Once Upon a Summertime (24 page)

He brightened. “You do?”

“It's just so . . . so wonderful . . . I think it literally took my breath away.” She couldn't stop staring at it. It looked just
like that Sunday when they got caught in the thundershower outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

“It's nice, isn't it?” he said happily. “It's called
Rainy Day New York
. Painted by Alexei Butirskiy. He's a Russian artist just a little older than us.”

Anna couldn't stop staring at it. “It's so beautiful, Sean. I really do love it.”

He lifted it up above the sofa now. “You could hang it up here.”

She nodded. “That's perfect.” Tearing her eyes away from the image, she headed for the kitchen. “I have some nails and a hammer I borrowed from the super.”

Before long, they had the picture centered and hung above the sofa, and Anna was still staring at it in wonder. “I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at it,” she told Sean.

“I couldn't agree more,” he said quietly.

But when she glanced at Sean, he seemed to be staring at her. Feeling her cheeks growing warm, Anna returned the hammer to the kitchen and, pausing in front of the sink, attempted to steady herself.

“Hey, Anna,” Sean called. “You hungry?”

“Yes,” she called back. “I thought I'd try out this stove and some of my new cookware. You game?”

Sean came into the kitchen. “Seriously? You're going to cook something?”

She smirked. “Well, it won't be anything fancy. But if you're interested—”

“I'm in,” he told her and stood there, watching and waiting.

“Why don't you go sit in the living room,” she suggested nervously. “Take a break . . . put your feet up.”

He looked slightly reluctant but left anyway.

Anna looked in the fridge and in the food cupboard, and after some deliberation she finally decided to just keep it really simple by making one of her favorite lunches. If Sean didn't like it, he could always duck out to a nearby deli. She hummed to herself as she bustled about the tiny kitchen. It was fun getting out the new things she'd just purchased and using the moss green pots and pans. Sean was being so quiet out there, she wondered if he'd fallen asleep. She quietly set the Danish table with sleek white sandwich plates and bowls, laying the smooth flatware in place. She was tempted to take a photo, but her iPhone was in the other room and she didn't want to disturb Sean. It would be sweet if he was enjoying a little nap on the comfy sofa. She remembered how her grandpa often took a nap while her grandma was cooking.

Anna was just flipping
the grilled
cheese sandwiches for the second time when she heard the buzzer for the front entrance of the building. “Hey, Sean,” she called out. “Can you see who that is?”

When he didn't answer, she went out to discover that Sean was gone and she was alone in the apartment. When she checked to see who was outside, Sean answered.

“What're you doing out there?” she asked as she pushed the button to let him into the building. She opened her door and there he was with a small bunch of flowers arranged in a Mason jar. “What?” She tilted her head to one side.

“For the table,” he explained. “It just seemed like it needed something.”

She couldn't help but smile as he carried the sweet arrangement of daisies, small sunflowers, lavender, and some bright green button flowers over to the dining table and set it down. “There,” he said. “How's that?”

“Perfect.” She pointed to a chair. “Take a seat. I hope the lovely table will help make up for the rather simple meal.”
Feeling slightly giddy, Anna ladled out their soup and set out the sandwiches. “Oh, I forgot something.” She hurried back to get the little dish she'd put some pickles in. “Can't have grilled cheese without sweet pickles.”

She sat down, looking at him expectantly. “I hope you like it, but if you don't, I'll understand.”

“Like it?” He beamed at her. “This is one of my all-time favorite lunches. Mind if I say a quick blessing?”

She felt her heart give a happy lurch. “I'd love that.”

They bowed their heads and Sean prayed. “Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for your provision, and we ask you to bless this meal and the hands that prepared it. We also ask your blessing on Anna's new apartment. We thank you for your goodness to us. Amen.”

“Amen,” Anna said in a slightly husky voice. “Thank you, Sean.”

He lifted his spoon. “Thank you!”

As they ate, they talked about the apartment and the painting and the music that was playing. They talked about work and their plans for the big grand opening coming up. And although Anna's heart was singing a different kind of song, Anna's head kept telling her,
We
are friends . . . just friends . . . that's all
.

Sean insisted on helping to clean up the lunch dishes, and eventually they wandered back to the living room where they both just stared at the painting again. “It reminded me of that Sunday,” Sean said slowly.

“I know . . .” Anna pressed her lips together, trying to think of something to say to move them on from this place. “You know what this apartment needs?” she said suddenly.

“What?” he asked with interest.

“A pet.”

He looked surprised. “Seriously—a pet in here? What about when you're at work?”

