by Ella Miles
“Her leg seems fine so far. I don’t feel anything broken, but you never know with puppies. She most likely just sprained a muscle, or when you stepped on her foot, it was a little bit painful, so she’s afraid to use it again.” I pick her up and put her on the ground. “Call her to you, Luca.”
Luca squats down. “Come here, Sophie,” he says in a high-pitched voice, like most dog owners do. He also excitedly claps his hands together, trying to get the puppy to come to him.
The puppy almost immediately runs to him, and when she does, she walks just fine and without a limp.
I smile and go over to the computer where I start entering in everything I’ve found so far. “Looks like she’s going to be just fine. She probably just twisted her leg a little bit. Puppies do that sometimes. But you did the right thing by bringing her in.”
I glance up from the computer and see Luca playing with the puppy with a huge smile on his face. Gone is the expression of terror that was there just a moment ago when he thought he had broken his puppy.
I smile. I can’t help it. I’m smiling more at the puppy than Luca.
“So, it seems I was wrong about one thing,” I say.
Luca looks up at me. “I really did want to see Skye instead of you. I know it’s too soon after you told me not to see you again. I was just concerned about the puppy.”
I nod. “I realize that now. So, I guess I was wrong about two things. First, you didn’t come here to see me. You came for the puppy. And, second, you actually do have feelings. You can actually care about something else even if it is only a puppy.”
One corner of Luca’s lips curls up ever so slightly. “I have feelings for a lot more than just Sophie, you know.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t want to hear about who else you care about, just that you do have a heart. That was something I always suspected you didn’t have.”
“So, how much do I owe you for your reassurance that my puppy is okay?” Luca asks.
“Cynthia will be able to tell you that information when you get to the front.”
My eyes flick back and forth between Luca and my computer. I find my eyes lingering more and more on Luca even though I shouldn’t. I just need to get this finished, and then he can leave. Cynthia just needs to know how much to bill him. But I can’t focus long enough to type out anything useful on the computer.
“You know what? Don’t worry about it. This one is on me. I’m just happy you are taking better care of this puppy than I thought you would,” I say, patting the puppy on the head. “I’ll walk you out.”
I walk past where Luca is staring at me, wide-eyed, and put my hand on the doorknob, just needing to get out of here as soon as possible. Luca’s hand goes around mine, stopping me from being able to open the door.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
I don’t look at him. Instead, I stare intently on the doorknob beneath both of our hands like it is the most interesting thing on the planet.
“I’m walking you out and covering your bill.”
“You think I can’t afford to pay for a vet bill?” he asks, his voice deep and angry.
My eyes dart to him. “I don’t know if you can pay your vet bill or not. As far as I know, you are unemployed.”
His face gets red. “I can pay the bill. It’s not a problem. Just tell me how much I owe. I don’t want you doing any favors for me because you think I can’t pay.”
“I don’t have time to figure this out right now. I have other patients waiting. I’ll mail you the bill,” I say, happy that I came up with a solution so quickly.
I begin to turn the doorknob, but Luca tightens his grasp on my hand, preventing me from leaving.
“What. Is. Going. On?” Luca asks.
“Nothing. I’m just busy, and I need you to leave, so I can deal with the other patients,” I say, my voice strong and steady.
He has no idea that I’m about to break on the inside. He has no idea how painful the last twenty-four hours have been since the last time I saw him. He has no idea that he is not the worst thing going on in my life. He has no fucking idea.
I glance down at my watch to show that I really am busy. Because I am busy, just not with patients. I have a busy night planned of crying, feeling sorry for myself, and eating ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream.
“I don’t believe you,” he says sternly.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. I’m leaving. You’re leaving. And, unless something else happens to Sophie, like eating something she isn’t supposed to or you accidentally drop her on her head, I don’t want to see you again until her next checkup.”
“Puppies will really eat anything?”
I sigh. “Yes, they will eat anything. It doesn’t have to be food, and it doesn’t have to be small. I once had a dog come in after eating a whole couch.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“So, closely watch her, and if you are going to be gone during the day, crate-train her.”
He nods. “What is wrong, Ivy?” he asks with a voice so sweet that I think he actually cares for me.
But then again, I’ve fallen for that before. He’s sweet until he’s not. It’s all just one big game to him.
“It’s nothing,” I whisper.
He trails a finger down my bare neck, like he always used to do. I get chills, just like I always used to do. I haven’t had a man touch me like that since…well, since him. He always knew how to control my body and therefore me. He was the best at pretending to care. He was the best liar I had ever met.
Why couldn’t he have taken that skill set and used it on something that would benefit the world? Become a police interrogator. A lawyer. A spy. A magician. Someone who needs to be good at lying and deceiving people. Instead, he used those skills on me.
“Tell me, and I’ll leave you alone, Ivy.”
“That’s a lie,” I say. It’s not hard to guess when he is lying or telling the truth because he is always lying.
“Tell me, and I’ll let you leave.”
I suck in a breath because I’m not going to be able to hide my tears much longer, and I don’t want him to think I’m crying because of him.
