Chasing Manhattan

by John Gray

Oscar saw a single tear fall from Charlie’s cheek as she reached down with both arms and scooped Bella up. She couldn’t speak any longer through sign language because her hands and fingers were locked tight around the white fur in a hug, but her watery eyes told Oscar everything he needed to know.

  Oscar gave Chase a nod and the two women returned.

  Mary fought back tears, seeing Charlie so happy holding the dog, then whispered to Chase, “Thank you.”

  Chase then asked Oscar, “Is Bella staying? Did you want to head back with Matthew now?”

  Oscar replied, “Um, yes to the first question and to the second, no, not yet. I have to show Charlie all my tricks I’ve taught Bella.”

  He then signed to Charlie, “Do you mind if I spend some time with you to teach you a few things?”

  Mary smiled and said, signing at the same time, “Why don’t I get the two of you lunch and we can call your mom and dad, Charlie, and let them know they might be getting a new family member.”

  Chase pulled Oscar to the side a moment and said, “You’re a good man, Oscar.”

  He just smiled and replied, “I was happy to help. I owe?”

  Chase was about to ask, owe who, when Charlie interrupted.

  She took Oscar by the hand, then signed, “Let me show you my house and barn and my horse. Do you like Harry Potter?”

  Oscar signed back, “I ADORE Harry Potter; just don’t put me in Slytherin, okay?”

  Before leaving, Oscar looked at his watch and called back to Chase, “Two hours? That should be enough time.”

  Chase nodded and said, “I’ll tell Matthew to meet you out front in two. Thanks again, Oscar.”

  Just as Chase turned and started walking toward the back of her own home, two tiny arms suddenly wrapped around her legs, almost causing her to fall. It was Charlie, giving her the sweetest hug she’d ever received. Without saying a word, the silent girl released her embrace and took up Bella’s leash to continue her short walk home with Oscar.

  Gavin was out on the patio watching all of this, and waiting for Chase with a cup of hot tea with lemon. Scooter was there too, sitting tall at Gavin’s side. Chase was probably imagining things, but she could swear her dog had a very satisfied look on his face, as if he had orchestrated the whole thing.

  CHAPTER 18

  Losing Her Touch

  It was now early December, and the grounds, trees, and rock walls that dotted the estate at Briarcliff Manor were covered with a fresh coating of light snow. At first glance, it appeared as if Betty Crocker herself had slipped in while everyone slept and put a fresh layer of vanilla icing on everything.

  While the snow was ever present, one thing was noticeably absent each morning when Chase awoke: the yellow rose they left on the stone wall behind the property. She had no idea what the significance of the rose was or who was taking it each night; Chase only knew she wanted to follow the instructions of the letter left for her by the previous owner. That meant the rose went on the wall, she was careful not to dig near the large maple tree out front, and one single pane of glass in the library must never be cleaned. She and Gavin looked at that specific patch of glass more than once, but it appeared exactly like the others around it.

  No matter, keeping a promise meant keeping it, even if you didn’t understand the reasons behind it. This was obviously a house that kept its secrets guarded. The worst-kept secret in the home, though, belonged to Gavin, who was working up the courage to ask the most important question a man can ask a woman he loves.

  “I’m not saying we should get engaged right now, but if we did, I’m just curious what kind of ring you’d want,” Gavin wondered aloud, while the two of them were side by side as Chase brushed her teeth.

  Chase turned to look at Gavin, her mouth full of water and paste, with green oozing out like some swamp creature in a horror movie.

  “Could you think of a more unromantic moment to ask such an important question?” Chase teased him.

  She instantly felt bad when Gavin hung his head like a little boy who had just been scolded for eating the last cookie.

  “Babe, I’m sorry, you just caught me off guard,” she said with a warm hug, hoping to make things better.

  Gavin smiled, and then said, “You’re right. And I was definitely NOT asking you, just curious about the ring, that’s all.”

  Chase squeezed Gavin’s face with both hands, saying, “If the ring came from you, whatever you chose would be perfect.”

