by Cherrie Mack
“You okay?”
She jumped at the sound of Angelo’s voice. “Shit! Do you always have to sneak up on me? Can’t you call first?” She turned around and her anger fizzled. She smiled at the sight of him. He wore a black bandanna around his head with a white fitted sweatshirt that fell loose around his waist and black sweats. Angelo reached over her shoulder and grabbed some grapes from the fruit bowl. He threw them in the air and caught them with his mouth.
As he chewed, he garbled, “This isn’t a date, and I’m not calling on you.”
She leaned against the granite countertop and folded her arms. “I didn’t say it was a date. Besides, you and I?” She pointed back and forth between them. “We wouldn’t date.”
“Why not? Don’t think I’m good enough for ya?”
She pushed off the counter. “I didn’t say that. Let’s go. I want to get this over with.” She grabbed her cell phone and turned it to the off position, when he grabbed her elbow.
“Wait just a minute. You started this, and I want to know why you think we wouldn’t date.”
Allie’s brows went up. She was unprepared for the question. If he would have asked her when they initially met, she would have been able to give him a laundry list of reasons, but now she was—blank.
“Well,” she stammered, “you must have wings somewhere, no?”
He narrowed his eyes until they were slits and pursed his lips. When he moved his mouth from side to side, Allie wanted to throw her arms around him and laugh. He was such a little boy inside that incredible body. “Come on. Let’s go,” she said. They walked out of the apartment, and Allie stopped to stretch her limbs.
“Allie. I think you are avoiding my question because you want to spare my feelings. Is it the nose ring? Too many tattoos for ya?” He curled both arms up and made his biceps jump. She started walking down the hall when he pointed to his head. “Is it my long hair?”
“Why do you think it’s anything physical to begin with? Maybe it’s your sparkling personality or your pompous attitude. Maybe it stems from putting me in a fucking maid’s uniform. What? I’m not worthy of the Cinderella treatment?”
She hit the button for the elevator. She watched him stare at her. “ Let’s go.”
“That’s it, isn’t it? You feel unworthy.”
“ You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course. Why didn’t I see it before? You were left out of Gregory’s will, yet another reason you feel unworthy.”
“No! I don’t. I will not talk about this. It’s none of your business.”
He followed her inside the elevator. “Oh, I beg to differ.” As the doors closed and the car descended, Angelo lifted his arm into the air and waved his hand, bringing the car to a jolting stop.
“Hey! You get this elevator moving.”
“No. Not until you hear what I have to say.”
“Just keep in mind that I’m claustrophobic.”
Angelo crowded her into the corner and placed his hands on the rails. “Gregory Chadwick knocked up Trudy Peters one drunken night at a resort for singles in Cabo San Lucas. It was before his web business grew into a multi-million dollar enterprise. Trudy wanted nothing to do with Gregory. At the time, he was a lowly executive with a dream. She moved on to the richest man at the resort, Guy Monroe. Fortunately for Trudy, he fell hard. He was then made to believe he was Adrienne’s father. And for the record, Adrienne thought Guy Monroe was her daddy too. Until the truth came out. Can you imagine how she must have felt when all those years together amounted to his rejection because she wasn’t of his blood? In the end, Adrienne was shunned by the only father she ever loved.”
The silence was deafening as Allie pondered Adrienne’s circumstance. For a few seconds, her heart hurt for Adrienne. She shook her head in frustration and pushed the empathy away.
“I don’t really care, okay? Now let’s go.”
“Not until I’m finished. When Trudy’s world crumbled, she was given a healthy settlement, but not nearly as much as she would’ve liked due to an iron clad pre-nup. Wanna guess what she did?”
“I don’t really give a shit.”
“Well, you’re gonna hear it anyway. She surfed around the web for her next meal ticket. And think of her luck when she saw a picture of Mr. Gregory Chadwick, the self-made millionaire who lost his young lover to cancer. That headline must have really made her cream in her panties.”
“Ugh. You’re disgusting. I—why are you telling me this?”
“You weren’t left out of the will on purpose.”
“But he left me the black box. He had time for that but nothing else?”
“Gregory left strict instructions for the black box when he walked in on you one night. You were caring for your mother. Her cancer was raging, and you were trying to make her comfortable. She wanted you to bathe her, but the doctors said no because they were afraid of her fever spiking. But you bathed her anyway. I believe you sang to her that night.”
Allie lost her breath with the pain of the memory. She choked on her words. “I did. I sang her our song.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “How do you know this?”
He smiled at her and stepped closer, wiping at her tears with the pad of his thumb. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. “It’s my job. I’m your fairy godmother, remember?”
She sniffled as she looked up into his eyes. “Somehow it’s hard for me to connect the two.” She gazed at him and thought she saw a flicker of desire in his expression. “Angelo, what is your real name?”
He narrowed his eyes, lifted his arm up, and waved his hand. The elevator dinged, and the door opened to the lobby. “Shall we get you into shape for your Mr. Brady?”
Angelo did a slow jog in place as Allie rolled her eyes.
