Chapter Six
By Thursday morning, Oscar was growing impatient. He hadn’t expected Grace to call him on Sunday, that was too soon. Monday had been a possibility, but he hadn’t been too surprised not to hear from her. Yesterday, he’d smiled every time his phone had rung—and had been disappointed every time it wasn’t her. He’d gone to bed in a bad mood and had stared at the ceiling for twenty minutes. He’d almost called Kendra—she could have helped relieve some of his frustration, but she wasn’t what he wanted.
TJ popped his head around the office door. “Are you busy?”
“No. Come on in. What’s up?”
TJ came in but didn’t take a seat. He never seemed able to relax long enough to sit down. “I was going to ask you the same thing. You’ve been Oscar the Grouch this week. Is something wrong?”
Oscar smiled. TJ hadn’t called him that since they were kids. “No. Nothing serious anyway. I’ll tell you if you want a laugh.”
His brother raised an eyebrow. “I’m intrigued.”
“Remember when we went over to see Dressel to make the offer on Gascoigne Street?”
“Yeah.”
“Remember when I said I couldn’t find her?”
“The office girl?”
Oscar gave him a rueful grin. “Yeah.”
“What about her?”
“She was in here on Saturday night.”
TJ groaned. “And you slept with her, and now she’s stalking you?”
“No. She refused to sleep with me.”
TJ gave him a skeptical look.
“She turned me down.” Oscar shrugged. He didn’t want to admit, even to himself, just how big a part that played in his frustration.
“I know you’re not used to hearing no from the ladies, but seriously? That’s enough to put you in a bad mood?”
“No. It’s not just that. She came in here looking for me. But she didn’t expect me to be me.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m not sure I know. From what she said, I think she came here looking for Oscar Davenport.”
“Well, yeah, that’d be you.”
“No, listen.” He needed to spell it out, not just for TJ’s sake, but so he could get a better handle on what she’d meant. “She said she probably wouldn’t have come if she’d known I was me.”
“I ask again—what does that mean?”
“I think it means, that she was looking for me as Oscar Davenport, but she didn’t know that the guy she’d met in the elevator was Oscar Davenport. I think it was some kind of weird coincidence.”
TJ’s eyebrows knit together. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. On Thursday, the two of you had some kind of missed connection in an elevator. Then on Saturday night, office girl goes out looking for Oscar Davenport, and gets the shock of her life when she realizes that Oscar Davenport just happens to be the same guy she already met a few days earlier.”
“Yup.”
“And why was she looking for you?”
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me.”
TJ shook his head. “That makes no sense.”
“I know, but it kind of does. She was looking for me to tell me something or ask me something, then she discovered I was the guy from the elevator, and that threw her off.” He smiled as he remembered the way her lips had parted to let him kiss her, the way her fingers had sunk into his hair.
“Are you sure you didn’t screw her? The look on your face says you did, and that might explain why she left without telling you what she came for.”
“No. I did try to persuade her.” He grinned at TJ. “And it almost worked, but she came to her senses and walked out on me.”
“So, why haven’t you tracked her down and figured it out? If it’s bothering you, do something about it.”
Oscar brought his hand up to his face and rubbed his thumb across his lips to cover the smile that was playing on them. “This is the part where you get to laugh at me.”
“Because?”
“Because she said she’d call me, and she hasn’t yet.”
TJ laughed. “Man, that’s got to be a first.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. It is. And I don’t like it; it’s frustrating as fuck.”
“It’ll do you good.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I do. She’ll call you before the week’s out.”
“I hope so.”
TJ laughed. “I do, too. It’s good to see you put in your place a little, but I prefer the happy, cocky version of you to the sour, grumpy version.”
“Okay. Point taken. I’ll put her out of my mind. Do you want to grab some lunch with me, help distract me?”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
~ ~ ~
Grace stood in Harry’s doorway. “Do you need anything else before I leave?”
“No, thanks. You go on.”
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Harry held her gaze. “I’ve been asking around for you, Gracie. I’m confident I can help you find something before I close the doors here.”
“I know. Thanks, Harry. I’ll find something. Don’t you worry about me. You need to focus on making plans for you and Susan. I bet she can’t wait for you to retire.”
Harry made a face. “She’s not as thrilled as I thought she’d be. She seems to think I’m going to be under her feet.”
