Holly Beckett glanced around the room, glaring at one of �her� teachers whose table was a little too noisy and disturbing the others in the area. She had already warned then once and really saw no need for her to have to call the students down again-what with the instructor right there. She disliked being an authoritarian and disliked even more chastising the teachers-especially since most of them were older than her. And she knew for a fact some of these teachers felt a sense of resentment towards her, someone so young being their supervisor.
Pulling a notebook from the shelf behind her, she settled into her rolling chair. She still had a couple of notebooks to update for tomorrow and she needed to make notes to help her boss out in upcoming progress conferences. Just getting into the groove of looking back and forth in the lessons and permanent records, she was disturbed by the ringing of the phone. The phone always seemed to ring when she was across the room or on the other line or especially when her boss was gone for the day.
Muttering under her breath, she made her way to the front of the instructional area and picked up the receiver, pressing the blinking �1� button.
�Thank you for calling the Learning Center. This is Holly. How may I help you?� She had answered the phone so much, she found herself answering it like that at home sometimes. Well, at least she was friendly and professional when some tele-marketer called her at home.
�Uh,� the male voice on the other end stammered. �I�I�m sorry. I think I have the wrong number.�
�Perfectly alright,� she chirped, brushing back the always errant strand of hair that hung in her face. �You have a nice night.�
Holly placed the phone back on the cradle, looking at the clock and realizing it was time for that hour�s session to end and for the kids to �shop.� She stood guard at the so-called store, answering questions of how much something cost and if they had enough to buy it. As usual, the little ones spent their �money� they earned, and then got mad when they didn�t have enough to buy a bigger, more impressive item. She threw a pleading look over to her friend. Joy, one of the teachers and Holly�s buddy who watched her back on many occasion, laughed at the sight of the little ones almost climbing on Holly.
�All right, you�ve got exactly two minutes left to decide what you�re going to buy and let your teacher know. Then, if you�re here for one hour, you�re outta here. Two hour people, find your spot and get ready to work,� Holly said, raising her normally soft voice over the din of the childish and adolescent voices.
Every one of the students hurried to make their purchase and get ready to work. They knew if Miss Holly raised her voice, it meant business. Holly smiled triumphantly at Joy, knowing just what to do. Joy shook her head and herded the small ones out to the lobby and brought the next hour�s students back. Holly braced herself for the usual complaints of how much work the students had and that they had already done the work she had assigned them. Same old, same old. Just for once, she wished they�d come up with something new. Once everyone was settled back into their routine and instruction was definitely underway, she started towards her desk again. Half-way to the back of the room, the phone rang again, causing her to do an over-dramatic turn and head to the front, her long skirt swooshing around her legs as she did so. Again, she picked up the phone and pressed line one.
�Thank you for calling the Learning Center. This is Holly. How may I help you?�
�Umm..� a male voice said again, �I�d like to speak with the manager.�
Holly turned to look behind her at Joy�s table, raising an eyebrow at her friend and pushing down on the chair of a student daring to precariously balance the seat on two legs. She gave him a withering look.
�I�m sorry, but she�s gone for the day. If I can just have your name and number, I�ll have her call you back tomorrow.�
�OK,� the deep voice said hesitantly. �My name is Lance Bass and my number�.Listen, maybe you could just tell me what I want to know.�
�You really need to speak with our center director, sir.�
�Could you just give me a little information? It�s not like I�m wanting state secrets or anything.�
Holly rolled her eyes at Joy. They both hated calls like this.
�I�ll tell you what, Mr�Bass, you said?�
�Yes.�
�OK. First off, I need a little more information from you. Is this concerning your son or daughter?�
�My what?�
�Your son or daughter, sir. And is your child having trouble in reading, math, or both?�
�What? No, this is for me,� he told her, growing more confused by the minute.
