When Love's at Work Page 6

  “Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but what about all the things I just said to you?”

  “Everybody needs to let off a little steam now and again.”

  “So, I still have my job?” Purity asked, not realizing she was holding her breath while waiting for his reply.

  “If you want it.”

  “I do. Really, I do.” After a brief pause and a sigh, Purity said, “Can I take a rain check on the drink? I really have a lot of work to do.”

  “Sure.”

  “Alex,” Purity said, putting her hand on his arm. ‘I really am sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Purity,” Alex said, placing his hand on top of hers.

  With her head clearer and her body less tense, Purity headed for her office. She made a mental to-do list: the flowers were the wrong shade, but no one at the event would know they weren’t supposed to be that color, they could borrow chairs from the cafeteria on site, she’d make a guess at the number of RSVPs, and she’d call Tapestry and get Chance’s number as he played guitar in a blues band. Sometimes good enough just had to be good enough.

  “I found it!” Sheila met Purity at her office door.

  “Found what?”

  “The RSVP list. Our total is 374.”

  “Will you call Marsha Persimmony and…”

  “I’m on it,” Sheila replied before Purity could even finish her sentence.

  “And, will you call the cafeteria and see if we can borrow their chairs?”

  “Consider it done,” Sheila answered as she continued to dial the number for Persimmony’s Catering.

  “We’re throwing us a Garden Party!” Purity said aloud as she headed back to her desk and reached for the phone.

  It was almost 10:30pm when all the loose ends that could be tied up were tied up. Purity knew there would be more tomorrow, the day before the Garden Party, but for now, all was well.

  The night air felt thick and muggy. The weather had been so unpredictable this year. Pure put her key into her car lock and got inside.

  She knew Alex McCallister wouldn’t still be hanging around The Kids’ Place, but she wished she could take him up on his drink offer. She had all the board members home phone numbers. She could call him.

  Pure knew a relationship with Alex wasn’t wise, and yet he must like her, too, at least a little. She remembered the way his hand felt on hers earlier in the day and the way her skin sang from his touch.

  She reached into her briefcase and found the list of board members home phone numbers, then grabbed her cell phone. “He’s probably asleep,” she muttered to herself.

  “Hello?” Alex answered on the second ring.

  “Hi, Alex, it’s Purity Zyetta. I know it’s a bit late, but I’m just leaving the office and wondered if you still wanted to have that drink?” Purity was thankful he couldn’t see her face at the moment.

  The pause was too long. Pure knew he was going to say no.

  “Sure. I’ll swing by and pick you up,” Alex replied, surprised and delighted to hear Purity’s voice on the other end of the line.

  “Oh no, that’s okay. I’ve got my car. I can meet you some place.”

  “Okay,” Alex relented, his thoughts of having a moonlit kiss dashed. “I’ll meet you at Big Shotz. It’s just a few blocks from The Kids’ Place. You go up a block to Lexington and then take a right and it will be on your left.”

  “Got it. I’ll meet you there in a few minutes,” Purity responded, smiling uncontrollably as she hung up her phone.

  “I’m going to have a drink with Alex McCallister.” She said his last name slowly, allowing the syllables to melt on her tongue.

  Purity arrived at the club within five minutes of their conversation. She was glad she had time to visit the ladies room and check her appearance before Alex showed up.

  She found a table in eyesight of the front door and to the right side a bit. The club had that haze all clubs seem to get from too much liquor, cigarette smoke, desperation deep in the night and band members filled with dreams of making it big.

  She knew when he arrived immediately. She felt his presence. Her eyes followed the feeling. He was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. Purity didn’t need to be within breathing distance of him to know his scent would send shivers down her spine.

  “I’m glad you called,” Alex began, pulling a chair out from under the table and sitting down.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d be home, or awake,” Purity said, suddenly feeling as if Alex could read her thoughts.

