by Nic Joseph
The girl with the pink hair and her boyfriend had said Emma went to the park almost every afternoon. Who was to say I couldn’t go too? After all, it was a public park. And in a way, Emma and her friends had invited me back.
I swallowed.
If I didn’t think it would one day be my downfall, I would’ve Googled what’s considered stalking.
“Hey, girl,” I said, kneeling down in front of Shelby.
She opened her eyes and then pulled herself up onto her feet, watching me warily. If Keith had so much as walked out of the bedroom, she would have been up instantly, spinning in circles and nipping at his pant leg.
Instead, she watched me, waiting, as if she could see through to the depths of my simple, terrible soul.
“Hi,” I said. “How about we go for a little drive?” As the words came out of my mouth, I thanked my lucky stars that no one was around to hear me all but luring my dog into my unmarked white van. She continued to watch me without moving, and I straightened, walking over to the hook by the front door where we kept her leash.
I swallowed and walked back toward her, holding it in my hands.
“So…what do you think?” I asked. “Want to go to the park?”
Her back straightened a little at the word park, and I knew I had her. She continued to watch me, her big, brown eyes following my every move, and finally, she took a step forward.
“Yeah, cool, awesome,” I said, kneeling down to put the leash on her. It had been a while since I’d done it, and I fumbled, but she just stood there, quietly watching me the whole time.
We left the apartment, and I followed behind her as she walked down the street. Keith shouldn’t get home before we got back, but I had my cell phone just in case. If he did, I would have a hard time explaining my sudden decision to take Shelby to the park, given our mutual distaste for one another. As I opened the car door to let her inside, I prayed it wouldn’t be an issue.
As I drove along, I put the windows down, and Shelby leaned her head out as she always did when she went for a ride. She looked content, but I knew that had nothing to do with me.
“I know you probably think I’m nuts,” I said, and she pulled her head into the car for a moment. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Shels, or what’s wrong with me, but I just need you to work with me a little. Just for half an hour or so. Then we’ll go home.”
She’d already leaned her head back out the window, and I sighed and drove on.
Unlike the other two days when I’d been able to double-park for a minute, I actually needed to find a spot today. It was a small detail that had almost slipped my mind; parking in the Gold Coast on the best of days is a nightmare. It took more than twenty minutes to find a spot, and I winced as I paid the meter. Six dollars for the hour. I walked around and opened the passenger door, and Shelby hopped out gracefully. Grabbing her leash, I walked with her across the street and down the block toward the dog park.
On the way, we passed the apartment building, and I took a quick peek at it as we walked by. It seemed so ordinary in the daylight, just a normal building, like any of the others on the block. When we reached the gate of the dog park, I sucked in a breath and walked inside, and Shelby followed alongside me. I let the breath out when I saw there was only one woman in the park, and it was not Emma.
I bit my lip, walked over to an empty bench, and sat down.
Shelby stood in front of me, watching me for a moment, and then looked around the park for a moment before turning her attention back to me. I hadn’t seen her like this, sweet and hesitant, and I wondered if she would have been as reserved if she’d been at the park with Keith.
“What?” I asked, and she continued to stare. “Go play,” I said, pointing at a small sand pit in the middle of the park.
She turned and walked over to it, sniffing it for a moment. She circled it and then looked up at me, less interested than I’d hoped she would be. After a few moments, she walked back to my bench and sat down beside me, watching the other dog play.
“Yeah, this probably wasn’t the best idea I’ve had in a while, huh?” I asked her. I’m not sure why I did it, but I reached out and touched the top of her head, reveling in the softness of her fur. She didn’t move at first, but after a moment, she inched back a little. We sat like that for a while, and finally, I dropped my hand and stood up.
“Well, I guess that’s that,” I said.
I bent down and put her leash back on. The pink-haired girl’s boyfriend had said that she tended to be in the park around 4:00 p.m. I looked at my phone; it was already 4:30.
It was time to go home.
As I stood, I felt something at the back of my legs, and I turned to see a small black poodle at my feet. It was the same dog from the other day, and I let out a small gasp. Looking up, I saw a tall woman striding toward me with a smile on her face.
Emma.
“Hi there,” she said. “Chris, right? Looks like you came back after all.”
She looked even more put-together than she had the first two times I’d seen her. She was wearing another jumper, this one bright pink. She was wearing a pair of tan flats, and she’d pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, which helped tone down the outfit. It didn’t look like she was wearing makeup, but she had to be—nobody’s skin is that flawless. I blinked a few times, shocked that this ridiculous outing had actually paid off.
“Yeah, I decided to see if Shelby likes it as much as I do,” I said with a smile, and she nodded. My heart was pounding in my chest, and not for the first time that day, I wondered if I looked as suspicious as I felt.
“Did you walk here?” she asked. “You said you live around the corner, right? In those apartments on Elm?”
“Mm-hmm,” I said. I couldn’t admit to her that I’d searched for parking for twenty minutes and paid to come to a dog park that was nowhere near my house. As the lie came out of my lips, I tried to push down the guilt. I changed the subject quickly. “You weren’t kidding when you said you come here every day.”
