Courting Alley Cat (6 page)

              Justin had been tied up with processing seven newborn puppies before it sank in that Alley had taken Charlie and gone home. After that realization, he had to force himself not to rush through the examinations and to patiently answer the ten-year-old twins’ questions about how to take care of their new family pets.

              He managed to calm himself though, and get through the exam. Just as he was finishing up disinfecting the counter and thinking about how it might be time to hire an assistant again, to help out with cleaning, if nothing else, when Mrs. Jameson came in with her Siamese cat, Tootsy.

              “Tootsy has just been a mess lately. She won’t use her litter box. It was the last straw when she climbed into my open suitcase and used it for a litter box.”

              Justin somehow managed not to laugh. Although he couldn’t help but picture Mrs. Jameson’s nice clothes for her cruise soiled with cat urine. “Cats are very sensitive,” he told her. “She probably can tell that you’re getting ready to leave her.”

              “But I’ll be leaving her here, with you, and she likes you.”

              Justin wasn’t sure Tootsy liked him at the moment, judging by the scowl on her face and the way she was looking at him with her ears laid back on her head.

              After she hissed at him when he was trying to take her temperature, he was certain, she had no particular affection for him.

              “What will I do?” Mrs. Jameson asked.

              “I think you should keep your suitcase closed while you’re packing, and I suspect you’ll have to go out and buy some new clothes,” Justin said.

              Mrs. Jameson sighed. “I suppose you’re right. Well, Mr. Jameson won’t care for it. I wonder...” She paused with a devilish expression on her face. “I don’t suppose I could get you to write a script for shopping?”             

              Justin laughed out loud and suddenly he felt better than he had felt since he realized Alley had left earlier that morning and several patients later. And... suddenly he knew what he had to do.

              He pulled out an information sheet for Mrs. Jameson on how to cope with cats with behavior problems, went over it with her, patiently answering all her questions, and priding himself on not looking at the clock more than a couple of times.

              When Alley woke, the sun was streaming across her face and Charlie was kneading her back with his front paws. She squinted at the digital clock on the nightstand. 3:44. She buried her fingers in his fur and he purred as he nuzzled her arm.

              She thought back to the events of that morning. It hurt that her friends had left abruptly, but there had to be a good reason. She would call them in a day or so and see what was going on.

              For now, she had to think about Justin. He had gone above and beyond taking care of Charlie. He had taken care of her. He had given her a blanket and a pillow. He had opened his home to her and shared his family. 

              But most of all, he had held her close. He had kissed her forehead.

              He had told her he would date her.

              Was that one of those hypothetical statements? She and Zena had often sat in a restaurant and bar and decided on the spot about men they knew and even those they didn’t know regarding whether or not they would date them. Date being the polite word to mean what they really meant. Was that what Justin was doing? Of course, what else could he say? He wasn’t rude enough to tell her he would not date her. No, he was too kind.

              She mentally shook herself and dragged herself out of bed. She went into the bathroom and washed her face. Her stomach grumbled and she realized she had slept through lunch. She considered taking a shower, but decided against it. It wasn’t as if she had any place to go.

              She went into the kitchen, and glanced guiltily at her office area. She was a little behind in her work. She learned somewhere at a writers conference that if she would just write a mere one hundred words every day, she would not procrastinate. She wondered if drawing something counted in her case and decided it did. Well, she’d been a little busy lately. She’d eat something, then get to work.

              She opened the pantry door and found herself looking toward the back door. Sighing, she focused on the pantry, and chose a can of vegetarian soup.

              At the sound of the can opener, Charlie ran into the kitchen and looked at her with pleading eyes.

              “It’s not cat food, Charlie,” she said, and bent down to pick him up. He purred as she snuggled him against her, but after a few seconds, he wiggled out of her arms.

              She glanced toward the back door.

              She stirred her soup and looked out the kitchen window. There was no activity at the Bark and Purr.

              Pouring her soup into a bowl, she glanced at the back door.

              Deliberately, she took her bowl of soup and went into the living room, turned on the local news, and sat down to eat. That took all of ten minutes. She forced herself to stay put through the weather report. Hot and dry. Go figure.

              On her way to the sink to rinse her bowl and put it in the dishwasher, she glanced at the back door. She closed the dishwasher door, took a deep steadying breath, walked to the back door and twisted the blinds closed.

              There.

              She pulled out her chair and sat down to work. Within seconds, she was swept into her work and she forgot all about Justin.

Allora walked up to the handsome Winston, put her hands on his shoulders, and placed her lips against his. They were rose petal soft. Nothing like the tough guy that Winston was.

              After Alley peaked through the blinds at the back door, she unlocked the door, and stood looking at him. She looked like she was in a trance. She had what looked like charcoal smeared on her face and her hair was disheveled.

              “Did I wake you?”

              “No,” she said, obviously irritated.

              He laughed. “Can I come in?”

              “I don’t know. What’s so funny?”

              “You.”

              “Gee, thanks.”

              “You’re kind of cute when you’re irritated.”