�Oh. Well, we do instruction with starting at age five. Obviously, you�re a little older than that. Are you interested in ACT or SAT prep classes, sir?�
�What are you talking about? I�m interested in one of your townhouses.�
�My what?� Now it was Holly�s turn to be confused.
�Yes. I saw the ad for the townhouses and am wanting to find out about them. Isn�t this 788-3778?�
�No, sir,� she responded, looking at the phone just to make sure. �This is 778-3779.�
�Oh. I�ll be damned,� he muttered, a low and rumbling chuckle softening his admission. �I hit the wrong button. I am so sorry to have bothered you. Wait, I spoke with you about ten minutes ago, didn�t I?�
�Yes.�
�Then I am doubly sorry to have bothered you.�
�It�s perfectly fine. We all do that sometime. Sorry I couldn�t help you more. You have a nice night,� she told him before hanging up.
�What was that about?� Joy asked as Holly turned around.
�Who knows?� Holly answered, brushing back that strand of hair again. �Some wrong number, obviously, wanting to know about my townhouses. You know, you�d think that after the first time, they�d get the number right.�
�I didn�t know you had townhouses, Miss Holly,� a student commented, his chair back on two legs again.
�I don�t, Logan. But if you don�t keep that chair on all fours, you�re going to stand up for the rest of your hour here tonight.�
The teenage boy grinned at her, knowing she wouldn�t follow through with her threat. Holly attempted a glare at him, but failed. Instead, she grinned back, shaking her head as she tapped on the table in front of him, focusing his attention back to his work.
She went back to her desk, making sure the chair didn�t roll as she sat down. Her desk�she found that idea slightly amusing. She had a horseshoe table, just like the other teachers, except she was told her job was in administration. It could be worse, she reminded herself for the millionth time-she could have the job of ass-kisser like her boss. And one thing Holly was not going to do was kiss ass.
As she found her place again in the notebook and decided where the student needed to go with the next lesson, she tuned out the noise of the teaching going on around her. The ringing of the phone was the only sound that brought her out of her deep concentration. Looking up, she narrowed her eyes in a death stare towards the phone.
�I�ll get it,� Joy said. �I�m closer.�
Holly gave her a �thumbs up�, returning her attention to her work. Humming softly a song that just popped into her head, she heard the students at the table across from hers. They were giggling and it was a sound she liked-learning being fun.
�OK. Just a sec, all right?� Joy said into the phone. She waved towards Holly, trying to get her attention.
�Miss Holly! Miss Joy wants you,� a little girl from the giggling group said, leaning back in her chair, looking upside down at Holly.
�Thank you, Erin,� Holly said, smiling at the child. She looked questioningly towards Joy. Sighing, she made her thousandth trip to the phone for the day.
�What now? Can�t they wait until tomorrow when Lynn�s here?� Holly said for only Joy to hear.
�He asked for you,� Joy whispered in her ear.
�He? Me?�
Joy nodded, anxious to find out what this was about.
�Who is it?� Holly asked.
�I don�t know. He just asked to speak with Holly. And you�re the only one we have here,� Joy reasoned.
�True. I�m getting tired of running back and forth. I�m going to take this call in the office and camp out there until it�s time for me to leave.�
�I wanna know,� Joy called after her.
Holly snickered, sinking into the plush office chair. She should have something like this back in her corner. Picking up the phone, she pressed line one.
�This is Holly.�
�Hey, Holly. This is Lance.�
She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. �Lance?�
�Yeah. The idiot from the two wrong phone calls.�
Holly giggled, forced to agree with him. She was tired and wondering�
�Don�t tell me you dialed the number wrong again and wanted to make sure it was still the wrong number?�
�No,� he laughed, a pleasant sound to her tired ears. �That�s not something I would do. At least, not something I�d admit to.�
�Good job,� she praised him, flying on auto-pilot now. She said that so much with the students that she told cashiers in the grocery store that without thinking.
