Chapter 2 #2
“They are a handful.” She laughed. “I gave them a bath last night. It was…interesting. I ended up getting in with them. The floor of the bathroom was soaked and they were slippery as hell when we all got out.”
“Can you hold the two of them at once?”
“Yes. I corralled them in my arms and their bedroom is right off the bath. By the time I managed to dry them off, their eyes were already drooping. They fell asleep right away.”
“I’m amazed. I don’t know if I could do all that.”
“You could if you had to.”
“Why did you adopt twins?”
“I told you my mother is a pediatrician and twins were born to one of her patients. The biological mother, only fifteen, wasn’t ready to be a mom so she asked my mom to find them a home. I lucked out.”
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “So did they.”
The restaurant wasn’t busy this early in the evening and they were seated right away at a corner table, which was private.
A waiter came right over. “Good evening. I’m Benjamin. Would you like a cocktail first?”
Oliver looked to her.
“I’ll have cabernet.”
“Bring us a bottle. I like red wine, too.”
When Benjamin left, she said, “I don’t drink much, Oliver.”
“We don’t have to finish it.” He held her gaze. “Why Interventional Cardiology?”
“I love the mechanisms of the heart. When I had to choose a specialty after med school, I picked cardiology. I found it captivating. But I knew I wanted to be a mother and wasn’t sure I could stand the pressure of literally holding a life in my hands.
But IC makes it possible to work with the heart. ”
“That’s fascinating, Anabelle.”
She loved the way he said her name.
Their wine arrived and after it was poured, he lifted his glass. She did too. They clinked. “To many more dinners and…” his sky-blue eyes danced, “other things.”
“Oliver, I didn’t commit to anything more than tonight.”
“Then I’ll have to make this so special that you can’t resist seeing me again.”
She sighed and sipped. Then she asked, “What about you? Why massage therapy?”
“Mostly, I like making people feel better. I knew doctoring or nursing wasn’t my path so in college, I majored in science and anatomy.
Then, when I graduated, a friend gave me a gift certificate for a massage.
I knew almost immediately that was something I was interested in.
So I went after it hard. I had 500-1,000 hours of training, got certificates in the discipline.
Then I attended The Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage right here in Rockford.
Afterward, I passed the licensing exam. Last, I did apprenticeships and internships. ”
Her jaw dropped. “I had no idea there was that much training required to become a massage therapist.”
“Most people don’t. They think it’s just a matter of taking a few courses.”
“Did you know that was expected of you?”
“No, not at first. But I found out before I started.”
“Big congratulations are in order.”
“Says the cardiologist with years of schooling. Now, tell me about your family.”
They ordered first, then discussed their families.
At one point he said, “I have to tell you that my mother is very clingy.”
“I got the impression you took care of her more than your brothers.”
“I do. But I insisted that we split equally the two weeks she can’t be alone.”
“Good for you.”
“I like being with her sometimes. But other times, she’s a real pain. But I do love her very much and appreciate the efforts she put in to raise us all.”
Anabelle studied him. He had a lot in his life.
But so did she.
The house salad was crisp and tasty. The lasagna was cheesy and spicy. They kept talking even while they ate.
When they finished she glanced at her watch. “Oh, my gosh, it’s nine o’clock.”
“And still we haven’t had dessert.”
“Not tonight.” She put her hand on her stomach. “I’m full.”
On the car ride back to the collective, they talked some more.
He said, “Finn and Juliet are my closest friends. Of my brothers, I’m closest to Matt.”
“My mom’s my best friend and dad is a close second. But I have acquaintances at work that I like. We share some stories and talk about politics.”
He pulled into Harmony Healing and parked right next to her car. The collective itself was dark inside but the parking lot was well lit.
“It’s very bright here.”
He faced her over the gear shift. “I have to tell you something. We had some issues at the collective that I’ll go into some other time. Consequently, that car over in the last parking space belongs to the night guards.”
“I see.” When he shut off the engine, he said, “Don’t get out.” He went to her side and opened the door. Once they were standing between their cars, she turned to him. And smiled.
“I intend to kiss you, you know, if that’s all right.”
“I’d like that, Oliver.”
Leaning into her, he tipped her chin and brushed his lips with hers. “Is this enough?”
She reveled in his closeness. “No, I want more.”
He slid arms around her and drew her to him. He was all muscle and sinew and his embrace was strong, but not aggressive. He lowered his head and deepened the kiss. Her hand went to his neck and she kissed him back. Still the contact was soft and gentle.
He pulled back first. “That’s enough for now. We have to get to know each other better before we do…more.” He opened her car door. “Go ahead and get inside. Since you came to me this time, I’ll call about another get together.”
She slid into her front seat. “Thanks, Oliver. Tonight was very special.”
