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“I’m running late,” she said. “My relief isn’t here yet, and I can’t leave until she clocks in and I give report.”
“Oh no,” he said, nearing hysteria. “You need to come home.”
“Dan, take a deep breath. What’s going on?”
“Nothing, but tonight I need you to be here.”
“Are you okay?”
“No. Just come home.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“Probably not.”
“Let me hang up so I can see if anyone can take my patients. Sit tight.”
“Thank you,” he said, relieved.
This needy weirdness of Dan’s had surfaced twice before. Once, when Lisa was angry with him for making plans on a Saturday, the wedding of a friend of Rene’s that would preclude him seeing his sons, and not arranging it with her in advance. He’d received a reprimand by a judge that it wasn’t to happen again. Evidently, it had happened before, and the judge was angry about the second warning.
“Why didn’t you just tell her we had plans, Dan? I reminded you weeks ago that we were invited to that wedding. You could have made arrangements with her then.”
“I forgot. It wasn’t malicious.”
No, it wasn’t malicious, but it was irresponsible. And that was when Rene learned that rather than confront Lisaever, he’d conveniently forget. He was afraid of Lisa, not just because of the kids, but because of who she was, the power she had over him. He claimed to have never loved her, but Rene understood that Dan worshiped Lisa in some strange way. It was a big red flag.
The second time it had occurred, she never got to the bottom of it, but she knew it had something to do with Pam Smith. The following day after whatever happened had happened, they were in Organic Bonanza, and when Pam saw Dan, she did a U-turn in the middle of the aisle and racewalked away from him.
“What was that all about?” Rene had asked, but when she looked at him, she decided she didn’t want to know. He was shaking, and she was sure that if he had been alone, he would have cried.
That night, after talking to Dan, she went to her manager. “What’s going on with my relief? I have an issue at home and have to leave.”
“Rene, she called out sick after all. I’m so sorry. The nursing office missed her call, evidently. Can you hang in there, and I’ll try to find someone to stay over?”
“Please do.”
She went out into the hall and called Dan back.
“I might have to do a double,” she said. “They’re short-staffed as it is, and my relief called out sick.”
There was silence. Then, calmer than before, “Okay. Do what you can.”
“I will. I’m sorry.”
He hung up. There was only one way to resolve the issue, and that was to break up the cozy party at Pam’s house. He didn’t care how ridiculous he looked; he was going to invite himself over.
On the veranda with wine and cheese, Pam and Blake Gage were laughing like long-lost friends. That was until Pam looked up and gasped. Dan stood on the other side of the screen with a big grin, waving.
“Oh, Jesus, I apologize. It’s my neighbor.”
She got up and opened the door. “What a surprise! Do you need something?” she asked, infuriated.
“I was just taking a stroll and saw your lights on,” he explained, looking over her head to see the man sitting there, and then down at her with unabashed desire. He wasn’t giving her the option to turn him away. “Mind if I come in?”
With angry eyes, Pam opened the door, giving in. “Sure, Dan. Join us for a glass of wine.”
She made a quick introduction, and Blake didn’t seem annoyed at all that this younger, handsome man had interrupted his evening with Pam. The conversation picked right up again after Pam returned with an additional glass. She even relaxed and began to enjoy herself when after an hour of this, her doorbell rang.
