by Cora Jay
It all flooded back in sharp focus, and Ellie’s heart pounded, the project on her computer screen forgotten. Aaron. Why was he back in town, anyway? He’d practically fled when they broke up, heading to the other side of the country to try his luck in New York.
But of course, his parents still lived here. He was probably just visiting them and wanted to say hi. Ellie relaxed somewhat. She’d assumed from the text that Aaron was back permanently, but that didn’t make any sense. He was probably just visiting. Maybe his parents needed him. They were getting elderly. Or maybe his sisters had a new baby. Something.
He couldn’t possibly be moving back here.
But why did he want to get drinks with Ellie? What could they possibly have to say to each other? He’d broken up with her, being his usual, flighty self. He wanted something different, the opposite of what Ellie’s lifestyle afforded her. The vacations weren’t enough, and neither was the flexibility of her work schedule.
Aaron Rochester was the kind of person who would thrive in a place like New York, surrounded by stimulating people and places. Not in a provincial town like Redwood Crossing. It wasn’t rural, and it certainly wasn’t like the redneck areas out East, but still… He hadn’t been happy here, and he’d practically vanished without a trace.
Ellie had dropped him off at the airport, and like a phantom, he’d disappeared into the ether. They hadn’t had any contact after that.
Which was why this was so weird. He made it sound like no time had passed at all, like they had been chatting like old friends every month or two. Ellie couldn’t even conceptualize how his life would have changed. He could very well be a completely different person.
And what had changed in her own life? Nothing. That was embarrassing. She had nothing to show for herself after the break up. Aaron had suggested she come to New York too, try to land some bigger graphic design jobs, but she’d considered it foolish to move somewhere so expensive with such a precarious line of work. The low cost of living in Redwood Crossing felt safer.
She shook her head, but when she looked down, the text was still on her screen, staring at her. She’d have to reply. It would be rude not to. But on the other hand, why bother? Why bother to get drinks with someone who’d hurt her like that?
She was feeling too bewildered to make any kind of intelligent decision, so she put the phone on silent and flipped it over, screen down, determined to finish her goals for the day. She’d let the situation percolate in her mind. There was no need to reply to him. Not yet.
10
Harika
Harika scrolled through Ellie’s portfolio while she waited for the designer to show up for their second meeting. Even though they’d met by chance, Harika felt like she would have chosen Ellie to complete the project anyway. She liked Ellie’s style. It was contemporary, but her work didn’t look like everyone else’s. She didn’t use the same textures and fonts as other people.
Granted, Harika was running a veterinary clinic, not a trendy bar or restaurant. Her brand had to look clean and trustworthy, not flashy and colorful. But it couldn’t hurt to stand out. Now that the clinic had reached this plateau, Harika was eager to drum up new business and really grow to the next level.
She heard the sound of the front door pushing open and looked up to Ellie, coming in with Bella. Harika had invited Bella because she thought it would be nice for her to run around in the small yard out back with Betsy. Part of her was hoping, deep down, that Betsy would get her act together and treat the shy greyhound with courtesy. She was never going to win Ellie over if the dogs didn’t like each other.
Nessa, the third vet tech, showed up right on time to take over front desk duties. Harika thanked her and went to greet Ellie, pre-emptively scooping up Betsy so the little fireball wouldn’t cause trouble.
“Great to see you again,” said Harika.
“Same to you,” said Ellie, hoisting her bag on her shoulder better.
Harika looked down to say hello to Bella, who blinked at her demurely, like a deer. She turned slightly and went behind Ellie’s legs when she saw Betsy looking daggers at her.
Jeez, what was Betsy’s problem? At least she was nice to Ellie. Harika trusted her judgment, and wouldn’t have hired Ellie if the dog didn’t like her.
“Let’s head out back,” said Harika. “We can let the dogs loose in the yard.”
“Sounds good,” said Ellie, following.