She laughed. “I'm not thinking of a cat or a dog. Nothing with hair. But I do think a goldfish in a nice round bowl would look lovely right here.” She pointed to the console table by the door. “My grandpa got me a goldfish when I was nine. It was my very first pet. I named her Ariel—you know, like the Little Mermaid.” She laughed. “Not terribly creative. But I managed to keep that fish alive for several years.”

“Let's go get a fish,” Sean exclaimed.

“Yes! I noticed a pet shop about six blocks from here.” She grabbed her purse.

It felt good to be out in the sunshine. As much as Anna loved the new apartment, she had felt the walls closing in on her—on them—and she was relieved to escape. Outside, they were walking briskly, making jokes and laughing. This was what friends did.

“I'm sure it's down this street,” Anna told Sean after they'd walked for what felt like more than an hour and going around in a circle. She paused to pull out her walking map, trying to determine where they were.

“You're not lost, right?” He jabbed her with an elbow as he pulled out his phone. “How about if I check my GPS?”

“Do as you like,” she said, turning the map around. “Which way is north?”

Standing on the street corner, they bantered playfully, but eventually, with the help of his phone, Sean figured it out. “Two blocks that way.” He pointed down the side street.

Sure enough, there was the pet shop. As they went inside, Anna wondered how she'd missed it, but she quickly forgot
all about that as she knelt down to look at some fluffy brown puppies. “Oh my!” She reached in to caress their soft fur. “It's a good thing I'm only shopping for a fish today.”

They went around looking at all the animals, holding the kittens, playing with the puppies, chatting with the birds, and staring at the creepy creatures, until they got to the fish section. Anna picked a medium-sized fishbowl. “Not too big, not too small, just right.” She also got some nice black rocks for the bottom of the bowl, a little ceramic arch for the fish to swim through, some fish flakes, and even drops to remove chlorine from the water. She set these up by the cash register and informed the young man that she was ready to choose her fish.

“Now to pick out just the right one.” Anna went over to the big tank of goldfish, squatting down to see better. “I want a midsized one,” she told the clerk as he prepared a plastic bag, then dipped his net into the tank, causing the fish to scramble. She pointed to an interesting fish. “Can you get that one? The one with one black spot?” It took several attempts, but eventually the fish was caught.

“Nicely done,” Sean told him. “If only you could figure out how to do that with a marlin.”

The fish things were loaded into a box, which Sean insisted on carrying. This time their walk, thanks to Sean's GPS, really was only six blocks. In the apartment, Sean watched as Anna rinsed out the fishbowl as well as the rocks. She arranged the rocks and the arch and filled the whole thing with tap water. She carefully followed the instructions for the chlorine drops, then set the fish, still in the bag, down into the water in the bowl, opening the top of the bag to allow in some fresh air.

“Looks like you know what you're doing,” Sean observed.

“I told you I had goldfish experience.” She grinned. “One of my chores was to clean the fishbowl on Saturday. But I didn't have these handy drops.” She put the bottle in a kitchen cabinet. “I had to fill up pitchers of water to sit overnight.”

“You never got to have any other pets?” he asked as he leaned against the counter. “Even though you proved yourself a responsible pet owner?”

“No. My grandpa had allergies.”

“I see.” He nodded. “You've told me a lot about your grandma but not much about your grandpa. What was he like?”

She considered this as she reached for a new dish towel, using it to dry and polish the outside of the bowl. “He was a quiet person. A very traditional man. He liked everything just so. He went to work and Grandma stayed home to cook and clean. Their roles were very clear-cut. I suppose I was kind of afraid of him at first. He was so serious and somber. I guess I was worried that he might decide he didn't like having a kid around, you know, and if I did something wrong, he might send me off somewhere.”

“That must've been hard.”

“It was at first, but as the years passed, I began to understand him better. I realized that his heart had been broken by my mom . . . when she left . . . got in trouble . . . and then died. I think he was afraid I'd follow in her footsteps.”

“But you didn't.”

“That's right. Eventually my grandpa realized that I wasn't going to. Then things got better between us. He seemed happier.” Anna checked the temperature of the fish water. “I
think the fish is acclimated,” she announced, tipping over the bag and allowing the fish to swim freely.

“He's pretty,” Sean said as he bent over to see better.

“How do you know it's a he?”

Sean laughed. “I'm not sure. He just seems like a he to me.”

“I think I agree.” Anna nodded as she picked up the bowl, carrying it out to place it on the console. “There,” she said, stepping back to take it in. “Isn't that much better?”

“I do believe you're right.”

“There's something nice about having a living thing in a room.”