  “I’m usually in bed by 11,” Alex said, his gaze shifting as the waitress approached their table. “What would you like to drink, Purity? Are you hungry?”

  “Rum and Coke, and some mozzarella sticks. I just realized I really am hungry. Sheila and I worked right through dinner.”

  “I’ll have whiskey with a beer chaser,” Alex told the blonde in the too-tight outfit. “Is everything coming together for the party?”

  “Yes, I’m happy to say. A lot of things needed to be changed at the last minute, but it seems like it’s all going to work out. I’m so glad we didn’t print specifics about the band on the invitations, since they ended up getting food poisoning and we had to change from jazz music to the blues.”

  Alex was eyeing her closely. It was making Purity uncomfortable. Pure gathered up her courage. “Alex, may I ask you something?”

  “Shoot.” Alex’s fingers had begun to itch. If he hadn’t made that promise to stop smoking back when his brother quit, he’d light one up right now. You quit, I quit. He remembered the words vividly. That was almost seven years ago.

  “I like you. I liked you from the first moment I saw you.” Purity wanted to look away from those intense eyes, but she felt hypnotized. “I think we could have something, maybe something amazing, between us.” This was sounding so incredibly stupid. She should have thought this through, written it down and memorized it before just trying to lay her heart out there on the spur of the moment. She’d started the conversation and she was going to finish it. It was already out there now.

  Alex leaned forward until their bodies were only inches from one another. “I like you, too,” he said, as the fingers on his right hand caressed Purity’s cheek.

  She couldn’t breathe. It felt as if their world had stopped, even as the rest of the club had turned to colors and sound and a lovely dizzying blur.

  Alex moved closer and Pure leaned into the invitation. As their lips met, warm sensations flooded her body and she finally breathed in the air that surrounded them. Such a hunger had been building inside her, it threatened to overwhelm them both. Purity had longed to run her fingers through Alex’s dark curly hair and now she was.

  Alex’s lips blazed a trail down her throat to her neck and all thoughts were gone. Only feelings existed in this place.

  The drinks arrived, as did the mozzarella sticks, but neither noticed. When their lips finally parted, they each felt a bit dazed and their breathing had deepened.

  Alex downed the whiskey in one shot as Pure sipped her Rum and Coke. She had started it. When all was said and done and they had gone their separate ways, she only had herself to blame. She was terrible at relationships. The whole trust thing was always her downfall. It was so much easier to trust women. Her alcoholic father had let her down so many times. She reached for a mozzarella stick. The four men she had been in serious relationships with had all let her down.

  Jeremy had cheated on her. One strike and you’re out, that was Pure’s motto when it came to cheating. Andrew had lied about, well, everything. Pure hated liars. Sidney, he could have been “the one” but he clung to her like dirt on the bottom of your shoe. She needed to breathe, to have space. And then there was Derek, of course. Purity wondered how Derek’s mother was doing and if she really did have a stroke like Derek said.

  “Care to join me?” Alex asked.

  Purity’s eyes found Alex’s and she shook her head, “Sorry. Lost in thought.”

  “I could tell. From the l
ook on your face I hope those thoughts weren’t of me.”

  “No, definitely not thoughts of you.” She leaned over and gave Alex a not-too-quick kiss of reassurance.

  “Want to dance?” Alex asked.

  “I’d love to.”

  The soul-stirring sounds of Summertime were being played by the band and the feel of Alex’s warm, taut body against hers banished all rational thought from Purity’s head. She breathed him into every nook and cranny. They stayed on the dance floor until the band wasn’t playing any more.

  “When did they stop playing?” Purity murmured into Alex’s shoulder.

  “I have no idea.”

  They continued dancing, although no audible music could be heard.

  Purity felt a vibration on her left hip. It took a few seconds for the sensation to register. She reached into her suit pocket and retrieved her cell phone. The caller ID displayed Angela’s name.

  “Something wrong?” Alex asked.

