CHAPTER EIGHT

 

BELLA SELDOM SAW GARRETT ANYWHERE but at work. She must admit he was taking his new responsibilities seriously. Having him for a supervisor was far from the fun and interesting daydream she'd envisioned. She seldom heard him in the apartment across the hall. As head of the management team, he proved to be an absolute perfectionist, demanding commitment and excellence from each of his employees.

Bella watched his management style, learning from her observations that he covered his soft heart, his major weakness, with stony silence and a sharp glare.

It was the first week of December, two weeks since Garrett's sweet kisses. Bella sighed, and tried to return her thoughts to her work. This was the busiest time of the year for her department.

Yesterday, she'd tried to call Garrett at his office without any luck. Bella tossed a notepad onto the middle of her desk in frustration as the telephone rang. "Activities…" she said automatically into the receiver.

"Hello, activities" Garrett's voice greeted her.

Her heartbeat increased just hearing his voice. "Garrett. Great. I needed to talk to you about the meeting yesterday I…" He stopped her, telling her to come down to his office in the hospital wing of the facility. Bella looked at the receiver a second before she replaced it in the cradle. She couldn't get a feel for his tone. He didn't sound angry…preoccupied maybe, definitely in a hurry.

One thing was for sure; she wouldn't figure it out sitting here wondering. Just outside her office door was the elevator to the basement, her only way to guarantee getting to the hospital side of the facility without running into a resident needing her to do something for them.

Within a few minutes, she was knocking at Garrett's closed office door. Bella expected to hear him call out for her to enter, but she was taken by surprise when he opened the door himself, pulled her inside the office, kicked the door closes as he took her into his arms. She was astounded. "Garrett…I…"

"Shhh…don't talk…don't say a thing." His lips came down on hers, sweeping all the questions from her mind. She didn't fight against him; instead, she reached her arms around him and stroked the back of his neck, causing his lips to press firmer against hers. He tasted of sweet peppermint and he his cologne, a subtle blend of woods and grass, intoxicated her senses, drawing her deeper into his essence.

As quickly as he kissed her, he separated his lips from hers, but keeping her fully in his embrace. "I've wanted to do that for days, but you've been down the hall or I've only seen a glimpse of you here and there. The only times we've been close is during meetings."

She laughed lightly and dropped her arms. "Then you've done better than I have because I haven't seen you anywhere except meetings! Are you spying on me…you must be really good at it." Bella moved out of his embrace. "So is this why you asked me down here?"

Garrett smiled a lazy, slow grin. "No, not really, but I wasn't going to pass up a chance like this. Here sit with me. I wanted to talk to you."

Instead of moving behind his desk, Garrett sat in one of the two chairs facing it. Bella sat in the other chair. "If this is an official chit-chat, who begins? You or me?" she said easily.

"I need information. Why don't you tell me about your job?" He leaned forward, balancing his hands on his knees as he did so. "What you do…what you like and what you don't like about it. Then we'll see where this takes us. I think someone is trying to set you up…make you look bad."

Bella sighed. Finally. Someone believed her. "What a daunting task." She smiled and continued, "I suppose I could begin by telling you why I kept calling you repeatedly yesterday."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You called?"

Nodding, Bella said, "about six times. Apparently, you didn't receive my messages?"

"No. I'll ask Marjorie what's up when we finish. You'd better tell me all about it."

"I was calling to tell you that I couldn't attend the supervisor's meeting yesterday. I had a one-to-one visit with an agitated resident. He actually left the unit, Garrett. I spent nearly all day trying to reason with him." She used her hands to enunciate the severity of the situation. Bella knew her movements were becoming animated. The only thing that could possibly help is if she sat on her hands to keep them from flopping around. She watched them as if they belonged to someone else. She loved working with the residents so much. Why would someone do this to her?

"What about the family? Couldn't they have helped in some way?" Garrett asked.

Sadly, she shook her head. "No. That's his problem. His family warehoused him here and they haven't been back."

Garrett rolled his eyes in disgust. "I know this happens all the time, but it really ticks me off. How can they do that?"

"That's why I try to have the residents become like family to each other," Bella said. "If they're involved in all the activities, I hope they won't miss their families quite as much."

"Now we're cooking with the information I wanted from you when we began this conversation," he stated, leaning forward in the chair watching her as she uttered every syllable.

Bella stood and paced the large office. "I don't know where to begin to tell you about this job. It's huge. At times, I've called it the garbage can of the facility."

"Garbage can? For heaven's sake, why?"

She turned and faced him. "Because if there is a job that no one wants to tackle, they give it to me."

Garrett tipped back his head and roared. "Bella! That's because you're so darn capable. They know you'll get it done."

Her mother told that exact thing. She'd actually told Bella to mess up something. Not something critical, just enough so that they wouldn't rely on her so much. "I guess you're right…but I hate the thoughts of making something such a muddle that the staff would be a bit…would you say reluctant…to have me work on a project."

