by Donna Fasano
“Okay, Tee-for-trouble, how about donuts and coffee? Seems we have a guardian angel by the name of Ray who, if my nose isn’t lying to me, has thoughtfully provided us with morning refreshments.”
Chapter 19
“Either I’m hearing voices or there’s someone else with you, Angelina. Ray sent me to tell you he has coffee and goodies.” Joe appeared from behind a cracked and buckling wall on the far side of the rounded staircase.
“Joe, meet Tee. She’s my new friend, and so is this ferocious baby whining in her arms who has no name as yet. Seems like Peewee might suit. Whatcha think?” Angelina laughingly petted the head of an obvious mutt, Terrier being the breed most favored in his scraggly little face.
“Tee, meet Dr. Joe Davidson. Tee has a horrendous cold, and I thought maybe you could help her. I’ll gladly cover the cost as she looked after the place for me last night, so I owe her.”
Guiding Tee to an area where she’d earlier spotted a mock table set-up, she waved her hand. “Help yourself.”
Head on a swivel like a plastic hound dog in a car’s back window, Tee seemed shocked by the realization that there were more people in the building she’d considered her sanctuary. She looked first at Joe, then back to Angelina, then at Joe again, then to Ray who now appeared and nodded amicably. Lastly, her glance fell on the food. Angelina heard her stomach growling, and listened as the pup all but sobbed with hunger.
Joe spoke to Tee. “I’ll be glad to help you, but just so you’re aware, I’m not a western Doctor. My specialty is Chinese medicine.”
Not too stupid, the youngster obviously understood about acupuncture. “No way, no needles for me,” she said, the words muffled by a mouthful of donut.
“I wouldn’t have to use needles, Tee. There’re other methods to cure your cough and help with the congestion. One is totally noninvasive and will relieve the burning you must be experiencing when you breathe deeply. It’s called cupping and it takes very little time. There are also some herbs, which will go a long way towards helping you.” Passing a card over with his clinic’s address he gave her directions. “I can meet you there in an hour. No charge! You’re welcome to come, but it’s your call.”
“I can drive you over, if my car is still intact,” offered Angelina.
“I’ll be leaving soon; she can grab a ride with me.” Ray suggested.
“It’s very close; she can walk from here,” confirmed Joe, trying to be helpful. Perturbed by the glares now directed at him from both Ray and Angelina, he shook his head and shut up.
“Ah… thanks.” Tee took the proffered card and stuck it in the front pocket of her sack, and then soothed the whining puppy. “I need to take killer here outside. I think he has to go.” Snagging a couple of donuts, she bolted.
While the probable runaway was outside occupied with bathroom detail, Angelina whispered to Joe, “We should keep her with us until we can get help for her. I don’t believe she’s a day over fourteen or fifteen. It’s too dangerous for her on the streets.”
“I’ll call Lee Nivens to help us. He’s a social worker; that’s his regular line of work. He helps run a shelter for wayward kids and is wonderful with them.” Joe’s cell phone appeared immediately.
“Funny thing about Tee,” Angelina said, looking perplexed and thoughtful. “She seems familiar to me.”
“Me, too! It’s strange...” Ray’s hand cupped his cheek.
“Under all those dirty curls, that tomboyish manner and sarcastic attitude, she’s surprisingly pretty.” Angelina mused.
“You’re right. Seems to me she’s like somebody I’ve seen recently, but I can’t place her at the moment. It’ll come to me, inevitably in the middle of the night.” Joe shook his head and chuckled.
“Must be someone I like, because I had the overwhelming urge to hug her and not to let her get away.” Angelina blushed after the she heard her own words. Why did she always blurt out her feelings?
“You’re a softie.” Joe beamed his approval, until something else clouded his expression. “In case she’s bad news, maybe it’s better if you don’t get too attached. No telling what kind of a kid she is, or what sort of trouble she’s in. I don’t want you to get hurt. Undoubtedly, we should hand her over to the police.” Obviously rethinking his previous support, Joe became protective, bossy, and in big trouble with Angelina.
