Chapter 22
McCoy
heard the phone inside his apartment ringing as soon as he entered the
building’s foyer. He fished his keys out of his pocket as he strode quickly to
the door. But as he attempted to unlock it, the keys slipped from his fingers
and fell to the floor with a jangling thud. Swearing, he bent down and picked
them up, then unlocked the door just as he heard the answering machine’s shrill
beep.
“Jack,
this is Calea,” a voice coming from the machine said. “I was just wrapping
things up here at the office and thought I’d give you a call. I’ll be leaving
shortly and…”
He
reached the desk and snatched up the phone. “Calea, hold on a minute.” He
punched a button to turn off the answering machine, then shrugged the strap of
his gym bag from his shoulder. “Sorry about that. I just walked in. A friend
called me this morning for an impromptu basketball game. How did your morning
go?”
“It went
well. The meeting with my client ended about twenty minutes ago and I’m almost
finished with some paperwork I needed to do for him. Did you decide whether or
not you want me to take you to your office so you can get your motorcycle?”
Dropping
into a chair he replied, “You won’t need to. I called Serena and she’s going to
swing by here tomorrow morning and pick me up. How does
“It
sounds fine, but are you sure you won’t need your bike before then?”
“I’m
sure,” he informed her. “So, are you looking forward to listening to some jazz?”
“Yes, I
am. What time do you want to meet?”
“You can
come by and pick me up anytime.”
“That
could be a little difficult since you have my car,” she pointed out.
“Actually, I left it in the parking lot next to your office this morning
on my way to play basketball. I had my friend pick me up there after I dropped
it off. I wasn’t sure how long I would be and I didn’t want to leave you
stranded. I left the key with the security guard in your building. He was
supposed to let you know about it.”
“I’ve let my service catch the calls this
morning and I haven’t retrieved messages yet. Thanks for doing that, though. It
was thoughtful.”
“What
time should I expect you?”
“I can be
there in about an hour. I want to go home and change into something more
comfortable first since I’m dressed for work.”
“I
thought you always wore jeans on the weekends,” he reminded her teasingly.
“I
usually do, but the client I met with today is an older gentleman, with sort of
old-fashioned notions about what his lawyer should look like. Out of respect
for him I dressed in regular work clothes today.”
“He must
be some client.”
“To get
me to wear a jacket and skirt on a weekend, he would have to be,” she assured
him. “Is an hour okay with you?”
“I’ll be
waiting.”
***Morgan wiggled the key into the lock of the
glass door. “Thanks for picking me up this morning, Ann. I appreciate it.”
Pulling the door to make sure it was locked, she added, “I think Mr. Kasper was
impressed with the way you explained the easement restrictions. I’d like to
start getting him used to the idea of you handling his case exclusively. He
would be a good client for you to take over. His needs are fairly uncomplicated
and he’s easy to get along with.”
The
younger woman’s face lit up as she walked with Morgan down the stairs. “You
mean it?”
Smiling,
Morgan nodded. “You’ve done a great job with the other two clients I’ve turned
over to you. I think you’re ready for Mr. Kasper.”
“That
would be great! He’s such a sweet old guy. I really like him.”
As she
approached the security guard, Morgan admonished lightly, “Just don’t ever let
him hear you refer to him as an ‘old guy.’ They say women are vain, but we have
nothing on men.”
With a
giggle her assistant concurred, “So I’ve noticed. I guess that’s what keeps the
Viagra makers in business.”
Once
Morgan had retrieved her car key, they continued across the lobby.
“What
time you do want me in the office tomorrow? I noticed you didn’t have any
appointments scheduled for the morning.”
Pushing
open the door, Morgan answered, “I’m probably going to be at Riker’s until
about noon, then I have a lunch appointment. If you could be here by 9:00 to
catch any calls Melissa can’t handle, I would appreciate it. If anything major
comes up you can always page me. Then at 2:00 we have the meeting with Gina
Warden on the Cortland contract.”
