The Last Bachelor (2 page)

He found a parking place. Leaving his food in the car, he locked the door and headed for Ginger's apartment. He only knew which it was because he'd discovered Ginger walking home one Friday night and had insisted on driving her home. He'd even walked her to her door, telling her it wasn't safe to just drop her off.

He knocked on the door. “Ginger? It's Joe. Let me in, please.”

She opened the door slightly. “Go away, Joe. I'm packing.”

“Don't go, Ginger. I can help you.”

“No, I can't—”

“Miss Waltek?”

The two men in dark suits were standing behind Joe, staring at Ginger.

Joe saw panic on Ginger's face and regretted his attempt at intervention. Maybe she would have got
ten away if he hadn't held her up. But he knew better than that. Besides, a life on the run would be hard for her.

Her head fell, and she stared at her feet. Then she looked up. “Yes, I am Virvela Waltek.” She stuck out her wrists, as if she expected to be cuffed.

The men stared at her in surprise. “We just wanted to ask a few questions. May we come in?”

Her expression blank, she moved back and nodded.

After the two men had stepped around Joe and entered the apartment, they tried to close the door.

“I'm coming in, too.”

“Who are you?” one of the men asked.

“Who are you?” Joe demanded in return. After all, the men hadn't identified themselves.

“I'm Carl Fisher and my partner is Craig Caldwell. We're INS officers. And you?”

“Joe Turner, a friend of Ginger's.”

“That is not her name,” Fisher pointed out.

“It's what I call her.” He wanted to plow his fist into the man's face, but reminded himself they were only doing their jobs. Still, if they tried to shut him out, he would fight them.

“Miss Waltek, do you mind if he comes in?” Fisher asked.

“He hasn't done anything wrong!” she exclaimed.

“They know that, sweetheart. I just want to be with you, in case you need me. Okay?”

She nodded.

Joe shut the door behind him, looking around at the flimsy table and four chairs, one beat-up sofa and
an old lamp. When Ginger said nothing else, still looking panic-stricken, he gestured to the table and chairs. “Shall we sit down?”

The two agents turned to the table and Joe reached out for Ginger's hand. “Come on, honey.” He led her to the table and took the seat beside her, keeping her hand in his.

Fisher folded his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Miss Waltek, your mother has informed us she is withdrawing her sponsorship of you for citizenship. Can you tell us why?”

Ginger said nothing, only shrugged her shoulders.

The other man, Caldwell, added, “Your mother has told us you are working as a prostitute.”

“No!” Ginger slammed the table and stood up.

“Gentlemen,” Joe began, keeping his temper with deep breaths, “that is not true. I've known Ginger for the past six months. I can vouch for her.”

Both men ignored him and stared at Ginger, who reluctantly sat down.

“Why would your mother say such a thing?” Fisher asked.

“She—she is trying to force me to come home,” Ginger said, her voice trembling.

“Tell them everything, honey,” Joe urged. “Tell them the truth.”

“Yes, tell us the truth,” Caldwell encouraged.

Ginger stared at the table, visibly swallowing, before she spoke. Then, shaking, she explained why her mother was trying to force her to return to New York.

“The mob? You mean the Mafia?” Fisher asked.

Joe stepped in. “Yeah. Look, the man her mother wants her to marry is fifty-eight! And her mother is being beaten because Ginger ran away.”

“Beaten? A woman can get a divorce and keep her citizenship if she's being abused.”

“He'll kill her,” Ginger whispered.

Joe's feelings toward Ginger deepened. This poor kid didn't have many choices. She was so alone.

“Can't something be worked out?” he asked.

“Maybe,” Fisher replied. “But we'll have to take her with us.”

Ginger pressed her back against the dilapidated chair, as if trying to get far away from the agents.

“No!” Joe shouted.

Caldwell bristled. “Now, sir—”

Joe stared at Ginger, trying to prepare her for what he was going to say. “She can't leave. We're planning to be married. But Ginger wanted to wait until she was a citizen.”

