Rescue My Heart (15 page)

“
I’m waiting. The turkey
smells luscious. Can I help?”

“
Thanks, but nope.
Everything’s done.”

“
I’m not surprised. Can
you take a break?”

“
Exactly what I was
planning to do. I’ve been dying to get at that puzzle.” Shirley
disappeared into the kitchen again and returned with a plate of
pigs in blankets and mini quiches. She made a space for it on the
table, picked up a puzzle piece, and directed her question to Rory.
“So, how’s it going with that hunky vet?”

Rory tried to sound nonchalant. “Same
old, same old.”

Shirley shot her a sly look. “Come on.
Can’t fool me. You two can’t simply be writing together all day
long, every day. I’m old, honey, but not that old.” She
laughed.

Completely unexpected, Rory burst into
tears.

“
Now see what you’ve done!
Prying. Always prying. Shirley, apologize,” Hal said, reaching for
the box of tissues on the end table.

“
I’m sorry, honey. Did I
say something wrong?” Shirley squeezed Rory’s shoulder.

“
It’s not your fault,
Shirley. It’s that…” And another fit of crying took
over.

“
Take a deep breath,” Hal
said.

Rory dried her eyes and blew her nose.
The concerned looks on the faces of her friends prompted her to
spill her story. “I didn’t expect to fall in love with him. Who’da
thought? I hated him when we started.”

“
Of course, dear.” Shirley
patted Rory’s hand.

“
But I did. And he belongs
to someone else. I’m the other woman, and that’s awful! It’s so
dishonest. I hate it, but I don’t want to give him up. I don’t know
what to do.”

“
Seems to me you don’t
have to do anything. Next move is his.”

“
Hal’s right. Sit tight,”
Shirley said.

“
If he dumps this other
gal, then you know he’s serious about you. If not, well, you might
have to move on.”

With lashes still wet, Rory looked at
him and nodded. “You’re right. It’s up to him now.”

“
If he breaks your heart,
let me know. I’ll bust him in the chops!” Hal made a
fist.

Rory chuckled and squeezed his arm.
“Thanks, Hal. I hope that won’t be necessary. You’re support
is…well…the best.”

“
That’s what friends are
for,” Shirley said, returning to the living room and joining them
on the sofa.

A timer in the kitchen rang. Shirley
pushed up from her seat. “Time to baste the turkey.” The football
teams are lined up for the kick-off.

“
We have so much to be
thankful for this year, don’t we?” Hal glanced at his
wife.

“
Sure do. We have each
other and you, too, Rory.”

The
cloud of worry hovering over Rory passed. Although nothing was
resolved, the camaraderie of her friends helped to ease her
tension. They were right. She couldn’t do anything.
Might as well forget about Hack. Enjoy the
holiday.
A smile stretched her lips. She
picked up a puzzle piece and turned toward the screen. “Who’s
playing, and who are we rooting for, Hal?”

* * * *

Rory
bounded out of bed on Monday morning full of energy. Hack would be
coming back. It had been days that seemed like weeks, and she had
missed him terribly. She planned to make mushroom soup from scratch
and have it with melted cheddar on toast. Spending more than she
should on the food bothered her some, but she ignored it.
I can’t always be so cautious. Sometimes I have
to go overboard, a little bit. I’m telling Hack to bust out. I
should, too.

She showered and put on a sexy outfit,
a curve-hugging, baby blue, velour running suit. The soup bubbled
gently, sending a wonderful aroma around the apartment. Rory
refreshed her lilac perfume before he arrived.

She opened the door, brimming with
anticipation. Hack immediately pulled her into his arms in a big
hug. Rory closed her eyes, sniffing the wonderful scent of his
freshly ironed shirt and his clean body. He had shaved, too. A sign
of things changing. After small talk about their holidays was out
of the way, Hack settled into his chair, ready to type.

Rory stretched out on the sofa with
Baxter lying next to her, sleeping. She scratched him behind the
ears with the fingertips of one hand and raised a cup of tea to her
lips with the other. After a sip, she began dictation. “Lavinia
went through the kitchen door, horrified to find a bloody knife on
the counter.”

“
Cut. Cut.” Hack ran his
hand over his face.

“
What? What’s
wrong?”

He took a long look at her, opened his
mouth, closed it again, then opened it. “The stuff you’re
writing…you call it mystery…is the worst crap I’ve ever read. It’s
transparent as hell. You couldn’t fool a five-year-old with your
plot. Surely, someone as smart as you can do better.”

Her empty teacup clattered to the
floor. Rory stared at him as her breath caught in her throat. For
the first time, she had no rejoinder. The quiet created a wall
between them. After a minute or two, Rory recovered enough to
squeak out an order. “Today’s session is over. You can leave now.
Go back to Felicia. Get laid. Whatever.” Tears stung the backs of
her eyes, but her face remained stony.

“
Felicia? Don’t tell me
you’ve finally run out of epithets?” His attempt at a joke fell
flat. Silence hung heavy in the air.

“
Please go.” She could
hardly breathe.

He put his hand on her arm. “Hey,
look, if I overstepped…I’m sorry. I meant…”

“
Please. I’m tired.” She
ripped out from his grasp and pushed to her feet.

“
Okay. I’m sorry. I had to
tell you the truth.” He shrugged on his jacket and headed for the
stairs. He left quietly.

Once she heard his steps descending,
she let the tears flow. With her back propped against the door, she
slid down to the floor, sobbing. Baxter joined her, barking and
licking her face.

The next morning, she dragged herself
out of bed. Depression had settled over her, slowing her down. The
pain of Hack’s insult seared her heart. She leaned up against the
wall as she refilled the bird feeder. Baxter jumped up and went to
the door. One bark meant he wanted to go outside. Rory threw on a
sweat suit, leashed the dog, and hit the street. While Baxter
sniffed his way around the block, Rory thought about her
situation.

