by Rebeca Seitz
Davis-Kidd bookstore instead. There’s a bench in the mall right by the store entrance. I can be there around six-thirty.”
“Great. I’ll meet you there. Thanks, Jane.”
“You bet.” She hung up. I am the most idiotic person on the planet.
“Hi, Bill.” He stood from the bench to greet her, looking good.
Why did he have to look good? Men who cheated in Internet chat rooms should be required to look bad for at least several years afterwards, if only to their ex-wives.
“Hi. How have you been?”
She sat down next to him on the bench. “Good.” Surprising, but true. Must have something to do with this new man I’m seeing.
“You look great.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
They sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment. I lived with this man for two years. I should be able to talk to him. But didn’t he call this meeting? “So you mentioned you had something to say to me?”
“I do.” He turned to face her and took her hands in his.
She let him, for no other reason than to let this scene play itself out. “I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am to have betrayed you and our marriage.” The pain in his eyes was real, anyway.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I got so caught up in the idea of a different relationship, and Vivien’s vision of me sounded so much better than what you thought of me, I just had to go after it.”
“So you cheated because I didn’t think well of you?”
“No, no. That’s not what I meant. This is not your fault in any way. I’m just trying to explain why it happened. Not that there’s an explanation good enough, but I thought maybe you would want to hear it anyway.”
She looked at him for a minute and considered that. It was good to know what had possessed him to do such a hurtful, foolish thing to her. Knowledge is power, at least that’s what the bathroom walls always said.
“Jane, you have to believe that I’m so, so sorry. And I need you to know that it was never physical with Vivien. Everything happened online. Nothing happened in real life.”
“It sure felt like real life.”
“The virtual spilled over into the actual, yes. I don’t know how it got so out of control, but it’s over with me and Vivien. And I know we’re divorced and you’ve moved on, but I’ve been thinking about you so much these past few months. And then, seeing you today, it made me realize I have to tell you.” He took a deep breath. Walk away while you still can. “I love you, Jane. I’ve always loved you. Since high school. It’s always been us. And if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving to you how much I love you.”
The ticking of the clock on the end table sounded like a jackhammer as Jane entered her apartment and walked down the hall toward Wilson. My ex-husband did not tell me he loves me and wants us back together. The walls of the room began to waver ever so slightly, and she knew she had to get some Midrin in her fast before the migraine took over. She’d been in a fog since leaving the mall, not even sure how she’d made it home.
The latches on Wilson’s crate sounded like explosions as she released them. Standing back up was too hard. She crawled to the bathroom and reached underneath the sink for the medicine basket, rummaging around in it, ignoring the sound of the bottles clanging together. The amber-colored bottle with a big red X on top finally, magically, came to the top. Sometimes the headaches caused blurred vision, so she had learned to mark the bottle with a big X to make finding it easy even when she couldn’t see clearly.
The pain of pushing down on the lid felt like hot needles running up her arm and into her brain. The light in the bathroom was too bright; she was squinting now and praying for the relief of the medicine. The pounding in her head was so loud even Wilson was barking at it. No, that can’t be right. Wilson can hear my head pounding? It took a minute to realize someone was pounding on the front door and calling her name.
The room swam as she tried to stand back up, so she sank back down to her knees. Crawling down the hallway, her pleading whispers to Wilson to hush went unheeded. His barking was going to make her head split right down the middle. Whoever was on the other side of the door was hitting it hard enough to make the frame shake. She felt linoleum on her knees and knew she had finally made it to the entryway. Moving her eyes to see the door hurt too much, so she lifted her hand and felt around until she found the doorknob. She heard the snick of the latch just as stars exploded behind her eyes and everything went blissfully quiet.
chapter 18
He watched her breathe, timing his own breath to hers, praying with each intake of air, sighing with every release. Seeing her face that white, yelling her name, begging her to open her eyes had all taken about ten years off his life. Thank God she had still been clutching a bottle of Midrin when she collapsed.
His gaze took in Jane’s pale face. Her eyelids fluttered, and he came to kneel beside her, taking her hand in his. “Jane?” He spoke softly in case any traces of the headache remained. Her eyes came fully open then, and he sent up a prayer of gratitude at the life in their green depths.
“Jake? What are you doing here? What happened? Is Wilson—”
“Shhh, Wilson’s fine. He’s right here.” Wilson put his front paws on the edge of the couch and licked her face. “I think you passed out from a migraine. You managed to open the door for me before you went out, though. How long have you been getting headaches?”
She pulled her hand from his to pat Wilson on the head, and he missed her touch. “I had them constantly in college. I only get a couple a year now.”
“Did you take the medicine before you blacked out?”
Her face scrunched up as she thought, and he smiled at the little-girl cuteness of it. “I don’t think so. I was trying to get it open when I realized the door was pounding. Or you were pounding on the door.”
“That’s because Wilson was barking, and I couldn’t hear you hollering at him to hush. I figured something was wrong, so I started pounding.”