She laughed. “Yeah, Dante loves it.” She looked down at the small dog, who was peering at Shelby. Shelby was at least three times his size, but he didn’t inch away, instead just standing there, watching to see what she would do. Dante finally walked to Shelby and nipped at her before taking off. Shelby looked at me for a moment and then turned to chase him.
Emma laughed. “I think they like each other,” she said.
We sat down on the bench and watched the dogs playing for a few moments. There was something so normal about it, two wealthy women meeting each other in this carefully manicured dog park and watching their dogs play together.
Except one of us wasn’t wealthy and was a complete and utter fraud. Part of me was appalled by the amount of information I knew about her and the fact that she would probably lose it if she knew that I had her lover’s cell phone in my drawer at home at that very moment. That I knew her neighbors didn’t like her very much, or that I’d come here today just to see her again.
“Chris?”
“Oh, sorry,” I said, turning to her. “What did you say?”
“I asked how long you and your husband have lived in the area.”
“A year,” I said, the lie slipping easily from my lips.
“What does he do?” she asked. “Is he an artist too?”
“He is, but he’s also a swim coach,” I said, and then because I’d gotten so used to saying it over the past year, I continued without thinking. “He was a swim coach.”
She sat there expectantly, waiting for me to continue, and I wanted to kick myself for oversharing. She didn’t need to know too much about my real life. I spoke slowly, measuring my words.
“He was in an accident about a year ago,” I said. “He isn’t able to swim anymore.”
I stopped, hoping she would let the conversation drop, but she held my gaze and nodded
. “That must be very hard on both of you,” she said. “I took care of my mother after her stroke a few years ago, so I know what it’s like to see someone you love in pain.”
It was a kind and oddly personal moment, and I could only smile and thank her before changing the subject.
“You said the other day that you were looking for some portraits,” I said. “So, would that just be you or other people?”
Her eyes widened, and she laughed. “Oh, no, you must think I’m horribly vain,” she said. “I don’t want portraits of myself. I want them of some of the models in our show that’s coming up.”
I frowned, and she shook her head.
“Sorry, let me start over,” she said. “We have a family business—a clothing line called Allure Apparel. Have you heard of it?”
I didn’t know if I should’ve so I figured it was time to pull back on the lies. “No, I haven’t,” I said, shaking my head. “Sorry.”
“Oh, don’t apologize,” she said. “It’s up-and-coming. Anyway, we’re having a few shows soon, and we’re renting out a warehouse in the West Loop. I’ve been trying to think of some ways to decorate the space, and when you mentioned that you did portraits, I thought that might be a great idea—to have you do some portraits of the models in the clothing that they’re going to be wearing on the night of the show! How amazing would that be?”
“Um, yes,” I said, nodding. “That would be something else.”
“Can I see some of your work?”
I hesitated.
She leaned forward. “Come on, just a couple.”
It had been a while since anyone had been interested in my paintings, and I smiled a little before pulling out my phone. I opened my photo album and scrolled through to find a few shots of some of my work.
“You did these?” she asked, her eyes widening. “They’re beautiful!” She tilted her head to one side. “Hey, I know this is totally random, but I’m having a little dinner party at my apartment on Saturday night. You should come! You could learn more about the line, see if it you’re interested, no strings attached.”
I smiled and shook my head slightly. “Oh, that’s nice of you, but I couldn’t…”
“Why not?” she asked. “I live right there.” She pointed down the block, and I turned and squinted as if I didn’t know where to look. “The brown brick one with the orange porch swing,” she said. “Apartment 2. Eight o’clock. If you’re not busy, I’d love to have you. You could meet the designer, the store owner, and take a look at some of the designs.”
I didn’t say anything.
She smiled. “I know. My sister says I can be a little bit impulsive about things. But when I meet someone who gives me good vibes, I tend to just go with it. And those paintings are truly impressive. Seriously, tell me you’ll at least think about it.”
There was no way in hell.
But I smiled and nodded. “Sure, I’ll think about it.”
“Here, take my number,” she said. “I left my phone upstairs, but you can text me yours. And again, no strings. If you want to come, just show up on Saturday at…?”
“Eight o’clock,” I said with a small smile. “I’ll definitely think about it.”
With shaking hands, I typed her number into my cell phone and saved it as Emma. Then I stared at my phone for a few moments and tapped around, just long enough to make her think I’d texted her my phone number.
Emma smiled and nodded. “There might be some major changes coming down the line for Allure, so this fashion show is really important to me. I hope you can make it Saturday. At the very least, come for the food. I’m ordering beef canapés from my favorite restaurant. If I can’t sell you on anything else, trust me, you want to come for those.”
We both laughed, and she sat up straighter. “Now, enough business. How was that concert you went to the other night? You said it was, um, Ryan Hooks, right?”
I watched her face, so innocent, and I wondered if I hadn’t known the truth, if I would’ve been able to read her so easily. Her eyes were discerning as she watched me, and I knew she was sizing me up too.