"Oh, Bella, you're such a treasure," Garrett smiled at her, his eyes glistening with amusement. "Come on and sit down. I understand your dilemma. You want the best for the residents and you don't care if you have to work over time, without charging the facility, to do exactly this."

She dropped on to the chair. "Sounds like you know me pretty well. So where do we go from here?"

Garrett raked his fingers through his long hair and sat quietly for a moment considering her question. Finally, he spoke. "I really don't think, anyone would be doing this because you're so blasted good at your job. You make them look good when you do all these things for them…so tell me how you handle the residents' money and personal items. This must be the area where we can find a place to start."

"Gads, I'm solely responsible for all the residents' personal items." She had never thought too much about this until now. She was an honest person, for lands sake. A sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach hurt her physically as well as emotionally.

Frowning, Garrett asked, "Does anyone else help you with this? Any checks and balances in place."

"Nikki Cook, my assistant, but she only helps with the paperwork. I go to the residents' room and gather their money and expensive possessions." Sheer black fright surged through her. "Oh, I've really messed up, Garrett."

"No, I don't believe you have, Bella," he said, reaching out for her hand. "If you put their money and valuables away for safekeeping you could have just kept some of it and no one would be the wiser. Why would you take the risk to steal from their rooms?"

Bella sighed. "You're right. That's why this whole situation is so stupid!" she jumped up from the chair and paced back and forth again. "Thank heavens you believe me, Garrett. I've been so lost and confused with all of this happening. Then there was the day that Amanda accused me of talking the residents' into keeping some of their jewelry in their rooms just so I could steal it." She turned her back from Garrett so he wouldn't see the tears forming at the base of her eyelashes. She wasn't about to cry on his shoulder. She'd handle this somehow as the strong woman she had become.

Suddenly, she felt his arms around her and the comfort it brought her caused the tears to flow down her cheeks.

"I have a theory," he whispered into her ear, "I think they're trying to drive you away. You're much too smart for your own good, Bella. Someone is afraid that you're going to find out something they want to keep hidden."

His words were like a salve to her soul. "My goodness, I hadn't even thought of that. That has to be the reason. But I'm afraid they're giving me more credit than I deserve. I haven't a clue." She turned to face him. "What could be going on?"

"I don't know, but somehow, we'll figure this out." He kissed the top of her head. "And I'll venture a guess…if whoever is responsible for doing this knew how close we've become, they'd be shaking in their boots."

"So that's why I see so little of you!" Bella laughed.

* * * *

Bella glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten-thirty. She still had to conduct the daily exercise group in the main dining room at eleven. Her body ached at the thought. After her conversation with Garrett yesterday, sleep had been elusive. The numbers on her alarm clock showed two a.m. the last time she'd glanced that direction. She'd tossed and turned after that, avoiding looking at the clock. Her overactive imagination pulled her through numerous scenarios. By the time the peal of the alarm sounded, she was convinced that everyone employed at the hospital was involved in the conspiracy.

Rising from the desk and her administrative duties, she placed another imaginary hat on her head--this one was her group leader hat. She needed to move the tables out of the way so the group could form a large circle.

A deep closet in the corner of the dining room held the recreation equipment. She tossed two multi-colored beach balls into the middle of the room and then busied herself pushing back the tables to make room for fifteen residents to form a circle using their wheelchairs. The activity required much strength and energy, and she enjoyed the resident's enthusiasm. This was the only form of exercise that worked with her aged friends. They absolutely detested the word exercise.

When she finished with the initial preparation, she walked across the hallway to the nurse's desk. Four nurse assistants stood together talking, but when she drew near, they abruptly stopped the conversation and glared at her. She got the distinct impression that they'd been talking about her. Picking up the telephone receiver she announced, "Group exercises will begin in ten minutes in the main dining room." Her voice filled with confidence, booming out through the halls of the care and assisted living center. There was no way she would let everyone know they were annoying her.

Amanda Howard gave her a weak smile as she went about pulling trays from the medicine cart, checking the resident's prescription bottles. She took a box sent in by a family member and replaced the empty bottle with the new one. Some families bought the prescriptions at the larger discount stores where the medicine was less expensive than in this little town. The local drug store offered many products, but they had less demand and, therefore, it drove the prices higher.

Bella held her head high. She walked away from the desk and strode confidently down the hallways, poking her head into rooms to encourage some of the more sedentary residents to attend the activity.

"Bella...will you help me?" A small woman, hunched over from osteoporosis, asked.

"Oh, sure, Ada." The woman used a cane in one hand, so Bella took her free arm. It wasn't that the woman couldn't get to the dining room on her own; it was that she felt more secure if someone walked with her. It gave her the assurance she needed and it made Ada feel special.

When they entered the dining room, Bella slipped a chair out from under a table and situated Ada in the circle of residents.

