Hello, I have been lax in updating my blog spot. So sorry. My latest book, Miss Goody Two Shoes, w

MISS GOODY TWO SHOES

Chapter One

     Victoria Hamilton parked her car in the Arch Street parking arcade. She considered herself lucky to have a reserved parking spot. This was one of the perks her employer, Conrad Wilkins had given her. She had been a private secretary for Mr. Wilkins for many years; having seniority over all the other girls in the office. She took a deep breath as she entered the hall, leading to her office. It wasn’t even 9:00 a.m. and she felt exhausted. Living on the outskirts of Philadelphia made the Monday morning drive to the financial district more trying. Traffic was always seemed the heaviest on Monday morning. She entered her office, put away her purse, and then went to the ladies room. As she entered the ladies room two of the secretaries were talking about the wonderful weekend they had enjoyed. Seeing Victoria, they became quiet, washed their hands and left the rest room. Victoria had no friends, and blamed it partly on her position in the firm, as well as her appearance. She was tall, with long black hair which she wore parted in the center and drawn into a bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were blue, with thick lashes, and an ivory complexion. The only make-up she wore was a little powder, so her face would not shine, and very light lipstick. She dressed in manly suits, and always wore a pair of small pearl earrings. Her shoes were always a comfortable pump, with a one inch heel. On the way back to her office, she stopped into the cafeteria for a cup of black coffee. As she was sitting at the table sipping her coffee, she glanced at the paper, and then tossed it. Why read Friday’s paper, here it is Monday, May 11, 1998, she thought.

      Virginia, the girl from the mail room came in. “Good morning Victoria, bracing up for a rough day?” she asked.

     “It was such a hectic ride into work. Monday’s are always the worst,” she answered.

     “At least we have a job to come to. The way the work force is, we should be thankful for that,” Virginia answered as she left the cafeteria.

     Victoria stood up, walked over threw her coffee cup into the trash and walked out into the hall toward her office wearing a forced smile on her lips.

     “Good morning Sarah,” she greeted the receptionist.

     “Mr. Wilkins said I should tell you to come to his office as soon as you arrive,” Sarah relayed the message.

     “Thank you Sarah,” Victoria said and made her way to Mr. Wilkins office.

     She tapped lightly on the door, walked in and said, “Good morning. I understand that you wanted to see me.”

     “Victoria, come in and sit down please. Every time I have something on my mind that doesn’t seem quite right, I always have the answer after I have talked with you. How is your mother feeling?” Mr. Wilkins asked.

     “There has been no change in her health condition, and I do thank you for asking. I probably should her put into a nursing home, but I can’t bring myself to do that. At least having a live in practical nurse is a good solution for the time being,” Victoria answered him.

     “You are certainly a devoted daughter. If I can be of any help, all you need to do is ask,” he reminded her.

     “I know and I do thank you, but I feel sure you did not call me into your office to discuss my mother’s health issues,” she said to him.

     “No, a prospective customer, Howard Duvall, is coming in from San Angelo, Texas to discuss a business transaction with me. If I can pull this off, it will be a feather in my cap. His family is oil wealthy, and I would like to have some of that wealth come our way. The problem is his plane is scheduled to arrive at 4:30 p.m.  I am scheduled to give a lecture at the university at 3:30 p.m.  I want you to make hotel reservations for him and then go to the airport and meet him. He will be arriving on flight 172. Also make dinner reservations for the four of us. My wife will be joining us.  I will check with you before I leave concerning the restaurant and the time.”

     “Yes sir, I will take care of it,” Victoria answered confidently. “After all, the reason for you providing me with a hotel room in the city is for this type of emergencies.”

     “Yes, you have never complained about having to stay late. I owe much of my success to you. When I have you with me at a business meeting, it always turns out well,” he complimented.

     “Thank you, I will make the reservations. You really should get a hair trim today,” Victoria reminded him on her way out.

     He smiled as he picked up the receiver of the telephone to call the barber shop.

     On her walk back to the office Victoria noticed one of the more recent employees was wearing a tight mini skirt, and low cut blouse. She went directly to her office and opened the top drawer of the file cabinet. After searching for a folder, she removed a sheet of paper and headed back to the office of Mr. Wilkins. The door was completely closed, she hesitated and then knocked.

     “Who is it?” Mr. Wilkins asked.

     “It is Victoria, and I just need one minute of your time. There is an issue among the secretaries that should be settled at once,” she announced.

     “The door is not locked, come in,” he invited.

     Victoria walked in and was surprised to see Mrs. Wilkins sitting on his desk. As Victoria entered, she slid off his desk and sat in a chair near Conrad.

