Sunshine

“I’m so glad you stopped in,” Anna said, stepping back to look her friend over. The pale skin beneath Janice’s eyes was dark with fatigue. Not sleeping well yet, Anna guessed. And she was wearing those shapeless, unflattering sweats she dragged out every winter. “Take your coat off.”

“I came to coax you out for a walk,” Janice said. “Maybe we could stroll over to Marge’s Diner and have a piece of her sinfully rich pie.” She wasn’t really hungry, but she thought Anna might not want to just go marching around on a snowy evening after working all day.

“Good idea,” Anna said. “Johnny has a meeting tonight and I’ve just finished the dishes. Let me grab my jacket.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” Janice said a few minutes later as they headed down the street, their booted feet crunching in the hard-packed snow. “A full-time job and running the boardinghouse with Johnny and always being there for your children. I wish I had your energy.”

Anna linked her arm with her friend’s. “I don’t feel very energetic tonight. I really should do a thorough cleaning in my two vacant rooms upstairs, but I don’t feel up to it.”

“Did you lose a couple of boarders?”

“I didn’t think of them as boarders really. You know my nephew, Brick Bauer, don’t you?”

“Sure, I know Brick. Didn’t he get married recently?” She’d been so self-involved lately that she hadn’t kept up with what had been happening around town, Janice realized with dismay.

Anna chuckled. “He sure did. Karen’s the police captain, which technically makes her his boss, since Brick’s a lieutenant. They each had a room with us. Their wedding was a disaster, but at least they’re finally together.” Anna looked up as they turned off Gunther Street and onto Main Street. Snow was gathered on the limbs of a bare maple tree under the street lamp, silhouetted against a dark sky. “Isn’t that pretty?”

Janice inhaled deeply. “Yes, it is.” She was so glad she’d come out tonight. She’d been cooped up entirely too long inside that house filled with memories. As they walked across the town square toward the diner, she gazed around at the familiar scene—the library and across the way, the post office. On the next corner was the Hair Affair where she should be making an appointment for a cut. “I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve walked across this square—with the kids when they were young and with Kurt.”

She was getting melancholy again, Anna decided, and rushed to divert her. “Did you get Stefanie off to Boston?”

“Yes, this morning. I’m surprised she stayed as long as she did. That girl is so in love. Every night she’d call her fiancé and they’d talk for a good hour. Then Ross would call her during the day.” Janice sighed. “Do you remember being like that, Anna? So crazy in love that all you thought about was Johnny, all you talked about was Johnny?”

Anna shrugged. “We were both eighteen, Janice. A couple of kids, really. But yes, I remember when he was my every thought and I probably bored my friends to death talking about him. In that first rush of passion, I think we all feel as if we invented love. Didn’t you?”

“I suppose I did, but it all seems so long ago. Kurt’s been gone such a short time and already sometimes I have trouble remembering how he looked, how he sounded.”

Anna squeezed her friend’s arm. “Give it time, Janice.” She stomped the snow from her boots and opened the door of Marge’s Diner, smiling as a rush of warm air fogged her glasses. “I love the way it smells in here,” she commented as she waved to Marge, who was behind the counter as usual.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded on a frosty Tuesday evening. A couple of teenagers were sipping hot chocolate across the way, and one of Joe Santori’s carpenters was finishing his dinner at the counter. Anna walked to a booth and slid onto the red vinyl seat as Janice seated herself opposite her. She shrugged out of her jacket and concentrated on polishing her glasses.

“Good to see you, Janice,” Marge said as she handed them each a menu. “You, too, Anna.”

“Don’t you ever take time off, Marge?” Anna asked as she put her glasses back on. “Seems like you’re here night and day.”

“Married to my work,” Marge commented wryly.

“I don’t have to look at your menu, Marge,” Janice said with a smile. “I want a piece of your wonderful apple pie and a cup of coffee.” It must have been the walk, for she was suddenly hungry.

“Make mine the same,” Anna said, handing back the menus.

“Coming right up.”

Janice watched Marge walk away, then leaned toward Anna, keeping her voice low. “I’ve always felt a little sorry for Marge, deserted by her husband so many years ago, then her daughter leaving. Always alone and having to work. And now I find myself in basically the same boat.”

