by Debbie Burns
Gabe’s bed was nothing more than a mattress on the floor now. He’d moved the box spring and frame into storage after Samson had twice tumbled off on his way down in the middle of the night for a drink.
He’d be asleep in seconds if he didn’t fight it, but Gabe debated getting back up for his phone. He was pretty certain he’d left it in his jeans pocket, not in the truck. It had been a long time since he’d entered into a new relationship with someone, and he was a few months away from turning thirty. He wasn’t interested in playing games. Wasn’t afraid to let her know his thoughts.
Struggling out of the enticing pull of dreams, he cleared his throat, got up, and headed into the living room. After fishing his phone from the back pocket of his jeans, he pulled up her number and typed out a text.
Hope you two made it home safely. Odd as it may sound, I’m thankful for the car trouble you had. Good night, Olivia. I’ll call you tomorrow.
He left his phone on the nightstand that he’d cut down to the height of his mattress and, finding that Samson had stretched out again, fought for the slim pickings at the edge of the bed. He fell into a doze as soon as he’d tugged enough of the blanket from under his dog to at least not wake up frozen.
* * *
“Full disclosure, I’m not used to being spooned.” Olivia wiggled underneath the straitjacket-like embrace of her sister. “Trevor slept on his back. He wasn’t much of a cuddler.”
“That’s sad. Not even as you fell asleep? Or after sex?”
“He fell asleep in two-point-two seconds. Even after sex.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t marry him.” Ava released her death-grip-like hold on Olivia and rolled onto her back. “But I can’t fall asleep without connection. Your hair’s wet though. It’s getting in my face. Can you do something with it?”
Olivia flipped around on the double bed where she’d been sleeping in her aunt’s loft bedroom the last few months and faced her sister, sweeping her still-damp hair behind her and flipping her pillow over for a dry spot. “I could’ve not showered, and you could put up with the smell of river water all night.”
Ava let out an exaggerated sigh and settled deeper under the covers. “I don’t know how I’m going to do this.”
Olivia gave Ava’s forearm a squeeze. “You’re going to rock it the same way you do everything.”
After Olivia had gotten out a good cry and explained the crazy, unexpected turns of the day, they’d talked about what was going on in Ava’s marriage. At least, as much of it as Ava understood. She’d kept silent about it, but she’d sensed Wes had been growing distant for the last few months. He’d claimed it was because Ava was too controlling, and maybe her sister did have an above-average share of control issues that could use some working through, but from all the things Ava had mentioned, it seemed clear Wes was working through something deeper of his own.
“How do you fall out of love in your first year of marriage?” Ava swiped angrily at a few stray tears. “We were doing all the right things. Sex on the counters and in the shower and in the bathtub. Dinners out at least once a weeknight and on weekends. We cooked together most of the other times. At least when I wasn’t showing property. I snuggled in the crook of his arm while he read before falling asleep. We have a laundry service, so he can’t blame me for screwing that up.”
Olivia was considering her answer when Ava shot up into a sitting position and slammed her fists onto the bed. “And I have grievances too. No matter what he eats, he leaves skid marks in the toilet, and he never notices them. He’s always forgetting to use a coaster or an insulated mug. And it’s politics, politics, politics. Can we not listen to the news for one day?”
Fighting off a wave of exhaustion, Olivia sat up and cradled her sister in her arms. She suspected that right now, Ava wanted an ear more than she wanted answers. Not that Olivia had them. Instead of answering, she smoothed her hand over Ava’s back after draping her long, dark hair over her other shoulder. It was obvious, too, that her sister was holding back. Ava had never been one to talk out her problems. Mostly she bottled them up like they didn’t exist. Until things like this popped up.
Gradually, the tension in Ava’s muscles began to relax, and she let out a soft sigh. “Thanks. That helps. Can you rub my shoulders, please?”
