Chapter 8 #3
He wanted her to be safe, of course, but the idea of a seeing-eye wolf still rankled. Bostonians weren’t likely to know the difference between a wolf and a dog, but what if she was visited by a colleague who hailed from Montana?
And what would she tell people when she got back? Oh, it was hysterical blindness? It must have happened because I didn’t want to see the news anymore? It’s really depressing. Or, I poked myself in the eye really hard? How could she explain something as dramatic as going blind?
So she became stubborn. Her father couldn’t keep dictating what she should and shouldn’t do. Especially who she should and shouldn’t date. Wait a minute. No, that couldn’t have anything to do with it.
Noah wasn’t just gorgeous. He was interesting—in a geeky kind of way, but they had that in common.
He told her about strolling around old bookstores, his interest in science, astronomy, as well as honing his skills as an EMT and firefighter.
Plus she liked and respected him for all his charity work.
Who wouldn’t? She wanted to spend more time with him and get to know him better.
At times, her mind wandered, and she fantasized about kissing him. Even that much got her panties damp.
One evening, during their nightly phone call, he asked her out to the firefighters’ next charity event.
It was really hard to say no to charity.
And this was something a little goofy, but it sounded like fun.
He was participating in the hot dog eating contest. He even mentioned that it might be handy to have a doctor close by in case of choking.
How could she say no? Sure, all the firefighters were EMTs, but she was an ER doctor, and her presence might make them feel even safer—and for a good cause.
She agreed to go. Now she just had to come up with a story to tell her father, something that couldn’t be a lie but wouldn’t include the whole truth.
She’d tell him she was going to volunteer her time at a charity event.
The charity was raising money to benefit widows and orphans.
The firemen’s fund did benefit the kids, widows, and widowers of fallen firefighters. That should do it.
* * *
The day of the hot dog eating contest arrived, and Kizzy had her sister pick her up. The two of them were going together, and Daddy would stay home, guarding the book.
When Kizzy spotted Noah, she wanted to run to him and throw her arms around him. Instead, she decided to control herself and sneak up behind him, snaking her arms around his waist. No need to look like a teenager.
He stiffened and swiveled enough to see who it was.
A grin split his face when he saw her. He turned around and lifted her off the ground as they shared a warm hug.
It didn’t seem like the right time and place for kissing him, but she wanted to.
He greeted Ruth as if she were an old friend, giving her a quick hug too.
Long tables had been set up on a makeshift stage.
The smell of hot dogs cooking filled the air.
It wasn’t the most pleasant odor, especially knowing how many disgusting things went into hot dogs.
She didn’t have to eat them, however, and Noah would be downing them for charity.
She could always pump his stomach later.
Someone blew a whistle.
“I wish I had more time to talk with you, but they need me on stage.”
“I understand. We’ll talk later.”
He swooped in for a quick kiss and jogged up the stairs of the platform. All the contestants found their seats, and piles of hot dogs were placed in front of them.
“Shouldn’t they have buckets up there too?” Ruth asked, smirking.
Kizzy rolled her eyes. “I think they’re disqualified if they vomit.”
“I can’t believe you agreed to watch this disgusting display. You must really like him.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I guess I must.”
When everyone was ready to go, the MC reiterated that one hundred percent of the money raised would go to the charity. It was for the families of fallen firefighters. The thought of Noah ever being one of those lost frightened her.
When the MC blew the whistle, all the contestants started wolfing down hot dog after hot dog.
Just watching Noah shoving more food into his mouth than was healthy, barely chewing, and swallowing down the mashed mess made her feel like turning green. The whole look was extremely unattractive.
Just then, one of the participants threw up. All. Over. The crowd made the grossed-out sounds she’d be making if she weren’t trying to be professional. But did she really want to watch this gluttony? Short answer, no. Longer answer, “Mother-hummer and her five sisters…get me outta here!”
“Really? You want to leave? I thought you were supposed to be on hand in case anyone chokes.”
“If any more of them vomit, I’m going to too. Can you watch the fracas for me and tell me if anyone is in trouble? I’ll pretend to look at my phone.”
