Family Be Mine (17 page)

H
UNT NEARLY RAN UP HER HEELS
, especially with Fred pulling him toward a set of chairs in the waiting room.

“Rufus,” Hunt said, acknowledging the object of Fred's interest.

“Sarah?” The voice belonged to a man who stood by the counter across the room.

Hunt turned toward the voice—and the man. He was in his early thirties, clean shaven, and with short, gelled brown hair. He wore high-end workout clothes and the latest running shoes. He positively glowed with health, like an advertisement for a sports drink.

Hunt hated him instantly.

“Zach,” Sarah said curtly before abruptly turning to Rufus. “Rufus, we can go right back, if you want?”

“Not before I give my buddy Fred here a treat. What a good dog. You're not scared of me anymore, are you?” Rufus fumbled in his pocket and produced a liver treat.

Fred gobbled it down quickly, tilted his head and waited for more.

The man she'd called “Zach” held out his hand toward her protruding baby belly. “You're…you're…” He fumbled for words. “You're
really
pregnant.”

Sarah barely graced him with a glance. “So my
doctor tells me.” She pressed one hand to the small of her back.

Hunt stepped forward next to Sarah. “I don't think we've met. I'm Hunt Phox. And I gather you're Zach?”

Zach nodded. “Pleased to meet you. Nice dog you've got there.” Zach made the mistake of reaching out to pet Fred, who immediately scampered behind Hunt and Sarah, slinking his body low to the ground.

“He's shy, isn't he?” Zach backpedaled.

“No, he just has good taste.” Sarah turned around and made kissing noises to Fred. “It's all right, Fred. Zach was just leaving.”

“But, Sarah, I came by to talk to you,” Zach said, a pleading note to his voice.

“Not now. I've got a client who demands my professional attention. Unless you've made an appointment and have a doctor's prescription….” She looked over at Rosemary who was pretending to be busy on the computer. “Does he have an appointment?” Sarah asked her.

Rosemary lifted her head. “Oh, ah…” She made a cursory glance at the printout of the day's clients. “Not that I see here.”

Sarah held up her hands. “In which case, I will say goodbye. Goodbye.” She offered the briefest of waves and shifted her attention to Rufus. “Shall we begin the torture?” she asked playfully.

“Not before I give my friend Fred another treat,” Rufus said. He produced another liver bit. “Fred, watch me.”

Fred watched as perfectly as if he'd been doing it his whole life.

“You've been working hard with him, Hunt. I can tell.”

“Actually, it's been a joint effort, so you should compliment Sarah, too,” Hunt said.

“You own a dog now?” Zach asked.

Sarah rubbed her forehead. “It's a long story.” She moved to go down the hallway.

“Sarah?” Hunt held out his hand to stop her.

She looked over her shoulder, her eyebrows raised.

“Maybe you should just take a moment to hear what he has to say?”

Sarah shook her head. “I'm sorry, Hunt, but you don't have the right to tell me how to treat my ex-fiancé.”

“You're right.” He paused. “When should I pick you up?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Let's see. I've got to go to the hospital in the afternoon, but I can just walk over during my lunch break. It's not far. I have to see a bunch of patients there, but I tell you what. Why don't you check with Rosemary about my schedule? It's on her computer, and then you can just meet me at the hospital reception desk when it's time.”

“I've got a better idea. How about we meet at Dunkin' Donuts across the street to get a bite to eat at lunch, and then I can drive you over to the hospital? I was planning on checking out the health club in the shopping center anyway, and that way I'll have company for lunch. I usually have to eat alone, you know.”

Sarah grinned. “Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you?”

“But you'll meet me, won't you?” he pressed.

“Okay, okay, but be there at noon. If you're even two
minutes late, I'm leaving. No excuses.” She swiped the air with her hand.

“No problem. Noon on the dot. I'll even make sure to reserve a table in a cozy, private corner.”

Sarah sought out Rosemary. “Can you believe this guy?”

Rosemary rested her chin on her hands. “I think it's sweet. I wish someone would offer to meet me at Dunkin' Donuts.”

