Just This Once (18 page)

“I just had to deal with it on my own, I guess.”

“Is that why you took the job in Denver?”

“Maybe a little. It seemed like a good time to put some distance between myself and this place. But the main reason was the job. Of course, if I had known the one here was going to open up….”

Approaching the ramp to the Beeline Expressway, Maxine briefly changed the subject.

“Do you want to go check on your place?” Paula had turned her condo over to a management company to rent, hoping that someday she’d find her way back to Orlando.

The tenants’ lease had expired in May and the agency was doubtful they would get another renter until fall.

“Sure, we can do that. No one’s living there right now, so I doubt the lights are even on.”

Paula started groping in her purse for the key.

Maxine turned northwest toward her daughter’s condo. “Do you want to talk about that woman some more?” Whoever this woman from Baltimore was, she obviously meant a lot to Paula, or it wouldn’t still prompt the tears in her daughter’s eyes.

“Not really.” The last thing Paula wanted to do was waste her weekend in Florida with sad thoughts. “Tell me about Josh and Jordan, and what’s new with Dad.”

———

“So what do you think? Are people going to hide their eyes when they see this?” Kitty Connelly stopped and turned to model her dark blue swimsuit. At 62 years old, she bore the slightly plump physique of one who had lived a sedentary life after having two children.

“I don’t think anyone will run screaming, but they may have to reach for their sunglasses.” Her mom’s alabaster legs hadn’t seen the sun in over 30 years.

“Very funny,” the elder woman scoffed. “I’m giving myself a half-hour, then it’s under the umbrella.”

“I think that’s a good idea.” Wynne, on the other hand, was eager to work on her tan, which made the scars on her legs and abdomen less visible. She’d been out a few times in her back yard and was already sporting a golden glow. With a darker tan, her eyes seemed bluer and her hair shone with deep auburn highlights. She absolutely loved the feel of the sun on her skin.

The Connellys walked in the stifling heat to the fenced-in pool area, already crowded with others who had the same idea for escaping the summer heat. Spotting two chaise lounges in the corner by an umbrella, Wynne spread out their towels as she and her mom settled in. It was fun being able to spend time with her mom just relaxing together. The move to Orlando had turned out to be good for both of them, and Janelle was already talking about coming to Florida when she finished school.

“Did I tell you that I’m having dinner tonight with the Shumachers and one of their friends from New York? They’re such nice people. She used to be a….”

Wynne was already absorbed in her book, stretched out on her stomach with the clasp of her top hanging unfastened at her sides. As she became more aware that her mother was speaking, she raised up to listen. A white sedan in the distance stole her attention as it pulled to a stop in front of the unit that used to belong to the woman she knew. She watched in utter amazement as two women exited and disappeared inside the upstairs condo. One of the women looked like Paula McKenzie!

“Uh, hello there,” Kitty spoke up anxiously to get her daughter’s attention. Wynne seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she had lifted up so far that her bare breasts were now visible to anyone who cared to look.

“Oops!” Wynne lowered herself and snapped her top into place. Now sitting up, she stared at the end unit to confirm what she’d seen. After only a few minutes, the two women came out and returned to the car. The petite blonde definitely looked like Paula, but Wynne couldn’t make out the features of the other woman from this distance.

Whoever she was, she and Paula were certainly familiar, apparent from the casual way their arms hooked together.

The uncomfortable feeling of watching Paula McKenzie walking arm in arm with another woman gave way to curiosity. Why would Paula be in Orlando? And why would she visit her former home? Was she moving back to Florida?

“…so anyway, after dinner, we might play a few hands of bridge and see if we all hit it off. It might become a regular thing.”

“That’s nice, Mom.”

———

“Paula, you look fabulous!” Jolene gushed as she eyed her former boss, decked out today in a light blue sleeveless cocktail dress with ivory shoes.

“Wow, so do you!” She beamed at her protégé, glad at once to see a familiar face.

“We miss you so much! I mean, Belinda’s okay, but she’s sort of…I don’t know…unbending, if you know what I mean. Stephanie had to pull rank so we could all get the day off today.”

“It’s a tough job sometimes, Jolene. I’m sure she’s trying to do what’s best for the hotel,”

Paula cajoled. “Speaking of Stephanie, is she here?”

