Rescue My Heart (23 page)

That’s wonderful. Now, I’m
alone for the holidays. I’m better off without him, and he wasn’t
going to be here anyway. Like Brooke said, it’s only a couple of
days. I’ll survive.

Relief lightened her step as if she’d
instantly lost weight. For a moment, a sensation of control and
strength surged through her soul. Baxter barked. Rory checked the
hall to make sure Bruce was gone. A stab of loneliness penetrated
her heart. The door of Shirley and Hal’s apartment cracked open.
Tears of humiliation at his cavalier treatment of her filled her
eyes.

“
Are you okay?” Hal
asked.

She shook her head. He motioned to
Shirley, and they both followed Rory into her apartment. Baxter
jumped up to be petted. Hal obliged.

“
What happened? Was that
Bruce?”

She nodded. It was as if the wind had
been knocked out of her. She couldn’t talk. Hal sat down. Shirley
turned on the fire under the kettle.

“
Oops.
Sorry, Rory. I didn’t see this. It was kind pushed behind the
cushions,” Hal said, pulling out the crushed cap and scarf she had
made for Bruce.
He left it. He told you he
didn’t want it. Why did I make something so stupid for him? I
should’ve known he wouldn’t like it.

The pain of that last slap in the face
from him took her over the top. Restraint gave way, and the
floodgates opened up. Rory sank down on the sofa and sobbed. Hiding
her face in her hands didn’t prevent Shirley and Hal from
witnessing her anguish.

Hal drew her into an embrace, patting
her back. “I’m sorry, doll. I don’t think I hurt it. I didn’t mean
to sit on it. I didn’t see it. Honestly.”

She struggled for control. Shirley
handed her a box of tissues from the bathroom. Rory’s chin
quivered, her voice shook. “It’s not the cap, Hal.” The humiliation
of having to admit Bruce’s coldness overwhelmed her. A fresh wave
of tears streamed down her cheeks.

“
What is it? Rory, tell
us.”

Taking three deep breaths was enough
to calm her down for the moment. “I made that for Bruce for
Christmas.”

“
I’m sure he’ll come back
for it.”

Rory shook her head slowly. “He left
it here on purpose. He didn’t want it.”

Her friends disagreed with her. “Who
wouldn’t want something made with love? It’s beautiful. Handsome,
pardon me,” Hal said.

“
He’s not coming back. I
kicked him out.”

“
Good for you, honey. He’s
a creep,” Shirley said, rising to turn the heat off under the
kettle. She poured three cups of Earl Grey tea. Rory found the
aromatic scent of the beverage soothing. She calmed down. Shirley
pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket. “Look what I have.
I’ve been trying to catch you for two days, but you’ve been in and
out, and I keep missing you.”

“
What’s that?”

“
Your Secret Santa
person.”

“
Oh no, Shirley. I don’t
have any money or time to shop.”

“
They’re giving out Secret
Santa gifts tomorrow. Guess who I picked for you?”

Rory
shot her a quizzical glance as she opened the paper. There in big,
bold, black letters was the word
veterinarian
. She gasped, covering
her mouth. “It isn’t?”

Shirley nodded, “Oh, yes it is. I made
sure.”

“
I didn’t know Hack did
this. How did you get his name?”

“
Seems the reverend who
runs this is a total coffee addict,” Shirley said, trying not to
smile.

“
Do you know if Hack has
done this before?”

“
Oh, yes. We know Dr.
Roberts. You remember Chico? Our Brussels Griffon?”

“
He was adorable,” Rory
said.

“
We took him to Dr.
Roberts at the clinic for vet care,” Shirley said.

“
So, you’ve known Hack a
long time?”

“
Yep. A fine man.” Shirley
took a sip of her tea.

“
Very compassionate when
Chico passed,” Hal added.

“
To know him is to love
him,” Shirley said, her eyes twinkling.

“
Come on,” Hal said.
“We’re taking you out to dinner.”

“
Give me a minute. I have
to come up with a present for my Secret Santa person.” Rory smiled
for the first time that day.

“
Meet us outside in half
an hour,” Shirley said. They got up and left.

Rory
couldn’t stand to look at the cap and scarf. She’d already decided
to give them to the first homeless person she saw on the street.
She looked around the apartment, seeking a special gift.
Do I have anything good enough, special enough
for Hack? He’s rich. He has everything.

Sipping
her tea, her gaze rested on the small, brass pug figure.
That’s it! Perfect!
She
took it down from the shelf and caressed it a few times before she
wrapped it in gold paper.

“
Goodbye, little Hug.
Bring my love to Hack.” She still had time to splash water on her
face and change clothes. Hal and Shirley were waiting. Baxter
barked as she left. Rory crouched down to scratch him behind the
ears.

“
It’s okay, Bax. I’ll be
back in a little while. Be good.” She kissed his head then closed
and locked her door.

When they reached the ground floor,
Hal turned to go to the back of the lobby. “Packages? It’s
Christmas, you know.”

“
Nothing there for me,”
Rory scoffed.

The women waited for about two minutes
when Hal returned with a thin, five by eight inch envelope. “Got
your name on it, Aurora Sampson.”

Rory
took it and read the return address.
Mom!

“
Do you want to open it
now?” Shirley asked.

“
Let’s do it in the
restaurant. I’m starving,” Hal said.

Rory sensed fresh tears were in the
making, but she went along with her friends. They stopped at the
church to drop off her Secret Santa gift then they continued on to
their favorite Italian restaurant, La Vela, around the corner. The
festive lights outlining the windows and draped over the walls
cheered Rory.

After
their wine had arrived, she took out the present. It was a yellow
bubble envelope with a DVD of the movie,
Holiday Inn
,
inside
.
This was
her mother’s favorite holiday movie, and she had watched it with
Rory every year.