“Rosemary! You're married with two grown sons!”

“Exactly! Be in my position and you'd understand.”

“That gives me an idea,” Rufus said. “I might just take Thelma later this afternoon. I saw a flyer in the mail with a coupon for their seasonal pumpkin donuts. She'll be tickled pink.”

“Okay, okay, I get the message. Anyone who's anyone is going to be at Dunkin' Donuts. But like I said—noon.” Sarah didn't bother to look back as she trotted down the hallway. Rufus had to hustle to catch up.

“I'll say goodbye now, too, Rosemary.” Zach raised his hand. He nodded at Hunt, crossed the room and opened the door to leave.

Hunt saluted Rosemary. “So, I'll call you later this afternoon to get the boss's schedule.” Then he sprinted after Zach. “Hey, Zach, hold up,” he called, pulling Fred with him.

As soon as he was through the door, the dog spotted a squirrel digging in the stones. He lunged toward it, almost dislocating Hunt's shoulder. The squirrel, showing a keen sense of survival, scurried up a drainpipe attached to the low office building. Fred began leaping as far as the leash would allow him in a futile attempt to reach the squirrel, now tantalizingly out of reach atop
the gutter. Fred watched the twitching tail and sprung upward over and over despite Hunt's commands.

“Some dog you got there. He should be in a circus,” Zach said.

Hunt gave him an exasperated smile. “Let me tell you about this dog.”

 

K
ATARINA SPOKE ANIMATEDLY
into her phone. “We've just gotten out of this information lecture given by the admissions people at Yale, and now we're waiting to be divided up into groups for a tour.”

“Who's that?” Ben mouthed.

Katarina covered the phone and whispered,
“Babi
cka.”
They were milling on the lawn among a large group of high school students and their parents. The admissions offices were located on the elegant tree-lined Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven. Originally the mansions on the street had been private abodes. Now they served as administration buildings or departmental offices.

She nodded as she listened to Lena speak. “Yeah, I agree. Yale is very impressive from what little we've seen of it.” She listened some more. “Yes, the weather's great. In fact, we saw online that the leaves are already beginning to change in Massachusetts and Vermont, so we're thinking of extending the trip from three to four days. Maybe go up to the Berkshires besides going on to Boston?” She looked at Ben for confirmation.

“I want to get the full maple syrup experience,” he said, coming over. He hugged her around the waist and kissed her lightly on the side of her hair.

She smiled, momentarily distracted. “What? Could
you repeat that? You're fading in and out.” She slapped Ben away when he started to ruffle her hair.

“Okay, I hear you now. No,
Babi
cka,
I haven't spoken to Sarah recently. I mean, I emailed her on Sunday when we decided to take this trip.” She paused to listen. “No, I don't really know what she plans to do about child care. I know she's got some maternity leave coming, and I think she spoke with Amanda about maybe working part-time.”

The guides for the tour began calling for people to gather around them. “Listen,
Babi
cka,
I really have to go… What? Fine, but I'll pass you to Matt, but, you know, you were the one who called me and was doing all the talking. Oh, never mind…” She tapped Matt on the back. The teenager was talking to another boy who'd sat next to him during the information session. “It's
Babi
cka
. She wants to talk to—and I quote—‘my favorite person.'” She handed off the phone, and Matt sidled away to talk.

Ben looked down at Katarina. “What was that all about? Everything all right?”

Katarina shrugged her shoulders. “She seems fine. She just wanted to chat—about the trip, then about Sarah. Nothing special.”

Matt returned and handed back the phone. “Let's join that group,” he said, pointing to the one where his newly found friend had gravitated. “Only could you both not stand right next to me? This is my tour, after all.”

Ben made a face to Katarina.

Katarina waved it off. “No problem, Matt. By the way, did
Babi
cka
say anything special?”

Matt thumbed through a large blue information folder and tried to act casual. “Nothing. She just wanted to
know if I knew how to play the ‘Wedding March.' Then she told me that Yale has this collection of rare musical instruments that sounds really cool. You think we have time to visit it after the tour?” He looked at Ben and Katarina.