Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
“Are you mooning over Graham again?” Ava demanded to know.
The girls had been giving me grief all through dinner, trying to get me to spill my guts about what was going on between me and Graham, but it was still too new, I just couldn’t.
“No,” I lied. “I’m thinking about the puppy that Roxie operated on yesterday. He was in a lot of pain, and I hated leaving him.”
I looked down at the table so Ava couldn’t look me in the eye.
“Hmmm,” Ava looked at me suspiciously. “It’s possible, but not probable. I know a man-daze when I see one.”
“Leave her alone,” Glenda interrupted. “She has a soft heart. I’ve seen her with the animals. She loves all of them.”
I raised my water glass in Glenda’s direction, and I scrunched my nose at Ava. “See, Glenda understands me.”
Roxie, Emmie, Piper, and Ava looked at one another and cackled. Damn, I hoped Glenda didn’t feel they were laughing at her. When I looked at Glenda, I could see her preening.
She leaned over and patted my hand. “I knew we understood one another,” she whispered.
I smiled at her and nodded.
This was the first time we had invited Glenda to one of our dinners. She was nice, and I could tell she was trying to fit in. But despite Ava telling her we were heading to a club after dinner, she was still dressed like she was heading to a board meeting or something.
“Why don’t you drive with me over to the club, instead of with Emmie and Piper?” Glenda suggested.
“Isn’t your navigation system working?” I asked.
“It’s working,” she laughed lightly. “But us driving together will give us a little bit more time to get to know one another even better. It’ll be hard to hear one another at the club.”
I laughed. “You’re right about that. I’ll let the girls know I’m riding with you.”
Truth be told, I would have preferred to be riding with Emmie and Piper, but we were all working to make Glenda feel like one of the girls, and this was how it was done.
After dinner, we all waited by the valet kiosk for our cars. Glenda’s was the last to arrive.
“What took you so long?” Glenda demanded to know.
“We’re kind of backed up,” the young man said apologetically.
In my opinion, he had nothing to apologize for. All three of our cars came out pretty damn fast. But oh well.
“Well, don’t expect a tip after such lousy service,” Glenda growled as she snatched her keys out of his hand. I gave the kid who was opening the passenger side door for me an uneasy smile as I slid into my seat. He just shrugged and grinned, as if to say he’d seen it all.
It took us a little over a minute to get onto the main thoroughfare toward the bar, and at that point, Glenda started talking. “You have to do that, you know.”
“Do what?”
“Hold people accountable. If somebody isn’t doing their job right, or is taking advantage of you, you can’t let them get away with it.
You’re young, Joy, so let me tell you as someone a little older.
” She flashed me a bright smile. “Just a little, mind you.” Then she laughed.
“Don’t let people run roughshod over you.
Push back. Make yourself heard. Make them see you. ”
I frowned, trying to understand where this was coming from. “Who didn’t listen to you?” I asked softly.
We passed by two exits before Glenda answered.
“Rob,” she said in a small voice. “He always expected me to do what he said. I hope you never find yourself in the same kind of situation I found myself in with him. I know how attractive you are. He was smitten with you when we both listened to you sing. When a charismatic man starts out making suggestions, it doesn’t feel wrong.
But it can escalate. Be careful, Joy. We’re a lot alike.
Don’t let a man end up controlling you.”
I shifted in my seat and gripped my purse tighter. Rob sounded worse than a dick.
“Are you listening, Joy?”
“I’m hearing everything you’re saying.”
“Good.”
Two days later, when I arrived for my shift, Roxie and Ava were still giving me shit about mooning over Graham.
“You are so gone,” Ava giggled. “What I want to know is if he has your heart or just your va-jay-jay.”
“Stop that, Ava,” Roxie protested. “You only have to look at her to see that she’s in lust… and love. But the good thing is, it looks like Graham is, too.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Let me give it to her,” Ava said, jumping to her feet.
“They’re in my office,” Roxie protested, “so I get to give them to her.”
“Yeah, but I’m taller than you. If you carry it, you won’t be able to see where you’re going.” Ava jogged down the hall to Roxie’s office. I had no idea what they were talking about, but they certainly had my curiosity piqued.
Then I saw a bouquet with Ava’s legs walking down the hall toward me. Bright red roses, soft pink peonies, and white lilies exploded out of a crystal vase, tied up with an elegant silver ribbon.