Grace chuckled. “It’ll take some adjusting to, I’m sure, but you’ll love it. Both of you. Anyway, I need to get going. I need to get over to the center.”
Harry pressed his lips together and sucked in a deep breath. “How’s it going?”
She shrugged. “We’re doing what we can to raise money. The church over on Driscoll has a room we can rent a couple of times a week, but it’s not cheap, and it won’t work long term.”
Harry looked uncomfortable.
“I’m only telling you because you asked. Don’t look like that. We’ll figure it out. It’s not your responsibility. You’ve done more for the place than most people ever would. Don’t feel bad because you can’t keep it up.”
“Thanks, Grace.”
She nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
She got off the bus right outside the center, just as she had most days for what felt like most of her life. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that in a few more weeks it’d all be over. Time was running out, and that thought made her finger the card in her pocket. The card she’d carried with her ever since he gave it to her on Saturday night. She needed to call him. She couldn’t afford to waste time just because she didn’t want to seem too keen to talk to him again. This was about so much more than that.
She pushed on the front door and almost fell through it as someone on the other side opened it at the very same moment.
Spider caught her.
“Are you falling for him?” asked Reese who was coming out with Spider.
She shook her head. “Nah, I’ve got better taste than that, and he wouldn’t have me even if I did.”
Spider nodded. “You’re right there.” He made a face and shuddered. “It’d be like doing my little sister.”
Grace laughed. “Yeah, err no.”
Reese eyed them both. “Sometimes I wonder. You two seem like you’d make a great couple.”
Grace and Spider both laughed. People often said that, but she didn’t see him that way. Spider was the closest thing to family she’d ever had. Her dad had died when she was a few months old, and her mom had gone on to have more boyfriends and more kids. Grace didn’t even know how many half brothers and sisters she had. There’d been four of them when child services had come for them, but she’d heard there were more after that. She looked up at Spider. “No. We have way too much history for that.” It was true. They’d first met when they were both in the same foster home. It’d been a rough one, to say the least. Spider had looked out for her, and to his surprise at first, she’d looked out for him. They’d been sent to different homes after that but had gone to the same school. “Are you guys leaving already?”
“Not yet. We’re just unloading. Do you want to help?”
She followed them back out to Spider’s van. He’d started expanding the kitchen at the coffee shop a couple of months ago, and now he delivered sandwiches to the center whenever he could.
“What have you got going on tonight?” he asked as he handed her a tray.
“Dinner by the looks of it,” she said, as she eyed a sandwich.
He scowled at her. “You know I’ll feed you anytime you come in.”
“And you do, but I’m not just going to come strolling in for food when I’m not even working.”
He shook his head. “I don’t see why not.”
The three of them carried the trays back into the center. Grace smiled and nodded as she went. People broke away from their conversations and got up from their seats to follow them through to the kitchen area. This would be the first time that most of them had eaten today. Grace stood back and watched with a smile as one of the kids grabbed the donut she’d had her eye on. It’d do him more good than it would her.
Spider caught her eye and shook his head with a smile.
“Hi, Grace.” She turned to greet Terry, one of the vets who’d started coming in last winter.
“Hey, Terry. Did you get a license for that thing yet?”
He made a face and turned the wheels of his wheelchair, zooming toward her and then spinning away at the last minute. He whirled back around and gave her an almost toothless grin. “Nope, it’s more of an off-road vehicle, but I’ve got the hang of it.”
She laughed. “You sure have.”
Terry was a Vietnam vet. From what she could gather, he’d been living on the streets for more than a decade. When she first met him, she’d thought he might have severe mental health issues, but it turned out that he just chose to act crazy to keep people away. He didn’t like people, didn’t trust them, in general. Grace could relate to that. He’d walked with a stick but could barely get around. The first morning she saw him, she’d arrived at the center just as he was sneaking out. She’d tried to talk to him, but he’d gone full-blown crazy acting. When he finally limped away after yelling and screaming at her, she’d followed him a little way, offered him her coffee and when he took it, said, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” He’d met her gaze and nodded, and their friendship had grown from there. It had been solidified for life when Grace had found the wheelchair advertised for fifty bucks on Craigslist and bought it for him. Of course, she’d told him it had been donated to the center, but that was just to avoid both their embarrassment, and he knew it.
“Have you spoken to Davenport yet?” Terry’s steely blue eyes were piercing.