“I haven’t seen her yet, but I’m sure she’s coming.”

No one who knew Rusty Wilburn would miss this day, the day Juliana became his bride.

Following their honeymoon, the couple would hastily pack for a move to Philadelphia, where Rusty would take over as the Manager of Hotel Operations for the day shift — a great job in the Weller Regent chain, and one he roundly deserved, Paula thought.

She had read in the WR newsletter about her friend’s promotion, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret about her move to Denver, especially since Rusty’s job of Senior Manager for the night shift — the same post she now held in Denver — was temporarily empty. Though she was tempted to ask Stephanie about it, a parallel move in the company after such a short stint wouldn’t look good for future considerations. She was happy for Rusty, but envious of the one who would fill his vacant slot.

“Well, if it isn’t the Prodigal Daughter!”

Paula immediately turned to the familiar voice and reached out to hug her mentor.

“Stephanie!”

“How are you, hon? I’ve been hearing great things about you in Denver. Did I ever tell you that Vince Tolliver sent me flowers a month after you got there?”

“You’re kidding!” Paula laughed. She knew Vince liked her work, but this information was pretty good leverage for the next time she wanted something from her hotel director.

“No, he’s crazy about you.”

“Well, I’m pretty happy there. It’s a great hotel, and the people are wonderful.”

“Happier than you were here?” the director asked.

Not even close, Paula thought, but Stephanie didn’t want to hear that. “It’s different. You know how much I love the WR here, and how much I enjoyed all the people that work there…and how much I respected my boss,” she winked at that last remark.

“I figured as much. When Rusty told me he got the Philly job, I almost picked up the phone then to ask you to come back, but pulling you out of Denver so soon like that wouldn’t have been good for your career.”

Paula nodded. Those had been her thoughts exactly.

“But if it were a different position, a promotion to operations, perhaps….”

The blonde woman froze as she absorbed her former boss’s words. Was she saying…?

“We better go grab our seats. Why don’t you see me at the reception and we’ll talk more?” Stephanie suggested with a sly wink. She could see by the look on her former employee’s face that she was more than intrigued.

For the next hour, Paula tried valiantly to concentrate on her dear friend, whose wedding going on at the front of the small church. In the back of her mind, her thoughts were on what Stephanie had hinted. If there was any chance at all that she could come back to Orlando without risking her future at Weller Regent, she’d do it.

———

Two weeks passed after the mysterious “Paula sighting” at her mother’s condominium complex, and Wynne was unable to get the pretty blonde out of her mind. On a hunch that her friend was headed back this way, Wynne called the Weller Regent in Denver, only to learn from a staffer that Paula was off on Wednesdays but was expected in the next afternoon. So that was all it was: just a visit to Orlando, and probably a chance to see her family. Odd, though, that she’d stopped by her old condo.

Each time she drove over to visit her family, Wynne found herself drawn to check out the end unit that had belonged to her friend. Best she could tell, it was empty. But what if Paula still owned the place, expecting someday to return? Maybe the Denver thing was just a temporary assignment.

Wynne got her answer in late August, when she happened upon the “On the Move”

column of the
Orlando Business Review
. It was only a tidbit and she might have missed it, but the bolded name leapt out at her.

The Orlando Weller Regent is pleased to announce that
Paula R.

McKenzie
has been promoted to the position of Manager, Hotel Operations. An 11-year veteran of the Weller Regent Corporation, Ms.

McKenzie returns to her native Florida from Denver, where she served as Senior Shift Manager in the Weller Regent’s newest hotel property.

“Okay, it took me a while, but I finally met someone really nice that made me think of you. You interested?” Cheryl Williams stood in her doorway, an expectant look on her face.

“Huh…?” Her thoughts elsewhere, Wynne was startled by the sudden appearance of her boss. What the hell was this woman talking about?

“I’m thinking a small dinner party next Saturday. The two of you could have a chance to meet and chat informally. If you hit it off, great! If you don’t…hey, it didn’t cost you anything.”

“Uh, you mean…a woman?”

“Uh, yes,” she mocked her assistant VP. “Isn’t that what you ordered?”