A line formed at the wide doorway and the attendees navigated their wheelchairs into the room. They began pushing armchairs, arranged for the ambulatory residents, hither and yon using their hands or at times, ramming the chairs with the foot pedals extended in front of the wheelchair. Some of the group members were quite independent and they liked to sit where they wanted. If a chair was in the way--they moved it.

After settling Ada, Bella went back into the hallway. Finding no one waiting, she entered the dining room and was greeted by an assortment of angry voices. Fearing a huge battle, she hurried into the room. Lillian Randall, stood in the center of the room surrounded by four wheelchairs. She was trying to direct traffic, but all she was succeeding in doing was elevating the turmoil and chaos.

Placing her fingers in her mouth, a technique Bella learned from her older brothers, she gave a sharp whistle. The buzz of voices tapered off and, finally, stopped completely. The welcome sound of silence filled the room.

"Lillian, what happened?" Bella questioned, as she rushed to help the woman separate the footrests of two wheelchairs. The occupants of the tangled chairs hindered her effort by rolling the chairs in opposite directions.

"You tell me what happened. It looks like you're in the middle of this mess with me." She smiled at Bella; brushing her white, shoulder length bob out of her eyes. Being a referee was hard work for someone of her age. She grinned at Bella. "You look exasperated, not your normally calm self."

"It shows, huh?" Bella laughed. Just when she thought she'd separated the chairs, she discovered another joined area. A footrest was tangled in the spokes of another chair. The occupants were losing their tempers.

"My goodness, ladies, you are having a problem here. Can I help?" Garrett asked. He weaved his way into the jumble of wheelchairs looking calm and sincere. His presence had a soothing effect on the agitated group. It didn't matter how old the women were--they appreciated a handsome man.

Bella saw the spectators' whispering among themselves. As usual, when a new employee arrived on the scene, it sent speculation abounding. What was his position at Twin Pines? Who was his family? Bella sighed, that would keep them entertained until this mess was fixed.

Within minutes, Garrett had the room restored. "I've never thought much about how to pilot a wheelchair. It must be hard for people with poor vision," he spoke more to himself than to Bella.

He looked around the room, stepping out of the circle. "Go ahead with the program, don't let me bother you. I'll watch."

He was going to survey exercises...today? She nervously tucked the side of her hair back behind her ear and felt beads of perspiration pop out on her scalp.

When she was getting ready for work earlier that morning, she'd rummaged through the closet looking for a brightly colored outfit. She felt the residents' appreciated that. They'd enough to deal with. When she visited their rooms in her vivid outfits, they nearly always commented how much better they felt.

Now, bending over to catch a beach ball in the middle of the room, the tight material stretched across her derriere, making her feel conspicuous. When she stood, her cheeks flamed red from embarrassment. Why couldn't he have seen her yesterday when she wore her tailored denim dress that accentuated her small waist? Instead, her ample rear was making itself known.

She'd developed the exercise program when the traditional exercises failed. The residents complained that they'd lived a good many years without doing exercises and they weren't about to start doing them now at their advanced ages.

They kicked and hit the beach balls back and forth across the circle using any body part that worked. Sometimes it was surprising to find a paralyzed limb moving because the resident wasn't concentrating so hard to make it work.

The residents laughed and had a good time. Years seemed to lift from their shoulders as they played like children. At times, she marveled how a person who complained continually about pain could, while playing a game, enjoying himself, could forget the pain completely.

"Five more minutes," she called as a ball zinged past her head, landing out of reach. She leaned over to put it back in play and...wham! Another ball bounded off her rear end.

"Hey! Cut that out, Harold. I'm not a target," she squealed in mock surprise as she ruffled the guilty culprit's thin hair. His pale eyes twinkled with humor.

The old man grabbed her hand with his twisted, gnarled hand and gave it a loving squeeze. "You're a good sport, missy. I'm glad you talked me into coming to this."

From across the room another ball hit her in the butt. Charlie giggled, "Now I got ya!"

"Okay, okay...let's put the balls up. It's nearly time for lunch."

Garrett helped her ready the room for lunch by moving the tables and chairs back into position. They'd pushed the last table into place when the lunch cart arrived. It was difficult to have the room ready in fifteen minutes and she was glad for the extra help.

"You really know how to wake them up for lunch. I hope you're around when I'm old," he said, a crooked smile touched his lips.

Bella guided Charlie's wheelchair to the table and looked up at Garrett, saying, "We're going to be old at the same time. I don't think I want to be working when I'm eighty. I'm thirty, you can't be much older than that."

"Oh? Thanks for the compliment, but I'm thirty-six."

"That surprises me. You don't look that old...oh! I don't mean that's old, mind you," she stammered, feeling that she was getting deeper into trouble the more she tried to clarify her statement.

