Im sorry we didnt, Will said, the sentiment sincere.
Me, too.
As he stood in front of her, he fought the urge to touch her again, to drag her into his arms and reassure himself that it was really Jane. Memories of her flooded his mind, memories that he hadnt even recalled storing away. The long, thick lashes that ringed her dark eyes. The perfect shape of her mouth, like a tiny Cupids bow. And the scent of her, like fresh air and spring flowers. You know, I dont have to be at the restaurant for a half hour. Maybe you and I could have a cup of coffee?
She stepped back, as if the invitation caught her by surprise. II cant, Jane said. IIm late for an appointment. But it was really nice seeing you, Will.
Well, then dinner, Will insisted. Whenever you like. How about this weekend? Theres this terrific new Asian restaurant downtown. You like Asian food, dont you?
This weekend wont work, Jane said. Listen, it was great seeing you again.
Lunch? Will asked. You must eat lunch.
I never have time. She gave him a little wave and rushed off down the sidewalk, looking back just once.
Will stood at the car, stunned at how quickly it was over. He watched until she turned a corner. Well, that was just great, he muttered. If I cant talk her into a cup of coffee, how am I going to convince her to date me? A soft curse slipped from his lips, but then he remembered the contract. Hed just try againand again, if he had to. And if Jane Singleton continued to resist his charms and refuse his invitations, hed just have to use the only weapon he hadthe law.
MAYBE WE COULD ASK FOR an extension on the rent.
Jane Singleton pressed her fingers to her temples and stared at the spreadsheet program on her computer, knowing that the suggestion wouldnt make any difference. The columns of numbers blurred in front of her eyes and she caught herself daydreaming again, her mind wandering back to her encounter with Will McCaffrey last week.
Hed looked so good, the same, but different, more polished and sophisticated. When shed first seen him standing next to his car, Jane had been certain he was a figment of her imagination. But he had been real, and after all these years, he still had the capacity to send her pulse into overdrive and turn her brain into mush.
Overwhelmed and exasperated by her reaction, shed made a quick escape. Though shed once harbored a secret crush on Will McCaffrey, shed finally managed to put her fantasies aside. She was a grown woman now, not some silly schoolgirl.
Still, Will wasnt making it easy. Hed called three times since their chance meeting to ask her out and over and over again, shed come up with a litany of feeble excuses. Shed been tempted, but Jane knew she could never trust herself around himhe could make her fall in love all over again with just a simple smile.
Jane!
She jerked up and placed her palms on her desk. What? I was listening. The numbers just dont add up. Right. I can see that. Were not going to have enough to keep the office.
Lisa Harper shook her head. All right. Whats wrong? Youve been distracted all morning. I know were under a lot of pressure here, but youre always so focused at times like these. Tell me whats wrong.
Lisa had been her friend since freshman year in college and her business partner since theyd founded Windy City Gardens after theyd graduated. But Lisa had spent too many evenings listening to Jane babble about Will McCaffrey to have him reappear in their conversations again. Its nothing, Jane murmured.
Tell me.
You wont like it, Jane warned her.
Youre my best friend. Youre supposed to tell me every little detail about your life. Its part of the deal. We talk about highly personal matters, you insist that I look skinny in everything I wear, you encourage me to eat more chocolate because its good for my skin, and you
If I tell you, you have to promise this isnt going to become a thing.
A thing?
Yeah. Whenever we discuss my personal life and you have an opinion, you want to talk about it over and over and analyze it. And then, once youve decided what I should do, you wont let up until I do it. If I tell you this, you have to promise to just drop it, all right?
Promise, Lisa said, drawing a cross over her heart.
I saw Will McCaffrey last week.
Lisas expression turned from genuine interest to outright disbelief. Oh, no. Not again. You havent mentioned his name for nearly two years. We are not bringing him back into conversation. The man has ruined you for all men.
How is that?
Because you havent met one man in the past six years that you havent compared to Will McCaffrey. Youd think the guy was some kind of god. Hes just a jerk who never appreciated you while he was around.
