A tall thin man with wavy blonde hair opened a door and motioned for them to come into the exam room. He was wearing a long light blue lab coat and the name embroidered on the front said John Jefferies, DVM. “Michael. Good to see you again. How is Swoosie today?”
Michael shook the veterinarian’s hand. “I’m not sure. She’s making an odd noise. At first, I thought she ate something that got stuck in her mouth, but I can’t find anything. Then I thought she might be having an allergic reaction.”
The vet put Swoosie up on the exam table and looked at her eyes and felt her body. “Did you see her eat anything?”
“No, I was in another room.”
“Could you hold her?” Dr. Jefferies asked and then opened Swoosie’s mouth. “So what is going on here, you little fluffy thing?”
Michael held Swoosie around her torso to keep her still as the vet ran his fingers throughout the dog’s mouth. Swoosie started and pulled away and Michael grabbed her more firmly to keep her from launching off the exam table.
“What’s this here?” the vet asked as he held up a black elastic hair tie. “This was hidden in her back teeth under her tongue.” Swoosie looked disappointed that her prize had been discovered and moved her head to snatch it back from his grasp. The vet lifted the elastic away from her mouth, “Sorry, little dog. I’m not giving it back.”
An embarrassed heat flushed Jan’s cheeks. “I think that’s mine.” She took the elastic from the veterinarian’s hand. “Thank you.” She jammed the elastic into her pocket.
Michael relaxed his hold on Swoosie. “So she’s fine, right?”
Dr. Jeffries smiled. “Yes, although in the future you may want to try and keep your hair accessories away from the dog.”
After paying the bill and loading Swoosie back into the car, Jan drove back to Michael’s place. The silence was uncomfortable. Obviously lost in thought, Michael stared out the window, the grim expression on his face subduing his normally animated features. She should say something to him. But what? Maybe he was regretting what they did earlier. She thought it was amazing, but who knows what he thought. Heaven knows he had a lot more experience, given how women had a habit of throwing themselves at him.
At last, right before she pulled in front of Michael’s house, Jan blurted out, “I’m so sorry about what happened with Swoosie. I must have dropped my hair tie on the floor in the kitchen. I didn’t think about it. I feel terrible.”
Michael smiled slightly, but it didn’t offset the sadness in his dark eyes. “I don’t think either of us were thinking much. It’s not your fault. Swoosie eats everything. I’ve got the vet bills to prove it.”
“I know you have to work tomorrow and then I’ve got to go home. This isn’t the way I thought we’d end the evening.” She thought they’d be entwined in each others arms. Which they were. Until they weren’t.
“Me neither. Most of Swoosie’s vet trips are unexpected, though. I should start expecting the unexpected.”
“Oscar Wilde said ‘To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.’”
Michael gazed out the window again. “At least I can be modern.”
Jan slowed the car to a stop and turned off the ignition. The change in Michael’s mood was so unsettling, she wasn’t sure what to do. After an awkward pause, finally, she said, “I had a wonderful time. Well, except for this last part, which again, I’m sorry about. But all the places we went, and um, everything we did, it’s all been great.”
Michael looked toward the house then back at her. “I should go. I have to get up early for work. But I’ll give you a call from there tomorrow to see how everything is going. You’ll still be at your mom’s place, right?”
Jan nodded. “Yes.”
Michael leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “I’ll talk to you then.”
Jan sat and watched as he gathered Swoosie out of the back seat and walked up the sidewalk to the house. What were the odds that he would actually call?
Chapter 8
Crystals & Chakras
Kat sat on the sofa with Rosa on one side of her and Lori on the other. Joel walked in, stopped, and pointed at Rosa. “Isn’t that dog supposed to be out in the kennel?”
Kat looked up from her novel. “Yes. But she has been a good girl all week and she’s going home tomorrow, so I wanted to give her a little special time. She looked so sad and she likes being a house dog here with everyone else. I hate to leave her outside in the Tessa Hut. See how she’s being so sweet, just sitting here quietly next to me? Rosa is like Linus—she follows me around like a shadow. She’s certainly not going anywhere.”