"How about having lunch with me?" Garrett asked as he leaned against the door jam, his muscular arms crossed over his chest as he looked at her with his deep blue bedroom eyes. He looked as comfortable in a dark blue suit as he did wearing jeans the day he moved into the apartment.

"Okay. Where do you eat? I haven't seen you in the cafeteria." They walked from the dining room, stopping just outside the door. A line of residents was trying to enter the dining room. Before going off to their own lunch, Bella and Garrett assisted residents to their seats. Garrett talked to everyone as he helped them. His magnetic personality worked them all. She was so proud of him. Too many people found the elderly frightening.

"I normally take a tray to my office and work through lunch, but I think I'd rather leave the building this time. All right with you?"

She nodded her approval and said, "I'll tell my assistant that I'll be out and I have to purchase some craft supplies. Could we stop by the craft store on our way back?"

"Sure. I really don't have much to do until four o'clock. I have the books ready for the Board meeting, so I'm in good shape." He started down the hallway that led to the administration wing then turned back saying, "I'll meet you in the front foyer in about five minutes."

Lillian motioned to Bella and the younger woman edged her way around walkers and wheelchair to the table by the window where Lillian sat. "That was quite a traffic jam. Thanks for helping me," Bella said. "Some days I can use all the help I can get."

Lillian frowned. "That was a nice diversion. The reason I called you over here, dear, is I need to talk to you." She lowered her voice. "Alone."

"Is there a problem? I have a few minutes right now if..."

Shaking her head Lillian broke-in, "Not here. There are too many ears to overhear."

Bella became quite concerned. "How about this. I'll come to your room at four-thirty. I should be free by then. Is that soon enough?"

"Oh, yes. I wouldn't want to interfere with your lunch plans. Heaven knows I've tried to find someone nice like you for my grandson, but he is usually much too interested in our business."

"What do you mean, Lillian?" Bella asked.

"You know, getting me settled and all." Lillan leaned in close to Bella and whispered, "The spying, y'know."

"I see," she said and gave Lillian a pat on her hand. "I'll see you later. I don't want to be late for my date."

"Bring my grandson to his senses. He's not getting any younger, y'know." Lillian called to Bella as she struggled her way out of the dining room.

Bella grabbed her coat from the employee locker room and rushed to meet Garrett. As she reached the business office, she remembered she hadn't told Nikki that she was leaving the building.

Reaching across the counter in the business office, Bella tried to reach the phone, but it was too far away. The receptionist smiled at her, handing her the phone.

"Sorry," Bella said truthfully. "I didn't want to bother you and waste your time."

"No problem."

Bella looked at her watch. Nikki should be in the cafeteria for lunch. She punched in the number. No one in the cafeteria knew where she was.

Bella hung up the phone just as Garrett entered the lobby.

"Something wrong?" He asked noticing her frown.

"I can't find Nikki. Let me page her." On the third try, Bella gave up.

"Let's go. I'm sure she'll be there to conduct the afternoon activity."

Garrett helped her put on her coat. "Don't worry. If we're late, you can call from the restaurant." He grasped her shoulder, hugging her to him, and then they walked out the front door.

The wind bent the leafless trees in a wild frenzy, whipped the frozen snow from the ground, and into the air as Garrett steered this vehicle through the parking lot and into the street. It was a sunny December day and the Chinook wind had caused the temperature to rise. Traffic was heavy. Bella wondered if everyone in town had the idea of eating lunch away from the office.

Garrett braked at a stoplight, turning his head toward her and asked, "Do you like Oriental? I'm hungry for sweet and sour."

"I love it," she asserted absently, watching the impatient drivers as they angrily switched lanes, racing to their destinations on short lunch hours.

Leaning slightly forward, she glanced in the mirror to adjust the large, gold hoops that pierced her ear lobes. She liked to wear striking jewelry. Large items seemed to fit with her tall frame.

Garrett glanced over at her then back to the road. "I-I've come to a conclusion about you."

Bella slowly turned in the seat, staring at him. The silence grew longer. She was afraid to respond. Finally, she had to ask. "Okay...so tell me. I can't stand much more of this suspense."

"Oh, it's not that bad."

"If it has to do with me, I'm sure it's bad. That's the way the last three months of my life have been."

"Oh, quit pouting. This isn't bad. You intrigue me. And I've decided you have completely hidden your personality--even from yourself."

"That's deep, Garrett, really deep, excuse me if I don't laugh." His scrutiny irked her. Who was he to point out her flaws? If she wanted to hide, that was her concern, not his. After all, she'd been through a lot the last few years. First, her husband dies, then she finds out he was hiding money from her. That had really shaken her world. Hiding her personality? No, she thought not. Actually, she couldn't hide it because she didn't know who she was anymore.

The vivid, red roof of the restaurant appeared as they descended the hill and she put aside his comment. The town was situated in the hilly area at the foot of the mountain. Everywhere you went, hills had to be navigated. During the winter, they became slick and difficult to drive on unless you had good tires.

