Can't Buy Me Love (22 page)

Lena
sat at the table, stunned. She finally managed to say, “Thanks for telling me,
Dad. I’m glad he’s going to help. I really am.”

William
reached across the table and laid one hand across hers. “I’m sorry for how I’ve
been acting lately, Charlene.”

“It’s
OK, Dad. I’m really just glad it’s all working out. I love you, you know. Even
though you tried to fix me up with Patterson James.”

Her
father had the grace to look chagrined. “Yes, well. I just wanted you to be
happy.”

But
Lena shook her head with a grin. “Rich, Dad. You just wanted me to be rich.”

He
sighed. “I guess I assumed they were the same. I’m learning they aren’t. Listen,
one more thing. About Jeanette…”

“She
came to see me the other night, Dad. She looks good.”

“You
were right, you know. She needed help. I was too caught up in my own problems
to see it. But I’m glad that you and one of her friends both cared enough to
step in. We’re working through things, Charlene. I don’t know what will happen,
but…”

“Whatever
happens, you’ve both got my support. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

Her
father sighed again. “I love you, Charlene. I know I haven’t always shown it.”

But
Lena smiled. “I know you do, Dad.”

“And
Ned,” her father added, almost defensively.

Lena’s
smile grew. “I know,” she said again.

“Good.”

When
Lena got home from dinner that evening, she was stuffed. After a delicious
dinner of baked shells and antipasto salad, she didn’t think she'd ever eat
again. Italian food was so darn yummy, she thought. And she had no willpower
when it came to portion control. She needed to go for a run, but not now. If
she tried to run now, she’d make herself sick. Nope, she’d have to get up in
the morning and drag poor sleepy Winston along with her.

Opening
her sliding back door, she let Winston out into the yard, and turned on the
lights inside her bedroom so he wouldn’t be freaked out by his own reflection
if he happened to glance into the glass doors leading into the apartment. After
pouring herself a glass of water from the pitcher in her fridge, she picked up
the phone and called Frank.

He
answered after the first ring.

“Hello?”

“Frank,
it’s Lena,” she said, sitting down on the couch for a quick chat.

“Lena?
Is something wrong?” he asked immediately.

“No,
not a thing. I’ve just got interesting news, and I wanted to prepare you. Plus,
I really just have to share,” she added with a smile.

“You’re
getting married?” her friend guessed.

Lena
rolled her eyes, even though Frank couldn’t see. “Oh for
heaven’s
sake. No.
Geez, what made your mind go there???”

Frank
laughed. “What’s up then?”

“Remember
that mess I told you my dad was in?”

“Yes.”

“Well,
apparently Chase has agreed to help him out.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“OK.
I’m sensing way more to this story. But what does this have to do with me?”

“Apparently
one of the conditions that Chase put on his offer of help is that he start
showing up at the shelter on the weekends. With Chase. To volunteer. Starting
on Saturday.”

For
a moment, Lena thought that Frank was choking on something, he was wheezing so
hard. “Frank? Are you OK? Should I call 911?”

Then
she realized that Frank was just laughing, hysterically. Between his barks of
laughter, he managed to spit out, “I knew I loved that man. Chase, that is, not
your father. Saturday, huh?”

“Yes.
Be nice to him. Mostly.”

More
wheezing. “I could have him clean out the freezer.”

“No!
Have him serve lunch. Geez, Frank, the man is in his 60s. Don’t give him a
heart attack the first day on the job.”

Frank
was still chuckling. “OK. Lunch. Check. I’m glad Chase is coming back,” he
added.

“Me
too. I’m staying clear of the place on Saturday though. Don’t be having any
crises that I need to show up for.”

“Because
of Chase?” Frank asked sympathetically.

But
Lena laughed. “Nah. I just think it would be easier on my father if I’m not
there. Besides, it’s Saturday, and nothing needs my attention, so I’m taking
Winston to the dog park. But I’ll expect a full report on Saturday night, you
know. I’ll be nice to Frankie, you be nice to my dad.”

Frank
sighed. “OK. I’ll be nice. But I might tell him how amazing you are. A few
dozen times.”

Lena
giggled. “You do that, and I’ll do the same thing for you on Saturday night.”

“All
right. Thanks for the heads up, Lena. This ought to be interesting. I’ll see
you on Saturday night. You’re still OK with working Sunday for me?”

“Absolutely.”

“Great.
I’ll see you around 6:00 on Saturday then.”

“Don’t
show up at my door with any of that canned crap. Good beer, or no beer at all.”

“I’ll
bring good stuff. Can’t have my girl thinking I’m cheap.”

“Thank
God you’re dating someone. That should up your overall taste and appearance
considerably.”

“What’s
wrong with my appearance?” Frank sputtered.

Lena
just laughed. “In honor of your girl, I’ll get some good pizza, I promise.”

“Antonio’s?”

“Yup.”

“Great.
Thanks for calling. See you Saturday.”

Frank
hung up the phone, still chuckling. It was going to be an interesting weekend.

Frank
was under a sink in the kitchen with a wrench in one hand and a towel in the
other, swearing mildly under his breath. There was a slight leak in one of the
pipes, but damned if he could make it stop. He really didn’t want to call a
plumber for something so minor, he thought as he laid back and just stared up
at the pipes where water was again beading. Maybe he could head off a major
mess by just turning off the water, adding some plumber’s tape, and hoping he
could find a volunteer who had a bit of plumbing in his background. Or hell,
maybe one of their clients – surely someone out there could fix the damn pipe.

He
was just about to scoot back out of the cabinet when he felt a light kick on
his boot. Crawling out, he looked up suspiciously, but then burst into a big
grin at the sight of Chase Hamilton. Getting to his feet, he punched the
younger man lightly on the shoulder, then reached out his hand for a hearty
shake.

