by M. C. Cerny
“They got to shake hands and everything.” I rubbed my hand up her leg, lifting her dress as I went, and she tried to push it away again.
“Really? No offence, but your mom keeps hand sanitizer in her pockets. She must have really liked you, Winnie.”
Winnie froze and snapped her head to mine, chewing her food slowly.
“Hmm. Maybe,” Winnie said.
Taylor Jane ate her food, and I was trying to not laugh with the dirty look I got from her. She speared a potato roughly with her fork and bit it cleanly in half, her eyebrow raised, giving me a clear message.
“Mom was a little busy fending off Kristen. We’ll catch up with her later, I’m sure.” I rubbed her back and changed the topic. “Hunter, how’s the construction business going?” Changing topics, my friend launched into his newest project while we compared the cost of houses growing up to now. He and Taylor Jane had just finished embarking on this historic house flipping project recently that was a part of a design contest. The old Victorian home had sat vacant for years until Taylor Jane bought it and decided to fix it up. Hunter still seemed a bit shell-shocked over the endeavor.
“You know, I was thinking maybe we should do something with that shed in your backyard, Chase. I don’t think it’s a very stable structure and it’s probably increasing your home owner’s insurance needlessly.” Hunter nodded, forking a large cut of grilled steak into his mouth.
I agreed with him completely, thinking over what to do with the structure. “Come over next weekend and have a look at it. I’d hate to tear the whole thing down, but whatever needs to be done, I guess.”
“Ohh! Can I come? Please?” Taylor Jane was clapping her hands excitedly, which amused all of us. “I’m looking for old clap board to use and I’ll pay you for it.”
“Honey, you can have it. I wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway. I was just going to have Hunter build a new shed from the ground up.” Taylor Jane got up from the table and came over to my side, tackle hugging me.
“Thank you so much!” I’d be happy to give her the whole shed if it made her that happy. I wasn’t as close to these guys as my sister was since I was a little older and I’d gone away to veterinary school, but I missed them all.
“Saturday it is!” Hunter pointed his fork at me, smiling when Taylor Jane went on to tell him the one hundred and one things I was sure she wanted to do with the clap board or whatever it was.
Winnie nudged me with her elbow, and I looked over at her. A kind smile brightened her face as opposed to the scowl moments ago when I made my moves on her under the table. “You’re a good friend, Chase Calloway.” She winked at me, and I felt a peaceful happiness settle over me. I liked Winnie Gray. I liked her a whole damn lot.
12
Winnie
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, thank God for that. Krazy-Kristen as I nicknamed Chase’s sister left and came back with some guy named Evan, who worked in town as a police officer. That must have been the guy she was screwing according to Damien, who seemed to be sulking near the fire pit, nursing a beer. Hunter tried to get him to join us on the blankets out back, but he declined. It was probably best because Kristen and Evan were petting each other hot and heavy in a mix of micro-brewery beer and Hugo Boss cologne. I was here barely a few hours and already immersed in the tight little group’s drama. The rest of us lay back and waited for the fireworks to start.
The breeze came, raising goosebumps on my bare arms. I’d left my wedged shoes by the fire pit and walked barefoot up the hill to where Chase had set up everything. “Cold?” Chase leaned up on his elbow, looking at me.
“A bit. I keep forgetting I’m technically in the mountains up here.” He picked up a folded blanket and opened it up, spreading it out over us. The wool blanket was soft and must have been owned and washed for years the way it wrapped over us in a cozy cover.
“How’s that?” He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back against his warm chest. He felt like my own personal furnace between the cool ground and breeze. I pushed out the thoughts that this was all temporary. Just a summer fling. A little distraction.