Garrett edged into a space between cars readying to make a left turn into the restaurant lot.

"The place is full. Look at the line that's jammed into the foyer. And I'm starved. I would pick today to feel the urge for sweet and sour."

"Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"No. My taste buds won't settle for less." He reached over and casually took her hand, bringing it to his lips. He kissed the smooth skin across the top of her fingers. "Are you ready to get blown away by the wind?"

"Well," she laughed. "It's the only way I know of getting from here to there." Her anger waned, and she was eager to enjoy Garrett's company.

They met at the front of the vehicle. Their hands mingling, quickly sweating together as if their flesh were melting. Their eyes locked as they hurried toward the entrance. The end of the line formed just inside the door.

Standing on her tiptoes, Bella scanned the dining room and whispered to Garrett, "It looks filled to capacity. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have a burger?"

"No. Remember, I'm the boss. As long as you're with me--" He didn't have to finish the sentence, she knew she wouldn't be any trouble. Only she was her own worst enemy. She never took her allotted hour lunch, opting for thirty minutes or less. She liked to visit with the residents, see if they enjoyed their lunch.

"Yeah, right. Who would dare say anything about the boss?"

The line moved a few feet when a party of eight left the vestibule. Bella slipped off her coat. Garrett, taking it, placed the collar edge over a hook on a coat rack. They sat on the red, tapestry-covered bench waiting their turn to enter the dining room.

Bella fidgeted. Finally, she said, "While we're waiting, I'm going to call Nikki again. I can't imagine where she is." Pulling her phone from her purse, she dialed. After a short wait, Nikki answered her page.

"Where have you been? I've had you paged since twelve."

Nikki hesitated a moment before answering. Bella could feel the tension between them in the pregnant silence. "I don't know. Around, I suppose. Why?"

"I'm having lunch out of the building and I'm going to be late getting back. Is there anything on the craft list that you needed today? I'm going by the shop before returning to work."

"No," Nikki said, her tone crisp and annoyed. "I have everything, thank you."

"I'll see you when I get back."

"When will that be?" Nikki questioned curtly, sounding more like the director than the subordinate.

"Mr. Brooks and I are having lunch. We haven't been seated so it could be another hour before we finish with lunch. Then, the craft store." She checked her mental list. "If I'm lucky, I'll get back before we have to close up shop at four-thirty. See you then." She hung up before Nikki could add another hateful comment. What was the matter with that girl?

"What's wrong. Isn't she there yet?"

Bella chewed at her bottom lip. "I got her. She's certainly turning into a snot!"

"Oh? How so?"

"Uh--" she paused to consider his question. "I don't know if I can pinpoint it, but she speaks to me as if I were a spider crawling up her arm. Disgusted, y'know? She acts as if she wants my job. And that's really funny because I've had her in my office retraining her because other supervisors' have written her up."

Garrett took her hand and stroked her palm causing little electric shock waves to pulse up her arm. "Maybe you'd better keep an eye on her. It's been my experience, that a person like that can cause some really difficult situations."

Bella nodded in agreement. This was the first time she'd thought of Nikki as the catalyst for her problems at work. What was that woman up to? It was a disturbing thought.

The hostess, a small oriental woman, motioned to them and they followed her through the dining room toward a small table near a rock waterfall. The sound of the cascading water was relaxing and Bella felt the tension drain from her tight muscles.

The server arrived momentarily with tall, tasseled menus and a steaming pot of tea. She poured the fragrant liquid into their small cups, setting the pot in the middle of the table. The smell of jasmine drifted toward Bella and she breathed in the aroma as she raised the cup to her lips. "I love this stuff. It's so relaxing."

Garrett deftly retrieved his lens case from his breast pocket and flipped it open. When he'd placed the glasses on the bridge of his nose, he flipped open the menu.

"I thought you were all set for sweet and sour." Bella stated as she dropped her gaze to the menu. She tapped her fingernail against her teeth as she studied the lunch entrees. "That's what I'm having." She snapped the menu shut and pushed it to the side of the table.

Garrett seemed to awaken the observant side of her. She watched his eyes scan back and forth across the menu. Her pulse became frenetic and she ran her tongue across her lips. Just being near Garrett brought indecent thoughts to her mind. She had to stop gawking at him like this. What if he caught her staring at him like the most succulent entree on the menu?

"Um...just checking to see what they have to offer. I've driven past here, but I haven't had time to stop." He put his menu on top of hers. "I'm so hungry I could eat everything, but I'll have the sweet and sour."

Bella leaned toward Garrett. "I can't figure you out."

He smiled; a puzzled expression crossed his face. "How's that, now?"

"You told me I was hiding my personality, but I think you should look at yourself. I feel there's more to you than you let on as well. I just can't put my finger on it. What's going on with you?" she questioned and leaned back in her chair.