     “I apologize for disturbing you, but I noticed one of the more recently hired secretaries is dressed inappropriately. I feel certain the dress code is included in the packet each employee receives when they are hired. Since there is a prospective client coming in, this issue should be resolved at once,” Victoria handed Mr. Wilkins a copy of the dress code.

     “Have Sarah make an announcement over the loud speaker that all employees are to come to the meeting room immediately. You man the phone lines to enable Sarah to also come to the meeting. Dear, please come in with me. I would like to introduce you,” he asked.

     “Mrs. Wilkins is a fine example of the appearance of the professional woman, and again my apologies for disturbing the two of you,” Victoria said, and walked out to the receptionist office.

     Sarah was on the telephone, so Victoria waited until she hung up before giving her Mr. Wilkins message.

     “What is this all about?” Sarah asked as she again picked up the telephone receiver. “Attention, all employees are to report to the meeting room immediately. Mr. Wilkins did say all employees at once.” She walked away from the desk and said, “I hope I am not in any trouble. Can you handle the phone lines?”

     “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Probably one of those things he needs to remind everyone about. You know how it is, if two or three people are excluded they are referred to as brown nosers,” Victoria replied.

     “I hope not, I need this job,” Sarah admitted as she hurried down the hall.

     Victoria went behind the desk and sat down. She picked up the sheet of paper with the name and extension numbers of the employees. The phone rang Victoria picked up the receiver and said, “Good afternoon, Wilkins financial services, how may I address your call?”

     “I would like to speak with Suzanne Miller,” the voice replied.

     “I am sorry but she is in a meeting at this time. If you would like to leave a voice message, I will connect you,” Victoria replied.

     “I suppose I should. I am her father and the message is urgent,” he answered.

     “One moment sir and I will connect you,” Victoria took the sheet she had picked up earlier and found the extension number she was looking for, dialed it, and then hung up the receiver.  As she put the sheet back on the desk she noticed one extension number had handwriting above it. She picked the sheet up once again and glanced at it. The name Victoria Hamilton had a line drawn thru it and Miss Goody two shoes had been written in.

Victoria’s eyes began to smart. She knew she wasn’t well liked but reading this hurt. She said a silent prayer, and once again put a smile on her face. In all reality the name wasn’t malicious, and she realized she had probably been called much worse. She seized this opportunity to call The Hotel Ritz and make a reservation for Mr. Duvall, also making the dinner reservations in the restaurant for 7:00 p.m. She wrote the information on a message pad for Mr. Wilkins, and then called the airline to check the arrival time for flight 172. It was on schedule.

     Sarah returned to the receptionist area grumbling, “Why do we all have to listen to a sermon because a select few decide to break the rules?”

     Victoria stood up, walking away from the desk and answered, “Perhaps to remind each one of the rules. Usually when one person sees another one get away with breaking a rule, they choose to break it also. Look at the bright side, you had a break from your normal routine, and you still got paid for it.”

     “Mr. Wilkins said we had important company coming. Could you elaborate on that?” Sarah asked.

     Before she had an opportunity to answer, Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins were walking to the front door. They stopped at the receptionist desk and he said, “Sarah, I will be out for the rest of the day. Just take any messages that may come in.”

     Victoria handed Mr. Wilkins the message she had written and said, “The arrival of the plane is on time. We will see the two of you later.”

     Maureen Wilkins took Victoria’s hand in hers and said, “Victoria I am so relieved that Conrad has someone as dedicated as you for his right hand. “

     Surprised Victoria answered, “What a kind thing to say, thank you.”

     Mr. Wilkins gave them a wave with the hat he was holding in his hand as they departed.

     “I will be leaving shortly also. I will be going to the airport to pick up our prospective client. I just realized I have never seen a picture of him, what should I do?” Victoria asked.

     “In the movies they always hold up a sign with the person’s name on it. Where is he flying in from?” Sarah asked.

     “Mr. Wilkins said he was from San Angelo, Texas,” Victoria answered, not wanting to elaborate.

     “Look for someone tall, say six feet, muscular, well-tanned, and wearing cowboy boots,” Sarah suggested.

     “That description could fit Dale Robertson, Rory Calhoun, Matt Dillon, and the list could go on and on, perhaps you are watching too much television,” Victoria teased.

     “I lead a dull life. My parents are very old fashioned,” Sarah confided.

     “If you want to take a walk to the cafeteria for a chocolate bar, I can man the telephone for a few more minutes,” Victoria offered.

     “Thanks but it is almost break time. Suzanne will be coming up to replace me in a few minutes,” Sarah replied.

