“You’re not hoping to get ustogether, together, are you?” She laughed. “I’m pretty sure I’m not the kind of girl a copwould be interested in.”
“What are you talking about? You’re fantastic. Any guy would be crazy not to date you. Smart, funny, hot body, and not too hard on the eyes.”
Maggie ignored that. “Speaking of dating…when are you going to get back in the saddle?”
“Ah geez, Mags. Can’t we just focus on your pathetic love life instead of my non-existent one?”
“That hurts. You gotta be so brutal?”
“I’m sorry. You know I’m joking. I just can’t fathom that you haven’t moved past that loser Chase and found some hunky stud to rebound with.”
Maggie couldn’t believe it, either. After Jimmy’s death and her two-month sojourn with Jenny, she’d made a few life-altering decisions. One of which had been to break off her engagement to Chase.
She probably should have taken offense that Jenny was calling the guy she’d planned to live the rest of her life with a loser, but when you got right down to it, she was right. Although to be fair, he wasn’t so much a loser as just a really boring guy. She hadn’t had sex since the breakup, and the two years of celibacy was making her antsy.
Her relationship with Chase had been comfortable, but she’d decided she wanted more than comfort. She wanted passion, heat, and what the magazines called “mind-blowing.” A relationship like that was exactly what she needed. Or at least sex like that. Although, after two years of nothing, any sex at all sounded pretty good.
“It’s not like I haven’t been trying. You’d think in a city this size there would be more variety. All I’ve found is a fine assortment of jack apples. Wait till I tell you about the last jerk.”
All the men who asked her out weren’t measuring up. She couldn’t muster enough excitement for a second or third date, never mind sleeping with any of them.
“You’re right, though. I’m going to head down to the bar,pick up some dumb, good-looking beefcake, and put an end to my celibacy right now.” They both laughed, knowing she would do no such thing.
“Seriously, though, we should talk about this. I need to meet a different type of guy, and you need to meet a guy, period. We should plan a night out. What do you say?”
“Yeah, maybe,” Jenny hedged. “We can ask Mitch about a good place to go. That is, assuming you two don’t lock eyes and fall madly in love this weekend,” she said in a dreamy, sing-song voice.
“Not likely. But even if it did, I’d still be your wingman. I’ll always have your back.” And she would. Just as Jenny would always have hers.
They chatted for a while longer and then hung up, agreeing to see each other the next day.
CHAPTER FOUR
It was finally Friday. Maggie had yet to leave her apartment and was already having a bad day. She woke up late, cut herself while shaving her legs, and then spilled oatmeal all over the counter. After cleaning up the mess and changing her shirt, she headed out the door with her bag and purse in one hand and a pan of brownies in the other.
“Let me get that for you,” said Pete, the building’s grandfatherly old doorman. He was gray-haired and pushing seventy, but daily workouts and healthy eating kept him in great shape. He had more energy than most twenty-somethings she knew.
They’d become instant friends the day she moved in. She didn’t think twice about what it might mean that she got along so well with older men. Pete made her think of Doc, her mentor and friend from North Carolina, and she made a mental note to call him later. She was making headway on her plan to get him to move north and just needed to keep at it.
Pete held the pan of brownies, allowing her to get through the door. “These smell great. You wouldn’t want to drop them.”
“Thanks, Pete. I appreciate it. I’m going to Jenny’s later.If the boys don’t eat them all, I’ll save you one,” she promised. He knew Jack and Toby from the few occasions they’d visited or stayed the night with her.
“Wow, that would be great! You look spiffy. Why all dressed up?” They made it to the curb, and he turned to hail her a taxi.
“I’m giving a lecture at NYU today.” She was a guest lecturer at the university and once a quarter ventured onto campus to give a presentation on the business aspects of being a veterinarian. She’d done the first class as a favor for one of Doc’s friends who taught at the school but found she really enjoyed it. As long as they kept asking her back, she’d keep going.
She stumbled and would have fallen if Pete hadn’t grabbed her arm to steady her. As much as she loved a good pair of high heels, she didn’t wear them every day and was a little rusty.
“Thanks. That was close.” The heels couldn’t take all the blame. As anyone who knew her for more than five minutes could attest, Maggie was notorious for being a tad clumsy. Wearing a tight black skirt that hit at her knee and four-inch heels made walking difficult. She just had to get through her presentation, and then she’d change into her “work” clothes—scrubs and tennis shoes.
Pete helped her into the cab and wished her a good day. Luckily, there were a couple of college boys who offered to help carry her stuff on the other end of her cab ride. She made it to class with time to spare.
A few hours later, she stumbled into Pampered Pets, amazed she and the pan of brownies made it in one piece. The lecture had gone well, but her only thought was of getting out of the skirt she was wearing.
“It’s all right. Don’t worry about it. We’ll make do. Hope you feel better soon,” Stephanie said, hanging up the phone. Maggie panicked. Obviously, the evening shift employee had just called in sick.
“Don’t worry. I can stay.” Stephanie was a bright-eyed, fresh from college business grad, excited to put her degree to use. Managing a small business was an excellent opportunity for experience, and she’d jumped at the chance when Maggie offered her the job. It was a win-win situation. Maggie had been wearing herself out doing everything related to the business plus seeing patients. Now, ordering supplies, cashing out the register, and scheduling the other employees work shifts were time-consuming activities she no longer had to worry about.
