Toys and Baby Wishes (5 page)

At Lexa's car, Josh waited for her to unlock her door. 
"Remember, you have a free pass to tour The Toy Tank anytime."

She smiled.  "I'll remember."

Josh shut the door for her once she was inside.  Waiting
until she turned the key in the ignition, he stepped away.  Then he watched as
she drove out of the parking lot.

Would he see her again?

***

Lexa pushed Josh's doorbell for the second time.  Maybe she
should just leave.  The store manager had explained she'd just missed Josh. 
He'd left for the day.  But Clare had told Lexa he lived in the apartment above
the store.

Lexa had thought about Josh for the past four days.  She'd
fully intended not to see him again.  He could only make her life more
complicated.  But she'd intended to visit The Toy Tank anyway to see what she
could use for the baby.  And it would have been rude not to stop and say hello,
wouldn't it?

Lexa jabbed the doorbell a third time.  Maybe he'd already
left.  She sighed with relief and turned away, ready to descend the steps.

The door swung open and she stared in amazement.

Josh stood in front of her, hair sopping wet.  Droplets of
water dotted his broad bare shoulders, caught in swirls of black hair on his
chest.  His hand clutched a blue towel low on his hips.  It didn't begin to
cover his powerful thighs.

"Lexa!"

His hand went to the end of the towel tucked at his waist.  "Come
on in."  When she hesitated, he took a few steps back.  "Come on. 
You can make yourself comfortable.  I just have to rinse off the rest of the
soap.  Give me five minutes."

She stepped over the threshold having a difficult time
dragging her eyes from his bare chest.

Waving to the open area that consisted of an expansive
living room with comfortable early furniture, a dining room and kitchen taking
up a portion of the space, Josh repeated, "Five minutes."

He disappeared down a narrow hall that led to a
partitioned-off section she assumed was the bedroom.

Looking around curiously, she studied the man through his
decor.  A whimsical mobile of airplanes dangled in one corner.  The extra long
sofa and chair trimmed with oak were covered in a beige and navy quilted
fabric.  Some type of board game sat on the narrow antique cobbler's bench. 
Navy blue drapes were drawn across the windows.  Lexa wondered how often Josh
used the miniature basketball backboard and net that stood in one corner.  She
sank down on the chair next to a three-foot high old fashioned gum ball machine
and smiled.

She liked everything she knew about Josh.  It was a shame
they couldn't...  She remembered the pain when Richard had said to her, "I
love you.  But I want children.  And if you can't give them to me, we don't
have a future."  When she'd brought up adoption he'd said, "I want my
own children."  He'd left.  He'd walked out.  She'd been so hurt, so
angry.  And the rejection still hurt.  Sometimes she only felt like half a
woman.  She tried to tell herself that wasn't so.  She tried to tell herself
the right man could accept her as she was.

Why was she even thinking about it?  She was simply going to
tour a toy store.

If Josh wasn't on his way out.

Her thoughts of Richard brought back the shadows of the
years spent with her step-mother Loretta.  How many people

only wanted to love their own children?  Lexa knew she'd
love Dani's child with so much love he or she would never feel abandoned or as
if they were a burden.

Lexa stood when she heard Josh's footsteps in the hallway. 
His oxford shirt was open at the collar, the sleeves rolled up.  His black
jeans emphasized his trim physique.  With his hair still damp, he was as sexy
as a poster idol.

"Did you come for the grand tour?"

"Yes, but if you're busy...."

He grinned.  "Not a plan in the world."

He didn't bother with a coat, but led her out the door, down
the steps and around to the front of the store like an eager kid ready to show
off his prized possession.

As they strolled down the aisles, Josh smiled at the
employees they passed and the few remaining customers.  Lexa stopped to look at
a display of crystals a child could grow in a dish pan, a telescope powerful
enough to see the craters on the moon in detail, an ant farm with live ants. 
There were the usual toddler toys, blocks and stuffed animals, plus sundry
electronics and skateboards.

But what really caught her attention were the crib mobiles
hanging from fixtures on the top shelf.  She stopped to examine one made of
cloth.  Animals floated from a circus big top.  Thinking out loud, she said,
"I like the ones that play music."

