Cora roused herself so that his hand fell away. “I’m not comfortable with anything happening between us until you guys are broken up.”
His smile disappeared like a dry leaf in a bonfire. “Jesus, Cora, why?!” He sounded angry.
“Because that’s . . . what I think is right. Girl code, I guess. Do unto others.” She shrugged her shoulders to suggest nonchalance, but inside she railed against her own honor code because she desperately wanted to taste him again.
Charlie collected himself. “Okay, okay. I get it. So let’s do this: if you get overcome like you did at my house, you have my blessing to jump me. Wait—let’s do one better.” He held up his hand, as if getting ready for testimony. “I swear the next time we kiss, it’ll be because you made the first move. Do you agree to these terms?”
“I agree. Which means there will be no kissing for the foreseeable future.” She paused for a beat. “Do you have a timeline?”
“For what?”
“To let Madison know . . . how you’re feeling?”
“Oh, that,” Charlie answered, sounding as if he had already forgotten about the next step. “Um, not really. Her birthday is next month, so it would be uncool of me to do it before then . . .”
Fail!
Cora snapped. “Listen, I have my own terms, so let’s do this: rather than sneak around and feel bad about it, let’s say good-bye for now. Once you’ve figured out what you actually want, you can get in touch with me. Okay? That makes more sense to me, since you’re sort of up in the air about it.”
“Are you mad? You sound like you’re mad at me.” He cocked his head and looked at her with sad eyes.
“I’m not mad, I just don’t want to be the other woman.”
Charlie laughed at her. “Oh my God, Cora, never! Something real is happening between us. I care about you. Seriously.” He took both of her hands in his.
“Thank you.”
“That’s all you have to say? ‘Thank you’?”
“For now,” Cora replied coolly. She downed the rest of her drink in a single unladylike gulp. “I should probably head out.”
“Okay, I get it. You’re punishing me. But you do still want to come to the gala, right?”
She paused before answering to try to find the logic in the thoughts tumbling in her head. She had just laid down the law about how things were going to proceed between them but she was about to negate all of her tough-girl talk. “That’s different. We’ll be with a group of your friends, and Madison knows about it. And now we have rules, right?”
Charlie laughed ruefully. “Oh, we have rules, all right. You made that very clear.”
He was playing along like a champ. Cora wondered how long the ruse would last. She reached into her pocket and threw a twenty on the bar. “Drinks here are expensive. My contribution.” It was a final test. Was he a gentleman? Her heart sank when Charlie didn’t hand it back to her. So many fails tonight, Cora thought.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Charlie asked, bordering on pleading.
“It’s better if I go. We both know that.”
He nodded. “I’ll walk you out.” He turned to the bartender. “Hold my spot, I’ll be back in a minute.”
He’s staying at the bar. Yet another fail.
The street outside the restaurant was empty. They stood staring at each other in silence, uneasy and not sure how to end the conversation.
Charlie turned to Cora suddenly and pinned her against one of the cool marble slabs on the side of the building. He pushed himself up against her and brought his face close to hers. They stood glued to each other, Cora immobilized by the weight of Charlie’s body on hers, their lips just inches apart.
“We have a deal,” Cora whispered. “You said you weren’t going to kiss me.” But nothing mattered beside the pressure of his body and the proximity of his mouth to hers.
“I’m not . . . kissing you,” he answered, almost panting. His lips hovered just above hers. His hands moved to her hips, and he pulled her even closer to him. Cora’s arms hung limply at her sides in a halfhearted attempt to resist what was happening, her head all the way back against the marble. Charlie breathed on her, not moving but somehow bringing his lips closer to hers with each whiskey-tinged breath. She was desperate to cross the impasse, but couldn’t. Wouldn’t.
“Fuck your terms, Cora,” he finally growled and kissed her hard. She kissed him back, embracing him tightly and wrapping her leg around his so that she could feel his entire body against hers. They remained attached, kissing feverishly, until Cora pulled away.