“I'm sorry, sir, but—”

“I'll take her to Vegas tonight and we'll get married. Then she can become a U.S. citizen, right?”

“Unless we determine she married only for that reason.” Fisher stared at him. “And you'll have to remain married for a year.”

“I already told you we're planning to marry. Give us twenty-four hours and we'll answer any of your questions. Ginger will be my wife and nothing can be done to her, without an investigation. We'll pass any test you give us, right, Ginger?”

She stared at him, her mouth open.

“D
id you plan on marrying this man?” Fisher asked Ginger.

Joe held his breath. Would she understand what he was offering? Could she play the role of an adoring fiancée?

“Yes. But I felt ashamed to come to him without my citizenship. I thought it would be better to wait,” she said, her cheeks inflamed. “I didn't want him to be ashamed of me.”

Apparently her response had the right tone because the two agents looked at each other and then stood. Fisher said, “Excuse me a minute. My partner and I have to talk.”

Knowing the men were watching them even as they moved to the door to confer, Joe leaned over to Ginger and brushed his lips over hers. “Don't worry,” he whispered.

Ginger stared at him, questions in her gaze, but he couldn't say anything now.

The two men came back to them. Fisher, obviously the senior partner, said, “Here's the deal. We'll give you a week. If you appear at our office with a legitimate marriage certificate, we will give you a temporary green card, Ms. Waltek. Then, sometime in
the next three months, you'll be called in for an interview. If you pass the interview, you'll receive your permanent green card.”

“Perfect,” Joe agreed, a big smile on his face. He noticed that Ginger simply stared at them.

Fisher looked directly at Joe. “But if she disappears,” he warned, his tone serious, “we will file charges against you, Mr. Turner, for helping her escape.” He turned to Ginger. “Do you understand, Ms. Waltek? Your friend will go to jail if you run away.”

In a whisper, she said, “Yes, I understand.”

 

Five minutes later, Ginger and Joe were alone.

“We lied!” Ginger whispered, as if she thought the two men might be standing on the other side of her door, waiting for them to emerge.

“But it was for a good cause,” Joe assured her. “Why don't you find something to change into, and I'll call Harvey and get you a couple of days off. Or I can give him your notice if you want.”

“My notice?” she asked.

“You know, let him know that you're going to quit your job.”

Her eyes grew even larger and panic filled her face. “No! No, I must have a job. Please don't!”

“But, Ginger, we'll be married. You won't need to work.” He squeezed her hand again, and realized he liked touching her. “I know you've been taking night classes. Now you can go to school full-time.”

“No! I must continue to work. I must pay for my
self. I can't shift my difficulties onto you. I won't run away, so you won't get in trouble, but I may have to go back to Estonia soon if we don't—I have another week. I must work all I can.”

Joe gave her a strange look. What was wrong? She had promised not to disappear.

“You have to take a couple of days off so we can go to Vegas.”

“Vegas?”

“I mean Las Vegas, the place where people go to get married quickly. We can leave tomorrow morning and be married before evening. Then we'll come back the next day. After that, you'll have at least three months. You can earn more money.”

“I can't allow you to make such a sacrifice. It will shame you, and your family.”

“No, it won't. Actually, it will help me.”

She frowned. “How can that be?”

“Because I'm the only guy not married in my family. Everyone's been setting me up with blind dates and insisting I bring a woman to family occasions. They're driving me crazy. Now I can take you, and everyone will be happy.”

Ginger stared at him. Why was he not married? He was a handsome man, educated, not like that beast her mother wanted her to marry. How could Joe have no lady in his life? She stared at him.

“Don't worry, Ginger. I know I'm too old for you. I'll let you go after the year when your citizenship is official. It's just so you get your green card.”

“You would do that?”

“Of course.”

She dropped her head again, trying to think. The panic still lingered, making it difficult to think clearly. “I must call Daisy.”

“Why?” Joe asked.

“She—she's my friend. We tell each other things.”

“Does she know about your being from Estonia?” he asked, sounding like he might be jealous if Daisy knew her story.

“No. I didn't tell her everything. I didn't want her to get in trouble.”

