Karen Rose - Have You Seen Her?

And if that weren't chastisement enough, Matt took his turn, extolling Jenna's virtues and frowning at his father as though he were mud. Helen was ignoring him and he didn't even try to talk to Brad. So he'd left, gotten in his car, and driven with no destination in mind, but was totally unsurprised to look up and find himself sitting in front of her apartment.

"Jenna, I saw you through your window. I won't stop knocking until you open the door."

"I'll call the police," she said through the door.

"I am the police," he reminded her. "'Please."

"She's a stubborn one," a voice said behind him and he turned to find himself the subject of octogenarian scrutiny from a six-inch opening of the neighbor's front door. "I'm Mrs. Kasselbaum."

Ah , he thought. The nosy neighbor. Perhaps she might be an ally . He extended his hand. "I'm Special Agent Steven Thatcher of the State Bureau of Investigation," he said and watched her eyes go round as saucers. Antique saucers.

A gnarled arthritic hand appeared from the six-inch opening and shook his hand with a strong grip. "Is our Jenna in some kind of trouble?" she asked, dropping her voice to a loud whisper.

"No, ma'am. I got myself in trouble. I said something I shouldn't have and now she won't let me apologize. Do you have any suggestions?"

She pursed her lips, then said, "I've got a key." And it was Steven's turn to widen his eyes.

"You do? Jenna gave you one?"

Her expression fell. "No," she admitted. "The tenant before traveled a lot and I watered his plants and fed his cat. The landlord never changes the locks between tenants."

That had to be a violation of some kind, Steven thought and filed it away along with the intent to put a new lock on Jenna's door as soon as possible. "I couldn't use a key. Do you have any other suggestions?" He leaned closer. "She and I had a bit of a… spat. You know how it is."

She nodded. "My Harvey and I would have our spats from time to time. God rest his soul."

'"I'm sorry, ma'am."

Mrs. Kasselbaum shrugged matter-of-factly. "He was ninety-two. We had a May-December marriage, you see." She batted her eyes and Steven bit back a grin. What a cutie-pie she was.

"Well, I really want to apologize to Jenna " He sighed sadly. "She and I promised we'd never let the sun go down on our wrath."

Mrs. Kasselbaum nodded at the biblical reference as Steven suspected she would. "Sensible. My Harvey and I had the same arrangement. Step aside, young man." Steven did and Mrs. Kasselbaum fully emerged from her apartment to knock briskly on Jenna's door. "Jenna Marshall, open this door this instant." Silence met their ears and she sighed. "I don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice. I'll call the landlord and tell him about the other dog."

The door snapped open and Steven had to grab Mrs. Kasselbaum to keep her from falling through. Jenna stood there, arms crossed over her breasts, a German shepherd flanking her on either side, her face full of righteous indignation. She was magnificent, he thought, his mouth watering at the sight of her. She glared down at the old lady. "You wouldn't."

Mrs. Kasselbaum looked up defiantly. "Will you let this boy apologize?"

Jenna looked at Steven who gave her his best innocent look. She snorted. "Oh, for heaven's sake. Come in and get it over with." She bent down to stare Mrs. Kasselbaum square in the eye as Steven slipped in the door. "If Seth gets wind of this…"

Mrs. Kasselbaum straightened her body indignantly. "I'm not a gossip, young woman."

"No, not you," Jenna answered sarcastically. "So, when you do tell him, tell him I am not romantically involved, nor do I have any intention of romantic involvement." She straightened and shut the door hard, but didn't turn around to look at him. After an uncomfortable pause, her shoulders sagged and he clenched his fists at his sides to keep from turning her to face him. "Okay, Agent Thatcher," she said -softly and he winced at the hurt in her voice. "You're sorry, you won't ever do it again. You've apologized. Now you can go."

He blew out a pent-up breath. "Jenna, please. I need to do something right today. My children aren't speaking to me."

She turned slowly and in her eyes he saw not anger, but grave disappointment. "As well they shouldn't. And not because of me."

Steven narrowed his eyes. That sounded like a rebuke. "Then why?"

"Steven, how many evenings have you been home this week?"

Now he knew where this was going. "You must already know if you ask the question," he answered tightly.

She just looked at him for a long moment, then limped to sit at her dining-room table where all her folders lay spread out. She patted the table. "Sit. Please."

She'd said please. So he sat.

"This isn't any of my business," she began.

"No, it really isn't."

She smiled and only God knew why that put him at ease. But it did. "I'm going to tell you anyway. You owe me, since you were rude to me today."

"You were rude to me on Friday," he countered. "So we should be even."

She raised a brow. "But you've already accepted my apology for that. Nice try, but no deal. While we were waiting for you to come home, I talked to your boys. Nicky told me you're never home. Matt said you'd offered to take him to a movie festival this weekend, but you got busy and forgot. And tonight, you're late again-and for a family dinner."

She was right, he knew. Still it annoyed him to have her say it aloud. "And you are an expert on children, Dr. Marshall?"

"No," she said softly. "But I am an expert on the fragility of time. It passes, Steven. You can't stop it. You always think you're going to have another day to make things right, to say the things you should have said, to do the things you should have done. But sometimes time and life don't cooperate and another day never comes." She blinked, her eyes dry even though his had filled. "You know this, Steven. You almost lost Nicky last year. So why do you hide from your children? They love you."

Restless, Steven pushed to his feet and paced to the sliding-glass door that led to her balcony. She was right. He'd almost lost Nicky last year. So why did he work so much? Was he hiding from his children? He rubbed the stiff spot on the back of his neck. He'd deal with that after he dealt with this . "I came to apologize, Jenna. I'm sorry I became angry. I had a very bad day and thought my aunt had set me up on another one of her blind dates. I… I thought you were party to it. I'm sorry. I hope you'll forgive my rudeness as Brad so accurately labeled it."

"Accepted."

Steven wheeled around. "Accepted? Just like that?"

Jenna lifted one corner of her mouth in a wry smile. "Why not? You accepted mine on Friday as I recall. And I said you were an idiot."

"An incompetent idiot."

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Thank you for refreshing my memory. We seem to have gotten off to awkward starts both times we've met, Agent Thatcher. Perhaps we could begin again."

Steven rolled his shoulders, feeling the weight roll away. He approached, holding out his hand, feeling the grin split his face. "I'm Steven. I'm glad to meet you."

She took his hand and looked up, shyly he thought. "I'm Jenna. Would you like a drink?"

He looked down into her eyes and felt his heart turn over in his chest. Her lips moved but it was a few seconds before the whispered word sank in.

"Steven?"

He realized he still held her hand and hastily let it go. "Um, yeah. A drink would be great."

But she didn't get up. She just sat there staring up at him with those wide violet eyes and full red lips and the fantasy flashed right back. Her naked body in his bed, her black hair spread on his pillow, her violet eyes dazed with passion, her full lips moaning his name.