Wynne couldn’t stifle the laugh that erupted at the thought of her boss scrounging for her potential dates. But the thought of making small talk with a stranger under Cheryl’s watchful eye held no appeal at all. “I, uh…I’m sort of seeing somebody,” she lied, glancing back at the
Business Review
.

“Oh yeah?” Cheryl was certainly intrigued by this pronouncement. “Anyone I know?”

“I don’t think so. We haven’t been seeing each other long.”

“Well I’m glad to hear that, Wynne. You’ll keep me posted, won’t you?”

“Sure.” She hoped to be seeing someone very soon. Paula McKenzie was back in town!

———

“You wouldn’t believe how good it is to see you back here. Now how do I get bumped to day shift?” Jolene asked her mentor.

“That should be easy…three to five years on the night desk gets you to catering or the business center; then another two years after that gets you to the daytime desk.”

The African-American woman groaned. “I don’t think I can stand Belinda for three to five more years.”

Paula chuckled softly, looking about to see if the woman who had replaced her over a year ago was nearby. “You were just spoiled because I was such a pushover. You know, it takes a while to build a rapport with somebody, and she might be struggling with it as much as you are.”

“I don’t think so, Paula. She just doesn’t seem to try very hard to get along with people.”

“Let me give you a little advice here, okay? This is how things work at the WR. If your boss does something that breaks the rules, then you should file a grievance. Everything’s spelled out in the handbook. But if it’s just a personality clash, then you’re more likely to be the one that gets judged on how it all gets resolved. I know that sounds unfair, Jolene, but that’s the way it is. Weller Regent loves it when everyone on the staff gets along, but it isn’t realistic to think it’s going to happen all the time. If Belinda is doing her job, the WR is going to throw her all the support she needs.”

“I know you’re right. And I know that I can always count on you to tell it just like it is.”

Paula smiled and chucked the woman’s arm gently. “Like I said, you’re spoiled. And I know it probably makes you feel better to get it off your chest, but I would also suggest that you try not to do that at work, or with any of the others that work here. It just gives it a life of its own, and makes everything worse.”

Jolene nodded, feeling embarrassed at having shown an unprofessional side of herself to this woman she respected so much.

“But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t speak up if you think you’re being treated in a way that’s against our employment practices. And if you aren’t sure about it, you can always come to me. Just try to be discreet, okay?”

Paula was finishing up her first day back on the job in Orlando. What Jolene didn’t know was that Stephanie had already briefed her on what she considered an alarming number of informal complaints regarding the night Shift Manager, and with Rusty’s post now open, the WR needed to follow up on those, as the person just hired to take his place was now Belinda’s immediate supervisor. Without a moment’s thought, Paula offered to fill in a few nights to help smooth the transition and Stephanie immediately took her up on it.

But right now, it was 4:30, a half hour since her shift ended, and Paula was eager to get home. For the next few days, home was her parents’ house in Cocoa Beach, an hour and 15 minutes from the WR. Her furniture was en route, and while the WR was willing to put her up for free, she had Slayer to consider. The 30-hour drive in the small convertible had traumatized him, and it didn’t feel right just to leave him on his own with her parents.

Paula had to admit that it was pretty fabulous to walk into a house filled with lively conversation and the aroma of dinner. The last year in Denver had left her feeling lonely and isolated, and she’d finally admitted to herself that she had overreacted to the dismal ending of her short affair with Wynne Connelly. She needed to give her social life a little attention, and now that she was working the day shift, she might even be able to get out and meet people.

Chapter 15

“You’re getting to be a fixture here, Wynne. What’s the matter? Didn’t pay your light bill?” Kitty teased.

“Very funny,” her daughter answered. “Did you ever stop to think that I might just enjoy your company?”

“I’m not complaining. I like seeing you this much,” Kitty assured her eldest daughter.

The elder Connelly had undergone something of a transformation after moving. It wasn’t just the fact that the condo association now took care of many of the things that worried her so back in Baltimore. It was also that she’d left behind the reminders of the pain and sorrow that had shrouded her after losing her beloved husband. Here in Orlando, she had started to make friends again, friends who hadn’t known her only as Dr. Connelly’s wife.