Probably not. I’d say it was more likely they had grown bored with the lack of attention.
I could tell Harper probably was white but at the moment he was almost a yellow color, and looked to be a few pounds underweight. He had the darkest brown eyes, making me fall in love with him even more.
“He has the biggest wanger I’ve ever seen,” said Danny incredulously. I rolled my eyes. Trust Danny to notice the dog’s manhood. Bending down next to Danny, I took a look.
My Goodness, he was right.
“Maybe he used to be a stud dog,” I suggested.
“I think the other dogs might be a bit jealous of that, little man,” Danny said, talking to Harper.
“Do you think Molly would like him?”
“I think she’ll love him, but we should probably bring her here before we buy him,” said Danny thoughtfully.
He was right. Molly needed to bond before she took a dog home. “We’ll bring her out here on Thursday. It’s the only day I’ve got any free time this week.”
Saying our goodbyes to Harper, we headed back to reception. They were happy to take a deposit, but kept checking that we were talking about Harper, the small white Maltese.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just people don’t usually want the oldies, they usually only want the puppies. We all thought Harper would be here for the rest of his life.”
“A housebroken one is definitely what our sister needs. She’s had enough of un-housebroken men,” said Danny with a smile.
Chapter Ten
I was awoken Tuesday morning by my phone ringing. I knew it would be Mum.
“Happy Birthday, Love!” she yelled. She thought as she was the one who had to endure the pain and suffering of my birth then it was her right to be the first to wish me happy birthday.
“Thanks, Mum,” I mumbled. A sleep-in would’ve been good.
“Now, I know you’re heading over to Danny today for your make-over, so I’ve left your present there. Dad and I are going to be busy so I thought that would be best.” She sounded worried about this, so I quickly reassured her it was fine.
“Thanks, Mum, that’s great.” I listened to her story about the Bridge tournament before hearing my call waiting. A quick look at my phone told me it was Molly.
“Mum, Molly is trying to call me on the other line, so I’ll have to go.”
After saying our goodbyes, I spent the next half an hour lying in bed talking to Molly. Danny had asked her to leave some time free on Thursday for a surprise and she was bugging me for clues. While chatting to Molly, I heard Riley arrive and let himself in. He closed my bedroom door on his way past. I had to remember to talk to him about that door again. Even though he’d changed the lock, I still woke up every morning to it wide open.
I’d had particularly restless night thinking about all those poor dogs left at the refuge and about Avis, but mostly about Scott. I was feeling uneasy about tonight, actually. Yes, I was excited about seeing a show and a night out in the city, but Mum wouldn’t be right, would she? I really hoped he wouldn’t propose. I wasn’t ready to answer. A year ago I would have jumped all over him if he’d popped the question, but a lot had changed in the last few months.
After hanging up from Molly, I took the box containing Avis’s engagement ring out of the drawer next to my bed. It was extraordinary. I wondered why Avis hadn’t married Will. Was he still alive? Had he married someone else? Who the hell was he?
So many questions, so few answers.
I didn’t have to be at Danny’s until lunchtime so I decided to stay in bed and re-read the letters looking for any clues we might have missed the first time round.
None of the letters were dated, so there was no chronological order. Reading them made me sad. They were full of pain, heartache and strength. The first ones at least, were full of hope. Whatever the obstacle, they were determined to jump it. The last letter was different though.
My Darling Avis
I’m sorry. I cannot do this anymore. I love you too much to see the pain I cause you. Of course my heart wishes things were different. That life had given us a different path. But I realize now this was not to be. I see the pain our choices have left you and it breaks my heart. I have to end this, before it destroys us both.
I love you enough to let you go.
I pray life will be kind to you and you get all you deserve.
With all the love in my heart, I’m saying goodbye.
Will
The tears were running freely down my face. I couldn’t imagine what all-consuming love felt like. I’d never experienced it—especially not with Scott. Does everybody get a chance at that kind of love? And if so, why did fate not allow them to be together? It broke my heart to think the universe showed them their soul-mates only to take the chance away again. Fate really did play cruel jokes on us at times.
With my puffy eyes and soggy tissues, I crept to the bedroom door and sneaked into the bathroom. That way I wouldn’t accidently run into Riley and be humiliated once again when he saw what I looked like in the morning.
I could not shake the sorrow I felt after reading the letters. Putting my head under the hot water, I tried to drown my mood. It was my birthday. I should be happy.
After I’d completed the usual morning routine of shower, hair and makeup, I headed down to the kitchen, my mood only slightly brighter than before. I stopped in the doorway as a bouquet of flowers sitting in a vase on the table, caught me by surprise. The card had my name on it. Opening it I read:
You brighten my day, happy birthday Lizzie.
Riley x
Wow, this man really knew how to take my breath away. Hugging the card to me I took a closer look. It wasn’t a huge bouquet but it contained the brightest pink flowers I’d ever seen. It was so happy looking I couldn’t get the smile off my face.
“I thought I heard you walking around.” I turned and saw Riley standing at the door looking sheepish. His eyes smiled even when his lips didn’t.
