Rescue My Heart (24 page)

“
I had no idea.
That’s…lovely.” She nodded then turned her attention to the gift
resting in her palm.

In the
background, Hack held his breath. He heard the crinkling sound of
the wrapping being torn and his heart stood still. Then, it hit
him.
Damn! I’d better get out of
here.
He slipped out the side and headed
for Starbucks on Seventy-Sixth and Columbus. He got his latte and
grabbed a chair near the window. Leaning back, he directed his gaze
to the sidewalk.
Can’t wait to see the
surprised look on her face.
He chuckled at
his own cleverness.

Hack finished his latte and still no
Rory. He checked his watch. It was one thirty. Then, two o’clock
and still no Rory. Throwing his empty cup in the trash in disgust,
he had to admit to himself his plan had failed. He left the shop
and directed his feet toward the church. Pastor McHugh was sweeping
the front steps when he arrived. Hack stopped.

“
What happened, Pastor?”
John McHugh’s brow furrowed. He shot an angry look at Hack. “What
kind of plan was that? I thought there was something special in
that little box.”

“
There was. A note telling
her to meet me at Starbucks.”

“
She took one look at that
note and blew her stack. Accused me of aiding and abetting
perverts. Slammed the whole Secret Santa program. Said she wasn’t
going to meet any sexual predators in Starbucks or anyplace else.
She stomped off in a huff.”

“
Oh my God.” Hack shook
his head. “I should have known.”

“
You should have signed
the damn thing…oh, pardon me.”

“
I wanted to keep the
mystery with a Secret Santa signature.”

“
Some mystery! I begged
and pleaded with her.”

“
Did you tell her who it
was?”

“
You told me not to, under
pain of death.”

Hack put his face in his hands. “I
blew it…damn. Oh, sorry, Pastor.”

“
You sure did. You’re
banned from future Secret Santas. I should have my head examined
for going along with this crazy scheme. Why don’t you simply
propose to the girl?”

“
I have some things to
tell her. Confessions.”

“
Wonderful.” He frowned.
“Save me from people in love. Their brains are fried.”

“
Did she say where she was
going?” Hack asked, a note of hope in his voice.

“
You’re kidding, right?
She was so mad, she didn’t even say goodbye.”

“
That’s Rory.”

“
Leave
me out of your future plans, would ya?” He turned his back on Hack
and went inside. Hack sank down on the steps.
Where the hell did she go?
Suddenly,
he pushed to his feet and ran.

* * * *

Disappointment weighed Rory down.
I
was counting on something nice, maybe from Hack? I know it’s silly.
I’m not a little kid. But one small surprise, like last year…not
happening. Damn.
She stopped at the deli
for a cup of tea.

After
plopping down on a bench on Columbus Avenue, she sipped the
steaming beverage and thought about her life.
I wonder if Hack got my gift. Will he figure out it’s from
me? Of course. Don’t be stupid.
The winter
sun didn’t do as much to warm her as the hot drink, but the
bone-chilling cold had been replaced by milder weather. The
temperature hit fifty, most unusual for December in New
York.

As she often did when feeling angry or
sad, Rory turned to Baxter. She returned home to a big, wet, slurpy
greeting from her pug. “Come on, boy. We need some exercise.” She
snapped on Baxter’s leash and headed out the door toward Central
Park. “They won’t be ticketing on the day before Christmas, Bax.
You’re going off leash, baby. Merry Christmas.”

She opened her cell and dialed each
member of the Dinner Club. Brooke and Miranda were busy with their
families. Bess was cooking dinner for her staff on the
show.

“
Why don’t you join us?”
Bess asked.

“
No, no. It’s a private
party. I don’t know anyone, and—”

“
Don’t be silly. Come.
There are a couple of cute guys coming, too.”

“
I’d feel
weird.”

“
So? After a couple of
drinks, you’ll get over it.”

“
Thanks, but I don’t think
so.”

“
I can’t stand the idea
you’ll be alone.”

Neither
can I.
“It’s only one day. I thought if
you were in the same…never mind. I’m glad you’re having a
party.”

“
Keeps my mind off being
on my own. Tell me you’ll think about coming.”

“
Sometimes being with
strangers makes me feel more alone.”

There was silence. Then, “I get it.
Okay. I’m sorry, Rory.”

“
Hey, me, too. Have a
blast. Lucky folks get to eat your cooking.”

“
You will, too. I’m making
extra so we can have leftovers for the Club.”

“
You’re
amazing.”

“
So are you. Love you,
girl.”

“
Love
you, too.” Rory hung up. A warm feeling in her heart brought tears
to her eyes.
Her friendship is a great
gift.
The brief conversation lifted Rory’s
spirits. She smiled, gave Baxter a rump scratch, and kept walking.
The sun continued to peek out from behind clouds, bringing the
promise of warmer days to come.

Rory continued on, up Central Park
West, to Eighty-First Street. She entered by the Diana Ross
Playground, where a handful of unlucky nannies pushed children on
swings.

The rest of the park was empty except
for an occasional man or woman with a dog. Baxter led the way
toward the Shakespeare Theater and the Great Lawn. Rory smiled,
watching his little butt sway from side to side as he did his pug
prance along the pavement. After they crossed the road, she
unsnapped the leash and let Baxter run. He charged ahead, looking
for open space. One of the smaller grassy areas had an unfastened
gate. It was Baxter’s favorite field, with thick, deep grass
perfect for running in “pug circles,” as Rory called
them.