“You have got to be nice,” said Harika to Betsy, who squirmed in her arms, eager to be let down. “If you can’t be nice to our guests, I’m going to take you home and leave you there. Got it?”
She looked at Harika balefully, as if she were deeply offended.
“I know you’re being rude, and I won’t tolerate it,” said Harika sternly.
Harika pushed the door open and set Betsy down. She was lucky to have found an area that had room for this yard. When dogs and cats had to be kept overnight, it was nice to be able to let them run around. This part of Lane Estates had a lot of traffic during the day, with all the shops and restaurants, so the patients could get their exercise and dose of sunshine without fear of being hit.
“You can let her go here,” said Harika. “The fence is tall enough that she won’t be able to leap over it.”
Ellie looked around appraisingly. “Nice little place you’ve got here.”
Harika beamed with pride. It had been a good fine, after all. “It’s perfect. It’s in a central location, but it still offers some privacy for the recovering patients. Some vet clinics in the city don’t have this kind of room, but I think it’s important. Exercise is the best thing anyone can do for a pet’s health.”
Ellie was smiling at her when she looked over, mouth twisted into a smile.
“Sorry. Sometimes it’s hard to slip out of doctor mode,” said Harika, throwing on a winning smile. “We can sit at these benches.”
But even when they sat down and Ellie unleashed Bella, Harika noticed the dogs settling into what was almost a routine with them. Betsy would approach the greyhound, growling in a way that wasn’t overly aggressive, but still threatening. Stay out of my space.
Bella wasn’t foolish enough to ignore that warning, but she was so eager to make friends that it was clear that she was looking for an opening to play with the other dog. Harika sighed. This was going to be more difficult than she expected.
But on the bright side, she was sitting down to next to Ellie, who, to her surprise, removed the sweatshirt she was constantly wearing. Harika’s eyes were magnetically drawn to the designer’s tattoos, which were slightly faded, but no less beautiful in the sunlight, which showed all their colors.
The designs were classic on one arm, in a traditional style with bold line art and bright colors, depicting a racing greyhound that looked like Bella and some nautical designs—a sailboat under a celestial scene, plus an anchor. On the other arm, though, Ellie had opted for a modern design that looked like it was painted in watercolors right on her arm. Harika couldn’t quite make out what it was.
Ellie ignored Harika’s blatant perusal of the tattoos and went right to business, slipping her hand into her bag and retrieving a folder. “Here’s what your print materials look like,” she said, her voice betraying her excitement.
Harika was excited too. She couldn’t wait to see the new look of her clinic.
It was awesome. Ellie couldn’t have done a better job. They’d chosen to go with a green-focused color palette with a touch of blue, which would convey the warmth of the clinic as well as its professionalism. The brochures looked great, glossy and crisp, and the business cards had the logo displayed prominently—a house with a dog and cat comprising part of the design.
“This is… this is amazing,” said Harika, thrilled to be holding the results of their collaboration in her hands. She flipped through them over and over, amazed. It seemed like it was happening so quickly.
“Thank you,” said Ellie, her cheeks flushing adorably. Harika’s pulse quickened, and she
felt the sudden urge to draw herself closer to the designer, close the gap between them. She couldn’t help but regard the other woman’s face, with her bright eyes and pale blonde hair. It was sharp and strong, with some very slight lines around the eyes. Did Ellie worry a lot? About what?
Harika brushed away her psychoanalyzing. “This is exactly what I was looking for, so really, thank you.”
“If you’re happy with it, I’ll give you the information of the printer. Since I’ve already sent them the files, you just have to tell them what quantity you want ordered.”
“Perfect,” said Harika, glad it was all coming together so neatly.
“And what about the website? Did you still want one?”
“No business can survive in this day and age without a website,” said Harika, sighing. “But I don’t know the first thing about creating one, and it seems too complicated for me to do myself.”
“No problem,” said Ellie confidently. “Just tell me what you want and we’ll make it happen.”
