Accidentally Yours (21 page)

“
No harm done. It’s only paper towels.”

“
Hmph. I’m glad you didn’t run into those glass bottles of apple juice next to it.”

He turned his attention to the butcher, who handed him a
package wrapped in white paper. “Give me two of those lobster tails, too, please. I want the biggest ones you’ve got.”

“
Lobster!”

“
You’ve been such a good sport about all this, the least I can do is make you a fabulous dinner on Friday. Uh…that is, if you don’t have any plans.”

“
No plans.” She spoke softly, for the thought of him leaving made her feel a little down.

“
Good. I got some of those loaded twice-baked potatoes, too. And while we’re here, I want to replenish your food supply.”

“
You don’t have to do that, Zack.”

“
I insist.” He tossed the wrapped lobster tails in the basket of the scooter with his other selections, then backed up.

“
Doesn’t it hurt your foot to press down on the pedal?”

“
It just tingles a bit. Pressing down isn’t quite the same as bearing weight. Okay, I’m off like dirty underwear.” With that he depressed the pedal and took off once more.

She found him in the produce department, gen
tly squeezing tomatoes. She watched as each inspection brought a frown to his face. “What’s the matter, are they too soft?”

“
I’ll say. Just picking them up leaves indentations.” He reached higher on the diagonal pile, and before they realized what was happening the tomatoes began to spill to the floor in an avalanche of red balls, some of them making splats as they hit the floor.

Zack
’s expletive was lost in his rush to back away from the falling fruit. Vivian called frantically for help. Where was the produce clerk? Surely they didn’t all go home at six o’clock.

“
Damn. It didn’t look like it was
that
many tomatoes,” Zack said.

An apron-wearing man in his thirties appeared.
“Oh, no,” he said upon seeing the mess of red on the floor. “What happened?”

“
It was an accident,” Vivian and Zack said simultaneously, then looked at each other in amusement that quickly turned to guilt when they noticed the displeased look on the employee’s face. She recognized him as one of the people who were restoring the paper towel display Zack had run into.

“
I was trying to get a tomato from the top, and then they all came tumbling down like the walls of Jericho. I’ve got a leg injury and I’m not supposed to walk on it, and I can’t reach too high being in this chair,” Zack explained.

She knew he was trying for sympathy, but the clerk wasn
’t buying it. To him Zack was just an overgrown kid who wanted to see how the electronic scooter worked and was wreaking havoc in the store. The clerk frowned at them, then went to the wall phone in the corner by the less popular vegetables like rutabagas. “Clean-up needed in produce,” he said into the speaker.

“
Let’s get out of here,” she hissed to Zack.

“
Wait a sec. I haven’t had any grapes, yet”

“
Forget the free samples and just throw some in a bag to eat at home. You don’t live in this town, but
I
might want to come back here one day.”

They got in line behind a couple in their fifties. Both husband and wife were quite heavy, and Vivian was glad to see they had included several desserts with their purchases. She would hate for their marriage to go on the rocks because one party repeatedly consumed all the Cherry Garcia.

The woman smiled at her warmly. “Did you ever find your son?”

“
Yes, but now I think maybe I should have let him stay lost.” She laughed, amused by the woman’s misconception, then met the gaze of an obviously sheepish Zack.

Back at home, she made another attempt to reach Dennis. This time he answered.

“Dennis, I’m so glad I reached you. It’s Vivian St. James from—” she started to say, “from work,” but quickly amended it and named the company.

“
Did those people tell you they made a mistake?”

“
Well, yes, they did. But how did you know?”

“
Because, like I told you, I don’t do drugs.”

“
I’m sorry, Dennis. I’m only trying to do my job here. I did speak to Mel, and he would love it if you would come back to work tomorrow morning.”

“
I’ll be there. Thank you, Vivian. This confusion has caused me a lot of grief, but I know it’s not your fault.”

“
I’m glad. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“
How’d it go?” Zack asked when she hung up.

“
If you ask me, he’s getting ready for his testimony. He said something about being all stressed out over this. I half expected him to say he had an appointment tomorrow morning—meaning with an attorney—but would be in later.”

“
He probably saw a lawyer this afternoon.”

“
Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“
Don’t sweat it. If he sues anyone, it’ll be the lab, not your company. But since all he missed was half a day at work, I doubt he has a case, anyway.” He turned on the computer and monitor. “Come on, let’s see if you can still beat me at this game.”

Chapter 1
3

Enough Already

V
ivian watched Zack descend the stairs on his crutches. She’d been so surprised to come home from work and see him inspecting his unwrapped ankle and taking a few awkward steps without the aid of his crutches. She could tell from his grimace that it still hurt, and he promptly rewrapped it.

They were greeted by both Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, as well as the appealing aroma of roasted pork.

Mr. Hughes patted Zack on the back affectionately. “I hope you’ll be back on your feet again soon, my boy.”

“
It’ll be good to be back, even though I won’t be doing any running for a while yet. I’m going to take off the bandage tomorrow and start walking on it, at least a little bit.”

“
You’ll be running in no time.”