“Oh my, these are lovely. Thank you.”
“It’s not much. I saw them at the shop this morning when I got the paper and I thought of you.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
Funny, it didn’t feel like a big deal. It felt like a huge deal. There were so many butterflies in my stomach, I thought they must be having a party.
“What’s happening with you today?” I asked, looking away from him and trying to neutralize the electricity that seemed to be floating in the air all of a sudden.
“Busy day fitting a toilet. Then it’s on to the painting,” he said. “The new carpet is being laid Thursday so you’ll be able to have your office furniture delivered by Friday.”
“Really? That’s good.”
Even though I’m one year older, and the day had started on a bit of a downer, right now, hugging my card, the world seemed like a really amazing place.
* * * *
I spent the next few hours in the salon with Danny and Andrew, and I have to admit they were true miracle workers. By the time they’d finished, I looked like a completely different person. My unmanageable curls were now sleek, soft and sexy. For all of you out there with curly hair, if you’ve ever had it straightened you will understand the feeling of the swish. If you swish your head from side to side your hair moves strand by strand, not in a solid mass. For those lucky members of society who already have this hair, please, count your blessings. Swishing my head from side to side, I walked to my car and headed home noticing a storm had started to build.
Of course it had. I had straight hair and couldn’t get it wet or—like Cinderella—I would turn into a pumpkin. Let’s hope the storm blows away. Pulling into my drive, I noticed my neighbor had had their car fixed as the black sedan was now parked back in the same awkward spot. I couldn’t go and speak to them about it today though. I was worried my hair would get rained on.
Once inside, I ran to the bathroom and decided to do the smoldering sexy
eye thing to match my now straight, sexy hair. So, it was after about an hour of primping and preening that I put on my new dress. I’d bought myself an off-white, calf length gown with shoestring straps that draped across my body to my hip and then fell on the bias towards the floor. It hugged me where it was supposed to hug me and fell loose where I needed it. With a quick spray of my favorite perfume, Dior Jadore, I grabbed the matching wrap and felt like a million dollars as I headed downstairs to wait for Scott. I’d noticed over the last hour or so the storm had built and was now quite black and menacing. Riley was standing in the kitchen when I walked in. He turned and stared for a few moments before clearing his throat.
“Wow…you look… um… stunning,” he whispered.
“Thank you.” I smiled. The air thickened and I could feel the electricity bouncing around, but that could be from the storm. I’m not really sure what was going through his mind, but I could see his breathing get more rapid. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I had walked in. The silence seemed endless as I waited to hear what he was going to say next.
“I hope Scott appreciates what he’s got.” His voice was low and his gaze felt intimate.
All indication of a smile had vanished as the energy in the room intensified. My pulse quickened and the butterflies were at it again. Could he really like me? No, of course not, I was imagining things. Before I could respond though, my phone started ringing.
Feeling all fluttery and grateful for the distraction, I quickly turned and picked it up. It was Scott’s office.
“Hello Lizzie, this is Belinda speaking.” Belinda was Scott’s assistant-slash-secretary. With her short blonde hair, silicone implants and regular trips to the Botox clinic, she kept herself pretty well maintained for a woman of her age. Personally, I always thought she resembled a puffer fish after those treatments, but whatever floats your boat really. Each to their own.
“Hi Belinda, what’s up?” I asked, a bit irritated and uneasy. I could feel Riley’s gaze on my back as I walked into the hallway to get a better phone signal.
“Sorry Lizzie, Scott’s been tied up in a meeting. He’s going to be late and wondered if it was possible for you to meet him at the restaurant?”
I felt Riley brush past me as he headed out to his car, never once looking back. The back of my throat had started to close and my eyes were stinging with tears. I really had to try and figure out what my emotions were all about.
“Sure Belinda, whatever suits,” I said quietly. The storm outside had started to blow as lightning flashed across the sky and thunder shook the house. Now I had to drive in this…great.
* * * *
By the time I got to the restaurant, I was exhausted. The storm had raged the whole way, with lightening striking around me, thunder crashing and rain pelting my little car. I felt relieved to hand the keys to the attendant in the valet parking at the restaurant, and was looking forward to sitting down with Scott.
This was the In place to be seen at the moment and I have to admit it was nice, if a bit flashy. Personally, I preferred somewhere a lot quieter and more intimate, but I appreciated the effort he put into tonight. Walking up to the front desk, I announced who I was and was told that Scott had not arrived yet but I was welcome to wait in the bar. Crap, I hated waiting in the bar on my own. You always got approached by single men on the prowl looking for easy prey. Never mind, nothing I could do about it now, so I walked in and found a quiet table in the corner.
The crowd was mostly young professionals networking. The accounting firm I worked for was upmarket, with high profile clients, so I should feel at home here and be networking myself, but it just wasn’t my scene.
