Finders, Keepers

Rachel sifted the papers on her desk one last time before throwing up her hands in resignation.

"DeeDee," she spoke into the intercom.

"Yes Mrs. Hutchins?"

"Please tell me you have the numbers for last quarter. Please, please, please."

"Of course I do," came the tinny reply. "The report is right where you left it forty minutes ago."

"Great. Bring them in will you." She returned her attention to the papers spread in front of her. How she despised paperwork. Things had been so much nicer when Carl had run the company.

"Here you are Mrs. Hutchins." Rachel raised her head to find her husband standing in the doorway.

"Why Dee, you sound so feminine on that old intercom. Forget to shave this morning?"

Carl tossed the report in front of her and leaned down for a kiss. "I married a comedienne. Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"For what?" He perched on the edge of the desk. "For lunch. With the good doctor. Remember, you arranged it yourself yesterday."

"Damn! I completely forgot and I?ve an emergency meeting with Accounting in about five minutes."

"Anything wrong?"

"Nothing I can?t handle. I hope," she added.

"Rachel," he began, "if ever you need my help?"

"We?ve gone over this before. I can?t take your money Carl. While there are definite benefits to having an independently wealthy husband, I just can?t ask you to do that."

"But I am the one responsible for the Cory?s losing their fortune. I brought this into your life and I want to fix it."

"Darling," Rachel stood before him, "you were sick. I, for one, do not hold you responsible. As for the company, I will do the best I can to keep Mac?s legacy alive."

"For children who don?t give a damn? Amanda and Matt have experience with publishing yet they refuse to help you. No one in your family?"

"Our family."

"?your family, has stepped forward to lend a hand. I realize I?m not at my sharpest now, but I can ease this burden for you."

"No."

"I can run errands or edit or look at numbers. Anything."

"No."

"Rachel," he pleaded.

"No Carl! That?s my final word. I refuse to endanger your health for this company. We both know how Amanda would hound you if she even suspected you had a hand in her father?s business."

Carl rubbed his temples. "I fail to see their reasoning. They won?t support you yet wish to cut down the one person who will."

"Stop that." Rachel took his hands and held them to her. "If you keep this up you?ll have a headache before lunch and be out of commission by dinner. We can?t have that."

"I wish you would come to lunch."

"So do I," she whispered, "but I can?t." She placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

"Do you still want Jules to come to dinner?"

"Julie. And yes I do." She began to gather her files. "I can?t wait to talk to her."

"Jules."

"Really? How did she get a name like Jules?"

"You can ask her yourself." With a last kiss he sauntered from the room.

As soon as he was gone, Rachel allowed herself to give in to her wobbly knees and fall into her chair, face buried in her hands.

Jules watched the ice melt in her glass of water. Never a stickler for punctuality, she?d been unable to stay in her hotel room one minute longer. Now she was sitting in an unfamiliar restaurant in a foreign city with butterflies in her stomach that refused to die. When would she learn to think before she leapt?

Nervously she pushed her glass away. How should she handle herself when they arrived? Should she stand and hug them both? Or maybe she should just remain seated. Would he kiss her as he had always done or would he hold back in front of his wife? It had been so much easier before, when it had been just the two of them. Just Jules and Jacob.

Jules smoothed a non-existent wrinkle from her blue skirt and grimaced. Her shopping fever had resulted in a plain calf-length suit. Once a professional, always a professional.

"Never sit with your back to a room in this town," a voice warned from behind her.

"Why?" she smiled. "Have I entered the lion?s den."

"Worse. The Twilight Zone." Pecking her on the cheek, Carl sat in the opposite chair. "Bay City is a magnet for oddities if you ask me."

"How so?"

"Within a week of my return a man was kidnapped by a gorilla at his wedding."

"The gorilla?s?"

"If she?d had her way. Also, before my return the town was plagued by a centuries old shapeshifter hell-bent on reuniting with a lost love. Or something like that."

"Shapeshifter? You?re pulling my leg."

"I?m only repeating the tales told to me. Add my coming back from the dead and you?ll find yourself peeking over your shoulder, expecting a glimpse of Rod Serling."

Laughter shook her body. "I?d nearly forgotten how you make me laugh."

"And I?ve missed having you around to get me out of trouble. Now, tell me why you are in Bay City. I take it your ?appointment? was business related, or are you here for me and me alone?"

Her mouth opened to explain only to clamp shut. There was no way she could talk her way around the truth. She was cornered.

"Hello darlings, what have we here?"

"Good afternoon Bella." Carl planted a kiss on the woman?s outstretched hand while Jules looked upon her savior with a grateful gaze. "How are you getting along my heart?"

"I?ve had better days." Donna?s eyes flitted over Jules, sizing her up with practiced ease. "Taking lunch without Rachel? Tsk, tsk, darling. That will never do. Who?s your date?"

"Tactful as ever Bella. This is Jules Seagrave, the doctor responsible for saving my sorry skin. Jules, this is Donna Love, friend, former wife and owner of this establishment," he offered in way of explanation.

"SHE was your doctor?" Donna asked incredulously, pulling a chair up to their table. "How interesting. Do you know what the first thing he said to me when Rachel brought him around? Before they could tell him who I was he looks at me and yells ?Bella.? Not Donna. He couldn?t remember his own name, but he knew who I was. Amazing I would say. Jules, that?s an odd name for a woman."

"Yes, it is," Jules replied. "Bella Donna. Doesn?t that mean?"

"Beautiful woman. It?s always been Carl?s term of endearment for me."

"Oh, I?m sorry. I thought belladonna was a member of the poisonous nightshade family. Carl?" Both women cast inquiring eyes in his direction.

"How should I know? I?m the one with amnesia."

"Don?t give me that innocent routine, darling" Donna stood and kissed him on the cheek. "Just let me know if you need any thing. Poisonous indeed," she muttered then slapped him on the back of the head.

"You live in the same town as your ex-wife?" Jules asked as soon as Donna was out of earshot.

"It may seem unnatural, but it isn?t so awful. For some reason I?ve yet to recall, the women I?ve scorned still adore me."

Jules tried to suppress a smile. "And I suppose you have several old flames just lying around?"

"Actually, Rachel?s closest friend is a former flame. As well as the friend?s daughter," he said, as though it were a common situation.

"Dear heavens, you?re joking!"

"Sorry. My wife stands firm on that, though she doesn?t care to discuss my past love life."

"I think I?m beginning to see why." A waiter armed with menus materialized beside their table and she once again escaped questioning. "So, tell me what?s edible."

As he launched into his recitation, Jules relaxed and let his voice calm her jangled nerves. She?d escaped his questioning for the moment. However, she knew the respite wouldn?t last long. She needed to come up with a story before her Jacob latched onto the truth.

Note:

I?ve always thought belladonna was a poisonous plant so if it isn?t, please overlook me. Hey, it seemed to work at the time! As always, feel free to tell me what you think?feedback keeps me goin?