He was right across the street. He was getting out of his car and I was on my way to the Armstrong appointment and there he was, just standing there.
Lisa covered her ears. La, la, la, la, la. Im not listening. I cant hear you.
Jane reached out and pulled Lisas hands from her ears. All right. I wont talk about him. Lets get back to business. She drew a deep breath. Its November. Even if we bring in ten new contracts for the spring, were not going to get paid until at least April. We knew the risks when we decided to go into the landscaping business in Chicago. Gardens dont grow in the winter.
So what did he say? Lisa asked.
I think our only option is to diversify. Well do Christmas decorations. Put up outdoor lights, decorate trees. We can call some of our competitors, see if theyre too busy. They could subcontract some of their jobs to us.
Is he still as handsome as he always was? Lisa wriggled in her chair. He always was a hottie. And he knew it, too. I guess its too much to hope that hes gained fifty pounds and has developed a bad case of acne.
We cut costs as much as we can, Jane continued, sending Lisa a quelling glare. We get rid of the office and transfer the phone. Well have to keep the garage for equipment storage. And we call all our past and present clients and offer up our services as Christmas decorators. And then we find a place that will give us a cut rate on twinkle lights. A tiny smile was all that Jane could muster. There was one good thing about being an eternal optimist. Even in the face of impending disaster, she could keep her wits about her. But it wasnt easy when things looked this bad. Even with the Christmas jobs, Im still not going to be able to make my rent. Im two months behind and I have less than one hundred dollars in my checking account.
Can we please talk about Will? Lisa pleaded.
Jane eyed her business partner. I thought you didnt want to hear about him.
All right. I admit. Im curious and we might as well get it out of the way so we can get down to business.
It didnt take much encouragement for Jane to spill the beans. Shed been thinking about him nonstop for nearly six days and she felt as if she were about to burst into flames unless she put her thoughts into words. He looked different. Handsome and sexy. And respectable. He was wearing a suit that made his shoulders look so broad, and his hair was shorter. But hes still just as confident and charming as ever.
What did he say?
I really cant remember. The moment he touched me I just Jane fluttered her fingers around her face. I got all flustered. He asked me out, first to coffee, then to dinner and then to lunch. You would have been proud of me. I said no and then I got out of there before I starting drooling all over him.
You turned him down.
Yes. And not just then. Hes called me three times this past week to ask me out again. But Im strong. Ive decided going out with him would be a big mistake and Im determined never to see him again. It was just a chance meeting and its over.
So he still did it to you, Lisa muttered. He still made your heart race and your palms sweat?
No, Jane cried. Well, maybe, a little. But Im a different person now. Im not that silly girl who filled up journal after journal with her fantasies about him. Im not that girl who wasted sleep dreaming about him. Not anymore, she lied. Although there had been more than a few very vivid dreams over the past nights, dreams that had featured a tall, dark man who looked a lot like Will. Besides, I have a boyfriend.
You mean David?
Yes. Last month we had two dates. He took me to that play and we went to see a movie together. And we had dinner afterward. Hes sweet and polite and handsome. The kind of man I can trust. The kind of man who wont break my heart.
David Martin was an architect who had first contacted Windy City Gardens to do the landscaping for a home hed designed. Theyd worked with him on six other projects and he and Jane had formed a friendship. Though David seemed happy with the occasional date, Jane had always hoped that their relationship would progress to something a bit more intimate than a chaste peck on the cheek at the end of the evening.
I still think hes gay, Lisa said, her voice tinged with suspicion.
He is not! Hes just well-dressed and well-groomed. Just because he pays particular attention to his appearance doesnt make him gay.
Dont you remember what brought you together? Your mutual love of Celine Dion and Audrey Hepburn.
We share common interests. Hes a sweet, sensitive, understanding manunlike Will McCaffrey who wouldnt think of sitting through an Audrey Hepburn double feature.
Back to Will McCaffrey again, Lisa murmured.
If I had a choice between David Martin and Will McCaffrey, Id choose David every day of the week and twice on Sundays.
