She told everyone! Jeff couldn’t believe it. How unprofessional could you get!
“Okay, well it looks like I have a few calls to return here, so…”
“You are going to go home, aren’t you?”
“Of course.” Right after I finish the day, he added silently.
Angel put on her coat and mittens. “I think I’ll go next door and grab a cup of coffee before I walk to Misty’s. Maybe Grace can look at my things now.”
He shouldn’t feel guilty that she’d missed her second appointment because she’d taken him to the hospital, but he did. Why hadn’t he remembered to bring his kit with the epinephrine pen in it? “Okay, well, good luck.”
She smiled up at him. “I was glad I could help.”
She really thought she’d been helpful. Darn it, he couldn’t bear to burst her bubble. “Yeah, thanks a lot.” That sounded fairly convincing, didn’t it?
“Okay, then. I’ll see you around, Jeff.”
“Right.” Finally she was gone. He picked up the stack of messages. They were all pretty routine, except the one from his mom. What did she want?”
He went into his office and sat at his desk. Briefly, Jeff considered putting off calling his mother, but then decided it would be better to call her right away and get it over with. If Angel told her about the allergy incident, she’d be worried.
With a sigh, he reached for the phone and dialed his mother’s cell.
****
Angel entered The Grace Place and took in the small round tables and booths. The windows were covered with heart clings, and vases of red flowers graced the tables. Valentine’s Day was coming. She moved toward the alcove that held Grace’s small stock of gifts. Many of the plaques on the wall had Christian sentiments. There were no cards, but Angel could see how things could be moved to include a small rack, and she thought her designs would fit in well with what Grace already had.
With a sigh, Angel picked up a small stuffed bear holding a heart. More Valentine’s Day stuff. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a date for Valentine’s Day and she certainly wouldn’t have one this year.
“Can I help you?”
Angel turned to the smiling blonde who had spoken. “I’m looking for Grace.”
“Well, you just found her. What can I do for you?”
Holding out her hand, Angel introduced herself and explained what had happened this morning. “I’m so sorry about missing our appointments. I was wondering if you’d be willing to give me one more chance.”
“Since it was a medical emergency both times, I can certainly forgive you. Is Jeff all right?”
Angel frowned and looked out the window at his shop. “He’s back at work.”
Grace shook her head. “Men.” The emphasis she put into that one syllable conveyed a whole paragraph of meaning.
“What about men?” They were interrupted by a member of that species—a young red-haired man with a smile as brilliant as Grace’s. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. Obviously Grace didn’t have to worry about a date for Valentine’s Day.
“Riley, I’d like you to meet Angel Marcell. She’s Misty’s cousin. Ian met her the other day when she and Jeff brought in that dog.”
He nodded. “You’re the one. Ian told me about that.”
“Ian is Riley’s brother,” Grace explained.
Angel shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Riley returned the sentiment and then excused himself, saying he needed to get back to work. He wandered up to the counter to order some coffee.
“Why don’t we get some coffee, too. Then we’ll sit down and look at your portfolio,” suggested Grace.
By the time Angel headed home that afternoon, she was feeling pretty happy with herself. Grace had been enthusiastic about her designs. She’d ordered a number of greeting cards and some prints for her shop. It was a good first step.
However, Grace had been disappointed that she didn’t have any Valentine’s Day cards. It was too late to create some now, but she vowed to have some for next year.
Things hadn’t gone quite as well with Jeff. She could tell he hadn’t been happy to find her in his office, changing his appointments, but she still felt it was the right thing to do. He’d looked awful and she just knew he would pull the tough guy routine and insist on going back to work. And she was responsible for his condition. Oh well, it had been a short friendship after all.
The wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped, making Angel snuggle deeper into the hood of her coat. She was looking forward to getting back to Misty’s and relaxing with Cherub at her feet and a hot mug of tea in her hand. She checked her pocket one more time to make sure she still had Misty’s key. Great. Nothing could go wrong now.
****
The gate to the yard was open, flapping in the wind. Angel called Cherub, but the animal hadn’t been her dog long enough to learn her name. Angel called several more times, but it was no use. No little brown dog ran to greet her. No dog in the garage or in the shrubs. No dog at all.
With a sigh, Angel went into the house. She put her portfolio away and changed into jeans and a sweater, left Misty a note, bundled up again and went in search of her dog. The pale winter light was already starting to fade from the sky. She had to find Cherub.