Joel crouched down to pet Rosa and looked up at Kat. “You are such a softie. Special-dog time could get more complicated if you board more dogs. The house isn’t that big. Speaking of which, I don’t suppose that’s a business book you’re reading, is it? How’s the business plan going?”
Kat covered the title of her novel with her hands. Joel didn’t need to know how trashy it was. “No. It’s not a business book. And I’m still working on the plan. You do realize you’re being a nag, right?”
Joel grinned and stood up again. “I prefer to think of it as motivational support.”
“By the way, Maria is coming up tonight.”
“Again?”
“Yes. She’s having issues with her apartment complex. The guy next door, Tony, is quite the, um, ladies man, I guess you’d say. The walls aren’t very thick and there’s a lot of noise from his apartment on the weekends.” When she’d talked to Kat, Maria’s description had been significantly more colorful and expletive-laced.
Joel put his hands in his pockets. “Really?”
“Yes. Maria said there was a big fight in her parking lot the other night. It was bad enough that someone even called the police. Tony has taken in some friend who was thrown out of his place by his pregnant girlfriend. The house guest’s ex-wife is in town and she wasn’t too excited about the girlfriend. Oh, and the house guest might have cancer, too. Anyway, Mr. House Guest drank a whole lot and then started a fight with another neighbor. It sounds like he was seriously unhinged and caused a big incident. Maria refers to it as living in Melrose Place.”
“Wow. That’s quite a soap opera. Things are pretty tame by comparison here in little ole Alpine Grove. No wonder she wants to come here. At least it’s quiet. Has she considered finding a new place to live?”
“She’s working on it. I think the whole thing with the police increased her incentive to move. Maria talks a good game, but I know she’s not fond of feeling unsafe in her own home.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
Kat got up off the couch and wrapped her arms around Joel’s waist. He enveloped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. She tilted her head back to look up into his face. “Thanks for being cool about letting her stay.”
“Well, she stays in your office, so you’re the one who won’t get any work done.”
Kat put her head back on his chest, enjoying the sound of his heartbeat. “It’s the weekend. Days of rest. All the business books say you’re supposed to take a break from work because when you work from home it’s too easy to end up working all the time. I don’t want to turn into a workaholic. Stress is bad for you.”
Joel released her from the embrace and looked down into her eyes. He pushed a stray tendril of dark hair behind her ear. “You were looking pretty relaxed just now. And it’s Friday. I don’t think you have much to worry about.”
“I’m multi-tasking. See how I am tending to the needs of my boarding dog while reading a junk novel at the same time? I’m working and relaxing simultaneously, thus enhancing my work-life balance.”
Joel laughed. “That’s some impressive rationalization.”
“It’s a gift.”
The sound of a car rumbling down the driveway caused all of the dogs to leap up and head for the door, barking furiously.
Kat waved toward the door. “According to our brave
canine defenders, Maria has arrived.”
Joel took Kat’s hand and they walked outside to the landing outside the front door. The dogs thundered down the steps and greeted Maria, who was standing next to her little red Miata.
“Listen here, you big, hairy thing,” Maria said, pushing Linus’s nose away from her skirt and shaking her index finger at him. “You should know my rules of personal space by now. No poking me there. That’s considered rude.”
As Kat and Joel walked down the front steps, Maria looked up from her lecture and waved at them. “Hey there, lovebirds! Did you miss me? I see the full-figured dog is back here again, too. How come she is running free? Did she escape again?”
Kat shook her head. “No. Rosa has been really good, except for a little bath-time trauma. But after that it’s been fine. I think we bonded. Now she won’t leave my side. Well, except to say hi to you, I guess.”
Joel took Maria’s suitcase out of the car and started dragging it toward the house.
