The Stranger
MacGyver opened the back hatch of the Blazer and pulled out a large, military style duffle bag. With his free hand, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the key Pete had given him. He entered the front of the newly renovated economy apartment building, crossed the small lobby, and took the elevator to the second floor. The doors whooshed open and Mac stepped out, facing a long hallway. He checked the apartment number on the key and approached the first door on his right: 2A. Nope, not his. He turned and looked at the door across the hall. 2B…or not to be, he thought, as he smoothly slid the key into the lock and twisted the knob. With a gentle push the door swung inward as if inviting him in to his new, albeit temporary, home.
Mac slowly stepped over the threshold and allowed the heavy duffel to drop with an oomph to the floor. He looked straight ahead down the hall that led to what appeared to be the bathroom. To his left, large windows let in the final rays of the setting sun, illuminating the open living area sparsely furnished with a couch, two mismatched chairs, coffee table and television set. Against the wall, next to the door, sat a large, worn, wooden desk with a personal computer already hooked up. He figured that was Phoenix's way of reminding him to keep up with his reports. Across from the living room a closed door indicated his bedroom, next to which was a galley kitchen that boasted a breakfast bar with two stools. Immediately to his right was a space he assumed was the dining area, but instead of a table and chairs, he was greeted by a brand new air hockey table. "Thank you, Pete!" Which reminded him, he needed to call his friend and let him know he had arrived. It only took a quick glance for him to find the cordless telephone and charging base in the middle of the breakfast bar. Another hint from Phoenix? Mac grinned as he picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number.
"Hello?" a sweet female voice answered.
"Hi Connie, it's Mac."
"Oh MacGyver, I'm so glad you called! Pete has been driving me nuts worrying about you! Hold on while I get him."
Mac heard a 'clunk' as Connie set the handset down and then her muffled voice called Pete's name.
"Mac, is that you!?"
"Yeah Pete, and you don't have to yell," MacGyver said with a smile.
"Oh, um, sorry. I'm just…just so glad to hear you made it to Milwaukee safely. You are in Milwaukee, aren't you?"
"Yes, Pete," Mac replied slowly, as if speaking to a child. "I am in Milwaukee. At least, that's what the road sign said. Any reason I shouldn't have arrived here safely?"
"No, no," Pete replied. "You know me, a born worrier, anything that can go wrong will go wrong, etcetera."
"Yes, I know, Pete. You'll be glad to hear that my trip was as dull and mundane as those suits you wear." If you don't count getting stuck in the snow for three hours and almost hitting a deer…on multiple occasions.
"Well, I'm just glad you arrived safely. Have you contacted Evelyn yet?"
"No, I was planning on calling her first thing in the morning. I still have to unload the truck and get settled."
"Oh, of course. Take your time."
"Will do. And Pete, thanks for the air hockey table."
Pete chuckled, "I just wanted to help make you feel more at home."
"Well, you succeeded, and I'm grateful. There's only one problem…"
"Oh?" Concern returned to Pete's voice.
"I don't have anyone to play with."
"All the more reason for you to make some new friends," Pete replied, hanging up before MacGyver could retort.
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Joanna Fairfax plopped down in her desk chair and leaned back. She stared at the thin manila folder sitting on her desk front and center. She glanced at the tab labeled 'A. MacGyver.' Honestly, if she read through this file one more time she swore her eyes would bleed. Since receiving the dossier from Evelyn, her supervisor and friend, she had read every word at least ten times and was still unable to form a complete mental picture of the man who was coming on board as the new security advisor. When the file had been delivered by a special courier, Joanna couldn't help but notice how thin it was. Upon first coming to work at Challengers Academy as the Director of Education, Joanna had been asked to provide several detailed documents and private information to the Phoenix Foundation. Quite frankly, she was surprised they didn't ask for an IOU for her first-born child. Then again, being over forty and hopelessly single with no prospects in sight, even they probably figured that was a lost cause!
With a sigh, Joanna leaned forward and began leafing through the papers yet again, searching for anything that might give her a better idea of exactly who A. MacGyver was. The same words popped out at her: Vietnam Special Forces, bomb disposal expert, degrees in physics and chemistry, security systems expert, former DXS agent and a list of countries he had operated in, many of which Joanna had never even heard of. In addition, it said he had some working knowledge of several foreign languages and excellent observation skills. His resume read like a script from an Indiana Jones movie. Yet there was precious little, actually make that no, information about the man, himself. No birth date, no home town, no out-of-focus photo ID. And no clue as to why the Phoenix Foundation would send such an accomplished agent on such a mundane mission.
Joanna leaned back in her chair once again and rolled this information around in her brain. She was an intelligent woman. She could figure this out. Slowly a theory began to form. If he had served in Vietnam, he was definitely older than her. His science background screamed 'nerd'. And the fact that he was assigned to such a safe and boring mission had to mean he could no longer handle himself in the field. A mental picture quickly followed. She closed her eyes to help flesh out the details. Middle-age, average height, overweight, balding, glasses (perhaps held together with masking tape), wrinkled dress shirt, ugly tie, and last but not least a pocket protector. OK, maybe she was going a bit overboard, but not by much! And why did she even care?! Well, she knew why, but she wasn't about to admit it to anybody.
