowd that plays bridge on Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. They’re always looking for new players. Plus, folks hang around a good part of the day, putting puzzles together or doing other things.”
“I love a challenging jigsaw puzzle.”
“Then you’ve got ready-made friends waiting for you at City Hall. I have to stay away from the puzzles myself, or I get hooked for hours.”
“May I come, too?” Samantha asked in a hesitant voice.
Mandy grinned at her. “Sure, your grandmother can bring you if it’s okay with her and your daddy. But you may not want to visit after you make some friends at school. You’ll probably decide to play with them instead.”
“Maybe,” the little girl agreed doubtfully.
“Sure you will, Samantha,” Daniel chimed in. “You’re going to make lots of new friends.”
“Okay.”
“Well, have a nice evening.” Mandy picked up Mr. Spock again and slipped through the bushes between the houses. There was a warm pot of soup on the stove for her dinner. Susan had planned to come over, but she’d called to say she had a migraine and was going to bed early.
As she stirred the soup, Mandy thought about her neighbors. Joyce seemed nice, and it was great that folks had already invited her to the Senior Center, a real mark in Willow’s Eve’s favor. And Samantha was a cute kid with a sensitive face and manner.
Then there was Daniel. He’d seemed more relaxed than usual, and the way he’d looked at his daughter had shown how much he loved her. That was nice, but seeing the gentler side of him made Mandy want to go and hide.
How was that for illogical?