“Is there
anything you want me to do in the morning to prepare for the meeting?”
Morgan
chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment, then replied, “I can’t think of
anything at the moment. We covered everything pretty thoroughly already. If I
think of something later I’ll call you.”
“Okay.
I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, then,” her assistant agreed, stopping at her
car.
“All
right. Thanks again for the ride this morning.”
As Morgan
continued down the sidewalk and rounded the corner of the building, she scanned
the parking lot. With only a handful of cars present she quickly spotted her
own and made her way to it. Unlocking the door, she slid in and found herself
practically sitting in the back seat. With a smile, she tossed her briefcase
onto the passenger’s seat and adjusted the driver’s seat from its extended
position to one that allowed her feet to reach the pedals. But when she put the
key into the ignition, something out of the ordinary caught her eye.
A CD was sticking
out of the disk player and a small Post-it was attached to the dashboard above it.
She peeled the note off and read the words “play me - track 4”. With a puzzled expression,
she turned the key and gave the CD a gentle nudge. Once the player had sucked
the disk in and she had selected the suggested track, she backed out of the parking space and headed for the
street. She had quickly slipped into a clear spot in the traffic when the soft
guitar strains of a vaguely familiar song began to come from the speakers. But
it wasn’t until a rasping male voice began to sing that her eyes widened in
recognition and surprise.
“A gypsy wind is blowing warm tonight
The sky is starlit and the time is right
And still you’re tellin’ me you have to go
Before you leave there’s something you should
know
Yeah, something you should know, babe
I’ve seen you smiling in the summer sun
I’ve seen your long hair flying when you run
I’ve made my mind up that it’s meant to be
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Out where the rivers meet the sounding sea
You’re high above me now, you’re wild and
free, ah but
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Some people say that love’s a losin’ game
You start with fire but you lose the flame
The ashes smolder but the warmth’s soon gone
You end up cold and lonely on your own
I’ll take my chances babe, I’ll risk it all
I’ll win your love or I’ll take the fall
I’ve made my mind up girl, it’s meant to be
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
It’s written down somewhere, it’s got to be
You’re high above me flyin’ wild and free
Oh but, someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Out where the rivers meet the sounding sea
I feel it in my soul, it’s meant to be
Oh, someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
Someday lady you’ll accomp’ny me
You will accomp’ny me”
When
Morgan reached the intersection where she would normally have turned right to
go home, she turned left instead.
***McCoy glanced at the grandfather clock as he
headed to answer the door. It had been less than thirty minutes since he had
spoken to Morgan, so when he opened the door to find her standing outside, his
eyebrows arched in surprise.
Looking
her up and down he said, “I thought you were going to go home and change
clothes before coming to pick me up.”
As he
stood aside to allow her to enter, Morgan took only a few steps into his
apartment and stopped. “I was. But I decided to come here first instead.”
“Well, if
that’s what you’re going to wear, I’m definitely underdressed,” he noted with a
smile, leaning back against the closed door.
Morgan
stood in front of him with her arms locked behind her, chewing her lip and
focusing on the floor. When she hadn’t spoken after several seconds, McCoy
suddenly felt he had a fairly good idea what had brought her there sooner than
anticipated.
Slipping
his hands into his pockets, he asked quietly, “Did you get my note?”
Without
looking up, she nodded slightly.
After a
second he continued, “And did you get my message?”
She
looked up to meet his intense gaze with serious eyes. When she did, he noticed
a pale streak through the light make-up on her cheek.
“I
thought people only did things like that in the movies,” she replied in a soft
voice.
“You mean
silly things?” he suggested lightly.
Morgan shook
her head slowly. “I didn’t think it was silly.”
McCoy wet
his lips nervously, wishing he had a clue as to what was going on behind her
solemn expression. Shrugging sheepishly he explained, “I heard the song on the
radio last night as I was driving home and it reminded me of you. It kind of
said some of the things I had been thinking. The CD seemed like a good way to
let you know what was on my mind.”