Ruth burst out laughing. “I’m pregnant and less nauseous than you are?” She gasped. “Unless you—”
“Whoa. Not even possible. Get that thought out of your head.”
Ruth planted her hand on her hip. “Kizzy, you’re a doctor. You’ve seen way worse things than this.”
“I’d rather hold blood and guts in my bare hands. The minute this thing is over, I want to go for a walk.”
“Not go out to lunch?” Ruth teased.
“Not right away, no.”
Her sister, still giggling, watched the contest as Kizzy pretended to look at her phone.
“Oh shit. I’ve got to go.”
“Why?”
“Massive trauma. They’re calling me in.”
“On your day off?”
“Yeah, it must be really serious.”
“Let’s go.”
* * *
When the contest ended and Noah came in second, he looked around for Kizzy. She was nowhere to be found. He’d had her in the corner of his eye at the beginning of the contest, then he was hunched over for the rest of it.
Glancing down at his mustard- and ketchup-stained shirt, he realized he should change his clothes before he saw her anyway.
The guys were given a few temporary lockers inside the fitness center.
He washed up and dressed, fearing the worst. What if she hadn’t wanted to see him afterward?
Did he disgust her now? Maybe he shouldn’t have even told her about this stupid contest.
When he was finally dressed and clean, he went back out to the platform the sponsors were breaking down.
The crowd had thinned out, and he still didn’t see her.
There was something glinting on the ground where she had been standing.
He jogged over to it and noticed it was a phone with a sparkly gold sleeve. Kizzy’s phone!
Suddenly, the ideas of an assailant and a threat became very real.
Oh shit! What happened? Did somebody grab Kizzy and Ruth?
Or did Kizzy just drop her phone without realizing it?
He would’ve thought there would be a ruckus of some kind if the girls had been taken against their will.
Or maybe his smart girl managed to hide herself somewhere else.
Realizing that, he tamped down his temporary wave of panic and tried to think rationally.
Noah scanned the area, tapping into his paranormal senses, where he could smell and see farther and clearer than most humans. There was no sweet scent or anyone that resembled Kizzy or Ruth as far as he could see.
What the heck could he do now? He had her phone, but he didn’t know the password. He had his own phone, but he didn’t know Ruth’s phone number or even her last name. Wait. Her last name would be Samuels if she wasn’t married yet. Right? Maybe?
He quickly connected to the internet and looked up Ruth Samuels in the Boston white pages.
If she had a landline, he could probably leave a voicemail.
No listings. He could go town by town, hoping he’d happen upon some names to call and one of them was her.
That would take way too long and was far too inefficient.
He was fighting with himself over the idea of going to her father’s home. It would likely be an unwelcome visit, especially since the elder Dr. Samuels had already told her to break up with him. But if something had happened to his kids, he’d want to know immediately.
It was an easy walk to the nearest subway station, but before alarming their dad, he should at least fly overhead and see if he could catch sight of the telltale white van used for kidnapping victims, or, more likely, Ruth’s Prius.
He jogged toward a parking lot that seemed deserted.
Behind a car covered with dust, he was able to shed his clothes, shift, roll around in the dirt to hide his red and yellow tail feathers, then take to the sky.
He scanned the entire area, gliding on the wind, until he saw a couple of dark-haired girls walking. He flew over the two young women, landing in a tree before them as they were walking toward it. Nope. They weren’t Kizzy and Ruth. He’d know their similar sweet faces anywhere.
Flying again, he fanned out in gradually widening circles. He began looking at cars and pedestrians who might be the troublesome men he’d seen at the Samuels residence. There were plenty of white sedans but nothing that looked exactly like the vehicle he’d seen in Brookline.
He tried to remember any identifying details about the men and their car.
The men were different ages. One was in his late forties or fifties with dirty-blond hair edged with gray temples, and the other was maybe in his twenties.
His hair was a light brown. He never saw their eyes up close, but he thought they might be light-colored, like blue or green rather than brown.
The car didn’t have any identifying marks or bumper stickers. It was probably a rental.