  Pure let the call go to voice mail, but she couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach. They rarely spoke, so it must be something important.

  “I need to check this message,” Purity said to Alex, as she removed her arm from around his neck.

  Since no music was playing in the club, she could easily hear her voice mail: “Hey, Pure, Mom’s in the hospital. They think she had a stroke. I called Bobby. He said he’d be on the first flight out he could get. Okay, bye.”

  Purity stood still, taking the information in and letting it settle in her bones. Her sister hadn’t said if the stroke was major, like the one her father had two years ago.

  “Is everything okay?” Alex’s words broke through her reverie.

  “My Mom had a stroke,” she replied. “I need to go to the hospital.”

  “I’ll drive you,” Alex said, taking control of the situation.

  “No, no, you don’t need to do that. I don’t know how long I’ll be at the hospital and it’s already late.”

  “I’m taking you,” Alex stated firmly, he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

  Alex placed his hand on Purity’s elbow to guide her off the dance floor. The contact seemed to bring Purity out of her stunned state.

  “No, Alex, really,” she said, pulling her arm out of his grasp. “I’m fine to drive.” What she didn’t say was that she didn’t want Alex anywhere near her dysfunctional family.

  “You’re not fine, Purity. You’ve just heard some startling and upsetting news. You shouldn’t be driving.”

  Purity put her hand on Alex’s arm. “Really, Alex, I’m okay. The hospital is only 15 minutes away. I appreciate that you want to help, and you’ll be of more help to me by letting me handle this on my own.”

  The words stung Alex. He was only trying to help. Women always said they wanted a sensitive, caring man and then when you were exactly that, they pushed you away.

  “Whatever you want,” Alex said, giving in to Pure’s wishes. “Will you call me when you reach the hospital?”

  “Yes. I’ll call,” Purity replied, relieved that he wasn’t going to fight her on the issue.

  Purity gathered her belongings and Alex walked her out to her car. The two hugged and shared a brief, tender kiss. “Call me,” Alex reminded.

  “I will. I promise,” Purity said, then got into her car and headed for Hope.

  Pure’s family had a slew of health issues, so the path to St. Mary’s Gracious Hope Hospital was a familiar one for her to travel. She knew her mother had a carotid artery that was 75% blocked and she wondered if that had been the cause of her stroke. She might need carotid artery surgery. It would reduce her chances of having another stroke in the future. She sighed deeply. Every time she received one of these telephone calls, Pure felt like she aged another three years. Before long, she’d be older than her parents.

  Alex McCallister was worried. He had surrendered and dropped the idea of driving Purity to the hospital, but she hadn’t said he couldn’t follow her to make sure she got there safely.

  As he watched Pure’s car pull into the hospital’s parking garage, he breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure how long she’d be at the hospital and she’d no doubt be tired when she left. He wished she had let him drive her. Now he’d be thinking about her driving home in the early hours of the morning, tired and worried. He thought about parking his car and keeping watch, but it could be hours before she left or she might even decide to stay the night.

  As he pondered his options, Alex’s cell phone rang. The display showed that it was Purity calling, just as she had promised.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, I’m here at the hospital,” Purity said.

  “Thanks for calling to let me know, Purity.”

  “No problem.”

  “If you need a ride home or if you need to talk or anything, you have my number. Use it.”

  “Thank you. You’ve been very kind, Alex, and I appreciate it,” she said, adding, “I’ve called the girls and they’re going to meet me here at the hospital.”

  “The girls?”

  “My best friends. We’re sort of like The Three Musketeers.”

  “Then I won’t worry… as much.”

  Purity smiled to herself. This man had definitely carved a little niche in her heart.

  “I’ll call with an update when I know more details.”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  They said their good-byes and Alex drove home, feeling more at ease knowing that Purity’s friends would be joining her.

  Purity took a deep breath and made her way into the hospital. She found her mother’s room. Upon entering, she saw her sister, Angela, sitting in a chair beside her mother’s bed. She was taking money out of her mother’s wallet while her mother slept.

