Meanwhile, he was on-edge. Were his grandfather and Caroline still mad at each other, or had they broken up since their fight? Heck if he knew. He hadn’t heard a thing about that from the man, and according to Vi, Caroline was also mum on the subject. Best to let each of them alone with their thoughts.
Except the silence was killing him. No doubt, Vi was in the same boat. He’d grown frustrated waiting the man out. To hell with that. Time to pay a visit to the 709 and get the real scoop, then contact Vi and share what he learned.
But on the way to the retirement home, he changed his mind and decided to drop by her place instead. After a quick visit to the grocery and a nearby diner, he headed for the townhouse.
By Friday,sick of the long hours and ready to wind down and forget work for a while, Vi left the office at five o’clock. Once home, she considered various options. Seeing a movie with Carmie sounded fun—if she didn’t have plans with Chris. Treating herself to dinner someplace, and then doing the movie thing solo would be okay, or scrounging up something to eat at home, sipping wine while watching the tube, then falling into bed for a much-needed long night’s sleep.
Undecided, she poured a glass of wine and sat down to think about it. The doorbell chimed. Who could that be? She frowned. Rose wasn’t due back till the following evening. Maybe one of the neighbors needed to borrow an egg or a cup of sugar. She’d done that a time or two herself.
The last person she expected to see on the front stoop was Blake. In jeans, a faded denim jacket and a slate-blue Henleyshirt that brought out the navy color of his piercing eyes, he looked yummy enough to—Vi shut off the thought. She wasnotgoing to drool over a man she had no business getting involved with. “Hi, there. What brings you here?” she asked, happier to see him than was wise.
“It’s Friday night, I’m tired, and I want to hang with someone who’s going through the same hell as me. That’d be you. Besides, we haven’t talked for a week, and the texting is getting old.”
Of course, the thing with the grandparents. Nothing remotely romantic in that. Which was good, though deep down a part of her wanted him to be interested in her romantically, even if it did spell trouble.
She shoved the blasphemous thought from her mind just as he held up a bag from McPherson’s, a popular diner, and threw her an irresistible grin. “I brought sustenance. Gonna let me in?”
“McPherson’s—yum,” she said, salivating as he stepped inside. “I love that place. What all did you get?”
He handed her the bag and shrugged out of his jacket. The shirt was long-sleeve and oh, my, those broad shoulders and flat belly. She couldn’t help but remember the feel of his body so close the other night… She swallowed hard.
“First, I stopped at Collingwood’s Grocery for a bottle of wine,” he said, thankfully oblivious to her admiration. “Then I picked up two orders of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with a side of gravy, and green beans. They packed it piping hot, but it’s cooled off a bit and should be heated before we eat—that is, if you haven’t had dinner yet.”
“I haven’t, and I’m hungry. It smells really good.”
“Music to my ears. Let’s—” Mr. T sashayed toward him. He stopped what he was saying and crouched down. “Hey there, buddy,” he said, and rubbed the area on the tom’s back just above his tail. Loud purring ensued.
“He likes you,” Vi said, and so did she. “I just opened a bottle of wine, so save yours for another time. Give me that food, pour yourself a glass from the open bottle, and I’ll start the microwaving.”
Man and cat followed her into the kitchen. She pointed out the cabinet with the wine glasses and set to work. While the food heated, she handed plates and silverware to Blake. Moments later, the kitchen filled with the smells of fried chicken and gravy.
“Oh, the aroma,” she said and licked her lips. “You took a big chance stopping by without calling first.” Normally, she preferred advance notice and the chance to say no thanks, but she was really happy to see him and the food. “What if I’d made dinner for myself?”
“C’mon, Vi, don’t frown at me, not after all we’ve been through. You’re right, I should’ve phoned. It was a spur-of-the moment thing. We haven’t had a chance to talk since the accident. I figured we’d eat while we caught up. Don’t I get points for bringing dinner?”
Wearing an earnest and innocent expression, he was irresistible. “I’ll forgive you this once,” she said, adding a grumble for effect.
He flashed another charming grin, and she had a hunch he got away with pulling stuff like this with other women he dated. But she wasn’t dating him, she reminded herself. Far from it. She wasn’t about to fall under his spell and get involved like that, only to be dumped when he moved on.
“What’s the latest at DD Telecom?” he asked as they sat down at the eating counter.
He would bring that up. “Please, not that, just when I’m ready to dig in. In a nutshell, it’s a mess, and you know how I love that.” She paused to sip her wine. “We’re all working long hours without much to show for it.”
He squinted at her. “If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll get sick.”
“Who has time for that?” She sighed. “What you mean is, I look tired. It’s true, I’m running myself ragged, and I’m not the only one. Things are so bad, I don’t know how much longer any of us can continue to work at this pace. I’m doing everything I can to help, but I feel like Sisyphus, pushing a heavy rock up a steep hill, only to have it roll to the bottom again.”
“Sounds brutal. What about finding a new job?”
“I’ve thought about that, but I love this company. I’m determined to hang on and do what I do while it struggles to right itself. How are things at the bike shop?”
“Busy, but nothing like your situation. After a few rough starts, things are coming together pretty much on schedule. Wait’ll you see it. Which reminds me, our grand opening is the first day of May. That’s a Wednesday. You’re invited.”
“Thanks. I’ll try to make it—if I’m still standing.” She managed a slight smile. “I’ll add it to my calendar right now, before I forget. What time?”
“It’s an all-day thing, starting at nine a.m. and ending eight p.m. Stop by when you can. I’m running ads on social media, the Port Simms Weekly and the radio, and offering a discount on rentals and purchases made during the first week. Ross, the cycling buddy I told you about the other day, is doing a decent job interviewing and hiring. That’s a big load off my shoulders. He mentioned wanting to stay on, but he tends to change jobs frequently, and I don’t want to end up in another situation of losing my HR person.”
“He sounds like Rose. She switches a lot, too, but she doesn’t really have to work. Her husband Peter is a hotshot surgeon and makes plenty of money.”