She
chewed her lip for a second more before saying, “I thought we had an agreement.
I thought you understood that the only thing I have to offer is friendship.”
Concentrating on the floor again, she added, “Nothing else is possible for me,
Jack. You know that.”
After
regarding her silently for a moment, he took a step toward her and placed his
hand under her chin. “Look at me,” he commanded, gently raising her head until
her eyes were focused on his. “I don’t believe that for a second. You’re a warm
and caring person. You only tell yourself there can be nothing more in order to
protect yourself from being hurt again. But there’s something between us,
Calea, and there has been from the very start, whether you want to acknowledge
it or not. I know what happened during your marriage has made you afraid to
become involved with anyone again, but I think you know me well enough by now
to have realized that I’m not anything like your ex-husband.”
“I know
you’re not,” she quickly agreed. “But that doesn’t change anything. I still
feel the same about a relationship that’s anything more than plutonic.”
He moved
his hand to place it on her shoulder. “The other night at my office, you asked
why it was that you had come to me. I’ve thought a lot about that since then
and I believe the answer has to do with trust. I think you know in your heart that you can trust me. That isn’t something that comes easily in any relationship so
it says a lot about what we already have together. I know I don’t meet many
women with whom I feel so comfortable. Maybe what’s between us is only plutonic
and maybe that’s all it will ever be. Then again, maybe it could grow into
something more. Don’t we owe it to ourselves to explore whatever it is we feel
for each other?”
“I don’t
want to explore it,” she insisted, her eyes pleading. “The thought of becoming
close to someone again scares me to death. I don’t want to have feelings for anyone. It’s just too hard.”
Reaching
to brush the ever-present stray hair from her forehead, he said, “It doesn’t
have to be. Not with the right person. You can’t judge every potential
relationship by what happened with your ex-husband.” He took a deep breath.
“Look, I’m not trying to pressure you into something you’re not ready for and
I’m not asking you for any sort of commitment here. All I want is for us to get
to know each other a little better. If it turns out the only feelings we have
for each other are as friends, then so be it. At least we’ll know for sure. The
only thing I’m asking for is some of your time, to see where things lead.”
“It
isn’t that simple. We can’t spend time together and expect to put our emotions
on hold while doing so. It doesn’t work that way. At least one of us is going
to end up disappointed or hurt.”
Placing
his palm against her cheek, he assured her, “I would never do anything to hurt
you, Calea.”
Morgan
shook her head. “It isn’t only my feelings I’m concerned about, Jack. I don’t
want to see you hurt or disappointed, either. I’m telling you up front that I
don’t see a future for the two of us other than as friends. I have no objection
to spending time with you, but I don’t think doing so is going to change my
feelings about a relationship if that’s your goal. Not because of who you are,
but because of the person I am – the person I’ve become.”
“No
matter what happens, I won’t be disappointed.” Looking into her eyes, he could
see that she was still unconvinced. “Let’s just take this one small step at a
time. Why don’t we start with a simple afternoon outing? We can sit in the sun,
listen to some music, and take a little time to think it over.”
After
regarding him silently for another moment, she finally responded cautiously,
“All right.”
“Do you
want to stop by your place so you can change clothes?”
“Yes, I
would, if you don’t mind.”
McCoy
stood looking down at her. Lightly brushing her cheek with his fingers, he
noted gently, “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Morgan
studied him intently, then said, “I think you did. I think you know exactly
what you’re doing. And that scares me most of all.”
His
eyebrows arched in surprise as she turned away and walked to the door.
***“The place I was telling you about is on the
other side,” McCoy pointed out, indicating a sea of people in front of them. A
portion of the street had been blocked off to accommodate the crowd and it was
teaming with people taking advantage of the live music and pleasant weather.