When Joanna had turned forty, she had made peace with the fact that she would be single for the rest of her life. She had a comfortable existence sharing a house with her parents and working at a job she enjoyed. She had never been much for the dating scene anyway. First school and then work took priority over socializing. Her career didn't lend itself to meeting attractive, eligible men either. Female teachers far outnumbered their male counterparts. For instance, there were only two male teachers in the entire Academy. Mr. Kowalksi, the science teacher, was coming to the end of his career, marking the days until he could retire. Mr. Simmons, the math and social studies teacher, had his drawbacks as well. Closer to Joanna's age with a lanky build and slicked back dark hair, the adjective that always came to mind when she saw him was 'sleazy'. Oh, he was a good teacher and the kids liked him well enough which was more than she could say for the females on staff whom he was always pestering for dates. He had even approached Joanna on a few occasions before she summarily put him off by declaring she did not fraternize with other staff members outside of work. But it would be nice to have an attractive man around, just to look at. A girl could dream, couldn't she?
Joanna pushed herself to her feet and went to the window where she could see white flakes falling from heavy gray clouds once again. As she watched the snow fall silently to the ground her mind wandered back to the time her best friend had signed her up with a computer dating service as a birthday present. Joanna had gone out on a handful of first dates, but never any second ones. Her friends and family insisted she was too picky, but she knew the truth. The type of man she was attracted to was, unfortunately, attracted to women not like her. Average on all accounts, she was vanilla ice cream and guys wanted rocky road. The sound of sleet hitting the window drew her attention away from her self-inflicted pity party. Great. Not only would she have to brush the snow off her car when she left, she'd have to scrape off the ice as well. She hated winter!
Determined to dispel her sour mood and get something accomplished, she walked back to her desk and closed the offending file. She slipped off her red wool blazer and tossed it on the back of her chair. Time to take down the Christmas decorations, she decided. She pulled a rickety wood step-stool over to the wall which held her large bulletin board and gingerly climbed up to stand on the second and top step, her hands pressed against the wall to help her keep her balance. Soon she was busily pulling push pins from the cork and carefully removing cheerful holiday pictures which she immediately replaced with inspirational and educational posters. She became so engrossed in her endeavor that she almost didn't hear the soft tap of knuckles on her doorframe.
Since she and Evelyn were the only ones in the building during winter break, she addressed her boss without turning around.
"So, how does it look?" Joanna asked.
"Looks great from where I'm standing," a masculine voice replied.
Startled, Joanna snapped her head around to look over her shoulder. Too fast. She had moved her head too fast. The room started to spin and she started to sway! Before Joanna could right herself she felt two large, strong hands at her waist, gently steadying her.
"Whoa, take it easy there!"
Turning around more slowly this time, she looked down to discover the source of the voice…and the hands. There, looking up at her, stood a handsome man with an unruly mop of dark blonde hair, penetrating brown eyes, and a smile that could melt the largest of snow piles. Now there was a guy she wouldn't mind seeing every day.
"Th…Thanks," she stuttered.
"Do you always climb stools in heels?" the man asked, a hint of laughter in his voice.
"No," she replied indignantly, quickly regaining her balance and sensibilities. "Sometimes I wear flats!"
The good looking stranger chuckled briefly before asking, "What's this?" as he tapped the plastic and metal contraption holding the waistband of her skirt closed.
She glanced down with a look of chagrin. While she had been reaching for the top of her bulletin board, her silky white blouse had hitched up, exposing her makeshift closure.
"It's a binder clip," she replied shortly.
"I can see that. What's it doing there?"
"I lost the button this morning and couldn't find a safety pin. The material is too thick for even a jumbo paperclip to hold so," she shrugged, "I used a binder clip." Why she bothered to give the stranger so much information she couldn't say.
"Ah," he replied simply before reaching a hand up to her. "Let me help you down," he stated.
"I'm fine," she replied brusquely even as she wondered how she was going to gracefully get down from the stool in the tight black skirt and heels she was wearing while this man was apparently determined to watch her every move.
"Humor me," he replied in a voice that held no humor at all. Only concern.
Joanna conceded, ever so lightly placing her hand in his. As she began her descent, her grip tightened and she waited for an 'I told you so' that never came. "I hate heights," she murmured under her breath. The stranger grinned.
Once back on solid footing, she murmured her thanks and took a step back to discreetly assess the stranger a bit further. He was about her age and tall, the top of her head reaching just past his chin…in three-inch heels. His hair was a bit too long and shaggy for her taste, but it wasn't a deal breaker. He had high cheek bones, and a strong jaw. Even though he wore a cable-knit pull-over sweater the color of oatmeal underneath a brown leather bomber jacket, she could tell by the contour of his clothes that he was physically fit. As her eyes reached his slim, jean-clad legs, they instinctively sought out his left hand. More specifically, the fourth finger of his left hand. No ring. No tan line. Her heart leapt. Of course, that didn't mean much nowadays.
Joanna focused on smoothing her skirt and subtly adjusting her blouse as she fought to regain control of her wayward eyes.
