Splitsville.com (7 page)

“Erin, you’re better than these guys. You’ll find someone better than Kent.”

Erin’s jaw clinches. “I thought he was different,” she says. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

It’s silent in the car for a few minutes until she finally says, “I didn’t even ask you why you were at Pleasant Ridge Park.” She sits sideways in her seat after she parks in my driveway. I guess we are done talking about Kent.

“Listen, I don’t have time to talk about it now, but how about lunch later today?” I want to get inside to my file about Michael Schultz and write down everything he said before I forget.

“I don’t really feel like lunch.” Erin is the type who doesn’t eat when she’s depressed. Me on the other hand, I’d wolf down the couch if it was the only thing left in the house. “Let’s do it tomorrow.”

“Okay.” I have to let her off easy or she’ll completely shut down on me. “But if you need me, promise you’ll call.”

She nods quietly as I get out of the car. And of course I know she won’t call.

Eight

The old red and white Chevy of Aunt Matilda’s in the driveway is a pleasant sight.

“Hello?” I scream into the quiet house.

I toss my keys in the pile of papers on the kitchen counter. Aunt Matilda comes out with a basket full of clothes in her hand. I call the local tow company and leave a message on their machine where to pick up my car. They know my ‘95 Toyota better than I do. It won’t be a surprise to them to get my message. They will be surprised at the part of town, seeing I try to avoid the southside as much as possible. Especially since I went looking for juevy and my mom there so many years ago.

“Where have you been?” Aunt Matilda asks suspiciously as she dumps the clothes on the couch and starts folding.

I won’t be able to keep much from her for long. She can read me like a book—always has, always will.

“I had to run a couple errands before I take coffee to Bradley at the SPCA. Can I borrow your truck? My car broke down this morning.” I smile and dismiss her cautious eyes.

She stares at me like she’s waiting for the right answer.

I break the silence. “You don’t have to do my laundry.” I notice she has completely picked up all my clothes off the floor, couch, lamps and tables.

Even though it’s a big help, I don’t want her to feel like she’s still raising me.

“I think it’s high time you started to keep a house.” She gestures around the room. I was hoping she didn’t pick up on that little detail.

I snort. Doesn’t she realize that is the
last
thing I want to do, or the
last
thing on my mind is keeping house.

“You do, do you?” I walk in the kitchen and pour myself a mug from the coffee she must’ve made and continue back to the bedroom as I ignore her pouring over the clothes on the couch. I yell over my shoulder, “I went for a walk. Seriously Aunt Matilda, I will clean my clothes. Just leave the basket there. You should go out with some friends. Or on a date.”

I throw it out there. She definitely needs to get out more, a little adult companionship. I frown thinking about seeing her lonely truck parked off Main Street last night.

She doesn’t even flinch. “I’ve given up on men. Since when do you walk?” She’s not going to let this morning’s episode alone.

“Since I need exercise.” I stop and realize I’m going to have to answer questions I don’t want to. I walk back down the hall to be interrogated.

“And you don’t wear tennis shoes?” Her eyes look down at my fuzzy pink slippers.

Leave it to my palm-reading Aunt Matilda to notice every inch of me. “It’s all about comfort.” I know she’s trying to bait me.

“So. . .” she follows me back down the hall and asks, “Where did you go to walk? Why not walk outside on your sidewalk?”

“All right.” I turn around and almost bump into her. “I went to Pleasant Ridge Park.”

“Pleasant Ridge Park?” She’s holding the laundry basket full of clothes. “Is that where your car is?”

It’s not the closest park, but it is the park Michael frequents.

“Please leave the laundry.” I set my coffee on my nightstand and take the basket from her. I dump it on the pile of clothes already on my bed. I pick up my mug and take a sip, hoping she’ll stop questioning me. “Pleasant Ridge Park.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got nothing better to do, except to find out who DS is in your journal.” She walks out of my room and down the hall.

I almost choke on my coffee. I immediately turn, and rush back to her. “Give it over. You can’t just read people’s private journals!”

“Not until you tell me what you are up to.” I can see the journal in her hand behind her back. “I know how your personality changes when you use your gift and I want to know what you’re looking for.”

“Give it to me.” I hold out on her, but I know good and well she’s going to win. She’s relentless and knows me better than anyone. She plays hardball. 

“Start talking or I won’t let you use my truck.”

“Fine.” For free is a bargain, so I spew like a volcano. Just once I’d like to one up her, but that will be a challenge. “You know that girl, Dabi Stone, the one they found murdered?”

Aunt Matilda nods and mouths DS.