“Are you
sure the strawberry margaritas are worth the effort?” Morgan queried, surveying
the scene.
Nodding,
he acknowledged, “Best in the city. They also have an excellent
Tropical-flavored iced tea.” He turned and held out his hand. “This looks like
as good a place to cross as any.”
Morgan
looked blankly at his hand, making no effort to take it.
McCoy
gave her a smile. “I wouldn’t want to lose you in the crowd.”
Looking
up at him, she seemed embarrassed by her own hesitation and reached for his
hand. He folded it around hers and began to wind through the crowd. After
emerging on the opposite sidewalk, he continued to lead the way, dodging people
milling around the entrances to various shops and cafés.
“It’s
about half a block down,” he informed her. “It should be far enough from where
the band is set up that we can still get a table but close enough to hear the
music.”
After
walking a bit farther, he indicated a small restaurant that had a dark green
awning and a long row of planter boxes stretched across the front. There were
wooden chairs and tables with tile tops scattered on the other side of the
planters, mostly in the shade, with a few in full sun.
“This is
the place.”
“Looks
like you’re going to get your wish to soak up some sun,” Morgan noted,
disengaging her hand from his. “There don’t seem to be any empty tables in the
shade.”
“Do you
mind?” he asked. “We can try some other place if you would rather not sit in
the sun.”
“Oh, no,
I don’t mind at all,” she assured him. “In fact, I prefer the sun.”
Within
minutes, the two were sitting across from each other at a sunny table. After
the waitress brought their drinks, Morgan sipped her iced tea and McCoy settled
back with a frosted glass of frozen pink liquid.
“How’s
your tea?”
“It’s
wonderful, thanks. And is your margarita worth the hike to get it?”
He smiled
and sat forward. “Definitely. Would you like to try it?”
She held up
her hand. “No thanks! Like I’ve already told you, never again.”
Chuckling, he sat back. “So what do you think of the band?”
Nodding
in the direction of the music, she replied, “They’re good. Is this the one you
particularly wanted to hear?”
“Yes, I
believe it is.”
“How did
you get interested in jazz, anyway?” she queried. “You seem more like a
Woodstock-rock-and-roll man to me.”
“I
suppose that is the type of music I identify with the most,” he acknowledged.
“But I was exposed to jazz at an early age. I remember my mother listening to
it while she ironed my father’s uniforms. As a result, I grew up thinking that
kind of music was pretty old-fashioned. Then when I went off to college, a
couple of my friends had a little band and they would play at some of the local
hang-outs and parties for tips. One night they dragged me to some dive to hear
them play and they were actually pretty good. And they played jazz. It sort of
changed my perspective. It wasn’t just for old people any more.”
Giving
him a smile she noted, “So peer pressure can have an upside, after all.”
“Yeah,”
he grinned. “What about you? How did you become interested?”
“I like
all kinds of music. I grew up mostly listening to my parent’s old country and
western albums. But like you, I was exposed to all different kinds in college.
Now I like a little of everything.”
They sat
quietly listening to the music for a few minutes, until McCoy realized Morgan
was studying him carefully.
Glancing
at her glass he asked, “How is your drink coming? Would you like more tea?”
“No, it’s
fine,” she answered. She turned the glass around in her hands, watching as the
ice seemed to remain motionless inside. “I was just thinking about the
conversation we had earlier.” With a quick sigh she offered, “I hope I didn’t
give you the impression that I don’t enjoy your company.”
“You
didn’t,” he assured her. “I understand perfectly why you’re hesitant to get
involved with anyone again. I’m not taking it personally.”
“That’s
good,” she nodded. Concentrating on her drink again, she continued slowly,
“I've told you how I feel about a relationship, but where, exactly, do you see this time you want to spend together going?”
“At this
point, I don’t know,” he admitted. “All I know is that I enjoy being with you
and I’d like to explore that.”
“And you won’t
feel like you wasted your time if we decide there’s nothing but friendship
between us?”