The card read—

Do you remember? I do.
Miss you, sweetie pie.

Love, Mom

As a teen, Rory gave her mom a hard
time about watching the same movie again and again, so the
traditional had died. “I love this movie,” she said. “I used to
watch it with Mom. It’s her favorite.”

“
How
wonderful! What a great gift.” Shirley said. Warmth crept into
Rory’s heart. The gift brought a connection to her mother she
hadn’t felt in a long time.
A DVD isn’t
expensive to buy or mail. Especially an old one like this. Good
idea, Mom.

Rory’s spirits rose. She enjoyed a
good dinner with her friends and made sure not to leave the movie
from her mother behind. Rory planned to call and thank her. Baxter
greeted her at the door. She took him for a walk then settled down
with a couple of brownies and popcorn to watch the movie. When it
was over, she opened her cell phone.

“
Mom. Hi. Guess what I
just watched.”

* * * *

Christmas Eve morning was warmer than
usual. Light snow from the preceding week began to melt in the
winter sun. Due to all the late hours he’d been putting in, Hack
had the day off. He went to Central Pak to run. So much had
happened, he needed to clear his head and the fresh, cool air in
the park was the perfect medicine.

He walked to the road where he usually
rode his bike. There was still some ice melting, so he was careful
and started off slowly. Tree trunks, darkened by the wetness of
snow, protruded gracefully from the earth. The trees were bare, and
the shrubbery was sparse. He ran past the statue of Romeo and
Juliet and around the Great Lawn. It was early so there weren’t
many people out with their dogs frolicking off leash.

After a brief run, he stopped at the
Boat House for breakfast. By now, it was eight o’clock. The church
didn’t open until nine. He wanted to be there to see Rory collect
her Secret Santa gift from him.

While he ate, he recalled the chance
meeting at Starbucks last year with Shirley Maven, an old client of
the clinic. She’d talked him into participating in the Secret
Santa. He smiled when he remembered how she had convinced him. “You
might meet a young lady,” she had said. He had accompanied her to
the church, and she had helped him select a name. All the time, he
had thought it was a random name.

When he first went to Rory’s house and
saw the brass pug he’d bought her as his Secret Santa gift, he was
surprised. Then, he had learned that Shirley lived next door, and
he put two and two together. That moment was the first time he had
true sympathy for Rory. A part of him was proud that he had been
the one to make a difference for her that Christmas, even if it was
a small, anonymous act, barely enough to be noticed by most people.
It meant something to her.

He remembered shamelessly
going on and on about what a great gift it was, how perfect, how
sweet, until Rory had quipped to him, “you’re so busy bragging
about this gift giver, I’d almost suspect it was you…if I didn’t
know better.” That had stopped him cold. He shut up so she wouldn’t
guess. This was a happy secret he’d kept from her.

Now, he was ready. Ready to admit the
truth about his fake engagement to Felicia. Fess up. Tell her
everything, and take his lumps. He hoped she would understand and
forgive him. He figured he’d be no worse off if she didn’t, and a
whole lot better off if she did. He sipped his coffee, fantasizing
about her jumping for joy at finding out he was free. Free and in
love with her. Ready to commit, dying to pin her down, brand her as
his and keep her with him forever.

The
other side of that coin, her being appalled he’d lied, horrified
and humiliated he’d let her make references to his engagement and
fiancée. Furious because she couldn’t trust him to tell her the
truth. Unwilling to walk across the street with anyone as
duplicitous as he. His thoughts made him frown.
Good or bad, up or down, I’ve got to know for sure, and I’ve
got to know now.

He ran home, showered, wrapped gifts
for his family, and then ambled over to the church.

“
Pastor, would it be all
right if I waited here until Miss Sampson comes for her
gift?”

“
Of course, Dr. Roberts.
Why don’t you sit in here? I’ll give you a sign when she comes
in.”

Hack’s
hands started to sweat, and he couldn’t sit still. He shifted his
weight then crossed his legs, then uncrossed and re-crossed them.
Nothing worked to make him calmer. He checked his watch for the
tenth time.
Noon. She’s finished walking
dogs. Where is she?

“
Pastor, what time did you
say the gift exchange stops?”

“
One o’clock.”

“
One more hour.” Hack
began to pace.

“
It’s fine to stay here,
Doctor, but you can’t pace in the chapel. You’ll disturb people
praying.”

“
But there’s no one
here.”

“
Still. Not in the
chapel.” Hack went through a side door.

“
Here,
Hack,” the minister said, holding out a small bundle. “This is from
your Secret Santa. Might take your mind off the young lady.” Hack
sat down in a pew and fingered the small object. He laid it in his
palm and moved his hand up and down.
Hmm.
Heavy.
He peeled off the tape and
unwrapped the package.

He
couldn’t believe his eyes—the brass pug he had given Rory.
Did she know she was giving it to me?
Hack followed the clergyman to the front door.
“Did this Secret Santa know it was me she was giving this
to?”

He chuckled. “What do you
think?”

Hack smiled. Warmth filled his
heart.

The door opened. Rory entered and
greeted Pastor McHugh. Hack shrank back into the shadows, slowly
slipping into the chapel, but lingering by the doorway.

“
Here you go, missy. Merry
Christmas.” He handed her a small box wrapped in red
paper.

“
Thank you. You must be a
big coffee lover,” she said, chuckling.

“
I am, but those
certificates aren’t for me.”

“
Then who?”

“
We wrap
them up and hang them on our tree to hand out to folks in need who
come to our Christmas dinner. Santa and the Lord speak
through
Starbucks
,” he said, grinning.