To Hire a Cheerleader Pt. 02

When Tori gave him the address, he nodded and, reaching his arm around her, ran his finger down the sign until he pointed to the correct connection. "You'll need to take the bus over to Santa Clara Street, then catch the one from Montgomery Highway. That'll get you there."

Tori was barely following the man's words. She was too shocked. In all of her life, no man had ever walked up to her and offered to help her find her way anywhere. And here was a man that she didn't know from Adam who was not only offering to help her, he was using the schedule as an excuse to touch her.

Even as unsophisticated as she was, Tori realized that the man was flirting with her. As she started to turn and move away, Tori was seized by a sudden urge to flirt back. This was a stranger, she was in a fairly safe situation and the man seemed nice enough. With only a trace of hesitation, Tori turned back to him and said, "Where are you headed?"

The man told her, then introduced himself. He and Tori sat down on a nearby bench and began talking. She learned that he worked in Silician Valley and had lived in San Jose all of his life. She told him about her having just met her dad and how much she was enjoying California. When a bus pulled up to the curb, the man pointed it out as the one she needed to take. Before Tori stepped away, he said, "I really enjoyed talking to you. Maybe I'll see you here again. Have a great day." Tori waved at him and smiled to herself. Apparently there really was something to this attitude thing!

The bus ride across town was rather uneventful. Tori found her connections and got off practically in front of Jake's house. She walked up the steps of the house and knocked.

The look that George gave Tori when he opened the door was worth every penny of her daddy's money that she had spent the night before! It was obvious that he had been about to say something, but he had lost his train of thought when he got a good look at Tori. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he seemed to suddenly remember what he had been about to say. "Young lady! What do you mean riding the bus over here? Especially when you look like that!"

Of all the things that Tori had expected him to say, that hadn't been one of them. Confused, she looked at George and said, "What? Why wouldn't I ride a bus? I certainly can't afford to take a taxi everyday. And what's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

George motioned her into the house before he answered. "There is nothing wrong with the way you are dressed. That's the problem. You don't know what kind of people might be on that bus. Someone might try to take advantage of you, particularly when you look so fetching."

"Fetching? George, I didn't know people actually used that word," Tori teased, relieved that he wasn't upset because he thought she was dressed inappropriately. He was just upset because she was dressed appropriately. "And, since I don't have a car yet, primarily because I can't afford a garage, how else am I going to get to work? My broom is in the shop. Of course, I probably won't be able to afford a broom sized garage, either."

George looked momentarily confused until he realized that the last little bit of Tori's outburst had been a joke. Although he snorted and rolled his eyes, Tori figured that he still thought it was funny. He was just too much of a butler to actually laugh at her jokes.

Apparently, choosing to answer her question rather than comment on her mode of transportation, George said, "I will send the car around, of course."

"The car?" Tori asked.

"Yes, the car. We do have one. Actually, we have several. And all of them are in a garage. Not that I understand what that has to do with anything. Anyway, you are not to ride the bus again. Mr. Rhodes would have my head if he knew you had arrived by public transportation."

Tori doubted that Mr. Rhodes would be nearly as appalled as George wanted her to believe. But she decided to humor the man. "If that is standard employee policy, I guess that I will have to abide by your decision." Tori could almost see George's chest expand as he preened under her deferral to his authority. Tori just mentally rolled her eyes and headed to her office.

It had been a few minutes before 8:00 when Tori had arrived at work. Her desk was already covered with requests from Jake. She shook her head, wishing that she had an excuse to go see him this morning. Well, not see him exactly, since any visiting that she did would have to be done in the dark, but still, she would liked to have had the chance to spend a few minutes with him. Shrugging her shoulders, she got down to the business at hand.

Tori found herself spending hours working on weeding out the information that Jake wanted. As Tuesday came to an end, she was once again shocked at how quickly the day seemed to pass. Except for a few interruptions from Beatrice, Tori had worked uninterrupted for eight hours. Working the kinks out of her shoulders, she buzzed Jake to let him know that she was finished for the day.

Tori had assumed that Jake would just tell her good night, but instead, he asked her to come to his office. Tori knocked on his door and opened it when he called out, "Come in!"