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“I wonder . . .” Anna looked at him. “What if there were fishbowls in the guest rooms at the Rothsberg?”

“Fishbowls in the guest rooms?” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Yes. I mean, imagine you were staying at a hotel by yourself for a few days. Wouldn't it be nice to share your room with a bright shiny fish? Maybe I'll mention this to Mrs. Newman. It seems like something she might like.”

“Interesting.”

“I think it would make the hotel rooms feel more homey. Perhaps each fish would have a name. There could be a little sign by the bowl, introducing the guest to a new roommate, the fish.” She laughed.

Sean pointed to her fish. “Does he have a name?”

She thought for a moment. “Gordy.”

“Gordy?”

“That was my grandpa's nickname. Gordy Gordon.”

“I like it. Gordy the Goldfish.” Sean looked at his watch. “I think I may have worn out my welcome.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I promised myself I wouldn't make you sick of me today,” he confessed. “Plus I have laundry to do.”

“Well, thanks for all your help,” she said as she walked him to the front entrance. “I still owe you some real meals.”

“Hey, lunch was a real meal.”

She smiled. “Yes, but you still get a couple more.” She wanted to add “when Marley is home,” but at the same time, she didn't.

“I'm looking forward to it.”

As much as Anna loved her apartment, she was glad to get back to work on Wednesday morning. There was plenty to be checked on and plenty to be done as they prepared for the grand opening party on Saturday. As she and Sean met for their morning meeting, she could tell that he had much more on his plate than she did, yet he still seemed calm and congenial and competent. The Rothsberg couldn't have hired a better manager.

On Thursday, when Anna got to work, she overheard Bianca complaining in the maids' dressing room. “As if we don't have enough to do,” she was growling to someone. “Now we have to clean up fishbowls too?”

“Fishbowls?” Anna asked as she went into the room. “What are you talking about?”

Bianca looked up from buttoning the front of her uniform. “Yeah, didn't you hear the news? A bunch of the guest rooms are getting their own fishbowls. We're supposed to feed the fish every day and clean out their bowls on Wednesdays.” She made a face. “I didn't sign on to be handling slimy fish.”

“Seriously?” Anna frowned.

“Yeah,” Cindy confirmed. “Mr. O'Neil got this big old fish tank installed in the back of the storage room. It's swimming with fish.”

Anna felt curious as well as slightly indignant. After all, that had been her idea, and she had intended to tell Mrs. Newman about it. But Sean had run ahead and done it himself. Okay, she knew she was being silly. Especially considering all that Sean had done to help her. It wasn't as if she owned the idea of fish in fishbowls anyway. Perhaps the best thing was to just let this go. Besides, it was a good idea. For Sean to actually try it out was a rather nice compliment to her. Then why did she feel slightly irked?

When she got to her office, she had a message saying that Sean couldn't meet with her this morning. Fine, so he'd stolen her idea, then blown off their daily meeting. No big deal. Even as she thought this, she knew she was being juvenile. She didn't have time to be childish this morning. There was too much to be done. Sean wasn't the only one who was busy.

Anna felt bone tired by the end of the day, but as she walked home, she suspected that her weariness wasn't as much a result of hard work as it was of not having crossed paths with Sean today. She hadn't seen him once, not even in passing. That wasn't surprising since the grand opening was only two days off and taking up everyone's time. Sean's to-do list was probably much longer than hers. She needed to get over it.

As Anna got closer to the apartment building, she felt a happy rush. At least she had a wonderful place to go home to. That made up for everything. As Anna let herself into the apartment, she knew that Marley might be in there already. According to Tia, Marley was expected to get home from
her globe-trotting sometime tonight. Anna really hoped that she wasn't there yet. “Hello?” she called out tentatively.

To her relief, everything was just as she'd left it, except that it was hot and stuffy. There were no signs that Marley was back yet, and selfish as it was, Anna had been enjoying having the place to herself. Just her and Gordy. She opened the front window and went to change out of her work uniform. Since it was so warm, she decided to put on the pale blue sundress Marley had bequeathed to her—her contribution to getting rid of Anna's “little old lady.”

Feeling cooler in her bare feet and sundress, Anna went to the kitchen, where she intended to make some angel hair pasta. She'd been craving pesto pasta all day and had picked up some pesto sauce and mozzarella during her lunch break. While the pasta was boiling, she went out to put on some music, and then, thinking she might get some air flow going, she decided to open the front door. Much better. She took in a deep breath of fresh air, assuring herself that the business with Sean and the fish was behind her now . . . just the way life happened and nothing to get upset over.