Josh took her elbow and led her to another section of the
shelf.  "Look at this one."  He wound the center and Brahms' lullaby
played sweetly.  As Lexa checked the shapes on the mobile, Josh took a box from
the stack and shook off the lid.  "This mobile changes with the
child."

Lexa picked up a plastic ball textured with bumps on its
surface.

Josh explained, "The pieces are interchangeable.  Every
few months, you change them to meet the child's developmental stages.  More
color, more texture, more interest.  And look at these busy boxes with the
lights and music."

Lexa reached for a toy that could hang on the playpen or
crib.  When she pushed a button, a clown danced.  When she slid a piece of
plastic to one side, it revealed a mirror on the other.  She pushed another
button and the toy mooed like a cow.

She laughed.  "This is terrific.  I'll have to--" 
She stopped.

"Do you have someone you want to buy this for?  We have
different types.  I can show you the others."

She laid the busy box on its display holder.  "No.  I
just think they're educational."

Josh gave her a long look.  When she didn't say anything
more, he pointed to table displaying radio controlled cars.  "Let me show
you my favorite."

Lexa strolled behind him intrigued by his enthusiasm.  She'd
made a mistake coming here today.  Josh was too...likeable for her piece of
mind.  He didn't just own a toy store.  He enjoyed owning a toy store.

Josh picked up a display model that looked like a black
Jaguar with orange markings.  He crouched on the floor and pressed the
control.  The car veered to the right, slightly to the left, then zoomed down
to the long aisle at top speed.

Lexa hopped out of the way.  "I didn't know they could
go that fast!"

Josh stood, the control still in hand.  "That was
slow.  You should see us race them."

"Us?"

"I'm the moderator for a radio car club.  The kids get
together twice a month and race their cars."

Kids.  He did like kids or he wouldn't spend his free time
with them.  He liked kids and toys and...

"Lexa?"

"What?"  She suddenly realized she'd missed a
question.

"Would you like to come watch sometime?  As long as the
weather holds, we race them in the back lot."

"Here?"

"In the winter we borrow a school gymnasium.  Next year
I don't know what we'll do."  He pushed a button and the car came back
toward him.

"Why?  Is there a problem?"

"I've started talking with a contractor about expanding
the store.  We'll be adding on in the back and it will cut the macadam space in
half."  Josh picked up the car and put it on the table.

"Business is that good?  I thought all retail sales
were down."

Josh stooped down and picked up the car.  "Maybe it's
because we're smaller than the chains, but with seasonal incentives and our
party planner campaign, we're doing great."

"What's the party planner campaign?"

"We have a website with a register.  A parent comes to
us with a list so all the child's friends and relatives know what he wants and
they don't duplicate presents or buy something that has to be returned.  And
then we give a package deal on party plans.  For instance, if they want a Ninja
Turtles theme, we coordinate paper goods, prizes, favors, balloons.  We've been
doing this for a year and the response has been unbelievable."

"Who takes care of all this?"

"I have two people who coordinate it.  I'll have to put
somebody else on it for Christmas, maybe two.  We're going to try the lists for
Christmas and see how it goes.  Stores who give personal service have an edge
on the market these days because service is hard to find.  And if the last six
months are any indication, next year at this time I'll be thinking about hiring
more employees at the Harrisburg store."

When they turned down another aisle, Josh pulled a box from
a shelf and grinned mischievously.  "Come into the back with me and we'll
try this."

"Can't we try it here?"

"You'll be safe with me in the storeroom," he
kidded.  "I promise I'll leave the lights on."

She laughed.  "You bet you will or I'll tell
Clare."  The idea of her and Josh in a dark storeroom gave her a pleasant
shiver.  As she gazed into his eyes, the connection between them was too strong
to ignore.

But she did her best and lowered her gaze to the box in his
hands.

His voice was husky.  "You have to set this on a flat
surface.  Come on."

The storeroom was a large area with stacks and stacks of
shelves, cartons as yet unpacked, stray toys that were defective or damaged. 
Josh set the box on a workbench against the wall and pulled out the wooden box
inside.

