Fool Me Once (20 page)

Jeff wanted to say a paper cup would do it for him, but he knew it was a girl thing, so he said, “Me too.”

They looked at each other.

“Should we get officially engaged before or after we eat? I brought Chinese, and it will get cold if we wait.”

“Then let's eat! You're spoiling those dogs, you know that, don't you? I set the table in anticipation of you bringing dinner even though I couldn't remember if you were to bring it or not. If not, it was going to be peanut butter and jelly. There's something about peanut butter and jelly with candlelight.”

“I love peanut butter and jelly with or without candlelight. Need any help?”

“Not really. Since they packed everything so nicely, let's just spoon it out onto plates, unless you want to wash a bunch of bowls. Let's put the flowers on the table. They're so pretty, Jeff. Thank you. Yellow is my favorite color.”

Jeff's face was full of amazement. “It's my mother's favorite color, too.” A girl just like Mom. Olivia smiled at him as she filled his plate.

Jeff slipped out of his jacket and hung it over the back of his chair as he unbuttoned the top button on his shirt and loosened his tie. Just to be sure the red, velvet-lined box was still in his pocket, he stuck his hand in his pocket to feel it. For some reason, it still felt hot to the touch.

The dogs raced into the kitchen the moment they smelled the food. They circled the table but didn't beg. Sooner or later, they would get
something.
At least that's the way it usually worked.

Jeff, his eyes on the woman across from him, paid no attention to the dogs. Cecil or Loopy started to sniff his shoes, working his way around to the back of the chair where Jeff's coat was hanging. One little paw swatted at the bulge in the jacket pocket. Alice, seeing the Yorkie dancing around on his hind legs, meandered over to see what was going on. She, too, swatted at the bulge in the pocket. When nothing fell to the floor, she stuck her snoot into the pocket and brought out the small red box. All the dogs circled around the prize that Alice dropped to the floor. Food? Treats? Bea wiggled her rear end closer, sniffed the box, pushed it around a little to see if it bit back. When it didn't, she picked it up and trotted out of the dining room, down the hall to Olivia's bedroom, where she once more dropped the box. The other dogs crowded closer, sniffing and pawing at this sudden new treasure. A toy, a new ball that didn't bounce.

The dogs took turns rolling the little red box all over the floor. Cecil snatched it up, biting down hard so as not to lose it, which caused the lid to pop open. He dropped the box and backed away, as did the other dogs. When the four of them realized the box wasn't going to do anything, they moved closer to eye the sparkling gem winking at them in the overhead light.

Alice, queen of 509 Eagle Drive and top dog, stepped forward and picked up the box, ring and all. She headed back down the hall to her basket of toys in Olivia's office. This was her treasure and would go in her basket. Cecil or Loopy, not liking the arrangement, waited until Alice buried it under a fluffy stuffed bird before he snatched it and ran down the hall to where
his
basket of toys rested. He rooted around till he found a spot and dropped it in. Bea barked, as did Loopy or Cecil. Cecil or Loopy growled. Alice swatted him so hard he stopped growling just long enough to give Bea time to snatch the box, the ring almost out of its snug position. Halfway down the hall, the ring fell out of the box, and Loopy or Cecil snatched it up and ran to the bathroom, where he hid behind the toilet. The others growled at him, but he ignored them, enjoying being the center of attention. He did his best to dig into the shaggy carpet to bury his treasure before he pranced out to race down the hall again. Bea dropped the red box, Alice picked it up, and the game was on again as she looked for a better hiding place.

In the dining room, Jeff's heart kicked up a beat when Olivia cleared away the dishes. Dessert was a fortune cookie and the ring. His mouth was suddenly dry, and he poured more champagne into his flute. He eyed the woman bustling about. She looked as pretty as his mother, maybe prettier. Her blond hair curled around her face in little wisps. He'd never really seen her dressed up before. She was what his brothers, all five of them, would call a knockout. She wore a simple lavender dress with long sleeves. In her ears and around her throat were pearls. His mother always wore pearls. She'd gotten dressed up for him just the way he'd gotten dressed up for her. He was still waiting to see if his aftershave would drive her wild. Her perfume was driving him nuts. He felt like a caveman. He hoped she'd catch up soon. He poured more champagne into her glass the moment she sat down.

This was the moment.
The moment!
First, though, they had to open their fortune cookies. He handed Olivia hers. He laughed nervously when she read her fortune.

“Mine says the gods of fortune will smile upon me.” Olivia giggled. “What does yours say?”

Jeff broke open his cookie and read his fortune. “Mine says, ‘You will eventually find that which you seek.' What do you suppose that means?”

Olivia smiled. She loved fortune cookies. “Did you lose something lately?”