“Then don't tell her until we return.”

“But—”

“I'd like to invite her to come with us as your maid-of-honor, but Harvey would kill me if I took his two most popular waitresses away at the same time. Now, you start packing. Pick something comfortable to wear on the plane, jeans or something, and pack your fanciest dress for the wedding ceremony. I'll call Harvey.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Joe stood there, watching Ginger as she crossed the room and opened one of two doors. It was a small closet, but there wasn't a lot in there. She pulled out a small cloth bag, then a simple blue dress and some sandals.

She hesitated, looking at him, and he hurriedly picked up the phone. He didn't want to make her self-conscious by staring at her.

He was amazed, however, at how right saving Ginger seemed. He'd always picked up strays as a boy, bringing them home to feed and care for. His mother had believed he'd grow up to be a doctor, but he'd turned to architecture to satisfy his artistic side. He'd once considered becoming a starving artist, though his fiancée had protested his choice and had eventually left him for a man with more money. Joe had concentrated on his career as an architect to show her she'd made a mistake.

He'd avoided women for a while, but then he became the ultimate bachelor. He enjoyed the companionship of many women, but he planned no future with any of them. Ginger, he reminded himself, was too young for any real interest. He was rescuing her, that was all.

“Let me speak to Harvey Small,” he said to the club receptionist when she answered the phone. When Harvey picked up, Joe launched into the reason for his call. “Harvey, this is Joe Turner. I need to borrow Ginger for a couple of days. Is that a problem?”

Harvey didn't take the request calmly. He poured out demands and questions that Joe had no intention of answering. “I'll explain later,” he said.

That response didn't satisfy Harvey.

“Two days, Harvey. That's all I'm asking.” Joe pulled out the heavy artillery. “Would you prefer her to quit?”

“No! But I don't see—”

“Harvey, slavery was abolished a long time ago.
Ginger has some rights. Now, she'll be back at work on Monday, and that should be enough to satisfy you.”

With that, he hung up the phone. He didn't even worry that Harvey might fire Ginger. Joe didn't want her to work, anyway. However temporary their marriage, she would be his wife. And he would take very good care of her. For a little while, at least, Ginger would not be alone.

 

Ginger stared out the window of the plane, her brow furrowed. “Are we still in the United States?”

“Of course, honey. Why would you think we weren't?”

“When we flew to America, it was a long flight. Is America really this big?”

“It's a lot bigger. Didn't you fly to Texas when you ran away?”

“No. I—hitchhiked,” she said carefully.

“Lord have mercy, that's dangerous. You didn't get hurt, did you?”

“No, the people were very nice.”

“Don't ever do that again. There are some evil people out there.”

“No, Joe, they were very kind.”

“I'm glad, honey, but you're my responsibility now. I don't ever want you doing that again.”

“But we are not really—”

Joe covered her mouth with his hand to stop her from finishing her sentence. He leaned closer and
whispered, “We don't ever tell anyone, even strangers, that our marriage isn't, uh, normal. Okay?”

Her eyes big over his hand, she nodded.

He released her and sat back, drawing a deep breath.

After a moment, Ginger leaned closer to Joe. She whispered, “Won't everyone think it strange that we came to this place to marry? They will wonder why, won't they?”

He took her hand in his, realizing he had a lot of questions to answer. Clearly, Ginger had concentrated on her work and her classes at the junior college, but knew very little about American culture. “You'll see when we get there. A lot of people go to Vegas to marry. No one will think anything about it.”

He believed that, as long as she didn't say the wrong thing. But he'd be on his guard. Maybe if she said something inappropriate, he'd stop her by kissing her. That would make everyone believe they were newlyweds.

His heart rate tripled just thinking about kissing Ginger. She was so beautiful, so naive and unprotected. He loved the idea of protecting her. He'd never seen himself in the hero role, but it was enticing, especially when he saw that emotion in her gaze. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her smooth skin.

When she jumped in surprise, he leaned closer. “People will expect me to touch you, Ginger. Try
not to act so surprised. In private I'll leave you alone.”