�Good job? Hey, Holly, could you hold on for a second?�
Holly looked at the phone, wishing this Lance could see her best look of �you idiot.� She heard him cover the mouthpiece to the phone and heard him talking to someone in the room with him. Probably his wife, she mused, absently twirling the twig of hair on her forehead. At least, she surmised it was his wife, considering he was interested in a townhouse. Where the hell did he come up with the idea they had townhouses?
�Just shut up and leave me alone for five minutes. That�s all I�m asking.� She heard him say this to someone in the room. She couldn�t quite make out what the response was, but she knew two things. It wasn�t a woman and it wasn�t language used in mixed company.
�Holly? You still there?�
�Yes.�
�Sorry about that. I had one of my�um�ex-friends,� he shouted the last part away from the phone, �in the room and he was bugging me. Apparently I can�t have any personal time. Which brings me to the purpose my calling back.�
�Oh, that�s right,� Holly responded, having completely forgotten why she was on the phone with this man.
�I know this sounds crazy, but I got to thinking...�
�We don�t believe thinking is crazy around here,� she blurted out before she realized it.
He laughed again. And Holly decided she really liked that sound.
�You�re a riot. Can I finish before my�well, before I get kicked out of here again?�
�Sure.�
�OK. If the number I�m trying to reach is so close to yours, then you might know something about the place I�m trying to reach.�
�I�m sorry. I don�t think I�m following you,� she said, looking at the day planner laid open on the desk. Damn, two tests on Thursday, the day she came in early and her boss came in late. Guess that meant she�d have to deal with that.
�I could be wrong, but wouldn�t the townhouses be in the same city as your business? I mean, the exchanges are the same, so� Anyway, it�s called Williamsburg on Clubview. Are you familiar with it?�
�Williamsburg on�? Oh, yeah, I know where that place is. In fact, I�ve got�well, now, Lance, you said? I don�t think that would be very wise of me to tell you what I was about to,� she caught herself, about to blurt out that she lived there.
�So, you do know about it? Is it a nice place? Is it gated? Police patrol there pretty regularly?�
Holly sat up from her slouching position. �Yeah, I know of it. And yes, it is a nice place and the police are there quite frequently, making sure everything is in order. I mean, it�s right across the highway from the golf course and the country club. What else would you expect?�
�A nice neighbor like you,� he flirted, wondering where that came from.
Holly felt herself blushing�actually blushing.
�Now, I can�t guarantee you anything like that, sir. But it is a very nice place to live and best of all, most of the people who live there don�t have kids, so it�s always peaceful.�
�Peaceful--exactly what I�m looking for. You know, Holly, I don�t know what you do for a living, but you should consider real-estate. You�ve probably just made a sale and I haven�t even seen the place. Good job.�
Holly laughed outright, hearing her own words come back on her.
�My pleasure. Now, if you will excuse me, it�s my turn to let you go. I hope you find what you�re looking for.�
�Me, too, Holly. Me, too.�
Holly hung up the phone and walked back to the instructional area. Joy raised an eyebrow at her friend, shaking a finger at her. It had been a long time since she had seen a flush to Holly�s cheeks and it was a good sight. Later, after all the students were gone, Joy and Holly were the only two still there, putting up the teaching materials and discussing the evening�s work.
�So, Miss Holly,� Joy said, making sure all the BINGO dots were in the box, �tell me. What was that phone call about? Who do you know named Lance?�
�No one. Well, there was this guy in high-school, but for some reason, I know it wasn�t him. It was just that wrong number calling back.�
�Three times, Holly? Wow. Some kind of record, isn�t it?�
�Shut up, Joy. Don�t you have a baby to go home and feed or something?�
Joy laughed, grabbing her purse and flipping off the lights. The two women walked out together, each fishing for her keys.
�Found �em,� Holly announced triumphantly, holding up the key chain with a stuffed cow dangling from it. She locked the door and started across the parking lot.
�So, what do you think of him calling back and asking specifically for you?� Joy demanded.