The waiter approached and I ordered a diet coke. A drink would have been quite nice. I was feeling a bit worked up and anxious after my drive in, and the five minutes I’d spent in the kitchen with Riley had me confused, but that was something I’d have to analyze when I had more time. I sent Scott a text letting him know I was waiting and then sat back and crowd-watched until he arrived. Thankfully, only one sad soul approached me, eyes locked on my cleavage and offered to buy me a drink. When I politely refused, he actually asked me if I was only into women. I mean, he obviously thought the only way a girl would turn him down was if she was a lesbian. I told him, that no, I just wasn’t into him. With this, he left me alone. Thank Goodness Scott arrived not long after.
“Sorry I’m late, Elizabeth,” he said, placing a kiss on my cheek. “I’m sure you can appreciate I had to finish my meeting. I couldn’t keep a client waiting.” No, only his girlfriend. On her birthday.
“That’s okay. I understand.” Of course I didn’t bloody understand but what was I supposed to say?
“What are you drinking?” he asked as he signaled the waiter. Telling him it was a soft drink, he responded, “Of course, you’re driving aren’t you? You had better stick with the coke so you’ll be okay to drive home tonight. I know you’re not much of a drinker.” He laughed.
Well, I guess I wasn’t staying at his place then.
Scott had me pretty much up-to-date on the comings and goings at the office in no time. It didn’t sound like I was missing much. He always told me the boring stuff about which client was doing what and never the interesting stuff like who was doing who. Hey, bookkeeping was really boring. I at least needed the office gossip to keep me going. After receiving a very dirty look from Scott for asking this very question, we moved to the dining room and ordered our meal. I ordered the chicken salad as I remembered I was supposed to lose weight, and Scott ordered the steak. I figured I could sneak in a dessert seeing how it was my birthday and had my eye on the tiramisu when the waitress came to take our order. I watched as Scott looked at her, his eyes starting on her face and then slowly working their way down the length of her body, then all the way back up again, lingering longingly on her legs. He did this quite quickly and if I hadn’t been watching his face, I would have missed it altogether. I didn’t, however, miss the look of admiration in his eyes.
Wow, my boyfriend was checking out another woman on my birthday. Classy. “Like what you saw, Scott?” I asked. I know I should have ignored it but I couldn’t help myself.
“Whatever are you talking about?”
“I saw you check her out,” I said.
“You’re being ridiculous. I would not check out a waitress,” he scoffed.
“Really? It certainly looked like you checked her out. You even took your time studying her legs,” I snarled.
“Elizabeth, is that jealousy? You know how I feel about that.”
“Scott, you’ve spent more time looking at her legs than you have at me all evening. You haven’t even commented on how I look and I put a lot of effort in for you tonight,” I sulked. I mean, I didn’t have much high ground to stand on here as I’d been perving on Riley all week, but at least I didn’t do it in front of Scott.
“Yes, I’m sorry. Your hair does look lovely, not its usual unruly mess,” he stated. With this he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small square box all wrapped up in pretty pink paper with a silver bow.
“Happy birthday, Elizabeth.” He smiled, handing me the box.
Oh. My. God. Is that what I think it is? What am I going to do? Okay, I have to calm myself down and do the only thing I can do—sit here and stare and hope it goes away.
“Well, are you going to take it?” he asked with a little laugh to cover his embarrassment. The people at the table next to us were watching, obviously intrigued with what was in the box and expecting to hear a proposal.
“Um…thank you?” I said as I reached to accept the gift. I looked up and saw a look of relief cross Scott’s face. With shaking hands, I gently undid the bow. I was smiling like a demented idiot as a nervous giggle escaped my throat. A large dose of panic lurked beneath, but I bravely continued on my mission. Pulling back the wrapping, I saw a tiny black box. Dread sat heavily in my stomach. Did I really want to open this?
The lady at the table next to us was loo
king excited, her hands tucked under her chin and a huge grin on her face. Pulling all my courage together, I opened the box. A giggle of relief escaped from my lips and I quickly covered it with my hand. Inside were the sweetest diamond earrings I had ever seen.
“Oh, these are really lovely. Thank you.” My voice was shaking from a combination of relief and adrenalin.
“You look relieved. What did you think was in there?” Scott asked curiously.
“It doesn’t matter, these are perfect.” The lady at the next table looked away, obviously disappointed.
“Please don’t lie to me, Elizabeth. Something was clearly bothering you before you opened the box,” Scott asked, sounding a bit annoyed.
“I thought it might have been a ring,” I replied, embarrassment now clearly burning on my cheeks. Damn my mother for putting stupid ideas into my head.
“A ring? Like an engagement ring?” Scott asked, incredulously. He looked like it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
“Well, it’s a small black jewelry box and we have been together for quite a long time now. Most girls would jump to that conclusion, you know,” I said a bit indignantly.
Scott started to laugh. I huffed as I watched him sit back in his chair and laughed the hardest I’d seen him laugh in a long time, which to be honest, wasn’t really that hard at all. Scott wasn’t known for being jovial.
“Well, that is ridiculous.”
Humph.
“Why are you laughing?” I asked. “Why is it ridiculous?”
“Oh, Elizabeth,” Scott said. “As if I would marry you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, his words stinging. I know I didn’t want a ring to be in the box, but it doesn’t mean I want to hear I’m not marriage material.
The Westport Mysteries Boxed Set Page 8
