"Not a problem. If and when you feel ready, take on the cleaning and cooking, and I'll take care of the bills."
"That sounds awful domestic to me."
It sounded very domestic to him too. For a guy with no intentions of getting a wife, he was certainly fitting her into that position. “Yeah, I know, but until you decide what you want to do ... well, at least think about it."
"I will."
They both sat staring ahead a few minutes. He didn't know what to say and feared anything would make her decline his invitation. She had to come home with him. He couldn't stand the idea of her being in one of those rundown shelters. He knew the kind of trouble that frequented those establishments.
"I do like dogs. What kind of dog is Blooper?"
"Your basic Heinz 57. She's pretty sweet, and I can't figure why they named her Blooper at the pound, but that's her name."
"Okay."
"Okay?” He felt lighter all at once, a little dizzy but in a good way.
"Yeah, I'll stay at your place, at least for tonight. I need to find a job. I need to figure out what I know how to do."
"Great! Want to go right on over or want to do a little shopping first?"
"Shopping?"
"Yeah, groceries. I have food in the house, but, well, I don't know what you like and well, there may be some things you need that they didn't give you in that care package from the hospital, you know?"
"I don't want to end up owing you a lot.” She looked down at her clothes.
"You won't. As soon as you see how a confirmed bachelor who works a lot of overtime really lives, I'll probably owe you. Besides, I like being able to help you."
"Groceries it is."
It seemed to him that she still wasn't comfortable with the idea, but one night was a start. He would make her feel at home. She would love it. It would only take her a day or two to settle in.
"Great."
He escorted her to the car, opening her door, and trying his best to remember all the rules his mother had taught him on how to treat a lady. A smile was his reward for his efforts, and for some reason, that made everything worth it.
They arrived at the grocery store on the corner and then things changed. A faraway look entered Claudia's eyes. She stared straight ahead but was somewhere else, as if she were remembering something. Her mouth moved, and at first, he couldn't tell what she said.
"Do you think I'm crazy, Frank? I'm hearing voices."
"What?” He grabbed her shoulders, hoping he heard wrong. “What did you say? Who's Frank?"
"Nothing. I'm trying to remember something about a shopping trip. It's like I've done this before only with someone else.” She blushed. “I'm sorry. It's hard not remembering things."
"That's okay."
Mike got out of the car and found Claudia already out and staring at the store. The glazed expression returned. He hoped she was okay. Another, more selfish, thought flooded him. He hoped she wasn't remembering another man.
"I can't remember what you like."
"I don't know what you like either. I guess we'll both learn.” He scratched her head, wondering exactly what she meant by remember. He wouldn't make an issue of it.
The rest of the shopping trip went without incident. She liked vegetables and fruit but didn't seem to be a vegetarian. He helped fill in a complete dinner, mostly because he couldn't live on fruit and vegetables alone.
After the shopping trip, they started home. He pulled into the driveway of his little ranch house. It sat on the corner in a respectable neighborhood. The area wasn't overly expensive. He had rented for two years, with an option to buy the place next year. He always thought this would be the perfect spot to settle, raise a family. He mentally shook himself. Mike had to stop before his fantasies got out of hand. This was too new with Claudia to imagine more than a friendship.
They got out, Claudia turning in circles absorbing the neighborhood. She touched the large oak tree in front, letting her fingers glide over the bark, and then she looked at the house. All at once, he noticed the little things wrong with the place. The screen door had a tear in it. There was mud on the front porch from the last hard rains, and even some paint on the railing had peeled. Never had he been self-conscious before, but now he needed everything to be perfect.
Mike looked at her face, trying to gauge her reaction. That lovely smile stayed in place and he let out a sigh of relief. More than anything, he wanted her to stay. Odd, considering he had no intentions of bringing her home this morning.
"So here it is. Bloop may jump up on you, but she's really friendly."
"No problem. I may not remember much, but I do know I like dogs."