Maria hugged Kat. “So how are you doing, girlfriend? How’s life with the sexy engineer?”
“No complaints. I’m doing better than you are, I think. How’s the apartment hunt going?”
“Not so good. I wish you’d bought your apartment when it went condo. Then you could rent it to me. That was a nice complex.”
“Sorry. At the time, buying wasn’t much of an option. As you may recall, I was destitute. You had to sell all my furniture for me.”
Maria flipped her hair back with her hand. “That’s true. And that money went to a good cause: shoes for me. But now that you’re an heiress, you’ve got the cash-o-la.”
“Sorry, but that train has left the station. The condo purchase option was a one-time offer. And the building manager was not my biggest fan after she found out I had a cat, so it’s not like they’d give me a special deal.”
Maria sighed. “I gotta get outta Melrose. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I like a fine soap opera. I’ve been watching Days of Our Lives for years. The sands in the hourglass just keep going for me. But I can’t handle living with a bunch of losers fighting in my parking lot. If I want to see that level of male stupidity, I can see it at work. I don’t need it at home, too.”
“Yeah, you look kind of tired. We’ll have a good weekend and maybe you can get some rest.”
Maria put her hand on her hip. “Are you implying that I am not looking my best?”
“I may not be Miss Cover Girl, but I do know heavy-duty concealer when I see it. I’m guessing under all that makeup, you have dark circles under your eyes.”
“That does it,” Maria said. “I need a plan of action. I don’t feel good, and now I don’t look good. That’s totally unacceptable! My job and my home life are both in the crapper and I haven’t wanted to deal with it. But now I’m pissed.”
Kat put her arm around her friend’s shoulder. “Maybe tomorrow another Wine and Whine is in order. We’ll figure out a plan. But first, maybe you should just get some sleep tonight.”
Maria sighed and leaned her head against Kat’s. “Yeah. I guess it’s pretty obvious that I need to get some beauty rest. I am really tired. Thanks, girlfriend.”
After a frustrating day of dealing with her mother’s endless dawdling about packing to move in with Bruce and her all-too-frequent questions about what she had been up to with Michael, Jan was relieved to get on the plane and return to the quiet of Alpine Grove.
Her mother had assured her that she was finally getting the last of her stuff moved and would be spending the night at Bruce’s house. Whether or not that would really happen was anyone’s guess. The day had been so frustrating that it was only that morning that Jan realized Michael had not called her from work.
Thanks to Rosa’s digestive disturbance on the way to Kat’s place, the drive back from the airport was just as stinky as Jan had feared it would be. Even with all the windows rolled down, the offensive odor still pervaded the car. The stench of aged sun-baked dog vomit might never come out, unless she paid for expensive professional detailing. Or fumigation.
As she drove up to her tidy 1940s cottage in Alpine Grove, she smiled. Even if the drive had been unpleasant, it was still good to be home. She pulled her mail out of the little green mailbox out front and thought about seeing Rosa again. Maybe her life seemed boring to other people, but she loved this little house at the end of the street in her quiet neighborhood. It was a relief to be away from the crowds in Southern California. Not to mention her mother’s New-Age-speak and turmoil. Being around her was exhausting, partly because it was so difficult to tell what she was saying much of the time.
Jan put away her clothes and reflected on her week away. It certainly hadn’t been all bad. Spending all that time with Michael had been downright magical, in fact. Now being here in her familiar, comfortable home, the whole experience seemed far away and unreal, almost like it hadn’t actually happened. But it had. She wrapped her arms around her waist and remembered the warm, passionate sensations of being in his bed. And all their conversations at restaurants and coffee shops. Time had melted away so quickly when they’d been together. Even the awful, sandy cleaning exercise had been an adventure. And then of course the horseback ride. It was like a dream. Even if she never heard from him again, she’d still have the memories.
