Page 47 of Just Trouble

“A nice house, that didn’t cost much comparatively and might sell quickly, even in Empire. The new kitchen is great. And she has other friends, like my sister in Vancouver. Would she really stay here if someone offered her a great job, one far away from the offices of her former fiancé?”

He winces though he tries to hide it.

“She needs more and you have to know it, even better than I do.”

“She might marry.”

“She might not.”

His brows rise. “I’m beginning to realize why Patrick thinks you’re so much trouble.” He eyes me. “You don’t care how much truth you tell or who you challenge.”

I shrug.

“Are you staying?” His gaze is searching.

“I’m here for the moment, until I finish what I’ve started.”

“And then you’ll hoist your sail and let the wind take you where you belong,” he concludes. “I see. Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Jones. I hope your venture is successful.”

“But it’s not my venture,” I correct before he leaves and he stops to glance back. “If Daph convinces Meredith to take on the diner and Meredith makes a success of it, that won’t be to my credit. I’m just creating an opportunity and whatever comes of it will be due to Meredith and to Daph.”

He shakes his head a little, and I continue.

“I think the most meaningful thing I can do is open the door to possibilities and I’ll keep doing it as long as I can. I love watching people flourish. I love watching them grab opportunity with both hands and take it places I could never have imagined.” I take a breath. “I like having a teeny tiny part in making people happier, maybe even in making the world a better place. Imagine if we all tried that once in a while, if we all gave someone a hand when we could.” I pause for a second. “Imagine what the world could be.”

Mr. Bradshaw stares at me, and I think for a minute that he looks like a man awakened from a dream. I can see that he’s never considered this before and I wonder if I’ve made a convert.

Then I remind myself that he’s in Patrick’s pocket, today and every possible tomorrow.

He hefts his briefcase and starts to turn away, then glances back. “Daphne texted me that she was stuck in traffic. She didn’t expect to be back before eight.”

“Thank you,” I say and mean it, because relief is flooding through me.

She’s okay.

He must hear some of that in my tone because he gives me another look, a long considering one, then he nods and heads off. I sit and watch until he’s out of sight. He walks with purpose, not rushing, and I see him wave a greeting to someone on the way.

Then the evening closes around me again, the astonishing quiet of Empire on a spring evening. I can almost hear the frogs in the river in the woods behind me. Someone has lit a wood fire because I can smell it and I hear the distant crack of sparks. Is it Una? Daph’s house hides the woods behind from my view. I sit and I think, and I smile at the little bit of melody chasing its tail in the back of my thoughts, hoping against hope that it won’t vanish unexpectedly.

And so, when the big silver car finally pulls into her driveway, I’m immediately on my feet. Daph swings those divine legs out of the car. She doesn’t realize I’m sitting on the darkened porch: she rolls her shoulders and stretches like a cat. Then she reaches back into the car, slings her briefcase over her shoulder and heads for the door, sorting through her keys. She’s wearing a black suit with a straight skirt, which gives her a retro look with her hair twisted up. A few strands of hair are loose, silhouetted against her neck by the streetlight. I feel a wave of desire that is primal and almost potent enough to take me to my knees.

She’s okay.

“Well?” I say, stepping into the puddle of light from the streetlight.

She jumps, then smiles. “Done,” she says softly and I give a hoot of triumph that makes her laugh.

Her laughter is all the encouragement I need to let loose. I jump off the porch and catch her up to swing her around,ignoring her protests. I shout and holler and she laughs like I’m insane and maybe I am.

“You did it!”

“It was your plan.”

“But you made it work.”

I put her down and she smiles up at me. “She was easy to convince. I think you offered the one thing she really wanted.”

“That is the key to success,” I say with enthusiasm.

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