Perfect Partners Page 9

  Sara’s smile spread and her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Come on, let’s get you a drink.”

  They looked around for a second but their hosts were absent, so they made their way to the kitchen to help themselves. Just as Izzy poured herself a glass of wine they heard some commotion in the living room followed by the piercing screams of Michelle and Dana’s little girl. A fever had spiked, the moms were concerned, the party was adjourned and postponed. After sincere apologies from the hosts, the gaggle of women dissipated quickly.

  “That was kind of a bummer,” Izzy said, walking next to Sara in the direction of their cars.

  “I know.” Sara toed the end of a thin tree branch to the grass at the edge of the sidewalk. “We could get a drink. If you want.” Her voice resonated with something Izzy thought was hope.

  “We could,” she answered, her own response holding a question in its tone.

  Sara held on to the bed of her truck relaxing her posture a little. “I mean, friends get drinks, right?”

  “I believe they do,” Izzy said, nodding for emphasis. “We could head over to Union Street or Main. There’s a few places nearby.”

  “You pick. This is more your territory than mine.”

  Izzy considered for a second. Wally’s on Union Street was a cute little pub, but on a Saturday night there might be live music making it super loud. The same was true for the few other places that came to mind. She wanted to be able to talk to Sara without screaming over a band or a crowd. Without stopping to filter she said, “Want to just head back to my house?” Hearing the implication the invitation carried, she clarified on the spot. “It’s just…it would be nice to talk and hear each other. Plus, I hate the thought of Chase all by himself.”

  “Your house is fine, if you don’t mind hosting me.”

  “Great. I’m only ten minutes from here.”

  “Should I stop and get anything?” Sara asked. “It feels sort of rude to crash your place empty-handed.”

  Izzy waved her off. “Not necessary. It’s spur of the moment. And I’ve got plenty to eat and drink there, so we should be all set. You know my address”—she’d almost forgotten Sara knew where she lived from the home visit—“but follow me. These side streets can get weird.”

  She slipped into the driver’s seat of her car, willing herself to remember to keep her cool as she navigated the few miles to her house. This was no big deal. Friends came over, they chatted, they had drinks. It was arguably the definition of friendship. She could do this.

  Chapter Nine

  Any initial awkwardness Sara might have felt at being alone with Izzy in her house was completely diminished by Chase, who demanded attention from both of them the second they arrived. Sara loved seeing him prance around, delighted at his master’s return. He was such a sweetie—he even saved some special kisses for her.

  Sara rained attention on him right back. “Hey there, big guy. Did you miss me?” She could feel Izzy watching her petting him sweetly.

  “I should let him out.”

  Izzy sounded like she hated to interrupt, but Sara understood and she stood up and answered with a nod of acknowledgment, watching Izzy usher Chase to the back door.

  “I’ll be right back. Make yourself comfortable,” Izzy called over her shoulder.

  Minutes later they were on opposite ends of the couch, each armed with a glass of white, Chase perched dutifully by Izzy’s feet.

  “You never did tell me how you know Michelle and Dana,” Izzy said, tucking one leg under the other.

  “Oh, that.” Sara thought for a moment. “I don’t usually go to the parties, but Dana’s a friend of a friend, so…” She knew she was being evasive and wondered if that sufficed as an answer.

  “So…?” Izzy furrowed her brow, her curiosity clearly unsatisfied. “Come on, friend. Dish.”

  Sara smiled at Izzy’s mild taunt, recognizing the joke in her tone. She could get away without answering, but did she want to? She took a healthy sip of her drink before deciding to open up. “Well, my friend’s been on my case about getting back on the dating scene.”

  “Wait a second.” Izzy waved both hands emphatically. “Does your friend know that you went to a party loaded with cops? And that you have serious rules about that?”

  “Here we go.” Sara readied herself for more good-natured teasing at Izzy’s hands. She swallowed her smile knowing she deserved it a little.

  “Listen. None of my business.” Izzy held her hand up in playful defense. “I’m just saying…Michelle and Dana’s parties tend to be law enforcement heavy, with Michelle being five-oh and all.” Izzy mimed air quotes around the slang term before feigning disinterest as she pretended to examine her fingernails. “You may just want to rethink your choice of venue.”