�Nothing at all,� Holly answered truthfully. �And you know what�s the funniest thing? He gave me the name of some singer. Can you beat that? I think it�s just some psycho with too much time on his hands.�
�Better watch it, Holly. You might have you a stalker,� Joy said, suddenly serious.
Holly shrugged as she got into her vehicle. �I doubt it. But you know what they say about life-it happens.�
Chapter 2
Holly stepped outside onto her balcony Friday morning, grateful to have the weekend off for a change. Blowing on her coffee, she enjoyed the warm June morning breeze that danced around her bare legs. She planned on running a few errands later in the day, but for the mean time, it was just her and her coffee, so she was clad in a pair of loose jersey shorts and an oversized T-shirt. She always wore oversized clothes, a habit she picked up in junior high when she first started �blooming� as her mom called it. She thought she was handling it quite well until her secret crush, the cutest boy in 8th grade, said loud enough for her to hear how chubby she was. Holly finally resigned herself to the fact that she�d never be a size six-her body frame just wouldn�t allow it-when the quest for the impossible dream landed her in the hospital during her junior year of college. And despite almost killing herself to be the image of perfection for her boyfriend, it still didn�t help the relationship.
Sighing, she sipped her coffee, wondering where the thought of Jeff the Jerk had come from. He hadn�t crossed her mind in months. Closing her eyes as the warm, vanilla flavored liquid slid down her throat, she figured it must have been due to the phone call at work the other night. Hearing shouting from across the courtyard, Holly opened her eyes. There was never any shouting at the complex. She held a hand up to her forehead, shading against the glare bouncing off the moving truck. Ah, new neighbors, she mused, deciding whatever kind of excitement might be going on could definitely wait until after she had at least made herself presentable. By the positioning of the sun, she knew it was getting later in the day and if she expected to beat the mid-day rush of people in town, she�d best get a move on. Turning with an unintended dramatic flair, her long golden-brown hair flowing around her shoulders, she made her way back into her house, unaware of the scene she almost caused.
~*~
�You can�t just stand in the way, buddy!� A burly moving man, hanging out the window of the truck, shouted at Lance. �Either move it or lose it, and I suggest you chose the first one �cause I�ll just as soon run you over as to look at you.�
Lance adjusted his sunglasses, making a big showing of moving out of the way, giving the driver plenty of room. The image of...he didn�t know what she was, virtually vanished out of sight. Catching just a glimpse of her, he found himself hypnotized by her standing there, nonchalantly drinking her coffee as the sun glistened off her hair. It had been so long since he�d seen a woman just doing everyday things, not trying to get somewhere and something from him. He made a mental note to make sure he spoke to her at least once before it was too late. Hearing the thud of something large hitting the ground, he quickly snapped his attention back to the task at hand--moving into his new house. He wondered if he�d ever really consider a place home again. Even his parents� house didn�t really feel like home anymore. What was that saying he heard one time-love makes a house�something. A couple of profanities shouted completely broke his reverie as he hurried over to make sure nothing important had been broken. It looked like it was going to be a long, long day.
~*~
Later that day, Holly pulled into her parking spot, making sure she had her keys in her hand as she got out of her truck. She was notorious around there for forgetting her keys and locking them up inside. The last time it happened, the police officer threatened to keep a spare to her truck at the police department, so when she locked them up again, all she had to do was call and give her name. She really hated that smart-ass cop. Squeezing the cow on her key chain, the reassuring �moo� emanating from it made her smile. She really liked her cows, even if everyone else found it a bit hokey. She bumped the door closed with her hip, humming the song that was on the radio when she parked. A day off from work always put her in a good mood and she didn�t have to have a melt-down in the drive-thru at the bank today. Oh, yes, this was a good day.
Unconsciously tugging at the hem of the over-sized shirt, she walked out of her garage, clicking the remote to close the door behind her. On these beautiful summer days, she loved to walk around the building and up the front steps to her house. Most of her neighbors were used to her doing that. And for those who thought she was crazy, she politely reminded them that she grew up in the country and still enjoyed getting fresh air.