Olivia felt a bit guilty for letting her thoughts travel there during her sister’s hour of need, but her sister’s declarations had gotten her thinking about Gabe. Again. What would she find out about him if she was lucky enough to get to know him better? She could deal with water rings and skid marks if she had to. But what differences between them would arise if she did really get to know him?
There was no doubt that Gabe loved his dog. He was caring and conscientious and protective, and he was extraordinarily brave. But what if, after a month or so, he turned into a Trevor? If he turned into someone who wouldn’t notice when she walked out of a room for ten minutes or ten hours. Or worse, what if he’d somehow hidden darkness inside him that she’d not glimpsed today?
The way she’d reacted internally this afternoon… She’d never felt like that about anyone. Ever. She’d known Trevor since they were kids, and they’d started dating so early. She couldn’t remember ever feeling the tingly newness of a crush with him. She’d had one or two mild crushes over the years on other people, crushes she’d somehow worked through before they became anything serious enough to threaten her and Trevor’s relationship or even to bring to Trevor’s attention.
But the feelings that had popped up for Gabe had been colossal. Hours later, it was as if her body was still humming with energy. She’d not been prepared to experience anything like this. Which is probably why you climbed onto his lap. In the cab of his truck. In the middle of the day. On a public road.
Stewing in embarrassment wasn’t going to change anything or stop the rumors from circulating back home. Or help her figure out how to deal with Gabe. He’d said he was going to call tomorrow. Would he want to see her? If so, would it be something like asking her out on a date next weekend?
“You can stop rubbing now. Thanks.” Ava twisted around and wrapped her in a tight hug. “You were totally zoning, weren’t you?”
“A little maybe.”
“He’s zone-worthy. I’ll give you that.”
Olivia laughed softly. “I was just thinking how weird it would be to go on a first date with someone I’ve already extensively made out with.”
“That just gets the awkward stuff out of the way.”
“Yeah, maybe, but you know me. I’ll find a way to make it awkward.”
Ava smiled as she curled up underneath the covers again. “You’re the kind of awkward that draws people in, Livy, not sends them away.”
Not entirely sure what to think of that, Olivia slipped out from under the covers and stepped around the creaky floorboards to the dresser where she’d put her purse.
“What are you doing?” Ava yawned lazily.
“My phone’s probably about to die. I want to charge it in case he calls tomorrow morning.” She sifted through her purse, promising herself she’d take time to clean and organize its contents this week, no more procrastination. When she didn’t see her phone, she lifted out her wallet. Nothing. “Crap. I must’ve left my phone in your Jeep.”
It wasn’t raining any longer, but it was cold outside and up here it was warm and cozy. And they’d managed to come in without waking up Aunt Becky. Over a long breakfast seemed like a much better time to tell her about Ava’s rocky marriage than close to midnight.
“I guess I’ll get it in the morning.”
Olivia crawled back into bed, giggling as she fought Ava for the perfect amount of covers just like they did when they were kids sharing a bed. “Love you, Sis.”
“Love you too.”
After a big, contented sigh, Olivia drifted off to sleep with the image of a gorgeous pair of hazel-green
eyes, a slow, sexy smile, broad shoulders, and wonderfully toned abs burning in her mind.
Chapter 11
The sun was high enough in the sky that alarm washed over Olivia as she opened her eyes, squinting in the bright light. How many days had it been since she’d woken up to full-on sunshine? Too many.
She was groping across her nightstand, feeling for her phone, when she remembered two things. First, when she’d gone to bed, Ava had been cuddled beside her, and now the other half of the bed was empty. And second, she’d also left her phone in her sister’s Jeep.
Olivia sat up and stretched, smelling something that was neither bacon nor sausage, but was likely a half-decent replacement for one of them. Aunt Becky was a vegan, had been for nearly ten years, and while Olivia ate whatever she wanted outside the home, she’d grown accustomed to eating vegan here. While she liked a well-dressed bowl of oatmeal and had a big soft spot for avocado toast, Sunday breakfasts were a change from the ones she’d grown up with on the farm.