When she entered the darkened office, Tori could see Jake's silhouette. The light was coming from a computer monitor. However, since the monitor was so far away and because it was behind him, it kept his features completely in the shadows. He appeared to be a well built man with broad shoulders. Tori forced herself to pull her eyes away from the appealing sight in order to find her way across the room, though.

The light from the screen helped Tori find the chair on her own this time, without bumping into anything. "I'm glad to see that you can handle a small amount of light. It makes navigating the room much easier." Something tickled the back of Tori's mind, but at the sound of Jake's laugh, she shrugged off the feeling.

When she was comfortably seated, Jake said, "I wanted to tell you how much I appreciate the work that you did yesterday and today. I wasn't sure that I really needed any help, but if this keeps up, I'll be able to get a lot more work finished. I want you to know that you really are making a difference."

Tori felt an unfamiliar feeling course through her body. It took her a moment to realize that it was the feeling of pride in a job well done. Tori hadn't ever been allowed to enjoy that experience, before. But now, Jake was giving her permission to revel in it. Tori decided that she liked that!

Thinking that it was best if she didn't jump up and down just because she was proud of herself, Tori settled for saying, "Thank you, Jake. I've enjoyed myself."

Jake cleared his throat and said, "Did you have a nice evening last night?"

Without even thinking about the differences between her and Jake, Tori launched into the story of her previous evening. She told him about meeting Stella, about getting the new clothes and having her hair done. She even told him about making her dad take Stella out to dinner. When she finished, she suddenly realized what she had just done. Tori could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She said, "Jake, I'm sorry. You probably didn't want to hear all of that. I'm still not used to being able to say 'Yes, thank you' when people ask me if I'm having a good time. I just spill my whole life story."

Jake's throaty laugh quickly put Tori at ease. "My dear, if I hadn't wanted to know, I wouldn't have asked. I don't ask rhetorical questions."

Tori felt strangely touched by Jake's comment. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I don't ask them either, Jake. How was your evening?"

When Jake didn't immediately answer, Tori grew tense. She hadn't meant to offend him, but she had felt a bond developing between them. When Jake finally answered her, she was relieved to realize that he didn't appear to be upset with her.

Jake said, "It was a good evening, not too much to do. A little reading, listen to some music, drink some wine . . . just the usual stuff."

Smiling, Tori said, "Sounds much more relaxing that mine. Do George and Beatrice live here with you?"

"George and Beatrice have lived here for the last few years. Until their children moved out of their home, they had their own residence. Now they stay here. This house is way too big for just one person. There are rooms and rooms that are never even used. It seems a shame, really."

They spent a few minutes discussing Jake's home, then Tori realized that she needed to leave him so he could get some work done. Excusing herself, she stood up and said good bye.

When Tori walked out of Jake's office, she was surprised to see George standing in the hall waiting for her. He said, "This way, madam." Then he led her out the front door to the car waiting at the bottom of the steps.

Tori had forgotten all about her transportation discussion with George. And to tell the truth, she was grateful for his thoughtfulness. Tiptoeing up to kiss his cheek, she whispered to George, "You're the best!" Then she slid into the back of the luxury sedan and let her head fall back on the headrest.

The ride to Tori's apartment was over before she even realized it had started. Realizing that she must have dozed off, she promised herself that she would go to bed early. Too much excitement was certainly draining!

Chapter Six

When Tori slipped out her door the next morning, the car sitting in front of her apartment surprised her. Then she remembered that it was there for her. As she approached the car, the driver opened the rear door and she climbed into the back seat. It was kind of nice to be chauffeured around!

Wednesday passed much as Tuesday had and Thursday looked about the same. Tori was pleased that she was getting a routine going and that the work was challenging yet manageable. If she was honest with herself, though, she enjoyed her late afternoon chats with Jake most of all. Each day he called her into his office at the end of the day, just to talk.

While they sat together in the dark, they shared their lives with one another. Tori had learned about Jake's years at Princeton and how he had passed the bar the first time he had taken it. For her part, she had told him about losing her mom, then having to move in with her grandparents. She even shared how it had felt to finally be free of them all - the emptiness and the joy. Tori began to feel that the last minutes that she was at work were the best minutes of her entire day.

