Fern's Fancies

CHAPTER EIGHT

  Fern smiled to herself when Pen walked into the hotel. She felt such a feeling of freedom to know she didn't have to see him again until seven-fifteen in the morning. He had apparently decided they didn't have to be in the office an hour before anyone else.

  Tonight Fern planned a long soak in a bubble bath followed by an evening curled up in bed with the novel she'd started B.P.-before Pen. Hard to believe she had spent just a little over two days with him. He seemed to have taken over her life.

  Three hours later, Fern wondered why the tranquil evening she had been anticipating felt so lonely. She normally enjoyed a quiet evening at home after a hectic work day. The dinner she'd picked up at the deli tasted bland, and the bubble bath hadn't worked its usual relaxing magic. Even Nora Roberts' latest novel couldn't hold her interest. She kept visualizing Pen instead of the hero of the novel.

  It must be because she was worried about how his presence and policies would affect her job. Had she been too hasty in selling Fern's Fancies? The sale had seemed to be the perfect solution at the time. Why hadn't she realized how dramatic the changes in business operations would be?

  The shrill ring of the telephone on the nightstand interrupted her thoughts. "Hello," she answered.

  "Fern, I haven't heard from you all week. You were supposed to take me grocery shopping, you know." Her mother's calls always started with a complaint.

  "Sorry, Mom. My new boss is in town, and I've been busy with him every day."

  "I know you're busy during the day. I've never asked you to take time away from your business to do anything for me. But surely you can spare one evening every couple of weeks to take me to the store. You know I can't drive anymore," she whined.

  Fern bit her lower lip. Between her mother and Pen, she'd be lucky to have any lip left. "I know, Mom, and I'll be glad to take you shopping on Saturday. This is the first evening I haven't met with my boss since he's been in town, and I had some chores to do at home."

  "I thought you were still going to be the boss when you sold your business."

  "I'm the branch manager, but there's a regional manager over all the branches in this region. The regional manager is in town now." As much as she wanted to avoid her mother's grousing, she'd rather talk about her duties as a daughter than discuss her business. "Mom, I know you don't like to use the courtesy van at your apartments. What time do you want to go shopping Saturday?"

  "It's a good thing I'm not an 'I told you so,' or I'd remind you what I said when you first mentioned selling your business. Didn't I warn you not to do it? Didn't I tell you you'd lose all your independence? You never listen to me. I'm just your mother. Just because I've always been a housewife you think I don't know anything about the real world, but-"

  Fern breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the doorbell. "Mom, sorry, but I have to go. Someone's at the door. How about ten o'clock Saturday for our shopping trip? Then we can have lunch together before I take you home."

  "I'm going to buy ice cream. We can't leave it in the car while we eat lunch. We'll have to eat lunch first." Her mother's voice was still whiny.

  "Okay. I'll pick you up at eleven. We'll have an early lunch and then shop. Sorry, Mom, but I really have to go." She hung up before her mother could respond. She knew she'd hear about it on Saturday, but she had to end the conversation before she lost her temper.

  The doorbell rang again. She looked at the clock next to the phone. Although it felt like it should be late, it wasn't even nine o'clock yet. She grabbed her robe from the foot of the bed and shrugged into it as she hurried down the hall.

  She smiled when she saw her neighbor from across the street. "Hi, Susie." She opened the door and motioned her friend in.

  Glancing at Fern's attire, Susie asked, "Were you in bed? I'll let you get back to bed and talk to you tomorrow." She started toward the door.

  "Please stay. I'm going stir crazy." Fern led her guest into the living room. Susie sat on the sofa and Fern sat in her favorite club chair and stretched her legs out on the hassock. "I thought I wanted a long soak in a bubble bath and then an evening in bed with a good book, but I haven't been enjoying it very much. Then my mother called. The doorbell was a godsend."

  Susie grimaced. "I won't say anything. She's your mother and if you can put up with her, more power to you. I'm just glad she's yours and not mine."

  "She's lonesome since Dad died. Like most women of her generation, she always depended on him for just about everything. Now she depends on me." Fern shrugged. "It's not my mother who's driving me crazy right now anyway."

  "Oh, then who is it?"

  "My new boss." Fern explained the corporate hierarchy to Susie. "I don't know why I was so naive that I never even thought about all the changes that would take place when I sold the business."

  "You were so excited about all the benefits to your employees and your clients."

  "Yeah, I guess I thought Ultimate was some kind of corporate Santa Claus, handing out benefits and resources." She shook her head and grinned. "For some strange reason, they want a say in what goes on in the company when they're handing out all the goodies."

  "Tell me about this boss and these changes over a cup of coffee."

  Fern jumped up from her chair and headed toward the kitchen. "Sure. See how shook up I am. Have I ever failed to offer you coffee before?

  "Nope, and I've never failed to accept the offer." Susie followed Fern into the kitchen and sat at the table. "You know me. I'm not shy. I want coffee, I ask for it. Now tell Aunt Susie all about it."

  Fern busied herself measuring the coffee grounds and filling the coffee maker with water. "My new boss, the regional manager, showed up unexpectedly Tuesday. He's been driving me crazy for the last two and a half days."