The sun spilled its first light over the city through the cracks of the parting clouds. The cold air stung Allie’s face where her tears had fallen as they walked in silence toward Central Park. She appreciated his being near without crowding her. When she stole a quick glance, she noticed his profile. His features were very prominent. A straight nose, high cheekbones, and a defiant chin all told her he was a man who was comfortable with himself. Besides his actions and attitude, he managed to heat her blood where many men had failed.
As they turned up the path leading into the park, Allie broke the silence. “Thank you for telling me, Angelo. It means a lot to me. Achoo!”
She stopped walking. “Shit. I’m getting sick. I don’t think we should jog this morning.”
“Over one sneeze? Oh, no you don’t. No excuses.”
“I’m serious. Trust me, I know my body.”
Angelo laughed and shook his head. “Now don’t talk too much while we run. We’ll start off with a brisk walk and work ourselves up to a slow run. I’ll have no complaining. For the next ninety minutes that body is mine.”
“Is it? Oh, my, Angelo.” She waved her hand in front of her face as she started her brisk walk. “I do believe it’s getting warmer out here.”
“Uh-huh. Your humor slays me.”
“Yeah, at least there’s that to like about me.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Allie. There are many things to like about you.”
“Oh yeah, like what? My crankiness? How I hate the world for fucking me over? How I complain all the time? Or is it my non-existent persona that bowls you over?”
“Yes.”
She stopped mid-walk and stared at him. “Yes? You like an angry woman hell-bent on revenge?”
“No, but you? You I like. Now move.”
Allie broke into a slow run.
* * * *
Forty-five minutes later the tedious conundrum of Angelo’s tyrannical training had Allie ready to throw in the towel. She panted, “I think I’m suffering from emphysema.”
“Allie, for the last time, you are not sick. You need to pace yourself.”
“You’re a mean man, you know that?”
He smirked. “Okay, stop.”
Allie bent over and rested her hands on her knees. She looked at the ground, and oddly enough she felt invigorated. Running wasn’t so bad. Or was it Angelo who made it easy? “I think I like you, Angelo. Maybe a bit more than I should.” She squeezed her eyes shut, wincing at her confession. When she gathered the strength to look up to gauge his reaction, he was nowhere in sight.
“Allison? Is that you?” Zach Brady ran in place a few feet from her. He smiled and got closer. Stopping mid-jog, he put his hand on her shoulder. “I didn’t know you were a runner?”
“I-I’m just getting back into it.”
“Well, it’s all about pacing yourself. Maybe you should take a minute. Come on, I’ll walk with you.”
“No, that’s okay. I don’t want to interrupt your run.”
“Nah. I already ran five miles. I’m feeling pretty good.” He rolled his shoulders.
“Oh. Okay. Thanks.”
“So when do you plan on starting our little project?”
“The garden?”
“Yeah.”
“When would you like me to start it? My schedule is pretty open.”
“Really? That’s great. Maybe—nah. Forget it.”
“What?”
“It’s just that … well, it’s kinda short notice.”
“What? Come on, tell me. What can I do to help?”
“I’ve been called out of town for business the day after tomorrow, and my place will be empty for a few days. I need someone to stay and look after my dog.”
“You have a dog?”
“Yes. He was at the groomer the other day when you stopped by. Barnabus is a Chihuahua.”
“Barnabus?” She giggled.
“I know. Great name, huh?”
She looked the other way and rolled her eyes. “Really great.”
“Would you like to grab a cup of coffee?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Superb. You’re done with your run, right? Let’s go.” He didn’t even let her answer. She looked around for Angelo and felt sad as she walked off with the man of her dreams. And she wondered why.
* * * *
Twenty minutes later, Allie sipped her non-fat soy latte while Zach talked about his upcoming Broadway show, “The Dignitaries.” She thought it rude that he talked incessantly about himself and even worse that she couldn’t get a word in edgewise. “So, Allison? Do you think you’d be able to stay at my place for the weekend?”
“Sure. I think I’m free.” She picked up her beverage and blew on the hot liquid. Why she ordered coffee was a mystery.
“Great. You’re done with your coffee, right? Let’s go.” He stood up to leave.
“I think I’ll stay. You go ahead. I have some errands to run anyway. Achoo!”
“Hey, better take care of that cold.” Zach mimicked a pistol with his hand and smacked his lips together. “You’re working this weekend.”
Allie couldn’t wait for him to leave. “Achoo!”
Chapter 8
Allie ran through the drenching rain until her skin felt icy cold. Her heart beat as though it would fly from her chest, and the faster she ran, the farther she fell behind. Out of breath and crying, Allie ran. Even if it killed her, she would continue on. She wanted him, needed him. And to Allie the choice was clear. He was the one. She must find him and tell him so.
Allie awoke in a sweat. Unable to recall who she was running after, her mind tried desperately to hold on to the details of her disturbing dream. But to her disappointment, it faded. It was then she realized the body aches and the chills she was feeling were real and not a figment of her dream. Damn it! I knew I’d get sick from that run. She glanced at the clock as she pulled the covers back. It was just after midnight.
