Blind Ice (Razors Ice Book 5) (23 page)

“Where’d you find her?” Gabe asked.

“In some bushes by the apartment building. She hadn’t gone far.”

“Thank you for finding her,” Julia said.

Shamus would have carried Cassidy out of the burning building, too, if he could have. Lord knew he’d tried to.

Logan patted her on the back. “No problem. I took her by the vet’s office so they could check her out and they said she’s perfectly fine. They couldn’t find a scratch on her. Which is more than we can say about you,” he said, referring to the scratches on Julia’s arms.

Julia flexed her hand. The scratches were sore and would sting for a few more days. “Yeah, she went all Freddy Krueger on me.”

The four of them laughed weakly at Julia’s attempt at humor. There was still one member of their family missing and it felt strange to crack jokes.

“I’ll put out some food for her,” Kate said. Something had compelled her to buy cat food and a litter box at the store earlier and she was grateful for the distraction to keep her busy.

Julia stroked Cassidy’s fur as Gabe brought his arm around the both of them.

Cassidy was home.

Chapter Twenty-Four

New Eyes

Even after Cassidy was returned to her, Julia slept for days. And the days eventually ran into a week. She didn’t want to get out of bed. What would be the point? Sure, Gabe was here now, but his presence just wasn’t enough to wipe the grief away completely. He was busy settling into his new job at MacDaddy anyway.

Julia had taken a hiatus from the Blue Key and decided to spend the rest of her days wallowing in her own self-pity. She would have slept through Kate’s engagement announcement if Kate hadn’t barged in and told her the exciting news. Julia was happy for her and Logan, really she was.

She just desperately missed Shamus.

How was she supposed to go on without him? Without his big body always fighting for the covers? Without his soft snoring next to her on the bed at night? Their long walks in the park on the weekends? His gentle nudges and tugs as he looked out for her and kept her safe? No other dog could ever replace him. Not even a human could come close to how much he’d meant to her. He was so much more than just a service dog. He was her best friend.

Cassidy missed Shamus too. They used to lay snuggled up with each other at the foot of the bed and now Cassidy lie there alone, wondering where the big dog was. The cat had been keeping vigil on the foot of the bed like she was waiting for him to return.

Julia still couldn’t believe he was gone. Why did it have to be him? Why couldn’t they have escaped the apartment just a few seconds earlier? Why couldn’t his life have been spared?

When she couldn’t come up with any of the answers, she crawled back into bed and pulled the covers up over her head.

* * *

Gabe hated to leave Julia, but he slipped out of the bedroom while she was sleeping to stretch his legs and get some fresh air.

It had been a week and a half since the fire. Gabe had started his new job at MacDaddy—well, technically it was the same job he’d had at Intelliteck, except for the drastic change in scenery—and everything was progressing the way it should be. The launch and release party for VINCE was scheduled for the following week. Gabe wanted to share his excitement with Julia, but she had folded in on herself like a complicated piece of origami and he didn’t know how to reach her.

Kate didn’t seem too fazed by her sister’s withdrawn behavior and she smiled at him in the kitchen like she had an ace up her sleeve. If there was one thing he’d learned about Julia’s sister in the last couple of weeks, it was that it would take a lot more than tragedy to bring this half of the Kapowski sisters down for the count.

“She’s glad you’re here,” Kate told him as she handed him two plates of food. “She just can’t show it right now.”

Gabe nodded. He thanked her for lunch and went back inside the guestroom. After setting the food on the nightstand, he climbed into bed next to Julia. She groaned and turned over, reaching for him. He snuggled against her and held on tight. At least she wasn’t turning away from him. At least the grief wasn’t pushing her out of his grasp.

At least they were together.

* * *

That next morning, Kate knocked softly on the guest bedroom door.

“Come in,” Gabe called out. He was working on his laptop while Julia slept beside him.

Kate swept into the room. “Julia, honey? It’s time to get up. They have a dog ready for you. Her name is Hawley.”

Julia sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “What dog?” she groaned. “What are you talking about, Kate?”

