After Sundown: Redemption (23 page)

“And did he have to give you some?”

Alyssa almost choked on her coffee.

Chapter Eleven

She coughed so hard her eyes watered. The coffee had gone down the wrong way. Aunt Joyce stood up and pounded on her back.

Fearing her aunt would try the Heimlich maneuver next, she waved her away and spluttered aloud, “I’m fine.”

That was all the energy Alyssa could expend. The remainder went to clearing her throat and taking gasping breaths. Obviously assured she could now breathe, her aunt sat back down in her seat.

“Are you sure you’re okay, dear?”

She ignored Aunt Joyce’s second question. She was more concerned with the first. The one that nearly choked her.

“Did he give me some
what
?” Alyssa asked incredulously. She knew her mouth hung open, but couldn’t help it.

Her aunt looked at her in confusion for a moment. Then her face cleared as understanding dawned.

“Some of your medicine, dear. I thought the paramedic told Christian to make sure you took the pain medication he gave you, if you needed it.”

Alyssa mouth snapped shut.

“What did you think I meant?” Aunt Joyce asked.

Alyssa tried not to look guilty.

“I, uh, wasn’t sure.”

“I see.” A wide smile spread across her aunt’s face.

She didn’t say another word, but Alyssa felt like crawling under a rock. The knowing look in her aunt’s eyes said it all. She decided to change the subject.

“So, I’m going to start seeing my patients again today, tomorrow night is my last speaking engagement and then, hopefully, my life can get back to normal.”

“What about Christian?”

Alyssa felt a headache coming on. She massaged her right temple. Her aunt just didn’t give up.

Jonathan jumped onto the table and interrupted their conversation, meowing pitifully while studying their food. Aunt Joyce gave him a stern look and then proceeded to cut her egg into small pieces and feed it to him. Jonathan gobbled it down and began purring loudly when Aunt Joyce petted him. Alyssa smiled as her aunt took the cat in her arms and laid him on her lap. Jonathan settled down immediately, looking like a king on his throne. Though Aunt Joyce continued to pet him, her eyes focused expectantly on Alyssa once more.

Her cat’s arrival had given Alyssa a moment’s reprieve from her aunt’s interrogation. She thought about what exactly her aunt was asking her. What about Christian? She tried to answer honestly.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know where a relationship with him could possibly lead.”

“What do you mean? He’s obviously a reliable, honest and responsible man. And he’s got a great face and body to boot.”

Alyssa laughed out loud. Her aunt appeared quiet and demure to those who didn’t know her. She was quite petite and had the kind of face that reminded people of their grandmother. Looks were deceiving in this case though. Her aunt was an outspoken woman, always had been. And she wasn’t afraid of what other people thought of her. She lived her life the way that she felt it should be lived. And she was always honest with Alyssa, sometimes too honest.

Unfortunately, in this case, Alyssa couldn’t reciprocate. She tried to imagine telling Aunt Joyce that Christian and Vlad were vampires and that the agency employed mystical creatures such as elves. Her aunt would think she had gone crazy. It wouldn’t be pretty, not pretty at all.

She tried to think of an alternate explanation to dissuade her aunt from pursuing the notion that she and Christian might have a future together. She would have to come up with something that stopped all further speculation. The idea hit her like a brilliant strike of lightning. Why hadn’t she thought of it earlier?

“The reason there can’t be anything between Christian and I is because of Tom.”

“Tom? Tom who?” Her aunt’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

“You know Tom Hardly. The therapist I share office space with?”

“Oh,
that
Tom,” her aunt said with a dismissive wave. “What does he have to do with this?”

Her aunt was watching her closely. She had to make this look and sound good.

“Well, you know how we’ve dated a few times?” Alyssa didn’t wait for an answer. She didn’t want to give her aunt a chance to protest. “He and I have decided to see each other exclusively.”

“Since when? I thought you didn’t like Tom in that way? You told me he was too wimpy for you.”

Alyssa lifted her chin stubbornly. Her aunt was making this difficult. She just wanted to tell one little white lie to get her aunt off of her back. Instead she had opened a whole new can of worms.

She had met Tom when she was looking for office space to rent. She had just finished her appointment with the leasing agent when he showed up to view the same property. The agent introduced them and they hit it off immediately. They eventually decided to share space and had been friends ever since. He was a kind, intelligent man, who was somewhat attractive in a preppy, suburban, white bread kind of way. Alyssa felt absolutely no attraction to him. They had dated a couple of times, but both agreed that there wasn’t any chemistry between them and they should stay just friends.

“I never said wimpy. I said he and I didn’t seem to click in that way. Since the last time we discussed this, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided to give Tom a chance. He’s a nice man who I can have an interesting intellectual conversation with. We enjoy each other’s company.”

“If that’s the case, then what happened last night with Christian?”

Alyssa had enough. She didn’t want to discuss this with her aunt any longer. She was a grown woman and didn’t need to explain her actions like this. Tamping down her frustration, she pasted a pleasant smile on her face.

“That was a mistake. It should never have happened. Now, can we please talk about something else? I have to leave for the office soon.”

Her aunt studied her a little longer, than finally nodded.

“Okay, Aly. If that’s what you want. But I think Christian is a much better man for you.”

