When Love's at Work

by Merri Hiatt

  “That’s it, Worthington. You’re over,” Alex commented with absolutely no remorse.

  Bobby wasn’t satisfied that Derek’s body seemed to be in such good health. He bent down, pulled Derek up by his swirly clown collar and began punching the shit out of him. His face looked like one of Courtney’s elaborate facial paintings, only this blood was real. Several more punches to the gut and a final blow, hard on his back, left Derek in a crumpled heap on the ground.

  “Couldn’t have done it better myself,” Alex said to Bobby with admiration in his voice.

  Courtney came running up to the group with the police a few yards behind.

  “Holy crap!” Courtney said, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. Courtney turned to glance at the police officers, then hurriedly ran over to where Derek was lying and gave him a swift kick in the ribs.

  “Nobody hurts my friend,” Courtney said angrily. “You deserve all of this and so much more. I hope you rot in hell!”

  Meg nodded her agreement.

  The police took statements and called an ambulance for Derek.

  “Is he going to jail?” Purity asked, worried that, even now, Derek Worthington would still be out on the streets within hours.

  “Yes. Attempted murder with a deadly weapon,” one of the officers stated.

  Purity took a deep breath. Finally, Derek Worthington would be behind bars. Maybe now she could close this chapter of her life.

  The crowd that gathered when the police arrived was beginning to thin. Purity was glad her encounter with Derek Worthington was already old news. Sheila, Judd and Mark were concerned for Pure’s well-being and they all assured her that things were under control and she should take the rest of the day off.

  Purity wanted to argue, but she felt so drained. All she wanted to do was curl up in Alex’s arms and let the experience fade into a memory.

  Meg, Court and Bobby weren’t exactly sure what they should do. Alex seemed to be what Pure needed now, so they gave her words of encouragement, hugs and then watched Alex and Purity walk away together toward Alex’s car.

  Bobby put his arm around Meg and Courtney felt the sting of change. Under different circumstances it would have been she and Meg helping Purity through her ordeal with Derek. Court sighed.

  Meg heard her deep exhale and circled her waist with her arm. Their eyes met and Court needed to bite her lip to keep the tears at bay. She and Meg didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but the empathy and insight in Meggie’s gaze made Court realize that she wasn’t the only one who knew that their trio would need to bend and grow if the three women were to remain life-long friends.

  Courtney gave Meg and Bobby a hug and then headed back to her booth. There were carnival goers who needed to have their faces altered, and she was just the gal for the job.

  “Are you worried about Pure?” Meg asked Bobby.

  “No. Alex is a good man. I’d trust him with my life.”

  “You barely know him.”

  “That’s true, but I still trust him.”

  Meg tightened her grip around Bobby’s waist and snuggled closer. “Me, too.”

  Purity was quiet on the trip to Alex’s home. Her emotions were all over the place. One minute she was elated that she had the courage to stand up to Derek and the next minute she could feel the blade of the knife against her flesh.

  Alex didn’t try to get her to talk or ask her how she felt, he just walked her up to the second floor where his bedroom was and sat her down on the bed. Then he went into the adjacent bathroom and Pure could hear the sound of running water streaming into the bathtub.

  Numb. That’s how she felt right this very moment.

  When Alex came back into the bedroom, he sat next to Pure for a minute or two and then began to remove her clothing slowly. It wasn’t sexual, although Alex did have to put an image of dead puppies in his mind’s eye so he wouldn’t get distracted at seeing Purity’s naked body for the first time.

  He helped her up off the bed and walked her to the steaming tub, then eased her gently into the soothing water. As the heated liquid enveloped Purity’s body, she let out a deep sigh of release followed by body-wracking sobs.

  Alex kicked off his shoes and then climbed into the bathtub fully clothed. He held her while she struggled to put the day’s events into perspective. “Let it out,” were the only words he said. It wasn’t just one day of fear and uncertainty, it was all the wrong choices she had ever made and all the times she had let someone else choose her future for her.