Anna frowned. “Are you in trouble financially?” She’d always thought that Kurt made plenty of money and assumed that he’d have lots of insurance.

Janice shrugged. “I don’t think so. I’ve got to go to Kurt’s office and go over the books, check things out.” She brushed back a lock of hair. “I hate to think of all that.”

“Maybe you need some help. You could ask Judson or your father perhaps.” Seeing her friend wrinkle her nose at those suggestions, Anna grew thoughtful. “How about David Markus? I talked with him for a while at your house and he said he’s a financial adviser. He also said he’s known you for years, yet I’ve never heard you mention his name.”

“The three of us went to college together. It was a shock seeing him after all these years.” A picture of David sitting with her on her window seat came to Janice, the way he’d taken her hand, then kissed her forehead. A lot of Kurt’s friends had hugged her that day, but oddly, it was David’s touch she remembered. Feeling unaccountably guilty, she pushed the thought away.

“He’s very attractive,” Anna said as their dessert and coffee arrived. Nodding her thanks to Marge, she picked up her fork. “Is he married?”

Janice took a careful sip. “She died in a car accident twelve years ago.”

“And he’s never remarried? Hard to believe.” Anna took a bite of warm pie.

“I don’t know why we’re talking about David Markus. I’ll probably never see him again.”

Anna had had enough. She touched Janice’s hand and waited until her friend met her direct gaze. “Listen, Kurt died, you didn’t. Now, I know you’re grieving and I’m not suggesting you start dating this week. But you’re only forty-three and far too young to talk as if your life is over. I was merely suggesting you call an old college friend for some financial advice, not that you run off with him.”

But Janice wasn’t listening. “I believe some women love only one man and if something happens to him, that’s it.”

Her grief was making her melodramatic, Anna thought with a sigh. “I’m not sure I agree.”

“Tell me honestly, Anna. If something happened to Johnny, would you want to go on?”

“I would be devastated, as you are. But I would go on, because of the children and grandchildren. And for myself, because I’m not one to give up.”

“Could you love anyone after Johnny? I doubt it. Why, look at Alyssa.”

Anna took another bite of pie, wondering how she could steer this conversation to a lighter vein. “What about Alyssa?”

“We’ve talked about this before, of how Alyssa was wildly in love with Eddie Wocheck when she was young. You said you didn’t think Alyssa’s been truly happy since her father broke up that romance.”

Anna shook her head. “I don’t believe those were my exact words.”

“Pretty much. I know that you and Johnny were close to Alyssa and Eddie. I remember you said that Johnny warned Eddie that Uncle Judson would put a stop to any wedding plans, but you advised Alyssa to elope with him.”

“You’re right, I did. But today I’d probably advise her differently. Eddie had nothing then and Alyssa was the only child of the richest family in town. It’s hard for a young man to take on all that. Perhaps if they’d married, the strain on Eddie, having to prove himself, would have ruined the marriage. Didn’t Kurt ever feel intimidated marrying into the Ingalls clan?”

Janice thought that over. “Maybe a little, at first. But he drove himself and did very well rather quickly. They were never close, but Dad respected Kurt.”

“But the two of you eloped. Was that your idea or Kurt’s?”

“Kurt’s. He said he couldn’t afford a big wedding and he didn’t want to accept one paid for by my family.” Janice set aside her plate. “You know, I’ve had a lot of time to think lately and I realize now that from the beginning, I let Kurt make all the decisions. His only concession to me was finally agreeing to move to Tyler.”

“He wanted to stay in Madison?”

“He wanted us to live in Milwaukee, but I didn’t want to be that close to my father.” She let out a small laugh that had a bitter edge. “I went from one dominating man to another.” She took a sip of coffee and tasted regret.

Anna finished eating and raised her eyes to study her friend. Janice was a bright woman, but had always had a head-in-the-sand approach to life. Perhaps Kurt’s death was causing her to question and to face some harsh realities. Anna wasn’t sure Janice was altogether prepared for that. “Maybe what you need next is a man with whom you can be yourself, someone to really share with.”