“Oh my God, je veux te baiser,” she said, breathing heavily.
“What does that mean? Tell me it means what I think it means,” Charlie whispered, holding Cora’s face in his hands.
She shook her head and said nothing. A group of four approached the restaurant, a young couple and parents, and Cora moved away from Charlie, aware that they looked like they belonged outside a bar at closing time, not outside a restaurant before the sun had even set.
“I’ll see you at the gala, then,” she said, pushing her hair over her shoulder and smoothing down her shirt.
“Yup.” Charlie nodded and didn’t look at her. “I’ve got a car for the night, so we can swing by and pick you up. We’ll probably go to the City Tavern Club after. Do you have something to wear yet?”
Focusing on the conversation was difficult with her body lit on fire. “Yes. Well, no, not yet. I have one picked out, I just haven’t bought it yet.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I have to warn you, if you look any better than you do tonight, I’m going to have trouble keeping my hands off you.”
“But we have rules,” Cora said, her voice catching.
Charlie shrugged his shoulders, gave her a mischievous smile, and wordlessly walked back into the restaurant, leaving Cora alone on the sidewalk.
Fail.
THIRTY-THREE
* * *
The check engine light went on right as Cora turned into the Saks parking lot. She was finally picking up the Léger, and it seemed like fate was once again weighing in about what she was doing. She wondered if she’d regret spending so much on a dress when the car repair bill came in.
Darnell was waiting for her when she walked through the main doors in a haze of self-doubt.
“She didn’t come with you,” he said, crestfallen.
“I tried, believe me, I tried. Maggie’s really committed to her bed-in. All she does is watch TV and hang out with the dogs. When I told her I was coming to get the dress today, she said there was no way she’s ever setting foot around here again. She’s done with this place.”
“And me.” Darnell sighed, his typical enthusiasm dimmed by the hopelessness of the situation. “Did she tell you what happened?”
“Sort of. What’s your side?”
“It was a dumb Darnell joke that blew up in my face. You know I’m an idiot and I say shit without thinking. I’m absolutely sick about it, and she won’t answer my calls or text me back, so I can’t plead my case.”
“She’s stubborn, you know that. But you have to keep trying. She needs you in her life.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m not giving up on her. Darnell is not a quitter. Now on to you, boo. Is it time to incinerate your credit card?”
Cora nodded and grimaced.
“Well, I have a surprise for you.” He disappeared into the back room and returned with the gown slung over his shoulder. “Check this out.” He thrust the price tag at her so she could see it was covered in red hieroglyphics.
“Markdowns! I can’t read this, what does it cost?”
“I’m going to give you my employee discount, which is thirty percent off, plus the end-of-spring sale price, which is, like, rock bottom, because this dress is now so last season, and that brings the price down to . . .” He paused again, working the numbers in his head. “A little under five hundred dollars. Much better, right?”
“Oh my God, so much better! Thank
you! And I’m totally impressed that you did the math in your head.”
“My dear, when you’re on commission, numbers are your life. I run percentages in my sleep. Now let’s get you rung up.”
Darnell walked toward the register and stared down an attractive woman in a short black shirtdress with a severe ponytail, geek glasses, and gladiator heels.
“Ugh, Emerson,” he sneered to Cora as they passed the woman. “Maggie’s replacement. I bet that’s not even her real name. She is the worst.” He shuddered.
“No one can replace Maggie, but that gives me an idea. Would you be willing to do my makeup for the gala? We can set it up so that you come to our apartment and we can catch Maggie off guard and do her intervention.”
“Oh, I love that idea! Like, I’m not coming over to see you, Maggie, I’m here to help my girl Cora, just slinging makeup, don’t mind me. Then I can woo her and make her my BFF again. And then all will be right with the world.”
“Thursday night, can you be at our place at about four? Does that give you enough time to rehab all of this?”
“You’re already a goddess, I’m just going to gloss you up a bit. Can I work on that crazy-ass hair, too?”