  It all came pouring out in Alex’s safe arms. She knew she would never be able to explain all the thoughts swimming around in her hand. And, even better, she knew she didn’t have to, that Alex understood that it was about so much more than Derek Worthington.

  Pure didn’t know how long they had been in the bathtub, but the water was turning cold and her fingers were looking wrinkly. Alex turned the hot water on and the temperature went from cool to warm again.

  Purity’s tears had stopped. Her uncontrollable shaking had stopped. The look of love in Alex’s eyes had not stopped. Would he ever know how grateful and thankful she was to have found a man like him?

  “I’m going to go get some coffee,” Alex said when he realized she was more stable. He kissed Pure on the forehead. “Would you like some tea?” he offered.

  “How about a vodka on the rocks?” Pure asked, with a hint of a humor in her voice.

  “Your wish is my command,” Alex replied, attempting to get out of the bathtub without dripping too much water on the floor. Pure’s humor was reassuring. They would get through this mess together.

  “Then I take my wish back. I want a million dollars.”

  Alex reached for a towel and said, “You got it.”

  “A million dollars?” Pure asked, her eyes widening in surprise. She knew Alex had money, but not that much money.

  “I’m filthy rich.”

  “Well, then, I’ll have the million dollars and the vodka on the rocks.”

  Alex leaned down and kissed Purity tenderly on the lips. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  After Pure downed her drink and finished bathing, Alex suggested she take a nap. Pure insisted she wasn’t tired, but for Alex’s sake, she’d attempt to get some rest. She was asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow and she stayed that way for four and a half hours.

  When she awoke, she felt renewed. She liked waking up in Alex’s bed. The pillow smelled like him. She wanted to snatch the shirt he had been wearing today and take it home with her so she could breathe in his scent whenever she wanted. Too bad it got drenched in the bathtub.

  Alex had laid out a white terrycloth robe and a t-shirt for her. She ignored the t-shirt, since it was clean and didn’t smell like her fiancée, and put the robe on and headed down the stairs. Alex was sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of coffee in his hand.

  When he heard her descent, he got up swiftly and met her at the bottom of the stairs. “How are you feeling?”

  “Much better,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close. “Thank you, Alex,” she whispered into his chest. She was finding it impossible to be near him and not have her hands on his body.

  She eased back so she could see his face. “I’ve been thinking about something and I want to run it past you.”

  “Shoot,” Alex replied, as the duo made their way over to the fireplace and sat on the floor.

  “You have a lot of money, right?”

  “Yes,” Alex answered, not quite sure where she was headed with her question.

  “So, how much do you care about me having a job?”

  “Not at all. I mean if you want to work, then work. If you don’t want to work, don’t work. I find it a bit hard to imagine you just sitting around all day, though.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t be sitting around all day. I have tons of things to keep me busy, but I’ve been thinking a lot about Sheila Martin.”

  “Your assistant,�
�� Alex confirmed.

  “Yes. She does at least half the work of putting on events, sometimes more. She should be getting credit. So,” Pure paused, “I’m thinking that maybe we could job share the position. Maybe 50/50 or even 75/25, depending on what her needs are and what she thinks of the idea. If I don’t need the money, since you’re rich and all, then I think it would be the perfect opportunity for Sheila to get the chance to strut her stuff. She’s really amazing.”

  Alex didn’t think he could love Purity any more than he did at this moment. “You have the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met,” he said, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

  Pure leaned closer so their lips met. His tongue was warm and inviting and she suddenly became aware that she wasn’t wearing any clothing under Alex’s robe. She ended the kiss, but didn’t move away.

  “You are too damn sexy, Alex McCallister,” she said playfully, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

  “I could say the same about you,” he said in a voice that was just a bit too raspy. Pure needed distance or her morals were going to be drowned in a sea of desire.

  Pure leaned back so several feet were between her and Alex. “When does your divorce become final?”