She wanted to look away, but she wouldn’t. “No. I’m going to try him tomorrow.”
“And what are you going to say?” asked Spider, who she hadn’t realized had come over to join them.
She sighed. “Don’t give me a hard time—either of you.”
“Wasn’t about to,” said Terry. “I’m just waiting and watching. I’ve never seen you get uptight like this about anything. I want to see how it plays out.”
Spider met her gaze. “I do, too, but we’re running out of time.”
“I know, I know. I wanted to give it a day or two—”
“Yeah, but it’s already been four.”
She sighed. “I just wanted to be sure. I wanted to do some more research on the guy. From what I’ve learned, he’s totally aboveboard. I think any kind of threat would be the wrong move. We need to appeal to his better nature and ask him for help.”
Spider gave her an evil grin. “And you hate that because you want the guy to be an arrogant prick, right?”
She scowled. “No! Why would I hate it? I want what’s best for the center, and if he’s a good guy, then hopefully he’ll help out.”
“So, why don’t you go ahead and call him?” asked Terry.
Spider smirked at her.
“What’s your problem?” she asked.
“I don’t have one. Your problem is that you think I’m stupid. I know what’s going on.”
Grace held his gaze, hoping that her scowl would make him back down, but it didn’t work.
Spider grinned at Terry. “See, this Oscar Davenport guy is a bit of a ladies’ man. From what I’ve heard, he’s not just a billionaire, but a hot, sexy billionaire who knows how to show a girl a good time. Right, Grace?”
“I wouldn’t know. And what would it matter? My only interest in him is whether or not he’s going to do anything to help the center.”
“Not true,” said Spider.
“Yeah, I’m not buying it.” Terry smiled at her. “It’s the pink in your cheeks that gives you away.”
Grace huffed. “What the guy looks like has nothing to do with anything.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Spider turned around to watch a couple of the kids who were arguing over one of the sandwiches. “I think it does, but either way, call him soon, would you?”
Grace nodded, and he left them to go and break up a fight before it started.
“Are you worried he’ll be more interested in you than in helping?” asked Terry.
Grace laughed. “No. A guy like that—who can have any woman he wants—isn’t going to be interested in me. Honestly, I’m just a bit embarrassed that I found him so attractive. I want to make sure I’ve got a lid on that before I approach him about the center. I don’t want to screw up.”
Terry sighed. “You’re not going to screw up. You never do, at least not when it comes to the center. Just don’t screw yourself over if you like the guy.”
Grace raised an eyebrow at him. “What, you’re into giving out romantic advice now, Terry? I didn’t think that was your bag.”
The way he smiled made her wonder. “You think you know me, Gracie, and you do better than most, but you don’t know all of my story.”
“Maybe one day?”
“Maybe, but don’t turn it around on me. Call the guy tonight, and when you do, think about yourself as well as the center.” He held her gaze for a long moment, his steely blue eyes searching her own. Eventually, she nodded.
“Good girl.” He spun his wheelchair around and left.
It was almost nine by the time she got home. “Hello?” she called as she closed the door behind her. She didn’t think Louise was here but wanted to be sure. She’d made the mistake before of coming home and getting comfy, curled up with a movie, only to see Louise and some guy emerge from her room.
There was no reply, and no giveaway noises coming from Louise’s room. Grace blew out a sigh of relief. If she really was alone, then she had no excuses left for putting off making the call to Oscar Davenport.
She went to the fridge and got herself a cold beer. Taking it over to the sofa, she pulled his card out of her pocket. She’d decided she was going to keep this as brief and businesslike as possible. He might not even remember who she was. She was going to call him, tell him about the center, and how his building a new nightclub was going to affect it, and then ask if he’d be interested in making a donation to help them find someplace else. That was it. Nothing else. A shiver ran down her spine at the memory of his kiss—the way his hand had slid up her thigh. The way his tongue had explored her mouth. She closed her eyes for a moment, reliving it. Damn. She had to stop that.
She took a long drink of her beer and tapped his number into her phone. Keep it brief. Keep it businesslike. Spell out what she wanted and tell him she’d call him on Monday to see what he thought. That was all she had to do. So, why were her hands shaking?
She stared at her phone for a few moments. No. She wasn’t going to waste time. Fantasizing about him wasn’t an indulgence she could afford. She hit the dial button and waited.