She shushed him, imagining she heard the door opening. Then she glared her disapproval. Just who does he think he is, warning me like I’m a child?
As they helped themselves to coffee, time passed. After a short while and with still no sign of Tee, Angelina called for her, and then searched the outside of the building, front and back.
The men joined in the hunt but the girl had vanished. Finally, with Angelina’s prompting, Joe contacted Lee, who knew most of the hanging places and hideouts for runaways. Lee made some phone calls on their behalf but had no luck. Apparently, she’d disappeared, which wasn’t surprising. Street kids found places where most other people never went. And they covered for each other like a cult of youthfulness. Even with the three of them searching the surrounding neighborhood, it eventually became clear that she’d split.
Inevitably, Angelina gave up and returned to her office in time to meet with Joe and Ray, who was heading home. Her heart felt heavy with recriminations for letting the girl get away. She glanced over at the green-eyed devil and felt anger build over his highhandedness. Just when she’d begun to appreciate him, he’d gone and blown it.
Chapter 20
Lee gazed longingly at the sleeping woman. She was silhouetted by the weak light oozing through the panels of vertical blinds that covered the large window to her left. Another huge bouquet of yellow roses with a floating Get Well balloon prettified the scene, their pungent scent fighting with the sour hospital smells and adding even more color to the otherwise bland space. The area was undersized, especially with the floor-to-ceiling curtain wrapped around it.
Coralee looked small and sad, that is until her eyes opened. Vivacity flowed in and she lost her vulnerable appearance. Instantly she became the gutsy girl from last night.
“Hi!” Lee said. His drawl was soft. She took his breath away.
“Hi, yourself.”
“I’m looking for Joe.” He needed some excuse for being there. Shuffling from foot to foot, he finally leaned on the room’s only chair and clutched the knobbed top like a paranoid mother clinging to her child in a crowded store.
A slightly agitated edge to her voice, Coralee answered, “You missed them. Angelina visited, but that was before I fell asleep. Joe left her here, and said he would meet up with her later at the office.” She stared at the flowers, her confusion obvious.
“These are for you.” The hand clutching his gift sprang out in front of him.
“For me? Thank you. Do I know you? You seem very familiar.” Her arms reached for his bouquet, and he was forced to move closer. He stumbled over the chair leg and caught himself before he took a header and landed on top of her. Then pretending it was always his intention, he perched his butt on the end of the bed.
“I was with Angelina last night. We came to see you. I sat there on the chair. But it was dark. You probably didn’t see me. I’m Lee Nivens.” Staccato sentences emphasized his nervousness. He sounded as if he was giving a report.
“Right! Angelina told me about how good you were to her. Thank you. It was a bad time, and I’m glad she had someone there to help.”
“Angelina’s very brave. She hung in there and looked after Joe last night. I owed her.”
“She might be brave, but today is going to be tough, even for her. She’s worked like a demon to buy that old building, and has spent all her time and every bit of spare change she has fixing it up. I hate having her inspecting the damage without me. I wanted to be there.”
Captivated by her caring attitude, he turned his head at an angle. “You’re not ready to leave the hospital yet. Look at your face.”
“Hey, watch it. No
t a really intelligent remark to make to a lady who's hurting something terrible, and I might add, in a disgustingly foul mood. Not smart at all.”
Slow maybe, but not too stupid, Lee caught on to her teasing tone and grinned, “Sorry.”
“Yeah! Me too. Seems I’m a tiny bit cranky this morning. Must be the absence of bagels and cream cheese.”
“I can get you some. It would only take a few minutes.” Lee feigned a movement as if he meant to jump up.
“You’d do that? Go and get me food?”
Her question stopped him.
“Just say the word.”
