Surprise Delivery Page 9

  “What happened?” he asked although he already knew.

  “He left. Six week later, I heard that he’d met a woman and moved in with her. Three months after that, they were married. Apparently, his problem wasn’t with commitment, but with me. Which was why Luke seemed so perfect. All he talked about was getting married. Of course, he already had a wife, but I didn’t know that.”

  Jim wanted to pull Heather close until all the hurt was gone. But he didn’t…for two reasons. First, she wouldn’t understand what he was doing and might think he was coming on to her. Second, the hurt was gone. Despite the setbacks in her life, she’d managed to heal herself. She had a strength and self-reliance that he admired.

  “What happens now?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “Now I’m grateful I have a wonderful daughter to raise. My goal will be to follow in my mother’s footsteps.”

  “You’re too young and have too much to offer to stay single for long. You deserve more,” Jim said.

  If he didn’t let himself think about the possibility of Heather with another man, he could actually believe what he was saying.

  “I could say that you deserve more, too,” she told him. “But if the rumors are to be believed, you live like a monk.”

  “That’s a slight exaggeration. I have female friends, but I prefer to keep things light. I’m not looking for emotional commitment.” He’d explained his position enough times that he could say the words easily, without even having to think about why he’d chosen to do without what most men considered a given—a wife and a family.

  “To throw your own words back in your face,” she said, “you’re too young and you have too much to offer for you to stay single for long.”

  “It’s worked so far.”

  Her gaze settled on his face. “I’m guessing that there are several broken hearts littering the ground. So I can’t help wondering why you’re avoiding any serious romantic entanglement. I mean, it makes sense for me. Three strikes and all that. But what’s your excuse?”

  “I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

  “That sounds like a lonely way to live.”

  “You’re not in a position to cast stones, Heather,” he said gently. “You’re lonely, too.”

  She nodded. “You’re right. We’re in the same position, which is probably why we get along so well.” She stood up and grinned at him. “All right. Enough of this philosophizing. I’m collecting my daughter and heading home. You want to join us for dinner?”

  “I can’t, but thanks for asking.”

  “Sure.”

  She moved into the hallway, then disappeared into Diane’s room. Jim watched her go, taking in the long navy skirt that outlined her slender hips and the way those hips swayed with every step. His need for her was growing. He would have sold his soul to join Heather for dinner tonight, but he couldn’t. Because he would be taking a chance. The first week of their acquaintance, he’d decided to only be around her when he was feeling strong and could resist doing all those things he wanted. In time, he would teach himself to be happy and content with the crumbs available to him. But not yet. And until he was accepting of just her friendship, he would do whatever he had to to keep them both safe from potential disaster.

  Chapter Seven

  “I’ve got to get these to the Federal Express drop-off box before they pick up today,” Flo said as she paused by Heather’s desk. “If he finishes what he’s doing—” she nodded her head toward the teenage boy filling out an employment application “—go ahead and take it from him, then have him wait until Jim gets back. Shouldn’t be more than a couple of minutes.”

  “No problem,” Heather told her.

  Flo headed for the front door, slapped herself on the forehead, then turned to face Heather again. “Did you confirm the cake?”

  “Yes. We’re all set.”

  “You told me that an hour ago, didn’t you?” Flo sighed. “I swear, I’m becoming more forgetful with each passing minute. Soon I’ll need to wear a name tag just so I remember who I am. Back in a second.” With that, she pushed her way through the door.

  It was tough to believe, but Heather had been working for Jim for five weeks. Time was flying by. Jim liked to tease her that Diane would soon be driving. While her baby was growing fast, Heather knew she had a little bit of time until extra car insurance was an issue in her life. After all, Diane was only ten weeks old.

  Ten weeks. Was that how long she’d known Jim? It felt longer to her, but in a good way. He’d accepted her into his business with a trust that made her want to work even harder than she normally did. His employees were friendly and open; Flo had become a close friend. The business was oddly like an extended family where everyone knew everyone else and cared about what happened.

  There were some exceptions, of course. Charter pilots who breezed through on a regular basis didn’t always want to participate in the camaraderie. Most of them were employed by companies who simply leased equipment from Valley Helicopter Services. Heather had gotten to know a few of their names, but little else. Yet with the regular employees, it was different. She’d overheard conversations about helping a work buddy move, stock tips and offers of a ride home when required. She’d also found out they all had something in common—at one time or another they’d needed help and Jim had been there.

  Heather had come to grips with the fact that he’d seen her as just another stray who needed rescuing. Since their first meeting, they’d formed a friendship, but even he had admitted that his initial impression of her had been that of a brand-new mother who was unlikely to make it on her own.

  At first his confession had annoyed her, and she’d taken great pains to inform him that she had been fine before she met him and she would still be fine if their paths had never crossed. But then she’d remembered that this was Jim—he couldn’t help himself. He was a born fixer by nature, and if he saw a problem he had to step in and do something about it. As far as flaws went, it wasn’t a bad one.

  So here she was, employed in an office of misfits. The irony was, of course, that instead of feeling out of place, she felt as if she’d found a second home. Frankly, she couldn’t think of a better place to work.