“
He has a follow-up tomorrow,” Vivian said.

But Zack waved a hand in dismissal.
“I’m not going to worry about going back. I know enough about orthopedics to know whether or not my ankle needs further attention…and it doesn’t.”

“
Your trip is coming up soon, isn’t it?” Mrs. Hughes asked.

“
In June. I’ve got time. I’ll be running and doing push-ups by then.”

“
I’m glad.” Mrs. Hughes noticed Vivian’s quizzical expression. “It’s so exciting. Zack is going on an African safari.”

Her eyebrows shot up.
“You are?”

“
In just about two-and-a-half months I’ll be watching all those animals running free.”

“
This is incredible. So will I!”

It was his turn to be incredulous.
“You are?”

“
Yes. I’m going with a girl I grew up with. It’s something we always said we would do when we were grown.”

“
I’ve wanted to go for a long time, too.”

“
Austin’s been wanting to go, too,” Mr. Hughes said, “especially since he’s already been to West Africa. He’d probably be going with you if he wasn’t getting married. They took some wonderful vacations. A few years ago they went down to Carnival in Rio.” He licked his lips. “That’s a trip I’d love to take…all those naked women.”

His wife cleared her throat, and the look of longing on his face promptly dissipated.
“So you two are going to Africa at the same time. Wouldn’t it be something if it was the same safari?” she asked Vivian and Zack.

They looked at each other.

“Kenya,” she said.

“
Tanzania,” he said.

Everyone laughed
, and Vivian let out the breath she’d been holding. She couldn’t bear it if Zack showed up on safari. Because of their history, it would almost certainly mean that someone would need medical attention before it was all over.

“
Still, that’s a heck of a coincidence,” Mrs. Hughes remarked. She rose. “Excuse me, I’m going to put the food on the table. We can all sit down in about five minutes.”

“
Just get back safely,” Mr. Hughes said to Vivian and Zack. “The wedding’s just a few weeks after that, and I know both Austin and Desireé want you two to be there.”

*****

Friday was designated casual dress at their offices, which meant most of the women wore slacks and the men tossed aside their shirts and ties for polo shirts and khakis. Vivian wanted to look nice for her lunch date with Timothy, so she chose a light blue denim skirt with a dropped yoke and a white blouse. Jeans and T-shirts were not allowed, but a skirt made of jean fabric was acceptable.

She hoped today would be as calm as yesterday had been. Dennis Chin was back at work, Peter Arnold had given her another check
made out to the fund he had chosen, and all was quiet. It had been nice to take care of her responsibilities and go home to Zack for what she’d known would be a pleasant evening with the Hugheses. Since he’d already explained to them during his visit earlier in the week how he had come to be staying at her apartment, there was no shock to cope with. Mrs. Hughes did ask if there was any romance going on when the two of them were clearing the table, and she laughed it off—convincingly, too, she thought.

But
Vivian was actually beginning to feel a little frantic. When she and Zack returned to her apartment after dinner, they exchanged chaste good nights, and she retreated to her bedroom.

Even
last night, when they played the computer game after returning from the supermarket, there hadn’t been the slightest hint of desire on his part. She was running out of time. Tonight was their last night together, and he’d probably want to leave right after dinner.

She smoothed her short hair close to her head
with the aid of gel and applied her makeup. Somehow it didn’t seem right, primping for one man while her thoughts were with another…but she just couldn’t get Zack out of her mind.

Timothy called at nine-thirty.
“Hi! I hope we’re still on for lunch.”

“
Sure. I’m looking forward to it.”

“
What time would you like to leave?”

“
Twelve-thirty is a good time for me. It’s right in the middle of the day.”

“
That’s fine. I’ll see you then.”

The morning went by swif
tly, and Timothy appeared promptly at twelve twenty-eight. He wore a long-sleeved collarless shirt tucked into cuffed dark trousers and a beige waist-length zippered jacket.

He suggested a nearby seafood restaurant, and she agreed. She ordered coconut-fried shrimp, and he requested the shrimp scampi.

“Someone at the office must have told you about this place,” she remarked after the waitress had taken their menus. “It’s kind of hard to stumble across accidentally.”

“
Yes, one of the accountants recommended it to me. I usually get here once a week. Their scampi is the best I’ve tasted.”

She was glad he was familiar with the bistro. Neptune
’s Catch had a capacity of less than one hundred and was nestled in a woodsy section of a Westchester village too small to be included on any map. It was the only restaurant she knew of that didn’t accept credit cards, a circumstance which she knew had caused at least one person considerable embarrassment. She remembered Glenda telling her about one of the executives coming to her for a loan from the petty cash fund to reimburse his secretary. He had taken her to lunch for her birthday, and upon presenting an American Express card to pay the bill and being told it was cash only, his secretary had to ante up because he only had fifteen dollars on him.

Over lunch they participated in the obligatory exchange of background information, learning that they were both from Connecticut—Timothy hailed from Bridgeport—and had attended the same college. He was divorced, with two children, seventeen and twenty, and since he mentioned the year of his college graduation,
Vivian calculated his age at forty-seven or forty-eight, a little younger than her initial belief. It made her feel better. Fifty frightened her; it was so distant. She wasn’t even forty yet.

