Rescue My Heart (18 page)

“
What?” Hack
asked.

“
How the hell do you know
anything? And what are you doing here?” Felicia said, trying to
ignore the accusation.

Rory shifted her stare to Hack. “Am I
interrupting something?”

“
Nothing to interrupt. I
know it looks bad, but…”

“
It sure does.” She turned
to face Felicia. “I heard your phone conversation with Paul this
afternoon.” Rory’s gaze jumped from Felicia to Hack and
back.

“
Rory, this doesn’t
concern you…”

“
I came to pick up Alfred.
Didn’t expect you to be having sex with Miss Pancake.”

“
Watch it, chubby!”
Felicia warned.

“
I’ll be right back,” Hack
said, buttoning his shirt as he went to retrieve the
pug.

“
You little bitch. I could
sue your ass. Ever hear of alienation of affections? Have you been
banging him when he’s supposed to be typing for you?” Felicia
scooped up her blouse from a chair and thrust her arms in the
sleeves.

Hack hurried down the corridor,
cradling the small dog in his arms. “Felicia! Stop.”

The color drained from Rory’s face.
She stared at him. “Did you tell her?”

He shook his head. “Look, there’s a
giant misunderstanding going on here.”

“
Sure is,” Rory said,
plucking Alfred from Hack’s arms, avoiding his gaze, and then
heading for the door. “And it’s all on my part. You two deserve
each other. I hope you’ll be very happy.”

Hack stood, staring at the
disappearing figure of Rory. “I can’t believe this is
happening.”

“
She’s such a bitch,”
Felicia said.

“
And now, she thinks I’m
in love with you. Shit.” Hack finished buttoning his shirt and
grabbed his jacket.

* * * *

The frigid air bit through Rory’s thin
fleece, making her hunch her shoulders against the wind. She
tightened her grip on the pug, tucking Alfred as close to her body
as she could. He squirmed for a second then got comfortable. He
looked at her with big brown eyes full of trust and grinned. She
couldn’t help but smile back.

As she
trekked home, she found herself humming
The Christmas Song
. She was glad to
reach the warmth of the lobby of her building. Inside the
apartment, she put up a kettle for tea and pulled out the fancy
treats she had bought for Alfred. Baxter was first in
line.

Alfred hadn’t been eating much, but
his eyes lit up at the scent of the freeze-dried liver pieces. He
chomped on the bite-size, melt-in-your-mouth bits and wagged his
tail. She checked her landline for messages. Helen had called. She
was coming that evening to pick up Alfred.

“
Yeah, guys. We’re going
to have a good time,” she said, speaking to the dogs.

Rory
knew in her heart that it would be cruel to keep him suffering, but
the thought of making the decision to end his life at some point
was more than she could bear. Although she’d miss him, she was glad
he’d be in Helen’s experienced hands.
He’ll be happy with her, and she’ll know how to care for him.
I don’t.

She fed him a freeze-dried, liver
treat. He wagged his tail and cuddled up to her. She lay down on
the sofa, opened a book, and curled herself around him, but she
couldn’t concentrate.

Stop
thinking about Hack and that piece of string he was about to sleep
with.
Rory couldn’t stand the woman, or
the thought that he’d be sleeping with that vile pipe cleaner
forever.

Rory
missed Hack. Missed his touch. She desperately wanted to be with
him again, feel his fingers on her skin, stroke him, make love with
him. But it probably wouldn’t happen.
And
it shouldn’t. He belongs to her.
Self-pity
and sadness for Alfred descended on her like a wool blanket,
smothering her spirit.
It’s Christmas. Get
some holiday cheer!
But she
couldn’t.

I wish I
could put the pillow over my head, take it off, and have it be May,
have Alfred well, and Miss Cardboard shipped off to Alaska. Time to
face reality.
Rory picked up the phone.
“Bess? Yeah. I’m fine. No, actually, I’m not fine.” She sat back
and poured out her heart.

About nine o’clock, Helen buzzed. Rory
opened the door with a trembling hand. Baxter ran to the door,
barking as usual.

Helen stooped to pet him. “Hello,
Baxter. Long time since I saw you, buddy. Where’s the little guy?”
She looked around until she spied Alfred, curled up like a little
prince on the sofa.

“
Here.” Rory led the
way.

“
Oh my God, he’s a cutie!”
Helen, a large woman, plopped down next to him and stroked his
fur.

Rory
busied herself gathering up the things she had bought for him—a
toy, treats, a coat.
Money well spent. Not
much left for Christmas presents this year.
Moving about the apartment kept her from crying. She located
a small shopping bag and loaded everything in, including the
medication from Hack.

“
I’ve written out
instructions for his meds. Everything’s here. Would you like a cup
of tea?”

“
Love one, but I don’t
think I’m legally parked. Besides, got a two-hour drive ahead of
me. But thanks.”

Rory nodded, a lump lodged in her
throat.

“
He looks remarkable,
Rory. You’ve done a wonderful job. He’s lucky to have found
you.”

Helen’s words stripped Rory of her
control. She burst into tears.

Helen pulled her into a big hug and
let the young woman bawl. “I get it, hon. I understand,” she
whispered.

Rory reached for a box of tissues.
Alfred stood up and licked her face, making her cry all over
again.

“
It’s like he’s saying
‘thank you.’ I’m sure he appreciates all you’ve done for him. You
can send the vet bill to Janice.”

“
There is no vet
bill.”

“
Oh?” Helen’s eyebrows
shot up.

“
The vet is a…friend of
mine.”

“
Wow! How generous of
him.”

“
How’d you know it was a
him?”