  The two walked hand in hand into the kitchen and shared a big bowl of steel-cut oatmeal and wheat toast for breakfast. Off in the distance, Chase could see her young neighbor Charlie in her warm barn, the large wide doors pulled open to let in the light, as the little girl played fetch with Bella.

  The puppy that Chase had brought to Charlie three weeks earlier, after that strange game of Scrabble, had just the effect everyone hoped. Mary shared the news, not long after, that Charlie was indeed coming out of her shell and starting to make friends at school.

  Chase couldn’t take her eyes off of Charlie and the unbridled joy on her beautiful face.

  “Wanna get out of here and visit your friends at the café’?” Gavin asked Chase, as she broke her stare outside and turned to Gavin.

  “Really?” She lit up with a smile. “I’d love that.”

  As she ran up the stairs to get changed, Chase said, “Do you want to drive, or should we get Matthew to come out and get us? With this bitter cold weather, I really don’t feel like walking from the parking garage to the café, do you?”

  Gavin, already dressed in black khaki pants and a gray sweater, looked up the stairs and said, “We’re not walking. I knew you’d say you wanted to go to Manhattan, so I texted Matthew a half hour ago. He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  Chase stopped her ascent on a dime, turned, and came back down the stairs to give Gavin a kiss, saying, “Well, don’t I just have the smartest boyfriend?”

  He returned her affection with a wink and said, “You really do. I can’t deny it any longer.”

  The drive into the city took twice as long due to the fresh snow blanketing the roads; most city drivers were terrified of even an inch of it under their tires. Matthew took the G.W. bridge and then the West Side Highway, giving Chase and Scooter a nice view of the Hudson river out the passenger side window. Chase made sure to bring her dog, figuring he’d want to catch up with some of his old friends as well.

  As the dog sat between them in the back seat, Gavin was thinking of his father and the farm when he said, “I hope dad is okay. If this storm system dumped a couple inches of snow here, he may have gotten a foot that far north.”

  Chase replied, “Are you worried about him clearing the driveway or being able to get out?”

  “God no,” Gavin replied. “He has a snowmobile if he really needs to leave the farm. I’m more worried about snow piling up on the flat portion of the roof in the back of the house. After a storm, I climb up there and clear it off. I don’t want him on a ladder.”

  “You should call him then,” Chase said, with understanding in her voice.

  “I did,” Gavin said adding, “And he gave me a yeah, yeah, yeah, answer.”

  Chase’s driver, Matthew, overheard their conversation and said, “You talking about snow on a roof? We get that in my building down in the meat packing district. They don’t clear it off and I wish they did.”

  Chase, curious now, asked, “Why is that?”

  Matthew continued, “When the snow melts it gets flooded up there and then drips into the building and my apartment sometimes.”

  Gavin caught Matthew’s eyes in the rearview mirror and said, “That stinks. Sorry.”

  Matthew replied, “Thanks, Gavin. Hey, speaking of snow and buildings, do you two know what the weather looks like on Saturday? I ask because I have to move something heavy, and I don’t want to freeze or get snowed on carrying it outside.”

  Gavin thought a moment and said, “I think the snow is over and we’re about to warm
up for the weekend.”

  Then, after a thoughtful pause, Gavin added, “You know, Matthew, if you need help moving anything let me know. I have the pick-up truck, remember.”

  Matthew nodded as he pulled in front of the café, and then said, “Thanks for the offer and the weather forecast. I’ll let you know.”

  He put the car in park and added, “Okay, gang, we’re here. Just text me when you need me.”

  Chase touched Matthew on the shoulder and said, “Probably an hour or so. And hey, thanks for coming out and getting us.”

  As Matthew gave Chase a wink, she and Gavin exited the car with Scooter in tow, heading toward the café’s front door. Chase could tell, even before placing her hand on the doorknob, that the place was packed. Cold, snowy days made everyone crave hot coffee and muffins, it seemed.

  Raylan’s Fur-Ever Java café really was a melting pot of Gotham. One table was full of Wall Street types in two-thousand-dollar suits, and right next to them sat a group of teens who looked intent on bring back the grunge period of fashion. The owner of the coffee shop, Raylan, saw Chase and Gavin walk in, and immediately called Scooter over, giving him a bite of a blueberry muffin Deb had cut in half to split.