Jeff loved fortune cookies, too. And wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he always read his horoscope in the daily paper. “No, not that I know of.” He got up, walked over to Olivia's chair, and dropped to one knee. “I want to do this right. My mom said my dad proposed to her on his knee. So, here I am.” He reached for Olivia's hand. “Will you marry me, Olivia? I promise always to take care of you. I promise to love you forever and ever. I'll do everything in my power never to disappoint you. Please say yes so I can get off my knees.”

Olivia gurgled with laughter. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. You can get up now.” She stood up and kissed him, a long lingering, sweet kiss that spoke of wonderful things yet to come.

“Oh my gosh, the ring! I bought you an engagement ring today. If you don't like it, we can exchange it. I picked it out myself. I thought it would…Oh, God, where is it?” he said, rummaging in his jacket pocket, then his pants pocket. “It must have fallen out. It was in my pocket when we sat down. I felt it when I took off my jacket. Do you see it anywhere, Olivia? It's a little red box.”

An engagement ring. Lordy, Lordy, this was it, what most women waited for from the time they were toddlers. An engagement ring. “Wait a minute, Jeff. Calm down. Are you sure it was in your pocket when you took off your jacket and hung it over the back of the chair?”

“I'm sure, Olivia. I was nervous about giving it to you, hoping you would like it. I touched it. It was there.” His voice was so desperate-sounding, Olivia thought he was going to cry.

“I didn't take it, Jeff. Now, think, who does that leave?” Olivia reached behind her to open one of the drawers under the counter. She pulled out a whistle and blew three sharp blasts. The dogs came on the run. “I would almost bet the rent these guys are the culprits! Okay, here's where you have to show them you're the boss. Point to your pocket, show them the jacket. Then tell them to fetch it. Maybe they will, and maybe they won't. I'm betting they hid it.”

“They hid it?” Jeff said in a choked voice. “Are you saying we might not find it?”

Olivia shrugged. “There are a hundred places in this house to hide things. They all have a basket of toys, but that's way too obvious. Go on, show them who's boss!”

Jeff felt like a fool when he stood up, his jacket in his hands. “Listen up, you guys. You took something out of my pocket, and I want it back. Right now! Fetch it!”

Alice looked up at him and barked. Bea lay down and closed her eyes. Cecil and Loopy growled, not liking his tone. Then they started to yap. Bea and Alice joined in the barking before they all turned tail and ran out of the room.

“They aren't going to fetch it, are they. They were toying with me, right?” Jeff said miserably.

“Nope. And yep. Told you, dogs are smart. When they get tired of guarding it, they might bring it out. Then again, they might not. I'll take this end of the house, you take the back end.”

“This isn't how I wanted us to spend the evening, Olivia. I wanted it to be just a romantic evening.”

“Oh, Jeff, it's all right. For sure neither one of us is ever going to forget this night. Let's view it as a treasure hunt. It's going to be a wonderful memory for us in years to come.”

Jeff laughed. “Okay. You're a good sport, Olivia. I'm glad you aren't upset.”

“Pretending I have a ring on my finger is almost as good as having one. Come on, let's start the search.”

T
he fire was almost out when the grubby young couple sat down next to each other, glasses of wine in hand. Jeff tossed two oak logs on the fire. A shower of sparks shot upward. “I am so sorry, Olivia. We've crawled over every inch of this house, and we still can't find the ring. What if we never find it?”

Olivia placed a finger on Jeff's lips. “Shhh, don't think like that. We'll find it. We have to figure out a way to trick those four little rascals. Alice doesn't have it, that's a given. She'd give it up in a heartbeat. I haven't had Loopy and Bea long enough to know what all their little quirks are. When it comes to Cecil, I really only know what you and Lillian Manning told me about him. It's one of those three, I'm sure of it. Now, understand this—Yorkshire terriers are incredibly smart. Sometimes they can outthink you. That's what Lillian said. Which means we have to use trickery. Oooh, that fire feels so good.”

The dogs cuddled in both their laps. Olivia made a production of taking off a birthstone ring her father had given her on her tenth birthday. She winked at Jeff as she showed it off. Instead of putting it back on her finger, she placed it on the hearth. “Let's see which one of them snatches it up. It's a good chance one or the other of them will take it to their lair and, voilà, hopefully, we'll find the other one. We also have to pretend we aren't watching them.”

“Sneaky little rascals, aren't they?” Jeff grinned as Bea wiggled off his lap. The others followed suit. Jeff pretended to lean toward the fire while Olivia slipped off her shoes. Loopy or Cecil snatched up the ring and ran out of the family room and down the hall, the other three dogs right behind him.

Jeff looked at Olivia, his face full of awe.

“We have to be as sneaky as they are. Don't make a sound,” she said, and she began running softly down the hall. “Aha!” she called out to Jeff. “The bathroom! Quick! Quick! Shut the door! Where could they possibly hide it in here?”

