When Love's at Work (17 page)

“
I don’t think you do,”
Judd countered, “We don’t take this kind of thing lightly,
Purity.”

Pure felt a headache coming on and rubbed
her forehead lightly with the fingers on her left hand. She really
didn’t have much of a defense.

“
You’ve been working
extremely long hours and have taken your position to the highest
level it has ever been at. I just don’t feel that you are being
properly compensated.”

Purity saw the glint of pleasure in his eyes
and became aware that Judd wasn’t chastising her, he was talking
about rewarding her for a job well done.

“
The board members have
authorized the accounting department to give you a 6% increase on
your salary, beginning with the next pay period. Hiring you was one
of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”

Pure was pleasantly surprised to drink in
Judd’s words and the message they conveyed. “I’m surprised and
thrilled and surprised some more,” Pure said. “It feels so good to
work for an agency that acknowledges their employees’
contributions. Thank you, Judd, and please, thank the board members
for me.”

“
I will.”

Purity walked back to her office in a bit of
a daze. As she approached Sheila’s desk, she took the pad of paper
in her hand and gently hit Sheila’s arm with it. “You little
sneak,” Pure said. “You knew exactly what Judd was going to tell
me.”

“
Yes I did. There was no
way I was going to ruin your surprise.”

“
I appreciate that. I
can’t imagine what this job would be like without you here. We make
a great team.”

“
I think so, too,” Sheila
concurred.

Bobby met Purity after work and they headed
over to the hospital to check on their mother. When they entered
her room, someone else was sitting in the bed she had occupied.
Bobby apologized for the intrusion and they headed to the nurse’s
station down the hall. The woman behind the desk said Mary Zyetta
had been discharged the previous night. As they made their way back
to Bobby’s vehicle, Purity fumed, “So nice of Angela to let us know
mom was discharged. Damn her!”

“
I guess it’s par for the
course,” Bob remarked, then pulled out his cell phone and called
their mother’s home number. Angela answered, completely
unapologetic that she hadn’t called to let anyone know their mother
had been discharged.

When Bobby hung up his phone, he turned to
Pure. “Mom is doing really well. Ang is taking her to see her
regular doctor tomorrow morning.”

“
Don’t you get pissed
about all of this?”

“
It doesn’t do any
good.”

Pure rolled her eyes and threatened, “One of
these days…”

“
She’s not worth it and
you know it. It doesn’t do a damn bit of good to get angry and
upset over the whole thing. Angela is Angela. She’s never going to
change.”

“
I know.” Purity sighed.
“It still sticks in my craw, though.”

Bobby smiled at his sibling. Pure was the
only person he knew who used the word craw.

“
Hungry?” Bobby
asked.

“
Starving,” Pure replied,
realizing her last meal was half a tuna fish sandwich around lunch
time.

“
I was planning to meet
Meg at the café on Elm St.,” Bobby explained.

“
I don’t want to butt it
on your plans.” Purity wished she hadn’t already said she was
hungry. She hated when people horned in on her when she wanted to
be alone with someone special.

“
It’s really fine. We
weren’t planning on a late night. Meg has a 7:00am breakfast
meeting tomorrow.”

“
If you really don’t mind,
then I’ll tag along,” Pure stated, her empty stomach making the
final decision for her.

Bob called Meg to let her know they were
leaving the hospital and a time was set to meet at the café.

“
So, now that mom’s okay,
when do you think you’ll be heading back to Boulder?”

“
Couple of days,” Bobby
replied vaguely.

He didn’t offer any more information, so
Purity inquired, “What about Meg?”

“
What about
Meg?”

“
Would you just answer my
question? You are so irritating! Do I really have to spell it out
for you?” Pure countered, but didn’t wait for Bobby to answer. “Is
your relationship with Meg serious and what are your plans for the
future? There, how’s that for specific?”

Bobby grinned. It had always been easy to
wind Pure up. She was so predictable.

