“Are you listening to me, Rachel?” Alice asked, annoyance etched clearly on her face.
“Yes. I am. Of course I am.” Rachel shoved a forkful of salad into her mouth as Alice took up right where she’d left off, unable to understand how the manager of her office could possibly put up with the shenanigans going on with this new guy. Rachel nodded, willing her mind to concentrate on the words dropping uninterestingly from her mother’s mouth and not to take her back into the territory of thoughts and theories of which she was unsure and couldn’t compartmentalize.
Those eyes…
Chapter Eight
“‘Very informal’ is such a relative term.” Courtney sighed as she roughly yanked the blouse off and grabbed another from a hanger in the closet. “Very informal to me and very informal to her could be two very different things.”
Amelia chuckled with amusement. “Sweetie, you need to relax a little bit or you’re going to frighten the poor girl away.” She reached around Courtney and grabbed a deep green blouse with three-quarter-length sleeves out of the closet. “Put this on with your khaki slacks, the low-waisted ones, and tuck it in. Brown belt. Those shoes.” She pointed to a pair of simple, comfortable brown leather shoes with a modest heel.
Courtney dressed obediently, never questioning Amelia’s suggestions. Since college, she knew without a doubt that Amelia had an inherent sense of fashion and she’d never steered Courtney wrong. Courtney had learned that if she shut up and wore whatever Amelia told her to, she’d be fine.
“I’ll be downstairs getting my stuff ready.” Amelia stopped and studied Courtney. “Just pull a little of your hair back. Use that funky gold clip you bought a couple weeks ago.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Courtney responded with a grin. She heard Amelia’s sneakers as she descended the hardwood stairs and headed for the dining room, in which she was mounting a border for Courtney. She was very good at such things, Courtney was very bad at them, and it gave Amelia an opportunity to spend the evening away from the chaos of her own household.
Standing in the bathroom, Courtney finished applying some light makeup, then styled her hair the way Amelia had ordered. The addition of some simple gold earrings completed the ensemble and she studied herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the door.
Not bad,
she thought, her gaze starting at her shoes and sliding critically up her body, taking in the fit of the pants, the curve of her own hips, the snugness of the blouse, ending at her face where she made eye contact with herself.
Not bad at all. I think.
She freed a couple strands of hair so they hung in corkscrew curls near her ears.
She thought about her date and found herself suddenly self-conscious about looking good enough to be standing next to somebody who looked as good as Rachel. “Nope. No pressure there,” she muttered to her reflection and rolled her eyes. “No pressure at all.”
Deciding this was as good as it was going to get, she spritzed on a lightly scented perfume and headed downstairs. She stopped short as she turned the corner and heard conversation coming from the dining room. Steeling herself, she continued on her path and was surprised to see Rachel and Amelia discussing the border Amelia was going to mount.
“Hi,” Courtney said. “I didn’t hear the bell.” She hoped her swallow wasn’t audible as she tried not to gawk at the sight of the woman before her. Rachel wasn’t dressed any more fancily than Courtney—she wore a nice pair of jeans and a simple black top—but she was stunning nonetheless. Her wavy hair was loose, her legs—as always—went on forever, and for the first time, Courtney was treated to a full-on, close-up view of her ass, snugly held in denim and begging for a caress.
Amelia jumped in. “I saw her pull up, so I let her in before she could ring the doorbell.” She gestured to the rolled-up wallpaper border and tools spread out on the dining-room table. “We were just talking about my project. Did you know Rachel owns her apartment building?”
Courtney blinked. “Um, no. I didn’t know that.”
“She does. And she’s put up wallpaper, borders, she’s painted, she’s stenciled. She’s a gay man trapped in a woman’s body.”
At that, Rachel burst into laughter. Courtney watched her, absorbing the sound, musical and husky at the same time, and was shocked to feel a tingle low in her belly. When Rachel turned and looked at Courtney, her eyes dancing, Courtney felt her breath catch.
“You look terrific,” Rachel said, her gaze skimming quickly but thoroughly over Courtney’s frame. “I’m really glad you decided to go. Are you ready?”
Courtney nodded quickly, words seemingly impossible.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Rachel turned toward Amelia and waved as she followed Courtney to the door. “It was nice to see you again.”