“She’s a guide dog who is just finishing up her training in Sacramento. She’s a Labrador retriever. We can’t bring her home today, but we’re going to go meet her tomorrow and spend the day with her to see if she’s a good match for you.”

Julia flopped back onto the mattress.

A good match?
What in the hell was Kate talking about?

“I don’t want a new dog.”

“Well, it’s a little too late for that.” Kate had contacted the guide dog organization soon after the fire and fortunately they already had a dog in mind for Julia and her needs. The waiting list for a new dog was long, but Kate managed to pull some strings and call in some favors to make it happen.

She knew Julia’s grief was still fresh, but Kate wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She knew her sister better than she knew herself and this was what Julia needed. Even if she didn’t know it yet.

“I also made you an appointment with Sarah to get your hair done this afternoon.” Ever since her divorce, Kate swore that a trip to the salon was a cure-all for everything.

Julia let out another groan and turned to Gabe. “Are you getting all this?”

But Kate wasn’t stopping there. “And Logan put me in touch with a friend of a friend who does massage. Her name is Violet and she’s engaged to a former teammate of his. The guys on the team swear she’s the best massage therapist in town, so you’ll be in good hands.”

“Well,” Julia let out a superficial huff and sat back up. “It certainly sounds like you’ve got everything all figured out for me then, don’t you? Shall I schedule a bowel movement as well?”

“Get dressed,” Kate said, ignoring the distasteful comment. Julia was all bark and no bite, especially when Kate used her “big girl” voice. “Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes.” The door closed behind her and Julia and Gabe were alone again.

As much as Julia wanted to stay in bed until the sun burned out, a day of beauty and relaxation sounded even better. Sometimes her sister, the mother hen of all mother hens, knew exactly what Julia needed. Not that she would ever admit that to Kate. The woman didn’t need any more ammo in which to use to meddle in her life with. Meddling was what Kate did best and Julia didn’t know how she’d survive without it.

Gabe sat his laptop aside and pulled her back down onto the bed with him. On a sigh, Julia melted into him and laid her head on his arm.

“She’s really serious about this dog stuff, isn’t she?” Gabe asked.

Personally, he thought it might be too soon, but he wasn’t about to tell Kate that. She knew her own mind and liked to think she knew what was best for her everyone else, too.

“I guess so.”

“Are you going to let her steamroll you like that?”

“Are you kidding? Do you know how wonderful a massage sounds?”

Gabe chuckled and she liked the sound. She could really get used to the feel of his chest when it rumbled with laughter, and the ever-present scent of cinnamon on his breath, and the…

Well, Julia decided, it was suffice to say that she was getting used to having Gabe around altogether. She liked him here. She liked it a lot.

“I’ve learned to choose my battles,” Julia admitted. “Especially with my sister.”

“What about the dog?”

Julia was silent for a minute, finally letting herself think about meeting a new service dog. Her throat tightened when she thought about Shamus. A part of her would always ache for him, but there was certainly room in her heart for another dog. Maybe this was exactly what she needed to jumpstart her life again.

“I guess I could get used to the idea,” she said after a while.

It was time she stopped thinking about everything she’d lost in the fire and started thinking about everything she’d gained in the last few months.

Gabe rubbed his free hand over her back. “Maybe I’d like to try some massage on you sometime.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. And you don’t even have to return the favor.”

Julia snorted and rolled over on top of him, pinning him to the bed. “Are you sure about that? Blind people give the
best
massages.”

* * *

Breakfast in Kate’s tiny kitchen was a sort of controlled chaos, with toast popping up out of the toaster at carefully timed intervals and eggs being cooked to perfection on the stove. Space was limited and there was more shimmying than a Texas square dance, but Kate enjoyed having everyone together.

Julia was out of bed and Cassidy crunched on cat foot from a dish decorated with colorful paw prints. Things were about as normal as they were going to get with everyone sharing the small space.

Logan and Gabe were discussing sports scores and Julia found herself smiling at the thought of her computer geek boyfriend knowing the difference between the Bears and the Cubs.