As she bounded up the brick steps, one of the bags from the local grocery store broke and her purchases crashed down, bouncing to the bottom of the steps and landing with a slight clank. Holly closed her eyes, taking a moment to silently count to ten, reminding herself that Murphy�s Law was always in effect, no matter how wonderful the moment seemed. She muttered an oath towards the bag-boy who had put too many cans in that one bag, even after she asked him to be careful and not overload. Not paying any attention to her surroundings, she went back down the steps, bending over at the bottom to pick up the cans that hadn�t rolled halfway across the courtyard.
�Here ya go, Miss,� a male voice nearby said.
Holly rose up to find herself staring into the most gorgeous pair of green eyes she had ever seen. And the rest of him wasn�t too bad, either. And why did he seem vaguely familiar?
�Thank you,� she said, taking the can of mixed vegetables from his outstretched hand. �I should have known better than to trust the dude not to toss everything into one bag.�
Lance smiled at her as she set the other bags down, trying to figure out how to rearrange things. He had seen her coming around from the side of the building and was trying to figure out a way to talk to her. He needed to find out who the �dude� was that overloaded her bag and give him a big tip. Not sure at first if she was the same woman from this morning, any doubt he had was erased when he saw the sun dance off her hair as she bent down to pick up another can. Her long hair was pulled into a single French braid down the back, but there was no mistaking the color of it. She was the same person. He heard her saying something to him, but wasn�t quite listening.
�Thank you for your help,� Holly said again, this time a little more pointedly. �But if I don�t get this stuff inside, some of it�s going to spoil. So, if you�ll excuse me.�
�Oh. Oh! Sure, not a problem. Umm�can I help you carry some of that inside, just to make sure it doesn�t go across the yard again?� He offered, smiling disarmingly at her.
Holly raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to the side. That damn twig decided then to fall into her face, causing her to blow it out of her line of vision, shaking her head to make sure it got the idea. He seemed harmless enough, she thought. Besides, if he were dangerous, he wouldn�t have been out there that long before the police were called on him. And as usual, she had taken on a bigger job than she was used to.
�Actually, I�d really appreciate it,� accepted, smiling warmly at him. �Here, you take these�they�re heavier.�
Lance laughed as he picked up the ones she indicated, following her up the steps to the front door. She juggled the groceries around in her arms, trying to get the key to meet with the doorknob.
�Here,� Lance said, taking the keys from her hand and easily inserting them into the door. He turned the lock, opening the door and pushing it open. Stepping back, he motioned for her to go first. Well of course she would go first, you dork. It�s her house.
�You can just put those bags on the table there,� Holly called out, motioning with her head towards the kitchen as she walked past the room. She discreetly tossed the bag with her personal items in it on her bed, closing the door behind her. Thank goodness that hadn�t been the bag that broke.
She came into the kitchen, dropping her bags on the table with a loud thud and making a face at the sound. She hoped the antique dining table wasn�t scratched.
�I really appreciate your help,� she said, absently brushing the twig of hair back.
�My pleasure,� he said, suddenly at a loss for words.
They stood there, letting the awkward silence overtake them. Finally, Holly moved towards the groceries, taking the perishables and putting them in the refrigerator.
�You�re new here, aren�t you?� She asked, turning her back to him. �I haven�t seen you around. Not that I�m being nosy, it�s just that it�s such a...selective�neighborhood. I�m still wondering how I got in here.�
Lance chuckled, looking her over. When she turned back around, he guiltily averted his eyes to the pictures on the wall, somehow knowing she knew he had been looking at her.
�If you could hand me that there,� she asked, pointing to a package of pasta.