She frowned. “You will?”

“Yes, of course. I promise.”

“But I will be your wife.”

His heart beat faster. “Yes, but not—” He stopped himself. Great. Now he was the one having problems with their secret. “We'll talk later.”

The pilot spoke over the loudspeaker. “We're now approaching Las Vegas airport, so please be seated and fasten your seat belts. Thank you for flying with us today.”

Joe leaned over and snapped her seat belt.

“I can do it,” she protested gently.

“I know, but I like to help you. In a few minutes we'll be on the ground. Are you excited?”

She met his gaze briefly, then looked away. “Of course.” She thought that was the answer he wanted. But she hated the idea that she was trapping him into marriage.

Joe was a kind man, offering her his protection. She must try not to take advantage of him. Some of the men at the club, especially when they were in the Men's Grill temporary facilities, where their wives never appeared, were eager to take advantage of her, not to protect her. But she'd always turned them down. She'd never had to turn Joe down. He had never seemed interested in her in that way.

She sent up a small prayer that she would never shame Joe, that she would repay his kindness with loyalty and patience.

The pilot set the plane down smoothly, and when they were parked at the gate, Joe stood in the aisle to gather their luggage from the overhead bin.

Her cloth bag looked shabby beside his sleek leather one, but he showed no concern about what people might think. “Come on, Ginger. Time for us to go.”

She slipped out of her seat and stood beside Joe, ready to go where he led her.

 

Much to Ginger's surprise, they didn't take a taxi when they exited the airport. A man was standing on the sidewalk with a sign with Joe's name on it.

“Does he know you?” she whispered to Joe as he waved to the man.

“No, honey, I hired him to meet us.”

“Oh.”

The man opened the back door to his limo and waved for her to enter. She slipped onto the seat and stared, then scooted over as Joe followed. “Joe, there's room for many more people,” she whispered as the car began to move.

“Yeah, but it will just be the two of us. So we can have privacy.”

“But everyone is staring.”

“Don't worry, they can't see us. Now, we're going to go to fill out papers and then find a marriage chapel. They'll have a room where you can change. Is that all right? You have your dress ready?”

“Yes.” Her dress was a simple sheath in pale blue
that her mother had made her for her own marriage to Harold, Ginger's stepfather.

Something in her voice must have worried Joe. “Should we go shopping first and buy you a new wedding gown?”

“No! It would cost a lot of money. It's not necessary.”

He gave her a strange look. “I have plenty of money, Ginger. You don't have to worry about that.”

“The bride is supposed to pay for the wedding.”

“No, you have that wrong. The bride's family is supposed to pay. And since you don't have a family, I'll take care of everything.”

She said nothing else, but she determined to keep down the cost of their wedding. After all, he was doing her a favor.

By the end of the evening, Joe was frustrated. All he'd bought her was a small bouquet of flowers. But he had to admit Ginger looked beautiful in her simple dress. The pale blue color complemented her auburn hair and blue eyes. And the ceremony, although brief, achieved their goal.

Afterward Ginger was ready to get back on a plane and return to Texas.

“No, honey, I made us a reservation. We have the honeymoon suite at the Bellagio.”

“What is that?”

“It's one of the hotels on the strip.”

When she discovered the suite consisted of a huge space with a tub big enough to hold half a dozen
people and several bedrooms and a living area, she told him they should ask for a smaller place so they could save money.

He refused. He needed plenty of room so he could handle the desire to put his arms around her. Especially as the sun went down.

“Will we leave in the morning?” she asked anxiously.

“Our flight's around noon.”

She frowned and said nothing.

“We're going to dinner in ten minutes. Okay?”

“Why don't we eat here? Look at all this fruit.” She gestured to the delicious-looking fruit basket on the cocktail table. “That would be enough for dinner.”

“Not for me. Besides, a wedding dinner is traditional.”

She kept frowning.

After dinner, Joe took her to the casino. He changed dollar bills into coins and handed her some, explaining she should put one in a slot machine. She slipped the coin in. He told her to pull the handle.