  She related the events A.P.-after Pen-to her friend. "They're changing the company's name. They've already taken down the Fern's Fancies sign." She heard the strain in her voice but couldn't seem to do anything about it.

  When the coffee was ready, she poured two cups and carried them to the table. As they stirred in the cream and sugar, the phone rang.

  "I hope it's not my mother again," Fern said and picked up the receiver of the wall phone.

  Her "hello" was wary. "Oh, hi, Pen."

  "Are you busy?" he asked.

  "I have company right now."

  He should have known. Was it Lover Boy? No, he wouldn't be company-he lived there. Surely she wasn't entertaining another man even if Lover Boy wasn't home. "This won't take long. I've just been working on the plans for my new office. I need to know if you have an unused phone and computer terminal, or do we have to buy them?'

  "We don't have an unused phone, but we have an extra one."

  "What does that mean?" he demanded.

  "There are two in the warehouse fairly close together. We really only need one out there, so the other could be moved to your new office. We don't have an extra computer terminal though."

  "I'll use my laptop for now. We can get another terminal when I get back from Chicago."

  "Okay. I'll see you at seven fifteen. Good night."

  "Wait a minute. You'd better pick me up at seven to be sure we have enough time to stop for breakfast."

  "Do you want something besides breakfast tacos?"

  "No, they're perfect. Good night, Fern. See you in the morning."

  Fern hung up the phone and took a sip of coffee. Susie was looking at her with speculation in her eyes.

  "Uh-oh," she said. "Aunt Susie sees a smile on your face she's never seen before. And it first appeared when you heard his voice. Tell me what this guy looks like."

  "He's tall, shoulders like this." Fern held her hands apart to show the breadth. "Blond hair, a little long. His eyes are the color of coffee just the way I like it, with just a touch of cream. He's probably the best-looking man I've ever seen." Good heavens, she sounded like a star-struck teen describing her latest crush. "What difference does it make what he looks like? He's making my life misera
ble because he's my boss."

  "You've got a dreamy look on your face just describing him. 'Fess up-you've fallen for him, haven't you?"

  "Don't be ridiculous. Okay, so he's a hunk. Any woman would find him, uh, attractive. But he's my boss, for heaven's sake."

  Susie shrugged her shoulders. "So what. That doesn't mean you can't be interested in him as a man. Does he have anything to offer besides a great body?"

  "As much as I hate to admit it, he really knows this business. I was surprised to find out he just doesn't live in a management ivory tower. He's actually been a maintenance technician himself, so he relates well to the employees. Somehow, he's managed to earn their respect in a short time. Everybody likes him, everybody but me, that is."

  "Okay, he's good at his job. What about personality-does he have any redeeming qualities?"

  "He's got the same sense of humor I do," Fern answered with a smile as she thought about the jalapeno incident.

  Susie giggled. "I'm not sure I'd call that a redeeming quality. You've got a strange sense of humor. But he sounds perfect for you. What's the problem?"

  "He's just taking over everything. Now he's moving into my office."

  "Moving into your office? Doesn't he have a regional office somewhere?" Susie asked.

  Fern repeated Pen's explanation that the regional office would be located in the San Antonio branch.

  "Well, it does make sense," Susie responded. "And besides, won't he be traveling a lot to other branches?"

  "You're right. I probably won't see him that much anyway. As usual, I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. It was just such a shock to hear he was moving in." She shook her head. "Enough of my problems. You didn't come over to hear my sob story."

  "You know Aunt Susie is always ready with a shoulder and a word of advice. But the reason I came over was to ask you to feed Sam and pick up my mail this weekend."

  "Sure, I'll feed your cat if you give me a vicarious thrill and tell me where you're going."

  "John and I are going to the coast. You know you should spend your weekends doing something besides cooking dinner for Kevin and taking your mother shopping. All work and no play makes Fern a dull girl."

  "Yeah, well I just hope this dull girl still has a job when Mr. Regional Manager leaves next week. My life may be all play and no work then."

  By noon Friday, Toby and Lee had moved the file cabinets from the room Pen had claimed for his office to the warehouse. Without being quite sure how it had happened, Fern found herself sweeping and mopping the tile floor while the men moved files and furniture. Thank goodness she had worn her uniform because she had no outside appointments today. She'd always considered herself a klutz, and she was even worse around Pen. The floor was clean, but on her way to the kitchen to empty her mop water, she noticed she had transferred most of the dirt to herself.

  "Ready to stop for lunch?" Pen's voice startled her as she emptied her bucket of mop water. She splashed some of the water onto her jeans. He continued without seeming to notice. "I thought we'd order pizza for everyone. Okay with you?"

  She nodded as she dabbed ineffectually at her wet jeans with a paper towel.

  He took the towel from her. "Here, let me do that. You're making things worse." He grasped her waist to balance her and motioned for her to raise her leg. He threw away the sopping towel, jerked a dry one off the roll, and blotted the water from the bottom of her jeans' leg. "That's better. Still damp, but at least it's not dripping," he said as he tossed the towel toward the trash can.