As she watched, Garrett stiffened. His face paled slightly. To cover the momentary lapse in his shield, he reached for her hand. A provocative smile stretched his full lips and his eyes never wavered from her face. "That's the second time you've asked me that, you know? But I think that's a question I should be asking of you."

Bella pulled her fingers from under his as the waitress returned for their order. She felt confused, tongue-tied, and even senseless. Was he talking about all the whispered accusations? Should she take all of her documents to his office and insist he investigate her to put an end to all of this? Why did he have questions for her? After all, Mr. Van Horn had dismissed all of Bella's fears. Then she told the same thing to the director of nurses. The discrepancies were only oversights. Forget them, they'd told her. But nothing they said could take away the terror of seeing Gladys Fortney's jewelry locked in her office. Who had done that?

She couldn't forget the tears in Henrietta Baler's faded eyes when she told Bella about losing her new stuffed rabbit. Just days before, her six-year-old great-granddaughter had given it to her for an eighty-first birthday. Bella had checked each resident room in hopes of finding the elusive rabbit. Sometimes, confused residents wandered into other rooms and, thinking the room was theirs, walked out with various items. This was not the case with Henrietta's rabbit, nor Orville's stamp collection, or Ruby's television. Bella would not stop looking or questioning. The residents were her friends and she was compelled to help them.

Garrett busied himself with the highly spiced meal and the manner of their conversation ceased.

"I like that Charlie," he said, scooping a spoonful of sauce over the fried rice. "He seemed to beam when he hit you in the...the backside during exercises. What a sense of humor!" Garrett laughed.

She nodded. "Would you believe that last year he was a recluse? He never came out of his room."

"No," Garrett said, shaking his head. "What happened to change his attitude? He's had a turnaround from what I can see."

Bella sipped the flowery tea, answering with pride. "Charlie became my pet project. I visited his room a few minutes each day trying to gain his trust. He was a tough old boot."

"Did that tactic work?"

"No. He was too smart for that. I brought checkers and we had a great time. Have you ever played a game with a person that makes up the rules as the game progresses?"

Garrett shook his head. His look was sober and he'd stopped eating to listen to her story.

"I brought western books to his room and read to him--that didn't work either. It finally dawned on me, I was playing right into his hands. All my attempts to get him out of his room took place on his territory, not on mine."

"You'd better explain that one to me. I don't understand."

Her eyes danced with excitement as she talked. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, after all, you're my boss and this is sort of mean."

"Come on," he said playfully. "Consider this off the record. It happened before I became your supervisor. Besides, you're too kind and loving to do something intentionally hurtful."

"Well...I quit going to see him for a while. Then, one day while I was carrying one of the larger beach balls around with me to encourage residents to attend, I had an inspiration. As I walked past Charlie's room I saw him just sitting there looking dejected. His back was to me so..."

"Bella, no! You didn't." Garrett cried in a scolding voice, playfully covering his ears with his hands. "I can see where this is heading. Should I hear the rest of the story?"

"It has a happy ending."

"Okay, I asked for this. Go ahead."

"I threw the soft beach ball into the room and took aim at the back of Charlie's head."

Garrett's mouth pulled into a small circle as he said, "I was afraid you were going to say that!"

"You should have heard Charlie cuss me out. I didn't know there were so many expletives in the English language!"

Shaking his head, Garrett uttered, "Now you've done it...go on. Lord, how am I supposed to supervise this wild woman?"

"At least he had fire in his eyes and that's a lot better than lethargic self-pity."

Garrett reached for the extra sauce and dipped it onto his egg roll. "And Charlie lived happily ever, attending all the activities from that day forward," he said as if ending a fairy tale.

She shook her head and pointed her fork at him. "Stop teasing me. In fact, that is not what happened. I had exhausted my bag of tricks, and I was ready to quit trying so hard with him."

Garrett shrugged. "You can't be successful with all the residents, but I saw the man at exercises. What happened?" He took a bite from his egg roll, looking at her expectantly.

"Nothing. A few days later I was conducting exercises. When I bent over to get one of the beach balls, Wham! A ball hit me in the butt so hard it nearly toppled me into the middle of the floor. I turned around and there sat Charlie. He was giggling and looking quite self-satisfied. Then he hollered 'yer it!"

Garrett started laughing so hard he had tears rolling down his face. Other diners were looking in their direction, shaking their heads and whispering to each other.

"That's a wonderful story."

"I wish I could be so successful with more people. When an individual enters a nursing home they think their life has ended. And so do a lot of family members and their friends sometimes. Can you believe society can write them off so easily?" She took another sip of tea and continued, "I frequently bug the newspapers and television stations. I want to show the residents as functioning adults living a real life. Not a life of restraints and chemicals to render them useless."

Garrett looked at her quizzically, then understanding shone in his eyes and he said, "I hope you make them feel guilty as hell!"