“It was great,” I said. “My friend surprised me with tickets at the last minute. It’s not something I typically would’ve gone to. Her daughter is a big fan.”
“But you’re not?” she asked, again with an innocent smile.
“Oh, no, he’s great,” I said. “I’m just not much of a concert kind of person. I like his music, though. Don’t you?”
“Yeah, sure,” she said with a barely believable, disinterested shrug.
I decided to push it.
“He’s married to Tiffane, right?” I asked. “She’s a lucky woman.”
Emma blinked, and then her eyes narrowed, just a bit. “Yeah, she is.”
“It must be amazing to be married to a man like that.” I had a hard time saying the words, but I pushed them out, and as I expected, they hit the mark.
“I’m sure it is,” she said softly, and then she leaned closer and put a hand on my shoulder. “But let me tell you a secret. For the most part, men are just men,” she said with a smile, and I could tell she was trying to decide how much to tell me. “Rich men, poor men, attractive men, unattractive. They’re all just men. Even Ryan Hooks,” she said, his name rolling sharply off her tongue. “He’s just a man, like anyone else…I’d bet.”
I smiled but didn’t say anything.
“In fact, I have a date tonight, with a very rich and important man.”
I blinked and tried to keep my expression as neutral as possible. I was in the best possible situation; I was a stranger to her, nobody at all, and she obviously wanted to talk.
“Ooh,” I said, leaning in. “A new boyfriend? How’d you meet?”
She blinked as if she hadn’t expected the question, and then she smiled. “Through mutual friends.”
I smiled, and then I just went for it. “Wait, he’s not famous, is he?”
She frowned and shook her head. “No. I wish.”
And then there was a secret smile on her face, and I wondered if she was enjoying the fact that she thought she had a secret that I knew nothing about.
I worked hard to make sure I didn’t have the same secret grin on my face. I leaned in closer. “Because if you know somebody rich and famous, I hope you’ll let me know if he has any friends,” I said.
We both laughed, but it didn’t reach her eyes any more than it reached mine.
Chapter 13
I got home that night and climbed into bed beside Keith.
I pulled out Hooks’s phone and began to aimlessly scroll through the text messages. I felt bad—Emma was nicer than I’d expected her to be. It wasn’t fair really; she was beautiful, wealthy, and she owned her own business.
She’d been charming and nice, and she wanted to hire me, of all things. It was almost laughable.
At the very least, she could be a jerk.
That would’ve made me feel better about what I was doing.
And there was something else.
It had taken me a few hours to connect the dots after I got home, but suddenly, something she had said jumped out to me.
There might be some major changes coming down the line for Allure, so this fashion show is really important to me.
I scrolled through the text messages until I found an exchange I’d read earlier that day, and when I scanned it a second time, I sucked in a breath.
June 12, 5:01 p.m.
Ryan: Hey
M: Hey you
Ryan: So random question for you.
Ryan: I’m going to be hiring a new assistant soon. What would you say if I asked you to take some time off from work and take the job.
M: You’re kidding
Ryan: I’m not
M: I can’t just do that. You know I can’t. Besides, I love my job
&
nbsp; Ryan: Wouldn’t you love being able to travel with me?
M: Of course, but…come on Ryan
Ryan: Okay, never mind. We already have a ton of applications in. Forget I brought it up.
M: Wait—let me think about it.
I felt a movement next to me, and Keith rolled over, pushing his face next to my own. “Hey,” he said, his voice gruff and sleep-filled. “When’d you get home?”
“About ten minutes ago,” I said. “Sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, I’ve been in and out of sleep, waiting for you to get here.”
“Why?” I asked, sitting up slightly. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” he said. “I talked to Randy today. He wants me to come along to the meet in Indianapolis next week.”
I frowned in the darkness. Randy was the Morton College swim coach and one of Keith’s best friends. “How are they getting there?”
“By bus.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “You thinking about going?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, and then I felt him nod against my shoulder. “Yeah, I want to,” he said. “I got really scared after what happened on Tuesday. But I was also so happy to be back. I don’t want to give up on this, babe.”
“Yeah, but maybe you should take it slow. An overnight trip so soon—”
“I can do it,” he said firmly.
I nodded quickly. “Okay,” I said. “That’s great. When is it? I can let David know I need some days off so I can come with you.”
“It’s on Tuesday, and we get back on Thursday,” he said. “But that’s okay.” He reached over and held my hand. “Believe me, I know I can do it if you’re there with me, but I need to do this on my own. Randy is going to come pick me up, and he’ll drop me off. I feel like it’s something I have to do. For me.”
“Okay,” I said again, squeezing his hand. “That’s great.”
“I also started reading up a bit on Dr. Reveno.”
I sucked in a breath. “Really?”
“Yes. And I just wanted to say thank you for pushing it, even when I gave you hell. And for everything you’ve done with the Art Bowl. I know they didn’t come to this decision without a bit of convincing on your part. Not sure I ever told you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