“I’m in your capable hands, D. In return I’ll broker the peace treaty. Oh, and pay you, too, of course.”
“Absolutely not. Get me my Magpie back, and we’re square. Deal?”
“Deal.” Cora leaned across the counter and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks again.”
Cora’s stomach twisted. Too late to back out. She had an expensive dress in a zippered garment bag slung over her shoulder. She was going to the gala. Cora closed her eyes and shook her head when an image of Charlie in a tux flashed through her mind.
Strictly professional. From now on.
THIRTY-FOUR
* * *
It had taken over two weeks but Cora had finally managed to snag a grooming appointment for Eli and Nell. Her friend Molly’s thriving business, Sniptastic, usually required a longer wait, but she agreed to slip Nell in for an 8:00 a.m. groom after Cora sent a pleading text with a photo of the bedraggled dog.
She had arrived a few minutes early so that she could chat with Molly, but the front door was locked when she got there. Molly thrived on self-created chaos, and would no doubt run through the first fifteen minutes of the appointment as if overdosing on caffeine.
Molly was far from the typical groomer. While most of her peers were gruff with both their human and canine clients, made bitter by the physical demands of the profession and the unrealistic expectations of dog owners, Molly’s sunny disposition never faltered. Her neon-pink pageboy and multiple tattoos set her apart as well, and gave her an edge that her soccer mom clients hoped would rub off on them if they hung around her enough. Her latest body art was a delicate pink ribbon that laced up the back of her neck like a corset.
Cora wanted to meet Eli and Nell at the salon to introduce them to Molly, but she was also eager to catch up with the duo. She sat on the dirty stoop in front of the salon scrolling through the old texts from Charlie, trying to decipher if what was happening between them was merely a bad idea, or a truly very bad idea.
The door behind her slammed open as if caught by the wind. “Hey, sweetie! Sorry I’m late! Actually, it’s one minute before my start time, so I’m technically not late.” Molly leaned down to give Cora a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, been too long!” Cora followed Molly into the bright space, which was crowded with oversize photos of cute dogs and Pinterest-style inspirational quotes overlaid on photos of gauzy landscapes.
“So tell me about this dog and this dude. How do you know them?”
“Long story, but basically he’s a client’s colleague as well as a different client’s neighbor. He’s fostering Nell for now, but I’m hoping that he’s going to keep her.”
“Is he a good dude? Do you approve?”
“He’s, like, the best dude. So sweet.”
Molly cocked an eyebrow at Cora.
“No, no, no, stop it. We’re just friends. He’s really nice and totally perfect for the dog. Nell needs a ton of TLC.”
“Hm,” Molly answered as she folded towels at a breakneck speed.
The bell on the front door jingled as Eli and Nell walked in. He was wearing a blazer, plaid bow tie, and jeans. Cora realized that his geek chic thing wasn’t accidental; Eli had a well-defined look. He dropped Nell’s leash and she dashed to Cora.
“There she is!” Cora exclaimed, dropping to her knees to greet the little dog. She looked up at Eli as Nell wiggled an overjoyed greeting. “How is she? How are you? Tell me everything! And I’m being totally rude—Eli, this is Molly. Molly, meet the best foster dad around, Eli.”
Eli reached out to shake Molly’s hand, and Cora watched him for the telltale flicker of interest. Molly’s bright hair, tattoos, tight tank top, and pretty face made for an appealingly dangerous conquest that even the dude-est frat bro couldn’t resist attempting. The fact that she was a lesbian was usually lost on them until she broke out photos of her girlfriend, which made the most alpha of them pursue her even harder.
“Nice to meet you,” Eli said as he shook her hand, adding a slight bow, oblivious to Molly’s allure. “Thank you so much for squeezing us in. I can’t wait for her to look like a normal dog. I gave her a bath so she doesn’t smell anymore, but she still looks like hell. I keep getting side-eye on the street, like it’s my fault she looks like this.”