“Your little love nest is filling up quickly, Katie,” she remarked while carefully pouring orange juice into glasses.

Kate smiled, glad her sister was out of bed and looking halfway human. “I kind of like having everyone under one roof.”

During breakfast, Gabe marveled at how easily Kate and Logan showed affection toward each other. Gabe had grown up in a household that frowned upon physical affection in public and the concept was unfamiliar to him. But Kate and Logan were so obviously in love that they were actually a refreshing sight to watch.

Julia shoved a piece of toast into her mouth. “They’re kissing again, aren’t they?” she asked with a mock look of disgust wrinkling her face.

Just because her eyes weren’t functional didn’t mean she couldn’t see what was going on around her. Most people—including Kate—severely underestimated her. She could sense changes in the air. When two people were tense around each other. When two people couldn’t wait to get alone so they could rip each other’s clothes off. Kate and Logan were definitely in the latter group.

Gabe squeezed her hand and leaned forward to press a kiss to her temple. He might have grown up with an ingrained aversion to public displays of affection, but he knew how to keep a woman from feeling left out.

“I have a feeling the two lovebirds would like the nest all to themselves,” Julia remarked.

Gabe jumped in with a solution he’d been mulling over for a few days. “I’m going to get us a hotel room until we figure out where we’re going to live.”

Logan caught wind of the conversation and looked to Kate, to Julia and back to Kate again. “Why don’t you guys just move into my place?” he suggested. “It has a piano for Julia and everything.”

“Oh no, Logan,” Julia waved a hand in dismissal, a gesture Kate used often. “We couldn’t impose on you like that.”

“It’s no problem,” Logan said with a shrug. “I was planning on moving in with Kate and selling the place anyway.”

Kate’s head whipped around to him and her mouth dropped open. “You were?”

He put an arm around her and pulled her close. “Well, yeah. We’ve kind of talked about it before and I think it’s a good idea. And now is just as good of a time as any. We’re still getting married, aren’t we?”

“Well, yes, but I thought you’d want to live at your house. It’s so much bigger and…”

“Nah. I like your place better. It’s time I moved on from the bachelor pad.”

Gabe squeezed Julia’s hand. “Well, what do you think?” he asked her.

“I think, Logan, you just got yourself two new tenants.”

Logan dug keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Gabe. “Why don’t the two of you go over and check the place out today?”

Gabe held the keys in his hand and leaned over to kiss the back of Julia’s hand. “Sounds like a plan.”

When just a week ago everything seemed to be falling apart at the seams, now it was all falling into place.

* * *

Logan’s house in Pacific Hills was much more than Gabe could have hoped for, especially for his and Julia’s first home together. It would definitely work until they could find a place more scaled down for the two of them. Or more appropriately, the
four
of them, including Cassidy and Hawley. Having a new dog around was going to take some getting used to. But Julia seemed to be warming up to the idea and Gabe just wanted her to be happy again.

“This place is incredible,” Gabe said. “I have a surprise for you.”

Julia’s nose crinkled. “What?”

“Now, close your eyes tight.”

She sensed the smirk in his voice. “Very funny.”

Julia tuned in her senses, getting a feel from the room. The smell of leather was strong from the recliner. “I already know where we are,” she reminded him. “I’ve been here before.”

“But you haven’t seen
this
.” Gabe led her to the piano in the center of the room and sat her down on the bench.

“The piano,” she whispered in awe.

“You can play as loud as you want.”

She reached her hands out in front of her and found the keys, cold and welcoming. She played the middle movement of her sonata, instantly loving the acoustics in the room. “It’s wonderful.”

“Julia.” Gabe took her hand and spun her around on the bench.

“What?”

“I love you. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“And I don’t want you to go anywhere,” she said smiling. He nuzzled her neck and she threw her arms around him. “And I love you too,” she laughed.

It dawned on him that he hadn’t heard her laugh in a long time. It was a sound he missed.

There would be laughter in this house, Gabe mused. There would be dogs and cats and laughter bouncing off its big beautiful walls.