I exhale deeply. “I’m being sued for ten million dollars in a malpractice suit. They are claiming I killed their dog.”
Luca’s mouth drops, and his hand goes just slack enough that I can force the door open without him stopping me. I walk out into the waiting room and see Cynthia behind the desk.
Good ole Cynthia. She works far too hard to have to get fired because of my negligence.
“I’m leaving. Cancel the rest of my appointments, and let Skye handle emergencies,” I tell Cynthia as I pass her desk.
She doesn’t tell me that I still have six hours left on my shift and that I shouldn’t cancel. I’m not too worried. Skye will want a distraction right now, and taking any emergencies that come in tonight will give her that. And, as for the patients with appointments being mad at me, let them be mad. Let them go find another clinic. They are going to have to find a new clinic soon enough. They can’t hurt me anyway. I can’t be more hurt than I already am.
I run out into the warm midday air that immediately causes me to sweat. It makes it hard to breathe because of how warm it is out here. But it doesn’t stop the tears. The tears come full force. I squat down on the ground as the tears overwhelm me. I just want to go home. I want to snuggle with my dogs. I want ice cream. I just want to feel better.
But I didn’t bring anything with me. I don’t have my purse, my keys, nothing. When I finish crying, I’ll have to go back inside to gather my things up before I leave.
“I think you are going to need this,” Luca says.
I look to my left where he has squatted down next to me as he holds out my purse to me. Sophie is curled up around his other arm, half-asleep, just barely keeping her eyes open.
I take the purse. “Thanks.”
I start digging through it, looking for Kleenex when he holds a tissue out
to me. After staring at it for far too long, I take it from him. I wipe my eyes as the tears slowly stop. I don’t know how he does it, but he always knows exactly what I want and even what I didn’t think I needed myself. It always freaked me out when we were dating. It was like he had a sixth sense. Like he could literally read my mind and soul. Evidently being broken up and being apart for about two years hasn’t changed anything.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You know that, right?” he says.
I look at him, and I want to slap him because it is the absolute worst thing he could have said in this moment. “Of course I did something wrong; otherwise, I wouldn’t be getting sued. They would have had no case against me. I killed their precious puppy. It was my negligence.”
He shakes his head. “You’re wrong. I know you. You would never hurt another living creature. You don’t even kill spiders in your house. You don’t eat meat. I don’t think you have ever killed another living thing. Ever. You didn’t do this.”
I exhale deeply, trying to find the words to explain this to him. “Yes. I. Did. I killed the puppy. The owners brought in a perfectly healthy six-month-old puppy. I thought I felt a lump and was concerned about cancer. The ultrasound and tests came back inconclusive. So, I wanted to do an exploratory surgery just to make sure. I did the surgery. But the lump wasn’t cancer. It was a benign lump. He was perfectly fine. But he had a reaction to the general anesthesia. I couldn’t wake him up. He died. I let him die. I killed him.”
Luca places his fingers on the spot on my neck that always relaxes me and squeezes gently. Damn it. I feel immediately relaxed, immediately calm. I just wish those fingers weren’t attached to this man. I wish they were attached to anyone else.
“You didn’t kill him. He died. It was a freak thing that happens sometimes. If he hadn’t died then, he would have died the first time they brought him in for any other surgery.”
“Exactly. That could have been years from now. It’s been eating at me since it happened two months ago. But, now that I know for sure that it was my fault, I can’t handle it.”
“It wasn’t your fault. And, in the court of law, it definitely won’t be your fault. There is no judge or jury in America that would find you guilty. You did everything you could to save that dog.”
“How do you know that? How do you know that I didn’t fuck it up? How do you know that I didn’t kill that dog?”
“Because I know you. I’ve loved you. I’ve seen a side to you that no one else gets to see. I’ve seen you at your worst. And even your worst isn’t capable of this. You are a perfectionist. You did everything right.”
“Then, why do I feel so bad? Why does it hurt so much? Why am I being sued?”
“Because people are greedy. Because people need to blame others for unexplained deaths. This isn’t your fault. You can’t carry guilt around forever because of this.”
I nod. I know he’s right. I’m just not ready to hear any of this right now. “I should go.”
“Do you have a lawyer?” he asks.
I sigh. “No, I don’t. I guess I’ll have to start looking. I never thought I would be in a position like this, but I guess every good thing in life has a downside.” Just like everyone who is bad has a good side, I think to myself, looking at Luca.
“I can represent you,” he says so quietly that I’m not sure I heard him correctly.
“You have a lawyer?” I ask although it doesn’t really surprise me. I suspect he has gotten into plenty of trouble before that would have required a lawyer.
“No.”
“No?”
“No, I am a lawyer.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. “You aren’t a lawyer. And you realize this isn’t something you can just lie about. When people actually need a lawyer, you can’t just lie and fake it. You have to actually have a degree, a license to practice.”
Luca sighs and reaches into his back pocket. He pulls out a card and hands it to me.
I skeptically look at the card. But it does have his name and a number, and it looks pretty official.