Holy hell! It must have cost a fortune. Graham could have bought a nice coffee table for the price of those flowers. What was he thinking?
“You’d be proud. Neither of us peeked at the card.” Roxie grinned at me.
“Somebody licked it shut.” Ava pouted as she put the vase on her desk. I could see the note tucked deep in the bouquet.
“I need to call Graham,” I said as I grabbed my phone. “This is over the top.”
“No, you need to read the note first,” Ava protested. “Out loud.”
“She’s right,” Roxie nodded.
I plucked the note out from where it was nestled in the flowers. It wasn’t the little envelope that normally came with flowers. This was Hallmark card-sized. My name was on it, in nice cursive writing.
I frowned. Graham never wrote in script. He always printed in capital letters. Maybe this was written by the florist. Weird.
I opened the envelope and pulled out a thick ivory note card with silver edges.
I got goosebumps. This wasn’t from Graham. I just knew it.
Hell, I didn’t even want to be touching the damn note. It seemed creepy. I looked up at Roxie and Ava.
“What?” Roxie asked.
“Read it,” Ava practically begged.
I sucked in a deep breath, then read the note.
My beautiful Joy,
From the moment I saw you, I knew you were mine. Fate made you just for me.
I first noticed how your smile shines brighter for me than anyone else.
I saw the way your head tilted toward me as you laughed, like there was no one else in the room.
I watched your eyes follow me when you thought no one else was looking.
You want me almost as much as I want you, even though that is not possible.
You make the blood in my veins boil.
You make me want to sing or fly or destroy anything that threatens to take you away from me.
I will prove myself to you, and when I do, you will know the depth of my love.
Until we are together, believe in me. Believe in us. There is no other choice.
Yours. Always. Forever.
Bile burned the back of my throat. My hands went numb, my breath locked in my chest. The card slipped from my nerveless fingers like it had burned me.
“Who delivered this?” My voice was shaky.
“Some kid from one of the fancy flower shops downtown,” Ava said. “I signed for it, so let me see.” She rifled through some papers on her desk. “Are you saying they aren’t from Graham?”
Roxie picked up the card and scanned it. “You’re right. There isn’t a chance in hell Graham wrote this.”
“Exactly,” I agreed softly. “Ava, can you call the florist and see who bought these?”
“Joy, before I do that, don’t you think you should confirm they’re not from Graham? Has he ever sent you something?” Ava asked. “Maybe his written communication is different than how he speaks.”
“I don’t have to, it was written by a madman,” I mumbled. I was trembling. But she was right. I needed to talk to Graham. I pulled out my phone and pressed in Graham’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“Hi, Doll, thanks for calling. I always like to know that you made it to work okay.” I could hear the warm smile in Graham’s voice.
“Yeah,” I said, as I struggled to keep the quaver out of my voice. “I have to ask you a question.”
“Are you okay?”
Shit, he must have noticed my tone of voice.
“I’m fine. Will you answer my question?”
“Sure. Shoot.”
“Did you send me flowers?”
“No. Was I supposed to?” Graham chuckled. “I will if you want. What kind do you like?”
“I’m serious.”
“Joy. What’s wrong?” Graham’s voice was sharp. “Tell me. Did someone send you flowers? You sound freaked out.”
I guess I wasn’t hiding my distress all that well. “Y-Yes,” I stammered.
Roxie and Ava were watching me closely.
“Did Graham send you the flowers?” Ava asked.
“No, he didn’t,” I answered. “I told you he didn’t write that card.”
“Who are you talking to, Joy?” Graham wanted to know.
“It’s A-Ava.” Dammit, my voice was shaky again.
“Put me on speaker.”
I did as he asked.
“Ava, it’s me, Graham,” he announced.
“I know. Roxie’s with me. Joy got a humongous and beautiful bouquet of flowers, and it’s freaking her the fuck out. She didn’t think it was from you after she read the card, but I told her to call you just to make sure.”
“That was good thinking, Ava. Joy, what did the card say?”
I looked over at Roxie, who was holding the card. She tried to hand it to me, but I held up my hands to stop her and shook my head. There was no way that I was going to touch that thing again. Just thinking about it made my skin crawl.
