“Yes, but he was being a friend. That’s the type of guy he is.”
“Guys don’t leave work in the middle of the day to comfort a gal friend over a dog unless they care about that girl. And they definitely don’t invite said girl out on a quasi-date if they didn’t want to spend more time with her.” Tracey returned to the question. “What makes you think you blew it, anyway?”
“I freaked out Sunday night and avoided him until today.” She laid back and, staring at the ceiling, sighed.
“I’m going out on a limb and guessing that memories of Josh were involved, and you got scared?”
How did Tracey know so much? “You could say that.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” She owed Aaron an explanation first.
“I’m always here if you want to share, but I wouldn’t worry about Aaron. From what you’ve told me, it doesn’t sound like you blew it.”
She watched the blades of her ceiling fan spin. “Don’t tell Mom about him. I’m still sorting this out in my head. She’ll play twenty questions, and I won’t have any of the answers.”
“My mouth is zipped.” Muffled sounds crept over the line. “I have to get to my next client but call me tonight. I want to hear all about your not-official-date date.”
“It’s not a date,” she protested to a weaker degree than minutes ago.
“Whatever you say. Give Roxie a hug for me. I’ll be praying everything goes smoothly tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Rachel tapped the red phone icon to end the call and continued to stare at the fan. She counted one hundred revolutions before resuming her mission to find the perfect outfit.
After settling on a lightweight broomstick skirt and a fitted taupe t-shirt, she slipped on a pair of bronze strappy sandals. She pulled her hair back and secured it with a clip. Standing in front of the floor-length mirror, she twirled around. Pleased with her appearance, she marked her goal accomplished.
Although dressed, she wasn’t ready yet. She strolled into the kitchen and found Roxie drinking from the water bowl. “Want to go out for dinner?”
Roxie jerked her head up and smiled, then dropped it. She wagged her head, hitting the cone against the counter as if telling Rachel, it was in the way.
“If you promise not to mess with your wound, I’ll take it off while we’re out.” She bent down and undid the clasps to the cone of shame. “Is that better?”
A lick on her hand answered her.
She pulled Roxie’s harness from the hall closet. Roxie perked the moment she saw it and ran toward her. She moved with an ease that belied the cancer hiding in her leg.
A gust of emotion overcame Rachel. She squeezed her eyes shut and drew in a long breath. Visions of Roxie hobbling on three legs overcame her. She shook her head to rid her mind of those images. Fighting tears, she attached the harness around Roxie. Tonight, she’d give her ever faithful, loyal canine an evening to remember.
The doorbell rang five minutes later, and Rachel invited Aaron inside. He wore a pair of navy plaid shorts and a blue V-neck tee. His hair appeared a deeper brown, then she realized he’d gotten a haircut since she’d seen him earlier in the day. The small observation sent happy waves through her. Though discreet, he’d put effort into his appearance for tonight.
“Roxie looks happy.” He lowered his hand to pet the dog.
“She is, now that I removed the cone.”
“Can’t say I blame her. I don’t like wearing a tie, let alone a contraption like that.”
“We have a deal. I leave the cone off, and she promised not to bother it.”
“Did she now?” His eyes sparkled like the sapphires they resembled.
She cocked her head and smiled. “Are you doubting Roxie’s ability to communicate?”
“Not at all.” His lips quirked then erupted into a full smile. “She’s telling me that we need to hurry because her belly is hungry.”
“Well, let’s go.”
“Is she as stubborn getting into cars as out?”
