Chapter Six
One advantage to Trey’s position was the ability to work from home when the need arose. He went to the vet clinic on his lunch break to pick up Truffles. She’d done well over night, and was now home with him, sporting a bright pink cast.
He’d set up a sleeping area for her in his downstairs office. The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet, and she was still out of it, occasionally letting out an eerie yelp, which Dr. Lia had assured him was normal. As the anesthesia lost its effects, Truffles would slowly return to herself. The pain meds, however, would also keep her semi-sedated.
The next four to six weeks would be long, especially once Truffles began feeling better and wanted to move around. If he wasn’t home, he’d have to kennel her for her own good until the veterinarian gave the all clear. As pleased as he’d been with the service at the twenty-four-hour clinic, he’d scheduled a follow-up with his regular vet.
Dr. Lia had completely understood, and gladly volunteered to send all the records over so he wouldn’t have to worry about it. If he ever needed to change clinics for any reason, he knew where he would go.
He yawned and covered his mouth, though no one else was in the house. He’d stayed at the vet’s office until the surgery was complete, and even once he’d come home, hadn’t been able to fall asleep. His emotions were tied in knots, and he wasn’t accustomed to dealing with that.
The fear of losing Truffles. Realizing Alexis had saved her.
Alexis.
Would he ever forgive himself for what had happened?
She could have been the best thing to ever happen to him, but he’d thrown it away. He’d thought he was doing the right thing, but had he? If he had stood up to his father and defied him, would he have carried through on the threats?
Nothing could make up for the past, but he could move forward. He couldn’t believe it was a coincidence that Alexis had been thrown into his life again, not only through the shelter, but Truffles. The odds were too high.
It was almost like God had orchestrated their reunion.
He had no idea what that meant, exactly, only that he wanted a friendship with Alexis. He wouldn’t ask for more, wasn’t sure if he even wanted more. But their two-decade long feud? The end was long overdue.
Granted, Alexis might have a different idea, but last night, at the shelter and then at the vet, she seemed willing to bury the proverbial hatchet. How did they go about that? He could call her later with an update on Truffles. That would be acceptable. After all, she had asked him to keep her in the loop on Truffle’s recovery.
His smart watch vibrated, alerting him to an incoming email. Work awaited him, and he had loads of it. In addition to his normal tasks, he had to work on the petition. He’d spoken with his assistant this morning before leaving, and she was to have a copy drafted for him by this afternoon. Once he had the copy, he’d make any adjustments needed, then send it to the board for their approval.
They hadn’t outright said they wanted to approve it first, but that’s the sense he got when they asked to see it. Under difference circumstances, he wouldn’t question the request, as it was common practice. The board didn’t trust him, though. They didn’t believe he’d put forth his best effort, simply because his father had strongarmed them into naming him to the board of directors.
The afternoon flew by in a blur. When he reviewed his daily to-do list he’d made that morning, he was pleased he’d done more than he’d expected, considering he’d been caring for a dog on and off for the last six hours.
He wouldn’t make it to church for the mid-week small groups. Most Wednesdays he made it, but tonight wouldn’t be one of them. Partly due to time constraints—he drove forty-five minutes one way to escape the confines of Kaplan Enterprises. Everyone in Mansboro knew who he was. Outside of town, he was known, but not as widespread. Worship could happen anywhere, but he found it easier when he had a touch of anonymity and distance from his family name.
The other reason was the fur baby beside him. He didn’t want to leave Truffles, not on her first day home from the surgery. If she needed him, he’d be there for her. As she came out of the anesthesia, he wanted her to see him, a familiar face she knew and loved. He had to believe it would make it easier for her.
At seven o’clock, he left his home office and moved to the kitchen. He’d skipped eating lunch and was paying for it now. Aware of hunger pains, he pulled out the leftover half of a pepperoni pizza he’d brought home the other night. He ate a slice cold while he waited for the others to warm in the oven.
When his dinner was ready, he slid the pizza from the baking sheet back to the box and carried them to his deck along with a can of soda. He sat in the wooden chair and breathed in the fall air. Summer, technically, for another week, but it felt like fall.
The cold front had moved in overnight, bringing a pleasant chill to the evening air. In another week or so, the leaves would begin to change colors, bringing the hillside behind his house alive with vibrant autumn hues. This was his happy place, where all the cares of the world melted away, and he could simply be. It’s where he spent the most time in prayer, did his Bible study most mornings without distraction.
He ate in silence, letting the stress of the week ebb away. On the fourth slice of pizza, an overindulgence he refused to feel guilty for since he hadn’t eaten all day, a pepperoni fell from the pizza. The offending piece of meat left a trail of grease and red sauce on his white shirt. He shoved the remaining bites in his mouth, then went inside, unbuttoning his shirt as he went straight to the laundry room.
Scanning the top shelf, he found the stain remover, pulled it down, and applied it to his shirt. If only Alexis could see him now, taking care of his own laundry. She probably thought he couldn’t do anything for himself. So what if he had a housekeeper. That was a luxury that bought him more time for other endeavors, but he did know how to clean and launder. He’d run his shirt through the wash, and it would come out like new.
Her opinion of him shouldn’t matter so much, but it did. He’d never forgotten her, but he rued the fact he thought so much about her now. In the last week, she’d been on his mind more than she had the entire last six years.
He’d call her. See if she’d be willing to talk and put everything in the open. But that presented its own problem. How could he tell her the entire story? He couldn’t. Not without causing more problems. Not for the first time, he wished he’d handled the situation differently, although he never had thought of a perfect solution. Only an imperfect one that may have been too little, too late.
The more he thought about it, he realized it wasn’t time to have that conversation. For now, he’d have to go with the tentative truce they’d formed yesterday. He went to his room, slipped a t-shirt on, and traded his dress pants for a pair of sweats. He’d go downstairs to his in-home gym, but first, he’d call Alexis with a Truffle update.
Returning to his office, he carried Truffles on her bed out to the living room and laid her gently on the floor beside the sofa. He pulled his phone from his pocket, dialed Alexis’s number, and smiled as the phone rang. Life had odd ways of working out, and even if he didn’t know how it ultimately would, he had confidence his life was about to change for the better.
“Hello,” she answered, her voice coming across uncertain.
“Alexis? It’s Trey.”