“She doesn’t want to touch it, Graham,” Roxie said. “I’ll read it to you.” Roxie read the note aloud to Graham. I hated having to listen to it again. When Roxie was finished, Graham spoke up.
“Fuck, that’s whacked. No wonder you’re freaked, Joy.”
I literally jumped when something cracked against the front door of the veterinary clinic. My pulse spiked like a gunshot had gone off.
All three of our heads turned to look out the glass front door. Glenda stood there, and it felt like she was staring at me. Then I realized she was holding a cat carrier.
My gut clenched. I wasn’t up to talking to anyone, but I started to the door anyway. Roxie stopped me. “Stay here and talk to Graham. I’ll go see what’s wrong with Rosebud.”
“What’s going on?” Graham asked.
“It’s Glenda, she’s here with her cat,” I told him. I was finally getting my shit together. “Graham, don’t worry, I knew you would never write anything like that. I know you better than that,” I assured him.
Roxie and Glenda walked up to us. Roxie was holding Glenda’s kitten in her arms.
“Yeah, she said it was a madman who wrote the note,” Ava assured Graham.
“There’s a madman?” Glenda asked. She turned and looked at me. “Joy, you look pale, are you all right?” She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. I shivered and shook my head.
“So, is that a yes or a no?” she asked. I didn’t want to talk. I looked over at Roxie, who caught on to my distress.
“It’s a long story,” Roxie gave Glenda a professional smile. “Let’s get you and Rosebud back to an exam room, and we’ll see what’s wrong with her, shall we?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing really bad. I was thinking that if she got a chance to visit with some of the other cats…” Glenda’s voice trailed off.
“No,” Roxie said firmly. “If Rosebud isn’t feeling well, she might have something contagious, and we can’t have her back there with the other cats. I have to tell you, Glenda, I’m a little worried. She seems to have lost some weight since I last saw her. Let’s go on back.”
“Thanks for your concern, Roxie.”
“That’s just who she is,” Ava smiled.
“You have my number, Joy,” Glenda said. “Don’t hesitate to use it. Sometimes having an older friend to lean on is exactly what the doctor ordered.”
I gave her a wan look. “Yeah, okay.”
She gave me a soft smile. She was so nice. “Anything you need, just ask.”
“Glenda, Graham’s on the phone, I need to speak to him.” I pointed to the phone on Ava’s desk. “Let Roxie check over Rosebud, and I’ll give her a cat treat before the two of you leave.”
She patted my shoulder. “Okay.”
“Are you done, Joy?” Graham growled. “Can we get back to the reason you thought a madman wrote you the note?”
I licked my bottom lip and gripped the edge of Ava’s desk. “I don’t know why I said that,” I lied.
“You’re lying,” Graham called me out.
“Maybe I’m just paranoid. New job. Staying in a new house. New boyfriend…”
There was a long pause, and I realized my mistake. I shouldn’t have said that. “Graham, I didn’t mean it.”
“You’re right, you are going through a lot of changes, but it doesn’t negate the fact that you’re fucking lying. Now tell me the truth. Why are you freaked the fuck out?”
“Fine!” The word burst out of me. “I’ve been stalked before. I never got a bouquet of flowers like this before, but I’ve gotten creepy notes. I know what it feels like. I know what this is.”
“Fuck!” Ava shouted. “What in the hell happened? Did they get the guy?”
“No, they didn’t,” I all but shouted back. I was practically in tears.
“You listen to me. All of you. Nobody leaves Joy by herself. Got it? Nobody. Lock the doors and set the goddamn alarm! I don’t even want her going into the bathroom alone, you got me?”
He paused.
“You got me?” he snarled.
“Yes,” Ava squeaked out. She gave me the ‘eek’ face.
“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in twenty. Don’t move.”
My phone went dead.
Ava and I looked at one another, then she edged around me and went to the alarm panel on the wall and set the alarm that none of us had reset after letting Glenda into the clinic.
Then she turned around, and our eyes met above the bouquet.
The smell of the flowers was oppressive. I wanted them gone!
Suddenly everything in the clinic seemed wrong. Hell, even the dogs were quieter. My skin felt like fire ants were crawling just beneath the surface. Even Glenda, God love her, actually irritated me a little, so that told me just how out of sorts I was.
I needed these flowers gone.
I needed Graham.