She chuckled. “That’s so cool. I really don’t need any, but thanks for the offer.” Her tone changed--became less irritated. He saw her good nature creep through the façade of a woman not at her best. Then he saw the sharpness in those same eyes click in and her gaze intensified.
She was closely inspecting him, and that made him nervous. He hoped she didn’t remember him sitting with her throughout the night, soothing her troubled sleep. After taking Angelina home, he’d headed right back to her bedside and sweet-talked the nurse into allowing him to stay.
“At first I couldn’t remember you, but I have this strange feeling picking away at me. Were you here alone last night, later, after Angelina left?”
Coralee sensed a familiarity about him. As though he’d been with her in the dark hours. Through the mist of her dreams, he’d soothed her and petted her back to sleep—over and over again. His profile was achingly recognizable, and she thought she remembered at one point reaching up to touch his kind and caring face.
Oversized, his ears were red-tipped, and she would swear in later years they’d wriggled like those of an excited puppy. She fell for them long before becoming infatuated with the man they were attached to.
He shot to his feet, and her eyes traveled a long way up his thin, wiry frame before resting on his soft gray eyes, which were enhanced by the color of his dusky blonde, naturally curly hair. He had large gentle hands and a nice aura surrounding him. Nice was good, she decided. I like nice.
Cheekily, she reached out her hand, forcing compliance, and said, “I’m very happy to meet you, Lee Nivens.”
He bowed as he shook her hand, treating it like that of a lady, not like some men who had a need to flex and maul with intimidation, as if to validate their masculinity.
She clung to his strength, loving the feeling of another person’s skin next to hers. She pulled, forcing him to sit closer to her, so she could watch his expression.
Her loneliness disintegrated.
Nervous and needing to talk, Lee began. “I volunteer with Joe. We usually pull the same shifts at the Search and Rescue, and I like that. He’s good to work with. My regular job is counseling kids though. I’m a social worker, and I run one of the shelters here in the city.”
He seemed stressed, and she noticed his hand trembled in hers.
“Do you like kids?” She held her breath.
“They’re my life. It’s what I do; helping kids in trouble. The work is hugely rewarding.” Taking a chance on sounding corny, he continued, “I don’t even consider it work, it’s more a privilege. Joe feels the same, and helps us out a lot at the shelter. The kids get off on him. He has the knack of making them trust him.”
“I bet they like you as much. Is your first name really Lee? I’ve never heard a man called that before.”
“It’s actually Rylie, an old Irish name, but I’ve always gone by Lee.”
“It’s strange. Our first names are so close. Mine is Coralee and yours is Rylie. Maybe it’s an omen.”
“Makes it easier to name our firstborn,” he shot back.
His temerity shocked her until she saw him swallow. But he smiled shyly, and stared right at her. One of her eyes was still swollen and half-closed, but with the good one she gave him an audacious wink. He was daring her to play with him, and little did he know that she majored in playing.
“How many children are we going to have?”
“Oh, three or four would about do it.”
“To start with.”
“Sold,” he returned, beaming.
Bingo! Here was her man. She knew it as well as she knew her real name wasn’t Coralee.
Laughing, he made his way closer. She cleared a space for him by moving her feet and reaching down to shift the rolling bed table. But she’d moved too quickly and was rewarded with dizziness. It left her blinking and grabbing for something stable. Hard and muscular, but also gentle, his hand reached out and became her support.
“Something’s not right with me, Lee. I feel nauseous when I move, and my body has no strength. Could it be from the concussion?”
“Of course. Your head took one heck of a hit. It’ll take a few days before those symptoms disappear.”
“Dammit to hell and back! I can’t stay in here that long. Angelina needs all the help she can get right now, and she relies on me.”
“Don’t worry. She won’t be alone. Joe and I will help her. Right now it’s best for you to concentrate on getting your strength back.”
“But she’s always been there for me, and now when she needs me, I can’t do anything.” Coralee’s hands pummeled the blanket, obvious frustration in her tone. “You don’t understand. It’s huge for me to be able to help her.”
