Happenstance (3 page)

“Yup, that will give you peace of mind that everything is ok and
he’s back with his owner.” She grabs the remote from my hand and starts
flipping channels.

She is trying to be reassuring about the accident, but I know
that Maggie is also trying to find a way for me to see the vet again.

Truth is there is a small part of me that does want to see him
again. I have been so lonely lately. I’ve met a few guys for drinks here and
there that I find online, but nothing that clicks or is worth a second chance.
Driving back home, I try to forget all about it but go to sleep dreaming about
little dogs and a handsome face with hazel eyes.

~

The next day, I place my
hands on the clinic door, and I’m about to push it when it opens abruptly,
causing me to nearly collapse into a pair of strong, lean arms.

“Oh! I’m sorry, are you alright?” a deep voice asks.

I look up into a pair of soulful hazel eyes, a perfectly straight
nose, and a strong masculine chin—unshaved with just a light five o’clock shadow.
He is wearing a dark blue t-shirt that says:
Everything I know about life, I
learned with Google.
It shows off lean muscles. As I glance down to his blue
jeans and sneakers, I can’t believe how handsome he is, and I have the sudden
desire to reach up and run my hands along his jaw line.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he says.

I realize I haven’t yet answered him and blush.
Again.

“It’s ok. I, uh. . . I was in here yesterday with a small dog—”
Real
smooth, V.

He cuts me off. “Yes, I remember you. I’m Dr. Owens, how can I
help you?”

“Well, I was worried about him, so I wanted to stop by and see
how he was doing.”

“We’re actually closed on Sundays,” he says as he points to the
hour sign on the door. Of course! Why didn’t I call first or look online for
the office hours?

“Oh,” is all I can say as I play with my necklace. I notice he
looks over at my fingers, so I put my hand down again.

“I was just on my way to grab lunch a few doors down. If you want,
I can talk to you about his condition while I get my food.” I’m suddenly
thrilled. My heart is doing a fist pump. I’m not looking for anything serious,
but who am I to turn down a few minutes with a gorgeous man?

“Sure, that’s fine,” I say, trying to keep my voice even while backing
up so he can guide me in the right direction.

He opens the restaurant door for me, and we walk into a small
Italian restaurant. Cozy red leather booths line up against one wall with small
tea light candles, and a few square tables sit in the center with the same
candles in the middle. There is a counter on the other side where you can sit
to eat as well. He leads me towards the back and sits down.

“I love this place. They are fast and cheap,” he says. I sit down
in front of him, and now I’m nervous because I realize this is a sit-down
meeting. I was expecting him to give me a quick update while he orders his food
and then I’d go along my merry way. The smell of garlic rolls and fresh-baked
pizza fills my nostrils and my stomach growls. I cringe.

“Hungry?” he asks.
Oh my God, did he hear my stomach just now?
How embarrassing!

“I can grab something to eat later.” I feel my face heat up as I
play with my necklace and attempt to look around the restaurant.
Again.

“Don’t think about it. I insist.”

Oh, boy.

A woman with shoulder-length blond hair and a polo shirt that reads
“De Luca’s” comes over to our table.

“Hey Jared, the usual today?” she asks, looking me over and
smiling.

“Yes, Cheryl, and an order of garlic rolls, please.”

I quickly glance down at the menu, trying to determine what to
eat when he answers for me. “She’ll have the Sunday Lunch Special. What do you
want to drink?” he asks.

“
Uhh
, I’ll just have a Coke, please,” I
tell Cheryl and then glance over at him.

I’m shocked that he’s taken the liberty of ordering for me.

“How do you know I’ll like the special?” I ask as Cheryl walks
away to put in the order.

“It’s just a Sunday special of two slices of pepperoni pizza,
nothing extravagant. I would have ordered you a glass of wine, but I wasn’t
sure if you’d be ok with having a drink, midday.”

“How do you know I like wine, period?” I raise my eyebrow.

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

“Then what’s the problem?” he smirks. Even his smirk is hot.

“You’re a little smart ass, aren’t you?” I ask boldly. At this point,
I don’t care what he helped me out with.

He blinks, but then two seconds later grins over at me.
Actually
grins.