“Indeed it was, pretty lady.”
* * *
Scarlet Smith drew her patient out of the trance gently. When the woman, Cora Bracken, opened her eyes she sighed. “I feel better.”
“You talked a lot.”
“I had no idea I was stuffing all that conflict.”
“Can you verbalize what you learned about yourself?”
“That I resent my ex, a lot. That I’m worried about my son Eric. And that I don’t give myself a break. Ever.”
“I’d say that’s quite a bit to learn about yourself. Shall we discuss one of those issues and see if I can help with it?”
“Absolutely.”
At the end of the session, Cora left a happier person. This was Scarlet’s last appointment of the day, and she could hear other practitioners gathered in the break room. She walked out.
“Hey, Scarlet. How’d your last appointment go?” Finn, always solicitous about everyone.
“We made a lot of progress. Did you all wait for me?”
Daisy and Heath said they’d just finished. Finn added, “Yep, Oliver and I waited. We agreed no one should come to work or stay here alone.”
“How long do you think this thing hanging over our heads will last?”
“I don’t know,” Oliver answered. “It’s heavy.”
“Yeah,” Daisy put in. “But it’s necessary to stick together.”
“Not for everyone to stay, though. Let’s make an agreement only one extra person should be here at a time.”
“Nope, two,” Heath put in. “When one of us is practicing, it’s like the other is alone. Even the guard has a partner now.” Because the former guard had been killed on the premises. It still made Scarlet shiver.
“Agreed.” Daisy shook her head. “But I hate this.”
Juliet said, “Me, too.” They both felt things deeply.
It took a while to coordinate their schedules for the next week. They’d just finished when the fire alarm blared.
“Damn it,” Finn exclaimed. “Not again.”
“Do we have to go out?” This from Scarlet. “Isn’t there a way to turn it off?”
“Not when 911 gets an alert. Besides, we don’t know what this is.” Oliver stood. “Let’s go.”
They all headed outside into the July sunlight. A few minutes later, a truck drove in. Firefighters hopped off and one came up to them.
“Hey, guys, we’re getting to know each other well.” Captain Noah Keaton scowled. “We’re putting in a new device this time.” A second firefighter approached them and handed him an alarm. “Free of charge, guys.”
The four men and a female firefighter walked inside, one holding a hose just in case.
Soon, the siren stopped. It took a while for the firefighters to exit.
“All set?” Heath asked.
“Yep. We had to clear the whole building first.”
“I’d hoped there was a problem with the last alarm.” Heath sounded angry.
“Maybe there is.” Noah put his hand on Heath’s arm. “We’ll check it out.”
The whole crew climbed on the truck and it pulled away.
“I’ve got to get some things from my office,” Scarlet said. “Anybody else have more clients?”
No one did. Scarlet hurried inside, grabbed her briefcase and walked back out. “See you all tomorrow.” She crossed to her yellow Camero, got in and took off.
She tried not to seethe on the way home. Her farm was on the outskirts of town, not far from here, so she arrived there still pissed off.
When she got out, she saw the barn door ajar. “Damn it.” She marched over and yanked it open further. And found a little boy in a cowboy hat petting one of the horses. “Seth!”
He jumped back. “Sorry Miss Scarlet.” A droopy frown. “Petting him makes me feel better.”
“Where’s your dad?”
“Right here,” came the deep voice from behind her.
She turned. Joe Larson, his father, with dimples on display.
“I’m sorry he breached your privacy.” He crossed to the boy and knelt down. “Son,” he tipped back the boy’s hat, “what did I tell you about coming over here without permission?”
“Not to.” His lower lip trembled. “It makes me forget.”
Scarlet blurted out, “What does he need to forget?”
“Go back home, Seth.” The boy raced off.
Joe rolled to his feet. “We’ve had a rough patch. His mama left us a year ago, without a word. He’s up and down about it. But something happened at his summer camp today to bring it back. Again, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him.” He started away.
“Wait a sec,” she called out. He stopped and turned to her, his brow furrowed.
“I didn’t know all that, Joe. It’s okay if he comes over here to pet Stanley when I’m home. I usually lock it when I leave but I guess I forgot this morning. Tell him to knock on my door and he can pet the horse whenever I’m home.”
“That’s mighty nice of you.” He looked after where Seth had gone. “The poor kid.”
“I’m glad the horse makes him feel better.” It did for her too. “I just got him back from the breeder.” The stall was behind a wall which was why none of her colleagues saw it when they practiced here during the time they closed the collective.
“So he’s a stud?” His eyes smiled.
“Yeah, I guess he is.”
She turned to go inside. When she glanced over her shoulder, he was heading away from her. Nice shoulders, she thought before she could stop herself.