  “About three months,” Alex stated, reaching for his coffee cup to take a sip, as much to divert his attention from Purity’s bare legs peeking out from under his robe as to give himself time to get his breathing under control.

  “Have you thought about a wedding date?” Pure inquired.

  “Yes, I have. You thought I was going to say no, didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t know if men thought about that kind of stuff. I could never get a straight answer out of any of the men I used to date.”

  “Well, I’m not those men and I was thinking that an early December wedding would be wonderful. Not too far into the month so it gets all tied up with the hoopla of Christmas. Just far enough in that there might be snow on the ground and that frosty chill in the air.”

  “And we can have greenery with little Christmas tree lights everywhere,” Pure added, her eyes shining with delight.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” Pure asked, but she didn’t need an answer, she already knew.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Back-To-School Carnival ended with a flourish of fireworks at 9:00pm on Labor Day. Purity and Sheila couldn’t have been happier that the event was over. The kids had had fun and the whole shabang had even raised a bit of money. Pure spent hours pouring over spreadsheets hoping they would break even, since the event was not intended to be a fundraiser, rather a celebration.

  “Dinner’s on me,” Mark Watterson generously offered, including Purity’s friends in his invitation.

  “The boss is paying, order the lobster,” Alex quipped.

  After the last straggler had left the area, the gates were locked and the clean-up crew began their thankless job, as did the employees of Sammy’s Entertainment, Inc.

  Courtney had her booth packed up and her supplies in her car in record time. Pure almost missed being able to thank her for all her hard work.

  “Hey, Court, wait up,” Pure half-yelled over the sound of drills and metal hitting metal that dismantling the rides caused. She hurried over to Courtney’s side. “Thank you so much for all your hard work and creative juices. The kids had a ball. Your booth was the most popular spot all weekend!”

  “It was fun,” Court said, continuing to walk to her car, avoiding Purity’s gaze.

  “Are you okay?” Pure asked, wondering why Courtney was acting distant all of a sudden.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just tired.”

  “Mark invited everyone to dinner. I’d love it if you’d join us,” Pure said, keeping pace with Court’s gait.

  “No, really, I’m just going to go home and get some sleep.”

  “It’s 9:30,” Purity remarked, knowing full well that Courtney never went to sleep before midnight.

  Courtney seemed to increase her pace. “Court?” Pure hurried forward and put her hand on her arm. “What is wrong?”

  Court couldn’t avoid her eyes now, since Purity was standing directly in front of her, blocking her way. “Talk to me,” Pure implored.

  Courtney looked Purity right in the nose and lied. “I’m tired, that’s all. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Courtney maneuvered around Pure’s body and practically ran to her car.

  Purity frowned, but let her friend escape. What would make Courtney act so odd?

  Meg was worried about Courtney. She hadn’t heard from her friend in three days. While this wasn’t uncommon when Court was working on a project, Meggie didn’t remember her mentioning anything about a new endeavor. And, on top of her strange behavior the last night of the carnival, an uneasiness was beginning to settle in her gut.

  Meg called Purity and they decided to join forces and show up on Court’s doorstep with ice cream and Twinkies.

  Meg had only been to Courtney’s apartment a few times. It was a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. Court insisted that there was a rhyme and reason to all of it, but Meg could never decipher any kind of pattern in the disarray.

  Pure knocked on the door and the two women waited for Court to answer. Purity knocked again.

  “Do you suppose she’s not home?” Pure asked.

  “Hmm… I hadn’t thought about that,” Meg replied. “Knock again. Maybe she’s just taking a nap or something.”

  “Court doesn’t take naps.”

  Meg pulled out her cell phone and called Courtney’s number. It went to voice mail, so she left a message.

  “I have a key,” Pure told Meg. “Court gave it to me when she went to visit her folks in North Dakota a few years back so I could check her mail and stuff. I don’t really want to use it, though. It feels intrusive.”

