Fuzzy Logic (12 page)

Jan took a deep breath in an effort to keep the tears from starting up again. She said quickly, “I am surprised that I’m even thinking this, much less telling you, but it may have been a good thing. Steve has had anger issues for a while. I’ve tried to ignore it—and a lot of other things, too. So I think everything will work out for the best.”

“I hope you’re right.” Michael paused. “So since you’re feeling better, I was wondering if you’d like to have some coffee. I’ll be here for the next few days. Thanks to your research, Ron is on track again and we might finish shooting this commercial before my boss has a heart attack. The screaming and level of crazy was over the top.”

“The actor was screaming? It’s just a commercial, right?”

“No, Ron is nit-picky and annoying, but he doesn’t scream. I meant my boss. The client is kind of nuts. They say one thing one minute and then change their minds. I guess they think we’re psychic. I think my boss may be melting down a little under all the money and deadline pressures. He’s a good guy, but he’s been in ad-land for a long time. It can get to you.”

“That level of stress sounds terribly toxic. I don’t think I could handle that.” Nor would she want to. Advertising certainly sounded like a horrid way to earn a living.

“I think you either thrive on the stress or you get out. I love it. Every day is different. Sometimes you get ten people in a room all bouncing ideas off each other. The creative flow is incredible. There’s nothing like it.”

Jan examined her fingernails. She needed a manicure. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Hey, you didn’t answer me about coffee. I’d like to see you before I go back to San Diego so I can verify for myself that you’re healing up okay. And to thank you for the research. You really saved me.”

Jan didn’t want to see him again, but he was being so conciliatory and friendly at the moment, it seemed mean to shoot him down. Plus she couldn’t think of any reasonable excuse to get out of it. What the heck. It was just coffee. “I guess I can do that. I hate to think how awful this bruise will look by then, though.”

“I’m sure it will be fine. You always look great. How about tomorrow? I guess the library closes at five, right? How about if I meet you there.”

“Yes. That will work.”

“I’ll see you then!”

Jan’s shoulders slumped as she hung up the phone. She leaned over on the sofa, putting her forehead on Rosa’s back. “Oh Rosa, what is wrong with me? Why didn’t I just say no?”

Rosa wagged the tip of her tail in sympathy.

“Yeah, I know, that would be inconceivable. I’m such a wimp.”

At ten after five, Jan was sitting at the desk entering book data into the computer again. It was a never-ending marathon project and Jill wanted nothing to do with it. Whenever a new order of books came in, they needed to be entered into the system. The process was excruciatingly dull, but the end result was worth it. Being able to search for any book by just typing in text was so much easier than dealing with the old card catalogs.

She looked up at the knock on the front door, which she had locked at five. If Michael wanted to score points with her, being late certainly wasn’t the way to do it. Waving toward the back of the building, she indicated that she and Rosa would be going out the back door.

Michael was standing outside waiting when Jan and Rosa exited the building. “I’m sorry I’m so late,” he said.

Locking the door behind her, Jan turned to him. “It’s fine. Rosa got in a little more nap time.”

Michael bent down to pet the dog. “So this is Rosa, huh? I’ve heard a lot about you.” Rosa wagged her tail. Michael reached into his pocket and held a dog treat in front of her nose. “I’m guessing you know what this is. Do you know how to sit?” Rosa sat down proudly and then snorfled the treat with enthusiasm.

Jan giggled. “Yes. She definitely knows about t-r-e-a-t-s. The other night, someone called Rosa ‘full-figured’ and I decided that’s a more polite way to describe her. We try not to use polarizing terms like overweight or fat.”

“Certainly not,” Michael said. “No one wants their dog to have body-image issues. I saw that the coffee shop is just around the corner. Do you want to walk?”

“Sure. I look for any excuse to give Rosa some exercise.”

Michael smiled and turned toward her. “Wait a minute.” He reached over and gently cupped her chin with his hand, turning her cheek toward him. “Not bad. It looks like macho man only grazed you.”

A guilty little tremor of excitement flooded Jan’s body at his touch. She smiled. “Thank goodness for the magic of Cover Girl. And it looks like I won’t get a black eye, which is a relief.”

He let his fingertips skim her jaw line as he released her chin. “Good thing he wasn’t wearing a gigantic Super Bowl ring. He could have really done some damage.”

“He was a football player in college, but he never made it to the pros.” Jan had been subjected to that story at least 400 times. Now she’d probably never hear it again.

Michael took her hand in his. “I suspected as much. Because of all those years of playing sports, I can spot a football player at fifty yards.”

“Maybe you should just avoid football players from now on. They don’t seem to like you.”

“It was just the one. Normally, I play nice with jocks. And he started it.”

“Oh please. You realize you sound like a ten-year old when you say that, right?”

Michael swung her hand back and forth and began skipping. “I’m embracing my inner child. Some people find it endearing.”

“Are they ten-year olds?” Jan said breathlessly, trying to keep up. She
was
out of shape. And what was she doing walking—or skipping—hand-in-hand with a man who wasn’t Steve? It seemed so wrong and even worse, she looked like an idiot. What if someone she knew saw them? She looked quickly over at Michael, who seemed unconcerned about the contact, apparently enjoying capering through town among all the fall colors. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the maples along the side of the street were putting on a fantastic show of red, orange, and yellow leaves. Rosa’s paws crunched through the fallen leaves scattered on the ground. The dog was panting heavily as she trotted alongside them.

Michael looked over at Rosa and slowed back to a leisurely walk. “Sorry. All this fresh air is invigorating. I think your dog might have a heart attack, though.”

