Happy New Life (7 page)

“I missed you too, squirt.” Liz ruffled
his hair.

“Mom, seriously, can we go?” His blue eyes
always made her give in.

“Of course, but you’ll have to miss
Tramp’s obedience lesson.” She reminded him.

“Hey, buddy!” Tramp licked Hayes all over.
Hayes giggled. “I see Tramp didn’t learn anything at this week’s class.”

“Sit!” Liz said, sternly and loudly to get
Tramp’s attention. Tramp did exactly what he was told, and immediately sat at
her feet. “Don’t tell me that he didn’t learn anything in class.”

With his mouth wide open, Hayes begged,
“Do it again.”

Liz did it one more time before she went
to the kitchen to get the pizza. Hayes and Tramp followed right behind her.

“Alright!” Hayes pumped his fists in the
air after seeing his favorite movie and what was for dinner on the old farm
table.

“I thought we’d have an Adam Sandler
marathon.” She grabbed the box, and two sodas.

They sat in front of the TV on the feather
bed, letting the Christmas tree lights glow along with the roaring stove, and
let Adam Sandler entertain them.

Every once in a while, Hayes would tell
her something about the weekend, but she found it hard to concentrate. She was
continuously thinking about Cole, especially when Hayes would bring up the
obedience classes.

“Mom, if I go to Mike’s party next week,
am I going to miss Tramp’s class again.” The corners of Hayes’ mouth turned
down.

“It’s okay. I can take him.” She was
definitely looking forward to watching Cole work his magic.

Only, she wasn’t sure who the magic was
working on more.

Tramp or her?

“Can he take another class this week?” he
asked.

“I’ll see.”

“Promise you’ll call.” Hayes held out his
pinky.

Liz hooked her pinky in his. “Promise.”

They sat in silence while they watched the
movie. It was magical. She was exactly where she wanted to be, sitting in front
of the warm fire with pizza, a great movie, and her favorite person. It was
everything she’d been wishing for with each coin toss in the waterfall.

Why was she thinking of Cole?

Hayes fell asleep half way through the
first movie.

Quietly, Liz got up to let Tramp out one
last time before bed.

It was a perfect time to call the Claw and
Paw. It was after ten p.m., and she’d just leave a message, putting the ball in
Cole’s court.

“Uh… Joe?” She checked the time on the
microwave.

Never in a million years did she think
someone would answer. Nothing was open in Grandberry Falls at ten p.m. Well,
The Thirsty Turtle was. “This is Liz Day.”

“Hey, Liz, it’s Cole.” His voice was a
little deeper on the phone. More businesslike.

She preferred his softer tone to this one

She took a couple of quick breaths to help
clear her head.

“Liz?” he questioned. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She put hand over her face, and
then ran it through her hair. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to answer
the phone.”

She put her hand up to her heart. She
hadn’t planned on talking to him and not being prepared left her feeling uneasy
and out of sorts.

“Well, it’s just me. What can I do for
you?” Cole cut to the chase.

“I was going to leave a message about
Tramp’s appointment next Saturday.” She wondered why he’d be working so late.
Didn’t he have more important things to do on a Sunday night?

“Listen, Liz, I already apologized. Please
don’t cancel. Give me another shot.” There was silence.

Cancel?

“Did you think I was going to cancel?” she
asked.

“Yes. You said that you needed to talk
about this Saturday. . .”

“No, no.”
Me? cancel? Not on your life.
She wondered if he could sense her smiling. “My nephew is having his
birthday party in Cincinnati. Hayes wants to go, but he made me promise that
I’d call before I went to bed and try to reschedule our appointment for earlier
in the week.”

A wave of apprehension swept through her.
The thought of Hayes and Cole meeting made her anxious.

Hayes had never been around another man.
Besides, she was getting way ahead of herself. She may have been interested in
Cole, but was Cole interested in her? He might have a girlfriend, be married,
or have a mistress. . . . take your pick.

“What did Hayes think of Tramp’s new
tricks?” He asked.

How cute. He was asking about Hayes. Ah, a
man getting to her heart through her child.