Shoving her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers that Ava must have overlooked or would’ve confiscated, she shuffled down the narrow stairs and into the open kitchen and living room below. The whole place had a rustic country feel—packed with a hodgepodge of unique furniture and decorated with a variety of antiques—and was somehow a perfect complement to the pottery her aunt sold for a living.
Ava was seated on a stool at the counter with her knees tucked in to her chest, sipping on a mug of coffee. The mug was one of her aunt’s trademark creations, solid yet delicate with a watercolor-blue glaze and a rounded rim. She sold similar ones in her store and on Etsy for thirty dollars apiece.
“Morning,” Olivia said, heading over to her sister. On the way, she passed by Coco, her aunt’s full-of-herself cockatoo, who was on a perch between the kitchen and living room, feeding on a long spring of asparagus that she held in one foot. Olivia paused to run one finger along the two smooth, gray front toes on the bird’s perched foot. “Morning, Coco Puff.”
“I thought it was just Coco,” Ava asked.
“It is,” Aunt Becky answered. “But she seems to like Olivia’s nickname. I even heard her repeat it the other day.”
Aunt Becky was dressed in the sleeveless tee and cutoff sweats she wore under her button-down potter’s cape, and her dark-gray hair was pulled back in a bun. Knowing her aunt liked best to work in the early hours of the morning, Olivia’s best guess was that she’d already been at the wheel for a few hours.
Coco responded to Olivia’s attention by bobbing her head and raising her crest to a half salute. A previously one-owner bird who wouldn’t tolerate anyone’s touches aside from Aunt Becky’s, Coco had grown to like Olivia enough that she tended to squawk at her when she walked in the room until Olivia paid her a bit of attention.
After offering Coco a fresh spring of asparagus, Olivia plopped onto the stool next to Ava. She ran her tongue over her lips, mulling over why they were so chapped until she remembered all the kissing she’d done yesterday. Her heartstrings tugged at the memory of the perfect lips she’d gotten a taste of. Please let him call today. Please, please let him call.
“I thought we were going to have to wake you.” Aunt Becky flipped the row of meatless sausages in the frying pan.
The oven was on, and Olivia could smell something else in the air, a hint of rosemary possibly. She hoped it was her aunt’s perfectly roasted potato wedges. They nearly made up for the lack of eggs in this place.
“What time is it?” Olivia stretched wide, yawning.
“Almost ten.” Ava set her mug on the butcher-block counter and slumped forward.
“I haven’t slept in this late in years.” Olivia looked at her aunt for confirmation as to whether or not she knew why Ava was here.
“I got the rundown,” Aunt Becky replied with understanding. “I pretty much told her what I told you back in October. You’re both young and resilient, and you have a lot of life ahead of you. And figuring out how to go it on your own for a while never hurt anyone.”
Ava sat up straight and stuck out her lip in a pout. “Do you think we’ve been married too long to apply for annulment?” Her voice was shaky. “It just hit me that if we don’t get back together, I’m going to have to check ‘Divorced’ when I fill out forms from now on.” She slumped forward again, covering her face with her hands and shaking her head wildly. “Wes said… He said he knew before we exchanged our vows. He said he decided whether or not to go through with the marriage based on a coin flip.”
Tears stung Olivia’s eyes instantly, and fresh, hot anger raced through her veins. Who the hell said that to someone? She’d have more than words with Wes when she saw him next. “Oh, Ava, then thank God you’re not wasting another few years with him. Or worse, you could’ve had kids with him. This side of him you’re seeing, it proves he’s not the person you thought he was.”
Ava shook her head and swiped at fresh tears. Olivia sensed that she was ready to say some of the things she’d hinted at last night but had not been able to voice. “He…he said I’m too superficial to start a family with.”
What a low blow. Olivia wrapped her sister in a ferocious hug. “What an ass.”
“Ass!” Coco parroted across the room.