“Rosa and I might need to embark on a new physical-fitness regimen.” Not to mention cut back on the number of pizza nights.

At the outdoor patio of the coffee shop, they settled into chairs and sat sipping large mugs of coffee with Rosa snoring quietly under the table. Jan held her mug with both hands, enjoying the warmth. “Did you finish your commercial?”

“Almost. We have a half-day of shooting tomorrow. Then it’s back to San Diego for me.”

“Your dog probably misses you. Well, assuming she’s still there.”

Michael smiled. “Very funny. Swoosie is at her favorite boarding kennel. I refer to it as ‘doggie boot camp.’ It’s kind of a drive, since it’s out in East County, but the place is huge and they tire her out. They have people who volunteer to come in and go jogging or running with the dogs. Swoosie tends to sleep for a few days after she comes home.”

“It’s hard for me to imagine that dog tired.”

“You might not have seen her at her finest moment.”

Jan paused before taking another sip of coffee. “Which one? There were multiple disastrous moments.”

Ignoring the disparaging comment about his dog, Michael leaned back in his chair and surveyed the people walking down the street near the coffee shop. “Check out this guy. The way he’s walking, I think he’s an undercover cop. See how he’s looking right and left. Shifty. Maybe a private detective.”

Jan looked over her shoulder. “What are you talking about? That’s Ralph. He works at the grocery store.”

“Maybe that’s his cover. Are you absolutely
sure
he’s just a bag boy? Maybe there’s more to him than that. Everybody has secrets.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Jan said. “And they probably want to keep them secret.”

Michael leaned forward, put his elbows on the table, and looked into her face. “Where’s the fun in that? Everyone has a story. Don’t you ever look at people and wonder?”

Jan fiddled with the handle of her mug. “That’s their business. I guess sometimes I wonder what they’re thinking, though.”

“Exactly!” Michael said. “What’s going through Ralph’s mind right now? He looks like he’s on a mission. Where’s he going? What’s he doing?”

The corners of Jan’s mouth twitched with amusement. “If you met Ralph, you might not be so curious.”

“Okay, maybe not him.” Michael turned in his chair. “How about that woman over there? She’s busy trying to ride herd on that little boy. Maybe she’s taking him to the doctor and he doesn’t want to go.”

Jan put down her mug. “Do you usually make up stories about people while you’re having coffee?”

“All the time. And when I’m waiting in line to do my bank deposits. Wherever. It passes the time. Like Shakespeare said, ‘all the world’s a stage.’ I’m just here watching it play out.”

“Wow. Quoting the Bard?” Jan said with a smile. “I never would have guessed it of you.”

Michael arched an eyebrow in mock surprise. “Hey, I’m a complex guy.”

“I’ll take your word for it. At this point, I’m waiting for the next disaster to befall me.”

Michael threw an arm over the back of his chair. “You’re really not much of an optimist, are you?”

“So far, I’ve experienced extreme wardrobe destruction and violence when I’ve been around you.” Jan said. “I think that should be cause for concern.” Although to be fair, she was enjoying herself now. He was entertaining. And, of course, not exactly hard to look at, either. Things could be worse.

Michael grinned and Jan noticed his chipped tooth again. Why hadn’t he ever gotten it fixed? He stretched his long legs out under the table and folded his hands across his stomach. “Well, you better get used to it, because I just thought of something. I’m now your step-brother! We’ll probably be spending holidays together. It will be like the Brady Bunch.”

“I wouldn’t get too attached to that idea,” Jan said. “I’m guessing you haven’t spent much time with my mother, have you? Over the years, I’ve seen quite a few step-siblings come and go.” That was an understatement.

“Speaking of which, I always wondered why Greg and Marcia didn’t ever get it on,” Michael said. “They weren’t related, after all. They were steps. And they were what, 16 or 17? With all those hormones? Get real. They would have been trying out Carol and Mike’s water bed the first chance they got.”

“Well, if you believe the gossip rags, the actors actually did have some type of relationship. So did Keith and Lori Partridge, supposedly.”

Michael leaned forward and wrapped his large hands around his coffee mug. “I see your reading extends beyond Shakespeare.”

“It’s an occupational hazard. I read everything.”

“So can I be amused for a second that your name is Jan? Oh—and now thanks to me, you can have middle-child syndrome. How cool is that?”

“Unless you have a younger sibling I don’t know about, I’m not a middle child. And this may come as a surprise, but you’re not the first person to point out the Brady Bunch connection. If you ask me to say, ‘Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,’ in a whiny voice I’m leaving.”

Michael laughed. “Aww, you’re no fun.”

That evening, Jan was washing up the dishes from dinner when the phone rang. A sinful little glimmer of hope skittered through her when she considered the possibility that it could be Michael. It was inappropriate, given that she had just broken up with Steve, but she’d had fun drinking coffee with him. Was it a date? Did he think it was a date? She shouldn’t be dating anyone right after a break-up. That would be insane. And he was leaving town soon, anyway.

All thoughts of Michael vaporized when Jan heard her mother’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Hello, Janelle darling! How are you?”

“I’m fine, Mom. But I’m surprised that you’re calling all the way from Hawaii. Aren’t you still on your honeymoon? I thought it was a two-week trip.”

“The islands are a fantastically spiritual place. You can feel the ancient mystical energies throughout your body. The ocean and the tropical air create such a beautiful harmony and it permeates my soul. We spent some time at the beach and then I found a shaman who gave me a crystal that aligned my chakra centers. I felt so balanced. It was beautiful.”