What You Wish For (13 page)

Read What You Wish For Online

Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: What You Wish For
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“Uh-huh,” Artie said.
“Very . . . ah . . . nice,” Gerry said. “I always did like feathers. That lace is kind of nice. There's something about red underwear . . .”
“This girl has a brain,” Isabel said, ignoring Gerry's flushed face. “When that impossible person she worked for fired her, she got a job waiting tables. We all know that's hard work and definitely underpaid. She managed to get this web page up and running and according to this last e-mail from her, the orders are coming in fast and heavy. She's rented store space and is hiring more seamstresses. Lucie is doing well and Mr. Tolliver's dog is with Lucie all the time. They play together. Isn't that nice? Helen says they moon over each other, and if they're separated, they cry by the door. I wasn't wrong about her. She did break the rules, though. I guess I can understand that. If you go to bed with a man, you want it to be for all the right reasons and you don't want to start off a relationship that might eventually lead to marriage with a lie.”
“Where is this going, Izzie?” Gerry demanded.
“She's honest and a hard worker. She's caring and loving. Part of it is my fault because I didn't keep up with the sessions on the net. I left her to flounder, but it was only for twenty-one days. Considering the circumstances, I think she did very well. Now, do we let her stay in the program knowing she told Sam Tolliver who she is or do we cut her loose? Since we're only a three-person board, you each have a vote. I vote to keep her.”
“Keep her,” Artie said.
“I agree,” Gerry said.
“Then it's unanimous.”
“What would you have done if we voted no?” Gerry asked.
“It would have broken my heart, but I would have gone along with you.”
“Do you know anything new about Daniel Ward, Artie?” Isabel asked.
“He's been doing some consulting work for Lomax Industries. Strictly freelance stuff. One of my managers told me he saw him at a steak house a few weeks back. With a woman. He said he didn't look like he used to look when he worked for us. He said he looked like someone down on his luck.”
“What is he doing?” Isabel fretted. She hated it when things didn't go according to plan. Tripping over the housekeeper's scrub bucket wasn't something she had planned. Breaking her hip was not in her game plan, but she had to deal with it the best way she knew how. Now she was going to have to deal with Daniel Ward on a more personal level, and Helen as well.
“I'll tell you exactly what he's doing. He's trying to find his wife. He's scouring every database in this country and probably outside the country, too. He's hoping that sooner or later she'll slip up, and then he'll pounce. Maybe you should relocate Helen now, Izz. She's been in Jersey for sixteen months,” Artie said.
“I don't want to do that unless I have to. Upheaval is a trauma in itself. Helen has had enough of that. So has Lucie. There are new factors in the equation now, Mr. Tolliver and his dog. If he's the kind of person I think he is, he isn't going to let anything happen to Helen. When you're in love, you take care of those you love. I'm putting a private investigator on Daniel Ward. Around the clock. I wish I had thought to do it earlier. I can't imagine why I didn't.”
“You didn't do it because Daniel Ward was here and Helen was safely out of state. Ward is still here, so that means he has no clue as to Helen's whereabouts,” Gerry said.
“She's special. Don't look at me like that. You saw her that night, Gerry. Tell me she isn't special.”
“I can't. I thought the same thing myself. You're getting personally involved, and we all agreed we wouldn't allow that to happen, Izzie. The truth is you were involved from the get-go.”
“Some rules are meant to be broken,” Artie said. “I think hiring a private dick is a very good idea. Ward could flip out, he could take off in the middle of the night and we'd be left sucking our thumbs. If he didn't think he was on to something, he would have taken one of the lucrative jobs that was offered to him. He can't live on consulting fees, and since he cashed in his 401K, he's going to be hurting for money pretty soon. They were in hock up to their eyeballs. It's amazing the things you don't know about people,” Artie complained. “By the way, I've made up my mind to retire the first of the year.”
“It's about time!” Isabel said. “Now you can spend more time with us.”
“You're making a mistake, Artie,” Gerry said. “When you retire you get fat and lazy. You say you're going to do all these wonderful things but you don't. First thing you know, you're watching TV fourteen hours a day, eating junk food, and complaining about your neighbors' kids and all the noise they make because you can't snooze any old time of the day. Don't do it!”
“I'm doing it! For your information, I don't plan on lazing my days away. I'm going to help Izz, and I also plan on helping you at the clinic. I'll probably be working harder than I do now. That's providing you two want or even need my services.”
“Commendable, Artie,” Isabel said.
“I could certainly use the help,” Gerry said.
“See, everything always works out for the best. I'm going to call Helen tonight. We're agreeing then that Helen stays in New Jersey for the time being. I'm hiring the same agency to keep track of Daniel Ward that your firm uses for surveillance, Artie.”
“When are you going to tell Helen Ward who you really are?” Gerry asked.
“Never. She knows me as Boots, and that's all she needs to know. With Boots, she's free to be herself. Isabel Tyger would scare her to death. Don't ask me how I know that. I just do. I think it's time for dinner, gentlemen. No, no, I can make it on my own. It just takes me a little longer. Besides, I am in no hurry to face that miserable food the doctor insists I eat. I don't want to hear either one of you say it's for my own good either.”
“Then we won't say it, will we, Artie?” Gerry grinned.
Artie stopped in his tracks and turned around. “Izz, I want you to live forever. I cannot imagine my life without you and Gerry in it. How hard can it be to follow the doctor's orders? If you won't do it for yourself, do it for Gerry and me. Do it for Helen and Lucie. They need you as much as we do. That's the end of my speech. Another thing, when you invite us to dinner, we eat what you eat. We aren't special.”
Isabel's faded blue eyes filled with tears. “If only you knew how very special you are. I love you both so much I ache with the feeling sometimes. After all these years we're still best friends. It's amazing.”
“I think it's a damn miracle.” Gerry guffawed. “Especially since you are the crankiest, the orneriest, the stubbornest woman I've ever met in my life.”
“I second that,” Artie said, thumping Gerry on the back.
“See. That's why I love the two of you. You tell it like it is. Unfortunately, I am all those things.”
“You are also the most generous, the most caring, the most humble person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing,” Artie said.
“That too,” Isabel quipped.
 