“Same here,” Amelia replied. “Her curfew is eleven, by the way,” she added with a wink.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Rachel winked back and Courtney shot a glare in Amelia’s direction as she closed the door.
“Have fun!” Amelia called.
Once settled comfortably into the BMW, Rachel turned to glance at Courtney “So,” she said. “How are you? How’s the house?”
“It’s great,” Courtney replied with a smile, grateful for the banter. If she could keep on jabbering, she wouldn’t have a chance to focus on her nervousness. She talked about her plans for the different rooms, colors she’d chosen for painting, how many more trips to Home Depot she had in her future. Rachel contributed succinct comments here and there and they both laughed often. The twenty-five-minute ride was over in no time.
Happy Acres consisted of a large one-story brown building that sprawled wide and flat across the land. Courtney had been there more than once, but it had been a while—several years at least—and many renovations had been made since her last visit.
“Wow,” she said as Rachel slid the BMW into a parking spot in the busy lot. “They’ve really done a lot to this place.”
“Been a while since you’ve been here?”
“Theresa and I adopted our beagle, Polo, from here way, way back. Then we came again a few years ago when we knew Polo was getting up there in years, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to pick another dog.” She grimaced. “It felt too much like we were trying to replace him before he was even gone, you know?”
“Sure. Losing a pet must be very hard.” Rachel waited for Courtney to reach her side before walking toward the building.
“You told me you don’t have a dog because you’re in an apartment, but now I know you own the building.” Courtney bumped Rachel with her shoulder as they strolled. “So…since you’re the landlady, why don’t you have one?”
Rachel pursed her lips in thought, as though trying to find the best explanation. Before she could speak, though, she was interrupted by a heavyset, rather loud woman who called from across the yard.
“Rachel Hart!” She bustled up to them and threw her arms around an obviously unexpectant Rachel. Courtney pressed her fingertips to her lips to keep from bursting out in laughter at the expression on Rachel’s face, which was a mix of
here we go again
and
God, help me
, as she met Courtney’s eyes over the woman’s shoulder. “It’s so good to see you!” The woman held Rachel at arm’s length, and everything she said sounded like it should have an exclamation point after it. “It seems like every time you’re here, I’m not!”
Courtney didn’t need more than the quick glance Rachel shot her to know that missing the woman was intentional on Rachel’s part. She bit her lip to keep her smile to a minimum.
“Betsy, this is my friend, Courtney McAllister.” Rachel turned Betsy by her shoulder so she faced Courtney. “Courtney, this is the head of volunteer coordination here at Happy Acres, Betsy Crawford.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Betsy.” Courtney shook the meaty hand held out to her.
“Same here!” Betsy said, smiling widely and pumping Courtney’s hand with enthusiasm. To Rachel, she added, “Are you bringing me another volunteer?” Facing back to Courtney, she gushed, “Rachel practically lives here! And we wouldn’t have the new wing if it weren’t for her!”
Absorbing this new information, Courtney looked with surprise to Rachel, who hurriedly grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the building. Over her shoulder, she said to Betsy, “I want to introduce Courtney to some of the others, so we’ll catch you inside, okay?”
If she was put off by their abrupt exit, Betsy didn’t show it. Within seconds, she was shouting out somebody else’s name and heading into the parking lot, presumably to squeeze the air from their lungs.
“Sorry about that,” Rachel chuckled. “Betsy can be…exuberant.”
Courtney didn’t mention that Rachel still had a hold of her hand. Instead, she tried her best to soak up the warmth of it, to note how well her own hand fit inside Rachel’s, how comforting and sensual it was to be led by a beautiful woman. “So…they wouldn’t have the new wing if it weren’t for you?”
Rachel blushed a pale pink that Courtney found charming. “I donate money when I can,” she stated simply.
“Enough money for a
wing
?” Courtney asked. “I’m impressed.”
“I sell expensive houses,” Rachel said with a shrug. “And I love animals.”
“That’s the best reason.” Courtney let the subject drop, not wanting to make Rachel any more uncomfortable than she already had. Besides, there were many far less admirable ways to spend your money. That Rachel used hers to help homeless animals made her seem more…human than Rachel Hart, Million Dollar Producer, came across sometimes.
