AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Is this the one that ran from the kitten and wound up in a cactus patch?”
The long black dog whips his head around to Todd as if daring to make fun of him for his predicament.
“Yes. He’s scared of cats. The owner is worried about pain. He won’t put down his paw, but there aren’t any more cactus spines in him. He just needs to heal.” I’m glad we’re back to normal territory. I don’t want to talk about Ensley.
Todd grips the dog’s harness. Even on three legs, this one has the muscle to escape if we’re not ready.
I open the cabinet and extract a bottle and a fresh needle. “I hope this does the trick, since he likely won’t take the prescription. Maybe the owners have figured out a method that works by now. Be sure and ask.”
When the shot goes in, the Doberman lets out a plaintive howl.
“He’s kind of a wimp, isn’t he?” Todd says.
“Pretty much.” I cap the needle. “You can take him back. They shouldn’t need to talk to me again.”
Todd leads the Doberman to the door. “It’s going to suck not having Ensley. She was pretty great.”
That again. “I have someone arriving first thing in the morning. It will be fine.”
Todd looks doubtful, probably imagining me yelling at the new receptionist.
But I’m turning over a new leaf. I will take deep breaths. I will not raise my voice. I will control my urge to come down hard on people.
Just as soon as Ensley James is out of my life.
Chapter 35
ENSLEY
Tillie waits for me at our apartment Monday night. I couldn’t stay in Atlanta after getting fired. Lila assured me her friends would look after her, and it’s only a week until Tillie is there permanently.
Tillie wraps her arms around me. I want to be mad, but I just cry and cry. I’m sad that I had to leave my sister. Sad that my boss, Cindy, is going to be gone. Sad that Drew wouldn’t give me a chance to explain. Sad that the job I liked is no longer mine.
She strokes my hair and wipes my face with a damp washcloth, like I used to do to her when we were little. I may have been five when Mom died, but Tillie wasn’t even a year old. I was the only mother she knew. I did my best to act like our mother after she was gone. I had Tillie and Lila to care for. Sometimes I swear most of my memories of my mother are my own actions, mimicked and amplified over the years from what I once knew.
“Will you go back to the bank tomorrow?” Tillie asks.
I shrug. “If I feel like it. But Wednesday for sure. It’s Cindy’s last day.”
We watch Hallmark movies, even though I scarcely pay attention. It’s helpful, focusing on a screen, letting Tillie comfort me. I’m grateful that she doesn’t work Monday nights.
We take Tuesday to be together, getting our nails done and hitting the thrift shops. I find a pair of brown boots even cuter than hers and am glad I can wear something that doesn’t remind me of Drew. I shove the gold dress into the back of my closet.
“You going to look at the one-bedrooms?” Tillie asks. “We should both be packing.”
It’s Tuesday afternoon, and I’m in denial that everything has gone belly-up. “Let me see if the leasing agent is in the office.”
“I’ll go with you.”
We walk arm in arm to the apartment’s main office, but it’s locked up, a sign on the door saying they’ll be back in an hour.
“Come to the bar with me,” Tillie says. “I’ll make you Blue Hawaiians until you fall off the stool.”
“But I’ll be a liability.”
She pulls me close, pressing our foreheads together. “Nope. You’ll just be my sister.”
“And you’re quitting there, anyway.”