Cracking open the door, Mike stepped in to see where Blooper was. All paws and tongue, she flew out of nowhere, greeting her human before she caught sight of Claudia. Like a puppy finding a favorite toy, Blooper turned to Claudia and extended her the same warm greeting. When Claudia laughed in sheer delight, Mike was relieved to no end.
"I guess you two will get on just fine. When you are done, I'll show you your room."
"I'm ready,” she said still giggling and wiping doggy kisses off her cheek.
"I've got two extra bedrooms, my room is in the front so I'll give you the back bedroom if that's okay. It overlooks the yard, which I barely manage to maintain."
While Claudia unpacked, Mike unloaded the groceries and made a stab at cleaning up the kitchen, tossing two-week-old cartons of Chinese food out of the refrigerator along with a week-old pizza and some other science experiment he couldn't remember making. He pulled out a washbasin from under the sink to start soaking the dishes that had piled up over the past week or so. There was no way the dishwasher was going to remove the hardened food without a good soak first. By time Claudia found her way to the kitchen, he had it at least half way presentable.
"So, Mike, you ready for my first home-cooked meal here?"
"Have at it, babe."
"When do you have to go back to work?"
"I'm on RDOs for the next two days."
"RDO?"
"Regular day off. Sorry. One of the drawbacks of the job is you start to talk in police jargon rather than regular English. Just let me know when I do it."
"No problem."
"So if you want I can show you the neighborhood tomorrow, the park I take Blooper to and all. There's a dog park as part of it, and she loves running with the other pooches."
"Sounds good."
After Claudia started dinner, Mike showed her around the rest of the house. His pride and joy was the large flat-screen television and entertainment system. He opened two side cabinets showing vast quantities of CDs and DVDs. Claudia indulged him but didn't look that impressed. He also showed off a few of his other gadgets. She listened to him but again, he didn't think she was as impressed as he was.
They returned to the kitchen where he watched her as she finished preparing the meal. It was obvious to his trained eye that she knew her way around the kitchen. She also took care in setting the table, although he tried to help, she would have none of it. She even served him his dinner.
"You really went all out."
"My pleasure. I miss doing things. At least I think I do. I have flashes of making dinners, special dinners. I felt totally useless in the hospital, and then this morning when I realized there was no place for me to go, I can't tell you how terrible that is.” She reached over and touched his hand making sweet tingles rush down his spine. “Thank you, Mike. You're my hero."
"Thank you for keeping me company."
They started dinner and Mike was pleasantly surprised to find the food tasted as good as it looked. Blooper also seemed to enjoy it, at least from what he could tell as Claudia slipped bits of meat to her under the table. She won an instant friend. Mike had to admit, he and his dog were enamored with her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The lights were on in the house. Frank was afraid of that. He had held the small hope that Catherine would get angry and l
eave. Apparently even serving the woman divorce papers wasn't enough to convince her to go away.
Frank pulled in the driveway, while the sensation of lead filling his gut continued with every step he took toward that house. He would gather a few things and sleep in one of the construction trailers tonight where he kept Win until Catherine was gone. Surely she could get out by tomorrow.
He reached the door, but couldn't find the strength to go inside his own home. Never in his life had he hated someone, much less had complete disgust in the way he had for Catherine. That she tried to kill him was bad enough, but then to make Pam leave. He couldn't wait for the day when the bitch was gone.
The front door flew open, Catherine standing there in see-through lingerie. “Aren't you coming inside, hubby dear?"
"When are you leaving?” He pushed by her. The seduction was part of an act, one she pulled whenever she wanted to get her way.
"Listen, I know we've had our differences, but I want to make amends. Let's forget about that silly divorce. I made you happy once. I can do it again.” She batted her eyelashes. “You're my husband. I love you."
Her nearly naked breasts rubbed against his arm. He walked into the bedroom, and she followed, probably expecting a quick romp. Frank fooled her. He went to the closet and pulled out a suitcase.