The next hour was a whirlwind of activity for Courtney. It seemed like every two or three steps, they ran into somebody else who knew and wanted to chat with Rachel. After the fourth person, Courtney realized she’d never remember all the names and she gave up trying, which actually allowed her to relax a little bit and just take it all in. Rachel’s popularity was impressive and something Courtney hadn’t expected. If asked to describe Rachel’s personality, Courtney would have had to mention the phrases “a little cool” and “somewhat standoffish,” but at Happy Acres, she was warm, well liked, and extremely knowledgeable.
Inside the building, the first thing Courtney set her gaze on was a giant wall of glass cubicles to her left, each one occupied by a cat.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, awed.
“People tend to forget to spay or neuter their cats.” Rachel’s voice was colored with disapproval.
Courtney had always been indifferent toward felines. She knew people loved them as pets, but they really didn’t do anything for her. Not like a dog. At that moment, however, she wanted to take each and every one of them home with her. Many people stood peering into the glass, talking with Happy Acres staff and asking questions. Courtney’s gaze stayed on them even as she followed Rachel through the lobby to the far corner where a large table was set up with wine and hors d’oeuvres. “Will they get adopted?” she asked.
Rachel watched her as Courtney’s eyes traveled over each and every square of glass, taking in each cat. “The younger ones will. The older ones…they’ll be here for a while. We have some volunteers who will end up taking them home if they don’t get adopted. Don’t worry. They’re well taken care of here.”
Courtney nodded, understanding but not totally convinced.
“We have volunteers who come in every day and play with them or sit with them in their laps or just spend time near them.”
Swallowing down unexpected emotion at the sheer scope of abandoned animals, Courtney nodded again, trying hard to let Rachel’s gentle reassurances make her feel better about the cruelty of the world.
“Hey. Red or white?” Rachel asked softly, pulling Courtney’s gaze to meet hers.
“Oh. Um, red. Merlot. Please.”
Taking the glass offered to her, Courtney pounced on the opportunity to chat with Rachel before anybody else showed up to steal her attention. “This place is enormous,” she commented. “I don’t think I realized it.”
“More than fifteen thousand animals are taken in each year. It has to be big.”
“Wow.” The overwhelming number of abandoned animals
made Courtney blink in shock. “What made you start volunteering?”
Rachel shrugged, popping a grape into her mouth, and chewed thoughtfully. “I started donating first. I got one of those sappy letters in the mail with the emaciated puppy on the front.” She made a face that made Courtney laugh.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten those, too.”
“Then I was on my way to see a client who lived out here and I decided to stop in and visit, just for the hell of it. I wanted to see where my dollars were going and I was completely blown away. All the people here, helping out just because of the kindness of their hearts, walking the dogs, cleaning the kennels, helping with paperwork, it just astounded me. I decided maybe I could give more than money.”
“It must be hard,” Courtney grimaced, “seeing all the strays and animals people have abandoned.”
“It is. It can be horrific. Believe me, there are times when I just want to beat the crap out of some people. But Happy Acres has a no-kill policy, which is very unusual, so if nothing else, I don’t worry that these animals here have time limits. You know?”
“That is a relief, isn’t it?”
“It’s a huge part of why this place means so much to so many people. Just look around.”
Courtney did, and for the first time, took in the utter volume of attendees. The lobby was full and people spilled out the doors into the front lawn area of the building, the fall air still mild enough to be comfortable in the evening. There had to be close to 250 volunteers present. “I’m impressed.”
Rachel smiled widely, the dimples Courtney had imagined suddenly appearing on her flushed cheeks, the white flash of her teeth surprising Courtney in its appearance. She vowed right then to make Rachel smile as often as possible; it lit up her entire face.
“I’m glad you think so,” Rachel said proudly. Before any more could be said, a handsome man in his sixties appeared to shake her hand and chat with the two women about the state of Happy Acres.
At the end of the night, riding home in the car, Courtney reflected on the previous few hours. If there was one thing she regretted about the evening, it was that she didn’t get nearly enough time one-on-one with Rachel. The snippets she’d had, though few and far between, were fun and enlightening, and every time somebody stole Rachel’s attention, Courtney felt cheated out of the additional tidbits that might have been forthcoming had the interruption not occurred. At the same time, she was a little bit relieved because she knew they’d have things to talk about on their next date.