Chapter 9
“What do you think?”Lori asked after she’d finished explaining her plans for the car and the old building.
On the video call, her mom nodded and smiled. “I think a couple of things,” she said and held up her finger. “One, it’s about time you did something about that vehicle. It feels like it’s become a symbol of your old life, and I couldn’t be happier that you’re not only getting rid of it, but also that it has the potential to have a very positive outcome. But,” she wagged her finger at the screen, “we’ll get Bruce to draw up a contract and liaise with Ms. Jackson’s attorney to ensure the particulars of your agreement are set in stone.”
That lightened her burden considerably. The only lawyer she knew other than the lawyer was her divorce attorney. And Bruce had been the family attorney before Lori was even born; he was family in all but name. “Amazing, Mom, thank you. After everything that’s happened over the past year or so, I want to make sure I have all the pieces in place and don’t go into this blind.”
“I understand, sweetheart. The lawyer seemed like a generous person too, didn’t she?”
Lori took a deep breath and glanced away from the tablet for a brief moment. If her mom had been there in person, she would’ve gone in for a hug. But with over a thousand miles between them, she didn’t want to take the lid off her emotions right now. Avoiding eye contact gave her a second to recompose herself. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? I’m not being harsh?”
“You shouldn’t second-guess yourself. After what the lawyer did to you, it’s little wonder that you’d be reluctant to trust anyone for a while, no matter how nice they might seem.”
Lori smiled, appreciating her mom’s willingness not to name her ex-wife.
“And it’s a good lesson to learn: trust has to be earned. We should take the lead of most animals in this world. They get the lay of the land and sniff butts before they accept someone into their space.”
“Animals are better than most people.” Lori chuckled. “I’m not about to open negotiations by sniffing Gabe’s butt, but I get what you mean.” She’d been dreaming about doing other things to Gabe’s butt and the rest of her, but in her waking hours, she could be far more civilized and detached. “Now I know that rust bucket could actually be valuable, I won’t let anyone take advantage of me.”
“That’s my girl. Once bitten, twice shy.”
Lori instinctively rubbed her forearm and shivered.
“Are you thinking about that giant centipede?” her mom asked.
“Yep. I still remember how much that hurt.”
“It could’ve been worse, sweetheart. The Indo-Chinese spitting cobra could’ve paid you a visit instead,” her mom said and winked.
Lori rolled her eyes but smiled at the memory. “That made me hate the place even more than I thought possible.”
“That didn’t last long once you met the baby elephants though, did it?”
Lori shook her head. That was the first time she’d fallen in love with something other than a Barbie doll. The grandfather clock chimed, and she looked across at it. “How is it noon already?”
“Tempus fugit, sweetheart, especially when we’re chatting. Do you have somewhere to be?”
“I’m meeting Gabe at two for lunch in Chicago,” Lori said, “to talk about how the restoration project might work and how long it could take. Logistics and things.” With those things meaning the chance to get to know her better and work on that friendship she’d offered.
Her mom raised both eyebrows. “Chicago?”
“I thought it might be nice to drive to see her, since she’s offering to do all the work.”
“And that’s a good idea, but that isn’t what surprised me. You haven’t been into Chicago for over a year, have you?”
“Not since the divorce, no.” Lori knew what her mom was driving at. She’d become a relative recluse since the lawyer had abandoned her, only venturing away from the Sanctuary for emergencies.
“That’s wonderful news. I’m so proud of you.”
Her mom had never been one to interfere in her life, but she’d always been her number one fan, and Lori could see the relief in her eyes. “I’ve got an hour before I have to leave.” She gestured to her face. “I’ve already gotten ready and put my mask on.”
Her mom tilted her head slightly, the way she did when she registered Lori’s subtext. “That’s good, sweetheart.”
“So you said you thought a couple of things about my plans,” Lori said. “We’ve covered the car, and if the lunch goes well and the restoration project looks viable, I’ll call Bruce to draw up a contract. What do you think about turning the building into a veterinary clinic?”
“I think it’s a lovely idea, and it’s so you to come to Ellery’s rescue. You’re like your father, that way.”
Lori frowned. “You’ve both dedicated your lives to rescuing animals, which has often involved rescuing the people around them too. I think I get that from both of you.”