****
Jeff actually quit work early that day. He did feel pretty wiped, and he was supposed to take Susan out tonight. Angel had done a good job of taking messages and switching appointments for him, noting the changes on his desk calendar. Maybe he should think about hiring a receptionist soon.
He picked up Susan at five thirty on the dot. Susan liked to go out early. She was a morning person, like him, so it didn’t bother him.
“Hi Jeff,” she said when she let him into her house. “I heard you had some bad luck today.”
“A little. Nothing to worry about.”
“Who’s the new girl at your place? I didn’t know you’d hired someone.”
“I haven’t.” Jeff explained the whole humiliating episode to her as briefly as possible.
“Oh, too funny, dear,” she laughed. “That’s what you get for being so nice.”
“Tony is a good friend. He’s done lots of favors for me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What does this sister look like? Is she pretty?”
Susan had many good qualities, Jeff told himself. Unfortunately, the one glaring fault she did have was jealousy. Perhaps it was because of her fiercely competitive nature.
“How she looks has nothing to do with it.”
“If she needs a keeper she must be either gorgeous or completely incompetent.”
“She’s nice. Just sort of—”
Susan snorted. “Lethal?”
Jeff decided he’d had enough of this subject. “Forget it. Let’s go or we’ll be late for our reservation.”
“Certainly, Jeff, dear. I had a busy day, so I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t have time to change.”
“You look great.” Susan always looked great in her tailored suits and heels. She would have worn the same type of thing even if she had changed. Did she even own a pair of jeans, Jeff wondered.
Now where did that come from? Wasn’t Susan exactly what he’d been looking for? Jeff told himself he was just feeling tired. He’d make it an early night. Susan would understand. She was probably planning on working tomorrow anyway.
On the way to the restaurant, Jeff noted that the weather was getting nasty. The wind showed no sign of dying down and it had started to snow. He noticed a figure crossing the street as his car approached a stop sign. He hoped he or she didn’t have far to walk on a night like tonight. The person already looked miserable, hunched over against the wind, arms wrapped around herself. If he didn’t know any better he’d say it looked like…
“Angel,” he called out, pushing the button to lower the window. “Angel, is that you?”
She turned.
It was Angel all right.
He slowed the car to a stop. “What are you doing out in this weather?”
Her teeth were chattering so hard he wasn’t sure she would be able to answer. “Ch-Ch-Cherub’s missing. The gate was open when I got home and sh-she was gone.”
Jeff put the car in park. “How long have you been out here?”
She shrugged. “What time is it?”
Scowling, he told her, “Get in. I’ll take you home.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t go back until I find Cherub.”
He glared at her. “Get in this car now. If you die of pneumonia it won’t help that dog. She’ll be headed for the shelter for sure.”
Susan leaned over. “What are you doing, Jeff?” she asked impatiently. “We’ll miss our reservation.”
“You’re on a date? Oh, Jeff, go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
“We have time to take you home before we miss our reservation.”
Angel shook her head and backed away. “No, I don’t want to…”
“Be a bother? I’ll be more bothered if I spend the evening worrying about you getting frostbite.”
“Who is this person?” asked Susan. Then realization hit her. “This is your friend’s little sister. In trouble again already?”
Distracted, Jeff turned to his date. “Yes, this is Angel, my friend Tony’s sister.”
She rolled her eyes. “She said she didn’t want a ride.”
“Susan, let me handle this.”
“Fine. Then we’ll lose our reservation.”
“We have plenty of time to make that reservation. Stop worrying.”
He turned back to tell Angel to get into the car, but she was gone. He scanned the sidewalk for her and found her halfway up the block.
“Look, she’s gone now. Let’s go.”
Jeff ignored Susan, popped open the driver’s door, and ran after Angel. He grabbed her arm just before she reached the next corner.
“Angel, this is stupid. I’m taking you home, and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
“No, just go on your date. I can get home by myself.”
“I’m not going to argue with you anymore. Are you coming with me or do I have to pick you up and carry you?”
“Carry me? Don’t be ridi…”
Jeff scooped her up. She was such a tiny thing she was light, even in a heavy winter coat and boots. He could feel how cold she was through his own coat and gloves. He tightened his arms around her, and not entirely to avoid dropping her as she struggled to make him put her down. He carried her back to the car and dumped her in the back seat.