"You don't want to do that."
Catherine lay on the bed, legs spread wide. She reached down with those painted fingernails, touched herself, and moaned. He'd liked that in the past. Now it just made her look like the cheap whore she was. Not the sweet innocent and pure love that was Pam.
"Please find somewhere else to stay.” He tried to stop the building nausea. “I'll sleep somewhere else for a few days, but you need to get out. This is my home."
She stopped touching herself, grabbed the pillow behind her, and threw it at him. He knocked it away. He wouldn't need much. He tossed in a few days worth of clothes, then spotted one of Win's doggy toys in the floor. He packed that too.
"This is as much my house as yours. I'm not going anywhere."
"No. Go get yourself an attorney and then tell the person what all you've done to me. Tell your attorney how you tried to kill me, how many times you were unfaithful, how you've never worked a day in your life, and how you've spent my money. Tell this attorney everything because I guarantee it will come out in court. At the end of your confession, ask the attorney what you're entitled to. Oh, and while you're at it, let him also know that I plan to press charges. There's no statute of limitations on attempted murder."
"Please don't treat me like this.” She half crawled across the bed, displaying her full breasts, arching her back as if she wished to be touched.
Frank reached down into that blonde hair around her lightly scarred face. Oh the surgeons had done remarkable work. He pulled her hair back, letting the bedroom light show into her eyes. No matter how much he willed those eyes to turn green, they wouldn't.
"Get out of my house and my life. I will not bed with a whore again."
He released her and closed the suitcase. Catherine flung herself at him, screaming loud like a rabid animal. She pummeled his back with her tiny fists, pulled at his hair. It was against his nature to hit a woman, so he pushed her back onto the bed.
"I'll kill you before you can leave me! I won't be alone. It's your fault I'm scarred. You owe me."
"You think maybe this time you'll succeed in killing me? Do you? This time the police won't take the robbery story. Think about that.” He looked at her unable to remember why he had stayed for so long. “Goodnight, Catherine."
She launched herself at him again, but he moved faster, sidestepping her and letting her fall to the floor. She looked up with tears in her eyes, makeup smeared down her face. It reminded him of a used-up hooker.
"I'll kill you."
She continued to rant as Frank walked out of the house. He imagined she would trash the place tonight. It also didn't surprise him when she came to the door, throwing things at his truck as he got inside. He backed down the drive.
He put up with so much during his marriage, never filed charges against her after she had tried to kill him. This time he wouldn't be so generous. If this were going to court, he'd prefer having some documentation to her behavior.
Frank picked up the phone and called the Sheriff's Department. He couldn't prove an assault, but he was willing to bet that she would do something stupid when a deputy came to investigate.
Chapter Twenty-Three
That woman wanted him dead. She tried to stop her, and then the dog came at her throat. She wasn't afraid of him, only of the beast living in her body. She wanted her out, but how. It wasn't fair.
Claudia fought to hold on, to stay, but the other was strong. They tumbled together, mixture of light and dark, eternity. The scene changed, and she saw the dog, mouth curled away from its fangs, it growled. She didn't know why only that a man had tried to kill her with a knife, then she picked up a gun. She was dying, bleeding, and a woman wouldn't let her stay.
"No, I don't want to leave."
Claudia woke screaming, at least she thought she had been screaming. She closed her mouth and listened but didn't hear anything. For a minute, she had no idea where she was or even her name. Blooper raised his head from the other side of the bed, then rolled onto his back.
"Blooper?"
She relaxed against the pillow. Claudia remembered going home with Mike. During the night, Blooper had opted to sleep with her, and somehow the dog decided that it was also okay to sleep on the bed, not that Claudia minded. Having the dog sleep with her was familiar, comforting. Not like something she had done her whole life, but something that she had done recently. A warm feeling, one of being loved and cared for crept over her. A feeling that had nothing to do with Mike, but she couldn't place whom, where, or how. It just felt right.
