Chapter 12
Saturday, December 8
I wasn’t sure my legs would ever stop trembling. Marco had dashed to my apartment to fetch a jacket and a proper pair of shoes for my squelchy feet. In the meantime, an EMT had asked me some questions while Joe wrapped a thick woolen blanket around my shoulders.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he said.
“Yes,” I replied, my teeth still clattering. “Thanks again for helping me up there.”
At least my rescue had been straightforward. Joe had climbed the fire escape with a colleague and a ladder before gently guiding me down one rung at a time. They’d even retrieved my phone for me. It was all over in a matter of minutes, although it had felt like I’d been stuck for hours.
Predictably, people in the crowd had continued to record the unfolding drama, filming every one of my excruciating moments. I was probably a meme by now, a Fallbrook fail destined to drift around cyberspace until the end of time. I winced at the thought and was glad neither Joe nor Marco had yet made a sarcastic quip about the slogan on my shirt, which was now hidden under the blanket clutched to my chest.
“I’m sorry for wasting everybody’s time,” I said as the EMT left. “I feel ridiculous.”
Joe’s lips curved into a gentle smile. “Please don’t. You’d be surprised how often these things happen. Main thing is, we got you off the roof safely. No harm done.”
“You’re very gracious, Joe.”
“Don’t mention it.” He glanced to my left, where I saw one of his colleagues with her hand raised, waving in a circular motion. “I’m afraid duty calls.”
“Here, take this.” As I slid the blanket from my shoulders, he shook his head.
“You hold on to it and stay warm. Make sure to rest tonight. Once the adrenaline rush subsides, you’ll likely be exhausted.” Before leaving, he paused and added, “Next time we meet, let’s make it under less risky circumstances, and hopefully for a lot longer. Until then, take care, Callie…”
Okay, my flirt radar may have been more than a bit old and wonky, but even I couldn’t have mistaken that. Heat immediately shot up my neck at warp speed. This was strange. I’d been fixated on Oliver for so long, I’d barely glanced at another man since our breakup. Now, and only in a matter of days, I’d met and hung out with (if you could call this afternoon that) a dashing firefighter and an attractive chef. Anita would be proud.
Marco arrived seconds later and draped a jacket over my shoulders as I grabbed the sneakers, slipped my feet inside, and let out a gasp as the instant warmth curled around my skin.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much better, thanks.”
“Did you need to return the blanket to the fire department?”
“Oh, no. Joe said to hang on to it.”
“Is he a friend of yours?” Marco asked.
“More of an acquaintance,” I replied. “Anita and I met him and his friends in the spring, and we all played volleyball together at Lions Valley Park. It was fun. Did you find Dazey?”
“Just like you suspected, she was on the sofa,” he replied. “After I closed the window, she even let me pet her.”
“Are you sure it was Dazey Rocket?”
“Big green eyes and massive body.” He held his hands a foot and a half apart. “Huge fluffy thing. With all that fur, I bet—”
“Oh, no.” I slapped a palm over my eyes. “I almost forgot she has an appointment with the groomer. I have to go, or we’ll be late.”
“Whoa.” Marco put a hand on my arm. “Callie, maybe you should cancel.”
I shook my head. “No, I promised. I can’t let Anita down.”
“Hold on—”
“It was today’s Advent calendar task. She and I have a deal.”
“Your sister would understand if she knew what happened,” he said. “Maybe you could take a beat and think about this for a meowment .”
“But…” I stopped talking and stared at him. “Was that a cat pun?”
Marco grinned. “I thought you might be spiraling so I wanted to make sure you’re okay, which clearly you are. Still, if you insist on taking Dazey to the groomer, will you at least let me drive you?”
I wanted to reply that I was perfectly capable, but with the way my knees kept knocking together and my stomach churned like I’d been on one of Anita’s roller coasters for a week, it wasn’t true. “Are you sure it’s no trouble?”
“None at all. Besides, you’re trembling,” Marco replied, pointing at my hands.
I balled my fists, but it didn’t help. “Did she actually let you pet her?”
“Yeah, she got up and purred as soon as I walked in.”
“Maybe you can bewitch her some more,” I said. “I need all the help I can get.”
We headed to the building’s entrance, where Marco held the door open for me. “You’re okay taking the stairs? Legs not too wobbly?”
“I can manage.” I batted away the sudden image of me leaning against him like I had after our sledding expedition, or him scooping me up in his arms and carrying me all the way to my door.
“This is a really cool house.” He slid a hand over the smooth, wrought-iron handrail fixed to the balusters decorated with intricate metal roses. “Where I live is more recent, but I’ve always been fascinated with these kinds of Victorian buildings.”