“Correct, but I was also about to say that I love that you were able to put your emotions aside to think about the business benefits to the Sanctuary, and you definitely don’t get that from your father.”
Lori loved that her father could cry enough tears to provide a safe habitat for a clownfish after hearing a sob story. “Which is why I called to talk to you about this and not him.”
Her mom smiled. “Exactly.”
“So you think it’s a good idea?”
“I think it’s a great idea, but I wish you’d talked to me about figures before you made the offer. You’ve pitched yourself a little low.”
Lori shrugged. “Which is where Dad comes back into it. Ellery has been with me since the beginning, and she’s always gone the extra mile for me when I’ve needed it and more importantly, when I haven’t known that I needed it. I know that I could make more income if I rented it to a commercial enterprise, but that could also be a huge headache with potential noise, and light pollution, and God knows what else.
Her mom smiled widely.
“What?”
“I love you, that’s all. And I’m so proud of the woman you are.”
“Mom…”
“Well, I am, and you should hear it. You’ve clearly thought through all the pros and cons, and you’ve come up with a plan that suits everyone. It’s perfect. Is Ellery excited about it?”
“I don’t think she knew how to feel about it,” Lori said. “She said she was overwhelmed.”
“That’s not surprising. It’s a very generous offer. Perhaps she wanted to talk it over with her mom too.”
“That’s okay though, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ll ever get to an age when I won’t seek your advice on things.” And she didn’t even want to contemplate the time when her mom simply wouldn’t be around for her to ask.
Her mom waved the notion away like she was swatting a fly. “You’d better not!”
“Phew.” Lori sighed and enjoyed the warmth that spread through her chest. She really missed her mom and loved talking to her, but they were both so busy, they didn’t get to connect anywhere near as much as she liked. “Will you ask Bruce to draw up a contract and rental agreement for that too?”
“Not yet. I’ll talk to him about it and get him to call you, but there’s no point in us paying him for work that may not be needed. How long have you given Ellery to get back to you?”
Lori bit her lip. “I didn’t give her a schedule. I didn’t think there was any hurry.”
“But she shouldn’t keep you waiting indefinitely.”
“She wouldn’t do that.”
Her mom wrinkled her nose. “I’m sure she wouldn’t, sweetheart, but if she decides she doesn’t want it, I bet there are plenty of non-profits in your area that you could look at. Now that you’ve made the decision to do something about that building, you should maintain your momentum. Remember, this isn’t just about the bricks and mortar; that building represents a part of your life that you’re getting away from.”
Lori nodded. Her mom was right, of course, as she almost always was, which was only mildly frustrating. “How long should I give her to think about it?”
“No more than two weeks, for a principal decision anyway. You don’t have to have all the answers and the particulars settled in that time, but she should be able to give a firm commitment that she wants to move forward with the idea.” Her mom stopped to take a sip of iced tea. “Those lemons you sent me were beautiful, by the way. So tasty.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m glad they made it to you fully formed,” she said. “So then Bruce will talk to Ellery’s lawyer to hash out an agreement?”
“Exactly. And that might take a little more time than usual, given that you both need the flexibility to assess the picture at the end of each fiscal year and potentially change the figures.”
Lori’s enthusiasm for the idea had deepened as their conversation had progressed, and she couldn’t wait to talk with Gabe and Ellery more. Although she had to admit that meeting Gabe for lunch took precedence. It had been a while since someone new and exciting, and who didn’t work for her, had come into her life, and she was looking forward to getting to know Gabe better. The restoration project itself held little interest, and it wouldn’t until she could begin to plan the actual auction, but building a new friendship with a person as interesting as Gabe seemed to be was very appealing indeed.
Before Lori opened the large glass door to the restaurant, she waved at Gabe, who was sitting in a booth facing the window. Gabe’s slightly crooked and awkward smile made it clear that she wasn’t sure how to handle this lunch. That wasn’t surprising given that Lori had all but dismissed Gabe’s restoration project idea moments before shutting down any potential sexual relationship too.