“Thank you for that. I kept trying to get Wilson to hush, because his barking was going to split my head open, but he wouldn’t. So I tried to get to the door to tell whoever it was to go away, but I blacked out before I could say it.” She put her hand to her head and looked at the ceiling.
“Well, then, thanks for letting me come in. Can I get you anything?” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, grateful beyond words that she was okay. “How much water have you had to drink today?”
“It’s just a migraine, Jake. I’m fine.” She sat up, and he reached to steady her as she wobbled.
“Oh yeah, you look fine.” He ignored the rebuke in her eyes at his sarcastic tone. “How much water?”
“A couple of glasses, I think. Why?”
“Dehydration can set off a migraine. Sit tight.”
She called out to him as he went around the couch and into the kitchen. “How do you know so much about migraines?”
He searched the refrigerator and grabbed a couple bottles of water. “I used to get them a lot.” The cap clicked as he unscrewed one, handing it to her and indicating for her to drink.
“I had to give up sugar for a while to get them under control, but it was worth it. Only get two or three a year now.” Taking a long gulp from the second bottle of water, he sat back down in the other chair. “Mine were usually triggered by stress or sugar. Looks like yours might be lack of water.”
Sounds better than Excess of Ex-husband.
“Were you coming over for a reason?” She took another drink as he stood and walked around behind her.
He began kneading the muscles in her neck. “Just to see when you were free for our second date.”
If you’ll keep doing that, we can have it right now. Oh, but my ex-husband just informed me he’d like to marry me again. Will that be a problem? “Anything particular in mind?”
“I had a few ideas to run by you. Have you had dinner?”
; “As a matter of fact, I haven’t.” His hands moved up her neck to her head, and the tension began to seep away from her brain.
“We could go get some dinner right now, or order in and watch a movie if your head still hurts.”
“It’s feeling better, but I think I’d rather stay in.” So long as your hands don’t stop.
“Pizza or Chinese?”
“Pizza, please.”
“My place or yours?” Considering my ex-husband could call or drop by at any moment, “Yours. You’ve got the better TV.”
He chuckled. “So you’re just using me for my superior taste in electronics.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Glad we’re clear on that.” He pulled his hands away, and she turned to see him.
“I’ll go back home and order our pizza. Do you need me to walk Wilson, or you feeling okay?”
“I’m good, thanks. I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
“Good. See you in a few.”
Wilson went to the hall closet and whined as soon as Jake walked out the door.
“Okay, buddy. I hear you.” She snapped on his leash and headed for the lake.
“Wilson, your momma’s got to get some perspective, and fast.” The dog’s ears perked up as he trotted along beside her. “Your old dad wants back in our lives and, while I’m inclined to dismiss him out of hand, I think a smart woman would consider it for a second before saying no. Would you agree?” Wilson huffed at her and bent his head to sniff the ground. “Good. Then let’s consider.” They were halfway around the lake by now. She slowed her steps a bit. “Bill and I had a great friendship. Or what I thought was a great friendship before he cheated on me. That doesn’t make for solid friend status. Still, it’s
the only time I’m positive he betrayed me, not including the night before our wedding, which I never asked him about. If I’m giving the benefit of the doubt, and I should since he didn’t cheat any other time for our entire dating or married life, then this boils down to whether or not I’ve forgiven him and he’s changed.”
She stopped as Wilson did his business and looked out across the lake. Two ducks were trailing along, leaving a wide V in their wake and earning a short bark from Wilson as he finished. She began walking again. “I know I’ve forgiven him.
Whether or not he’s changed remains to be seen. And then there’s Jake to consider.” They finished their circuit of the lake and walked back toward the apartment. Wilson stopped at Jake’s door and sniffed at the edge.
“Come on.” She tugged his leash. “No terrorizing Major Carter tonight, mister.”
The door suddenly opened, Jake filling its space. “All done?”
He knelt down and scratched behind Wilson’s ears.
“Oh! Um, yeah. Just finished. I’ll go put him back in his crate.”
“How about bringing him on inside?”
“You’ve got a death wish for your cat?”
He chuckled. “No. But they seemed to get along well the other day. I thought it might be time for round two.”
She considered for a minute. This could help her decide if Jake was a long-term presence in her life. Long-term? You’re having a second date here, Jane. Little early for those thoughts. He stood back up, and she watched those tall legs straighten. Now, those are long-term.
“I suppose we could try.”
“Great, then you two come on in.” He stood back, and she entered the apartment, an eager Wilson leading the way. Major Carter watched warily from her perch on the back of a club chair.
“Major Carter, we’ve got company.” Jake went over to the cat and picked her up, petting down the fur that had risen on her back. “You remember Mr. Wilson, right? He won’t hurt you.”
“There was the unfortunate tree incident.” Jane said. “But I don’t think we’ll be having any more of those, right, Wilson?” He glanced up at her, then focused again on the cat in Jake’s arms and pulled against his leash. “I’m not convinced this is a good idea. What if he hurts her?”
“Please. She’s just as likely to scratch his eye out than he is to bite her head off. They’ve got to learn to coexist at some point.”
She started and looked at him, but he was staring at the animals. “Coexist?”