With a stern look from Aunt Becky, both Olivia and her sister suppressed a few giggles. Courtesy of her first owner of seven years, Coco knew every curse word ever spoken in English and a handful in Spanish and German. It had taken Aunt Becky months of training and positive attention to change Coco’s go-to vocabulary. Though she’d heard stories, Olivia had only heard the attention-loving parrot curse a few times, though for some reason, sixty-nine had remained one of her go-to phrases, along with jet plane and ring, ring.
Seeming relieved by the distraction, Ava plopped her hands flat on the counter. “I don’t… I can’t talk about this now anyway. I’m showing property at one out in the county. I just want to drown my sorrows in those potatoes this morning, and tonight, I’ll go for a long run to make up for all the calories last night and today. I don’t think I’ve ever had a Frosty and Ben & Jerry’s in one night.”
Olivia frowned but decided to let her sister take the lead in terms of what she was ready to talk about and when. She set the table while Aunt Becky finished cooking, and the breakfast conversation switched to filling her aunt in on the daring rescue and answering a handful of questions about Gabe.
After a giant helping of fresh bread, hummus, avocado, the sausages, and roasted potatoes, Olivia cleared the dishes while Ava showered. Afterward, she jogged outside in her slippers and the fleece pants and thermal T-shirt she’d slept in to grab her phone.
It promised to be a beautiful day, sunny and springlike and not a cloud in the sky. The flooding she’d seen yesterday suddenly felt very far away even though Olivia knew most of the rivers—including the Mississippi—still had another day or two before they crested.
As she groped underneath the front-passenger seat of Ava’s Jeep, her thoughts went to the sweet pointer. Thank God he was safe. She felt like she suddenly had so much to pray for, including that his owner didn’t come forward to claim him if he was as neglectful as she suspected.
She wanted to see that sweet dog again almost as much as she wanted to see Gabe. But what was suddenly alarming her above all else was that her phone seemed nowhere to be found. She bent forward, sweeping her hair out of the way, and scanned the metal supports under the seat to see if it had gotten lodged underneath.
She racked her brain, trying to remember the last time she’d used the phone. Surely, she’d checked her texts or emails in the car on the way here, but she had no memory of doing so. The last she could remember was dropping it in her purse on the way back to the feed store with the pointer when she was still with Gabe.
Her heart thumped in her chest. Could it have fallen out when she was saying goodbye to him? Wouldn’t they have heard it hit t
he ground?
Attempting her best to keep panic from setting in, she jogged back inside and up the narrow steps to the tiny bedroom at the back of the house. She dumped her purse onto the dresser. A dozen or so receipts. Three ChapSticks. Enough pens to write a thesis. A mangled in-the-wrapper tampon. A wallet. The remaining keys on her key chain that she hadn’t left with the mechanic.
But no phone.
If she’d lost it, she’d lost the only means she had of Gabe contacting her. And worse, what if he was calling her and she didn’t answer? Please Gabe, don’t doubt how much you mean to me.
Olivia sank shakily onto the bed. If there’d ever been a time in her life when she’d wanted to lose her phone the least, surely this was it.
* * *
There was a list of things that Gabe savored about being in surgery, and at the top of it was when he knew it might save or dramatically improve the quality of an animal’s life. On this Tuesday early afternoon, after finishing a two-hour-long cesarean section on a Boston terrier who proved too high a risk to handle a vaginal birth—and successfully delivering her five pups, Gabe thought of another benefit.
Being in surgery kept him from checking his phone.
He couldn’t remember experiencing such a sharp swell of both hope and disappointment each time he reached for it as he had the last few days.
He left the operating room while his assisting staff was still cooing over the cuteness of the five square-nosed black-and-white pups.
In the prep room, Gabe stripped out of his mask and surgical gear and headed to the sink to scrub down. Standing there, he spotted his phone on the shelf above it, facedown. In surgery, he’d been too focused to think about how it was closing in on seventy-two hours since he and Olivia had shared that remarkable goodbye kiss in the parking lot behind Milton’s Feed Store.
Maybe she’d called while he was in surgery. Maybe she hadn’t.