“
Frankly, my dear sister…”
Bobby began.

Purity laughed at Bobby’s Rhett Butler
imitation, then said, “You truly are infuriating, you know that,
right?”

“
That’s why you love me,”
Bob replied.

“
No, I
love you
in spite
of
how much you infuriate me,
not
because
you
infuriate me.”

When they arrived at the café, Purity
realized Bobby had never given her an answer about Meg. He could be
so tight-lipped when he wanted to be. Pure knew that Meggie was
head-over-heels in love with Bob, so she could only hope he felt as
strongly about her. She didn’t want a broken-hearted Meg on her
hands when Bobby left. She would not be put in the middle and be
forced to choose a side. She decided that long ago, when Bob had
dated her best friend in high school. That whole thing had ended
miserably and for a while Pure lost both her best friend and her
brother. She vowed back then that she would never be put in that
position again and she kept those boundaries firmly in place.

Meg was already seated when they walked
through the entryway. She waved at them and her face was beaming as
Bobby’s eyes caught hers. Pure watched the two of them carefully
throughout their meal. Bobby was definitely more smitten than he
let on. Pure thought it wouldn’t be long before Bob would be
returning. He was leaving part of his heart here with Meg.

Although the week had been busy and full,
Pure couldn’t help but be very aware of the days and hours until
Alex’s return. She hated that so much of her time was filled with
thoughts of him. Wondering if he made his choice, and what it would
be. She chastised herself for not telling him that he had a
deadline. She should have told him that he had 24 hours to make up
his mind. Then she wouldn’t be waiting and wondering four days
later.

Pure stared at her computer screen, absently
tapping her pencil on her desk. The thwapping noise was completely
unheard by her ears, but very much audible to Sheila Martin. Sheila
knew Purity was on pins and needles. They had shared lunch at the
Olive Garden the previous day and Pure had spilled the entire tale
to her assistant. Sheila was convinced that Alex would choose
Purity.

Alex and Charlie made it back to the city by
2:00pm. He had just enough time to drop Charlie off at his home,
swing by the lawyer’s office to pick up the two sets of divorce
papers, and then head over to Callie’s place unannounced.

Alex had crafted a plan that his lawyer
agreed might work. He wasn’t sure how Callie would respond, but if
things went the way he hoped, he would leave her home with either a
signature on one set of divorce papers or a decision by Callie to
drag her name into the mud. He didn’t particularly care which one
at the moment. He was banking on the fact that Callie would
care.

He parked half a block away from Callie’s
home. No sense alerting her even one minute more than necessary. He
made his way up the front steps and rang the doorbell. Callie
opened the door wearing a miniscule red bathing suit. She had an
orange-colored drink in her right hand.

“
Alex,” Callie said,
surprised to see him. “I didn’t get a message that you were coming
over today.”

“
I didn’t leave you
one.”

“
Well, that would explain
it then,” Callie replied, eyeing the file folder in his
hand.

“
May I come in?” Alex
asked.

“
I don’t know. Why don’t
you tell me why you’re here first?”

So, she was going to play hardball right
from the start. Well, two could play that game and he had a feeling
his swing was going to be much stronger than Callie’s.

“
I have two sets of
divorce papers in this folder,” Alex began. “One set states that we
both want a divorce, the reason cited is irreconcilable
differences.”

“
And the other?” Callie
asked curiously.

“
Same papers, except the
reason cited for the divorce is adultery. Jack Wagner is named as
the man you had sex with while you were legally married to
me.”

“
Why are you dragging Jack
into this? He never did anything to you!” Callie exploded, waving
her hands wildly and spilling part of her drink on her off-white
carpet. “This is ridiculous. I won’t sign either papers. I think
you should leave.” Callie took a step back into the foyer and
attempted to slam the door; however, Alex was quicker and placed
his foot securely against the doorjamb.