She entered the burger joint, already fixed on establishing open communication. If they were going to have a business agreement, neither of them needed potential misinterpretation clouding the water, and Lori had never been someone who enjoyed playing power games with people, unlike the lawyer. She pushed that thought away for now and realized she had more processing to do; the lawyer had been on her mind a lot more since Gabe had come into her life two weeks ago. But that was for her and her therapist to sift through another time. Right now, she wanted to continue on this friendship path and not taint it with any comparisons to the lawyer.
“Hey.” Gabe stood to greet her, still looking hesitant.
A hug? A handshake? A kiss on the cheek? Lori took all three options off the table by sliding into the booth opposite where Gabe had been sitting. “Hi, Gabe. How are you?”
“Really good, thanks. And you?”
“Great,” Lori said. God, this wasn’t even a date, and she was already reminded of why she hated dating. The best way to push through this phase was to dive right into the deeper stuff, wasn’t it? That’s what Rosie always purported anyway. And didn’t it make sense that the same rules could be applied to friendships? In many ways, they were more or less the same as sexual relationships. There were just no physical benefits. “I chatted with my mom this morning, and that always brightens my day.”
“Yeah?” Gabe smiled. “That must be nice.”
Before Lori could dig into that response, the waiter came to the table to get their drinks order. She scanned the menu quickly. “Coke Zero, please.”
“Do you mind if I have a beer?”
“Of course not,” she said, wondering why Gabe would think she’d mind.
“I know it’s early, but I’m a little nervous.”
The shy grin that accompanied Gabe’s confession was adorable, even though it seemed totally out of place. She’d seemed supremely self-confident in their previous two meetings. “Why are you nervous?”
“You’re not?”
Lori narrowed her eyes. “Should I be?”
“I hope not.” Gabe laughed and shook her head. “I’m nervous because I don’t want to mess up like I did last time.”
“As long as you don’t start throwing out a bunch of cheesy lines, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Lori was tempted to pat Gabe’s arm to comfort her but thought better of it. She admired the intricate ink that covered almost all of the skin on her forearm now that she could see it up close. “Is that a Metatron cube?” she asked, pointing at the center of Gabe’s tattoo sleeve.
Gabe tilted her head slightly. “You recognize it?”
“I do. Are you religious?”
“Much to my family’s shame, not really. I believe in something, yeah, but not God, per se.” Gabe ran her fingers over the design. “But that’s not what this is about. I only had it done just before I came out of the Army.”
Lori leaned back and settled against the soft leather of the booth’s high back. “Is it symbolic in some way?”
Gabe nodded. “I like what it stands for: balance and harmony, and how everything’s connected somehow. It’s comforting, I think, to believe there’s a point to it all.”
Rosie was right. Going deep right off the bat seemed to have instantly relaxed Gabe. “How many tattoos do you have?” Lori had counted three on her arms and a fourth peeking out from her shirt collar, heading toward the nape of her neck.
“Mm…” Gabe said, then began to count them off with her fingers.
Lori was intrigued when Gabe needed her second hand but when she continued onto a third and then fourth round, Lori wondered if Gabe had any bare skin left at all.
“Eighteen.” Gabe jutted her chin. “Do you have any?”
“Just one.” And there was the specter of the lawyer again. “But I need to get it fixed.”
“Bad artist?”
“Bad decision.”
Gabe looked like she might push for further details, but thankfully the waiter returned with their drinks.
“Are you ready to order?” he asked.
“Sorry, we need another minute,” Lori said and picked up a menu as he left them alone once again.
“You were about to tell me about your only tattoo and why it needs to be fixed,” Gabe said.
“I don’t believe I was,” she said, more sharply than she’d intended. “It’s a long story, for another time. I suppose it’s the kind of thing I might talk about when we’re in triple-digit friendship lunch territory.”
“That’s a lot of lunches.” Gabe smiled. “But okay, no problem.”
Lori wafted the thick menu book. “Any recommendations?”
Gabe shook her head. “I’ve never been here before, but my buddy Solo said that we should just work our way through the menu over the next year or so.”
“Solo?”
“Hannah Rodgers. Solo is her Army nickname, and it’s not as easy as you’d think to let them go.”
Lori frowned, not getting the connection. “So why Solo?”
“Are you being serious right now?”
She laughed at Gabe’s suspicious expression and serious tone. “Yes?”