This was a completely different woman from the one who’d first walked into the clinic, Harika observed. Ellie seemed to really be in her element when talking about the project, and it was impressive how she guided the conversation. Harika got the sense that she wasn’t like this in all other areas of her life.
A yapping sound broke their concentration, and both women looked up to see the dogs chasing each other. Except it was Betsy chasing Bella. Bella, being a greyhound, easily dodged the smaller, slower dog, but she seemed thrown off by Betsy’s raw aggression.
“Betsy! Cut it out!” said Harika, getting a little angry. It wasn’t often that she butted heads with the feisty dog, but this wasn’t the first time she got on her nerves. She liked having all her space to herself.
She looked up at Harika and trotted over, dignified, like nothing that happened. “Do you want me to put you back in?” asked Harika. “I can have Nessa look after you. Do you want that?”
Betsy curled up at Harika’s feet and was peaceful, but she kept glancing at Bella, who had gone back to doing laps around the yard. Still, the greyhound kept giving wary glances toward the smaller dog.
“She must be scared since she got attacked,” said Ellie glumly, the flat façade coming over her again. No. Harika didn’t want to lose her. She didn’t want to lose the woman who had come out just now, who was so confident and lively.
“If Betsy bothers her again, she’s going inside,” said Harika firmly. “I understand your concern.”
Ellie shook her head, as if to clear her mind. “Well, anyway, I think what you’ve mentioned with the website will be very feasible…”
They continued until Ellie was confident that she knew what Harika wanted, and Harika was not only confident that she actually knew what she wanted, and that Ellie would do a good job understanding it and executing it.
They sat for a little while longer, watching Bella slow down to a trot around the yard. She was no longer favoring her uninjured leg, and the splint would probably come off the following week.
“Bella! Come here, honey!” called Ellie.
The greyhound promptly trotted over, giving Betsy a wide berth and eyeing her. Ellie bent down to kiss Bella’s head and scratch behind her ears.
“So, I guess that’s it for today, then,” said Ellie. “You have any more questions for me right now?”
Yeah, I’ve got a few. You want to go out with me? Grab a drink, maybe? Head back to my place…
“Uh, no. I think we’ve pretty much covered it, so I’ll let you know if I come up with anything else,” said Harika, glad, yet again, that her brown skin hid her flush somewhat.
As they stood up, she regarded Ellie again. It was like magic. The more she looked at the woman, the more she desired her. They were about the same height—tallish, but Ellie was curvier and fitter than the slender Harika.
“So, uh, I guess Bella will get the cast off next week?” asked Ellie politely.
“Yeah. Yeah, next week. Just call us up and we can set up an appointment, or we can do it now…” said Harika, trailing off. This crush was getting out of hand. Absolutely out of hand.
“I’ll just call,” said Ellie affably, bending down to put the leash back on Bella. She eyed Betsy, though Betsy had apparently decided to behave and was blinking at the greyhound. Harika couldn’t tell what the little monster was thinking under all that fur. Why would someone as docile as Bella set her off?
“Sounds good. Here, let me get the door for you guys…” Harika pushed it open, Bella tucked under her arm like a football. Nessa was still sitting at the desk; Harika put Betsy down and the Shih Tzu mix ran up to the vet tech and tried jumping into her arms. Nessa was happy with the attention, but Harika knew better.
It almost seemed like Betsy was getting jealous. Did she know something?
As she waved Ellie and Bella away, she wondered. Nessa was fawning over the little dog, but Betsy was watching Harika. Oh, yeah. She definitely knew something. She knew that Harika’s attention was focused on Ellie, but since she knew not to take out her aggression on humans, she was focusing it on Bella.
God, she was like a child sometimes. And now, she was acting out.
11
Ellie
It had taken a couple of days for Ellie to feel up to the task of messaging Aaron back. She’d agonized over it for a while. It would have only been too easy for her to tell him she was too busy, and that she couldn’t meet. Then she could pretend that he hadn’t texted her at all.