              “I’m not cute.... And I’m not irritated.”

              Feeling a need to touch her, he took a step forward. She backed up a step. He reached out and ran a finger along her cheek, then held it up, now smudged with gray charcoal.

              “You’ve been busy,” he said.

              She swallowed. The creative trance that she had been in had faded and she was now wide awake. “I have been busy,” she echoed. Awake. Just not coherent.

              And, despite her protests, she was a little irritated. She hadn’t heard from him all day. It was almost dark and he just shows up at her doorstep after the rest of his day was done.

              “I tried to get away sooner,” he said, and she blinked. Was he a mind reader? “But it was a busy day for sick pets.”

              “I see,” she said, trying to keep her thoughts neutral. Just in case. “So... you just stopped by.”

              He tilted his head to the side, and looked at her questioningly.

              She shook her head, and looked away. “Nevermind.” She ran a hand through her hair.

              “You probably shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

              “Done what?” She said, looking back at him with a challenge in her eyes.

              This time, he shook his head and smiled at her. “Nevermind,” he said, echoing her words.

“I just came by to ask if you have plans for tomorrow. Since, I don’t have your phone number or your email address, it’s really the only way I know to find you.”

              “Oh. I see,” she said, her mind racing. In Dallas, the first thing she would have done upon meeting anyone, male or female, would be to exchange cell phone numbers. Email addresses would come next, but text messaging was a certainty.

              “I’d like you to come with me tomorrow,” he said, getting straight to the point.

              “Where are we going?”

              “It’s a surprise.”

              “I don’t like surprises,” she said, and turned to the counter to tear off a paper towel. After wiping her hands, she began wiping the charcoal from her cheeks. “Besides,” she continued. “I have work to do now that Charlie is better.”

              Justin wasn’t sure he liked this cool, distant tone of voice. He was certain it was an effective deflecting tool in the big city, but here it just seemed.... cold.

              “Alright,” he said, taking a business card from his back pocket. “If you change your mind, give me a call... or send me a text message.” This unexpected disdain was disconcerting. “You know how to find me,” he said, and walked out the back door.

              Alley stood silently holding the little business card. She’d wanted his phone number and she got it. She’d wanted to see him and she had gotten that, too. She wasn’t sure why she had been peevish about it. After all she had slept all day and she was certain that he had lots to do. He was a veterinarian, for goodness sake.

              Well, anyway, she wouldn’t contact him. She couldn’t now. It would appear too desperate.

              Alley woke early the next morning after a restless night. She hadn’t gone back to work after Justin had left, but instead had gone to bed early. She woke up with the same mantra she had fallen asleep with,
I will not call him. I will not call him.

              She hated that she had to keep reminding herself that she shouldn’t call him. She hated that she wanted to.

              Determined to get herself back on track, she went into the kitchen, put on a pot of coffee, fed Charlie, and sat down at her desk. She knew she could lose herself in the story she was writing. She read through what she had written yesterday, decided it sounded pretty good, and after retrieving a cup of coffee, dove into moving the story forward.

              Two hours later, her mind on automatic pilot, she went to refill her coffee cup, but the pot was empty. She sat down the empty carafe, and looked out the kitchen window for the first time that day. There was no traffic at the Bark and Purr. Then she remembered it was Sunday. She hadn’t even picked up the newspaper. An image of Justin came to mind.

              There went her focus on her story. Nonetheless, it was time for a break, anyway.

              Maybe she should clean up... just in case.

              Standing in the shower, she allowed her thoughts to replay the scene with Justin last night. He had come over to invite her to something today. All she had done was to be snippy with him. She couldn’t really remember why she’d been snippy. Except that she hadn’t seen him all day and she desperately wanted to. Why had she shot herself in the foot that way? He was standing there being friendly after a hard day’s work and all she did was snap at him.

              She rinsed the conditioner from her hair and stepped out of the shower. Well, there was only one way to rectify this situation. She had to go over there and apologize. She wouldn’t call. It would just seem too strange. In fact, she would take Charlie over there with her with the excuse of having him make sure the little guy was doing ok.

              Satisfied with her plan, she put on make-up and got dressed into a pair of denim capris and a cute little pull-over she’d picked up at JCrew. It was solid red, her favorite color and it make her feel attractive. She even put on matching red sandals with a little heel on them.              

              She checked her appearance in Granny’s full-length mirror before locating Charlie. Reflecting on her appearance, she reflected on her situation. She looked appropriately dressed for a lunch date with the girls or even with a new guy. Whatever it was he wanted her to do, she would be dressed for it - not too dressy, not too casual.

              She grabbed her handbag - with her cell phone, snagged Charlie from his perch in front of the back patio door where he’d been watching birds in the back yard, and headed next door to the Bark and Purr.

              She was a little surprised when Mrs. York answered the door. With the exception of breakfast the day before, the older woman rarely seemed to be at home during the day.

              “Come in, Alley,” Mrs. York, said, obviously glad to see her. “Don’t you look cute today?”