In the kitchen, Allie filled up a kettle. She held an envelope of powdered flu medicine and shook it. As she waited for the water to boil, she tried once again to recall her dream. She was running from—no—to. She was running to someone. She shook her head in frustration as her dream slipped even further into the recess of her mind. Her body was really sore. Between the run and the oncoming cold, she was feeling pretty miserable. The only thing that could make her feel worse was—Adrienne. And there she was. Allie studied her. “You just getting in?”
“Why yes, Allie, I am. I have a life. What’s wrong with you? Why do you sound like you’re talking through your nose? Are you sick?”
“Uh-huh.” God, you’re a genius.
“Stay away from me. I cannot afford to get infected with whatever you’ve got going on.”
She noticed Adrienne was missing her pantyhose and looked somewhat disheveled. “I’ll try not to breathe in the apartment.”
“Good.”
Allie couldn’t stop herself. “Did you have a good time tonight?”
“Fabulous. I was with Zach.”
“With Zach? Like all the way with Zach?”
Adrienne flipped her hair over her shoulder. “What are we, like best friends now? Think I’d tell you?”
Allie stirred the powder into the mug of hot water and shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever.”
“Well, if you must know, I make a man wait.” Then she looked away as if in a dreamy state. “I’m sure once it happens,” Adrienne made eye contact with her, “and it will, the experience will be beautiful.”
Allie rolled her eyes. “What if Mr. Perfect is into a little slap and tickle?”
“What?”
“You know. What if he likes to dish out a little pinch of pain with his pickle?”
“You. Are. Disgusting. And I’m going to bed.”
“Nightie-night.” Allie watched as Adrienne marched out of the kitchen. Sipping her concoction, she giggled. It was an evil sound that made her giddy even though she felt horrible.
* * * *
The sounds of the hospital machines were distant, but there were times he could hear everything. He was still in what the doctors called a comatose state. His brain showed activity, but it was too soon to tell if he’d make it. He heard the familiar voice of his mother as she spoke softly into his ear. He wanted so much to stroke her hand and tell her he had it all under control. He wanted to tell her that he was in between worlds at the moment, and his return to the living hinged on his joining together two mismatched people. He was told that it was the hope that their love would bring forth more worthy human beings to grace the earth. And if he was successful, he would return to his life. Will he remember this experience if he returned? Probably not. But wouldn’t his mother get a kick out of knowing that what stood between Los Angeles, California, and the afterlife was none other than New York City. His mother’s voice faded away and was replaced by her. She was calling to him, and she pulled at his heartstrings more every day. Her beauty was far more than skin deep, and he found himself committing the ultimate act of selfishness by falling in love with her.
* * * *
Holding back her tears, Allie lay awake. She was alone in the world, and nothing made her feel more alone than when she was sick. She hummed her mother’s favorite song, but it only made her feel worse. She curled up in a fetal position. I wish Angelo was here. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. Focusing on happier days, she recalled a time when the newness of a family opened her heart to the belief in love and all of its possibilities. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Just like a lot of things in her life. “Achoo!”
“Bless you.”
“Jeez. You did it again. You scared me.” She sat up in bed.
“I’m sorry, sugar. I really didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Yeah, well you did. And? Will you look at me! I told you I was getting sick.”
“All right, Allie. Calm down. A cold is not cause for despair. Is something bothering you besides feeling under the weather?”
“No. I’m sick. And when I’m sick, I’m cranky.”
“Okay. Do you want me to stay for a little while?”
“That depends on how long you can stay. And why do you disappear wi
thout saying good-bye? It’s rude. Like today for instance, you just left me.”
“I left because I knew Zach would be there. I can sometimes be a deterrent for other guys.” He curled his arm, flexed his bicep, and wiggled his brows.
“Why do you always do that? Are you always this full of yourself?” He shrugged his shoulders.
“And where do you go when you leave? Is there some fairy city you live in? Like where you have a fairy girlfriend or something?” She swallowed her embarrassment.
“I-I’m not sure where I go exactly. But I do all the things I did when I was alive.”
The air suddenly left her lungs. “You’re dead?” The question hung in the air for a moment as she stared at him.
“Not technically.”
“Not technically? So you’re here with me until…?”
“Until you snag your happiness.”
Giving him a sideways glance, Allie struggled to understand, “And then you … die?”
“Don’t know. If I’m successful and help you achieve your happiness, then maybe not.”
“You mean until I snag Zach.”
He ran his hands through his hair and scratched at his scalp as if frustrated by her questions. “Yes. Z.A.C.H. That’s how you spell happiness, isn’t it?”
“I see. I guess I’ll have to get right on it. Or should I say, get right on him.”
“Allie, that’s not what I meant.”
She turned her back and stretched out on her bed. “Great. I’m back to making everyone else happy instead of myself.”
Angelo sat on the edge of her bed and tugged her shoulder until she rolled her over to face him. “What do you mean by that?”
“If I don’t like Zach for instance. Now I feel like I have to like him so you can do whatever it is to … live.”
“You don’t like Zach?”
“I didn’t say that. I just feel pressured to like him.”