“Why? Why is it so important?”
“I’m indebted to her. Years ago when Angelina was first starting out, she visited the real estate office where I was an overworked, bullied, and underpaid secretary. She was the vision of a gracious, classy businesswoman. Long after, I found out it had taken her humongous hours to strike that look but she wore it so naturally, I just assumed it was who she was.”
Lee passed her the nearby glass of water when her voice broke. She took a sip and fell back against the pillows.
“My boss was a - a chubby bullshitter whose brain, I suspect, was formed into the shape of a woman’s privates, since every off-color joke he told was linked in some way to that very area. To him, women were only good for one thing. What a slime-bucket! I was sick to death of the toad. In fact, I was actively searching for another job. I mean, don’t get me wrong here, I like men and their hands, but I couldn’t convince that thickheaded waste of space it was his particular hands which were the hang-up. The day Angelina arrived, I’d had enough. Screw the roof over my head, the savings account, and the reference I would need to get another job. Him, I wouldn’t screw, which of course was the problem. Anyway, Angelina watched him come over to my desk and, in plain sight, maneuver his knuckles over the side of my breast while he leaned over to get the day’s new listings. The dirty slob copped a feel right in front of her. It was the last grope he made for a while, let me tell you. Angelina spotted his antics, and must have seen my disgust. She picked up the metal ruler off his desk and before anyone could move, she whapped him over the knuckles, not once but two or three times. The stunned idiot’s mouth hung open, and he didn’t have the brainpower to multitask—move his hand and close his mouth at the same time.”
Lee laughed, his face showing interest and humor.
Coralee drank a bit more water and continued. “Señor,” she said in the iciest voice I’ve ever heard. “I wouldn’t hire you if you were the last real estate agent in this city. I was dumbfounded, and on the verge of laughing out loud. Then she looked at me. Are you a good worker? she asked. Before I could answer, the toad spat out that I was lazy and good for nothing, and for his audacity she whacked him again right across his protruding fat gut. I lost it! Laughed and I told her, ‘I’m a great worker.’ She smiled and hired me on the spot. Man, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough, but I have to admit to grabbing the ruler from her and getting a few whacks in myself, and with foresight, I also grabbed the morning sheets of the new listings. Her building was on the first page. Cool story, eh?”
He was enthralled but she seemed shy about holding the floor for so long. Then, like all savvy women, she turned the tables on him.
Chapter 21
Coralee started in on her questions. “Tell me something about yourself. Are you seeing anyone? Do your parents live close by? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Are you seeing anyone?”
His spontaneous laughter filled the empty space in her heart with joy. He went along with her silliness. “My parents live in Miami for most of the year. No, I’m not seeing anyone. I’m an only child, which was great in some ways, and not so great in others. I got all their attention. That was great. But they were both workaholics. That was the not so great. Spent a lot of time by myself. No, I’m not seeing anyone. As soon as I was old enough, I joined the Search and Rescue. Since then, I’ve met a lot of caring people—guys like Joe. He’s one of the best. Like me, he spends most of his spare time with young people, encouraging them, helping them make good choices. He’s a hard worker and a great guy. Nope, not seeing anyone I care about right now.”
Other than playing along with her, she noticed he spent little time talking about himself and how quickly he changed the topic of conversation to his friend. “Is he good enough for our Angelina?”
“You mean in a serious relationship? Undeniably they’d make an awesome twosome, except Joe has a hang-up about lasting relationships.”
Oh, oh! This didn’t sound good to Coralee. “What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t have any! Won’t get involved past the first phase. Never wants to get married.”
“Hmm, I’m kinda getting nervous here. Angelina’s weird about men. She’s ridiculously shy; not a man-hater or anything like that, but she’s focused entirely on winning a bet she made with her father about establishing her own accounting business. I guess you could call her a workaholic, an ambitious woman with a goal.”