“
Not so fast, Cal,” Alex
said. “I think you misunderstood. I don’t need your signature on
the adultery papers. If you don’t sign the divorce papers stating
this is an amicable dissolution of marriage, I will file the
paperwork stating you are at fault for our marriage breaking up
because of your infidelity and Jack Wagner’s name will go on record
as the man you cheated on me with. All you have to do is choose
which way you want to dissolve this marriage, simply and easily or
down and dirty.”

Taking a different tack, Callie said, “Why,
Alex, this is all so sudden. I can’t be expected to make a decision
like this on the spur of the moment. I’ll need time to think about
this and…”

“
You have 24 hours to make
your decision. At 4:00pm tomorrow I’ll either be filing papers
stating you committed adultery or I’ll be here on your doorstep
witnessing your signature on the amicable divorce paperwork. You
have my number. If I don’t hear from you by 3:30pm, then I’ll know
what you’ve chosen.”

Alex turned and walked back down the stairs
toward his car.

Callie stood, mouth agape. Alex had never
talked to her like that before in his life and she didn’t like it.
Callie needed to talk to Jack, he’d know what to do. As she dialed
his number, Callie wondered just who this woman was that could make
Alex McCallister’s eyes fill with such determination and have him
taking such decisive action.

Bobby and Meg were enjoying a late afternoon
stroll sans shoes along the sandy beach. The ferry was just leaving
and the sun was almost kissing the waves. Meg had never felt so
content. The feel of Bobby’s hand in hers, the seagulls calling to
one another as they sat on the pilings by the ferry landing and the
feeling of wet sand between her toes made her want to suspend
time.

When Bob turned Meg toward him for a
lingering kiss, she felt the ache of promise deep in her heart. She
knew that Bobby was the man of her dreams. And although she and
Purity had felt like sisters practically since the day they first
met, it would be nothing short of wonderful to be sisters by
marriage.

As the surf swirled around their feet, the
two souls joined as one. The thought of Bobby returning to Boulder
the next day was almost more than Meg could bear. Even though he
assured her he’d be back soon, she didn’t want to spend one day,
one hour, without knowing he was near. How would she survive a
week?

“
I’m going to miss you
terribly,” Meg whispered into Bobby’s ear as she nuzzled his neck
and sent scorching hot flames across his collarbone with her lips
and tongue.

“
Me, too,” Bobby replied,
feeling the lump in his throat and the now familiar rapid-fire
pulse of his blood raging in his veins. Meg was going to be the
death of him if he didn’t find some sexual release soon. He’d never
masturbated so much in his life and yet been so unsatisfied with
the experience. He wanted Meg. No, he needed Meg -- physically,
emotionally, mentally, spiritually -- in every way a person could
feel connected to another human being. It scared the shit out of
him. How was he ever going to get by without seeing her for days on
end?

Bob knew he needed to go home and tie up
loose ends. He already formulated the plan of how he would ask
Meggie to marry him. As the two remained linked, oblivious to all
others on the beach, Bobby imagined Meg’s face as he drove up in
the white Mustang.

His original idea had been to ride up on a
white horse, but his fear of the animal made that plan unpalatable.
Besides, he planned to rent a suit of armor and he didn’t think
he’d be able to get on and off the horse with all that metal on. He
wanted to be her knight in shining armor, not her knight who
couldn’t lift his leg or fell off his steed. He hoped it would be
romantic as hell.

He’d hand her two dozen red roses tied with
a silk ribbon and, of course, he’d bend down on one knee. Then he
planned to hand her the key to the Cravens’ place and tell Meggie
that she had the key to his heart and he wanted to give her the key
to their new home together. Damn if he didn’t feel a tear escaping
his left eye at the very thought.

“
Are you okay?” Meg asked,
pulling back slightly so she could look into Bob’s eyes.

“
Yeah. Yeah. I think I got
a speck of sand in my eye or something.”

“
Want me to kiss it and
make it all better?”