Going For Broke (31 page)

             
“It’s not used to public transportation,” she said as she stroked the outside of the bag.

             
“Oh, does it like traveling in a chauffeured-driven car, with classical music and air conditioning blasting”

             
You have no idea.  “Something like that,” she said.  She patted the bag, like someone reassuring a cranky child.  “Busy day at the office?” It wasn’t the wittiest of repartee, but she wanted to change the subject from chauffeurs and limousines. 

             
“It’s been crazy these days.  I had to sneak out early today or someone’s computer would have been thrown out of the third floor window.  Mercy killing.”

             
Victoria laughed.  “Rough office.”

             
“Really, it’s a great place to work.  Creative, fun people.  We’re getting ready for a huge pitch and the creative team has been working past midnight, and that makes for some cranky employees during the day.”

             
“You’re not creative?” Victoria asked.

             
“Well, I like to think I am.   I’m the suit.”  Victoria looked at him puzzled.  He was wearing a crisp white shirt and khaki pants.  No socks, and she did notice he had on Gucci loafers.  It was an acceptable, if casual look.  How could he be the suit?

             
Scott laughed as he saw her reaction.  “Oh,no -- in a creative business, the suit is the poor guy that has to sell what the ‘creatives’ come up with.  I’m an account guy.  Professional schmoozer.”

             
Probably a very good one, Victoria thought.  This guy was charming just getting out of bed in the morning.  “Is that what it says on your business card?  Schmoozer?”

             
“Might as well.  It’s okay, I don’t mind -- I know where my strengths lay.” 

             
Victoria found his guilelessness refreshing.  Still quite blonde, he was like a big yellow Labrador puppy.  It was hard not to get caught up in his playfulness.  She thought she’d throw it back at him.  She raised an eyebrow and said, “Really?

             
Scott rose to the bait.  “I have quite an impressive skill set. ”

             
“I can only imagine,” she slyly responded.

             
“I don’t think so.  Few people are that imaginative.”

             
She laughed again.  “Okay, you win!  You are quite a guy.”

             
“Thank you.  The sooner you realize it, the better.  If only everyone was such an easy sell.”

             
Victoria feigned mock indignation.  “I’ve been called many things in my day, but easy is not one of them.”

             
He took an appreciative look at her.  She could feel herself blush.  This playful banter was getting a little out of control.  They sat in silence for a while.  Suddenly, Scott turned to her and fingered a piece of her hair.

             
“You changed your color,” he said.

             
“Long story,” black clouds gathered over her head at the thought of her hair-in-a-box.

             
“I like it.  It suits you.”

             
“I don’t know,” she couldn’t return his steady gaze.

             
He looked at her like he was apprising a piece of art.  “Yes, definitely.  You seem like you have a bit of fire in you Vicky Patterson.”

             
The fire had crept up to her face.  She felt like she was back in her Biology class,  although this time had worked up the courage to turn around. 

             
“Maybe just a little.”

             
             
             
             
             
             
###

             
The flirtation continued for the rest of the ride up to Tenaqua.  Like a Heisman running back, the conversation zigged and zagged, ramping up into full-blown flirtation, and then ebbing back into easy conversation.  The half hour trip flew by.

             
As they got off the train, the sun was just beginning to set.  They walked up the stairs, Victoria went to get her bike.  Scott stopped at the top of the stairs, and turned to her, excited.

             
“Hey, why don’t we stop and grab a bite,” he said.

             
Victoria wanted to beg off.  It had been a long, mostly lousy day.  She should get back to her kids, too.  “Oh, I should be getting home.”

             
“Come on, we’ll just grab a burger at the corner,” he said.  She found it hard to refuse him.  He was just so damned -
charming
.

             
“A quick bite.  I have to get home to my kids.  Let me give them a call,” she said as she headed into the station house. 

             
“Where are you going?” He asked.

             
“To find a pay phone.”

             
“Did you lose your phone?”

             
“Something like that.”

             
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone.  He offered it to Victoria.  She caught a lump in her throat when she took it from him.  It had been so long since she held one.  She really, really missed hers.

