Seeing Forever (7 page)

He sensed that she was kissing and hugging the dog,
and it made him jealous. How stupid was that? Envious, of a German shepherd…

“How about we start today’s training with a walk to
the park?” asked
Katey
.

“Okay, does he need a special leash?”

“Nope, you’ll use his indoor harness. The sun’s out
but there’s a cool breeze, so do you want to put a jacket on?”

“Maybe I should.”

He knew Josie had hung two of his jackets on the
pegs by the opposite wall. He made his way over there while saying a silent
prayer that he wouldn’t trip and fall in front of
Katey
.
Lucky for him, he didn’t.
 
Luc had asked
his sister to place two neutral-colored ones there so he never had to worry
about them clashing with any of his pants. Luc grabbed one and slipped his arm
inside. He was prepared to walk back on his own but
Katey
put her hand on his arm and he felt the pleasant warmth rush through him again.

“Is that the front door key hanging on this hook?”

“Yes, my sister thought it would be a good spot for
me. Do you want to take it for us?”

“Sure and let’s get outside, lock the door, and get
set up out on the driveway.”

She maneuvered him outside and he felt Willow close
by.

He tilted his head up, letting the sun kiss his
face. He hadn’t been for a walk since…since two days before he’d lost his
sight. Back before his life had turned into a nightmarish world.

“Here, take Willow’s harness in your hand like this
and we’re all set. I’ll be right beside you, teaching you how he’ll make sure
you cross the road safely and avoid obstacles and people as you walk down the
road. And just to make sure you’re paying attention, there will be a short quiz
after.”

He laughed. Twice, she’d made him do something he
never thought he would again.

“And I should mention that next week I’ll be sending
you out on your own.”

He took a deep breath. He’d never be ready for that.

“Willow, lead,” said Luc.

The dog began walking and he sensed that
Katey
was as she’d promised, right by his side. Then the
dog stopped.

“Did I do something wrong?” asked Luc.

“Nope, he’s checking the sidewalk. Now, he’s going
to have to learn along with you which way he has to go. While I was driving
here I noticed that the park was to the left so you need to train him with your
signals on the leash. Here’s what Jake had him do, tug a little on the left
side of the harness here.”

She put her hand on his and together they gave a
quick tug. How he wished she’d just leave it there so it would be like they
were walking hand in hand to the park.

The dog began moving again.
Katey’s
body now brushed his. She’d been forced closer to him as the street narrowed as
they got closer to the park.

“How we doing?” he asked.

“Like old pros.”

“Hi, Luc … it’s so good to see you again.”

It was a man’s voice and it took him by surprise.
There was silence for a few minutes.

“I’m sorry, Luc. I forgot that now you’re…”

He knew the man was going to say blind but had
stopped
himself
in time.

“It’s Mike from the neighborhood,” said the man.

“Hey, Mike, how you doing?”

“Fine.
Just
heading home and then I’m going to play golf at the new course.”

Golf.
How
he’d love to join him.

“And who’s the pretty girl?”

So someone else thought she was pretty. The guys hadn’t
lied to him just to make him feel good.

“This is
Katey
, my service
dog trainer.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

“Same here.”

“Luc, it was great seeing you again. I’ll stop by
the house for a longer visit one of these days.”

“That would be great.”

It wouldn’t be, but he didn’t want to seem rude.
Part of the reason he’d shut himself in the house like he had was because he
couldn’t stand running into people. Neighbors feeling sorry for him, or saying
the wrong thing and then stopping in mid-sentence like Mike had.

“That was awkward. I mean when he first spoke to me,”
said Luc as they began walking again.

“More for him, than you, so I wouldn’t worry about
it,” said
Katey
. “We’re now approaching the street
that crosses to the park so if Jake’s trained Willow correctly, he’ll pause and
check for cars before he walks you across there. And I want you to feel the
harness so you get a sense of what he’s doing and when.”

On cue Willow stopped for a minute or two, and then
proceeded again.

“You want to sit on one of the benches for a break?”
asked
Katey
.

“Sure, I guess not getting out much has tired me
more than usual.”

They walked a few more yards before
Katey
spoke to Willow.

“Willow, stop, sit, hold.”

“Another one of Jake’s commands?”

“Yep, he’s got a gift
with dogs
that’s
for sure.”

Katey
guided Luc down on to the bench and he stretched out his legs.

“Will Willow get enough exercise from walking or
will he have to go off his leash and run around?”

“He should be okay just walking with you, but I can
always stop by and take him for a good run someplace. I don’t live far and it’s
no problem, even after we’re done with our formal training.”

He had mixed emotions about that. The thought that
she wouldn’t be stopping by every day and he’d be back to his lonely existence.
But then the chance of her dropping by now and then to take Willow for a run
would be something to look forward to. There was at least some little ray of
hope that maybe everything wasn’t as bleak as he’d thought. But then what happened
when her life got busy? She had another dog and client to work with? She got a
boyfriend, a husband, a family? What would he look forward to then?

“So you think you want to train dogs like Jake does,
I mean it’s what you really want to do?” asked Luc.

“If I can.
I
don’t know how much it pays but I guess being happy in a job is worth more than
a wage
check
.”