“I think I have enough to cope with just recovering right now. To think of another man is not only premature, it’s ridiculous.” She stared down into her coffee cup. “Besides, what on earth would a worldly man like David Markus want with a small-town creature like me?”

Ridiculous, was it, Anna thought. Yet it was Janice who’d brought David’s name up again. “Eddie Wocheck’s been all over and yet I believe he’s very interested in seeing Alyssa, who’s lived her whole life in a small town. It isn’t where we’re from that matters as much as who we are.”

Janice waved a dismissive hand. “That’s different. They knew each other way back when and...”

“Didn’t you just tell me you went to college with David?”

“Yes, but we only dated a few times. He had this sense of obligation to his widowed mother and this burning need to succeed.”

Anna gave her a mock scowl. “Terrible traits in a man.”

But Janice was determined to make her point. “I’d be willing to bet that Eddie and Alyssa will get back together. She’s always loved him, always will. A one-man woman. Like you. Like me.”

Amused, Anna smiled. “You should be writing books, with your imagination. I don’t think it’s all that simple. Thirty years have passed. Alyssa’s not the same woman she was at nineteen and Eddie’s changed. They’ve both had a less than perfect marriage. I don’t think either one is impulsive enough to jump into anything.” Again, she met her friend’s eyes. “And I’m not convinced you’re a one-man woman, either.”

“Why do you say that? I had a good life married to a wonderful man who loved me.”

Anna had never cared very much for Kurt, but this was no time to mention that to his widow. She’d never been able to say why. There’d just been something about Kurt that had kept her from warming up to him. “Yes, you did have a good life. I only mean to point out that it is far from over.”

Janice finished her coffee thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right, to some extent. It’s just that I feel so unfocused. I need to meet with Tom Sikes, to see what’s happening at the office. Maybe I should go back to school.”

“You really should,” Anna said encouragingly. “You’re so good with colors and fabrics that if you got your degree, you could open your own interior design studio. Liza thinks you’re a natural and she should know. She’s worked everywhere.”

“I’ll have to wait to see what the money situation is. Maybe I’ll need to get a job.”

Confusion and ambivalence were not uncommon after losing someone close, Anna knew. “It’s not too late to do either. Or both. Eber Insurance is a going concern. You could learn that business, if you feel so inclined. You know, there’s nothing quite like earning your own money to give you a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of independence.”

Janice ran a hand through her hair. “I’ve got to get a haircut, too,” she commented absently. “I know you’re right. I’ve been too dependent on Kurt, but he wanted it that way and I...well, I just drifted with it. It was easier. Now I regret not taking more of an interest.”

Anna rose. “As I said, it isn’t too late. Perhaps Kurt’s manager can help you. Or David Markus.”

There was that name again. Janice scooted out of the booth and went to the counter to pay Marge. Outside again in the chilly night air, she turned to Anna. “Thanks so much for coming with me and letting me bend your ear. You’re a good friend, Anna.”

Anna gave her a quick hug. “Anytime. Talking things out helps.”

About to start walking home, Janice paused. “Anna, why did you go to work for Dr. Phelps? Did you get tired of always being in the house or was it financial? I don’t mean to pry.”

“I wanted to. I wanted to do something that was mine alone. Johnny had his work at the plant and we shared the boardinghouse and the children. But I needed something of my own, and that independence I mentioned earlier. I think he began to respect me more, and my self-respect increased as well when I proved I could make my own way if I had to.”

“I would have thought Johnny would object to his wife working.”

“He didn’t and still doesn’t, because he knows that my working fulfills a need in me. Johnny doesn’t have this thing about needing to be in charge and in control the way Kurt did.”

She’d said it kindly, and with the best of intentions, yet it bothered Janice to hear the words. Probably because she knew Anna was right. “Kurt was a good man, Anna,” she said softly. It seemed important to remind her. And perhaps herself.

“Of course he was.”

Janice nodded. “Good night.” She set out at a brisk pace.

Anna stood watching Janice for a minute, then turned toward her own street. It would seem that Janice Eber had a long way to go before she accepted Kurt’s death. And, Anna thought with a sad shake of her head, it likely would be a painful journey.