“Well, a few weeks ago she hired Splitsville.com to dump her boyfriend because her high falooting father didn’t approve. I wave my hand in the air and say, “The boyfriend, he was upset but was okay by the end of the dump phone call. But now she’s dead. ”

Aunt Matilda’s skirt jingles as she shifts her weight. “And?”

“And her mom is devastated while her dad seems too quiet. Plus her mom mentioned Michael, the ex, during a news conference this morning. If they track down Michael, they’ll connect the dots to Splitsville.com.”

“If I recall, and I’m old, but I remember we don’t have a good history with that girl. Leave it to the police.” Aunt Matilda’s tone is more threatening than comforting. “You’re going to end up over your head.”

I know Aunt Matilda is concerned and doesn’t want anything to happen to me.

“I can’t. Then everyone in town will find out that I’m Jenn from Splitsville.com and I will have to get another job and you know how that’ll go.” I take a sip and look into my coffee. Anything to avoid her suspicious little mind. “Besides, I love my creation.”

“What does your dream have to do with it?” she asks. I know she isn’t going to let it go.

“I don’t know yet. All I know is Dabi’s initials are floating around like I need to dig deeper into her murder.” I take a long slow breath because hearing it out loud only confirms that my dreams are back and in full force. “Only I don’t think Michael did it.”

“Of course he did. He’s beyond hurt.” Aunt Matilda sways side to side jingling all the way to the kitchen to fill up her cup.

I follow behind her.

“I didn’t get that from his aura today.” I throw my hand over my mouth. How could I be so stupid? Every time I say I’m reading someone’s aura, there’s a vested interest and Aunt Matilda wants to know all about it.

She points her finger in the air. “Ah ha! So that’s why you went to Pleasant Ridge Park. I knew something was up because you only go there twice a year since your playground fiasco.”

She’s right. I go for the SPCA event for Erin and the annual Spring Fling.

“I had to, Aunt Matilda. I need to know if he killed her because of Splitsville.com.”

“I can see we’re going to lose sleep over this.” She knows me all too well.

“I hope not.” But positive thinking isn’t going to help me now. The past has proven that. There is definitely more digging I need to do about Michael, but it’s going to have to wait. “I’ve got to get my shower and meet Bradley.”

Aunt Matilda puts her arms around me. Something I need. “Go visit Bradley and we can figure this out along the way.”

Aunt Matilda always knows how to calm me down and help me figure things out. Today is no different.

Nine

 “So what’s the deal with Bradley?”

I jump, startled out of my thoughts. I turn to find Creepy Kent standing behind me in line at the gas station. It takes everything I have not to throw my high-priced coffee on him.

I turn back around and concentrate on getting to the front of the line so I can pay. “There’s no deal.” The quicker I get out of here, the better off we’ll both be.

His aura flashes, shifting from red to orange causing his blonde hair tinted with a hint of brown. There is a tinkle in the corner of his eyes as they narrow. “Come on, you can tell me.” The battle of the auras form around him. The red big ego aura versus his orange determined aura. Besides, why would I tell him anything? Especially since Erin told me all about his past.

I remind myself that Erin likes him for a reason. He must not be all bad. "No deal," I repeat.

He shrugs and leans against the counter. "If you say so. You and Erin have been friends for a long time."

It's a statement, not a question, and I'm not sure if he expects me to answer. I grunt noncommittally.

"Help a guy out," he says, his aura vibrating, shifting to a more rustic red. My radar goes off. Manipulator. "What's her ideal date?"

If I stare too long his aura will create a dizzy mess in my head.

He flashes his million-dollar smile and I get a glimpse of why women like Erin fall for him.

I threaten him through my gritted teeth. “I’m on to you. I know about the girl from last night. Erin told me.” He needs to know that he can’t get one over on me.

That shuts him up. His smile fades, but he recovers at lightning speed. "It was a mistake. I'm into Erin." Kent digs out money from his pocket.

Liar. Auras don't lie. I slam down my cash on the counter. “Keep the change,” I tell the cashier, and bolt out the door.

I zoom out of the parking lot resisting the urge to turn my car around and run him over. He’s not worth a lifetime in jail.

I can’t believe what a creep he is. But he’s right about one thing, Erin will never believe me. Not yet anyway. I’ve got to come up with a plan to tell her about him and that aura. But carefully.

***

I spend the entire way looking in my mirror to make sure Kent isn’t following me. “Slow down,” Bradley mouths as I blaze into the SPCA lot. “Where’s the fire?”