"Nice outfit," the man remarked, as he went to retrieve her jacket from the chair.
"Thanks," Joanna replied with all the confidence she could muster. "I'm meeting a new staff member today and wanted to make a good impression."
"Well, you don't have to worry about that," he said with an attractive smile as he helped her slip into the red blazer he now held.
She was trying to stifle a blush before she suddenly realized that she had no idea who this man was or why he was here. Oh, where had her brain cells gone!
"I'm sorry," she said in her most professional voice. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"I hope so. I'm here to see Evelyn Quinn, the school administrator."
"Do you have an appointment?" Evelyn had only mentioned meeting with the new security advisor today.
Before the stranger could respond, Evelyn opened her office door and headed toward them.
"I heard some voices and came out to see who was here," she explained. Turning to the man she exclaimed, "You must be Mr. MacGyver! It's so nice to finally meet you in person! Peter has told me so much about you!"
"Only believe the good stuff," Mac quipped, as he pulled out his Phoenix ID to confirm his identity.
"Trust me, Mr. MacGyver, it was all 'good stuff' as you put it."
Ms. Evelyn Quinn was a spritely woman. A good foot shorter than MacGyver, her ginger hair was cropped close and her face belied her age.
"So you and Pete are friends?" Mac asked.
"Of course! Didn't he tell you? We go way back. Connie and I were college roommates. I met Pete when they started dating. In fact, he was the one who convinced me to come out of early retirement to help get Challengers Academy up and running. That should have all been in my dossier."
MacGyver's eyes found the floor.
"You did read my dossier, didn't you Mr. MacGyver?"
"Please, call me 'Mac', and I'm afraid the dog ate my homework."
At first he feared his attempt at humor would be lost on her, but the next moment found her laughing heartily. "Pete told me you're allergic to paperwork! I see you've already met Joanna."
"Not formally, we just bumped into each other," he grinned mischievously.
"Well, then let me do the honors," Evelyn began. "Joanna, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. MacGyver, our new security advisor."
Mac could literally see her eyes become shuttered and her face turn wooden. What had just happened?
"Hi, my friends call me 'Mac'," he said warmly as he offered his hand for her to shake.
"Hi, I'm Joanna Fairfax, Director of Education," She shook his hand firmly but quickly.
"Her friends call her 'Jo'," her boss added.
If the look Joanna shot her could kill, Evelyn would have been dead on the spot.
"Nice to meet you, Jo," MacGyver responded in what he hoped was a friendly, harmless tone.
"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. MacGyver," came the icy reply.
"Joanna, could you please bring the new-hire paperwork and meet us in my office?" Evelyn asked.
"Of course. I'll be there in a minute," she said smoothly, waiting until the two had left her office and headed down the hall before turning to her desk. "Oh my God, Oh my God," she muttered repeatedly to herself as she walked back and forth waving her hands in front of her face in an effort to cool her blushing skin. "He was supposed to be a nerd! An old, fat, bald nerd!" She stopped her pacing and took a deep, calming breath. She felt like such a fool! She had let her guard down with the stranger. She had let him touch her. Dear Lord, she had practically ogled him which he surely didn't miss given his 'excellent observational skills'. And then she had turned into an ice queen when she discovered his identity. What must he think of her? And how was she going to work with him on a daily basis?
After gathering her wits as well as the requested paperwork, Joanna entered Evelyn's office to find her boss seated behind her desk and MacGyver relaxing in one of two visitors' chairs. Evelyn motioned Joanna to take the seat next to him.
Mac hadn't missed the way she had checked him out earlier. Now it was his turn. Taller than Evelyn, her head would fit neatly beneath his chin if she would get rid of those stupid heels. She wore her dark brown hair in a jaunty pixie cut that flattered her features and her brown eyes sparkled with bits of gold. Her loose fitting blouse and blazer concealed her figure, but MacGyver remembered the firm feel of her waist and the contour of her hips as he had helped her regain her balance earlier. Finally, Mac glanced at her hands. A dark blue sapphire solitaire accented with diamonds twinkled at him from where a wedding ring would be. For some reason he had assumed she wasn't married or even engaged. Did she wear that ring to purposely throw guys off her scent? She was beginning to puzzle MacGyver, and he could never leave a puzzle alone.
MacGyver spent several minutes completing the appropriate forms. Even though he was a temporary employee, the school was required to have documentation for him. Evelyn invited MacGyver to return Thursday so he could start meeting the staff and getting familiar with the layout of the school.
"Joanna will be happy to show you around and I'm sure you'll have some questions for each other."
The trio began walking down the hall to the main exit when Evelyn stopped just short of Joanna's office.
"There's an empty room next to Jo's office that you can use while you're with us, MacGyver," Evelyn offered. "I'll make sure she passes a key on to you."
"Thanks. I'd appreciate that," Mac responded just as a telephone rang close by. Joanna scurried into her office to answer it while Evelyn continued to escort MacGyver to the exit.
"And don't mind Joanna," Evelyn instructed. "It takes her a while to warm up to new people, some more than others," she explained as she looked MacGyver up and down before giving him a wink.
Mac chuckled softly. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."
