Fat Cat Takes The Cake

So she called Julie and arranged to pick her up and take her along. Strength in numbers. She needed a story. Maybe they would be passing by. With dessert bars? Okay, she would say they were on their way to dinner, but she’d been missing him and decided to stop in and touch base. Or something. That would be true if she talked Julie into dinner.

Chase hummed “We’ll Meet Tomorrow” from Titanic as she boxed up some fresh Lemon Bars. Not an entirely appropriate song, but that’s what popped into her head.

Her cell trilled. It was Mike!

“Patrice says you called. So, what’s on your mind?”

He sounded friendly. She was glad she had her story ready.

“Julie and I are going out to dinner and we had some leftover Lemon Bars”—that was a spur-of-the-moment embellishment, but a good one—“and I’d like to drop them off.”

“Sure. I’ll be here at least another hour waiting for this pup to wake up.”

“What did he have?”

“Poor thing got hit by a car and his hind leg needed to be put back together.”

Chase was glad Mike was the vet and not her. She didn’t know if she could deal with the injuries he routinely handled. Poor little pup.

•   •   •

Chase sang “I Enjoy Being a Girl” from Flower Drum Song as she drove to pick up Julie.

Julie had readily agreed to grab a bite after they saw Mike.

“I’ve been working way too hard on a new real estate case. I’d love to take a break. So, tell me again, why did you ask me to come along?” she said.

“Things are tense between us right now and—”

“Well, duh. Quit seeing Eddie Heath. That might ease things up a bit.”

“I know. I’m going to.” As soon as she got one more piece of incriminating evidence against him.

Chase picked her up from work and she had a bulging briefcase with her. Julie had to drop off some documents to be signed at a real estate office near the University Medical Center. They discussed a few places to eat and ended up choosing a pizza place across the river, near the office Julie needed to visit.

“I don’t care what I eat, as long as it’s hot,” Julie said.

“They have a Hawaiian pizza, loaded with pineapple and Canadian bacon. I love their cinnamon sugar dessert slices, too. The weather is perfect for it.”

“Not perfect for much else, though, is it?”

The wind was picking up and the temperature had dropped rapidly as darkness fell. Small snow eddies swirled on the road, sparkling in Chase’s headlights, and Julie reached to turn the heater up a notch.

The parking lot at Mike’s Minnetonka Mills clinic was empty except for his pickup. Most of the shops were dark, but the lights shone from his window and door, the squares they made on the new snow warm and inviting. Chase hoped Mike would be as welcoming as those lights were.

He opened the door two seconds before they got to it. “Come in. It’s getting nasty out there.”

“Nastier, you mean,” Julie said.

Mike smiled at both of them. “Where are you two off to?”

“We decided to get hot pizza on a cold night,” Chase said.

“And didn’t invite me?” He made a comical pouty face.

Was he kidding? Or did he expect to be included? Chase bit her lower lip.

“Hey, I’m only kidding,” he said with an easy grin. “I couldn’t go anyway. The pup is starting to come around and his owner will be another half hour picking him up.”

That was a relief. It would be fine to have Mike with them, but she felt they should patch things up before spending too much time together. It would be good to first get rid of Eddie completely, too. This wasn’t nearly as awkward as she thought it might be so far, though, and that was a good sign.

“Patrice and I are going out later tonight,” Mike said. “So don’t worry about me. I won’t starve.”

“Is she doing okay?” Julie asked. She knew Patrice’s history of filching things that didn’t belong to her.

“I’m not sure. She said she had something to tell me, but I couldn’t tell if it was something good or bad. I guess I’ll see.”

There was a lull and Chase searched for something to say. Mike raised his eyebrows at her. “Weren’t you going to bring me something?”

“Oh. Yes. I left them in the car.”

“I’ll go,” Julie said. “I forgot them, too.”

“No, let me. I have to unlock the car.” That was a stupid thing to say. Whoever went out would have to unlock the car, be it her or Julie. But she didn’t look forward to being alone with Mike and another dead silence. She hated when that happened. The only two people that made conversational lulls comfortable, to her, were Anna and Julie. Maybe, someday, with Mike it would be that way. They had been on so few dates she could count them on one hand. If she saw more of him, maybe something more could develop.

She ran out the door. When she returned, they were gone. The room was empty.

“Back here,” Mike called.

Chase went into the clinic, where the puppy was recuperating.

“Julie wanted to see Ruff.”

A small dog stared at her with warm, friendly eyes. He was definitely a dog, but what kind? That was hard to tell.