“Star Wars,” Gabe said as if that explained everything.
“Peace planet!” Lori shook her head when Gabe looked even more befuddled. “Are we doing word association?”
“The movie, Star Wars. Han Solo was the hero. Her name is Hannah. Hence, Solo.”
Lori pressed her lips together in an effort not to laugh. “So she’s a movie geek or she was a hero?”
Gabe smiled. “I suppose she’s both, but don’t tell her I said that or her head won’t fit through the door. We served together, and now we’re in business together. She and her wife, Janie, live in Boystown with triplets.”
Lori widened her eyes. “Triplets?”
“That was my reaction too. Three for the price of one. And they’re identical. I had nightmares for a week after meeting them once. I think they’re going to take over the world when they grow up. The oldest—Tia—is the ringleader. God help Solo and Janie now that they’re walking.”
“Do you like kids as much as you like dogs?”
Gabe grumbled. “We should maybe decide what we’re eating before we go down that road.”
“Okay,” Lori said and tapped the menu. “But I still want your answer. I won’t forget.”
“I’m sure you won’t.”
Gabe held Lori’s gaze long enough for Lori to appreciate the rich hues of green edged by chocolate brown in Gabe’s eyes. She pulled her focus down to the menu reluctantly and sighed.
“Is something wrong?” Gabe asked.
“Not at all. It’s just…this is a lot of burgers.” She flicked through the pages and pages of options.
“I know, right?” Gabe grinned.
She’d ducked that one. Her sigh had been nothing to do with the menu and everything to do with beauty in Gabe’s eyes…but the lawyer had pretty eyes too, and Lori had failed to see the dark soul that lingered behind them until the very end.
When the waiter returned, Gabe ordered a triple-decker and Lori went with a simple burger with no cheese. Gabe raised her eyebrows slightly but didn’t comment. “You’re wondering about my choice when there are all these options, aren’t you?”
Gabe shrugged. “Would you rather go somewhere else? I passed a sushi bar and a pie place just around the corner. Chicago’s pizza is something else.”
“No, this is fine. I love burgers.” She gestured to her shirt. “I was severely tempted by the Tex-Mex one, but melted cheese, guacamole, and chili don’t wash out of silk.” Lori had overthought every aspect of this lunch, but she hadn’t considered her outfit choice in relation to the food at all. Silk made her feel confident, and on her first sojourn into the city in so long, she’d needed that extra boost.
Gabe flicked out a napkin and tucked it into the open collar of her button-down shirt. “This always works for me.”
Lori laughed. “I don’t think it does.”
Gabe straightened the napkin like it was a tie. “I think it gives me the professional look I’m going for. This is an important meeting, and I’m taking it very seriously,” she said before grinning and pulling it off.
“Mm, nice segue.” Lori clapped quietly. “Is that your way of avoiding my question about kids?”
“Wow, you really didn’t forget. You’re like an elephant.”
“Hardly. It was only a few minutes ago, although I don’t know how to feel about you comparing me to a nine-thousand-pound animal with tushes.”
“Tushies? Don’t all animals have tushies?”
Lori shook her head. “Tushes, not tushies. It’s what female elephants have instead of tusks.”
“Huh. So you don’t just know about dogs and horses then?”
“I’ve worked with elephants too, yes. But that’s another long story, and you’re eager to get to business, so you should just answer my question about dogs and kids, and then we can talk about what you want to do with that rusty old thing on my property.”
“Fine,” Gabe said and gave Lori a crooked grin. “But you have to promise not to judge. My opinion on children has got nothing to do with my overall niceness, and it doesn’t affect my qualities as a friend.”
Lori arched her eyebrow. “Unless your friend has children and needs you to babysit.”
“You don’t have kids, do you?”
She laughed at the abject panic on Gabe’s face. “Wow, you really don’t like them.”
“Whoa, hold on. I didn’t say that. I’m just not a big fan, especially when they’re young and don’t really do anything useful.”
Lori took a quick sip of her drink to prolong Gabe’s agony. “You judge a child by how useful they are to you?”
“Oh my God, no! That’s not what I meant at all. I?—”
Lori put her hand on Gabe’s wrist. “Relax. I’m just messing with you. I much prefer animals to children.”