Her cheeks were pale, and her lips had a blue tinge, but her eyes were all fire. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Neither can I,” said Susan, her voice as cold as the wind outside. “Jeff, I want to go home.”
“It will just take us a minute to drop Angel off. We’ll make it to the restaurant in plenty of time.”
“No, no. You need to take care of your little friend.” Susan smiled, but to Jeff it looked more like she was baring her teeth. “We’ll go out another time when you’re not so busy.”
The look in her eye told Jeff it was no time to argue.
He turned around and drove the short distance to her house. She slammed the car door and hurried up her front walk without saying good bye. He knew he should be disappointed, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t up to one of Susan’s jealous snits tonight. Right now, he was more concerned about getting Angel home. She didn’t move, so he left her in the back seat until they pulled up in front of Misty’s.
The house was dark. “Where’s Misty?” he asked.
“She has choir practice at the church tonight.”
“Oh, so you are talking to me.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You are completely illogical.”
Angel stuck her tongue out at him.
Jeff frowned at her. He didn’t want to leave her alone in the empty house. If she decided to go out looking for that stupid mutt, there’d be no one there to talk her out of it. He shut off the car engine.
“What are you doing? I didn’t invite you in.”
“No, I invited myself. Come on.”
He got out and opened her door. She sat with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him.
“Are you going to make me carry you again?”
That got her moving Jeff noted, surprised at his disappointment. She scrambled across the seat and out of the opposite door. With her head held high she walked to the front door. But when she tried to unlock it, her hands were still stiff and shaking from the cold, and she couldn’t get the key into the lock.
Jeff snatched the key away from her and turned it in the lock. Then, he stepped back and indicated that she should go in first.
****
Angel was completely miserable. Her dog was still lost, she was frozen solid and Jeff had had to rescue her again. She’d almost killed him this morning, and as an encore she’d ruined his date and made his girlfriend mad at him. Now, she just wanted him to go home so she could fall apart and cry in peace.
“Thank you for bringing me home. I’m all right now. You can go.”
Instead he took off his coat and helped her take off her mittens. Then, he unzipped her coat.
“I’m not four years old,” she snapped. “I can do this myself.”
“A four year old would have enough sense to come in when she got cold,” he replied. “Let me see your hands.”
Angel hid them behind her back. “Why?”
“I want to check you for frostbite.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Angel, I’m not leaving until I’m sure you’re all right.”
“Fine.” She held out her hands and stood still as he examined them. Then he lifted her hair and checked her ears. Tingles flew down her spine when he touched one. His hand lingered for a moment by her temple, the one she’d bruised yesterday. Her heart began to thud in her chest. If she reacted to his touch like this when she was frozen solid, what would happen when full feeling returned to her body?
“Take off your shoes and socks,” he ordered.
Angel rolled her eyes, but sat on the chair in the tiny entryway and started to take off her boots. He kneeled down and helped pull them off. She stifled a slightly hysterical giggle as she thought of Cinderella.
He examined her feet and, when he was finished, declared her to be all right.
“Now will you go?”
“This is the thanks I get for rescuing you? Why did you have to go chasing after that dog?”
Angel couldn’t hold back any more. She burst into tears.
Jeff looked shocked. “Hey, now. Don’t cry, Angel.”
“I can’t help it. I seem to have developed a habit of ruining your life. You should stay away from me. Far, far away.”
Instead, he wrapped her in his arms, picked her up, and carried her into the living room where he placed her gently on the couch. This was entirely different from when he’d carried her to the car. Not only were all those layers of clothes between them missing, the heat from his body made her long to press her frozen self to him and soak up his warmth. But he stepped away, pulled an afghan from the back of a chair and wrapped her in it.
By that time, she had managed to get herself under control. She grabbed a tissue from the box on the end table and wiped her eyes.
“Do you want something hot to drink? I can make tea.”
“I don’t want you to do anything else for me.” He’d probably be appalled if he knew what his touch was already doing for her.
“Friends help each other out. That’s what they do,” he admonished her gently.
“I don’t seem to be very good at helping you.”
He sat down beside her on the couch. “Actually, you were very helpful today. You did a good job at moving those appointments around. And the messages you took were clear and concise.”
“You didn’t seem very happy with me this afternoon.”<
br />
“No,” he admitted, “I wasn’t. But once I’d had a chance to look things over, I realized you did a good job. And even though I could have made it through those appointments, I was glad to have a quiet afternoon.”
Orchard Hill Volume One Page 10