Summer on Blossom Street (Blossom Street #6)(31)

Phoebe hadn’t given the group many details. In fact, she seemed reluctant to talk about her f iancé’s death at all, which told him she was still dealing with the loss.

Hutch could understand that. He would never forget how he’d felt when he’d learned about his father’s heart attack. That kind of trauma wasn’t quickly laid to rest.

“Be patient with her,” his mother advised.

Hutch simply agreed. He’d hoped Gloria would be satisf ied with a few remarks about Phoebe, but he could tell that wasn’t going to be the case.

“What does she look like?” His mother pressed and then laughed. “Outward appearance doesn’t mean much, but she’s obviously captured your fancy and that makes me wonder. She must be beautiful.”

“She is.” At least in his eyes, Phoebe was strikingly attractive.

“She has big, dark eyes.” In them he read her pain and determination to survive this and whatever else life threw at her. The woman had courage, and that appealed to him even more than her beauty. As for describing her features, all he could come up with was that she looked pretty.

“She’s about your height,” he said, turning to his mother. The fact that Phoebe had slipped so easily into his mind was actually surprising. He hadn’t thought about her since last week’s knitting class.

“Short, then.”

“No-o-o.” Hutch didn’t view her that way. “Petite.” Not a word he normally used, but it seemed to describe Phoebe.

“How does she wear her hair?”

“Her hair,” he repeated. “It’s…it’s…” He made several futile attempts to depict it with his hands and f inally gave up. “She wears it sort of…long. To her shoulders, I guess. It’s uh, wavy.”

That was the best he could do.

His mother laughed, apparently f inding his antics amusing. Finally Hutch shook his head. “You’ll meet her soon enough, so all your questions will be answered.”

His mother fairly beamed with excitement. “You’ve already asked her out?”

“Well…”

“Move slowly with her, Hutch. She’s suffered a tremendous loss and the last thing she needs is to be rushed into a new relationship.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The way he said it made his mother smile. “I know, I know, you don’t need dating advice from me.”

She was right, but he wasn’t willing to say so. His mother f inished her tea and left soon afterward. Hutch walked her to her car as she chatted about meeting his younger sister for lunch and the shopping trip the two of them had planned. As he returned to the off ice, Phoebe Rylander’s image came to mind again. He thought of her sitting across the table from him, working quietly on her project while he struggled to learn the craft. He suddenly felt unnerved as he recognized how much attention he’d paid to her. Until his mother’s visit, he hadn’t even realized it. That said a lot. He’d been out of the dating world for so many years, he found it hard to remember what it was like to have a relationship.

Offering to walk Phoebe to her car after class had been a matter of courtesy. Only now did he acknowledge his disappointment when she’d refused. He was completely out of his element with women these days—that was an unavoidable conclusion—but he was going to pursue Phoebe. In the gentlest possible way, of course. He’d follow his mother’s suggestion and take things slowly. For all he knew, Phoebe might already be in another relationship. Somehow he didn’t think so.

The phone on Gail’s desk rang as Hutch stepped into the off ice. He heard her answer, then say, “Just a minute, Mr. Custer. I’ll see if he’s available.”

He paused.

Holding her hand over the receiver, Gail said, “It’s John—want to talk to him again?”

Hutch had been half expecting the attorney to call back. “I’ll take it at my desk.” He hurried into his off ice, closing the door.

“Hutch,” John said excitedly. “Listen, these people are ready to deal. They don’t want to go to court any more than we do.”

“Good.” Naturally he hoped the plaintiff in this case could drop it entirely. That, however, was unlikely.

“Her attorney said he’d make everything go away for half a million dollars.”

Hutch nearly laughed out loud. “There is absolutely no way!”

“Hutch, be reasonable,” John said in a persuasive voice.

“Getting rid of the aggravation factor is worth half a mil in itself. Be done with this once and for all.”

Hutch hesitated, then decided to go with his gut. “In my opinion, this is blackmail, plain and simple.”

“True, but it can also turn around and bite you if you don’t settle now. It’s a take it or leave it proposition. They’re insisting on an answer by this afternoon.”

Hutch had to admit he was tempted. He’d like nothing more than to put an end to this whole mess. “If we pay them off, what’s to prevent someone else from f iling the same suit two months down the road?”

John didn’t respond for a moment. “That’s unlikely. Let’s deal with what’s in front of us right now,” he urged. “This can all be resolved today if we pay up. Don’t you feel that’s worth it?”