After Jan unpacked, she got back in the car to pick up Rosa. She couldn’t wait to see her round black dog again; the house seemed extra empty without Rosa’s furry presence. Jan sang along to bad 80s music as the smelly car bumped down the long driveway toward Kat’s house. She approached the house and noticed Kat and Maria were sitting on the steps in front of the house. Rosa was with them on a leash, lying at their feet. At the sound of Jan’s car, the dog stood up and began barking.
Jan parked the car, got out, and ran toward Rosa. She crouched down and rubbed the dog’s head. “Oh, look at you! How are you? I missed my girl!”
Kat smiled. “I guess you’re glad to see her.”
Jan stood up. “Yes, I missed her so much. Thanks for taking care of her on such short notice. And she’s so clean. You must have washed her. I wish my car smelled that good. Thank you for doing that. I hope she was good.”
“Well, not exactly,” Kat said. “But I dealt with it. I was glad to hear your mom was okay too, and you didn’t have to spend your time there at the hospital.”
“Yes, I ended up having a much better time than I expected, although I’m not sure my mom’s marriage is really going to make it. But then, that’s nothing new, either.”
Maria got up from the step. “Hey Jan, it’s good to see you again. San Diego must agree with you. You look different.”
Jan looked down at herself. She was wearing a fairly standard outfit. White blouse and navy blue slacks. “Different how? I always look like this, I think.”
“Hmmm. I don’t think so. You had some fun with a man, didn’t you?”
Jan looked at Maria, then at Kat. “What?”
“I think Maria is delicately implying that she suspects you had sex,” Kat said. “She can tell these things. I don’t know how, but she can.”
Maria nodded. “Doesn’t the Marlboro man live in San Diego? Did you do the deed with him? I hope so. Because he sounded totally hot.”
Jan’s cheeks reddened and she bent down to pet Rosa with the hope that maybe Kat and Maria might not notice. “I did see Michael. There was a problem with our parents living together. Technically he’s my step-brother, since his dad married my mom.” She stood up again. “So yes, I saw him again.”
Maria raised an eyebrow. “Naked?”
Jan dropped her hands to her sides. “Okay fine. Yes, naked.”
“Excellent,” Maria said, clapping her hands together. “I knew it. And I’m guessing by that little smile on your face that he was looking good. And that it was good.”
Jan grinned. “Yes. Really good. Far better than expected, in fact.”
Maria nodded. “And better than that low-life boyfriend you had too, I’m gues
sing.”
“Way better. No comparison.” Just thinking about it gave her a little thrill.
“Good. If I can’t be getting any myself, at least I can hear about it from you two.” Maria nudged Kat. “That’s another thing we need to talk about. How is it that someone as fine as myself does not have a man? That’s just wrong. After Larry, there’s been a whole lotta nothing and I’m getting cranky.”
Kat nodded. “Yet another question to ponder. It could be a long evening.”
Jan took Rosa’s leash from Kat. “I should be going, since I have to work tomorrow. Jill covered my whole vacation at the library, and she’s probably ready for a break. Thank you again.”
As Jan’s car clunked through the potholes in the driveway, she thought about what she’d said. There really was no comparison. She missed Michael in a way she had never missed Steve.
When Steve had left to go back to work after their weekends together, she pretty much forgot about him. But she couldn’t get Michael out of her mind.
The next day Jan and Rosa went to work at the library. It was great to be back in her familiar space. The library had always been her haven and she immersed herself in genealogy research related to one of the founders of Alpine Grove for a patron who was working on a written history of the town. Learning about the original settlers of the area was fascinating and the day flew by. Doing major research also was a great distraction from thinking about Michael. But once it was time to lock up the library and go home, her mind was swirling with memories and questions about San Diego again.
She opened the door to her cottage just as the phone was ringing. Rosa ran into the house and jumped on the sofa. Jan dropped her bag, slammed the door, and ran to answer the phone.
On the other end of the line, Michael’s deep voice greeted her. A sparkle of excitement fluttered through her. “Hi Michael. How are you?”
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