“
Look at you, hon.” Helen
laughed and pushed to her feet. “Come on, small stuff. Time to hop
in the pug mobile and head home.” Rory threw on a coat, while Helen
dressed Alfred. They went down together. Rory waved until they were
out of sight. The sadness in her chest congealed into a ball of
tears, and she returned to have a good cry with Baxter at her
side.

The next
morning, Rory missed Alfred. As she was getting ready to walk
Baxter, she remembered that Hack was due to return and type for her
for another couple of weeks.
Crap! I can’t
have him here now. Not after what I saw. How can we simply work
together with this like a wall between us?
Rory took a deep, shuddering breath.

She talked to Baxter as they walked,
explaining her dilemma.

“
Yeah, I wish Hack would
come back. But not engaged. I can’t take it, Bax. I can’t be around
him anymore if he’s engaged to that toothpick. Impossible.” She
headed for Amsterdam Avenue. “But I’ll miss him so much. I have to
get over him, right?” The pug looked at her and panted. Then shook
himself. “I can’t. I can’t,” she mumbled as she brought him back
upstairs. “I have to do something.”

She
decided they had to be over. There was no way she could sit there
and focus on work after what had happened between them. The pain of
being hopelessly in love with someone who didn’t, or couldn’t, love
you back was overwhelming.
I’ll have to
type out the last part of the book by myself.

Rory’s hand shook as she dialed the
vet clinic. When Mary told her he was with a patient, she left a
message. “Please tell him his debt to me is fulfilled. He doesn’t
need to type for me anymore.”

The
woman read it back to her then Rory hung up.
I’m not going to cry.

She
sniffled, grabbed a tissue, and returned to her computer. She
pulled up her manuscript,
For the Love of
Baxter,
and after a long sigh, started
pecking out words with one hand. The ache in her heart didn’t stop
as she was writing her love story. After finishing a scene, she put
the kettle on and settled next to Baxter on the sofa, waiting for
the water to boil.

Her gaze
fell on her phone, hoping against hope that it would ring.
And it would be Hack. And he’d say how much he
loved me and how he’d broken off with Miss Splinter. And how he
wanted to spend the rest of his life making love to me.
But the cell was silent.

She poured her tea, almost burning
herself when a familiar sound diverted her attention. She dove for
the phone, but disappointment fell on her like a thick fog when she
read Bess’s number in the display.

“
Get dressed up. We’re
taking you out to lunch.”

“
We meet on Monday night,
not Wednesday afternoon.”

“
We agreed this is an
emergency, and you need food. So, get dressed. We’ll be there in
fifteen minutes. And no backtalk!” Rory opened her mouth to
protest, but Bess had hung up.

A rueful
grin spread across her face.
God bless the
Club.
She turned on the shower and stuffed
her hair in a shower cap. After her shower, she only had a few
minutes to dress before her friends would be buzzing. No time to
check her cell. Bess flagged down a taxi, and they headed down to
the West Fifties to La Mer Bleu for fish, French
style.

Rory was enveloped in the
warming embrace of her friends, all talking at once, firing
questions at her and each other. They were a noisy lot, and their
good feeling was contagious. Being in their presence lifted her
spirits.

The restaurant recognized Bess and
gave them the best table and a round of Cosmos on the house. After
their second ones, the women were giggling and making salacious
comments about some of the male patrons.

“
Who’s the best looking
guy in the room?” Miranda asked.

“
That guy. With the dark
hair and the redheaded girlfriend,” Brooke said, nodding toward a
table in the corner.

“
What about the guy who
just walked in?” Bess whispered.

None of
the men here can compete with Hack.
Rory
tried to play along and ignore the heaviness in her chest, but it
was easy.

The main
course arrived. Each had to taste the food of the others.
Discussions of what to buy for Christmas, and what Bess was baking
for her show, kept conversation lively and off topics painful to
Rory. A small smile crept across her face. A lightness entered her
body.
They’re all I need for
Christmas.

Miranda’s phone rang, reminding Rory
that she hadn’t checked her phone in a long time. She glanced at
her cell. Two missed calls. Both from Hack. She gasped. “Hack
called.”

“
Call him back,” Bess
commanded.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she
signaled for silence at the table before she dialed. Her hand
trembled as she waited for him to answer.

“
Rory? You’re canceling
our work?

“
Not ours. It’s
mine.”

“
Of course, of course. You
know what I mean.”

She clutched the fine, cloth napkin in
her free hand. “If you’re worried about the judge, I’ll go back to
court and tell them—”

“
I’m not worried about
that.”

“
Then, what?” Rory’s three
friends sat still, clearly not daring to breathe, their gazes
riveted to her.

“
Well…I mean…I won’t get
to see you every day. I won’t get to see you at all.”

“
Maybe that’s best. After
all, you’re committed, taken. We shouldn’t do…more of what we were
doing.” Rory sensed heat in her cheeks. She glanced up to see three
pairs of eyes staring at her.

“
Oh.” There was a moment
of silence before he spoke. “But I like seeing you every
day.”

“
You do?” Rory tried,
unsuccessfully, to keep a note of hope from her voice.

“
Yeah.”

“
Even though I give you a
hard time?”

“
You have high standards,
that’s all.”

“
And all the names I call
Felicia?”

“
The highlight of my day.”
He chuckled. Silence. Then, “Don’t you want me to come
over?”

“
I don’t think so. I…I
can’t...” Her voice shook as tears burst through her
defenses.

“
Don’t cry…baby,” he said
softly.

“
You want me to dictate to
you like nothing’s happened? I can’t.”

“
So, you’d rather say
goodbye?”