"No..." she said insincerely, shaking her head. "Me? I wouldn't think of doing something like that." She grinned at him.

Garrett took the last bite of his food, pointing at Bella with his fork. "I like you a lot, lady."

Bella swallowed a smile, pushing his words away, not wanting to deal with them yet. But she felt a sharp sting in the region of her heart.

When they left the restaurant, the air was much colder and a thick, gray covering of clouds obscured the blue sky. Small snowflakes drifted to the pavement in the unusually still air.

The craft store was only a few blocks from Twin Pines and Garrett had no trouble following Bella's directions. When they walked into the building, Bella saw surprise register in Garrett's dark blue eyes.

"Is this larger than you expected?"

"Yes," he exclaimed. "I've been in craft stores in Phoenix that were much smaller than this one."

"I think it has something to do with the lack of other things to do. When I interview a new resident, almost every one of them has a hobby. I'm afraid I have to spend most of the activities budget right here."

She searched her purse and finally located the list Nikki had given her last week. She gave Garrett a few items to locate. If they worked together, they would save time and make if back to work before Garrett's meeting was scheduled to start.

Bella was standing at the counter ready to check out and there was no sign of Garrett. She impatiently looked at her watch, tapping the toe of her shoe. Where was he? Should she try and find him? She decided to wait. If she left, he would show up and begin to look for her. They could be here until the store closed.

Garrett showed up a few minutes later. His arms were loaded with a combination of craft items. Definitely more articles than she'd asked for.

"Hey! What's with all this stuff? I can't possibly afford this. I don't receive a budget from the facility. We have to conduct bake sales and beg money from yard sale items in the summer just to have enough money to make it through the year."

"I know that. Consider these things my donation. You pay for your arm load and I'll pay for mine...okay?"

"Well…sure! I can't turn down an offer like that, now can I?" She placed her items on the counter. She opened her department's checkbook and began filling in the information.

"Stop. You didn't write the correct date on the check. This is December, not February." He hesitated while she tore up the check and began again. "How many people know how your department is funded?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Not many, I guess. I think most of the staff thinks we just do the sales for extra money."

"Who knows about this checkbook?"

"Garrett. What are you getting at? I don't understand."

"Never mind. I'm just trying to figure out how everything works at Twin Pines."

The sales woman looked quizzically at Garrett. "It's okay, sir. We're used to Bella and her strange checks. So, if you're her boss go easy on her, okay?"

Bella was embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I work months in advance to arrange all the activities. I've finished the invitations for the Christmas Open House!"

Garrett looked disappointed. "You have? I wanted to use the invitations as a way of introducing myself to the community. Could you bring the invitations to my office? I have a better idea. Why don't you attend the meeting? I need someone to take minutes. Would you do that for me?"

"Sure." After eating that spicy meal, her stomach knotted with a nervous pain. "I'll be back before the meeting." The invitations were sealed, the envelopes addressed and worse than that, she had mailing the invitations listed on Nikki's to do list. She needed to get out of here and reclaim the invitations. Nikki usually had trouble staying on track and hopefully, today wouldn't be the exception. "Wish me luck," she called out as she rushed through the door and out to the hallway leading to the nursing home.

Bella neared her office when she heard someone softly call her name. Turning, she saw Gladys Fortney slowly making her way up the hallway.

"Bella dear," Gladys called.

Stopping, Bella let the short, stooped woman catch up with her. "What did I forget today?" she asked, smiling down at Gladys. Mrs. Fortney had appointed herself keeper of the menu board and Bella really appreciated her help. She relied on the woman to tell her what the others were discussing about the meals. Usually, the menu was the biggest topic of the day. Gladys also watched Bella's spelling. Each morning, Bella wrote the daily menu on the slick, white board by the dining room and at least twice a week, Gladys pointed out her spelling errors. Spelling was not Bella's forte.

"Oh, it's nothing like that. I want to talk to you about requesting different menus during the holidays. These rotation menus get boring." Gladys said.

Working at the center took a great deal of patience. It was difficult to slow your pace, matching your gait to the aged. Bella walked along with Mrs. Fortney. The activity director smiled down at the woman as they sluggishly shuffled down the hall. Her stomach tightened nervously with each step. She needed to get to the office…and to the invitations.

"I have a suggestion for you," Bella said in a calm voice that disguised her impatience. "The resident council is meeting next week. Why don't you bring your ideas to the group? They can vote on it and I will take their recommendation to the dietitian."

Mrs. Fortney stopped in the middle of the hall to ponder the suggestion and stared out the glass doors leading to the open atrium. Bella's back was beginning to spasm. She didn't handle stress very well. "I'm sorry, but I have an appointment and I must get there soon. Will I see you at the meeting?"

"Yes dear. But you really must slow down. You work much too hard," she said in a slow drawl as Bella opened her office door.