“He said Jenna picked a good dog from the
pound.” She tried to imagine him on the other end of the phone leaning over the
counter at the Claws and Paws.

“Jenna?”

Liz hit her forehead with the palm of her
hand.
How stupid
. She hadn’t meant for Jenna’s name to slip out of her
mouth. One thing was for sure, neither of them was fond of the other.

“Jenna Greenlee.” Liz threw it out there.
It seemed to float around like a leaf on a breezy day. “You know, from The
Trembling Cup.”

“I do.” There was a visible change in his
voice.

Someday, one of them was going to have to
come clean. Like Jenna said, they lived in a very small community.

“How do you know Jenna?” Cole asked.

“She’s my best friend. Jenna has been so
good to Hayes and me since we moved here.” Liz anticipated his reaction with
bated breath.

“Liz, I have my calendar here and I don’t
have any openings this week.”

Liz was taken aback by his sudden change
of personality. What was going on? One thing was for sure, she was going to get
to the bottom of this mystery between her best friend and the man who was
capturing her heart.

“Is it something I said?” Liz didn’t want
to beg, but she did promise Hayes that she’d reschedule. And she never let him
down. “Cole?”

“Fine. Can you guys come on Tuesday? We
can go over a few more commands.” He finally answered.

Liz agreed to the time and abruptly hung
up.

She couldn’t stop replaying the conversation over and over
in her head. Cole and Jenna are both good people. It must be really bad in
order for both of them to react the way they did when they heard each other’s
name. She still thought it was strange that she’d never heard about Cole Michaels
until the day he walked into The Trembling Cup.

“Like the measles, love is most dangerous when it comes
late in life.”

~Lord Byron

The next morning, when Liz dropped Hayes off at school, a bunch of his
friends came up to him as soon as he got out of the car.

She put her hand over her heart. Seeing him so clearly accepted gave
her a bottomless peace and satisfaction in the pit of her stomach that she
hadn’t felt in such a long time.

This was a far cry from when she used to drop Hayes off at his private
school in Cincinnati. As a matter of fact, their whole life in Grandberry Falls
was very different from their life back in Cincinnati.

They lived in a cozy, small cottage in a small town, instead of a
multi-million dollar home in a big city.

Seeing Hayes fit in was something she was not used to seeing. He used
to kick and scream, begging her not to make him go to school. As the good wife,
she had listened to Paul.

“All kids hate school. He’s fine. He’s been around you too long. Stop
babying him, Liz.”
Paul would say and scowl at her the entire time.

Now she realized how much Paul had controlled their lives. She was
thankful that he wasn’t controlling them anymore.

Now Hayes was a completely different child. No matter how rich or poor,
every child in Grandberry Falls went to the same school.

“Bye, Mom.” Hayes waved. There was happiness in his eyes.

“Bye.” She wanted so badly to tell him she loved him, but didn’t want
to embarrass him in front of his friends. “Have a good day,” she yelled.

He didn’t hear her. He was already laughing and paying attention to his
buddies.

Instead of going straight to The Mole Hole to work on some more of her
clients’ designs, she headed to Pet Mall in Lexington to check out their
obedience classes.

The drive did her some good. It gave her time to think about last
night’s phone call between her and Cole.

It haunted her.

She could tell by the way he was talking that he was on the fence about
working with Tramp because of her friendship with Jenna. The last thing she
wanted to do was cause any more conflict or have any drama. She got rid of all
the drama in her life when she moved to Grandberry Falls.

Been there, done that
, she thought, making the turn into the Pet
Mall parking lot.

If she could find another class, she would. It would be better for
everyone, including her.

Besides, Hayes wouldn’t know the difference.

The animal smell was overpowering when she walked through the entrance,
something she hadn’t noticed at Claws and Paws.

Determined to ignore the stench, Liz made her way to the middle of the
store. Every step she took consisted of a different wet nose smelling her
ankles, trying to figure out who she was and where she’d been. If she’d
remembered correctly, there was a class arena in the middle of the store. Blue
fencing with folding chairs in a circle and a sign hanging from the ceiling
that read “Classes”,
was a dead give-away.

