Until She Met Daniel (11 page)

Maybe it was because they had made a happy marriage look possible. Not necessarily for her, but for some people. Her parents' lives seemed more like a collegial partnership than marriage, and she'd met a ton of people whose relationships were falling apart, or
had
fallen apart.

But if Susan and Chris couldn't pull it off...

Mandy determinedly switched on the TV and tried to concentrate on a program, but when it was half-over, she realized she hadn't paid any attention.

When the phone rang, she was grateful for the interruption.

“Hello.”

“Mandy, this is Daniel.” He sounded harried. “Sorry to call so late, but do you know where the water shutoff is over here? I've got water spraying all over the laundry room.”

“I'll be right there.” She dropped the phone, grabbed a flashlight and raced out of the house.

 

CHAPTER EIGHT

M
ANDY
 
DASHED
 
AROUND
 
the side of the Victorian, Daniel following. Toward the back of the house, she squeezed between some bushes and the house and fumbled in the dark. Light suddenly shone on the area from Daniel's flashlight, and she turned the shutoff valve.

“Okay, that should do it,” she said. “Let's check the damage.”

“I appreciate the offer, but it's not your problem. I'll mop up and see if there's a plumber available.”

“Fred Curtis is the only plumber in Willow's Eve, and he won't go out at night unless it's an emergency.”

“This doesn't constitute an emergency?”

“Not now, the flood has been stopped. There are plumbers in Vicksville, but it would take a while to get one here,
if
they'll come. Let me check the problem.”

“Don't tell me, you're a plumber, in addition to being the Senior Center director?”

She laughed. “Not licensed, but I worked a few months as a plumber's assistant. The gang got a kick out of teaching me how to do things.”

“What other skills are lurking under the skin? A couple months as a surgeon? Ambassador to France or Italy? Dance instructor at Juilliard?”

“Nope, but I can do plenty of things around a house. I don't mess much with electrical, though. That stuff scares me.”

“Okay, come on in.”

They entered his house and Mandy surveyed the pools of water on the laundry room's floor. “Let's sweep what we can out the door,” she suggested.

“That's probably best.”

Daniel found a broom and they swept as much of the fluid outside as they could. Then they sopped up the remaining water with towels until the laundry room was damp, but no longer flooded.

“Okay,” Mandy said once they were finished. “Where did the leak start?”

He showed her a spot by the utility sink.

“You know there's a water shutoff valve under the sink, don't you?” she asked.

“It wouldn't move when I tried to turn it. Then water started leaking there, too, so I left it alone.”

She dropped onto the floor to check the valve. Then she looked up at Daniel. “I can replace both of these, but I'd need some parts. I'll call Dorothy Tanner and see if her son will let me get the supplies at the hardware store.”

“Excuse me?”

“Dorothy's son owns Jordan's Hardware.”

“Why isn't it Tanner Hardware?”

“Because he bought it from Tom Jordan and everyone was so used to calling it Jordan's that he didn't bother changing the name.”

Daniel frowned. “It's after ten and hardly fair to call the poor guy out on a Friday evening.”

Mandy made a face. “It's either that or go without water tonight. Besides, he only lives a couple of blocks away from the store. Of course, this is such a small town, nobody lives that far from anything. You got a phone book?”

* * *

D
ANIEL
 
WATCHED
 
AS
 
Mandy spoke with Dorothy, then put down the receiver.

“She has a key,” Mandy explained. “All we need to do is go by her house and get it.”

“You're kidding. We can't just walk into a store and take what we need. There are rules about this kind of thing.”

She rolled her eyes. “We're not
taking
it. We have permission and I'll leave a list of what I get so it can go on the town's charge account. Old Man Bertram left money to maintain the house, so it's covered outside the regular budget.”

Still unsure, Daniel drove Mandy to a house several blocks away where she ran to the door. A gray-haired woman waved at him as she handed something to Mandy.

At the store, Mandy put a key into the first lock, but Daniel put his hand out to stop her.

“Are you sure the owner won't mind?” he asked.