�Sure,� he answered, handing it to her. �You�re right.�
Holly laughed. �I�m always glad to hear that, but refresh my memory-about what am I right?�
Lance felt like an idiot. �You were right when you said I was new here. I am.�
Holly looked at him. He had his hands in the pockets on his jeans and was shifting his weight back and forth from one leg to another. She smiled at him again and extended a hand.
�Well, welcome to Williamsburg on Clubview. I�m Holly.�
Lance smiled back at her, taking her outstretched hand.
�Hi, Holly. I�m Lance.�
As their hands touched each other, both felt a tingle. They looked at each other and surprised expressions mirrored on their faces.
�You�re Holly?� He asked.
�And you�re Lance?� She echoed. �The same one who��
�Made two wrong phone calls,� he finished her sentence, laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
�Oh, my goodness,� she said softly, looking closely at him. �I guess you were telling me the truth.�
He looked quizzically at her, neither realizing they were still holding hands.
�When you told me on the phone that night who you were, I thought you were just giving me a line of bullsh�,� she cleared her throat, blushing slightly. �I thought you were just being funny.�
�Nah,� he told her, grinning lopsidedly. �I�m not the funny one.�
�Oh? Well, if it makes you feel any better, I�m not the funny one either,� she responded, grinning back at him. She noticed then that he still held her hand and nodded at that.
�Oh,� Lance said, blushing slightly. �I�uh�My bad, huh?�
He reluctantly released her hand, still smiling at her. Why on earth was he feeling like a 15 year old with a crush on the girl in 3rd period math? It wasn�t like she was his usual type. As far as looks went, she was maybe a little above average. Her hair was too�professional�for his usual liking, what with it all pulled back in a French braid, except for that little twig that she kept brushing out of her face. And her body-he had been looking her over quite a bit since first seeing her that morning. She wasn�t as thin as the other girls he had dated or been linked with. This one-Holly-was more�natural. He couldn�t think of another word to describe her. She wasn�t what he would call �chunky�-but he knew a couple of guys who would easily dismiss her because of that-no, he wouldn�t consider her chunky at all. She was a healthy weight, a girl with a few curves on her. His mind wondered at what it would be like to feel those curves against him, to run his hands up and down her arms, to caress her obvious cleavage with his tongue, to experience her legs wrapped around his waist as he�
�It was certainly nice to meet you, Holly,� he suddenly said, realizing he needed to leave before his thoughts manifested themselves. �I still have some unpacking to do.�
�Oh,� Holly said, a bit dejected. She was enjoying having him visit her. No one would ever believe it, anyway. She was having trouble believing it herself. �Well, I�ll walk you to the door. It�s the least I can do after you helped me.�
Lance bit back the urge to tell her what she could do to help him. Where were these thoughts coming from, anyway? Had he suddenly been possessed by Joey or something?
�Hey, um,� he said, once at the door, back to being a shy 15 year old again. �Maybe we�ll run into each other again.�
�I should think so,� Holly snorted. �I mean, we live in the same area.�
Was she really this oblivious to what she was doing to him? Did she actually miss the meaning behind his statement? He was going to go for it.
�I know that,� he told her. �I mean, you know, maybe you could come over sometime and help me decorate some? You know, men don�t have a clue when it comes to those things.�
Lance cast a quick glance to the sky, looking for it to suddenly cloud over and lightning strike him down. Nothing but clear, blue sky. Maybe that was a sign.
�Sure, I guess so,� Holly responded, brushing back that annoying twig again. �I�I have weird hours right now at work, so why don�t you just give me a call?�
He nodded and waited as she went back in to get a piece of paper to write the number on.
�Here ya go,� she told him. �I figured it would be easier for you to have mine, considering you weren�t so keen on giving me your number the other night.�
Lance threw his head back, laughing heartily. She had him on that one. And he wanted to have her right then. She was absolutely refreshing-no pretenses, just Holly. And she actually said �keen�.
�OK,� he said, folding the paper and putting it in his front pocket. �I�ll see you soon, then?�
�Most definitely,� Holly flirted, praying that she was doing the right thing.