Being an independent woman had always been her goal. At least, she thought so. Yet, she had become someone's charity case. How could a grown woman have so little? She didn't even have solid memories to fall back on. All she had was a kind man she barely knew, but owed the world to. She had nothing to offer Mike, no way to make up for the trouble she had caused.
"Blooper, how did I get in this mess?"
Blooper responded in a half bark, then licked her across the face.
"I guess that means it's time to get up and stop wallowing in pity."
Another half bark followed. This time Blooper bounded from bed and ran across the floor. She lost a little traction, then scooted out the small opening in the door. She seemed tired of her whining too.
She grabbed a quick shower. Trying to be quiet, she tiptoed into the kitchen and started making coffee and batter for pancakes. Something about the pancakes seemed familiar, a smiling face, telling her that the fresh strawberries she had added made them “scrumptious.” The man said scrumptious and she laughed at the time because it seemed like such an odd work for a guy to use. Something about the guy was familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on what.
When Mike woke a bit later, he seemed thrilled at having breakfast already made for him. “Boy this is a treat I could get real used to. Claud, I hope you decide to stay ‘cause this kind of breakfast alone makes it worth the rent!"
"Thanks. I was hoping you wouldn't mind."
"Nope, not at all. These are great."
She liked watching him eat. She had a feeling of pride, especially when he ate every last bite. Things might not be so bad if she stayed here with Mike. Maybe she could help around here, offer something. Instead of being cared for, she could take care of Mike. That would make things better.
She finished her breakfast, making sure to save a bite for Blooper. She must've sensed it was breakfast time because she ran inside the doggy door, sliding to a stop next to the kitchen table. Mike laughed at the droopy mutt, and she loved the sound.
Breakfast and the dishes done, Mike showed Claudia a bit more of the house and then grabbing Blooper's leash they headed out for a wal
k so he could show her the park. Blooper clearly knew where they were going and tugged away on the leash, leading them down the sidewalk to a large gate. Inside was a long walking path, a small playground, and the object of Blooper's desires, a fenced-in doggie park. Once in the doggie section, Mike let her off the leash and Blooper quickly headed out to romp with the other dogs. The owners sat on benches watching their furry babies play. A rough-and-tumble couple of hours later Mike whistled for the dog and the threesome headed back toward the house.
She enjoyed their day out and Mike was wonderful company. Even Blooper fit into the picture nicely. Maybe things in her life were working out after all. This might be the life she had been looking for.
They started to the sidewalk when her tummy growled loudly. Mike stopped and looked at her, further embarrassing her. She hated the growly sound but tried to laugh it off.
"Hungry?"
"Yeah, actually I am.” She looked over at the hot dog vendor next to the road. “If I'm remembering correctly, I love hot dogs."
"Hot dogs it is."
* * * *
Over the next few weeks, Claudia and Mike fell into a pattern. Or more like Claudia sat back and watched how Mike lived his life and began revolving hers around him. It just seemed easier that way. He was a nice guy. Actually, a really nice guy. Yeah, his hours were strange, but it felt all right. Somehow, it felt like she'd been with someone who didn't keep regular hours before, but not for something legit like Mike. She even found herself starting to adjust to his schedule. In the waking hours when he wasn't around, she tried to remember more about her past—who she was, people she know, what she did, but kept coming up blank. Different images would pass into her mind, but nothing definite. Even some of the things Blooper did seemed familiar, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. It was comfortable, easy, and having a dog seemed the most natural thing in the world for her.
After the first week or so, it did become obvious that Mike would have liked to be more than a friend. Nothing overt, just the heat in his eyes when he looked at her or the way his hand would linger when they both reached for a spoon at the same time. She knew he wouldn't push. Somehow she knew that just wasn't his style. Maybe it was her memory loss, maybe he was just a patient guy. Whatever it was, she felt an odd relief about his holding back.
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