“Dorothy called him. Tom would have met us here, but he's got a hot poker game going at his place. He just said to be sure to lock up.”

“What if the police see us going in?”

“Dorothy called them, too. She might not be as forceful as her sister, Margaret, but Dorothy is just as efficient in her own way. Besides, they see this as a good opportunity to show you that Willow's Eve is a terrific place to live.”

Her comment reminded Daniel of his conclusions the day he'd arrived...that there was a hidden agenda in the welcome he'd received.

He worded his reply carefully. “I wouldn't leave just because I had to wait a night to get my water back. I've signed a year's contract and plan to honor it.”

“Of course, but they're thinking in the long-term. You know, more than a year.”

His jaw tightened. “I told them I would consider staying longer. But I have a career to consider, and hope to take on the challenge of managing a large city before long.”

Mandy stuck the key into the dead bolt and turned it. “As if I hadn't figured
that
out already. You're a type A personality all the way.”

“You don't have to be type A to want a good career and provide a stable home environment for your daughter,” Daniel retorted, though she was partly right. He didn't like labels, but he
was
success oriented.

Mandy's lifestyle was a mystery to him. How could she just drift from place to place without building anything for herself? She'd talked about learning new things and having experiences, but what about financial security? What about a solid career and accomplishing something? He understood being reluctant to get married again, but not the rest of it.

Maybe he should keep Samantha and Mandy apart as much as possible. His neighbor's chosen life was her own business, but Samantha was impressionable. More important, his daughter would be crushed if she became fond of Mandy, only to see her pull up stakes and disappear...not unlike his ex-wife. Celia showed little interest in her own child—to the point she had simply shrugged when he'd told her they were moving to Northern California, claiming, “Maybe it's for the best.”

Lord, he would have gone ballistic if the Prada shoe was on the other foot and Celia had tried to take Samantha away from him.

Mandy opened the hardware store door and stepped cautiously inside the dark space.

“Dorothy said the light switch was on the right as we came in...
ouch,
” she yelped over a loud thud.

“Are you all right?”

“Sure, I said ‘ouch' because I love stubbing my toe.”

The light came on and Daniel saw Mandy rubbing her right foot against the back of her left leg.

“How bad is it?” he asked.

“It will probably have to be amputated, but in the meantime, let's find the parts we need.” She picked up a sledgehammer lying on the ground and put it to one side.

Mandy seemed familiar with the store, and Daniel watched as she went to the plumbing section and selected several items. She wrote a list and left it on the front counter under a paperweight, then they locked up and drove back to his house. The plumbing repairs were accomplished, yet he was apprehensive as Mandy went outside to turn the water back on.

She grinned when she returned and saw him checking for leaks around the repairs. “Not sure I knew what I was doing, right?” she challenged.

“No, of course...what I mean is that...okay, so I'm the kind of guy who uses professionals.”

“So that eliminates all the amateur...plumbers?”

Her lips quivered and her green eyes brimmed with laughter, but Daniel didn't understand until after she'd said goodbye and left.

Hell.

She couldn't have thought he actually meant...?

That was ridiculous. Maybe he
had
gotten too serious. The Daniel in college would have recognized a joke about prostitutes, even one delivered as subtly as Mandy had done it.

* * *

M
ANDY
 
SMILED
 
ALL
 
the way back to her house. It was fun yanking Daniel Whittier's chain. And it was such an easy chain to locate.

She glanced at her watch; it was well after eleven, so driving into Vicksville for a movie was no longer an option. Instead, she slipped into the big claw-footed tub in the bathroom and soaked, sorting out the evening in her head. The last part, plumbing disaster included, had been considerably more fun than the earlier part. Regardless, it frustrated her she hadn't checked the plumbing before Daniel moved in; she was the only member of the committee who'd had any knowledge in that direction.

She laid her head back on the porcelain tub, ignoring Mr. Spock, who was sitting on the bathroom threshold with a baleful glare—he didn't approve of so much water.