“I was afraid I was going to be late.” I avoid his concerned stare. I smile and hand him his cardboard cup. “Plus I don’t want our coffee to get cold.”

Bradley’s shaggy hair is still damp and his cologne trails him as I follow him to the front of the SPCA. I stop just shy of the door. The smell of animals envelops me.

He grabs the door and holds it open, looking curiously at me. “You okay?”

I’m suddenly afraid to go in. “Are they going to make me cry?” Images from the SPCA commercials of the dog’s sad eyes resonate in my brain.

“No.” He rubs his hand along my arm. “Remember we are a no kill SPCA. All the animals here are loved and we have the staff to prove it.”

He holds the front door wide open and I walk in under his arm.

There are people and their aura’s everywhere, not to mention the dog’s auras. The little girl holding on to the leg of an older woman wiggles her fingers at me. My gift attracts children. I wiggle my fingers back.

There seem to be a lot of adoptions going on and the atmosphere is almost euphoric. Every aura is happy and fulfilled with love, it knocks me for a loop.

I stop at the front desk and put my coffee down. I grasp the lip of the counter. All the auras of humans and animals begin to swirl causing me to lose my balance.

I’ve never been confined in an area full of dogs. The SPCA yearly fundraiser is outside where the dogs’ auras breathe, but a confined kennel area might send me into a tailspin. Animal auras aren’t much different from human auras.

Bradley drags me into another room and the dizziness immediately subsides. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” I sound as upbeat as I can. Being off balance, makes me more confused. I whisper so the girl who’s cleaning the dog cage won’t hear me, “I haven’t slept well in the past couple of night. Plus creepy Kent. . .”

I stand on my own, but once I let go of Bradley’s arm, my legs wobble.

“Come on, Olivia!” Bradley grabs the chair next to the door and eases me into it. “I want a relationship with you, not with you and Kent. What’s the deal?”

The girl at the dog cages glances over her shoulder like she’s trying to hear what we’re saying. She pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“No deal,” I say under my breath. I really want to get my wooziness under control and thinking about Kent isn’t helping.

“You talk about Kent and Erin all the time.” Bradley looks over at the girl, who’s now staring at us, and pulls me up from the chair and into the other room. “Listen, Olivia, I don’t know you well yet, but I want to. Kent isn't part of that, so if this is the way it’s going to be, then maybe we aren’t going to work.”

I look down taking in every crease in the old tile floor. I can’t face him with all the lies between us. I can’t tell him about the auras or he won’t stick around.

Bradley tilts my head up to look at him. “I want to date you. Not you, Erin and creepy. . .”

“Ha!” I clap my hands together. The room has stopped spinning, and I stand up on my wobbly legs and hold onto the back of the chair. “You think he’s creepy too.”

“I never said I didn’t, but I’m not going to waste every conversation on him and his creepiness.” Bradley steps back and crosses his arms.

“I saw him at the gas station when I stopped to get our coffee. He knows you and I are seeing each other, so I got a little freaked when he wanted details of my relationship with you. It’s like he has no boundaries.” Bradley reaches out to take my hands and his warmth is a welcome touch.

“God, I wish that guy wasn’t in Erin’s life.”

“Yeah, me too.” I turn when I hear the shuffle of the dog cage girl coming into the room. “I promise, I’m going to tell Erin everything.”

“If he doesn’t stop harassing you, I’ll take care of him.” Bradley’s blue aura began to darken around him.

“Wow, I hope I don’t ever get on your bad side,” I say half joking.

“Don’t worry. You could never make me very mad.”

Feeling much better, we walk down to the dogs that need to have their morning ritual.

“Every morning we get the dogs and throw balls or Frisbees. Sometimes they just want to be pet.” He gestures toward a small grey dog.

“Hi there.” I put my fingers through the cage Bradley stops in front of. I try not to look at all the other small eyes begging to get out of the cages. I don’t need to see any more colliding auras today, especially animal ones.

“That’s Herbie. He’s a Schnauzer.” Bradley opens the cage and Herbie jumps up on me. Bradley hands me the leash. “Put him on and we can take him for a walk.”

Herbie jumps up and down like he knows exactly what the leash means. Once I manage to get the leash on him, I take the ponytail holder off my wrist and pull my hair up.

“He likes you.” Bradley smiles as I finally manage to get the out of control dog on a leash.

“I think he likes the idea behind the leash, not me.” Still, Herbie is adorable with his grey hair and mustache, and happy about going on a walk. If only life was that simple.

“You need a dog.” The delight in his eyes scares me.