His words stung sharply every time she
replayed them. “That crap you call mystery is the worst crap I’ve
ever read.” What hurt even more was that she knew he was right,
which made her humiliation worse. How could she ask him to type for
her when what she was writing wasn’t worth his time or
hers?

At home
again, she sank down on the sofa next to Baxter. He rested his chin
on her leg. She petted the pug idly while her stomach churned. Hack
would be there any minute, and she didn’t know what to say.
How can I face him? How can I ask him to come
here anymore? And yet, if he stops coming…
“Rory, you stupid ass. You’re in love with that insufferable
man.”

She put her head in her hands and
addressed herself to Baxter, always a sympathetic listener. “How
the hell did this happen, Bax? He’s smug. In love with himself and
engaged…to the worst excuse for a woman I’ve ever seen. Damn! I’ve
bought a one-way ticket to heartbreak city.”

She made a cup of tea. Her tears
returned. Baxter cozied up next to her and licked the tears off her
cheeks.

Rory
couldn’t sit still. She paced, made a second cup of tea, forgot to
drink it, petted Baxter, fed him breakfast twice. Conversation with
Hack was getting too personal.
Don’t admit
anything. Nothing! He’s engaged. Do you want to have an affair with
him, only to watch him marry her? Besides, if he loves her, he
couldn’t possibly love you. Want to sleep with you, yes. Love you,
no. But he sure is delicious. An amazing lover.

She
jumped when the buzzer sounded. Rory took several deep breaths,
trying to control the runaway beating of her heart.
Be cool. Calm. Distant. Yeah, right. Good luck
with that.

* * * *

A few
blocks away at the clinic, Hack’s underarms were sweating.
How am I going to go back there? I’ve insulted
her, hurt her, badly. Not like the little shots at Felicia. Didn’t
you see her face, you idiot? She was mortally wounded! And now, you
have to go back or go to jail. Going back might be worse than jail.
She’s so vulnerable, how could you do it?

“
I’ll explain...what I
really meant.”

The door opened. “Talking to
yourself?” Felicia walked in.

“
Maybe.”

“
Ever since you’ve been
typing for that bloodsucker…”

“
She’s not a
bloodsucker.”

“
Oh!” Felicia spied a
bouquet of apricot roses sitting on the counter. “For me? After
skipping out on dinner last night, I…”

“
Those aren’t for
you.”

“
What?”

He picked up the bouquet and headed
for the door.

“
They’re for her?” Felicia
spat at him.

“
I need to
apologize.”

“
Did you make a pass at
her?”

“
See you
later.” He moved out onto the street before Felicia could utter
another word.
Can’t let Felicia know a
thing.
He slowed his gait.
A man on the way to the gas chamber doesn’t run
to get there, right?
He swallowed, took
several deep breaths, but nothing helped. His nerves were in
overdrive, and he was perspiring. A thorn pricked his finger, so he
switched hands. He tried to whistle, but his mouth was too
dry.

Finally,
her building came into view. He shook his arms, loosening the
muscles, and squared his shoulders.
Be a
man. Take your punishment.
He buzzed
Rory’s apartment.
What if she doesn’t let
me in?
The answering buzz came quickly, as
his resolve went south. He marched up the stairs like he was going
to face a firing squad.
Her tongue is as
sharp as a saber.

When Rory opened, Hack produced the
roses from behind his back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.
It came out all wrong.”

Her face brightened as she took the
flowers from him. “Thank you. My favorite color for roses. How did
you know? They’re beautiful.”

“
Lucky
guess
.” Beautiful
like you.
He hesitated on the
threshold.

“
Come in, come in.” She
tugged on his hand.

Gone were Hack’s scruffy T-shirt and
jeans. He wore khaki pants, pressed perfectly, and a fresh, blue,
button-down shirt, open at the neck. His scruff wasn’t out of
control, but trimmed to the right length. And he wore a touch of
cologne.

Rory looked him up and down. “Got a
hot date after you finish here?”

“
Nope.” He straightened
his collar.

“
Dressed up for
me?”

He sensed blood rushing to his
face.

“
Didn’t think I’d
notice?”

“
Simply dressing better.
If I’m engaged to a fashionista, I ought to dress better,
right?”

“
Did Miss Bread Stick tell
you that?” Anger colored her tone.

He shook his head. “About
yesterday…”

She waved her hand.
“Forgotten.”

“
Let me explain.” He
tugged her down onto the sofa. “What I meant was… Geez, your
stories are about love, not murder. The romances in your book are
hot and believable.”

“
I know, but…”

“
Let me finish. Your
writing is good, but…well…you’re a person who knows a lot about
love. They say, write what you know.” He felt his blush deepen.
“Not only our making love. I see it with your pug rescue stuff.
Baxter. Write about love…love for pugs…love for people. You can
write about that better than anyone, I bet.”

Rory didn’t utter a sound.

Hack laughed. “Two points for me. Not
easy to make you speechless.”

She turned toward him, put one hand on
each side of his face, and kissed him hard. “Thank you! No one has
ever said that to me before. You’re right. Absolutely right. I do
know a lot about love. Let’s get started. Coffee?”

Now, it was Hack’s turn to be
speechless.

“
Let’s start fresh. Title.
For the Love of Baxter.” Rory looked over at him. “Well, come on.
I’ve got a lot of time to make up for. What a waste! Will you tell
my mom? Because I’m not sure I have the guts.”

“
When you get a contract
from a publisher, that’ll say it all.”

“
Do you think I have a
chance?”

“
Hell, yeah! I think
you’re a great writer.”