  “Good point.” Sara faked consideration as she took a sip of her drink. “In fairness, I was just stopping by to get my friend and her dad off my back.”

  “Her dad too?” Izzy pressed back into the couch cushion. “This is getting stranger by the second.”

  Keeping it vague was making it sound weirder than it actually was. Sara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “My friend Alyssa works with Dana. Alyssa’s dad is John.” She waited a beat. “Dixon.”

  “From school?”

  “Yes.” Sara caressed the base of her wineglass. “He gave me quite a lecture the other night.” She said dramatically, “I guess he’s concerned I’ll die an old spinster.” She placed her drink on the end table and turned serious. “I figured if I went to the party, word would get back to him and he’d relax.”

  “I didn’t realize you all were so close.” Izzy’s confused expression was enough to make Sara realize she should come clean.

  “I should explain,” she started. “I lived with them. John and his family. When I was in high school.” She looked over her shoulder and grabbed her wineglass but didn’t drink from it. “I guess he’s, I mean…not quite a dad to me or anything.” She chewed her lip, trying to do justice to their dynamic. “He’s something of a parental figure in my life, I suppose.” She mused on their relationship for a moment. “Like an uncle, maybe.”

  “Why?” Izzy grabbed a throw pillow and held it, as though she knew something heavy was about to drop. “Why did you live with them? Can I ask that?”

  Sara nodded, bracing herself to talk about her past. “My mother died on 9/11.”

  “Oh my God. Sara, I had no idea.” Izzy reached forward and touched her knee. Sara knew it was only for comfort but it affected her nonetheless. “I’m so sorry,” Izzy said.

  “Thank you.” She brought out her practiced smile. “It’s a long time ago now.”

  “Still.” Izzy appeared to hold the pillow tighter. “What about your dad?”

  “Oh, I don’t have one.” Sara relaxed her shoulders. This was the easy part. “My mom used a sperm donor. An anonymous one.”

  “So, wait.” Izzy was visibly shaken. “Your mother died on 9/11 and you had no one?” She looked up at her ceiling, clearly trying to do the math.

  “I was fourteen.” Sara provided the answer matter-of-factly. She shrugged a little. “It could have been worse.”

  “I can’t imagine how.” Izzy’s voice was sad and angry at the same time. Sara was well familiar with the reaction.

  “I know it sounds tragic. And it was.” She sipped her chardonnay, steeling herself. “But we had a lot of good times together, my mom and me.” She exhaled heavily, feeling the stress filter out with her breath. “There were a lot of kids who were babies when their parents died that day. I had fourteen amazing years. My mother was my best friend. My hero, without a doubt.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Elizabeth.” Sara swallowed hard. Most people didn’t ask. She was surprised how emotional she got just saying it out loud.

  “Was she…I mean…like, a first responder?” Izzy asked.

  Sara was used to the standard line of questioning even if it had been years since she’d spoken about it direc
tly. “She was a financial analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald. Most of the time she worked at the office in White Plains. Sometimes she had meetings in Manhattan.” She fought the sting in her throat. All the time in the world wouldn’t ease the pain of her loss.

  “I’m sorry,” Izzy said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Sara collected herself quickly. “It’s fine. Honest.” She rolled her shoulders to release the tension. “I just haven’t talked about it in a while.” She sipped her wine delicately. “Anyway, I had this dog.” She laughed out loud at the memory. “Lucky.”

  “What?” Izzy asked, making no secret of her surprise in the sudden redirection of the conversation.

  Sara usually skimmed the story when she spoke about her past. But with Izzy she didn’t want to. On the contrary, she felt the desire to give her the details. She turned her whole body to face Izzy, folding her legs up on the couch cushion as she began.