“Forget it! I don’t have time for a dog.” I don’t want any stinking dog to take care of. Or at least for Aunt Matilda to take care of.

I follow Bradley through the steel doors leading outside with Herbie close on his heels. It looks like a doggie daycare. All the dogs are running around, playing fetch or chewing on bones. Every one of them has a happy and healthy aura.

“Harmony.” Peacefulness blankets me when I see how happy these dogs are. A sigh of relief comes over me. “Definitely not like the commercials.”

Bradley smiles and says, “Nope. They love running around and playing with each other.”

“Bradley, I hate to interrupt, but Sam doesn’t look so good.” The meek shelter worker from the dog cages can barely look Bradley in the eye, hiding behind her glasses.

“I’ll be right back,” he tells me. He puts his hand up for me to stay put, but I don’t. “He’s sick and we don’t know what’s wrong. You don’t want to see him.”

“I’ll be okay.” I’m certain I can tell them what’s wrong with the dog.

Quickly we rush down the dimly lit hallway. The fluorescent lights buzz as we pass under them and the old tile creeks with old age. The oldness of it makes me think the sick animals are here.

The black lab lies on some blankets in the kennel, not moving. Bradley crouches next to her moving her stuffed animals out of the way.

“Sammy girl, what’s wrong?” Sammy lifts her sad eyes up to him when he calls her name.

I crouch down next to him and touch her short prickly fur. Bradley stands back causing the timid girl to stand even farther towards the kennel door. His eyes are full of confusion, but he allows me to continue.

“Hi girl.” I stare, allowing my eyes to go out of focus. I gently rub my hands down her back. Her spine feels good and she not too thin.

Animals can sense when something or someone is good or bad. Sam is calm and relaxed, which gives me a good overall view of her.

She licks me and her black aura begins to surround her tongue and flows along her body. “It’s okay, girl.” I work to gain her trust. She laps at my hand. “I want to help.”

Her ailments hit me like a ton of bricks. I inhale deeply and exhale slowly so I won’t alarm Bradley or the other worker.

“I know. It’s sad.” Bradley put his hands on my shoulder.

“Shhhh.” I look to see where Sam’s aura darkens so I will know where to tell them to look. I know when I get home, I will be exhausted. Because this poor girl is really sick.

When she stops licking me, I slowly stand up so not to disturb her.

“Do you have a veterinarian here?” I look back at Bradley and see the suspicious eyes of the girl. I ask her, “What’s your name?” Bradley rushes to introduce us.

“Oh, Bree, this is my girlfriend, Olivia.”

I put my fingers in my ear. All my energy has been zapped and I know I didn’t hear him correctly.

Girlfriend?

“I’ll get Dr. Versant.” Bree takes off down the hall to get the house veterinarian. We bend back down to pet Sam.

“She’s perked up a bit.” Bradley allows her to give him kisses.

“No, she’s just relived I know what’s wrong with her.” My palms start to sweat. I can’t believe I let that slip.

“What?” Bradley stares at me like I’ve lost my marbles.

A tall balding man in a white lab coat strides up to us. The quiet Bree is standing behind him. “What’s the problem?” Dr. Versant asks.

I stand up, trying not to cower under Bradley’s scrutiny. “I had a dog with Addison’s disease and he looked a lot like Sam. See. . .” I have to find a good way to tell the veterinarian what Sam and her aura told me without them knowing. I take a couple of really deep breaths to gain strength to explain my findings.

It only takes a couple of minutes of explanation until Dr. Versant picks up on the symptoms.

“I think you saved her life,” the veterinarian says while collecting the items he needs to begin treatment on Sammy.

Bree stands by the door with her hand firmly planted on the knob. “I’m going to finish up cleaning the cages.” She quietly shuts the door leaving an eerie silence between Bradley and me.

“So.” He keeps a good couple feet between us. I know where this is headed and it’s no good. “You want to tell me what this is all about?”

He keeps his eyes completely focused on me. I crouch next to Sammy with my knees close together and my hands resting on them. I don’t have a good excuse or an explanation at this point. My ruse with the vet didn’t fool him.

“You’ve never had a dog. Or at least that’s what you told me a few dates ago.”

Crap! How could I forget that little detail? “I… I really have to go. I have to get to work.” I check my watch.

“Olivia?” Bradley follows me to my car.

“I’m late,” I say and pull my hair out of the ponytail. “See you tonight?”

He hesitates for a few seconds before saying, “Sure, okay. Then you can tell me what just happened in there.”

I nod as I drive away, but inside I’m saying goodbye to the loveliest relationship I’ve ever had.