Sunshine

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He screwed up his face thoughtfully. “How about a quick end to winter and a happy springtime?”

Janice found a nervous smile. “Sounds good.” They sipped.

“That wouldn’t be coq au vin I smell, would it?” he asked.

“It is.” She smiled more naturally now, pleased that he approved of her menu choice. “Why don’t we go sit down while it finishes cooking?”

David let her lead the way into the spacious living room and stood until she seated herself in a corner of the couch facing the fireplace. Noticing that a fire had been laid, he raised a questioning eyebrow. “Shall I? It’s a good night for a fire.”

“Please do.” She watched as he removed his jacket and bent to light the fire. She’d gone through Kurt’s address book yesterday and found the name of the man who furnished their wood. A quick call and he’d brought in a fresh supply this morning. “Does your home have a fireplace?”

“Yes. I love to sit and stare into the flames.”

She did, too. But Kurt had always been too restless to be idle for long, preferring more active pastimes. Janice watched as David leaned forward to distribute the flame along the crumpled newspaper and kindling. He was a big man, yet he moved effortlessly, almost gracefully. His build reminded her of her father’s in his younger days, and of K.J., whose physique resembled his grandfather’s. She sipped her wine.

David dusted off his hands and sat down at the opposite end of the couch. He picked up his glass before turning to her. Yellow was definitely her color, he thought as he let the tart wine roll over his tongue. Her eyes were avoiding his, and he wondered if she was nervous over what he might have found at Kurt’s office or because they were alone together in the cozy intimacy of her living room.

His gaze took in the decor. “Did you do this? It looks great.”

She warmed under his praise. “Thank you. I studied design for a while.”

“Ah, yes, I remember.” She’d once confided her dreams of decorating palatial mansions. Apparently she’d put her dreams aside so Kurt could pursue his.

Uncomfortable under his scrutiny, Janice switched subjects. “Did you have any trouble finding Kurt’s office?”

“No, none at all. Tom Sikes is very knowledgeable about the company.”

“He’s been very helpful. Kurt often said that Tom wasn’t much of a salesman, but he made a very good manager.”

David nodded. “Usually the best salesmen don’t do well in management. Too much ego. Kurt, on the other hand, was a hell of a salesman. Usually the owner doesn’t keep on hustling the way Kurt did, but he was getting new accounts regularly. The agency has an impressive book of business, and most of it’s due to Kurt’s hard work.”

“My father often said that Kurt could sell ice cubes to the Eskimos.” Janice relaxed fractionally, whether from the pleasure his reassuring words gave her or from the wine, she wasn’t certain. “So then you found the company to be solvent and problem free?”

David crossed his legs, searching for the right words. “No company is totally problem free, but Eber Insurance is decidedly solvent. I was pleased to see that your name is on the incorporation papers, so business can continue as usual without too many forms needing to be filed.”

“That’s a relief. Kurt used to remark that insurance regulations are very strict.”

“They are. Have you any idea what you want to do with the business?”

Janice set her glass on the small table between their chairs. “I’ve been thinking about it, but I just don’t know.”

“I’ll go over the books with you later, but for now, let me spell out your options. First off, I get the feeling Tom would like to take over.”

“I got that impression, too.”

“Whether he has the money to buy you out, I’m not sure. Or perhaps he’s considering a partnership, with you the silent member. Those are two options. Or you could sell to an outsider. Finally, you could run it yourself.”

“I know very little about the insurance field and business in general.” But as she shifted her gaze to stare into the crackling flames, Janice thought of Anna’s words. There’s nothing like earning your own money to give you a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of independence. Could that be what was missing from her life?

“You don’t have to decide right now,” David went on.

“I suppose I could learn,” Janice said softly, almost to herself. Her mind racing, she looked over at David. “What would I have to do to run it myself?”

She surprised him. He’d guessed she’d back away from even considering that. Perhaps she would still when she realized what she’d be taking on. “You’d have to take the required insurance courses. I believe that the University of Wisconsin has an extension program at Whitewater, and the campus is only an hour’s drive away. Eber Insurance handles a variety of commercial and individual policies.”

“Are separate courses required for each?”

“Pretty much. Then you have to pass a state exam in each category in order to be licensed.”

Janice leaned her head back, fighting the feeling of being engulfed that came over her so often lately. “I should have known it wouldn’t be simple.”

David leaned forward, wanting to ease her mind. “You don’t have to keep the business, Janice. You can offer the company for sale, take the money and invest it. I can steer things along with Tom until the transfer, if you like. That would be a lot easier on you.”

She knew he was trying to be helpful, to walk her through this as painlessly as possible. But a nagging little voice at the back of her mind kept whispering in her ear. “Easier,” she said aloud. “All my life, David, I’ve taken the easy way. It was easier to elope with Kurt than buck my family’s objections and push for them to accept him and our marriage. It was easier to quit college as Kurt wanted me to rather than carry on a long-distance romance for two more years until I graduated. It was easier to let him run the business, the household, practically my whole life, than to fight against his need to be in charge. I’m finding out that the easy route isn’t necessarily the best path to follow.”

“Have you been unhappy?”

“Unhappy?” Janice considered that a long moment. “Not unhappy, no. But occasionally unfulfilled, I think, or is that too dramatic a statement?”

He shrugged, toying with his wineglass, swirling the contents thoughtfully. “For some women, marriage is enough. For others, it isn’t. It’s an individual choice.”

“Would simply being married be enough to keep you happy? Wouldn’t you feel unfulfilled without your work, the sense of accomplishment?”

“No to the first question and yes to the second. And besides, someone has to earn the money, to make a living.”

“Exactly. And I no longer have someone to rely on to do that for me. Maybe I shouldn’t have relied so heavily on Kurt during our years together. Maybe then he wouldn’t have pushed so hard. Maybe he’d still be with us.”

David shook his head. “That’s the guilt of the survivor talking. I’ve been through that and I know. You can drive yourself crazy with the what-ifs and the maybes. You didn’t push Kurt, demand more and more so he had to work harder. That need was in his personality and you didn’t put it there. Believe me, because I knew him fairly well.”

She’d been curious about something and wondered if he’d give her a straight answer. “All those times the two of you met in Chicago, did Kurt talk about me?”

David picked up his wine for a long swallow, allowing himself an extra moment to answer. “We talked mostly about business. When he did mention you, it was always to say how much he cared for you.”