  Meggie thought for a moment and then said, “What if she fell in the shower and hit her head or something?”

  “Oh crap, you would have to say that.” Pure hadn’t thought about anything bad happening to Court. She had left her several messages since the day after the carnival, but Courtney hadn’t called her back.

  Purity sighed and reached in her bag for the key. Once she found it, she used it to open the door and said loudly, “Court, it’s me and Meg, are you in here?”

  Her words were met with silence.

  Meg walked quickly to the bathroom and then came back out shaking her head no, Court wasn’t in there. Meg headed for Court’s bedroom and Pure headed for Court’s work room. It took a bit more time to survey the work room, with its piles of textiles, canvases and other supplies. Meg joined her and said, “She’s not in the bedroom.”

  “Well, at least she’s not injured and lying around here somewhere,” Pure said.

  “Yeah, I guess,” Meg concurred, feeling more out of sorts than before they entered Court’s apartment.

  They both heard the sneeze and their heads turned instinctively toward the sound.

  “Court?” Meg inquired as Purity headed toward the noise. Courtney was scrunched up in the far corner under her drawing table. Purity bent down, so they were on the same eye level. “Court, what’s going on?” Purity asked. Meg followed Pure’s lead and joined her on the floor.

  All they could hear were Courtney’s sniffles. Meg had never seen Courtney cry before.

  “Courtney, it’s okay, it’s us,” Meg encouraged her friend.

  “It won’t be us for long,” Court said through tear-filled eyes and a cracking voice.

  “What are you talking about?” Purity asked. “We’ll always be us.”

  “You have Alex and Meggie has Bobby. You don’t need me any more,” Courtney wailed, hating the way her voice sounded too high and how very much she loved these women who were tossing her aside for the men they loved.

  “Court, just because we have men in our lives doesn’t mean we don’t need you any more,” Purity explained.

  “If anything, we need you even more,” Meg added. “Men can be so stupid an
d I don’t think I’ll ever understand them. I need to be able to get away from Bobby and spend time with my girls.”

  “Absolutely,” Purity agreed. “No one could ever replace you in our hearts and in our lives, Court.”

  “You say that now, but just wait, you’ll see. You’ll all get busy with your lives and days and days will go by and then our friendship will just fade away,” Courtney said with such sadness and despair in her voice, it made it hard for Meg to breathe.

  “Things are going to change,” Pure acknowledged. “But that doesn’t mean that our friendship will fall apart. We’ve always worked hard at making sure we kept in touch and were there for each other, both in good times and challenging ones. That isn’t going to change. Meggie and I will still be here for you, Court, we promise.”

  Meg echoed Pure’s words, “We promise. And,” she paused, “we need you to be there for us, too. We love you and our lives just wouldn’t be the same without your spirit, your creativity, your…”

  “Macabre sense of humor,” Pure interjected with a smile.

  Courtney couldn’t help but grin as her tears of sorrow turned to thankfulness that she had two of the very best friends anyone could ever have.

  “I love you,” Court said as more tears spilled from her eyes.

  “Then get out of this little hole and give us a hug,” Meg advised.

  Courtney crawled out from her safe space and wrapped her arms around her friends.

  “And, don’t ever scare us like this again,” Meg said.

  “Seriously,” Pure agreed.

  Courtney smiled. Maybe things would change with the addition of men in their lives, but she would always be able to count on her girlfriends.

  Purity was getting impatient. When was Judd going to buzz Sheila on the intercom and tell her he wanted to see her? She drummed her fingernails on her desk and chewed on the pencil she was holding in her left hand.

  Pure spoke with Judd Broadstreet earlier in the week about job sharing the events coordinator position. He in turn had queried the board members, who agreed that Sheila deserved the opportunity. The only variable now was Sheila herself. Would she want to take on more responsibility? She was already doing a large amount of the work, but it would require spending more time on projects. The monetary compensation would certainly be a plus, though. and the recognition.