“Damn
good to see you again, son,” he said gruffly. “We’ve missed you around here.”

Chase
shook Frank’s hand firmly. “I’m glad to be back, Frank. And I’d like to
introduce you to a friend and work colleague of mine. This is William.”

Frank
smiled and stretched out his hand. “Nice to meet you, William. Lena called me
earlier this week and said you’d be by. We’re glad to have you.”

William
was surprised by the friendliness of the greeting, but he responded in kind,
saying, “Nice to meet you too, Frank.”

“So
what would you like us to do this morning, Frank? Anything in particular?”

Frank
eyed them both. “I don’t suppose you know anything about plumbing?”

“I
know how to call a plumber,” Chase said with a grin. “Other than that, I’m
probably not the right guy to ask. I haven’t done any plumbing myself in years.”

“I
used to do a bit of plumbing myself, years ago,” William admitted. “I’m not
sure how much I remember. What do you need?”

Frank
pointed to the sink. “Slow leak. I can see where it’s coming from, but all the tightening
in the world isn’t stopping it, and I’m afraid I’m going to break something.”

“I’ll
take a look. You have tools? Plumbers’ tape? Anything like that?”

“I’ll
show you where everything is,” Frank said. “And if you can fix it, I’ll either
kiss your feet or buy you a beer. Whichever you prefer.”

“He’s
probably more of a bourbon guy,” Chase volunteered with a grin. “I can help him
with this if you have other work to do.”

“Great.
And you want kitchen duty for lunch, right?”

Chase
nodded. “Of course.”

“So
when you’re done with all of this, why don't you give William here a tour of
the place, get his identification taken care of, and then head to the kitchen
and have Sandra put you both to work.”

“Sounds
good,” Chase agreed. “Thanks, Frank. I’ll catch up with you before I leave for
the day, if you’re not too busy.”

“Never
too busy for you, son. William, nice to meet you. Thanks for coming today.”

A
few hours later, Chase walked William out to his car, and then returned to the
shelter to look for Frank. He found him in one of the client rooms, talking
with some volunteers about replacing a window. When Frank saw Chase in the
doorway, he excused himself and went out into the hallway. Putting his hand on
Chase’s shoulder, he guided him down the hall to one of the lounge areas, and
motioned him into a chair.

“So
how did it go?” Frank asked, leaning back in his chair and looking over at
Chase with a grin.

Chase
shrugged and raised his hands in a gesture of surprise. “He did well, Frank. He
actually fixed the pipe really quickly, and seemed to get some satisfaction out
of it. Told me that he liked seeing that he could still put his old skills to
use.”

Eyebrows
raised, Frank grinned. “Well how about that,” he said.

“I
walked him through the place. He’d never been here before, if you can believe
it. All the years that Lena has worked here, and all the money he’s
contributed, and he never set foot in the doors.”

“And
what was his reaction?”

“I
think he was impressed. It’s an impressive place, to be sure, but I don’t think
he quite realized before how much responsibility his daughter has, and what an
amazing job she does here.”

Frank
nodded thoughtfully. “Huh. So how did he handle the kitchen?”

And
again, Chase shrugged. “Very well. He's a pretty social guy at heart. And
people are people, no matter what their socio-economic status is. I think maybe
William understands that.”

“So
he'll be back?” Frank asked.

Chase
nodded. “He will. It might take him a while to really enjoy it, but I think
he'll get there. You could tell that he was appreciating the banter among the
kitchen crew. I think, with time, he’ll actually join in.”

Frank
nodded in satisfaction. “Well, good. Lena told me what you’re doing for her Dad,
Chase. You’re a good man. I’m very glad to have you back here.”

Chase
looked up at him apologetically. “I shouldn’t have left the way I did, Frank,”
he said quietly.

But
the older man just laughed. “No, probably not. But I get it. Sometimes the
heart makes the head do stupid things.”

It
was Chase’s turn to laugh.

“You
know Lena is completely different from her father,” Frank continued, spearing
Chase with his gaze.

Chase
sobered quickly. “I do. It took me a while to get there, but now I wonder how I
could ever have thought differently.”

Slapping
his knees with his hands, Frank stood up. “Good,” he said firmly. “Hey, listen,
if you’re free tonight, it’s pizza and beer night. You’ve been saying you’d
join us for months, and we’re at Lena’s tonight. Everyone will be glad to see
you. Plus, I’m bringing my new lady friend. Come.”

“New
lady friend?” Chase asked with a grin.

“Frankie.
Don’t laugh. And I might need you there for moral support, so think about it,
OK?”

Chase
looked uncertain. “Frank, I’m not sure. Lena and I… we’re still… Look, I should
probably at least check with her.”

But
Frank shook his head and whacked Chase on the back. “I'll clear it with Lena. You
just show up. 6:30. Bring beer.”

“It
won’t be any of that crap you drink,” Chase warned.

“Good.
I need to impress Frankie anyway.”

Chase
laughed. “OK. I’ll get the good stuff. But are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Very
sure. See you at 6:30. You do know where you’re going, right?”

And
Chase laughed dryly. “Yeah,” he said. “I know.”

“Good.
And no suit. I can’t have you showing me up in front of Frankie.”

“Frank,
I can say with a great deal of certainty that that woman will only have eyes
for you.”

Chase
picked up beer on his way home, but spent the next few hours agonizing over
whether or not to show up at Lena’s that evening. On the one hand, if Frank mentioned
it to her and he didn’t show up, that would not be good. On the other hand, if
Frank
didn’t
mention it, and he
did
show up, that might not be so
good either. Back and forth. Back and forth. Finally, at 6:00, Chase made up
his mind. If nothing else, he could tell her he missed Winston. He headed to
his room to shower and change.