             
She quickly called home and explained that she was running late, with no explanation as to where she’d be.  Her mother was at the store, and Bud assured her that he and the kids were grilling up hot dogs in the back yard and looking for mayonnaise jars with which to catch fireflies later.   As she hung up Scott’s phone, she was truly thankful that her mother had married such a lovely man.

             
“Good to go,” she said brightly.  “I’m starving!”

CHAPTER 20

             
As they entered the little restaurant, it was clear that Scott was the unofficial Mayor of Tenaqua.  He knew almost every man, woman and child in the place.  He greeted the hostess with a kiss and a big hug.  She moved Scott to the top of the wait list immediately. 

             
There was a fairly good crowd at the bar, which surprised Victoria.  Who knew the people of Tenaqua ventured out on a weeknight?  It felt as if they rolled up the sidewalks at 5:30.  There was a group of three women drinking wine, not paying attention to ESPN blaring on the television over the bar.  One of the women was sporting a top that Victoria knew to be this season’s Prada.  She felt a pang of sadness, not sure if it was from missing the camaraderie of friends or the latest runway fashions.  They all looked remarkably put-together for an outing to a burger joint. 

             
A couple of other groups, mainly couples, sat with drinks, waiting for a table.  The women were mostly well turned out, and the men less so.  Didn’t these guys feel that dinner out with their wives warranted an outfit a bit snappier than pleated khaki short and a golf shirt with a big logo on the breast?   Even if it was unseasonably warm for May, there was no need to dress like you were on summer vacation in the Dells.  Two of the men were wearing shoes that looked like plastic clogs with holes in them.  She shuddered.  Scott put his arm around her back and led her past the hostess stand.

             
Victoria found it intoxicating to be with a man who could walk into a room and make things happen.  She had gotten so used to it with Trip after all those years together, and she missed the way people responded to him, whether it was in a must-do restaurant, exclusive club or Board of Director’s meeting.  Even if Scott’s domain was the little town of Tenaqua, she felt great being on his arm.

             
The hostess quickly led them to a prime corner table for two.  The table was set with a tacky red and white checked oilcloth that housed salt and pepper, napkins and a bottle of BBQ sauce.  Victoria instinctively checked the chair for debris before she sat down.  Scott didn’t notice, he was busy chatting it up with the waitress who was much too friendly for Victoria’s taste.  She didn’t believe in fraternizing with the help.  

             
“They have the best burgers,” Scott said, as he perused the menu.

             
Victoria had been trying to lay off on the junk food as of late.  She was nowhere close to her New York closet, and was making progress, pound by pound.  She didn’t want to ruin her progress, but Scott was a good salesman.

             
“The Blue Cheese Burger is the best!  And you have to get grilled onions.”

             
Victoria put her menu down.  “Sold.  Sounds great.”

             
“I love it when a woman isn’t afraid to eat.  My ex-wife was a virtual rabbit.”

             
Ex-wife.  New information.  “She was probably in great shape,” Victoria felt that she needed to defend the rabbits of the world.  After all, she had been eating with them for the past 20 years.

             
“Great shape.  More so because she spent waaaay to much time with her trainer.”

             
“Was that a problem?” Victoria loved her trainer. She wouldn’t really acknowledge him outside of the gym, but while they were working out, they had a great rapport.

             
“I didn’t think so at first.  I thought it was great that she was working out every day.  Then she tells me that she’s leaving me for the damn trainer.”

             
Victoria thought about leaving Trip for Viktor.  Couldn’t even picture it.

             
“Wow.  Was he a lot younger than her?

             
“He?  Oh no, her trainer was a woman,” Scott said as he took a swig of beer. 

             
Victoria raised her eyebrows.  She considered herself open-minded about all that stuff, still --

             
“I’m so sorry.  Are they still together?”

             
“And living in my house. With my kids,” he said, without sounding bitter.

             
“Here, in Tenaqua?”

             
“Yup.  I even got them a membership to our club so she could still take the kids after we got divorced.”

             
She could never see Trip going that far.

             
“It was for the kids.  I tried to make it as easy on them as possible.

             
“How many children do you have?” Victoria felt for this guy.

             
“Three beautiful daughters.  Meggie is 15, Claire is 13 and Libby is 10.  They’re really great kids and they’ve handled the situation fairly well.”