The invitations were nowhere to be found. She knew as soon as she opened the door that Nikki had mailed them. It would be extremely hard to misplace the huge box that held over a thousand envelopes.

A knock on her door startled her. "Come in," she called as she dropped into her chair.

Bella's assistant sailed into the office. Her flaxen hair bounded against her waist in rippling curls. "I'm sorry to bother you. I saw you talking to Mrs. Fortney. What's up?

"It was just a menu problem and on top of it, I'm in a hurry to get back to the administrator's office," she said as she shuffled papers on her desk. "What do you need Nikki?"

"The movie didn't come in. Do you want me to reschedule?"

Reaching beside her, Bella dug through a canvas bag that held the mail. "Oh! Here it is. I'm sorry. I didn't get it sorted before lunch."

"That's okay. If I had a date with that handsome hunk of an administrator, I'd have forgotten everything, too!" Her voice had a soft and dreamy quality.

Like you usually do? Bella thought. Damn, but this woman was irritating her. "Did you mail the invitations?"

"Yes," Nikki's tone was acrimonious. "You had it on my list, didn't you?"

"Well I guess that's that." Bella said under her breath.

"What?"

Bella took a calming breath. "Never mind. You'd better get the film going."

"I'm going, okay? Why don't they ever send DVDs instead of these clunky reels?" Nikki said as she walked toward the door.

"Because these old movies haven't been remastered and put into any newer type of format." Bella shook her head and glanced at the clock. She was going to be late if she didn't hurry. Hopefully, another resident wouldn't detain her. She grabbed a notebook to record the minutes…and a file with the original invitation.

* * * *

She rushed down the hall worrying how she would tell Garrett about the invitations. Her heart hammered in her throat. Why had Nikki become so efficient, today of all days?

Arriving at the conference room, the door was closed indicating the meeting had begun. She rapped on the door then entered. Nine people sat around the conference table and they all looked at her when she entered the room and they continued to stare at her as she slipped into the only empty chair…next to Garrett.

"Now we can begin," Garrett stated formally.

Bella scanned the agenda that topped a heap of papers on the table before him. Thank heavens he didn't mentioned her late arrival.

The meeting droned on and on. The first department to speak was the maintenance supervisor. The man spoke about MSDS sheets and boiler parts. She took the notes, but she really had no idea what he was saying. It sounded like blaa, blaa, blaa in her head. The man wound down and Amanda Howard began talking about medical supplies. Bella thought of herself as a writing robot.

Finally, everyone finished discussing their various departments and Garrett spoke. "I invited Mrs. Mann to join us today to discuss a budget proposal. I see from years past…" He opened a folder and reached for his glasses. Once they were situated across the bridge of his nose, he continued. "…that the Activities and Social Services departments, excluding salaries, are run by donations. Mrs. Mann…I'd like you to present your proposal to the board."

She hadn't expected this, but the folder she'd given Garrett earlier in the month was sitting near her. He'd planned this and she could kiss him for it. Never had she been allowed to speak her peace with the former administrator. Bella opened her file and began giving a detailed analysis of the budgeting proposal. A few minutes later, she concluded.

No one spoke. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Finally, Garrett tapped his pencil on the table and looked at her thoughtfully. "I'm sure the question everyone is thinking is this…Are you doing this to eliminate fund raising from your department?"

She couldn't believe he was suggesting this. The silence began to lengthen as she tried to regain her composure. Her voice felt tight in her throat as she answered. "Not at all, Mr. Brooks. I understand how important fundraising is to the facility. It is more a publicity tool than a way to raise money."

"I feel we can pursue fundraising, but have the moneys earmarked for the purchase of a specific item needed by the department. Right now, we are looking at the purchase of a camcorder. I have a five year goal which is the purchase of a disability equipped bus to take the residents out of the facility." She studied the supervisor's faces, from what she could tell, they were getting interested in her plans.

"Let me ask you this," Bella said, anxious because she knew her next question reached the limit and bordered on insubordination, but it was something she'd wanted…yearned to say for years. Her gaze caught Garrett's.

"Go ahead, ask." His words gave permission, but he shot her a warning look over the top of his glasses.

Finally, she spoke. "Does the dietary department have to hold fundraisers to buy food for the residents?"

For a fraction of a moment, silence darted around the room. Then, the group broke into fits of laughter.

Garrett smiled at her; his midnight blue eyes keenly studied her. "You do have a point there. I'll consider your proposal."

With that, the meeting concluded and she gathered her things to leave. Garrett hadn't asked her about the invitations. If she hurried, maybe he wouldn't think to ask for it.

She was almost out of the door when Garrett took her arm.

"I'll meet you in your office in about an hour to go over the invitations," he stated.

Bella shook her head. "That really won't be necessary, Garrett," she whispered, "Nikki mailed them earlier."

The muscle in Garrett's jaw jumped as he glared at her.