  “Hey, is that my half?” she asked teasingly. Raylan flashed a smile and then gave the always hungry dog the rest of the muffin, even letting him lick the small white plate. Deb loved Scooter, so she didn’t mind sharing her snack.

  “Full house, eh?” Gavin said, looking around for a place to sit but realizing every table was occupied.

  Raylan replied, “Hold up,” disappearing into a closet where he stored extra chairs. He pulled two out and took a wobbly wooden table that was being used to hold stacks of AM New York, a free daily newspaper, turning it into a quick place to sit.

  “Thanks, Ray Ray,” Chase said.

  Raylan pretended to frown and thought, only she could get away with calling him such a silly nickname.

  As they took a seat, Deb brought over two fresh cups of coffee and Chase noticed a familiar middle-aged woman, wearing more makeup than usual, alone at a table but well positioned to see all the café’s business, especially the front counter where Raylan was often perched.

  “Bonnie again, huh?” she said to Raylan.

  He glanced over, then back at Chase. “You mean Adele. Hadn’t even noticed her.”

  Chase replied, sounding less convinced, “Ah ha.”

  Gavin wasn’t following along and gave Chase a confused look, to which she said, “I’ll tell ya later.”

  Once they had their coffee in hand, Gavin surprised Chase when he asked, completely out of the blue, “Why do you think Scooter hasn’t done it again? With the board game. It has been a few weeks now.”

  Chase reached down to pet her dog, responding, “Honestly. I don’t know.”

  She paused now, thinking carefully about a memory from back in Manchester, then added, “When it happened at the church in Vermont, there was no rhyme or reason to it.”

  Gavin stared at the pup and said, “Maybe that was it then, maybe it’s done. We’re done, I mean.”

  Chase sipped the coffee, then looked up toward the counter and yelled, “This coffee is perfect, Deb, thank you.”

  Deb waved back without looking up, and Chase continued Gavin’s thought, saying, “Maybe it was a one-time thing.”

  Gavin stared off at the busy café when Chase added, “Of course that’s what I thought before, until he started barking at the church windows again.”

  Gavin then shifted gears entirely, asking a series of rapid-fire questions. “Since we’re in the puzzle-solving business today, who do you think takes the yellow roses off the wall? Why can’t we dig by some tree in the yard? Why is that one window in the house special and can’t be washed?”

  Chase nearly spit out her coffee, he caught her so off guard.

  After a quick pause, she replied, “Let’s see. I’ll answer them in the order you asked. I don’t know, I don’t know, and I don’t know.”

  Gavin continued. “Do you think we should find out?”

  Chase met his eyes. “Did we wake up today and confuse ourselves with Scooby-Doo and the gang from the mystery machine van?”

  Gavin smiled and said, “NO. But if we were, let’s both agree I’d be Fred, not Shaggy. And you are definitely more of a Daphne.”

  Chase fired back, “Hey, I like Velma, I’d just need the glasses.”

  The thought of it made them both smile.

  Chase then got serious, saying, “I don’t know, Gav. This whole thing, the article I wrote, the auction, the house, it’s all a bit like a dream. And all the old man asked on his deathbed was for us to follow three simple rules. Do we really want to mess with that?”

  Gavin thought a moment and said, “So respect his wishes?”

  She touched his strong hand and said, “For now anyway.”

  Judging from his face, it was not the answer Gavin wanted, causing Chase to add, “In my experience the truth always comes out when it’s ready, so let’s leave it alone for now.”

  Gavin nodded in agreement, then got up to use the restroom. Chase noticed there was a new dog in the café. It looked like a Labrador mix, dark brown with big, sad eyes. She assumed it must be another one from the shelter, there to replace Penelope, who had recently been adopted out to Delores. Chase could see Scooter was eager to meet the new coffee house guest, so she dropped his leash, allowing him to go over and say hello. The two dogs gave each other a quick sniff, before wagging their tails and deciding they’d be fast friends.

  She heard a giggle to her left and saw Raylan talking to Bonnie.