On Friday morning, Tori got in a little early. She wanted to wrap up a few things before the week-end. Her dad had invited her to go up to San Francisco with him and she couldn't wait. But she didn't want to go while she was worrying about some detail of one of Jake's cases.

At 10:00, Beatrice surprised her by bringing in a cup of coffee and a plate of cinnamon rolls. Frowning at the plate, Tori said, "Am I supposed to eat all of those?"

Beatrice beamed in response. "Of course not, dear. I'm going to join you." And with that, the older lady sat down in the chair on the other side of Tori's desk. After she was seated, Beatrice said, "You look lovely today, dear. Is that a new outfit?"

For the next several minutes, Tori told Beatrice all about her adventure on Monday night. She told her about the salon, the clothes and, of course, about Stella. Beatrice seemed to enjoy hearing about the whole experience. However, when Tori paused at the end of her story, Beatrice didn't waste any time changing the subject.

The older lady said, "I wanted to talk to you about Jake, dear. George and I are so pleased that you have come to help, but there are some things that you need to know. George nor Jake will tell you these things, so as the woman of the house, I think it is my duty. Jake has never been married. Until a few years ago, he did leave the house occasionally, particularly in the winter. Now, he is entombed in this house. It is not good for him. I know that he will make an effort to keep you at arm's length emotionally, but if you could, try to get him to open up to you. He is a wonderful man, whom I greatly admire. But he needs friends. In fact, I believe that he needs you."

Tori sat quietly as she pondered Beatrice's words. Finally Tori said, "I hope we become friends, too. Maybe he will go out with me. I've never worked with someone who is visually impaired, but I'm certain that I could figure out how to be a good guide."

Beatrice snorted, "Visually impaired? Is that what he told you? Well, that's a good one."

Alarms went off in Tori's head. She narrowed her eyes and asked, "What do you mean, Beatrice? Is Jake not visually impaired?"

With another sound of disgust, Beatrice rose from her seat, "Now I've gone and said too much. It is not my place to discuss Jake's . . . ah . . . ailment. You'll have to ask him about it to find out the details. But don't forget what I said, Tori. He has some issues that he needs some help dealing with."

And with that, the older lady exited the office.

Tori sat sipping her coffee, thinking back over the last few days. All of the little questions she had shrugged off all week came rushing back to her. How could she have missed so many clues? Of course the man wasn't blind. But she wasn't so sure that she wasn't - at least not where Jacob Rhodes was concerned.

Tori felt the tension growing in her neck and back muscles. Over the last few days, she had begun to view herself as a person of value and worth. She felt like she was in a chrysalis, about to erupt as a butterfly. She was excited and anxious to see what the future held for her. And she had expected Jake to be a part of that future, even if it was just as her boss. But now she didn't know what to think. Jake had apparently lied to her and that hurt.

The sound of the intercom's buzz brought Tori out of her deep thoughts. She pressed the talk button and said, "Yes?"

Jake's voice washed over Tori as he greeted her with a cheery, "Good morning." Even while she was angry at him, Jake's voice caused excitement to course through Tori's blood. Making an effort to concentrate, Tori realized that Jake was asking if she had finished some of the data collection. After looking through her notes, she told him that she had. Jake then said, "Could you come down to my office and go over the information with me?"

Tori rolled her eyes and asked, "Jake, how am I going to go over the information in the dark?"

"Can't you remember enough of it so we don't need the lights?"

For a moment, Tori considered telling him that she wanted the truth about why he had to sit in the darkness. However, she didn't give in to that thought. Instead she pushed the button and answered, "I can try." With that, she read back over the material and started down the hall toward Jake's office.

After finding her seat, Tori waited for Jake to start the discussion. Rather than launching immediately into his questions about the information he had asked her to bring, Jake said, "Did you have a good evening last night?"

Tori's brow knit in thought. "It was a great evening. Why do you ask?"

In the dim light, Tori could see Jake shrug his shoulders. "No reason, I just was making conversation."