              “Thank you, Mrs. York. I hope I’m not disturbing.”

              “Oh course not,” Mrs. York, said, stepping back so Alley could enter. “Is Charlie alright?”

              “I think so. I just thought maybe Justin could make sure. I feel so responsible for him being sick in the first place.”

              “Nonsense. You got him over here as soon as you noticed something was wrong. That’s more than a lot of people do. Do you have any pets at home, Dear?”

              “Unfortunately, no, I don’t. I think maybe that’s why I didn’t notice anything was wrong right away.”

              “You’re doing just fine. With cats, it’s hard to tell when they’re not feeling well. They’re quite good at hiding it.”

              “I’ll bet you’ve picked up quite a bit about animals, with two veterinarians in the house.”

              “I suppose I have, at that. Also, just being around them has taught me a lot.”

              “I’m sure it does,” she said, glancing around the foyer. She didn’t hear any sounds coming from the basement. “Is the clinic very busy today?”

              “Oh, no, not at all. But Justin isn’t here.”

              Alley felt her heart sink in to her toes. She tried to keep the smile on her face, but could feel it trying to slide into sadness. She ruined everything last night. He’d gone wherever it was without her, or even worse, he’d taken someone else. It was all over before it even got started.

              “Oh,” was all she could manage to get out without making a fool of herself.

              “It’s alright, Dear, the older Dr. York is filling in for him.”

              Alley swallowed thickly and forced herself not to panic. “I thought he had retired.”

              “Oh, he has, but sometimes Justin has to.... travel and my husband is more than willing to fill in.”

              “Travel?”

              “Yes, on business.”

              Alley thought that sounded just strange enough to distract her from feeling devastated.

“If Dr. York is busy, I can make an appointment for when Justin returns.”

              “Oh, don’t worry. Come on downstairs,” Mrs. York said, urging Alley down to the clinic. “It’s really quiet today and, besides, I’m not sure when Justin will be back.”

              “Will he be back today?” Alley couldn’t resist asking.

              Mrs. York hesitated a second longer than expected. “I just don’t know. Sometimes it takes longer than others. Now don’t you worry. We’ll take care of little Charlie.”             

              Alley fought down the urge to skip out the front door, taking Charlie with her. She only wanted to see Justin. She sighed. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see Justin’s dad. Maybe he could offer some insights into what was going on with his son. She certainly needed some. In Dallas, people rarely even admitted to having parents.

              She wasn’t in Dallas anymore.

              “Hi there, Alley, come on in. Who have you got there?” At the sight of Dr. York’s sunny, welcoming smile, Alley was overcome with guilt. Justin’s parents had been incredibly kind to her and all she could do was resent them for being there.

              She immediately put the smile back on her face. “I’ve got little Charlie, who, I think, is doing just fine.”

              “Let’s take a look at him,” Dr. York said, as he took the cat from her arms.

              Alley realized that her smile was genuine.

              As Dr. York checked Charlie, he asked Alley about her stay, and when he mentioned Justin, she felt the tinges of a blush on her cheeks.

              “Justin will be sorry he missed you.”

              “I... um... he took really good care of Charlie the other night.”

              “I’m sure he did. He’s a top notch doc.”

              “I could tell.”

              “He’s a fine young man, too. Responsible.”

              “You must be very proud of him.”

              “I am proud of him. I’d just like get him married off, so he can move this blasted clinic to a place of his own,” he winked at her.

              Alley wasn’t sure if he was winking about the marriage part or the clinic part. “I’m sure he’ll get around to it.”

              Dr. York just grunted.

              “He does like girls, doesn’t he?”

              Dr. York laughed out loud. “He’s straight all right. Smart of you to ask, though.”

              “So what about you?” Dr. York asked. “Have you thought about settling down and starting a family?”

              Alley shrugged. Had she? Of course she had. Didn’t everyone? She’d been close once, but that had been as an undergrad in college. Almost too long ago to remember. He’d been from Florida and was a pilot. He’d irritated her at first, but then, she’d found him charming. He graduated and went back to Florida and she had made the decision to stay in Dallas. Since then, she’d dated, but no engagements. She’d thrown herself into studying, then writing and drawing, and spending time with her friends.

              “Well,” Dr. York said, interrupting her thoughts. “There’s still plenty of time for all that. No need to rush into anything.”

              “That’s true,” Alley said, but she wasn’t sure she completely agreed with that logic. She was, after all, nearing thirty.

              “I wouldn’t worry too much about Charlie. Why don’t you bring him on back in next week when Justin is back and let’s take another look at him.”

              “Justin will be gone a week?”

              “Oh, I doubt it. You never know about that boy, though,” Dr. York said, handing Charlie back to Alley.

              “I see.” Though she didn’t. “Thanks for taking a look at him.”

              “You’re more than welcome. I’m always happy to see Charlie. Say, have you heard from Granny?”

              “No, not a word. She probably doesn’t have phone service.”

              “I bet she’s having the time of her life.”

              “I sure do hope so. I wouldn’t mind taking a trip like that someday.”