“Perfect.” I let my head rest back against his chest, enjoying the moment. Taylor giggled, and Hunter laughed gruffly like he wasn’t used to doing it. It was sweet, and I realized how much I liked Chase’s friends, even his crazy sister. This whole place was different from what I was used to in the city. I couldn’t even recall which one of my supposed friends had called or texted me while I was up here during my forced exile from the land of skyscrapers and yellow cabs. There was no hustle and insanity to rush anywhere. Time slowed down, and I was forced to take it all in between the sweet smells and crisp air that left my feet cold in the morning while I waited for my aunt’s coffee maker to brew. No K-cups here or any other shortcuts. My parents probably thought I would have tucked tail and turned right around, but as I settled into a new routine, I didn’t mind these things as much, and I lacked for nothing.
Chase’s hand snaked around my middle and his sneaky finger strayed, rubbing against the soft part of my belly. He wasn’t trying to go further south or north, he was just there, and I didn’t think he realized he was making the rhythmic movements over my skin. He lulled me into a relaxed state where I snuggled deeper against him and the blanket.
“Don’t fall asleep, Winnie. The fireworks haven’t started yet.”
I snorted, automatically wondering if the innuendo was on purpose.
“Dirty girl.” He laughed and of course he did, squeezing my hip and going back to gently arousing me with that damn finger tracing over my abdomen.
“So tell me a bedtime story then.”
“Anything you’d like to know?” Now that was a million-dollar question. Hot sexy bachelor who administered first aid to animals, yeah, why the hell wasn’t he in a relationship? Instead, I took the safe route, rolling over to look at him.
“Tell me what made you interested in becoming a vet?” Turnabout was fair play and this time I let my hands roam over his chest freely.
“Easy. I love animals.”
I rolled my eyes, making him smirk.
“All right, but then I get to ask you twenty questions, Miss Winsome Gray.”
“Fair enough. Now spill it, Doctor.”
He caged me in, not resting his weight on me like I wanted him to. He stayed there a moment before rolling to his back and looking at the night sky.
“I played football in high school and went to Cornell on a scholarship.”
“That’s a lot of ball playing.”
He didn’t speak for a bit, and I wondered if that was all until he started up again.
“It is–was a lot of ball playing. My dad, who you sort of met earlier, was my coach for as long as I can remember. Today was the first time he spoke to me in about a year.”
“Um…” Now I was confused. “That’s a long time without talking.” My parents had their own brand of messed up, but I couldn’t imagine an entire year without them.
“Yeah.” Chase cleared his throat, and now I regretted saying anything. I lay my hand over his heart, feeling the beats pressed against his chest reassuringly. “But this bedtime story was about me becoming a vet,” he says ruefully.
“Right.” I nodded unsure how to comfort him, if that’s what he needed.
“I was being scouted by the NFL even though I wasn’t eligible unless I dropped out of college. We were playing a scrimmage game against our rival school. Bullshit really for a bunch of kids trying to have fun despite how serious it was for some of us. Scouts had been coming to my games for years, but this was the do or die year or so they said. It was raining that day, and we should have stopped, but we didn’t. I slipped on the turf, collided with a defensive player, and busted my shoulder and knee real good.”
“Oh, Chase.” I couldn’t imagine his big body in pain and broken in some way. I never noticed him limping or anything, he seemed fine now so I couldn’t imagine that happening to him back them.
> “Anyhow, I was a junior that year and it took me out for the season, messing my back up. Dad was pissed I’d ruined a perfectly good career horsing around because while I had plenty of time to rehab, I realized I just didn’t want it the way he did.”
“So you changed your major?”
“Oh yeah.” He chuckled. “No more Rocks for Jocks classes for me. I had enough core science classes to make the switch.”
It was hard to imagine Chase sitting in a class learning something that didn’t appeal to him.
“You must really like animals then.”
“When Kristen and I were kids we had a dog named Riley and he followed us everywhere. I think Mom let us have him because he wore us out better than a babysitter could.”
“Sounds like a ball of energy, just like Bailey.”
“He was a gorgeous brown lab who loved squirrels.” Chase looked off into the distance. His brow furrowed as if recalling the memory itself was a painful event. I had a terrible feeling this story wasn’t going to have a happy ending the way I wanted it too.