Caught in the act, the four dogs lay down. Cecil or Loopy dropped the ring on the tile floor. Olivia swooned when she heard the plinking sound of a ring hitting the tile. “Quick, put it on my finger. I'll never take it off. Never!”

Later, when she was drifting into sleep, Olivia thought of it as a magical moment, one she would carry with her forever.

Her destiny was lying right beside her. It all felt so right.

The following morning after Jeff left for work, Olivia walked back to her studio to begin preparations to resume her work schedule. She spent an hour calling her clients and scheduling appointments. She was going to need the money to buy her wedding dress.

Within an hour, when she was satisfied that she had a full schedule mapped out, she tidied up and walked back to her office. She had a few days left till Monday to work on Adrian Ames's business affairs. After Monday, that business would have to take a backseat to her own work.

Olivia shifted and collated the papers she'd printed out on the Great Rock Insurance Company. Before she hired Miki Kenyan again, she wanted to take a stab at finding the insurance agent herself. Subterfuge was what she needed. Her mind raced, and then she picked up the phone and dialed the 800 number at Great Rock's home office in Biloxi. When the operator came on she asked for Human Resources.

The voice on the other end of the phone was young, warm, and cheerful-sounding. Olivia did her best to match it. She identified herself as Helen Noonan, researching her family tree. “This is my problem, Ms. Berensen, I've managed to track everyone but one uncle. His name was Leroy Sullivan. A cousin seems to recall him working for your company when he was young and your offices were in Oxford, which was some forty years ago. We can't seem to find any information on him. Is there any way you can help me?”

“I'm afraid that was way before my time, Ms. Noonan. I wouldn't even know where to look. I know there is no one here by that name now. Was he an agent?”

Of course there was no one there by that name—she'd made it up. “Yes, the cousin believes he was an agent. Do you have any employees from that time period, maybe someone I could talk to? It's possible they might remember.”

“Let me check, Ms. Noonan. Do you mind holding on for a few minutes?”

“Not at all. I appreciate your help.”

While she waited, Olivia stared out the window. She groaned when she saw snow flurries swirling. She let her thoughts drift to Jeff. As soon as the weather got nice she was going to take him on a picnic. She loved picnics.

Olivia was jolted from her thoughts when Ms. Berensen's voice came over the wire again. “I don't know how much help this will be, but you might try Hudson Buckley. I can't give you his phone number, but I can call him and ask him if it's all right to give it to you. He lives here in Biloxi. The company had a retirement dinner for him last year. He's about seventy-five years old. If you don't mind holding on again, I can call him to see if it's all right to give out his number. If he has an e-mail address, do you want that, too?”

“Yes, that would be a big help.”

Olivia turned her thoughts to Jeff again as she was put on hold. Would his family like her? Would she like them? What were the brothers like? How would she fit in with that huge family? Would they go to Jeff's family for holidays?

Olivia jerked upright when the voice came back on the line. “Ms. Noonan, Mr. Buckley said it was okay to give you his phone number and his e-mail address. Do you have a pen handy?” Olivia said she did and copied down the information. She thanked the woman again before she broke the connection.

Her eyes on the weather outside, Olivia debated whether she should use the e-mail address or the phone number. Her alias of Helen Noonan wouldn't jibe with her e-mail address, so she opted for the phone. She dialed the number and waited.

The voice was brisk, professional-sounding. “Hudson Buckley.”

“Mr. Buckley, this is Helen Noonan. Great Rock gave me your number. I hope I'm not calling you at an inconvenient time.”

“Not at all. How can I help you?”

Olivia ran through her family-tree spiel again. She waited for the retired agent's comments.

“I don't recall a Leroy Sullivan working for Great Rock. I wasn't an agent back then. I started out as a janitor and worked my way up. If I recall correctly, there were two male agents. It was a small company.”

“Did you know either of the two agents?” Olivia asked.

The man on the other end of the line chuckled. “As much as a janitor can be friendly with two ‘suits.' I do remember their names, though. Nate Clancy and Darryl Spencer. Both of them left about a year after I started working for the company. I saw them last year at a concert at Ole Miss. I go every year. I almost didn't recognize them, but they recognized me. Our wives talked for a while. They're retired, too, but they still live in the area. That's about all I can tell you.”

“I appreciate it, Mr. Buckley. I guess I have to continue looking for my uncle in another area or industry. Thank you again.”

Olivia got up to stretch her legs. While she was up she made her bed and took a load of clothes to the laundry room. At least she now had two names and a location. If she was lucky, the Information operator might be able to give her their phone numbers. Would they talk to her on the phone? How much should she divulge? Which retired agent had been assigned to the robbery?

Olivia made fresh coffee, and while it was dripping into the pot she stared out the window. It seemed like it was snowing harder. She shivered a little even though she was wearing a toasty-warm dusty rose sweat suit. The phone rang just as she reached into the cabinet for a cup. She snatched at it, wondering who was calling her.

