Vance had woken me up by making love to me, slow, sweet, taking his time. It was a new experience and one that I liked (a lot). We’d taken a shower, got dressed and he drove me to my house.
Without a word he walked me to the back stoop, kissed me (also slow, sweet and taking his time) then he walked back to his bike and roared off.
Gone. Just like that. It was done.
I stared at the spot where I last saw him as my stomach twisted tight and my heart squeezed.
Then I went inside and listened to Boo tel ing me that Nick hadn’t broken up his wet food with a fork like I normal y do.
I picked him up and gave him a cuddle. “Be quiet, Boo,” I whispered with my cheek pressed to his fur.
Boo was quiet.
*
I’d spent the day waiting for Vance to cal , walk into King’s, do something Vance-like to invade my space and my life. Nothing.
May was openly worried about me and talking constantly in her Mama’s-gonna-make-it-better voice. May was a love, a good friend and a kind heart but no Mama in the world would make me feel better.
Al the gang phoned me. Roxie phoned twice. They were checking in and checking up and offering me everything to keep my mind off Vance: Yahtzee and sparkling wine (Tod and Stevie); a movie (Indy and Jet); a drunken night of debauchery (Al y); a day at the spa (Daisy); and a shopping spree (Roxie).
I’d turned them al down and mental y licked my wounds while my emotional Rottweiler sat next to me, tongue lol ing, tail wagging, happy.
I was thinking I needed a new emotional guard dog.
Something cute and cuddly with a smushy face that I could carry around in a purse and dress in ridiculous doggie clothes. Something like a pug.
The only bright spot had been when I’d cal ed Nightingale Investigations and asked to speak to Luke.
Without hesitation the guy named Monty who answered gave me Luke’s cel number.
When I cal ed Luke answered by saying, “You’re not gettin’ out of trainin’. I don’t care if he dumped you.”
“He didn’t dump me!” I (kind of) shouted. Then I realized he knew it was me who was cal ing. “How do you know my number?” I asked.
“Everybody’s got your number. You’re an unofficial member of the team.”
Oh. I didn’t know that. An unofficial member of the Nightingale Investigation Team. That was way cool.
I shrugged off the way coolness of being a member of the team even if it was unofficial. “I want to bring Roam and Sniff –” I started.
“Not gonna happen,” Luke interrupted me.
“Luke! I don’t want you to train them. I just want them to come and watch. Maybe they’l learn something. And they’l be impressed by the offices. And I want them to hang around good male role models.”
Silence.
“Luke?” I cal ed when the silence stretched.
“Good male role models?” Luke asked. I could tel by his tone he thought that was funny.
“Can I bring them or what?” I snapped, losing patience.
“Don’t be late.”
I guessed that was a yes.
Roam and Sniff walked into the offices trying to be cool but I was right, they couldn’t hide it, I knew they were impressed.
I walked into the office scared to death I’d run into Vance.
Dawn smiled at me sweet-as-pie and informed me Vance was not in the building.
Bitch.
Then Roam and Sniff watched me get my ass kicked by Luke and they’d laughed themselves stupid. I told myself when their eyes weren’t closed with laughter they probably learned something so it was worth it.
After training, I took Roam and Sniff out for burgers then back to the Shelter then I went home to Boo and listened to him complain about my constant absence. Mostly I ignored him.
I took a shower, dressed in my take-on-the night uniform (my new burgundy cords; black belt; black cowboy boots; black, stretchy, tight, long-sleeved tee; and black leather blazer). I waited for Vance to break in, say he wasn’t going to let me go (like Eddie had done to Jet and apparently Hank had done to Roxie and also Lee had done to Indy).
No Vance.
I told myself this was good. I didn’t believe myself and was beginning to think myself was a big, fat moron.
Luke picked me up. We drove around for two hours, doing mostly nothing and saying absolutely nothing (Luke, I found, wasn’t a big conversationalist). We stopped a couple of times so I could talk to some kids and that was it.
*
At my door I pul ed my keys out of my pocket. Luke pul ed my keys out of my hand.
“What the…?” I started but with a Super Dude super-door-unlocking-power he was already pushing open my door. When he was inside, he turned to my alarm and punched in a code.
“How do you know my code?” I asked, coming in behind him.
He threw my keys on my chaise and walked into the house. “Everyone knows your code,” he told me, stil walking across the living room.
I stared at his back.
So much for my life going back to normal.