“I remember it like yesterday…”
Yup, no happy ending here, so I squeezed Chase’s wandering hand under the blanket. What I wouldn’t do to lessen this gentle man’s pain.
“September, lots of leaves were still on the trees and Riley was barking like crazy, driving my mom nuts. She was working on a legal brief for work and told me to take Riley outside because he was annoying her. I opened the door and let him outside, but I called him back because I forgot his stupid collar for the electric fence.”
“Chase…” I didn’t want to hear more, but he kept plowing ahead.
“He went full tilt through the yard, ignoring the squirrels and going for a groundhog that was across the street near Taylor Jane’s house. Damn dog.” His voice caught and stumbled before he forged ahead telling me the story whose outcome I could have easily guessed by the catch in his voice. “Poor Riley got hit by a truck, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on my sister’s face and how helpless I felt when I put his head in my lap for the last time that day. He had the softest fur behind his ears.” I watched his fingers rub air and knew he was back in that moment years earlier, a part of him still deeply lodged as the little boy who watched his best friend die.
“How awful.” My face and neck were wet from the tears, my chest drawing in air was difficult at best and I cried for the little boy.
“Yeah, so when football didn’t pan out, being a vet was the next logical choice.” Chase cleared his throat, the emotions raw. I didn’t know if he was nearly as choked up as I was, after all, he’d had years to deal with the loss of a beloved pet, but the story broke my heart. It didn’t explain why his dad hadn’t spoken to him, but I knew all about stories with feeling like a disappointment when I read between the lines.
Cracks and repeated booms filled the air with flashes of color and powder that pulled us from the heavy moment. “Hey, look at that, the fireworks started.” Indeed, they had all while I was falling for Chase Calloway as the sparkling, sputtering flames fell to Earth with no respite in sight. Just like the fireworks, I felt a little unstable and ready to blow up over this guy I just met.
13
Chase
I hadn’t seen Winnie since I dropped her off at her aunt’s house with nothing more than a chaste kiss. The terrible trio was inside, ready to attack, barking up the neighborhood when Winnie kissed me lightly on the mouth, slipping inside to shut the door, effectively shutting me out. It didn’t feel like a goodbye or a sendoff, but I was surprised I found myself missing her each day. Maybe my story about football, my dad, and becoming a veterinarian was more than she wanted to hear and I couldn’t blame her.
Hell, the girl with the apple-bottom was as much a mystery to me. I wondered if Roswell was tormenting her and if Pumpkin was eating his new dog chow. Checking with Sharon, I knew she was due to bring Pumpkin in for another acupuncture treatment soon, but I wondered if my big mouth or my family had scared her off. I had her number in the file, I could call, her but something made me hesitate.
Speaking of which, my sister was here sitting on my work desk, rearranging papers and generally being a nuisance. “Chase, you still haven’t answered my question.” Kristen swung her flipped flopped feet back and forth over the edge of my desk.
“KC, I don’t recall you asking me anything, and stop moving things. I gotta find that stuff later and there’s a permit in there somewhere I have to give Hunter so he can pull the shed down this weekend.” My sister, my lovely pain in the ass sister was going to drive me crazy.
“Ugh! I’m helping to plan the animal shelter fundraiser, and I need to know what time you plan on coming?”
“Is this another poor charity you’ve sucked the family into again?” My patience was low and Kristen was still here.
“You say that like I’m always up to something.” Kristen paused, and I continued to ignore her, looking for the permit. “Well, what time are you gracing us with your presence?” I picked her up and moved her over to the chair, shuffling the papers.
“For the meeting or the fundraiser? Ah! Found it!” I held up the permit, excited to get the shed worked on.
“Both, but mainly the fundraiser.” Kristen plucked the paper from me, reading the county clerks notes before I plucked it back, tucking it into my pocket. “I don’t need you for the meeting,” she said, arms crossed and glowering. Stomping her foot was probably next.