"It's called Space Tilt," he explained, taking a
small silver ball out of a plastic bag and setting it on the number one.  It
was really popular in the 80's.  but toys cycle like everything else.  A
moveable piece of plastic with maze-like grooves and lines was set on top of a
wooden frame.  The object was to move the ball from numbers one to thirty-five
by tilting the board and making sure the ball would travel along the lines,
avoiding the holes.

Lexa put her purse on the workbench and said, "You go
first and show me how it works."

Josh positioned the ball and began tilting.  He made it to
number eleven before the ball dropped down a hole.  "I made it to twenty
yesterday.  I must have lost my touch."

"Do you practice often?" She had the feeling this
was a habit.

He raised his hand in a boy scout pledge position.  "I
must confess, I try out many of the toys before we sell them.  How else do I
know what to reorder?"

She laughed and took her turn at tilting.  The ball fell in
the hole at number five.  "It's not as easy as it looks.  Let me try
again."

He chuckled.  "I'll warn you, it's as addictive as a
video game.  You keep attempting to beat your own score."

It was addictive.  The more Lexa tried it, she wanted to try
again.  As soon as she was able to match Josh's skill, she and Josh took
turns.  Josh had reached twenty three and Lexa nineteen when Josh looked at his
watch.  "We've been at this an hour.  You must be starved!"  He let
his eyes wander from the lapels of her wine colored suit to her grey kid
pumps.  "Let alone uncomfortable.  I don't see how women wear those high
heels."

"I'm used to them.  But my toes are beginning to
pinch."  She checked her watch.  "I do have to go."

"Have supper with me.  I can whip up some omelets--a
salad."

Oh, how she'd like to.  She hadn't enjoyed time with a man
this much in years.  But she couldn't.  Not safely.  If she stayed, she might
want to stay longer.  "I can't.  But thanks for the tour.  You really love
the store, don't you?"

"Business management can be a dry field.  I wanted to
use my skills with something I enjoy.  I didn't want to dread coming to work. 
And I don't.  Ever."  He winked.  "Besides, owning the store will be
great when I have five kids and can bring home the toys at a wholesale
price."

Five kids.  She'd been right about him.  That meant he was
wrong for her.  She smiled politely.  "Well, thanks again for the tour. 
If I know anyone who need toys, I'll certainly recommend your store."

She retrieved her purse from the worktable.  "Say hello
to Clare if you see her before I do.  I'd like to help her move, but I'm going
to visit my sister this weekend."

"Do you do that often?"

She'd been doing it more lately, so Dani could talk if she
needed to.  "About twice a month."  Lexa checked her watch again. 
"I do have to go.  I'll probably see you around."

He nodded.  "I'll walk you to the door."

Lexa walked beside him, aware of his appeal, his rugged
handsomeness, the pull toward him.  She told herself she knew what was best for
both of them.

***

Lexa entered her apartment Monday evening and dropped her
briefcase on the floor with a tired sigh.  She needed to catch up on sleep from
the weekend.  She and Dani had talked late into the night Saturday.  Her sister
and Rob had broken up for good.  Lexa sighed.  Dani was unhappy without him. 
She was young and in love and didn't want that love to end.  Her pregnancy was
a reminder the love hadn't been strong enough to survive.

But Dani was sure about the adoption.  She didn't want to
raise the baby alone.

Lexa checked her answering machine and found several hang-up
calls.  She'd gone to the kitchen for a glass of juice when her cell phone
rang.

"Lexa, it's Clare.  I called before but you know how I
hate to leave a message."

"I had a meeting at the Y and turned off my
phone."

"Oh, I forgot you do that Mondays.  Must be
senility."

Lexa smiled.  "Not even when you're a hundred and
three.  Are you moved?"

"Moved but not unpacked."

"I can help if you'd like."

"Josh is coming over tomorrow night."

"Uh, I'm busy tomorrow."

"You have another meeting?"

"No, but--"

"I need to talk to you and Josh."

Before Lexa left for Penn State, Clare had told her she had
plenty of help to move.  Josh had arranged for help from his store.  So Clare
had wished Lexa a happy weekend and told her to have fun.  Lexa had been
relieved Clare didn't need her help because she didn't want to see Josh again. 
She didn't want anything to start between them.  She had the feeling it could.