That was true because you never knew when something
like being blinded would be thrown at you.
 
And how he’d loved life in
the army.
Now even that had been taken away from him.

“How did Willow do last night?” asked
Katey
.

“Josie, that’s my sister, took him out in the yard
before we turned in for the night and then let him out first thing this
morning.”

“Then I think we should stick with that routine, but
I also want to train you to know if Willow needs to go out in the middle of the
night. That might happen as he gets older so I want you to be prepared for it.”

“Geez, there’s so much to learn.” He took a deep
breath and then felt her hand on his arm.

“We’ll take it nice and slow, so don’t worry.”

He knew what he was about to do was maybe crossing
the line but he couldn’t help it. He placed his hand on top of hers. Was she
looking at him, at his hand? Shit, this was awkward when he couldn’t see her
reaction. She hadn’t slid her hand from his or knocked it away. Was it a good
sign or her being polite to a blind man?

He didn’t know why but he felt so depressed again,
almost to the point of tears. He took away his hand and rummaged inside his
coat pocket, hoping his sunglasses were still there. He never wanted anyone to
see him cry, especially
Katey
.

****

Sadie heard a cough and quickly clicked her fingers.
She knew it was wrong to spy on her two latest clients, but there wasn’t any
harm checking in on them in her crystal ball. There was an attraction there,
and she saw it as they sat together on the park bench. The touch, and what Luc
couldn’t see was the look of admiration in
Katey’s
eyes as he’d reached out to her. Luc was sad,
Katey
was shy and maybe she’d have to do a little intervening with them. It hadn’t
hurt any of the other couples, so it couldn’t hurt now.

She heard Ted coughing again. After she was finished
with this spell she’d mix him a little something for that tickle in his throat
because she couldn’t stand him coughing all day in the next office to hers
while he worked on the accounts.

Sadie pulled out one of her mixing bowls and checked
the shelves for just the right potions. Confidence, and the other one,
happiness, and yes, a dash of desire couldn’t help. She’d send the spell their
way in the form of rain.

Sorry,
guys. I know you’re at the park.

A floorboard squeaking outside her office made Sadie
hurry things along because Ted was a by-the-book sort of warlock, and if he
thought she was messing with the natural order of things, he wouldn’t think
twice about reporting her to the Council.

She poured in two drops of everything, swirled it
around and sent it out into the universe, repeating Luc and
Katey’s
names as she lifted the bowl into the air.

****

Neither she nor Luc had brought an umbrella with
them, but up until a minute ago it had been a beautiful cloudless day. Now it
looked like the heavens had opened up.

They got up from the bench and huddled together with
Willow leading them back to the house. Luckily they hadn’t gone too far, but by
the time they got home, both of them, along with Willow, were drenched.

“Where did that come from?” asked Luc.

“Out of nowhere and the strangest thing was it
didn’t look like it was raining anywhere else but on us.”

Willow freed himself of the water on his coat by
shaking his body.

Luc reached out and touched
Katey’s
t-shirt.

“You feel more drenched than me,” said Luc.

“Yep.
I
didn’t take a jacket with me.”

“You want to take your clothes off? I mean, if you
want to dry them?”

They both burst out laughing. “I know what you
meant. I have a change of clothing in my overnight bag.”

“You want to help me up the stairs so I can change
too … I’ll take you to the guest room.”

Katey
lifted her bag, and with her other hand placed it on Luc’s arm as she guided
him up each step.

“Okay, you’re almost to the top,” she said.

“Your room is to the right here and it’s next to the
bathroom.”

They walked arm in arm along the hallway until she
saw the room in question.

“Okay, got it. You want me to take you along to your
room?”

“Nope, I can find my way by feeling the wall.”

“I’ll change and wait here till you’re ready to go
back downstairs and we can get some lunch.”

Luc nodded and she couldn’t help but watch as he
made his way in the opposite direction, his hand sliding down the wall with him
touching certain objects like a light switch and a painting along the way.

When she knew he was safely at his room she went into
the bedroom and took out a pair of jeans and her white t-shirt. The room
overlooked the backyard and she stood admiring the roses and purple clematis
growing up against the fence that bordered his neighbor’s property. It was
heartbreaking that Luc could no longer take in their beauty, but maybe she
could encourage him to go out there and smell and touch everything.

She changed and took her wet clothing across the way
into the bathroom and hoped that Luc wouldn’t mind her hanging it over the door
of the shower so they could dry. She walked back into the hallway and looked
down toward Luc’s bedroom door. He hadn’t shut it and she noticed him standing
in the middle of the room without his t-shirt.

Katey
knew
she should have turned away and given him some privacy, especially when he
couldn’t see her spying on him. But he was too gorgeous to ignore with the
muscles in both his chest and stomach toned, and his skin so smooth and perfect
looking. He put his arms into the air so he could place his t-shirt around his
neck, which made his stomach muscles flex some more. The sight was so
spectacular that it literally took her breath away. It wasn’t until she found
herself gasping for breath that she realized. She sneaked in another peek
before he covered his torso.

This
is wrong, so wrong.

She turned to hurry back into the guest room but the
floorboard directly under her right foot creaked. Luc might be without his
sight but his hearing was sharp, because he turned in her direction.