He gave
her a bewildered look. “How could I possibly feel that getting to know you
better was a waste of time?”
“I just
don’t feel like I have much to offer,” Morgan responded with a shrug. “I think
you’d be bored to death fairly quickly.”
With a
warm smile he declared, “Not a chance.”
Turning
the glass in her hands again, she was quiet for a few seconds before asking
hesitantly, “And if we did begin spending more time together, what would we
do?”
“Dinner,
movies – the usual things people do together,” he replied. Watching her hands
move nervously, he decided to take a guess as to the cause of her uneasiness
and answer a question she hadn’t asked. Leaning forward on his arms, he
explained earnestly, “How much time we spend together and what we do during
that time is going to be strictly up to you. I’m never going to try to force
what we have into something one of us isn’t ready for. I’ll respect whatever
limits you place on the relationship. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
She
regarded him somewhat warily. “I’m not sure I do.”
“I’m
referring to the physical aspects of a relationship, should the two of us
decide at some point in the future that’s what we want. Especially given your
past, I want us to be clear on where we each stand in that regard so there are
no misunderstandings and so that you know you have nothing to be concerned about.”
Morgan
nodded her agreement. “The physical aspects are a concern to me.” She took a
deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s the main reason I don’t see this going
anywhere, Jack. I don’t think I’m ever going to feel comfortable enough with
anyone again to want a physical relationship. At the moment, I’m not even
comfortable thinking about it.”
“I know.
And that’s why I’m saying it is, and always will be, your call.”
“But it
isn’t fair of me to expect that you won’t eventually want something more –
something I may never be able to give.”
McCoy
looked into her eyes, reading her concern… and a certain amount of fear.
Reaching to cover her hand with his, he assured her, “Calea, my intention is
not to spend time with you simply to try to get you into bed. If that was my
goal, I would’ve given up a long time ago. Right now, all I want out of the
time we spend together is to know you better.”
She
studied him carefully, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe him.
Slipping her hand from under his, she said, “I’m still not sure it’s a good
idea…” Morgan paused mid-sentence and turned her head in the direction of the
music. Then giving McCoy a surprised look, she exclaimed, “I know this song! I love this song!”
Turning
his head slightly to the side, he concentrated on the unfamiliar tune for a
moment. “What’s the name of it?”
“It’s called
‘Ordinary Fool’,” she informed him excitedly. “I think it was used in a movie.
I can’t remember for sure. The words to it are as great as the music.”
“I don’t
think I’ve ever heard it before. But I like it. We’ll have to see if we can
find it somewhere.”
“Do you
think we could? It’s an old song.”
“Maybe.
I’ll see what I can do,” he promised.
Morgan
smiled and closed her eyes, humming very softly to herself. And as McCoy
watched her and listened to the soulful music, he felt an odd sense of contentment.
There was something about the sun sparkling in her hair and the look on her
face – everything about the moment seemed right. And he found himself wishing,
as he had on the night she had fallen asleep beside him, that things could
remain exactly as they were at that moment.
***McCoy set the emergency brake of Morgan’s car
and turned to her. “Do you want to come up for a while? It’s still fairly
early. We could order take-out or something.”
Morgan
shook her head. “I’ll have to take a raincheck. I still have laundry waiting at
home and I’m kind of tired this evening. But I really enjoyed the afternoon.
The music, the drinks, the company – everything was great.”
With a
smile he responded, “I thought so, too. We definitely have to do it again sometime.
And I’m going to make sure you cash in that raincheck for dinner one night
soon.”
“All
right,” she agreed. “I’ll see you in the morning, Jack.”
“Drive
carefully,” he admonished as he began to get out. Before closing the door he
added, “And don’t forget about lunch tomorrow.”
At her
nod and smile, he crossed in front of the car and headed into the building as
she slid over to the driver’s seat. He paused at the door long enough to watch
her pull out of the parking space and then disappear into traffic.