"I'm not amazing, but I get the job done," she said cryptically.
Sharon stared at her and blinked. "What do you mean by that?"
Calista waved her hand. "Oh, nothing. I was just joking."
"How are things going with the newlyweds?" her cousin asked.
"Good," Calista said. "Great. Being Mrs. Leo Grant means I have a full-time job of turning down social invitations, so I quit my job."
Silence followed. "You don't sound happy about it."
Calista laughed to cover her discomfort. "Of course, I'm happy. I can become a lady of leisure now. What could be better?"
"If you say so," her cousin said.
"I do," Calista said. "How is Tami doing?"
Her cousin lifted crossed fingers. "I'm hoping better. She's still hanging out with a crowd I don't like, but she's been getting home on time. I worry now, but she'll be leaving for college in the fall and I won't be able to do a thing."
"I'm so lucky you worry about her. I do, too. If anything changes and you need help, let me know. Now that I'm not working, I can be down here in no time."
"Thanks for the offer, but I think I have it under control." Sharon glanced around. "Where'd your puppy go?"
"Oh, no," Calista said, a spurt of anxiousness driving her to her feet. "Pooh likes to chew. We better find him."
Minutes later, they found him in the kitchen, his head in the trash can. "Pooh! Stop!" Calista said, pulling on the dog's collar. "I'm sorry."
Sharon giggled. "No big deal. At least he didn't make a mess."
"Good point," Calista said. "I should probably head back now." She gave Sharon a hug. "Let me say goodbye to the rest of the crew."
She embraced her sisters, and her cousin's husband and son. As soon as she got into her car, Sharon's words weighed heavily on her. Was it so obvious to others that she was unhappy?
Pooh panted beside her, making a whining sound.
"What's wrong?" she said, patting the dog. "Did you find something in that trash can that didn't agree with you? Serves you right for being a naughty dog."
Pooh continued to pant, standing then sitting, standing again and whining.
"Sit down and rest," she said. "We'll be home before you realize it."
At that moment, Pooh got sick. Distressed, Calista pulled off on the side of the road and cleaned up as best as she could. She put Pooh outside and waited while the dog got ill again. After several moments, she put the dog back into the car and drove to Leo's home.
She called her cousin. "I hate to bother you, but could you tell me what was in your kitchen garbage can? Pooh is sick."
"Oh, no. I can't think of anything that should bother him. Let me see, there was an empty can of tomato sauce, an empty carton of orange juice. I threw out some old grapes-"
Calista's heart sank. "Grapes, that's it. They're toxic to dogs."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Calista."
"I need to get him to a vet. I'll call you later," she said and pulled in front of the house.
She ran inside and Meg, the housekeeper, greeted her. "Mrs. Grant, welcome-"
"Excuse me, I need to find a vet," she said. "The one I regularly use is downtown. Pooh is sick. He needs immediate treatment."
Meg shot her a blank look. "I'm sorry. I don't know of a vet. I-"
"I'll check my phone," she said, panicked. "We need an emergency animal hospital. Damn this is slow." While she waited, Meg brought her the yellow pages. Calista grabbed the book and ran toward the door.
"Where shall I tell Mr. Grant you are going?"
"Emergency vet," she called over her shoulder and rushed to her car. Before she could open the door, however, she heard footsteps behind her. She glanced back and saw Leo. "I just talked to Meg. What's the problem?"
Calista felt a twinge of relief at the sight of him. "He's sick from eating grapes out of my cousin's garbage. They're toxic to dogs."
Leo shook his head. "I didn't know that. Let's get him to the emergency vet."
"But I don't know where," she said.
"I do. George gave me a tip just before I headed out the door. Give me your keys. I'll drive."
Calista petted the dog as she sped on her way. Pooh's breathing was shallow and his eyes were closed. Even though she hadn't had the dog very long, Pooh had brought her enormous comfort during the last two weeks. She was devastated at the thought of losing the animal.
Leo spun into the graveled parking lot of the vet hospital and Calista carried Pooh inside. "He's had grapes," she said to the receptionist.
Within twenty minutes, the vet was working on the dog. Calista wrung her hands as she was instructed to wait outside. Wrapping her arms around herself, she fought tears as she paced. She felt like such a terrible owner. She'd barely had the dog two weeks and look what had happened.
Leo put his arms around her and the gesture undid her. She burst into tears. "Oh, Leo. I didn't think much of him getting into the trash until he got sick on the way home. I feel so awful," she said. "And he's been such a good little dog. He didn't deserve to have me practically kill him."
"You didn't kill him," he said, stroking her hair. "And you don't know how it's going to turn out."
"I should have been watching."
"Stop blaming yourself. Maybe he'll be okay," he said.
Perhaps it was crazy for her to cling to him, but she had no desire to resist. Leo might not admit it, but he was attached to the dog, too. Pooh was something that had drawn them together. She could laugh and forget about all her complicated resentment and desire for him. He could relax and enjoy a pet. She suspected he hadn't had a pet for a long, long time, if ever.
Seconds later, an assistant appeared. "Dr. Keller has him stabilized if you would like to see Pooh."
The middle-aged balding man with the sympathetic face extended his hand to Leo and Calista. "You did a good job getting him here so quickly. I think he'll recover."
Relief coursed through her and she swallowed a sob. "Thank you," she said. "I feel so terrible."
The vet shook his heard. "These things happen. He's lucky you got him here so quickly. We'll keep him overnight."
"Will someone be here to watch over him?" Leo asked.
"Of course," the vet said.
Leo nodded. "Here's my cell number," he said, handing the doctor a card. "Call me for any reason." He led Calista from the building to the car and opened the passenger door for her.
"I'm sorry I was such a sap," she said, sinking into the seat. "I'm usually more pulled together."
"People get attached to animals," he said, pulling out of the parking lot. "Unfortunately when you get a pet, you set yourself up for loss."
Calista blinked at his assessment. "If that's the way you think, then why did you act like you liked Pooh too?"
"I wasn't acting," he said, irritated. "I'd have to be an ogre not to like that dog. He's affectionate and playful. I'm just stating a fact. When you get a pet, loss is likely to be part of the equation."
"You say that as if you've had some experience in the area," she said, searching his face.
He frowned and swore under his breath. "None that I can recall," he said.
Calista looked at him and felt a strange shifting inside her. He was the strongest, most compelling man she'd ever met. For all that strength, though, she sensed a need in him, a need he would likely deny. A need she wanted to fulfill. Where had the urge come from? It would be incredibly dangerous for her to give into her feelings, but she was beginning to wonder if she could stop herself. She felt as if she were walking on a precipice, and keeping the balance was becoming more impossible with each step.
If she were smart, she would turn her head toward the window and continue to play keep-away with her emotions. At the moment, though, she couldn't imagine doing that. She reached across the seat and put her hand on his arm.
He glanced toward her.
"Thank you for going with me," she said. "I could have done it by myself, but having you there made it easier for me. I've had to do most everything on my own since my parents passed away. I'm not used to depending on anyone."
"You're married to me. You can depend on me now," he said.
In the back of her mind, Calista knew she shouldn't, but just for a little while, she decided to allow herself the luxury of pretending that she could.
Nine
"I hope you don't mind, but I really don't feel like a big dinner tonight," Calista said after Leo led her into the house. She liked the feeling of his arms around her too much.