“You’re a little grumpy, aren’t you?” he counters.

Cheryl places our drinks down and gives me a knowing smile before
walking away, as if she’s used to Jared and his conversations.

“Next time, you should ask. It’s just polite.” My lips pursed.
Take that!

“Will there be a next time?” he asks amusingly.

I catch him glancing at my lips and feel my cheeks flame up so I
quickly take a sip of my drink.
Smart ass.

“What I
meant
is that when you have someone join you for a
meal, you should always let them decide.” I can’t help but be defensive,
who
does this guy think he is?

“I’ll be sure to remember that.”

He proceeds to stare at me with those beautiful hazel eyes,
looking at me with an intense expression, and I realize we have not yet gotten
to the topic at hand.
Focus, Victoria!

“So, how is the dog?” I ask him.

“Lucky—that’s his name. How fitting, huh?”

I smile. “Ha! That is pretty funny.”

He chuckles. “Well, I got in contact with his owner. Turns out he
ran away several months ago. The problem is the owner wants nothing to do with
him.”

My heart drops to my stomach.
P
oor Lucky!

“Oh no, that’s terrible.
Why not?”

“Family is going through a divorce, and they can’t keep the dog. When
he escaped, they didn’t bother looking for him. Figured he’d be better off on
his own. The good thing is they paid the medical bill, but they’re leaving me
to find him a new owner.”

What the fuck? Who would do that? I mean why not try to find him
a home or at least an adoption center?

The garlic bread arrives and my mouth waters; soft, warm, square
rolls, fresh from the oven with a coat of garlicky sauce. I bite into the first
roll, and I swear I’ve gone to fatty food heaven. I glance up and see that he’s
staring at my mouth while I lick my finger.
So
I’m turning him on . . . interesting.
I finish the roll and wipe my hands
with the napkin as I try to focus on the food and not on the racy thoughts I’m
having about what else I can lick. Instead, I switch my thoughts over to Lucky.
Lost in the streets with no home to go to,
then
getting hit by a car, and now stuck in some small cell-like kennel.

“What’s wrong?” He’s frowning.

“I’m just thinking about him. I feel bad.” I admit and try to
focus on the pizza slice that just arrived.

“Don’t feel bad. He’s in good hands. His nails are split from
grabbing the road, and he has a fracture, so I had to put a pin through the
bone. I went by today to give him penicillin and check up on him, and he ate
fine and seemed happy.”

“I know but now he doesn’t even have a home to go too. How are
you going to find him a home? Do you know someone who can keep him?” I take a
bite of my pizza—God, it’s good—and glance up at him hopefully.

“I don’t actually, but I was thinking of maybe contacting a
rescue shelter or asking around when some of our clients come this week.”

“What if I help?” I ask.

I’m not sure what I’m doing, but I know I have to do something to
find this dog a home.

After all, this was my own fault for not paying attention. I
notice he raises his eyebrows but doesn’t object. I’m very pleased with the
fact he doesn’t object.

“Sure, I’ll need all the help I can get; we can post up flyers in
the area. I’m sure someone will pick him up,” he says.

My heart begins to accelerate. Will I be able to spend more time
with him? Or will he have someone else help me with the flyers? I’d help either
way, but if it’s with him . . . shit. If it’s with him, I’m doomed.

“How is the food?” He asks, bringing me back down to earth.

“It’s amazing actually.”

“So is it safe to say I have good taste in pizza? Will you be ok
with my choices in the future?” he teases.

Ok, smart ass, two can play this game.
I place my slice down on my plate.

“Will there be a future?” I ask, feeling brave.

His eyes open wide at my statement. Maggie is right, why
shouldn’t I have a little fun?

“I wouldn’t mind that.” He smiles. “But first I’ll have to know
your name.”

“Oh, of course, I’m sorry. It’s Victoria,” I say and smile at
him.

“You can call me Jared.” He smiles back.