“Eight o’clock and I have no idea how you talked me into this.”
“Oh come on, we’re auctioning the hottest dogs in town for the dogs at the shelter.”
Cringing was the only response I could give her. “No, you’re auctioning all the bachelors in town with jobs to the single women twice our age in the community.”
“I know, it’s brilliant!” If my sister thought calling the event Bitches and Bros was a good idea, I shuddered to think about her boss’s integrity. It wasn’t even a clever play on the name for female dogs, and frankly if I hadn’t been roped into this several weeks ago before I met Winnie, I wouldn’t have been doing it at all.
“You have your tux, right?”
“Already back from the dry cleaners. Now can you leave? I’m kind of busy.” The phone’s intercom buzzed. “Sharon?”
“Dr. Calloway, Winnie Gray is here to see you.”
“Thanks.” I clicked the button off, silencing my nosey receptionist.
“Oooh…it’s that girl.”
I hated my sister sometimes and couldn’t believe we were delivered from the same womb. It was like my parents forgot they had a perfectly fine child when they tried for her and now look at where we were, drama central.
“Yes, and you need to leave, right now.” I stood up, and Kristen popped herself out of the chair, taking a stack of alphabetized files next to her to the floor.
“Oops.”
Waving my arms, I sent her off. “Ugh, get out, Kristen.”
“Make sure you’re having safe sex and not danger sex!” If my sister didn’t scram I was going to chase her out.
“Oh hey, if this is a bad idea I can come back another time.” Winnie stood in the doorway wearing a short sundress that clung in several places. The orange-pink color of the dress made her eyes look bigger in her beautiful face and gave her skin a honey glow if you hadn’t missed the rosy blush from Kristen’s rude comment a moment earlier. I wanted to lick her bare shoulder to see if she would taste as sweet. Corny, I know.
“No.”
“Nope, but if you’re looking for something to do, come to the auction.” Kristen handed Winnie a flyer and raced out of the office faster than her trying to impress the boys’ track team with her laps around the track.
“Auction?” Winnie read the flyer, and I plucked it out of her hands, dropping it on my desk.
“It’s not important.”
Winnie rolled her eyes and turned the flyer over, pointing to the schedule of events. “Oh, but I think it is, Dr. Calloway.
It says here you’re going to be auctioned off for a date.”
The whole idea made me grumpy because I didn’t want to do it, but it was for a good cause, and I couldn’t turn it down given the limited community resources. “My sister talked me into it.”
“Oh, I’m sure she did. I bet you have quite the following here.” Winnie’s compliment made me embarrassed to be up on stage for some reason.
“True, but I’d never make you pay.”
“Pfft. Who said I was planning on paying? Besides, I’m busy that day.”
“You are?” My chest deflated, wondering what she had going on that was better than me in a tux with a dozen barking dogs vying for my attention.
“Yeah, my parents are venturing north to visit, so I need to shuffle them around town.”
“Oh, so you’re busy then.”
“A little, but mostly I came by because I’m wondering if you know of anyone who needs a dog walker.”
“Branching out?”
She shrugged. “I guess you could say I’ve had some recent experience I can put on my resume.”
Kristen popped her head back in the office, giggling. “I know a great animal shelter that needs volunteers!”
“Get out!” I yelled.
“Gone!” Kristen slammed the door behind her, leaving me alone with Winnie. Before I could utter a single word a small knock on the door drew our attention away from each other again.
“Doctor…” Sharon peered around the corner with another chart. I took it from her and smiled before speaking. My family had a way of capsizing my boat on the calmest of days.
“Sharon, I’m going out. Call Dr. Peterson to come in.”
She didn’t ask any questions even though I felt the censure in her look. I never left the office, but I already knew my schedule for the rest of the day involved giving distemper shots to a pair of Siamese cats and squeezing Cosimo’s blocked anal glands. I was pretty sure Dr. Peterson could do me a solid favor as I shrugged my coat off and rolled up my sleeves.