* * *

SQUINTING, Janice leaned closer to the ledger spread out on Kurt’s desk. The numbers blurred. She pulled back and they came into focus. Brushing back her hair, she acknowledged that she’d have to make an appointment for that eye exam she’d been putting off for too long.

But even glasses wouldn’t clarify the columns of figures she’d been trying to make sense of since arriving at Eber Insurance several hours ago. Kurt’s secretary, the bookkeeper, Tom Sikes and the sales staff who’d come in and out had all treated her kindly. They’d gone to great pains to explain the operation to her. She envied them their acquired knowledge and despaired of ever catching up.

Finally, she’d shut herself in Kurt’s private office so no one would witness her private humiliation as she tried to make sense of the papers she’d been given. It would seem that the firm wrote insurance for commercial properties, plus auto, homeowners, and some life and health. A broad base. According to Tom, they were decidedly in the black. Janice would have to take his word for that, since the ledgers were beyond her understanding.

Tom had also pointed out several large policies coming up for renewal soon that she’d have to pay special attention to. Their representatives wanted to meet the person who’d be in charge, to be assured that the main thrust of Eber Insurance would be as before. Janice sensed that Tom thought himself the likely candidate to take over. He’d stopped short of offering to buy in or buy her out, yet she felt he was considering doing so.

She hadn’t the foggiest notion which way to go on that.

Janice rubbed her forehead. She’d never suffered from headaches much until recently. Now they seemed to be her daily companions. Maybe what she should do was handle the immediate problems and take the rest of these papers home to read over at her leisure. Finding a large manila envelope, she shoved the stacks of papers into it. She filled two, then sat back with a worried frown.

Whom was she kidding? She could read all of this, study it till the cows came home, and be no further ahead than she was right this minute. She simply had too little understanding of the business world to be able to make intelligent decisions. She needed help, but whom could she trust?

Her father was out of the question. He was too far away and too opinionated. She ruled out her Uncle Judson as well, for though she liked him, he had a tendency to make decisions for people and then expect them to follow without question. Kurt had been a little like that and she wasn’t certain she wanted to start up with another man who’d overpower her. Perhaps it would be best if she went outside the family for assistance.

Janice didn’t know the men who’d advised Kurt—his attorney and his accountant. They’d both been at the funeral, offering to help in any way they could. But she hadn’t particularly liked their somewhat condescending attitude toward her. Maybe she was being overly sensitive, but she’d rather have someone fresh on the scene.

Finally she zeroed in on the name that had been hovering in the back of her mind since her walk with Anna. Grabbing her leather bag, she rummaged around inside until she found what she was searching for. Leaning back in Kurt’s chair, she studied the card David Markus had given her.

Had he meant it when he’d said to call him if she needed anything, or had he just been trying to be polite? A financial adviser with years of business experience seemed the right person to ask. Still, she hesitated.

She’d never called on a man other than Kurt for help. Never. Of course, she shouldn’t think of David as a man, but rather as a business consultant. Janice smiled at her own silliness. Definitely difficult not to think of David Markus as a man first and foremost. However, she was certain he looked upon her as a friend’s wife and nothing more.

Although he had once, for a short time. One long-ago autumn when they’d dated. But that had been when they were both young and carefree. Now, Janice thought of David more as a trusted ally.

With that thought in mind, she dialed his office number. In moments, his secretary came on and told her that David wasn’t in, that he was working from home this afternoon. Before she lost her courage, Janice dialed his home number.

He answered on the third ring.

“David, this is Janice Eber,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

Spooky, David thought. Downright spooky to have the woman he’d been thinking about call just then. “Janice, good to hear from you. How are you holding up?”

“I’m doing fine. Personally, that is. But with the business end of things, not so well.”

“How can I help?”

“I’m not sure. I’m sitting at Kurt’s desk in his office, and I have to admit I’m overwhelmed. I don’t understand the books, a second mortgage on our home, some investments. Kurt’s office manager, Tom Sikes, is more than willing to explain everything, but...”

He caught the pause, the hesitancy, and understood. “But you don’t know him and you’re not sure you can trust him.”

He’d about summed it up, though she hadn’t spoken those exact words aloud. “More or less.”