  “Excuse me,” the young man said.

  Heather glanced up and saw the teenager standing by her desk. “Yes?”

  “I’ve finished my application.”

  He was tall and very thin, with too long brown hair and big brown eyes. He wore a button-down shirt with freshly pressed khakis. Probably the best clothing he owned, Heather thought as she glanced at the sheet of paper in front of her. “Thanks—” she looked at the name on the application “—thanks, Brian. Have a seat in the waiting area. Jim should be back in a few minutes.”

  “Okay.” The kid tried to smile but failed. He also didn’t move from the side of her desk. “I’m only seventeen,” he said. “My birthday was last week. I came here when I turned sixteen, but Mr. Dyer said I had to wait another year. So I’m back.”

  “You must really want to work here,” Heather said.

  Brian nodded so hard his bangs fell across his forehead and into his eyes. He pushed them back in an impatient gesture. “I want to learn to fly helicopters. I know that’s not part of the job,” he added hastily, “but I want to learn about ’em, be close to ’em, you know?”

  “I think I understand.” He was so young and so earnest, Heather thought.

  “I mostly need the money, but I thought maybe by working here I could learn something useful for later.” His eager expression clouded. “But there’s probably a ton of guys waiting to work here and I guess they have more experience than me. I don’t guess Mr. Dyer is going to want to hire me.”

  Heather wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t want to say anything to get Brian’s hopes up. She hadn’t even known that Jim was looking to hire someone, so she didn’t know about the other applicants.

  Before she could think of an appropriate response, Diane started to cry. Heather excused herse
lf and went into the nursery to collect her daughter. Diane quieted as soon as she saw her. Heather scooped her up, then felt her diaper.

  “You’re just a faker,” she said softly. “You’re dry, and you ate less than an hour ago, so I know you’re not hungry. You want some attention, don’t you?”

  Big blue eyes stared at her face.

  “Just as I thought,” Heather murmured. “It’s all about you, huh?” She laughed, then kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Fine. You can have as much attention as you want. Let’s go back to the office.”

  Carrying Diane, she returned to her desk. Brian was still standing beside it. When he saw the baby, he smiled.

  “My sister just had a boy. I’m going to teach him how to play baseball.”

  “Probably not for a couple of weeks at least,” Heather teased.

  Brian blushed. “No, ma’am. He’ll need to be a lot older than he is now. I wasn’t sure about having a baby around, but he’s pretty cool. I go visit him a lot.”

  She liked this young man, Heather thought as she glanced out the window and saw Jim heading toward the office. He seemed intelligent and sincere.

  The front door opened. Brian spun around, saw Jim and stiffened. “Hello, Mr. Dyer. I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Brian Johnson. I was here last year about a job and you said to wait until I was seventeen.”

  Jim looked the teenager over. “When was your birthday?”

  “Last week. But I had family commitments until this morning, so this is the soonest I could get here.”

  Jim nodded, then gave Heather a wink. “Why don’t you grab your application, Brian? We’ll take a walk around the place while we talk about things.”

  Brian turned back to her. “Thank you for listening to me, ma’am.”

  “You’re welcome. Good luck.”

  But Heather wasn’t sure the young man was going to need it. Jim had that look in his eye. The one that told her he was planning to give a seventeen-year-old kid a chance to make his dreams come true.

  “Everything ready for the party?” Jim asked as Brian stepped outside.

  “Of course,” Heather said. “You and Flo both worry too much.”

  “At least I’m in good company.” He gave her a brief wave, then disappeared outside.

  Fifteen minutes later, she had Diane strapped into her baby carrier and was helping Flo set out paper plates and napkins. They were using part of the main hangar for their party. One section at the side of the open space had been walled off and filled with tables and chairs. Jim held his meetings with employees out here. The plain room had been brightened with crepe paper and colorful balloons hanging from the low ceiling and tied to the backs of chairs.

  “Harry’s bringing the ice,” Flo said as she pointed to the empty metal container on the floor. It looked big enough to serve as a tub for a Great Dane. “Jim says soft drinks only for this kind of party, and I’ve always agreed with him. Alcohol and helicopters don’t mix.”

  As usual, Flo was dressed to inspire. Electric-blue slacks clung to round hips, while a black T-shirt emphasized her impressive bosom.

  “Now where are the forks?” Flo searched through the cabinets lining the wall and finally found a large bag filled with plastic forks. “We have plates, napkins, forks, a cutting knife and an ice-cream scoop.” She shuddered. “I’ll let you handle the ice cream. Sodas are on their way along with the ice, so I think that’s everything.”

  “Why is Mark leaving?” Heather asked as she checked on her daughter. Diane clutched her small cloth bunny to her chest and occasionally chewed on its ear. “Every time we talked, he seemed very happy with his job.”

  “Oh, he is.” Flo pulled out one of the metal folding chairs and plopped down. “But Jim got him a job with a bigger company—one that has room for advancement.”

  That sounded familiar, Heather thought. “He did the same thing for Rick Martinez a few months back, didn’t he?”

  Flo looked surprised. “How’d you hear about that?”

