Chapter 31
31
H ow lucky we are to have Coffee Loft as neighbors. We love our Friday caffeine fixes . ~ Grett, Burroughs, & Petersen, LLC
C al fastened the harness around Peaches’ middle. It fit a little looser than when he’d brought her home last month. With daily walks to the park and dashing around the yard here at home, the once overweight senior dog was probably in the best shape of her life.
“Look at you, Skinny Mini. Trying to keep up with Ridley has paid off.”
At the mention of his name, Ridley’s ears perked up in his crate.
“Sorry, buddy. We’ll do our normal walk later. Peaches has another meet-and-greet. Wish her luck.”
He clipped on her leash, leading her to the door and out into the cool, blue-sky November day .
Charleen had called the night before to report that someone else was interested in Peaches and asked if he could meet in Fox Ridge Park at ten this morning.
As he walked Peaches underneath the stone arch leading into the small, tree-shaded park four blocks away, his thoughts turned to Ginger again. Three days after the gala, and he still hadn’t heard from her. He’d stopped leaving messages. If she wanted anything to do with him, she knew how to get a hold of him. Whatever she thought he did was unfounded. The pain of being misunderstood wasn’t near as great as what she probably felt reading that profile on his laptop. Not after what her ex put her through. He held onto the hope that she’d reach out to him when she felt ready.
He parked himself on a bench near the little stream that ran through this corner of the park. While Peaches explored a bed of decaying asters behind him, he checked his emails. It wasn’t very long before he heard footsteps crunching the fallen leaves at the same time that Peaches tugged on her leash.
Before he could turn around, the scent of vanilla and coffee beans almost made his heart stop. He jumped to his feet just as she walked around the front of the bench, and they collided.
“Ginger.” He steadied her by grabbing her arms.
“Hi there.”
The shock of seeing her set his pulsing drumming a whole new rhythm, but she didn’t seem as surprised to see him.
“What are you doing here?”
She looked down at Peaches, who’d done an admirable job of tying them both up in her leash. A step in any direction would send one or both of them crashing to the pavement.
“I’ve come for a meet-and-greet.” She scratched Peaches underneath her chin with one hand as she unwound the nylon web around their legs. “Can we sit?”
He was so confused by her sudden appearance and by the knowledge that she’d arranged this meeting through Charleen that words failed him. What was happening? He backed up to the bench again and sat.
“I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to…get back to you.” Her brows knitted together in apology when she looked at him. “I’ve had a lot to sort through the last few days.”
He nodded, hoping that that time had worked in his favor.
“And you’re okay?” he asked, even though what he really wanted to know is if they’d survived.
Ginger’s uneven breath punctuated the silence for a few moments.
“I am,” she said finally.
“What happened, Ginger?”
Her eyes dipped to her lap and she swallowed.
“I saw the profile on your laptop that night. It was totally by accident.” She explained about spilling her drink and moving the laptop to clean up the mess. “My mind immediately flew to the worst possible scenario, and I couldn’t think straight.”
“You know differently now, right?”
Ginger clamped down on her lips, nodding. Her eyes glistened as she let her gaze sweep over his face.
“I’m so sorry, Cal. For how I just disappeared. For not sorting it out sooner. For thinking of myself and not what you were going through.”
“ Whoa, whoa . Don’t apologize for that. I get it, Ginger. You’re not selfish. Considering what this Marco guy put you through, it’s called self-preservation.”
She let out a little sob before clamping a hand over her mouth. But her shoulders still shook, so he gathered her in his arms and rubbed her back while she cried into the folds of his coat. Peaches, not to be forgotten, hopped onto the bench and curled up next to Ginger.
They stayed like that for a while until the only sounds he heard were sniffles and sighs. She rummaged in her coat pockets for a tissue, but he produced one from his own first and handed it over. She smiled up at him through teary green eyes, and the crack in his heart healed in an instant.
“It’s such a relief,” she said as they faced each other again. She dabbed the tissue underneath each eye, trying to catch any wayward tears.
“What is?”
“To know why I wasn’t ready for a relationship after Marco.”
He waited.
“I’d been too busy hiding to confront the pain. I figured I could ignore it and it’d magically disappear. For a long time, I thought it did. Until you came along.”
He lifted her hand to kiss the palm. “It doesn’t work like that. Connecting the dots from your past to your future is the only way to heal.”
She stared at him. “That’s perfect. I never thought of it that way. ”
He shrugged with a smile. “My mom is a wise woman.”
“I’d like to meet her someday.”
“That can be arranged.” He laid his arm across the back of the bench and drew her closer.
Ginger cupped his face in her hands and gazed at him with so much emotion that he nearly stopped breathing.
“Thank you for being patient with me,” she said.
“I didn’t have a choice,” he breathed. “You’ve completely and profoundly captured my heart. I’m kind of broken without you.”
“I love the sound of that,” she murmured as she closed the space between their lips.
The nibble on his bottom lip was barely discernible, but it sent a river of delight rushing up his spine. The ache of their separation made this reunion that much sweeter. He pulled Ginger closer, tucking her under his arm where she fit like she’d been made especially for the spot. Her hands cupped either side of his face, claiming him, and he was powerless under her spell. As they kissed, his head swam as she overwhelmed his senses. The sight of her, the scent of her perfume, the soft warmth of her skin. It was all too much.
Reluctantly, he pulled away a moment later to ask what had just popped into his head.
“Now what are you going to tell poor Peaches about using her to get to me today?”
She smiled down at Peaches who still rested on the bench next to her, curled into a tight ball in peaceful doggie repose.
“I came to ask her if she’d like to come live with Daisy and me. ”
He waited for her to laugh and tell him she was just kidding, but Ginger was serious.
“Daisy called a meeting yesterday.” She tried to hide a smirk, but failed.
“A meeting for two?”
“Yep. Basically, the only item on the agenda was ‘Adopt Peaches.’ I didn’t have a say in the matter.”
“Tyrannical bosses are awful to work for.”
“The worst,” she whispered.
“I bet you’re not one, are you?” He wrapped his arms around her shoulders again, as she looked up at him, smiling.
She shrugged. “You’ll have to ask the crew at Coffee Loft,” she purred, studying his lips.
“I’d rather just take my chances here,” he said as he luxuriated in the feeling of her lips’ velvety softness on his chin.
“That can be arranged.”