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Authors: Kate Carlisle
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might want to join me
and my crew for dinner. I always enjoyed Mac’s company, but tonight I had to admit
I’d feel a lot safer going with him to the pub rather than going alone.
I hung up my coat on the hat rack by the back door and rubbed my arms to brush away
the chill. The encounter in the dairy section wasn’t the first time Cliff had tried
to frighten me, but he was growing more aggressive. A few weeks ago I’d gone to the
pub to pick up dinner and was sipping a beer while I waited. Cliff had walked over
and sat down next to me. I’d tried to ignore him, but he moved in close—he always
liked to get too close for comfort—and told me I should be careful about drinking
too much because I was asking to be taken advantage of.
It was such a stupid, sexist thing to say, I’d almost laughed. But he’d had the weirdest,
coldest look on his face, so I just turned my back on him. He then yanked me around
and said, “Don’t think you can treat me the same way you did in high school. I’ve
got power now and I can make life miserable for you.”
The bartender had brought my food just then, and I left without saying a word to Cliff.
But he had followed me outside and told me it could be dangerous to walk home alone
at night. I’d dashed back inside and called my girlfriend Jane to come pick me up.
I hadn’t seen Cliff since, until a few minutes ago at the market.
The phone began to ring and I rushed to pick up the kitchen extension, careful to
stand on the rag rug to avoid tracking water onto the tile floor. I was surprised
to hear Eric’s voice on the other line.
“Mind if I stop by for a few minutes?”
“Not at all,” I said, relief flooding through me. Not that I’d thought Cliff Hogarth
would call me, but hearing Eric’s deep voice helped me breathe easier. “What’s up?”
“I hope I won’t regret asking, but I need some background info on this situation.”
“Situation? You mean Lily?”
“Yeah, sorry. Lily.”
“Okay.” I decided to ignore his line about regret for now. “I’m going out later, but
I’ll be around for the next few hours.”
“Thanks. See you in ten minutes.” He hung up, and I stared at the phone for a long
moment. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. Oh, I was definitely thrilled that Eric
trusted me enough to want to talk. But I was annoyed that he felt he might regret
it. I was also worried that Sean would think I was talking behind his back. Thrilled?
Annoyed? Worried? There were plenty of each buzzing through me, but I decided to feel
cautiously thrilled
for the time being. At least it meant that Eric was no longer looking at me as a
prime suspect in anything that went wrong in town.
I raced upstairs to change out of my rain-soaked blue jeans and into a pair of comfy
yoga pants and a warm tunic sweater. In the bathroom, I grabbed my hair dryer and
blasted it to get rid of my wet-puppy-dog look.
Speaking of puppy dogs, I glanced over at the bathroom doorway and saw Robbie—short
for Rob Roy, since my little white-haired darling was a West Highland terrier—waiting
patiently for my attention.
Tiger, my fluffy marmalade cat, had no such compunctions. She pranced into the room
and straight over to me, where she, meowing loudly, wove her soft, furry body in and
out and around my legs. And there was the difference between cats and dogs. Dogs will
wait while cats demand.
“Hello, my darlings,” I crooned over the blast of the hair dryer. “We’re expecting
company, so please be on your best behavior.”
Robbie’s bark was loud and enthusiastic, so I knew he understood completely. Tiger
ignored the dog and head-bumped my ankles repeatedly. “I’ll feed you—don’t worry.
I just need another minute to tame this mop so I don’t scare off the chief.”
A minute later the doorbell rang and Robbie barked again, then ran off down the stairs.
Tiger tried to remain haughty and pay no
and my crew for dinner. I always enjoyed Mac’s company, but tonight I had to admit
I’d feel a lot safer going with him to the pub rather than going alone.
I hung up my coat on the hat rack by the back door and rubbed my arms to brush away
the chill. The encounter in the dairy section wasn’t the first time Cliff had tried
to frighten me, but he was growing more aggressive. A few weeks ago I’d gone to the
pub to pick up dinner and was sipping a beer while I waited. Cliff had walked over
and sat down next to me. I’d tried to ignore him, but he moved in close—he always
liked to get too close for comfort—and told me I should be careful about drinking
too much because I was asking to be taken advantage of.
It was such a stupid, sexist thing to say, I’d almost laughed. But he’d had the weirdest,
coldest look on his face, so I just turned my back on him. He then yanked me around
and said, “Don’t think you can treat me the same way you did in high school. I’ve
got power now and I can make life miserable for you.”
The bartender had brought my food just then, and I left without saying a word to Cliff.
But he had followed me outside and told me it could be dangerous to walk home alone
at night. I’d dashed back inside and called my girlfriend Jane to come pick me up.
I hadn’t seen Cliff since, until a few minutes ago at the market.
The phone began to ring and I rushed to pick up the kitchen extension, careful to
stand on the rag rug to avoid tracking water onto the tile floor. I was surprised
to hear Eric’s voice on the other line.
“Mind if I stop by for a few minutes?”
“Not at all,” I said, relief flooding through me. Not that I’d thought Cliff Hogarth
would call me, but hearing Eric’s deep voice helped me breathe easier. “What’s up?”
“I hope I won’t regret asking, but I need some background info on this situation.”
“Situation? You mean Lily?”
“Yeah, sorry. Lily.”
“Okay.” I decided to ignore his line about regret for now. “I’m going out later, but
I’ll be around for the next few hours.”
“Thanks. See you in ten minutes.” He hung up, and I stared at the phone for a long
moment. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. Oh, I was definitely thrilled that Eric
trusted me enough to want to talk. But I was annoyed that he felt he might regret
it. I was also worried that Sean would think I was talking behind his back. Thrilled?
Annoyed? Worried? There were plenty of each buzzing through me, but I decided to feel
cautiously thrilled
for the time being. At least it meant that Eric was no longer looking at me as a
prime suspect in anything that went wrong in town.
I raced upstairs to change out of my rain-soaked blue jeans and into a pair of comfy
yoga pants and a warm tunic sweater. In the bathroom, I grabbed my hair dryer and
blasted it to get rid of my wet-puppy-dog look.
Speaking of puppy dogs, I glanced over at the bathroom doorway and saw Robbie—short
for Rob Roy, since my little white-haired darling was a West Highland terrier—waiting
patiently for my attention.
Tiger, my fluffy marmalade cat, had no such compunctions. She pranced into the room
and straight over to me, where she, meowing loudly, wove her soft, furry body in and
out and around my legs. And there was the difference between cats and dogs. Dogs will
wait while cats demand.
“Hello, my darlings,” I crooned over the blast of the hair dryer. “We’re expecting
company, so please be on your best behavior.”
Robbie’s bark was loud and enthusiastic, so I knew he understood completely. Tiger
ignored the dog and head-bumped my ankles repeatedly. “I’ll feed you—don’t worry.
I just need another minute to tame this mop so I don’t scare off the chief.”
A minute later the doorbell rang and Robbie barked again, then ran off down the stairs.
Tiger tried to remain haughty and pay no
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