“I think this entire place belonged to a businessman who had a few sugar factories,” I said. “From what I know, they split it into six separate apartments decades ago.”
“Architecture is cool,” Marco said as we reached the second floor. “By the way, I saw your Neuschwanstein jigsaw puzzle upstairs. That must’ve taken forever.”
“Not really,” I said, opening my front door. “I was home a lot…” I stopped myself from saying after Oliver dumped me and added, “…over the summer.”
It felt odd—intimate, somehow—walking into the hallway with Marco. Oliver had been to Anita’s apartment many times even before we’d moved to Fallbrook, but I’d never brought another man home. Not that Marco was here in that sense, I reminded myself as I closed the door behind us.
Once I’d ushered him into the living room, I went to change my clothes before heading to the kitchen, where I grabbed a couple of glasses of water. When I joined Marco and Dazey, my feisty feline nemesis lay stretched out on the sofa, and she immediately put a paw over her eyes.
It was no doubt wishful thinking on my behalf that she was somehow ashamed of herself for what she’d put me through. Probably the opposite, and she felt embarrassed to be seen with such an incompetent human.
As I handed Marco a glass and sat on the sofa, he eased himself into the red chenille armchair and pointed at my Charlie Brown tree. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”
“Ha, ha.”
He grinned. “Seriously, it’s nowhere near as sad as it was at the market.” Gesturing to the stack of wrapped boxes by the window, he added, “This must be the infamous Advent calendar.”
“The one and only.”
“It’s neat,” he said. “It’s a shame you can’t make it to Pineville with your sister.”
“Yes, it is,” I said, not wanting to elaborate. “What about you? Have you given going to Maine any more thought?”
“It’s no longer a decision to make,” Marco replied before taking a sip of water. “My mom called. They’re taking Syd, Louise, and the kids on a weeklong last-minute Disney cruise in the Caribbean.”
“Lucky them. When are they going?”
“Flying out Christmas Eve. I guess it takes care of my dilemma about not going home.” He set his glass on the coffee table and reached for the pink cat carrier. “Want to get started?”
“You’d best get ready for battle. Dazey hates that thing.”
“Mind if I try?”
“I’ll get ready to catch her.”
Marco shook his head. He picked up the carrier and slowly lowered himself to his knees as he shuffled over to Dazey, who removed her paw and stared at him. Once the carrier sat in front of her, he leaned back on his heels.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “How about we take a trip together? Come on, Dazey, there’s a good girl.”
He reached out and petted her head, and to my utter astonishment, she immediately nuzzled his fingers, purring deeply. I stood back, my mouth dropping open as she got up and walked straight into the carrier, completely mesmerized.
“You are a magician,” I whispered. “Or a cat whisperer.”
Marco chuckled as he looked up at me, his mouth in a gentle curve. “Neither, but I love animals. They calm me.”
“And the other way around, apparently. How many pets do you have?”
“None right now,” Marco said. “I don’t think it would be fair with the limited amount of free time I have, but hopefully one day. Maybe when I have a family.”
“You want kids?” I asked, surprised how easily he’d made the admission.
“At some point.” Marco shrugged, carefully zipping up the carrier. “With the right person and once we’ve settled down.”
My mind filled with vivid images of him with a toddler and a puppy, the three of them chasing after a ball, laughing. It was strangely easy to picture him as a great dad even though we hadn’t known each other long. Especially with how good he was with Miranda while we were sledding.
“We always had animals when I was younger,” I said. “At one point, we practically had a zoo.”
“What do you mean?” he asked. “Did you live on a farm?”
“Ha, no. Years ago, when Mom said she wanted a dog, Dad replied, and I quote, ‘In that case, we’re getting a real dog.’?” I shook my head and laughed. “They came home with a Great Dane puppy, which of course grew to the size of a pony. A year later we also had a cat, a rabbit, a guinea pig, and a tortoise.”
“Sounds like an absolute riot,” Marco said. “My parents always maintained that two sons and two cats were enough trouble.”
“ You were trouble?”
He grinned. “Let’s just say when I was in elementary school, I was a somewhat frequent flyer at the principal’s office for a while. All minor stuff, of course. Anyway, the cats are long gone, and Mom and Dad don’t have pets anymore.”
“Same. My parents like traveling and don’t want to be tied down. We’re still animal lovers, and I can honestly say I’ve never seen anyone dazzle a cat like you did Dazey. Typically, she calls all the shots and then some, even with Anita.”
He laughed and picked up the carrier. “Now you’ve got me worried. Let’s take off before she claws her way out of this thing.”