  Didn't he realize he was still holding her around the waist? He couldn't know that she felt a warmth spreading from her waist throughout her body, but she had to put a stop to this. She pulled away. "Thanks."

  She put away the supplies and headed toward the restroom. Pen's voice followed her down the hall. "Don't be long. The pizza should be here any minute."

  Why had he bothered asking her if it was okay with her to order pizza? Obviously he already ordered, and he hadn't even asked her what kind she wanted.

  Washing away the dirt and combing her hair restored her confidence that she was at least presentable. When she entered the break room a few minutes later, she found Pen and her employees digging into several pizza boxes.

  "Pepperoni, sausage, and supreme," Pen announced as he pointed to each kind. "Help yourself."

  Fern watched the interaction between Pen and her employees as she munched her pizza in silence. The staff seemed comfortable with him. They treated him with respect and showed no signs of intimidation. He apparently didn't affect the others as he affected her.

  Well, after all, it was her business at stake. The rest of them were employees, and they probably didn't care if they were employees of Fern's Fancies or Ultimate Plant Design. She was the one who had sacrificed her baby, her independence. Her frustration didn't have anything to do with his fabulous body or those mesmerizing eyes or that voice or-

  "You awake over here?" Suddenly Pen was standing in front of her.

  She raised her napkin to her face and, as inconspicuously as she could, used a corner of it to wipe the moisture that had formed in her eyes. "I am now."

  "I asked you if you faxed your weekly report to Melissa yet."

  "You mean I have to send in a report even when you're here? I assumed the report was for your benefit."

  "Every branch has to turn in a report to the corporate office on Friday. Of course, it's reviewed by the regional manager. However, the data is also input into the computer so we have a continuing comparison of the performance of each branch. You and Maria had better finish the report while the guys and I move the furniture into my office."

  Maria gathered the information for the report without much help from Fern. Instead of concentrating on sales figures and replacement rates, she was wondering whether or not Pen would expect her to have dinner with him tonight. What about the weekend? Surely he'd allow her to enjoy Saturday and Sunday without his interference, wouldn't he? And she would be glad to get away from him, wouldn't she?

  Fern reviewed and signed the report. "Okay, Maria. This is ready for you to fax. It's almost quitting time. I'm going to see how the guys are doing with Pen's office."

  "They've moved all the furniture, and the phone company has already been here to move the phone."

  Pen stood in the hall talking to Toby and Lee. "Thanks, guys. A great job. I can really get to work now that I have an adequate work space. All I need now is a couple more chairs."

  Fern had to admit, if only to herself, that she was impressed with the transformation. The old file room had become an office. Pen's computer sat on the desk alongside the phone. An executive chair and a file cabinet completed the furnishings.

  "It looks good." She didn't add that she was glad he would no longer be sitting next to her in her small office. He didn't need to know that she was so aware of him. "Are you ready to quit for the day now?"

  Pen's face carried a satisfied smile as he looked around the office again. He nodded. "Just let me get my laptop. I'll need it over the weekend."

  They said goodbye to the departing employees and secured the office. Fern was relieved that Pen didn't pursue any conversation in the car. They were only a block away from his hotel before he spoke.

  "I need to look for an apartment tomorrow so I can be ready to move in after my trip back to corporate. Can you recommend an apartment complex?"

  "There's an apartment locator service just down the street from your hotel. Why don't you check with them?"

  "I'd rather have a personal recommendation. The apartment locators make their money from the apartment complexes they recommend, so they aren't always as objective as someone who's actually lived in some of the places. Where do you live?"

  Fern pulled into the hotel driveway and stopped. "I don't live in an apartment and never have, so I can't help you. Sorry."

  "Oh, but you can help me. You can drive me when I go to look at apartments." He grinned. "I'll even bribe you with lunch tomor
row if you go apartment hunting with me."

  What nerve! She didn't have to be at his beck and call on the weekends too. Her mind told her she didn't want to be around him any more than she had to, but her body rebelled and tried to move closer. Her heart fluttered at the thought of spending time with him away from the office. What was wrong with her?

  "Sorry, I already have plans for tomorrow." She had her mother to contend with on Saturday. That thought was almost enough to convince her to go with Pen-almost, but not quite.

  "All day? We could apartment hunt in the afternoon and have dinner instead."

  "All day. Both morning and afternoon. Both lunch and dinner." She glanced down at her watch. "I have to go now. I have a da-an appointment soon."

  He had his computer in one hand, and his other hand was on the doorknob. "What about Sunday?"

  "What about Sunday? Sunday is the day after Saturday. The day before Monday. The day I go to church." She took a deep breath and tried to keep from biting her lower lip. "What do you mean, 'What about Sunday?'"

  Placing his briefcase back down on the seat, he turned to her and said, "I mean, how about taking me apartment hunting Sunday? If you go to church in the morning, we could go in the afternoon."

  "Is helping you look for an apartment on the weekend part of my job?" She bit her lower lip. "I guess you're taking advantage of that famous little clause in my job description: any other duties as required."