“It’s fake. I know it is. It’s a good fake, but it is still a fake.”
Luca sighs. “It’s not fake. I went back to law school after you and I broke up.”
“What do you mean, back?”
“I had started going to law school before I met you. I hated it, so I dropped out. I was just a struggling surfer, barely making ends meet. I realized, after I met you, that I needed to get an actual degree. So, I went back and finished my last year. Now, I have my own practice.”
My eyes are wide. I try to figure out what is the truth and what is a lie. My gut tells me that I can never trust him again. That every word is a lie. But I know that every single word can’t be a lie. It’s not possible.
“I don’t believe you.”
“I’m not asking you to. Yet. I’ll prove it to you.”
I frown. I’m pretty sure he could walk me into a law office that has his name on it where everyone called him by his name, and I wouldn’t believe him. Hell, he could represent someone in court, a celebrity even, and I still wouldn’t believe him. I don’t think he can offer me any proof that would make me believe him.
“I’d like to see you try.”
He smiles sadly. “I’ll do my best. Can I take you home? I’m not sure you are in a good position to drive, and I want to make sure you get home okay. I can also leave you with some names and numbers of some really good lawyers if you don’t want me to represent you.” He touches me on the neck again.
“Yes,” I say before I realize that he is using his touch to manipulate me into doing whatever he wants.
Luca stands up and then extends his hand to me. I take it.
“Does Skye need a ride home? Or do you need to be with her tonight?”
I laugh. “You are offering to take Skye home? I thought you were scared to death of her.”
“I am. I just want you to be happy. Even if that means hanging out with Skye tonight instead of me.”
“I love Skye, but she isn’t great when it comes to emotional support. When it comes time to fight for the clinic, for me, she will be the best person to fight with. But she doesn’t understand that some people just need to cry.”
“Good. At least I don’t have to worry about my balls getting kicked again tonight. Let’s get you home.”
I nod and lead Luca to my car. I toss him the keys to my car, and we both climb in. I tell him the directions while he puts the sleepy puppy into my lap. And then I close my eyes while I let Luca drive my car.
I’m trusting him to get me home. I’m trusting that he will drink with me tonight. Take care of me. I’m trusting that any lie he tells me tonight isn’t going to destroy me.
8
Luca
I pull up in front of Ivy’s large house and put her Jeep in park in the driveway. Her house is beautiful, and I have no doubt that she has at least a dozen animals housed inside. This right here is why I lied to her about being unemployed. She is the type of woman who expects the best and is able to get it for herself if her Prince Charming isn’t able to. I don’t want to be the kind of guy who offers nothing. I need to be useful. I need to provide for her. I need to be an equal with her.
I look over at Ivy, who is sound asleep in the seat next to me. Her head is resting against the window, and Sophie is curled up in her lap, snoring. I could look at them both like this forever. So calm and peaceful.
I know that today really hurt Ivy. She’s been through a lot. I wish I could let her sleep like this until the pain was gone. Until the trial was over. Until she was proven innocent. Because I know in my heart that she is. And, soon, the world will know that for a fact. That Ivy Lane is nothing but perfect. She’s an angel. She would never purposely hurt a puppy. There is no way.
But, as much as I want to let her sleep and forget about the pain, it’s better if she deals with it now. And I don’t want her to wake up with a crick in her neck from sleeping like that against the window.
I’m done with causing her pain.
I get out of the car and walk over to her side. Well, at least I’m done causing her any more preventable pain. And this is definitely preventable.
But I will admit that a tiny part of me is happy with our current predicament. I’m happy that Ivy needs me tonight. I’m happy that I get to be here with her. I’m happy that I get to be the one who fixes things instead of fucking everything up in her life. I’m happy that I get a chance at telling her the truth that I tried to tell her almost two years ago.
I gently open the door on her side of the Jeep and ease her into my arms. She doesn’t wake up as I lift her out of the Jeep, but Sophie, on the other hand, does. She jumps out of Ivy’s arms and starts running down the driveway.
Shit.
“Sophie, come here!” I yell out to the puppy.
But she keeps running, her little legs carrying her much faster than I thought possible down the driveway.
So, I do the only thing left that I can think of. I start running down the driveway after her with Ivy bouncing in my arms.
“What—” she asks as she begins to stir in my arms. She flails for about a second when she realizes her body isn’t on the ground and then grabs hold of my neck as she tries to keep herself from falling.
“Damn it, she’s fast,” I say to Ivy as I run down the driveway after Sophie, whose legs are carrying her tiny body faster than I thought possible.
Ivy laughs. “Put me down. You are never going to catch her this way.”
I stop long enough to put Ivy down and then start running after Sophie again.
“Stop running,” Ivy says, laughing at what I assume is how ridiculous I look while chasing after a tiny puppy.
I stop reluctantly. I don’t know how stopping is going to enable me to catch Sophie.
“Sophie,” Ivy calls out in a high-pitched voice.
Sophie stops running long enough to perk her ears up at the sound of her name.