“Jeff!”

“I just called to tell you I love you. I don't think I say that often enough. I do.”

Olivia smiled as she cradled the phone against her ear. She hugged her arms against her chest. “I love you, too. I miss you. I spend a lot of time staring at this ring. I just love it, Jeff. You made a wonderful choice. It's snowing again,” she said, changing the subject.

“Doesn't matter. I'll be there tonight even if I have to come on snowshoes. I miss you, too, Olivia. I really should go, I have a ton of work on my desk. I just wanted to hear your voice. I'll see you tonight. Love you.”

Olivia smiled at the declaration. “I love you, too.” When she broke the connection, she looked around, amazed that nothing had changed. The earth wasn't shaking, the sky was intact, the house hadn't blown up. Something should have happened. Then she grinned. She was glad there was no one around to see her just then. She couldn't help but wonder if all first-time loves were like hers.

Coffee cup in hand, Olivia literally skipped her way back to her office, not caring if the coffee sloshed out of the cup, knowing the dogs would lick it right up. She was in love and loved and had the ring to prove it. When you were in love, there were no rules. When she finally settled herself in her ergonomic chair she was shocked to see she'd lost half of the coffee in her cup. She laughed, a sound of pure joy. She looked around, expecting the room to at least tilt. When it didn't, she laughed again. She'd never been so happy. Never. Ever.

Olivia settled down to work, her mind half on what she was doing, the other half on Jeff. Pencil ready, she dialed the Information operator for Oxford, Mississippi, and was amazed to hear there were dozens of people with the names Clancy and Spencer. When the operator told her she could only give her three phone numbers at a time, Olivia groaned aloud. This was going to take forever. She opted for a coffee refill before she settled down to her calls.

By midafternoon, she'd whittled her list to six, maybe seven, possible people who fit the initials of Nate Clancy and Darryl Spencer. She didn't discount the fact that one or more of the numbers she'd crossed out might be listed under the names of the wives.

Olivia looked down at her watch. Time to think about something for dinner. Then she looked outside and was shocked speechless. Snow was coming down so heavily she couldn't see across the yard. She bolted from the office and ran to the kitchen for a better look. It looked like there was about four inches of fresh snow. Jeff would never make it. The thought was so devastating, she sat down, her eyes filling with tears. Hope arose with the thought that maybe it wasn't snowing in the District. But then hope was dashed as she told
herself,
What a foolish thought. Of course it's snowing in Washington
. The weather patterns were almost identical.

Still, on the off chance Jeff might make it, Olivia rummaged in her freezer for something to prepare for dinner. She finally selected three large pork chops that she'd stuffed weeks before, then frozen. She'd learned to cut corners when her father taught her how to cook. He always set aside one or two days a month to do nothing but cook and freeze. With both their late-day work schedules it was then a simple matter to take something out of the freezer to pop in the oven. A garlic sweet potato–turnip casserole, her father's favorite, went into the oven next to the pork chops. When the chops were almost done she would drizzle a sweet Vidalia onion relish over the top. A garden salad, some frozen rolls, and a cop-out frozen dessert would round out the meal. She rummaged in the freezer again before she withdrew a rock-solid peach cobbler that just needed to be put in the oven. She crossed her fingers that Jeff would show up.

Olivia walked over to the sliding doors and forced them open. The dogs looked up at her and took off running back through the house. She shrugged. How could she blame them? She put down fresh doggy pads by the door and returned to her office, where she continued making phone calls.

It was totally dark outside when she contacted a man who said his name was Nate Clancy. “No, ma'am, I handled the outlying areas. Darryl was the one who worked the Oxford area. He lives about a mile away. I can give you his phone number if you hold on. My wife, Emily, and Darryl's wife, Melissa, are best friends. I'll just be a minute.”

Olivia's clenched fist shot in the air. She quickly scribbled down the number Nate Clancy read off to her. She thanked him and cut the connection.

Then she realized she was cold. The dogs must be cold, too—they were all huddled together in Alice's bed in the corner. She turned up the thermostats that controlled the heat in the front end and back end of the house. She turned on lights as she went along. Before she returned to her office, she checked the oven and built a roaring fire in the great room. The dogs scampered around her, yapping and growling. She slapped at her forehead. Of course! It was their suppertime. She trotted back to the kitchen to feed them. All day, she'd felt as if she was on another planet.

Olivia let her thoughts drift to Jeff and the snow outside. Would he make it? Wouldn't he make it? Of course he would. Maybe she should call him and tell him not to attempt the seventy-six-mile trip. She looked down at the sparkling ring on her finger and smiled. As much as she wanted to see her fiancé, she didn't want him to risk his life out on the roads. She called him but reached only his voice mail. She left a message telling him to stay put but to call her, then tried his cell phone, but a voice said she should try her call later.