The bell on the front door rang and they both turned to watch a messenger walk inside. Here we go, Lisa said, deftly changing the subject. This nice man is bringing us new business, I can feel it. Or maybe he has an envelope filled with cash.
Are you Jane Singleton? the messenger asked.
Lisa pointed to Jane. Thats her.
Im supposed to deliver this to you personally and then make sure you read it.
Jane took the envelope, noting the stamp on the front. Personal and Confidential, she read.
Whos it from?
Theres no return address. She tore into the envelope and pulled out a photocopy of a handwritten document. As she began to read, she slowly recognized the handwriting. And when her gaze dropped to the bottom of the page and found her own signature, Jane gasped. Oh, my God.
What is it?
Jane handed Lisa the contract and read the cover letter. In the matter of the contract between William A. McCaffrey and Jane Singleton, we must discuss the satisfaction of terms as soon as possible. Ive scheduled a meeting at my office for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Sincerely, William McCaffrey, Attorney at Law.
Were doing Will McCaffreys garden? Gee, Jane, Im impressed. You managed to pitch him a project while avoiding him at the same time?
Read the contract. This doesnt have anything to do with a garden. This is aboutmarriage.
Lisas eyes went wide. Marriage? Like in husband and wife, till death do us part? She quickly scanned the contract, then glanced up at Jane, a stunned expression on her face.
It was a joke, Jane said. He was depressed and I wasvulnerable and he suggested if neither of us was married by the time he was thirty, then wedoh, God. Id forgotten all about this. How could I forget about this?
Do you have any return message? the messenger asked impatiently.
No, Jane said, forgetting he was still standing there. Wait, yes. She stepped up to the young man and poked a finger into his chest. You can tell Will McCaffrey that he has a lot of nerve digging up this silly contract. Im not going to marry him. Im not going to date him. She gave the guy another poke. And you can tell him if he thinks Im still the same love-starved, weak-willed, stupid little girl who kissed him that Jane bit her bottom lip. Never mind. Ill tell him myself.
The messenger nodded, then hurried out of the office, clearly unnerved by her outburst.
When did you kiss Will McCaffrey?
Valentines Day, February 14, 1998. Six years ago. He was drunk. And I was completely out of my mind. She grabbed the contract from Lisa. This cant be legal. Look at it. Its handwritten. And this doesnt even look like my signature.
Is that your signature? Lisa asked.
Yes.
Then I think it might be legal.
Jane felt a warm flush creep up her cheeks and her stomach churned with nerves. I guess Im going to have to get a lawyer.
Either that or marry Will McCaffrey, Lisa chirped.
JANE SMOOTHED HER HANDS over the front of her skirt, working out a wrinkle that had developed on the ride downtown. Shed spent most of the morning trying to decide what to wear to her meeting with Will. Shed begun with the sexy choices, anxious to prove that she wasnt the same clumsy girl that hed once known, that shed grown into a confident, attractive woman who didnt need a contract to find a husband.
But shed discarded those outfits for more conservative choices, a tailored blazer and pants with a silk blouse and elegant jewelry, something to counter his power suit. But that choice hid every trace of femininity, so she traded the pants for a pencil-slim skirt and heels, a wardrobe choice that she rarely employed.
After dressing, shed fussed with her hair, trying to train the waves into something more subdued. Shed finally given up on the tousled curls and carefully brushed on mascara and lipstick before heading out the door.
Wills office was located in one of the numerous office towers that dominated downtown Chicago. Shed parked in a nearby ramp and walked the block to the building, taking a few moments to rest in the lobby and compose herself.
This was all too strange, she mused. He couldnt really expect her to marry him, could he? This was the twenty-first century and America! Women couldnt be forced into marriage, contract or not. Still, Jane couldnt help but think that marriage to Will McCaffrey could solve a few of her pressing problemslike where she was going to live after she gave up her apartment or how she was going to save enough money to get her business back on stable ground.
I dont love him, she murmured to herself, letting the words repeat silently in her brain like a mantra. A real marriage, a marriage meant to last, required a level of emotion that Will McCaffrey wasnt capable of returning.