He looked up and smiled. “As neighbors, of course.”
“Oh, of course.” You idiot. He’s not thinking long-term, either.
Major Carter growled low in her throat, and Wilson went onto his belly. He began crawling across the floor, pulling himself along with his front paws.
“Now, there’s something I’ve never seen a dog do. He looks like a soldier crawling under barbed wire or something.” Jake laughed.
“I call it his Osama crawl. Not sure where he picked it up, but he does it when he’s trying to make nice with me.”
“So this is a good sign?” He knelt down, keeping Carter in the crook of his arm. The cat’s eyes stayed locked on Wilson.
“Definitely.” They watched as Wilson neared Major Carter, then rolled over onto his back, all four paws up in the air, long tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.
“I think he’s ceded authority to her tonight.” Jane smiled.
“Or at least for the next few minutes.”
“Smart dog.” Jake sat Carter down by Wilson. They sniffed each other for a second; then Carter turned on one paw and walked away, tail in the air.
Jake stood up. “I guess she’s decided he can stay for a while.”
“That went better than expected.”
“Yeah, I thought we’d get a little fur flying before it was all over.”
“The night is young.” Oh, that’s it. Sound suggestive. She glanced up at him to see his reaction.
His eyes were the color of dark chocolate. How did eyes get that dark? Could I live with a reminder of chocolate staring me in the face all my life? Quit thinking long-term.
“What are you thinking?” Amusement filled his voice, and she noticed the laugh lines around his eyes again. He put his hands in his back pockets.
She shrugged. “Oh, nothing.”
“Well, keep thinking it.” He came to stand in front of her, close enough for her to smell his aftershave. She breathed in deeply as he ducked his head down to catch her eyes. “I like that look.”
“I have a look?” A look, but no breath left in my body.
“Yeah, you do.” He smiled, and the lines grew.
“Oh.”
He reached a hand around her waist, and she let him, feeling tingles when his warm hand came to rest on the small of her back. He tugged her across the step between them, and she tilted her head back to keep his face in view.
“It’s a look that says you’re thinking about me, I think,” he whispered.
“Oh.” Wow, you’re sounding like a genius. Pick a different word. “Good.”
“Good?” He traced her jawline with his finger.
She swallowed. “Yeah.” Wait, did that make sense? What are we talking about again? Just kiss me already!
He gave her a quirky smile. “Good.” He bent his lips toward hers, and she closed her eyes in anticipation.
“Oof !” She fell against his chest with a thud as the doorbell rang and Wilson leaped toward the door, taking her leash-holding hand with him. They fell to the floor before she realized what was happening and let go of the leash. He jumped up on the door, short barks reverberating off the walls.
“Wilson Wellington, hush!” Her face was hot with embarrassment. Lydia was right. I’m killing this dog. She scrambled over to him and grabbed his collar. They backed away from the door. “This is not your house. Be quiet.” His ears laid back, and he whined at her. He looked back and forth from her to the door. “Don’t cry at me, you big baby.” The deep sound of Jake’s laughter made her face flame further.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Jake got up, and she enjoyed the show. He looked through the peephole and back down at her. “Pizza’s here.”
“How about I put him in
the bathroom until the dangerous stranger is gone?” And give my face time to return to its normal color.
“Sure.” She felt his gaze on them as they walked down the hall. She entered the bathroom with Wilson and sat down on the toilet lid with a sigh.
“I suppose I should thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t need to be kissing Jake until this thing with Bill is cleared up anyway.”
Wilson laid his massive head on her knee, and she ran her hand over his black and tan fur. Not that Bill ever made me forget to breathe. “But you cannot be acting out over here. You embarrass your mother.”
The door cracked open, and Jake’s head came through. “All clear.”
She stood up. “I think I’ll take him home and come back.
He’s a big beggar during dinner.”
“Are you sure? It’s fine if he stays. Carter begs too. We’ll just have an audience while we eat.”
She laughed. “I’m sure. Let me run him across the hall, and I’ll be right back.”
“You’re the boss.” He opened the door wide and stepped aside into the hallway for them to pass. His big hand snagged her elbow as she walked by. “Hey, Jane?”
She stopped and turned to him, eyebrows raised in question. “Hmm?”
“Don’t be long.” He kissed the top of her nose. “Pizza’ll get cold.” He grinned at her, and her stomach did double flips.
“Right. You bet. Be right back.” She hustled out of the apartment and across the breezeway to her own door. A thousand thoughts ran through her brain, not the least of which was the memory of her ex-husband sitting on a bench in the mall, begging her for another chance.
“Crate, Wilson.” As she followed his wagging tail down the hall and into her bedroom, she caught her image in the mirror over the dresser. Her face was flushed, her eyes were dancing, and she was almost positive her nose was burning where he had kissed it. Bill never made me feel like this.
She bent to work the crate’s latches and realized Wilson was still wearing his leash. “Sorry, boy.” She unsnapped it and tossed it to her bed. “Momma’s brain isn’t all here tonight.” He circled around on his pillow and settled down with a “hmmph.”