“I need some downtime, Sam. That means you need to go home. I have a lot of thinking to do. You can leave Max if you like,” Helen said.
“You aren't going to do something wild and crazy, are you?” Sam said, taking her in his arms.
“I wouldn't know wild and crazy if it slapped me in the face. The answer is no. I can't think around you, Sam. When you're around, I want to rip off your clothes and make love to you. I want to snuggle with you and the dogs. I have things I have to do, things to take care of.”
“We did everything days ago. Your shop is open. You signed up for security, your merchandise is packed neatly in the cases, all your deliveries are up-to-date. Your new computer is hooked up in the back room. With your new ISP, you can send the orders directly to your seamstresses. If you tell me what it is that is so pressing you don't want me around, I'll understand. Nothing kills a romance faster than one or the other wanting to be joined at the hip twenty-four hours a day. I'll settle for twenty.”
“Not today you won't. I want to try and reach Boots, and I might get up the courage to make that one phone call that might shed some light on matters. I need to wrestle with my conscience over that call. Suddenly I feel like my direction has been ripped out from under me. I need some reassurance. Now, go, Sam.”
“Okay. Call me if you change your mind. I'm two doors away. Max can stay. Now, kiss me until our teeth start to rattle.”
“Oh, no. I know where that's leading. Come over for breakfast, okay? I promise to dream of you. All night long.”
“Okay.”
“You gave up pretty easily,” Helen said testily.
“My best friend always said to leave them wanting more.” Sam grinned as he opened the door.
“Is that the same friend who has been married four times?”
“Yep, that's the one,” Sam called over his shoulder before he closed the door behind him, leaving Helen to stare blankly at the metal door.
“Whatever,” Helen muttered as she slid the three locks into place.
While the dogs tussled and pretended to fight over a rawhide chew, Helen made a fresh pot of coffee. While she waited for it to drip through the machine, she turned on the computer and clicked on her e-mail. She grew faint when she saw that she had e-mail. Not just any e-mail, but e-mail from Boots. “Thank you, God. Thank you.”
Helen stared at the screen in front of her until the coffee finished dripping into the pot. She toyed with the idea of not opening the mail and waiting for morning. What did Boots write? Did her threat of leaving the program prompt her on-line counselor to finally respond? Or was she responding because she had confessed to breaking the rules? Was this e-mail her termination letter?
Worms of fear crawled around inside Helen's stomach as she poured coffee, added sugar and milk. Here it was, the letter she'd been waiting for the past three weeks. Still, she was reluctant to open the e-mail. Was her safety net going to be ripped out from under her? Do it! Just do it and get on with it! her mind shrieked.
Suddenly Helen felt sick to her stomach. A feeling of light-headedness overcame her. She reached for the edge of the dining-area table for support.
Get on with it, Helen. Open the damn mail and read it.
She obeyed her own instructions and clicked,
READ
.
It looked like one of Boots's regular e-mails. Not too long, not too short. She closed her eyes for a minute and then opened them. She read the mail slowly, savoring each and every word.
Good evening, TTLS,
First things first. I apologize for your anxiety but circumstances beyond my control did not allow me to continue our counseling sessions. No, it was not a test as you suggested in one of your e-mails. It was simply life getting in the way of life.
Several of your e-mails disturbed me greatly. You broke the rules, TTLS. That in itself is automatic dismissal from the program. My first reaction was to gather up the forms, fill them out, and send you on your way. The foundation board voted to give you another chance if I recommend it, even though you failed our trust. While I understand how you feel, it doesn't make what you did right. You jeopardized your very safety. Possibly the safety of others. How can I trust you again?
The foundation ran a check on your neighbor, and he is exactly what and who he claims to be. That means you are safe. For now. What if HE slips, TTLS? This is new to him. In his zeal to protect you, he might inadvertently make a mistake. Then what? I'm not saying he will. I'm saying, what if? I hope you realize you are putting his life in danger as well as your own. Love is a powerful emotion. I understand what you are feeling, what you are going through. You need more time, TTLS. You are still adjusting to a new way of life. The board understands your falling in love. What they don't understand is why you felt the need to bare your soul. We need to know, in a return e-mail, exactly what you told this person, when you told him, and his precise reaction. Do not even think about lying to us. I thought you had more guts, TTLS. You have disappointed me greatly. In the end it is my opinion that counts. I will wait to hear from you. You will be notified of the decision, one way or the other.
The e-mail was signed Boots.
Helen clicked off the e-mail and then turned off the computer. She sat back, numb from head to toe. A sob caught in her throat and erupted in a loud, choking sound, bringing the dogs on the run. She slipped off her chair to the floor, the hard sobs tearing at her body as both dogs tried to comfort her.
A long time later, when she couldn't cry anymore, Helen cuddled and stroked the dogs. Her hands were wet, the animals' fur wet with her tears. She was so tired. She curled into the fetal position, Lucie against her chest, and closed her eyes. She was asleep in an instant.

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