“Thanks for your opinion. But I’ve made my choice. Now tell me how much money you raised last night at the charity event. There seemed to be a good turnout.”

They talked for a little bit longer as Alyssa finished her breakfast. Her aunt insisted on washing
the dishes. Alyssa made sure Jonathan had plenty of food and water before she and Aunt Joyce walked outside together.

Her aunt gave her a big hug and Alyssa hugged her back. She started to pull away but Aunt Joyce held her close a moment more.

“You know the reason I’m so nosy is because I care, don’t you, honey?”

Alyssa gave her aunt another squeeze.

“I know, Aunt Joyce.”

“I just want you to be happy, really happy. You deserve it.”

“I know.”

Aunt Joyce released her. As she pulled back, Alyssa saw there were tears in her aunt’s eyes. She wiped them away quickly and then gave Alyssa a wobbly smile.

“You have a good day. Take it easy, don’t do too much and be careful, okay?”

“I will. And thanks. I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetie.”

Alyssa drove down Scottsdale Road. She didn’t notice the traffic congestion, or the fact that it was already 100 degrees, even though it wasn’t even noon yet. Her thoughts were not focused on the drive to work.

She pondered the conversation she had just had with her aunt. She dwelled on the man responsible for that talk. And, as Alyssa was finding to be the case whenever she spoke about Christian, or even if she were just thinking about him, she just couldn’t seem to make a concrete decision about the man.

She arrived at her office in Old Town and found her parking space taken. Releasing a sigh of frustration she smiled and shook her head. She loved working in this part of Scottsdale because of the unique character of the place. But it was a tourist haven. Parking was a nightmare, even if you had your own reserved space. The roads were almost always congested and during the fall, winter and spring the sidewalks were full of tourists shopping for southwestern gifts, taking pictures of the old wooden cowboy standing tall, or just strolling around sightseeing. Beautiful Native American jewelry made by the renowned jewelry designer Gilbert Ortega could be found in his large gallery off Scottsdale Road. Giant bronze statues of horses, Native Americans, or cowboys could be seen outside one popular gallery in particular. The old Southwest feel of the place attracted people from all over. The fact that the Grand Canyon was only a few hours drive away also added to the tourist trade.

But there was another side of Old Town. The artistic, free-spirited side of it, where artists of every ilk displayed their wares and were sometimes onsite to greet and talk to customers. The new age crowd was also alive and well in the area. Their shops and art galleries were scattered throughout Old Town. And there were little hideaway cafes that locals frequented because of the great food and atmosphere. And Mexican food. Arizona was known for it. Alyssa couldn’t go more than a week without it. Julio’s Barrio was her favorite. Their rich green chili, fresh fish tacos, or lime-infused shrimp fajitas were the best in town. The family who owned it had been making and serving fantastic Mexican food in the state for over thirty years.

Among all of this was the political heart of Scottsdale. City Hall, the Department of Revenue and many other city government offices were located in Old Town. So if one was looking for an area mixed with the old and the new, the serious and the fun, this was the place. It was a mishmash stew of people and sights, brimming with life. For Alyssa, the best part of Old Town was that everyone felt comfortable and almost reveled in their individuality, despite the contrasting mix.

The worst part was the parking.

After finding a parking spot not too far away, Alyssa walked into her office and smiled at her receptionist.

“Good morning, Stella.”

Stella had been working for them since the day she and Tom opened their office. And she was very efficient at keeping their appointments organized and running the office smoothly. More importantly their patients felt comfortable with her. They were lucky to have her.

Every year since Stella turned sixty, she talked about retiring. It had been three years and so far the woman had stayed with them. She and Tom knew that Stella really enjoyed working and was the type of active person who couldn’t just sit at home, but they humored her. Each year they begged her to stay, told her how invaluable she was to them and persuaded her to keep working for one more year.

“Ms. Edwards. How are you? I saw what happened on the news last night. Is everything okay?”

From her expression, she knew Stella had been truly worried about her welfare.

“Yes, Stella. Thanks for asking. I’m fine and the man who attacked me is safely behind bars. Hopefully I won’t have to worry about him ever again.”

“Let’s hope not. I’m glad you’re okay. And it’s nice to have you back. Your patients missed you.”

“Thank you. It’s nice to be back. Uh, exactly how much did my patients miss me?” Alyssa narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Her receptionist laughed as she handed Alyssa a large pile of message slips.

“They missed you
this
much.”

Alyssa tried not to groan as she saw the amount of callbacks she had to make.

“I’ll be buried under this mountain of messages for most of the day if you need me.”

“Ah, the price of fame,” Stella sighed, holding the back of her hand to her forehead.

Alyssa chuckled.

“Thanks a lot.”

Stella ignored her sarcasm.

“Anytime. Your first appointment is at ten.”

“Right.” Alyssa nodded as she walked into her office. “I’ll try to get a few calls in before then.”

Alyssa spent most of the day seeing patients and returning calls. When lunchtime came, she snacked on soy nuts, raisins and diet soda while driving to the police station to give her statement. Luckily, Vlad had already informed the police about most of the incidents, so Alyssa confirmed what they already knew and added information that was missing. It wasn’t a pleasant way to spend her lunch hour, but luckily it didn’t last long. Soon she was back at her office. She peeked her head in the door and waved to Tom when she returned, but they didn’t get to talk until the end of the day.