  Heather told her about the young couple’s visit and all that Rick and Lupe had said about Jim.

  “Well, it’s all true,” Flo told her. “He’s one of the few businesses in the area that’s willing to hire people directly out of a trade school. It’s the old problem of needing experience to get a job and needing a job to get experience. He gives them experience, then finds them better jobs. Then a whole new batch of graduates comes through and he does the same for them.”

  Heather wasn’t sure how she felt about that. “But he has to do a lot of extra work that way,” she said. “All that training of new people. Who can he depend on?”

  “A few of the guys stick around despite Jim’s attempts to move them somewhere else. He’s been trying to get rid of me for years, but I haven’t budged.”

  None of this made sense to Heather. “I’m still confused. What does he get out of it?”

  Flo’s expression was unreadable. “He likes to help people, but I also think…” Her voice trailed off. “Well, it’s just my theory. If you want to know, I guess you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

  “How long have you worked here?”

  “Six years. Sometimes I make Jim crazy because he finds me these terrific jobs and I turn them all down. But I’ve told him I’m not going anywhere until I’m ready. He doesn’t get to set my timetable. If he’s unhappy with my work, he can fire me, of course.”

  “Flo, he adores you and you do a terrific job. He would never fire you.”

  The older woman winked. “I know. So he’s stuck with me.”

  Heather stroked her daughter’s cheek. She had the feeling that she’d just been given an important piece of information. That if she could put it all together, she would have learned something important about Jim. The problem was that she couldn’t get the pieces to fit yet.

  Jim liked to hire people, train them and then move them on. What did that mean? That he was a fool? Or a hero? Everybody adored Jim, but how did Jim feel about everyone else? Was there still a deep, dark secret, or was she looking for monsters under her bed? Monsters that existed only in her mind?

  *

  Jim walked into the hangar close to six. The party was in full swing. He could hear music blaring and the sounds of conversation and laughter. The place was jammed because most of the employees came to the going-away parties. Even the charter pilots stopped by if they were in the area.

  He waved to several of the maintenance guys but found his gaze relentlessly searching the room until he’d found what he was looking for. Heather stood with her back to him, talking to Harry.

  She’d kept her hair short, the layered cut falling just to her shoulders. While he’d liked the longer length, he had to admit this style was very flattering. Even from behind, he could see how the blond strands moved with her and caught the light. She wore tailored slacks and a long-sleeved pink blouse. Her hips were narrow, her legs long. Over the past few weeks, the last traces of her pregnancy had faded, leaving her looking lean and trim.

  If the truth were told, she was a little thinner than he usually liked his women. In the past, he’d been a fan of curves. While Flo was a little older and not his type, he’d always admired her figure. But Heather’s leanness was growing on him. Besides, she was more than just a body. With her, he wanted the whole package.

  She touched Harry’s arm, then turned and spotted him. Instantly, her face lit up in a smile. Jim told himself not to read too much into that. That it didn’t mean anything. But he couldn’t help responding in kind, knowing that anyone watching him would be able to figure out that he had it bad for this woman.

  “You’re here,” Heather said. “We were beginning to wonder.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it,” he told her, then glanced at her plate. He raised his eyebrows. “Two pieces of cake.”

  “Uh-huh.” She licked her fork.

  “I thought women were always on a diet.”

  “Not me. I have one of those bodies that won’t let me pu
t on weight. Which isn’t as pleasant as it sounds. I’ve looked like a waif all my life and I’ve never had breasts.” She glanced down at her chest. “Except now that I’m breast-feeding.”

  Jim found his gaze straying to her chest even as he told himself he should turn away. Heather was slight, but her torso was just shapely enough to be interesting.

  “How did it go with Brian?” she asked, bringing him back to earth with a thump.

  “The interview was good. He’s a bright kid, and motivated. His father ran out on the family about three years ago and rarely makes an appearance. His mom works hard and isn’t around much. His older sister takes up the slack, but she’s got a husband and a new baby, so Brian’s not getting the attention he needs, nor does he have a male role model in his life.”

  “So you’re going to hire him.” It wasn’t a question.

  He nodded. “At first he’ll just clean up around the place. Wash down the helicopters, that sort of thing. But I’ll work with him myself. He’s smart and he’ll pick things up quickly. He’s starting his senior year of high school in September. He doesn’t have a lot of money for college, but if things work out here, I know people who can help.”

  He stopped talking when he realized Heather was staring at him with a strange look on her face. She’d paused with her fork halfway to her mouth and was looking at him.

  “What?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “You’re into misfits,” she said. “People who are lost. You take them in and fix them. Then—” she pointed to the party going on around them “—when they’re all better, you send them on their way.”

  It hadn’t taken her very long to figure him out. He wasn’t sure if he was annoyed or relieved. “And if I do?”

  “Why?” she asked. “Why do you do it?”

  There was no way to answer that question truthfully. No one really knew what was in it for him. If they did, they would be shocked. He didn’t want to see that look of disgust on Heather’s face. So he talked around the truth, getting close to it without actually having to say it.

  “I like helping people,” he said. “I’m in a position where I can, so I do. I like getting people to a better place in their lives. I want to give back.”