Surprise - Part 7

Sarah E. Stevens takes over from Rebecca Grace.

Rachel yelled, "Bruce! Come back here!" 

Her beagle paid no attention. He'd caught sight of a poodle-mix and its owner down the street, yanked hard on his leash, and dashed away toward the park. 

"Dammit." With shaking hands, Rachel untangled the leash from her legs. "Don't you start, Trixie," she said, as her other beagle started to strain after her brother. 

Trixie led the way, pulling fiercely on her leash, as Rachel ran down the busy street after Bruce. Rachel would corral her wayward dog, then go straight home and console herself with a pint of ice cream. She never should have agreed to have coffee with Gregory--she should have known everything would go wrong. The man obviously enjoyed playing fast and loose, flirting with her while he strung along his ex-girlfriend. 

Gorgeous ex-girlfriend, Rachel thought with a twinge of pain. Not that it mattered. Her future was mint chocolate chip and dogs, not a handsome architect. Regardless of what Marni thought. 

Rachel and her dog dodged people on the sidewalk. "Sorry! Excuse us," Rachel yelled as her feet pounded past. She caught sight of Bruce. His leash whipping the pavement behind him as he barreled away directly toward the park entrance.

Right across the street. 

The street.  

"STOP!" Rachel screamed. "Bruce!" 

But the beagle jumped off the curb and ran right into the road. Tires screeched as a taxi slid to a stop, then nearly got rear-ended. Cars sped past in the other lane. Rachel gasped. Her hands felt numb and her heart pounded in her ears. Trixie let out a long beagle howl--did she know? Was Bruce...? 

Rachel ran the last half-block in an instant. Ahead, the taxi driver got out of his car and stood looking at the ground in front of his car. Tears rushed to Rachel's eyes as she braced to see the lifeless body, the huddle of brown and white fur. And blood. There would be blood. 

But as she crashed to a stop at the curb, that's not what she saw. 

She blinked in the long moment before her brain understood what her eyes first knew. 

Gregory lay curled on the pavement, wrapped in a protective ball around Bruce. Bruce, who was fine. Even as Rachel stood there with tears in her eyes. Bruce wriggled out of Gregory's arms, yipped, and started licking every exposed bit of body he could find. Gregory sat up slowly, rubbing his knee. Bruce's leash was curled tight in his fist. 

"Lucky as hell, you idiot," said the taxi driver. "I almost hit you. What the hell were you thinking? Your dog's not worth your life, man." 

"Not my dog," said Gregory. "He belongs to...there's this girl..."

"Aw, Jesus. A girl. Still not worth your life." The taxi driver cleared his throat and spat on the road. 

 "This one might be," Gregory mumbled so quietly Rachel wasn't sure she heard him right. He straightened, then stiffly got to his feet. 

Bruce looked at Rachel. He let out a whine and his tail whipped back and forth. Gregory followed Bruce's gaze. He turned around slowly to came face to face with Rachel. He froze. 

Trixie rushed toward Bruce and the two beagles sniffed each other. The taxi driver let out a guffaw, lit a cigarette, and leaned on the roof of his car to watch the scene. 

"That was..." Rachel's voice trailed off. 

"Idiotic? Yeah, I've already been chastised," Gregory said, nodding at the taxi. "Uh, here's your dog." He held out the leash. 

"Not idiotic. I mean, well, maybe a little bit idiotic, but that was the bravest thing I've ever seen," Rachel said. 

"Gregory? Oh my God, are you all right?" Justine's posh voice was tinged with faint alarm. Her high heels tapped the cement as she walked closer. "Did this moron hit you?" 

She pointed a red-tipped finger at the taxi driver. "Are you even legal? Let me see your license. Should I call ICE?" 

"Justine, stop. He didn't hit me and none of this was his fault." Gregory turned to the taxi driver. "I'm sorry."

"Gives me a good story for the day. Good luck, man," the taxi driver said. He made a nebulous gesture to the three of them. "Looks like you're gonna need it." He slammed the car door behind himself and took off. 

Justine studied Gregory with a long up-and-down gaze. "You're filthy." 

"And you are--" Gregory visibly held his breath for several seconds. "Justine, the answer is no. To everything. No to moving back to New York. No to our old life. No to our old relationship. No."

Justine took a step backward, then lashed out. "Fine. I'm the best thing that ever happened to you and someday you'll realize that. But when you realize you're miserable without me, don't bother crawling back." She flipped her hair behind her shoulders, adjusted her purse, and walked away without another word. 

Both Rachel and Gregory watched her go. After a moment, Gregory said, "Rachel?" 

She shook her head violently. "I do not like drama, Gregory. This is too much for me. I'll forever be grateful that you saved Bruce--"

"His name is Bruce?" 

"What? Yes. After Bruce Lee. That's beside the point. Thank you for saving him, truly. But it doesn't seem like you're in a great place right now and maybe I'm not in a great place right now and I just can't stand drama. I can't. I've had enough rocky relationships to last the rest of my life." 

On the last sentence, Rachel finally looked into Gregory's eyes. Then she turned away and studied the sidewalk. 

Gregory let out a long sigh. "I understand. I'm not going to be one of those guys who pushes and pushes and doesn't respect your boundaries." 

Rachel nodded. 

"Look," he continued. "I'd like to get to know you better. That's not going to change. You have my number, so if you decide we could maybe start over, let me know. I'll be here." 

"Okay. Thanks for understanding," said Rachel. 

With a few more awkward sentences, they parted. 

Rachel spent the next few weeks replaying that tumultuous weekend and wondering if she'd made the right call. 

Should she: 

A) Move on with her single, independent life and be thankful she stayed clear of the drama? 

B) Have another heart-to-heart with Marni and see what new information she might learn? 

C) Text Gregory to see if he was serious about starting over?