  “Hey, how’s mom?”

  “Hey,” Angela said, quickly shoving the money she had retrieved into her bag and putting her mother’s purse back in the drawer by the bed. “She’s resting comfortably now.”

  “She has good color,” Pure said, more to herself than to her sister. “Does she know she had a stroke?”

  “No. She doesn’t really remember having it. The doc said it was a mild one and it hasn’t really affected her. She’s always had trouble with her balance, so that wasn’t because of the stroke, but they still think she should go to rehab. I don’t think she needs it, though. She’s done fine without it for years.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say she’s done fine,” Purity said. Angela often minimized the seriousness of health situations. “She’s had quite a few falls and her carotid artery is 75% blocked.”

  “That’s another thing,” Ang stated. “The vascular surgeon says he wants to clean out the plaque in her corroded artery. He wants to do surgery tomorrow.”

  “This is all happening so fast. I mean, she just arrived here at the hospital.”

  “Oh, no, she’s been here two days already.”

  “Two days? But, you just called me tonight.” Pure was angry and annoyed that her mother had been in the hospital two days and no one had bothered to let her know.

  “I meant to call, things were just confused and I forgot.”

  Pure wanted to hit something, hard. Who in the hell didn’t tell their sibling for two days when their mother was in the hospital?

  Purity felt a hand on her back and she turned to see Meg and Court. She didn’t know tears had been threatening to escape until she saw her friends. They embraced her warmly as emotion fell in watery drops. No words were spoken as she gained renewed strength and hope from these women who knew her better than her own sister.

  Courtney and Meg walked with Purity to the waiting area down the hallway. Pure’s lungs felt like they were going to burst.

  “She was stealing money from my mom’s purse when I walked in,” Purity said.

  She didn’t need to tell Meggie or Court who the “she” she was referring to was. It was obviously her sister, Angela, up to her old shenanigans again.

  “Mom
has been in the hospital for two days and Ang didn’t even call me or Bobby until today. Who does that?” Purity exclaimed, wide-eyed.

  The two women had seen their friend in situations similar to this far too many times. There were no words of comfort that would mend or heal. Advice was definitely not wanted. The best thing they could do was listen and make sure Purity took care of herself during this challenging time.

  Angela approached the three women and said, “Mom says she wants me to handle all the arrangements and stuff, so you can go home.”

  Purity looked at her sister with disbelief. “Mom said that?”

  “Yeah, she figures that since I’m helping her out at home, I should be the one to continue to help her.”

  Helping her out? Pure wanted to scream. You may be the very reason mom is in the hospital, you twit!

  Purity excused herself and went back to her mom’s room to verify that what her sister said was true. It was. Purity told her mom she would honor her wishes and that she loved her, then she left the room.

  As Purity made her way back to the waiting room, she wanted details about her mom’s carotid artery surgery. When she entered the area, she asked her sister about it.

  “The doctor said he could go either way. Either she could have surgery to remove the plaque or start mom on an aspirin regimen. I told mom I wouldn’t have the surgery and that she shouldn’t have it either. She agrees with me, so she won’t be having surgery. They plan to have her go to rehab, but I don’t think she needs that either. I’m guessing she’ll be back home tomorrow.”

  Courtney, Meg and Purity all had a look of disbelie on their face. No one uttered a sound.

  Angela said she was heading for the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat and walked toward the row of elevators.

  Pure didn’t tell her that the cafeteria wouldn’t be open at this time of night.

  The small waiting area was filled with unsaid words and thoughts unexpressed.

  Finally, Meg’s voice sliced through the thick pause. “Your sister is some piece of work.”

  “You said it,” agreed Courtney, glad that someone had broken their trance-like state.

  Purity shook her head. “You think I’d be used to all the chaos and confusion she brings with her wherever she goes.”