  “So, when I was nine, my mom let me get this dog.” She ran her finger along the back of the sofa. “I’d gone to the animal shelter with my cousins and my aunt and uncle because they were in the market for a family pet. But all the dogs there were big and barking like crazy. They were horrified.” She smiled just thinking about it. “This one German shepherd, she was wild for sure, but she let me pet her.” She could still picture it so clearly. “My uncle about had an aneurysm.” She paused, allowing herself to indulge in the moment. “That night when I got home, I begged my mom to take me back.”

  “Lucky,” Izzy said, following along as she acknowledged Sara’s first dog by name.

  “Lucky,” Sara echoed. “She was a great dog. I loved her so much.” She was wistful and she didn’t even care. “But then when my mom died”—she looked over at Izzy hanging on her every word—“my aunt and uncle wanted to take me in. And they were great. God, they still are.”

  “But they didn’t want Lucky?”

  “I don’t blame them. She was always a little wacky with other people. But I couldn’t let her go. She was all I had.”

  “Of course. So what happened?”

  “Alyssa Dixon was my best friend in grammar school and high school. Her family knew my saga. Christ, everyone did.” She studied her dark jeans, feeling embarrassed even now at the local publicity an orphaned child created. “They took me in. Lucky included.” Sometimes it was still hard for her to believe it all happened, and she knew that was obvious in her tone. “They built a bedroom for me in their basement. It was…” Her heart swelled to think of it even now. “I owe them everything.”

  “Wow.” Izzy let out a long breath. “Just, wow.”

  “I know.” Sara rubbed her index finger over the seam of her pants. “John had been assigned to DHS’s training site at Overton. He was just starting to build the K-9 program we have today.”

  “Looks like he was fortunate too, Sara.”

  “Hardly.” She brushed off Izzy’s compliment with a wave. “He’s an amazing handler.”

  “Not like you. Nobody’s like you.” The words were heavy and laced with something more than accolades. Sara felt her stomach flutter. She could only look in Izzy’s deep brown eyes so long before she lost her willpower completely. And she believed in her reasoning from yesterday, didn’t she? Silently she assured herself, even though she didn’t feel remotely convinced. She just needed to stay strong and remember getting involved with a sexy, young police officer would only lead to distraction at best, heartache at worst. Not to mention days and nights laced with anxiety and fear.

  “Anyway, that’s my drama,” she said, hoping her cheerful delivery would lighten the mood.

  “That’s some story.” Izzy seemed overwhelmed by Sara’s past. “I don’t even know what to say. My life is completely charmed by comparison.”

  “Don’t do that.” She shot Izzy a thoughtful look. “Everyone’s life is hard. And easy. No one gets a pass.”

  “I guess.”

  Sara saw Izzy’s gaze shift to the end table behind her as she spoke.

  “I feel pretty blessed, though,” Izzy said, pointing at a framed photograph. “That’s my family in the picture behind you.”

  Reaching behind the arm of the sofa, Sara picked it up and examined it as Izzy gave the details. Sara could smell Izzy’s light perfume as she leaned into her space to identify each person in the group shot in front of a Christmas tree.

  “Those are my parents, Ramon and Maria. My sister Elena, my brother Rick, Abuelo and Abuela,” she said, her light pink fingernails touching each person’s image as she named them.

  Sara smiled, hearing the melodic hint of Spanish come through when Izzy referenced her grandparents. It was sweet and unbelievably sexy and for a split second she heard Izzy’s voice in her head, calling her name softly as she begged for more. Sara banished the thought just as quickly, turning to place the picture back in its spot, so Izzy didn’t see the blush she knew had crept into her cheeks.

  “Do you see them often?” Sara asked, thanking Jesus her voice didn’t crack as she spoke.

  Izzy scrunched her nose. “Every week. Religiously.” She moved back to the end of the couch looking guilty for her good fortune. “I know, cheesy.”

  “Not at all.”

  “What can I say?” She reached down to pet Chase. “My family’s big on family time.”

  Sara peeked over at Chase blissed out under Izzy’s gentle touch. “Did they meet this guy yet?”

  “Of course.” Izzy piled the love on her fur baby. “And as predicted, he enchanted them. Isn’t that right, buddy?”