Tori hadn't had a chance yet to deal with her frustration about Jake lying to her. It was difficult for her to be polite to him when she needed time to think out her feelings. Rather than trying to mask them, she decided to focus on her work. "I brought the information you asked about."

With that obvious of a change of subject, even Jake couldn't ignore it. He followed her lead and they spent several minutes going over the information she had found. When Tori had told him all that she knew, she waited for Jake to tell her what he wanted next.

But she was waiting in vain. Instead of giving her the next assignment, Jake said, "You know, I haven't worked closely with anyone for a long time. But I thought I remembered polite conversation as part of the normal routine. We've been managing it all week. What's wrong now? Is something bothering you, Tori?"

It was an opening Tori couldn't resist. But she was well aware that she couldn't just blurt out that Beatrice had told her that he wasn't blind. She hesitated only for a moment, then said, "Yes, Jake, something is bothering me. Are you sure that you want to know what it is?"

Jake nodded his head and mumbled a subdued, "Sure."

Tori sat up straight in her chair. She squared her shoulders and tried to calm her breathing. Confrontation had always unsettled her, but this was outright lying on Jake's part and she couldn't work with him knowing that. She said, "When I came here on Monday, I was impressed by the fact that you didn't hold my lack of education against me. I couldn't believe that a man like you, with all of your degrees, could see beyond that often artificial judge of intelligence and realize that life was often a better teacher than all the universities in the world. I have gone home each night telling myself how lucky I was to have found a boss who could appreciate me for who I was and give me the opportunity to become someone better than I am. But something kept bothering me. Jake, have you been laughing at my naivete all week? Did you get a good chuckle out of how simple I was?"

Tori paused, waiting for an answer. Jake sounded angry when he asked, "What are you talking about? Why would I have laughed at you?"

Shaking her head, Tori sighed. "Did you think that I was so stupid that I wouldn't notice that you are using a normal computer, with no voice activation adaptations. Although you claimed to be light sensitive, you work with a fully lit monitor. You don't have brail books in your library. You don't use a walking cane. Beatrice had George move the couch last night so she could mop behind it and it's still out of place this morning. Jake, you aren't visually impaired. If you were blind, you would have tripped right over it on the way to your office this morning. Did you think I was so dumb that I would just accept your explanation at face value and never put together all the discrepancies?" Tori didn't add that she had been so excited about being a part of his world that she had indeed accepted his explanation and ignored her own suspicions. At least she was trying to rectify that shortsightedness now.

The silence in the room was deafening. As it lengthened, Tori wondered if she had gone too far. Well, that wasn't true, she knew she had gone too far. But she couldn't work with someone who thought they were pulling a fast one over on her. If she was going to be true to who she was, she needed to confront things that bothered her. And lying bothered her.

After five minutes, Tori couldn't handle it any longer. She stood from her chair and said, "I'll pack up my stuff and leave. I'm sorry that I wasn't what you needed."

Tori had almost made it to the door before she heard Jake speaking. His voice was so soft that she almost missed it. He whispered, "I didn't laugh at you. I would never laugh at anyone. It hurts too much when people laugh at you. I'm sorry."

As she held onto the door handle, Tori weighed her options. The same feeling that had caused her not to leave on their first day together was pulling at her to stay today. She turned back toward Jake. "I'm sorry too. I didn't exactly give you a chance to explain. If you want me to stay, I will. But I really need to know that you won't lie to me anymore."

Tori wasn't really sure what she was expecting Jake to say. And at first, he didn't seem to be going to say anything. Finally, though, he did answer her, "I would like that."

Turning the knob, Tori said, "I'll go get to work on the rest of the stuff that you need." Then she quietly pulled the door shut behind her.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Beatrice brought her a sandwich for lunch, but didn't stay to eat with her. She explained that Friday was her day to change all the linens, and she was far too busy to sit and chat over lunch. Tori wondered how she had managed to find time for cinnamon rolls earlier, but decided not to ask. The truth was that she needed the time as much as Beatrice did. Jake had given her a lot of work and she wanted to get it wrapped up before the day ended.