Molly examined Nell from a distance as Cora fussed over her on the floor. “Wow, I’ve got my work cut out for me, huh? I can see the mats from here, and what’s up with those bald patches?”
“Rough living. Nell survived hard time on a lonely planet,” Eli replied.
“Yeah, Cora gave me the overview when she begged me for an appointment. Okay, best-case scenario, what kind of cut do you want? Keep in mind my options are limited, but dream scenario, what do you want her to look like?”
“A German shepherd?” Eli smiled sheepishly. “No, that’s terrible, I’m sorry for saying that. I just never imagined that when I finally got a dog, my dog would be so . . . girly. Can you, I don’t know, butch her up for me a little?”
Molly let out a brittle laugh. “Are you one of those guys? Won’t let your dog wear a pink collar because you don’t want people to think you’re girly?!” She liked to give men a hard time to see how they reacted.
Eli could tell that he was stepping into dangerous territory so he backpedaled furiously, waving his hands in front of him. “No, not at all! I have no problems with pink! No problems with pink! I have two pink shirts!”
Cora laughed quietly at Eli’s attempt to avoid Molly’s wrath.
“Okay, okay, I get it. You’re not one of those guys.” She smiled at him. “I’ll ask again; what kind of cut, Mr. Pink?”
“I’m afraid to answer now,” he said.
“How about I help?” Cora interrupted. “I see Nell with a cross between a puppy cut and a teddy bear. No puffballs on her. Let’s keep the body one length if possible, and make the ears and the top of the head fuller.”
“You’re asking for a lot,” Molly said as she examined Nell more closely. She lifted the little dog and ran her hands along Nell’s face and body, peering in her ears and handling her paws. “I’ll do what I can. But I guarantee she’ll look better when she leaves than she does now. I’ll trim down those awful tear stains and get her coat back to a version of white.” Nell nestled comfortably in the crook of Molly’s arm, as if they were old friends already.
“Do I stay with her? How does this work?” Eli asked.
“Nope, it’s best if it’s just me and Nell. This first groom is going to be really quick because there’s not much for me to work with, but as her coat comes back we’ll be able to make her look normal. It’ll take me about an hour and a half, is that cool?”
“Yup, I can be a little late for work. Thank you again for fitting us in, I really appreciate it.”
El
i walked over to Nell cradled in Molly’s arms, assumed a serious expression and cupped the dog’s small face in his hands. “Don’t worry, little alien, change is good. I’ll see you in a bit.” He kissed her on the top of the head then walked out of the salon, and Molly feigned a swoon behind his back.
Molly pointed at Eli. “Get on that!” she mouthed to Cora.
Cora rolled her eyes and followed Eli out of the salon. She felt spontaneous. “Hey, do you want to grab some coffee while you wait? My next appointment is literally right around the corner from here and it doesn’t start for a half hour, so I can help you kill some time if you want.”
“That would be great,” Eli replied.
They walked to one of the few independent coffee shops left in the city and grabbed a tiny table in the window.
“Coffee is on me,” Cora said with authority. “You’re doing such a solid taking care of Nell.”
“It’s no problem, I swear to you. And it’s not in my DNA to accept a thank-you for something that requires no thank-you in the first place. Now what can I get for you?”
“Well, thank you twice, then. Just a small coffee, black.”
“What, no caramel coffeechino chai-spice latte?”
“Nope, I’m the most boring coffee drinker in the world. Like an old man.”
“Old men are badass.” Eli winked and walked to the counter to place their order.
Cora thought about how Nell would fare during her first visit to the groomer and how much better she was going to look when Eli went back for her. She wanted to see Nell in person postgroom, with the little pink ribbons nestled in the fur on her ears, but she felt like she was being annoying and overinvolved. Then it hit her.
“You said ‘when I get a dog’!”
Eli slid in across from Cora with their coffee. “What?”
“Back at the salon! You said ‘when I finally got a dog,’ and you called her ‘my dog’! You’re keeping her!”
Eli looked down at the coffee mug in his hands, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Life on the Leash Page 19