     Victoria smiled and said, “Then I will see you tomorrow,” as she walked back to her office. She decided she would leave for the day while Suzanne was sitting at the receptionist desk. This would give her time to go by the hotel for a shower and change her clothing. She picked up her purse, locked the office door and walked out front. She stopped at the receptionist desk and said, “Suzanne, I will be leaving for the evening. If any calls come in for me, put them through to my message machine. My extension number is on the sheet by my name, Miss Goody two shoes. Have a good evening,” and she walked out the door. She had a real smile on her face. She had the last laugh. Victoria was glad she had left work early. The traffic was not heavy and she arrived at the hotel in record time. As she turned the key in the lock to open the door she remembered she had not called Bertha, her Mother’s nurse. Once inside she went to the telephone to place her call. Bertha’s sister Sadie answered the telephone. Sadie often came over to help with the housework, do the shopping, or to just give Bertha a break. Sadie said Bertha was giving her Mother a back rub, but she would relay the message to her, and she would also spend the night to help care for her. This information sat Victoria’s mind at ease. She went into the bedroom for her robe and then hopped into the shower. Victoria’s mental image of a six foot hunk got her pulse racing. As she put on her underclothing she decided to wear the new suit she had purchased last week. She had planned to return it, since it was too short, but decided it was time to be daring. She brushed her hair and put it in a French twist, then put on her new light blue suit. She decided to wear a string of pearls to match her earrings. Her pumps just didn’t match her outfit, so on the way to the airport she stopped and bought herself a stylish pair of heels, which matched the purse she was carrying. She glanced at her image in the mirror as she left the shoe store and thought Suzanne should see me now. She was still smiling as she was driving to the airport. She headed for the Delta division and had no trouble finding a convenient parking space. Once inside the airport she made herself a sign. As the airplane landed she walked outside to watch the passengers exit the plane. She did not see a lone man exit until the last passenger came down the ramp. When he came into sight she held the sign in front of her.

      He walked over to her smiling, held out his hand and said, “I am Howard Duvall.”

     “Mr. Duvall, my name is Victoria Hamilton, Mr. Wilkins private secretary. Welcome to our fair city,” she greeted him.

     “It is my pleasure to meet you, please call me Howard,” he requested.

     “Thank you Howard. Mr. Wilkins sends his apologizes for not being here to greet you. He had a previous commitment,” Victoria explained as the two were walking to the baggage department.

     “For that I am grateful. I have never met the gentleman, but I am glad you were there to meet me. I am the envy of every male at the airport,” Howard boasted.

     “That is the nicest thing anyone ever said to me,” Victoria admitted. “If I may ask, how long will you be staying?”

     “That sort of depends. Since this is my first time in Philadelphia, I would like to visit some of the historic sites,” he answered.

     “I made reservations for your room at The Hotel Ritz. It is a nice hotel near the financial district. I also have a room there. There are times when I find it necessary to spend the night in the city, and the hotel is convenient for me,” she explained.

     Howard was watching for his baggage to come around on the turntable. He reached over and grabbed a suitcase in each hand saying; “Now I have what we were waiting for.”

     Victoria smiled at him and said, “If you like you can wait for me outside on the sidewalk, while I bring my car around.”

     “I suppose that would be the logical thing to do. These suitcases are heavy. I packed a variety of clothing since I didn’t know what I would need,” Howard explained.

     “I will return within five minutes,” Victoria promised as she hurried away. She found her car, unlocked the door and started the engine thinking, Sarah were you wrong with his description. Howard was about five feet, nine inches tall, probably two hundred pounds, red hair, which he parted in the center, and a round red face. He was wearing a red and white striped shirt, blue jeans with a leather belt attached to a large silver belt buckle. However, he was wearing cowboy boots.

     As Victoria was pulling the car alongside the curb, Howard waved to her. She popped the trunk open, got out of the car and waited as he piled his suitcases in the trunk. He lowered the trunk lid and checked to make sure it was closed. He climbed in the front seat, and once she had started the car he asked, “I am not what you expected, am I?”

     “To tell you the truth, I hadn’t given it a thought. However, since we will probably be spending time with each other, I am glad you are easy to talk with, and I feel very comfortable in your presence,” Victoria admitted.

     “That is nice to hear, I feel the same way about you,” Howard confessed.

     “We have dinner reservations in the hotel dining room for 7:00 o’clock. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins will be joining us. I hope the arrangements I have made are satisfactory with you,”

Victoria said.

     “That will give me time to rest up a bit and change clothes. What should I wear,” he asked.

     “A suit and tie will be fine,” she answered. “The traffic is getting heavier so I won’t be talking as much. I will need to concentrate on my driving.”