It was upsetting to learn the Russells were fighting, yet at the same time, it was nice that Susan trusted her enough to come over when she was upset. A few weeks ago, she'd even mentioned how great it was to have a friend who wasn't at all connected to the paper mill. Mandy understood. As a kid, practically everyone she'd known was tied to the college and her parents' careers. She'd always felt as if she was on display...constantly being evaluated and judged.

Mandy raised her foot from the warm bathwater and wiggled her sore toe. It still throbbed from when she'd stubbed it on the sledgehammer, and the end was turning blue.

Klutzy move,
she mused.

Her thoughts returned to Susan and Chris. Ever since she'd met them five months ago, she had thought they had a picture-book marriage. Now Mandy realized she'd been fooling herself. From the hints Susan had dropped earlier, it sounded as if they'd simply brushed their problems out of sight, instead of dealing with them.

Depressed, Mandy got out of the tub and crawled under the sheets damp. It was nights like this she missed the idea of having someone in bed next to her. Not just for the sex, but for someone to laugh with and talk about stuff.

But if a couple like Susan and Chris didn't really talk about the important things, she'd
never
find someone who understood and accepted her, even if she decided it was something she wanted.

Mandy turned over, trying to put the thought out of her mind. Daniel was making her restless. He was proof she could be attracted to someone the opposite of herself. He obviously liked rules and order and living life by a plan, focusing on his concept of success. It was a safe bet he already had a substantial retirement fund and a portfolio of investments. Well, unless his ex-wife had cleaned him out in the divorce.

Mandy didn't know. She'd have to make other choices if she had a child to support, but she couldn't see any reason not to go on doing exactly what she was doing. And if she found the perfect place to live someday, her own Shangri-la, then that would be great, too.

“Mr. Spock,” she called, and a moment later the cat landed on the mattress next to her. She swept a hand over his soft fur and he thumped himself flat, leaning against her ribs and laying his head against her shoulder.

“I don't need another male in the bed, do I?” she said to him. “I've got you.”

His purr started rumbling, and with it sounding like a lullaby, Mandy drifted off to sleep.

* * *

M
ANDY
 
WOKE
 
EARLY
 
the next morning and decided to make oatmeal apple scones for breakfast. Once they came out of the oven, she slid one onto a plate and ventured out to the patio to eat with a big mug of tea.

It was a glorious day, the sun shining over the last pulses of summer, with just a hint of the coming fall touching the growth around her.

She'd eaten half her scone when she saw Daniel cross the yard to look at her over the sparse bushes.

“I'm not spying on you,” he said. “But I can't help noticing when you're there, especially when you're wearing something bright.”

Mandy glanced down at her scarlet T-shirt and shorts. They weren't the kind of clothing for covert action.

“I could hang a flag if there are times I want privacy,” she suggested. “That way when you saw it, you could pretend I'm not here. You could do the same when you want to work in the yard without being sociable.”

“An equitable arrangement,” he said. “Although I doubt Mr. Spock will respect it.”

“No, I think he's decided your house is part of his territory.”

“I don't mind. And besides, he might give Samantha a feel for having an animal around before we actually get one.”

“That's nice. Do you still have water in the right places, and none in the wrong ones?”

“Thanks to you, yes.”

She made a face. “I feel bad about it. I should have checked to see if the sinks were okay when the welcome committee checked out the house.”

“It wasn't your job. Besides, plumbing breakdowns simply happen, especially when a house has been vacant for a while.”

Mandy frowned. A lot of the time it felt as if she was supposed to be responsible for things that happened, especially if something went wrong. But Daniel was right. The committee's job had been only to make sure the Victorian was clean and to provide basic supplies to help him get settled.

“Is something bothering you?” Daniel asked. “Besides this weird sense of responsibility you seem to get about things.”

“No.” She glanced at her plate. “You want a scone for breakfast? I'm having tea instead of coffee, but can make instant.”

“Tea is fine, and a scone sounds great.” He sniffed. “That must be what that wonderful scent is from.”

“Come on over. You'll be doing me a favor.”

“Don't tell me they'll go to waste, too.”

“That depends on how you spell
waste,
” she said, and Daniel grinned appreciatively. “How do you like your tea? Black like your coffee?”