There was a schedule hanging outside of the gate. She scanned the list
until she found the only obedience class that was being offered.

“Can I help you?” A gentleman in a blue Pet Mall employee shirt stood
next to her.

She pointed to the list. “I’m interested in the obedience class. It
looks like it has already started.”

The Pet Mall employee pulled his glasses out of his shirt pocket. He
stepped closer to the list. “Ah, obedience class. What about it?” he asked.

What part of “I’m interested” did he not understand?
Her eyes
narrowed as she looked at him.

She talked slower, pointing her finger at the list. “I’d like some more
information on this class please.”

He thumbed through the papers on the table below the list. “Here.” He
handed her the same pamphlet that Cole had left at her house.

She didn’t get the electric shock from him that she got from Cole. It
looked like the same class Cole offered with the same activities.

“Has your dog had any obedience classes?” he asked.

He hadn’t. He had listened to Cole, but not to her. Cole wasn’t his
owner. He wasn’t here.

“No.” It’s her dog and her life.

No, he didn’t behave or listen.

“Then this class is for you. The trainer was really good with dogs. He
has a ton of experience and the class starts tonight.” He handed Liz an
enrollment packet. “Fill this out and bring it in, along with the fee. You’ll
be all set. Just bring your dog.”

This will work, even though she has to drive thirty minutes each way.
This way, she’d be able to get out of Cole’s class, which was uncomfortable for
both of them. Tonight she’d call Claws and Paws; a little later this time to be
sure he didn’t answer the phone, and cancel the class scheduled for Tuesday.
Hell…cancel the classes forever.

Liz kept herself busy all day with new clients who wanted a different
look for the New Year.

“I think a nice blue leather sofa would be nice.” Wendy Owens rubbed
her fingers on the leather samples.

Liz loved how Wendy braided her long blonde hair in pig-tails. Wendy
was the most stylish girl in Grandberry Falls. She’d even graduated from The
University of Kentucky with a fashion merchandising degree.

Liz had to admit that Wendy did have an eye for fashion, with her tweed
cape, skinny jeans, and heeled booties. She was the buyer for Figure 8
Boutique, the local shop where Liz got her New Year’s Eve dress.

Mayor Mitch thumbed through the other fabric books.

The table in the middle of The Mole Hole was littered with all sorts of
fabrics for Grandberry Falls’ mayor to pick from.

And listening to Wendy talk on and on about “the look” the mayor’s
office should have was getting a little annoying.

The leather was definitely more profit for Liz, but she could see the
look on Mitch’s face.

“Why don’t I give you two a minute?” Liz stood up. “I need to grab
something from the back office.”

When Liz decided on opening The Mole Hole, she wanted something
different for a storefront.

When she bought the tiny cottage, she designed each room with a unique
theme. It was a great idea that she would allow potential clients to see all
the different designs she could come up with. It gave her clients a starting
point. Once she got to know their tastes, she was able to incorporate more
elements into their project, giving her a better chance of having satisfied
customers.

She especially loved designing the front window to match the season.
And she incorporated a little bit of Grandberry Falls coziness in each design.

She could hear Wendy begging Mitch to pick the leather, which was odd
to her. Since when did the mayor’s best friend help decide what he needed.

It was no secret that Hazel Greenlee had already matched Mitch with her
granddaughter, Maggie Greenlee. Jenna still claimed that Maggie was head over
heels in love with that guy she lives with in New York City. But if you ask
Hazel, she’d tell you that Maggie didn’t know what she wanted, and Mitch was
her true love.

Hmmm
. Liz had to question Hazel because the little ear nibbles
Wendy was giving the mayor, were definitely more than friendly.

Liz cleared her throat and looked at her watch. She was expecting
another client any moment and didn’t want the mayor to be seen in a
compromising position.

“I’m going to go with the blue fabric love seat.” Mitch was confident
in his choice.

Wendy rolled her beautiful blue eyes. Her dimples deepened with her
smile.