They entered. Baxter took
off, tearing around gleefully through the wet turf. Rory leaned
against a tree, keeping an eye on her dog, and gave herself a pep
talk. “It’s only two days in a whole year. It’ll be over soon. I’ll
watch the movie again. Get some Chinese takeout. I’ll be fine.”
After a few minutes of running, Baxter tired and headed for the
pavement, with Rory following behind.

A man pulling a cart loaded down with
bag after bag of empty cans and bottles approached them from the
opposite direction. He looked as sad as she felt. His clothes were
dirty, and he had a beard and hair that hung down past his shirt
collar.

Rory stopped. A sly smile appeared on
her face. “Hey, mister. Buddy. Stop. Got something for
ya.”

The man looked confused for a moment
and pointed his finger at his own chest.

“
Yeah, you. I’m talking to
you. Here.” She pulled out the cap and scarf she’d made for Bruce
and handed it to him. “Merry Christmas.”

“
For me?” His voice was
deep and raspy.

“
They’ll keep you
warm.”

“
Did you make them?” She
nodded. “They’re beautiful. Bless you,” he said, fingering the wool
before donning the cap and wrapping the scarf around his scruffy
neck.

“
Looks good on you,” she
lied. He shot her a grin that displayed several missing teeth. She
smiled back.

“
Merry Christmas,” he
said, pulling his cumbersome load.

“
Merry Christmas,” she
replied. She continued on her way, with Baxter trotting along
behind. Although the road through the park was closed for the
holiday, Rory put Baxter on leash by instinct, as they approached
the pavement. Remembering her first encounter with Hack, she
stopped to check for bikes.

“
Oh, Lord. It can’t be?”
She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Baxter barked and jerked the leash
out of her hand. He took off running toward the figure of a
man.

Chapter Twelve

“
Hack?” Rory said,
following behind her pug. Baxter beat her to the man running on the
pavement. The pug jumped up on the man’s legs, trying to lick his
face. The runner bent down and scratched the pug behind the ears.
Baxter took advantage and lunged at him, connecting with his face
and depositing a big, slurpy kiss. The man laughed.

“
Hack? Is that
you?”

“
I was hoping I’d find you
here,” he said, straightening up and handing her the
leash.

“
Why?”

“
I want to talk to you.”
He took her by the arm. “Let’s get coffee at the Boat
House.”

“
Baxter?”

“
We can sit outside. It’s
almost warm enough.”

“
Okay.” Rory clasped the
leash tightly and walked along next to Hack.

“
I have some things to
tell you.”

“
Oh?” She cocked an
eyebrow.

“
I’ve lied to you. I’m not
proud of the deception, but it was for a good cause.”

“
What?”

“
Let’s wait till we get to
the Boat House.”

Rory stopped dead. “No,
now.”

He chuckled. “That’s my
Rory.”

“
I’m not your Rory.” She
stuck her chin out. “I’m my own Rory.”

He laughed. “Ain’t it the truth. Sit
down.” He indicated a dry bench near the turtle pond. She joined
him. “I’m not engaged to Felicia.”

She took in a breath. “You’re
not?”

“
I never was. It was a
pretend engagement. I should’ve told you, but I did it for my
parents.”

“
You parents wanted you to
marry Felicia? I’m confused.”

Hack explained about his mother’s
condition.

“
Maybe I’m dense, but I
still don’t get it.”

“
You don’t have a parent
with Alzheimer’s. Before she got too bad, my mom wanted me married,
engaged, connected with a woman. My two brothers are married. They
have kids. She wanted to see me set for life before she’s
gone.”

“
Why Felicia?”

“
Her mom and my mom have
been friends, well, since we were born. They met in the park. I’m a
couple of years older than Felicia, but we used to play together as
kids.”

“
So,
Felicia was
convenient
?”

“
Guess you could put it
that way. She knew Mom and agreed to play along.”

“
She was very
convincing.”

“
It got a little out of
hand. She took it too far.”

“
So, you put your life on
hold for your mom?”

“
It was the least I could
do, and it seemed to make her happy. I wasn’t dating anyone,
anyway. It was fine, until I met a girl I was serious about. Then,
it became a burden. I didn’t know what to do.”

“
Why didn’t you come
clean?”

“
I thought you’d be
furious. Kick me out.”

“
But you’re telling me
now. Why?”

“
I need to clear the air.
Need to tell the truth.”

“
And now you’re not
engaged? How?”

“
Felicia found someone
else.”

“
She dumped you?” Rory’s
eyes got wide.

“
Yeah. It’s ironic.” His
lips spike up into a lopsided smile.

“
It certainly is. Erased
by the pencil.” She laughed and peered into his eyes.

“
It’s a big relief. Let’s
get that coffee.”

She put her hand on his arm. “What
about us?”

“
There is no ‘us.’ You
have Bruce.”

“
Bruce? He’s finished.
Cold bastard. I’ll never be anyone’s booty call again.”

“
You’re dumping
him?”

“
Already did.
Yesterday.”

Hack leaped up and twirled her around.
Baxter barked furiously. “That’s the best news I’ve ever had.” He
crushed her to him.

Rory’s cell rang. He put her down. She
glanced at the screen. “Helen. Better answer.”

“
Hi, babe,” Helen
said.

“
Hey. What’s
up?”

“
I hate to call so close
to Christmas, but I thought you’d want to know that Alfred went to
the Rainbow Bridge this morning, peacefully, in his
sleep.”

“
Oh, my God! Helen!” Tears
stung Rory’s eyes and poured down her cheeks.

“
He had a great few weeks
here with us and with you. You did everything you could, sweetie.
Remember, we can’t save them all. Take care.” Helen hung up. Rory
couldn’t catch her breath. She’d been praying for Alfred and hoping
he’d make it through the holidays.