     “Then I’ll just close my eyes for a spell,” he replied closing his eyes.

     As she was driving along she would glance at Howard on occasion. He appeared to be in a sound sleep. Once she glanced over and he had a smile on his face, showing a dimple in his cheek that she hadn’t noticed before. Upon reaching the hotel, she drove into the parking garage, and parked in her parking space.

     “Howard, we are here,” she said to him. He did not respond, so she touched him on the cheek and again said, “Howard, we are at the hotel.”

     He opened one eye and said, “So we are.”

     “I have parked in my parking space. Let’s get you checked in and then we can take your luggage to your room,” Victoria said.

     “Do you think I could use the bathroom first,” Howard asked.

     “Certainly, then let’s carry your luggage in now,” Victoria said popping the trunk.

     Howard picked up his suitcases and Victoria showed him to her room. She unlocked her door and Howard hurriedly set the suitcases down and asked, “What door?”

     Victoria pointed and he entered the bathroom quickly, closing the door behind him. She went over and sat down in her rocking chair. She closed her eyes to relax. It had been an exhausting day. She heard the bathroom door open and immediately opened her eyes.

     Howard came out of the bathroom, walked over to her and said, “Well, I feel better, but you poor thing, you must be exhausted.”

     “Now it’s my turn to potty,” she smiled at him as she walked into the bathroom. Once she was out she said, “Okay Howard, let’s go get you registered.”

     “Lead the way,” Howard agreed and the two walked to the elevator.

     Once in the hotel lobby, Victoria walked to the desk with Howard and introduced him to the reservation clerk. He put his room key in his jeans pocket and said, “Once I get my suitcases from your room and into mine, I will take a shower and get dressed. I will be knocking on you door ten minutes before the hour.”

     “Thank you Howard, I would like that,” she agreed. She knew she had made her first male friend.

     While walking to the elevator Howard noticed the dress shop in the hotel. He stopped and said to Victoria, “Will you do me the honor of letting me buy you that beautiful lilac dress. It will look stunning on you.”

     “No, Howard, it is nice of you to offer, but I couldn’t accept a gift from you,” she explained.

     “Just why not? You have been so nice to me; it would be a token of my appreciation, nothing more.  There are no strings attached and I won’t take no for an answer,” Howard replied, opening the door of the dress shop for her to enter.

     Embarrassed Victoria walked over to the mannequin and looked at the dress. A sales clerk came over and asked, “What size would you want to see the dress in?”

     Howard answered, “Do you have the dress in a size ten?”

     “If you will just wait one minute I will check,” the sales clerk replied, walking off.

     She returned with the dress, handed it to Victoria and said, “The dressing rooms are behind the service desk.”

     Victoria took the dress and went inside the dressing room to try it on. When she walked out Howard let out a wolf whistle.

     “Victoria, the dress is a perfect fit. The person that designed that dress had you in mind,” he turned to the sales clerk and said, “We will take it.”

     She went back into the dressing room to remove the dress. She knew she wanted it, and couldn’t afford it, but she didn’t feel right about letting Howard pay for it. After she was dressed, she walked out and handed the dress to the clerk. The clerk rang up the sale, put a covering over the clothes hanger and said, “Thank you stop in again.”

     “You’ve got some mighty pretty merchandise in this store,” Howard answered as he held the door open for Victoria.

     The two entered the elevator and Victoria said, “Howard, I am not accustomed to letting men pick out my clothing, much less pay for it.”

     “I suspected as much since you were so embarrassed, but is just my way of showing my appreciation for what you have and are going to do for me,” he explained.

     “Just what do you mean by what I am going to do for you?” Victoria was visibly upset.

     “You are going sightseeing with me, aren’t you?” Howard asked.

     “Of course I am, but I don’t intend to go to bed with you,” she retorted.

     “If that is why you are so upset forget it. That is not at all what I had in mind. There are no strings attached, I swear,” he answered sheepishly.

     “Now that we have that little matter straightened out, we can be friends, but just friends,” Victoria told him as the elevator stopped at her floor.

     They walked to her room and she handed Howard her key to unlock the door. He unlocked it, stepped aside for her to enter and walked over to pick up his luggage saying, “See you at ten of,” and walked out the door.

 

Chapter Two      

     Conrad and Maureen Wilkins were waiting at the bar when Howard and Victoria approached them. Victoria made the introductions and Howard acknowledged them by saying, “Wilkins, you did me a big favor by sending this little lady to the airport today. She is one in a million.”

     “That I know. She is my right arm,” he replied.

as released by Rebel Ink Press today. I will try to post Chapter One for you.