  As he turned to go, Bonnie said, “You wish, Raylan.”

  Chase whispered to Raylan, “Hey, Romeo, yeah you, come here.”

  Raylan walked over, a dirty cup and saucer in his hand, “You need something?” he asked.

  Chase looked at Bonnie then back at him and said, “Was that flirting I just saw going on?”

  Raylan, incredulous, replied, “No, please. She’s not even my type.”

  Chase continued. “Oh, we have a type, do we? Well, excuse me, then.”

  As he turned to go, appearing annoyed with her inquisition, she added, “I see she’s calling you Raylan now, not the other thing.”

  Raylan shook his head and walked on, making it clear that if he did have a love life, he wasn’t discussing it with Chase.

  She then got up and walked over to Bonnie’s table, taking a seat without being invited. “Hey, I’ve seen you here before and I wanted to introduce myself. I’m Chase.”

  Bonnie met her eyes, smiled, and said, “I know. I’m Bonnie, nice to finally meet you.”

  With the pleasantries out of the way, Chase dove right into the deep end of the pool, asking, “It’s none of my business, but, I get a vibe coming off you two.”

  Bonnie looked away, her face turning a light shade of red, and she said, “You mean Raylan. Oh, no, we’re just friends. Just friends.”

  Chase felt like pressing, but something told her to back off, so she said, “Okay. Fair enough. My mistake then. I really just came over to say hi. Enjoy your day.”

  Gavin returned and saw Chase returning to their tiny table and asked, “What was that about?”

  Chase, sounding defeated, replied, “I thought I was playing matchmaker, but both parties shut me down. I guess I’m losing my touch.”

  Gavin took both of her hands, saying, “Well, I like your touch, and I don’t think you’ve lost anything.”

  Chase looked deep in his eyes, and suddenly the café noise and crowd faded away.

  “I’ve never lost you, have I?” Chase asked, thoughtfully.

  Gavin gave her a light kiss and said, “Never.”

  Just then Chase’s phone made a loud DING, revealing a text message from her driver, Matthew. It was two words all in caps: OUT FRONT.

  A quick whistle from Gavin brought Scooter running back to join them, and the happy couple and pup made their way toward the door. The
snow had stopped, and the sun was doing its best to break through the hazy December sky.

  As they hit the sidewalk together, hand in hand, Chase asked, “You want to order a pizza and watch a movie tonight?”

  Gavin squeezed her hand and said, “Sounds perfect.”

  Scooter looked up at the both of them, knowing something much more exciting was on the evening’s agenda.

  CHAPTER 19

  The Wrong Break

  By the time Matthew dropped them off at Briarcliff Manor the sun was already low in the western sky. For a quiet home in the country, it was busier than ants at a picnic, because Chase could see the flower delivery man was standing on the front steps talking with the groundskeeper, Nick. On the stone steps next to them was the woman from the market delivering another two quarts of fresh milk. Chase and Gavin rarely drank milk, except in their cereal and coffee, but Chase didn’t have the heart to cancel the weekly order after the woman brought that first delivery in an act of pure kindness. Chase always believed unsolicited friendship was the rarest kind and deserved loyalty back. So, milk it was.

  The woman waved goodbye to the group and made her way back to a small van with her store name stamped on the side. The florist had other deliveries to make and was next to go.

  The driveway was clear of snow, and the sidewalks were shoveled and covered in a light dusting of rock salt, a clear indication Nick was indeed earning his keep.

  As he walked toward his truck, Chase called out, “I forgot you worked winters too, Nick. Thank you.”

  He smiled, saying, “Of course. Lawn in the summer, driveway in the winter. I even sweep the chimney.”

  Gavin picked up the milk carrier, Chase the fresh bundle of roses, and the two went into the warm home.

  “You wanna do rock, paper, scissors on who puts the flower out tonight?” Gavin asked playfully.

  “Nah, I got it,” Chase replied, placing six of the roses in a vase and marching out behind the house with the seventh rose in hand.

  Nick made her jump when he suddenly appeared around the side of the house, saying, “I’m so sorry, ma’am. Didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to see if you needed anything, before I left?’