Page 13 of Remembering You
This isn’t who I am, I thought. I don’t steal boyfriends. Sheila is nice. And she and Jim are happy. I will find my own available boyfriend when the time is right.
But there was a whisper of something else in my heart. With each rhythmic beat, I felt the words: Jim is right. Jim is right.
My throat tightened. Well, if that was true and Jim was the right man for me, then it was our timing that was wrong. Horribly, terribly wrong. And I’d have to wait.
“Hey, Julie,” Jim said. “Any chance you know where Sheila is?”
“I think I just saw her go get some supplies.”
“Great, thanks.”
“The closet is just around the corner. Second door on the left.”
Jim walked a couple steps ahead of me as I followed behind. “Look at you,” he said, looking back. “You’re keeping up pretty well. Maybe we need to upgrade you to a faster reptile.”
I scrunched my nose. “How about no reptiles?”
He laughed and opened the closet door. Immediately, he went rigid. His shoulders and back bunched with rippling muscle. When I peeked around his massive frame, I saw inside the closet, Sheila was pressed against the shelving with Dr. Lowenstein towering over her. Kissing her. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and his hand was… well, it wasn’t visible beneath her dress.
“Jim!” Sheila gasped, falling to her feet and tugging at the hem of her uniform.
Jim did nothing. He stood there, frozen in place, me still behind him, speechless. How could anyone cheat on someone they loved? Let alone someone as handsome and sweet as Jim Tripp?
Dr. Lowenstein cleared his throat, adjusting his eye glasses. “Jim, uh… hi.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Jim growled and stepped aside, pointing behind him. “Get out of my face before I break your nose.”
Dr. Lowenstein looked to Sheila, waiting for her approval. For some sort of signal that it was okay to leave and she nodded. With that, Dr. Lowenstein exited, quickly walking down the hall.
I took a few steps back, which wasn’t exactly the most graceful thing with crutches. “I-I’m going to go call a cab,” I said.
“No,” Jim answered, his voice tender toward me, even though his stern face was still set on Sheila. “I’ll take you back to the residency center.”
Sheila’s eyes flashed with jealousy as they landed on me, then slid back to Jim. “You’re takingherhome?”
“Don’t you dare,” Jim said. “Don’t you turn this around. Not after I found you with your tongue down your boss’s throat.” He shook his head and ran his hands through his dark brown hair. “Elsa tried to warn me. She said she saw you two getting dinner outside of Maple Grove when she was visiting her grandmother in Laconia.” He took a step backward, swallowing so hard I could see the tight line of his throat move. “I should have listened to her. But I chose to trust you instead.” He sneered the word ‘trust’ as though that alone was an insult.
“Jim, wait,” Sheila cried, tears streaking her cheeks.
“Save it. I’m not coming home tonight, but I want you out of my apartment by end of day tomorrow.”
“That’s not possible. I have to work tomorrow,” she plead.
Jim snorted. “I’m sure yourbosswill give you the day off. All things considered.” He turned and gently placed his hand on the small of my back. “Come on, Marty. Let’s get you home.”
* * *
Marty entered the nail salon,the doors jingling at the top. “Thanks for meeting me,” she said, walking up to Elsa. “I know it’s hard for you to break away from the café.”
Elsa waved away her concern. “Oh, please. What’s the point in having your daughter work for you if you can’t use her to sneak out after lunch to get a little mani-pedi?”
They each sat down in the plush leather massage seats and Marty dipped her bare toes into the soapy, hot water. Her heart raced and she swallowed, her mouth dry against the movement. “So,” she said to Elsa. “I actually have to cancel on Richard tonight…”
“Richard? Who’s Ri—oooooh. Right. Dick.” Elsa jerked her head around to look at Marty, her mouth gaping open. “It’s that sexy doctor from your hospital, isn’t it?” she whispered.
Marty felt her cheeks warm and she wiggled her toes against a floating rose petal with a little nod. “Heissexy, isn’t he?”
“So sexy that I contemplated slicing the tip of my finger, just to see him at the hospital today!”