  Sara was about to ask another question, but the sound of her phone vibrating interrupted her. Nicole texting her on a Saturday night. That was unusual. She ignored it, but not before Izzy saw her distraction.

  “Do you need to get that?” Izzy asked. “It’s cool,” she said, pushing off the couch to stand.

  “No, it’s fine. She can wait.”

  Sara watched Izzy pad into the kitchen across the way.

  “She. The plot thickens,” Izzy called over her shoulder as she grabbed the wine from the fridge. Sara didn’t think she was asking for an explanation, but she still felt awkward when five more texts and a phone call followed. She silenced them all before she got to thinking something might actually be wrong.

  Izzy clearly had picked up the vibe as she waved her hand in what seemed a casual manner. “Don’t feel like you can’t answer. You can even use my spare room if you want privacy.”

  “That’s not necessary. Let me just see what’s going on,” Sara mumbled, already scrolling through the messages. “Give me one second here,” she added, typing out a quick message to Nicole saying she’d call her in the morning.

  With her eyes, Izzy asked if it was okay to top off Sara’s wine.

  “Just a little,” she answered, apologizing again as she finished up her text.

  “Everything okay?” Izzy asked as she filled her own glass higher.

  Sara nodded into her wine, taking a quick sip. “Yes. Sorry. That was rude.”

  “Not at all.”

  Izzy’s smile was sweet and forgiving, and Sara felt herself getting lost in the look of her generous lips curving just enough to activate one dimple as she took her seat on the couch. Sara couldn’t help but smile as Chase repositioned himself at her feet, and she loved that he followed Izzy everywhere. She was about to comment when her phone lit up again. She leaned her head all the way back in frustration.

  “Want to talk about it?” Izzy rubbed her hands together, whether for warmth or in anticipation Sara wasn’t sure.

  Either way, she knew her response.

  “Definitely not.”

  “Damn,” Izzy said, employing full theatrics in her tone. Reaching for her glass and raising it a little she added, “Any woman who’s got you this worked up”—she shifted her eyebrows upward—“there’s a story there.”

  Of course, she wasn’t wrong. But despite her inner conflict over the situation at hand, Sara was enjoying her time in Izzy’s presence
too much to allow Nicole into it, in any capacity. Plus, she was still annoyed at her ex’s aloof behavior the past few weeks.

  “It’s a story that’s too long to get into. Plus, I’ve already unloaded enough on you tonight.”

  Izzy straightened up noticeably. “Now I’m super intrigued,” she said. Her voice and eyes were lively and beautiful. Sara forced herself to look away.

  “Another time, okay?”

  “I’m just teasing,” Izzy said kindly. “But since you mention it…” She looked down at Chase asleep on the floor. “I was thinking about taking this guy out tomorrow to do some trail work. I’m curious to see how he does off leash in a different environment. Would you be interested in coming with us?” She gestured to the dog passed out at her feet. “It would mean a lot to Chase. I mean, just look at him. He can barely contain his excitement.”

  Sara laughed out loud and the noise made Chase lift his head momentarily. “When you put it that way…” She smiled. “I would hate to disappoint him.”

  They went over details of where to meet up, discussing the best parks and trails for off-leash training. They decided on Arren’s Hollow, a midsized national reserve whose border abutted the rear of the training campus, its off-the-beaten-path location a place likely to have limited human traffic, which would enable them to get a good workout for Chase.

  For the next long while they talked about work and class, and the time flew so quickly, Sara was shocked when it was almost midnight. She said good-bye, truly bummed at leaving but consoled by the fact they’d see each other again in twelve hours. She didn’t have a clue what that meant in terms of the rules she’d laid out for both herself and Izzy, but for a change she decided not to think about it at all.

  Chapter Ten

  Fucking rain. Izzy heard it pummeling her rooftop but pulled the blinds back to validate her fears. A storm this fierce had to pass and sooner rather than later, she hoped, mentally crossing her fingers. As the morning wore on, though, the clouds intensified, and the rain never let up. She trolled multiple weather apps in search of a clear sky ahead, but they all predicted the same doom and gloom. Rain. All. Damn. Day.