Page 25 of Unscripted Love

I ran the back of my hand over his cheekbone and couldn’t keep the smile off my face when he whimpered and leaned into my touch. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and resisting him had been futile. I couldn’t undo the damage I’d done by having sex with him, but I could make sure it never happened again. I could break his heart now so that he could begin to heal and find someone who deserved him.

I rose from the bed and quietly dressed so that I wouldn’t wake Jamie. I needn’t have worried though, because he was exhausted from the night of passion we shared and didn’t move a muscle. I stood over him, memorizing every inch of his body and curve of his face. When I started my journey, I didn’t expect to fall for Jamie, but then again I didn’t think I was capable of love anymore. I hated myself, the world, and everyone in it. Somehow, Jamie McManus showed me that good existed in the world and I repaid him by destroying his trust and shattering his illusions that good men existed. It was bad enough that he would learn who I was and the real reasons I sought him out at the fundraiser, but learning the truth about his father had the potential to destroy him.

The urge to take Jamie and run from it all came on swift and strong. No! Running wasn’t the answer and since when did I let a good lay interfere with my plans?I turned from the bed suddenly and pushed all thoughts of Jamie aside to focus on the single goal I’d had for the last twelve years: Take down Connor McManus and to hell with the casualties.

I sat back and stared at what I’d written, amazed that it flowed so naturally. Gideon’s mind was often in a dark place, and I struggled at times to write his chapters. Maybe I felt like I could relate to him more after the deceptive night I shared with Kyle. To be fair, I never intended to hurt anyone, but Gideon sought Jamie out so that he could get closer to his father. Even I wasn’t that big of an asshole, but I wasn’t sure Kyle was going to feel the same way once he found out.

I was startled out of my revelry by a knock on my door. My heart pounded with hope that Kyle might be waiting for me on the other side of the door, but I knew better. I heard the Matrons of Maple Lane chattering and could smell the familiar aroma of my mama’s spaghetti and meatballs. Comfort food at its finest. The long shadows on the floor told me that the sun was setting and my growling stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Even so, I would’ve preferred to heat up a microwave dinner and wallow around in my misery by my lonesome. Instead, I plastered a smile on my face and whipped open my door.

“Evening, my ladies.”

The bad thing about small towns is that everyone knows your business. The good thing about them is that also means they show up and pitch in when it’s needed. Word had spread faster than a wildfire that someone vandalized the animal hospital, and my employees were on hand to help me pick up the shattered pieces. Gabe had called me once and Officer Wen twice before I arrived on the scene to make sure I hadn’t been downplaying the damage. Apparently, Wen must’ve appeased him because Gabe and the others honored my request to enjoy their morning.

“Anything missing?” Officer Wen asked after I’d gone from room to room.

The sound of broken glass crunching beneath my feet had the same effect on my nerves as someone scraping their nails down a chalkboard. “Not that I can tell,” I told Wen. “They were most likely looking to score drugs.”

“Animal drugs?” Wen asked.

“I have to keep some pretty potent pain pills and tranquilizers on hand for large farm animals. People who are desperate to get high will use anything they can get their hands on. Sadly, it kills them more often than not. They take things meant for animals four times their weight, and it stops their hearts,” I explained. “One of the first things I did when I took over this practice was to install the large safe in the back that houses the heavy-duty narcotics.” I saw the scratches and gouges where someone tried to pry the door open with something like a crowbar. “The only things the vandals had access to were topical solutions used to clean and treat wounds plus flea and heartworm medicine.” I gestured to where the items remained in the cabinets even though the vandals smashed the glass doors to hell.

“It doesn’t look like it, but we will do an inventory count and check it against our software to see what it says. Is it okay if I call you with that information tomorrow?” I asked the officer. “I’d like to get this put back in order the best I can before we reopen.”

“Absolutely,” he said agreeably. “I think I have everything I need. I took pictures for your insurance agent to go with the incident report. I’ll call you if something else pops up.”

“Thanks,” I said, shaking his hand. “Will you let my staff know it’s okay to come in?”

“You bet.”

I stared at the mess around me, feeling overwhelmed. In the grand scheme of things, I was looking at minor damage that a few hours of sweeping, mopping, and cleaning would erase. It wasn’t like they tagged my walls with spray paint or ruined the computer equipment. It could’ve been so much worse than it was, but it still felt like a violation.

“Oh my,” Alyssa exclaimed when she saw the mess.

“Alyssa, watch where you step,” I said, pointing to her open-toed heels. “I don’t want you to cut yourself on this glass.” I could tell she’d just come from church since she was in her Sunday finest.

“Honey, I have a change of clothes and a pair of sneakers in the car. Let me grab them and change so we can clean up this mess.”

Molly and Terry stood in the middle of the reception area and looked around in shock. It looked like the vandal went berzerk when they couldn’t get the drugs. The furniture was upended, the flower and plant pots that Molly lovingly tended lay busted, spilling soil, flowers, and plants all over the tile floor.

“I think I can save them all,” Molly said tearfully. “Don’t know why the punk had to take out his anger on innocent plants and flowers.”

“Are you okay?” Terry asked, stepping up to me. “This had to be a huge shock.”

“Yeah, but I’ll be okay. I appreciate you gals running to my aid, but if you have better—”

“There’s no way we’re leaving you here to clean up this mess on your own,” Terry said emphatically. “Jake is with my mom, so I have all day to help you.”

“Okay,” I replied. Only a fool would refuse that kind of help when offered. With any luck, we’d have it done in a few hours and could get on with our day.

An hour into the cleanup, my mom and dad showed up with sandwiches and chips. They didn’t hesitate to pick up a broom and clean either. It still took the six of us more than two hours to clean up the mess and take inventory. By the time we finished, I was jonesing for an Oreo Blizzard really bad, but I wouldn’t let myself eat one. I had low-fat ice cream in my freezer at home, and it would just have to do. I would allow myself a rare treat on occasion, but not as a reward. I also never gave into emotional eating urges, which was the case after I drove away from my animal hospital.

My oldest sister, Jenna, and her husband, Brett, dog sat for me while I was away. My mood improved greatly when I saw how excited Sadie was to see me when I arrived to pick her up. Of course, Jenna and Brett wanted to hear about what happened at the animal hospital. They’d heard bits and pieces through the rumor mill, of course.

“I heard they stole all of your narcotics,” Jenna said.

“All of your computer equipment too,” Brett added.

“The vandals didn’t take anything,” I told them. “It appears that they just trashed the place when they couldn’t access the drugs in the safe. They didn’t mess with any of the expensive equipment either. It was strange.”