“Would you like me to meet with Tom Sikes, go over the papers and then explain everything to you?”

She felt relief flood her. That was exactly what she wanted. “If you’re sure you have the time. I know you’re some distance from here and I hate to ask. You must be busy.”

“It just so happens I’m visiting a client in Whitewater tomorrow morning. I could be in Tyler about one. Could you ask Tom to prepare for my visit, to have the latest audited reports and tax returns available, and give him permission to show me all the books?”

“Yes, certainly.”

“Leave the mortgage information and Kurt’s insurance policies on the desk also and I’ll check into those.”

She was feeling better by the minute. “Fine. Feel free to look through the entire desk and files. Anything else?”

Leaning back, David smiled. “Yes. Invite me to dinner tomorrow evening. I should have a pretty good idea of how you stand by then, unless I run into something out of the ordinary.”

Dinner. Janice hadn’t thought that far ahead. But it was the least she could do. “Consider yourself invited. But understand that I mean to pay you as would any other client.”

“We can discuss that over a glass of wine.”

Now they were drinking together. Janice felt her pulse quicken, something that hadn’t happened in a very long time. As the thought held, she felt herself flush with guilt. She was a widow, a woman newly widowed. She would do well to keep that in mind and keep this meeting businesslike. With no small effort, she put a touch of formality into her voice. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Something had been bothering her since he’d answered. “David, what’s that noise I hear in the background?”

“Oh, that.” He laughed. “That’s water gurgling. I’m sitting in my hot tub. It’s a great way to unwind after a long day at a desk.”

She was caught off guard. “A hot tub,” she repeated.

“I’ll have to show it to you sometime.”

Her errant mind went wild. She pictured him sitting in the sunken tub, hot bubbling water swirling around his muscular chest. They’d gone sailing together one balmy afternoon, and Janice remembered that David’s chest was generously sprinkled with dark, curly hair. Was it still like that? she wondered.

Flushing, Janice stood up so quickly she nearly toppled Kurt’s chair. Whatever was the matter with her? Grateful that David couldn’t see her red face, she struggled for a nonchalant tone. “Tomorrow then, David. I appreciate your help.”

“It’s my pleasure. See you then, Sunshine.”

Sunshine. Talking with him had warmed her like a ray of sunshine. Hanging up, Janice shook her head to clear it. She would definitely need to get a grip on herself by tomorrow. Her emotions had been unstable since that fateful phone call about Kurt. That would explain why she was acting so peculiarly, thinking thoughts she’d long ago discarded.

Quickly, she put the things David had requested on top of Kurt’s desk. Fumbling through several drawers, she scooped up a couple of folders, notes and address books she thought she might look through at home later. She grabbed her coat, purse and manila envelopes and went to find Tom Sikes to set up David’s visit.

CHAPTER THREE

STANDING IN FRONT of her closet, Janice frowned as she stared at the clothes hanging there. Odd how it hadn’t occurred to her until recently that her wardrobe badly needed updating. Probably she hadn’t thought much about what she wore because she spent most of her time at home and she had plenty of around-the-house things. The past couple of weeks she’d been out and about more than in the previous six months. She’d lost weight since Kurt’s death, having no appetite and very little interest in cooking for only one. Next week, she’d definitely make it a point to get to Gates Department Store and look for a few good items of apparel.

Ordinarily, she just grabbed something comfortable and put it on. But this wasn’t exactly an ordinary day. Tonight, David Markus was coming for dinner.

Not that this was a date. It was a business meeting. But it was taking place in her home and she hadn’t spent an evening alone with a man other than Kurt in...well, not since her college days. She felt strange entertaining someone, even for a business meeting, without Kurt.

Her meals lately had consisted of a quick salad or bowl of soup eaten at the kitchen sink or while reading a book. But not tonight. She’d planned a complete dinner and even set the dining room table with china and stemware, using a pale green Irish linen tablecloth her mother had left her. Not because she wanted to impress David, but rather because she wanted him to know she wasn’t just some backward hausfrau. She did know how to cook elegantly and serve beautifully, even if she didn’t understand the paperwork Kurt had left behind.