But on the other hand, she was intrigued. She had so many questions that needed answering: why had he come back? What had he been up to over on the East Coast? And what did the two of them have in common now that they’d be no contact for so long?
So she’d done it. She’d told Aaron she was free in the evenings to grab a drink. He’d replied immediately, and they’d set up a time for next week. She’d shrewdly noted that based on the timeline, Aaron wasn’t just here for a short stay. It was increasingly looking like he would be here for a while, possible even a month.
Ellie tried to put it out of her mind, focused on helping Bella get better. The splint had come off, and she was almost completely healed. Harika had said there was no reason for her to come back to the clinic, and that Ellie should just make sure she exercised. There weren’t any animal physical therapists around that Harika had known of, and Ellie wouldn’t have been able to afford them anyway.
A walk around the neighborhood, longer than the ones they normally took, would suit Bella just fine, helping her get used to her old gait. She didn’t complain one bit, the darling. And it seemed like she was back to her old self, anyway, prancing and barking. Ellie could just see it in her eyes. She was happy again.
But she never did go back down that street, the one where they’d met the rust-colored dog and had the accident. In fact, it took her a week to want to go back to Lane Estates, but now that she was familiar with the area, thanks to her visits to the clinic, she traversed it with more confidence.
Now that that headache was over with, another one had arisen. The fact of the matter was that Ellie needed more clients. Some months were inexplicably lean, and while she had a couple of small assignments, from word of mouth networking, it was looking more and more like she’d have to log on to one of those awful freelancing sites. She was already reducing her grocery and entertainment budgets, preparing for a lean summer.
Of course, it was the life she had chosen, so she couldn’t complain. But she was wary. She started to email older clients who she hadn’t heard from in a while, glancing every so often at Bella, who was snoozing in the sunlight filtering in through the blinds, snoring ever so softly.
She even considered emailing her parents to ask for leads, but she decided that she wasn’t yet that desperate. Maybe Harika knew other people. She already knew about Ellie’s financial situation, so it would be less embarrassing. But no. Ellie couldn’t bring herself to do it yet. She started using the overhead fan more, as the days g
ot hotter, eschewing the A/C in favor of the cheaper option.
At least the website was going well. Harika hadn’t wanted anything too complicated, and Ellie knew she would have the project done within a couple of weeks. After that, though, she’d be adrift again. This whole situation with Bella’s leg and meeting Harika had brought a much-needed spark to her life. Ellie didn’t want to let it go.
But what could she do? Ask the veterinarian to hang out as friends, on the weekend? That would be weird, wouldn’t it? Ellie wasn’t the kind of person who did things like that.
She sighed. If she kept thinking along those lines, she was going to have a lonely life. Aaron had warned her about it. He’d told her that she needed to get out and meet his friends, and she had. But they were all like Aaron, people who seemed like they’d be more at home in the big city. In fact, some of them did work in San Francisco, and telecommuted. Ellie wasn’t much like them. She didn’t have an interest in seeing the wide, glittering world of the Bay.
Redwood County was just fine for her.
And then, there were the trips. Aaron loved to travel. That was fine for him, but he kept trying to drag Ellie along. She could have stood to get out of her shell more—she had to give Aaron credit for that—but he’d plan trips that were wildly out of her budget. He’d offer to pay, but Ellie didn’t want the relationship to be so unequal. Something about Aaron’s offers made her wary, and she never knew why, exactly.
Ellie shook her head and went to the kitchen to make lunch, Bella getting up and trotting after her, stopping to stretch those long legs of hers. She looked up at Ellie, knowing that if she was quick, she would be able to get a piece of food that had fallen on the ground.
“No, honey,” said Ellie. “I’m not giving you any people food. You know it’s bad for you.”
She whined.
“That’s final,” she said, sighing and taking out sandwich fixings. It was sandwiches all through this week. They were cost-effective and easy, even when there was a delicious deli and a sushi restaurant a couple blocks away.