Gabe let out a huge breath then took a long pull on her beer. “I wanted one of these to help with my nervousness. Now I need a whole case to help me cope with your teasing.”
“If we’re going to be friends, you’ll need to get used to my sense of humor,” she said and released Gabe’s wrist.
Gabe tipped her beer bottle to Lori’s glass. “Here’s to an interesting friendship.”
Lori drank to the toast then said, “And a potential business relationship.”
“You make it sound a lot more formal than a friend just helping a friend out.”
“What you’re offering is far more than that, Gabe. And I have to put certain things in place because it’s for the Sanctuary.”
“Oh, okay. Of course.” Gabe nodded.
Lori noted Gabe’s slight surprise but pressed on. “So should we talk about how this might work, and what you’ll need from me first?” Lori opened her purse and took out her tablet. She started a new notes document and wrote Rust Bucket Project at the top of the screen.
Gabe pointed to the title. “You don’t have much love for this car, do you?”
You have no idea. “I’ve never been a car person. As long as they’re reliable and get me where I need to go, I don’t really think about them. And this one has been taking up too much space in that building for way too long.” And it had been taking up too much space in her heart and mind too. That damn vehicle had caused countless arguments, and she’d shed way too many tears for it. Thinking about it wasn’t what she really wanted to be doing, but like her mom had said, the car was a symbol now, and dealing with it was part of her moving on.
But Gabe didn’t need to know that to get this project off the ground.
“I bet when we’ve finished restoring it, you won’t want to part with it,” Gabe said. “I can imagine you behind the wheel—like a reverse Cruella de Ville, saving puppies instead of… Well, you know.”
The metaphor made Lori smile, and she liked that Gabe saw her as chic and glamorous. But she was also very wrong. “I’ll take that bet. What’s the wager?”
“If I’m right, and you’re even a little bit tempted to keep the Brewster, you tell me your tattoo story.”
Lori resisted the extreme temptation to bargain for Gabe to strip naked and explain each and every one of her eighteen tattoos. “When I win, because I won’t be even the tiniest bit tantalized to hang on to it, I’ll figure out what I want from you.”
“And you promise to be honest?”
“I promise, as long as you promise the same.” She swallowed the bitter reminder of that part of her wedding vows and immediately decided to book an extra session with her therapist for next week.
“I do.” Gabe held out her hand. “Deal.”
They shook hands as the waiter arrived with their food. Lori pushed her tablet to the side and whistled at the sight of Gabe’s giant burger. “That is a lot of meat.”
When Gabe picked it up, it didn’t look as big in her hands, and Lori stopped that train of thought before it even left the station of her mind.
“These muscles take a lot of fueling.” Gabe took a huge bite and escaping mayo dribbled down her chin.
She wiped it away with her napkin before Lori could do anything she’d regret, after Lori had sneaked a glance at the way Gabe’s biceps stretched the arms of her shirt to their limit. “I can relate,” she said, gently patting her Buddha belly.
“You’re perfect. What’re you talking about?” Gabe said after she’d swallowed her food.
Lori’s cheeks flushed, and she concentrated on counting the sesame seeds on her burger bun for the next minute.
“Sorry. Did that count as a cheesy line?” Gabe asked after a short silence. “I can compliment you as a friend, right?”
Lori nodded. “You can. I’m just not very good at knowing how to receive them.”
“Hopefully you’ll get better as our friendship grows.”
“Hopefully.” She smiled and continued to eat her burger. When she’d had enough, she pushed her plate aside and slid her tablet back into position. She looked up to see that Gabe had already finished, and her plate was impressively spotless.
Gabe gestured toward Lori’s iPad. “Back to business without dessert?”
“I don’t think we can say we’re getting back to it when we haven’t really started,” Lori said.
“Are you in a rush to leave?”
“No. Beth’s in charge at the Sanctuary, and I still have a few hours before I have to get back, but we haven’t even started talking about the project yet.”
“How about we have dessert and then go down the street to the Copper Pot coffee shop to talk business?” Gabe opened the menu to the sweets section, turned it to face Lori, and wiggled her eyebrows. “You can’t tell me there’s nothing on here to tempt you.”
Lori sighed. It wasn’t the desserts doing the tempting…