God! His smile alone could turn me into mush!
I notice a
small scar that becomes prominent on his left cheek when he smiles. I look down,
trying hard to concentrate on the food in front of me and not this amazingly
gorgeous guy who is sharing a meal with me. I have been out of the dating scene
for so long I fear I’m a little rusty. Those guys from the last few months had
nothing on Jared. I’m intently concentrating on the last pepperoni that rests
on my second slice, and he must have picked up on my shyness because he takes
it easy on me.

“When do you think you could come by and help with those flyers?
I can print them at the office and then post them after work. What time do you
get off work?”

“Actually, I start my new job in two weeks, so I can meet you at
any time.” I look back up and hope he doesn’t tell me he won’t be the one
meeting me. He doesn’t.

“Oh? What job?” he asks.

It wasn’t just that he asked, but his tone seems genuine. Or
perhaps this is just what I want to hear.

“Teaching.
First
grade.
My first year.”
I give him a smile and
hope he can’t hear the nervousness in my voice. I place my hand on my stomach
in hopes of relieving the knots that are forming, and this time, it’s not
because of Jared.

“So you like kids?” he asks me in such a way that I wonder if
there’s a double meaning to the question.

I nod. “Love them is more like it.” I take another sip of my Coke
and continue. “Especially that age, I got lucky that I get to teach first
grade. I love their smiling faces and their innocence. Plus they are so much
fun, you know?” I’m smiling because I can’t help it, but what makes my heart beam
is the fact that Jared is also smiling at me and his eyes tell me he’s not just
listening to me but he’s feeling what I’m feeling.

“I want kids so bad. I want a big family.” He laughs. His laugh
is amazing. It’s deep and throaty. I want to hear it again. “Well, not big-big,
but, you know, at least two kids,” he adds. He jerks his head at me. “You got
any kids?” I lose my smile and inadvertently place my hand on my stomach again.
I shake my head no. I see his eyes flicker over to my hand, and I bring it back
up to sit on the table.

“But soon I’ll have sixteen little ones to watch over.” I smile
again and play with my necklace, hoping we can go back to the groove we were in
with our conversation.

“I’m sure you’ll do great,” his voice is low and husky, sending
goose bumps up my arm.

“I sure hope so. I feel like my internship was ages ago. I’m out
of my game and I need to do lesson plans and go online to get ideas. I don’t
even have a printer at home! Oh my God, why am I just realizing this now?”

I’m rambling and I know it, but now I can feel the slight panic
of not having enough time to get everything done. Why didn’t I start printing
stuff at Maggie’s house instead of eating shit and gossiping? I need to do more
than decorate! Decorating should be the last thing on my mind!

Jared reaches over across the table and grabs my hand, rubbing
the inside of my palm with his thumb. It surprisingly calms me down instead of
making me more nervous.

“Hey, don’t worry. You still got time, and if you are worried
about printing well . . .” he looks at me unabashed, his eyes twinkling, “. . .
you can always use mine.”

I blink. I try to think of something to say, but all I have are
questions running through my mind. He still wants to help me aside from Lucky?
Why? He’s an attractive doctor, what would he want with me?

Despite my mind asking me annoying questions, I find that it’s so
easy to talk to him. Our conversation continues, and we don’t talk about
anything too serious. He doesn’t ask me again about kids or marriage. Thank
God. We actually start talking about my moving away and different areas in
Orlando, but it’s nice and interesting all the same. I do learn that he’s
thirty-two and clearly a go-getter type because he went straight to college
after high school to get his degree in Veterinary Medicine. He’s ambitious. Before
I know it, the food is gone and the waitress hands us the bill. I dig into my
purse to pull out my share.

“You’re not paying,” he tells me.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, ‘you’re not paying’.” He’s already leaving cash on the
table.

“Of course, I am. This isn’t a date. I wasn’t even supposed to
join you.” I look at him bewildered.

“Maybe you
were
supposed to join me. And I’m serious, you
are not paying.”

“But—”

“No buts. I’m not taking your money.” His voice is firm.

Seeing that I wasn’t going to get my way, I put my money away.
“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” We stand and walk towards the exit. He opens
the door for me again, and as I pass him, my arm brushes against his chest
again, and I can’t help but feel the electric current that runs up where we
have just touched. I have never felt like that before. Sure, I’ve gotten the
usual butterflies and giddiness before but nothing like
that
.