He called her office a
little over an hour after they returned. “I just wanted to say I enjoyed having lunch with you, Vivian. I hope we can do it again.”

His voice sounded softer than usual and a
little strained. “Are you all right?”

“
I’ve got a little stomachache, but I’m sure I’ll live.”

“
Oh, I’m sorry.”

She called him back at four-thirty.
“Just thought I’d check how you were feeling.”

“
Actually, it’s getting worse. You just caught me. I’ve been away from my desk for half of the afternoon, and now I’m getting ready go home.”

“
Can you take my home number? I’d really like to know how you’re feeling a few hours from now, and I don’t know how to reach you.”

“
Sure. I’ve got a pen here. Shoot.”

Glenda showed up at her door a few minutes later, after Timothy had hung up with a promise
to call her. “Now, I want to know everything that happens with you and Zack, and don’t leave out anything.”

“
All right.”

“
Don’t be blue, Viv. It’ll be all right. You’ll see him again.”

“
Actually, I wasn’t thinking about Zack. I was thinking about Timothy.”

“
Timothy? Why are you thinking about
him?
I know you had a good time at lunch and all, but—”

“
He hasn’t been feeling well since lunch. I’m a little worried. Why is it every man I go out with either has an accident or gets sick?”

“
Not every man, Viv. Remember, Bernard was complaining of pain even before you met him. And it’s true that Zack fell, but it’s not like the two of you ever dated.”

“
Thanks for reminding me.”

“
It’s just one of those weird coincidences. Have you talked to Timothy in the last hour or so? Maybe he’s feeling better.”

“
I just talked to him. He went home.”

“
He did? Wow, he must really be feeling crummy. Those auditors might not show up until nine-thirty, but they’re usually still here at seven. I got suckered into staying late one Friday night to help with some project Accounting was doing, and when I left at six-thirty they were still plugging away. I can’t imagine putting in that many hours on a regular basis, unless I was working for myself.” Glenda took in Vivian’s distressed expression. “Try not to be too concerned. You don’t want it to put a damper on your evening with Zack.”

On the drive home Vivian
’s thoughts began to shift from Timothy to Zack. It was true that she could do nothing about Timothy’s condition, but she did hope he would call and say the spell had passed and he was back to normal. This business with Gary’s lacerated arm, Gordon’s ankle sprain, and Bernard’s ulcer was too much. No wonder Zack had dubbed her the angel of the accident-prone. At least this was one incident he had no way of knowing about.

She found Zack in the kitchen, struggling to cut through a lobster shell with a long knife
…and standing on his own two feet. “Hi! How’s the foot?”

“
Feeling pretty good, now that I’ve had all day to get it in shape. It felt really weird at first, but it’s definitely strong enough to support me. Do you have any kitchen shears? This knife just isn’t cutting it.”

“
I do have scissors, but not specifically for the kitchen. I use them to cut everything.”

“I doubt the lobsters will mind.”

She retrieved the scissors from her bedroom and handed them to him.

“
Ah, much better,” he said as he cut through the lobster shells. But the next time I cook, you’re coming to my place. I’ve got everything a cook can want.”

She
stared at him, taken aback by the casual way in which he spoke.
Next time?

“
Can I help you do anything?” she offered when he didn’t elaborate on what he meant by ‘next time.’ As much as she wanted to know, she wasn’t about to ask.

“
You can set the table, I guess. There really isn’t much to do. The steaks are broiling now. The salad is in the fridge, and the potatoes just have to be heated.”

“
I’m going to change, and then I’ll set the table.”

On the way to her bedroom she noticed his duffel bag on the floor by the coffee table, all zipped up, next to his television. She stared at
it for a few moments, then hurried in to change.

In her bedroom she removed her skirt and slip and pulled on a pair of jeans that felt tighter than usual around her waist and thighs. She
’d eaten larger dinners than usual all week because of Zack’s cooking, and it was too early for that fried shrimp and all that bread she’d eaten at lunch to show up. Tomorrow when she lunched with Lauren she would order a simple soup and salad. Soon it would be summer, and there was no way to hide extra pounds while wearing a swimsuit.

Twenty minutes later they sat down to dinner. Zack held up his wine glass.
“Here’s to a caring lady who took me in when I had nowhere else to go.”

His seriousness
caught her off guard, and choked her up a bit as well. “Are you trying to make me cry? You talk like a homeless person, not the owner of a four-story brownstone that probably has a dozen rooms.”

“
All right, I’ll amend that. You took care of me when no one else could. You’ve taken good care of me, and I know it hasn’t been easy to do that, plus go about dealing with your own life.”

She decided to be honest
. “It’s not like there’s so much going on in my life, Zack.”

“
Oh, I don’t know about that. You seem to have a pretty full plate to me. You’re busy at the office, you’ll soon be going on the trip of a lifetime, and I happen to know that you date fairly often. I’m sure not
every
man you’ve gone out with since New Year’s has ended up as one of my patients.”