released.
“ You know, this attitude of yours gets to be so boring.”
Tiffany let out a long sigh, but remained calm. “Aren’t you as sick of this as I am?”
“ Stop being so dramat...”
“ I’ll be gone by the time you get back,” she said, cutting him off quickly. “Don’t waste your time calling me again…I won’t answer if it’s you.” She hung up without giving him a chance to respond.
When he didn’t call back, she breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her cell phone. She programmed Red’s number into her cell phone before deleting it and the message from both the cordless phone and answering machine. Innocent as his call had been, she wouldn’t give Tanner any reason to take his ill feelings out on him. She sat on the couch and propped her feet up onto the coffee table, before calling Red. “Hey,” she said after he’d picked up on the third ring. “Are you busy?”
“ I’m never too busy for you, Doc.”
She smiled at his answer. “Tanner called from some unknown number, demanding to know who I was speaking to for so long.”
“What happened?”
“I asked him to come clean and he accused me of being paranoid, of course. I told him by the time he comes back I won’t be here. We’re over.”
“ Good for you. He won’t come back and bother you tonight, will he?”
“Tanner would never go through that much trouble.” Her phone began to ring. “That better not be him calling. I’ll let the machine pick it up.”
When the recorded greeting finished she heard Sally from the hospital on the other line. “Hang on, Red. It’s the hospital.” She picked up the phone. “Sally? What’s going on?”
“ Hey, honey, your nine a.m. knee replacement just got cancelled—that’s a Mr. Mouton. His pre-admit blood work showed a high white blood cell count. It turns out he’s got a bacterial infection, so Dr. Trahan put him on antibiotics. Looks like that one will be put off for awhile.”
“ Okay Sal. That was my last surgery scheduled, so I won’t see you until Monday. Tell the gang I said Happy Thanksgiving.” She hung up the phone and picked up her cell, “Looks like I’m free until Monday. So…I guess I’ll be looking for a big, strong man to help me move some things back into my house tomorrow. Do you have any idea where I could find someone that fits that description?”
“ You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to that.”
She crossed her ankles and laughed. “Oh, I think I do, but thanks. It shouldn’t take long. I left most of my stuff in the house. I only have my desk, computer, and a couple of chairs to move. Everything else is clothing and personals. I’ll need to find packing boxes, though.”
“ You’re in luck, Doc. I didn’t finish unpacking until yesterday, so my garage is full of ‘em. I’ll bring some when I go.”
Tiffany’s phone rang again, and she waited for the machine to pick up. She froze as her mother’s voice, shrill with anger, erupted from the machine.
“ Tiffany Danielle LeBlanc, have you completely lost your mind? I know you’re home and I’m giving you one minute to pick up that phone or I’m going over there.”
Tiffany stared at the answering machine in horror. “Oh, my God, I cannot believe he called my mother. I need to take this, Red.”
“ Do you want me to stay on the line, or call you back?”
“ Give me ten minutes or so then call back.”
“ Be strong, Doc.”
“I will.” She disconnected, resenting the hell out of Tanner and her mother for forcing her to do so.
Tiffany took a deep breath and picked up the phone, “Hello mother. Did you call to say Happy Thanksgiving?”
“ You know why I called. Poor Tanner just called me, so distressed about you dumping him during the holidays.”
“ Poor Tanner was supposed to be spending it with his parents, but never made it that far. He called you from some other woman’s bed.”
“ Why didn’t you go with him?”
“ I’m on call. I can
“ You know, this attitude of yours gets to be so boring.”
Tiffany let out a long sigh, but remained calm. “Aren’t you as sick of this as I am?”
“ Stop being so dramat...”
“ I’ll be gone by the time you get back,” she said, cutting him off quickly. “Don’t waste your time calling me again…I won’t answer if it’s you.” She hung up without giving him a chance to respond.
When he didn’t call back, she breathed a sigh of relief and picked up her cell phone. She programmed Red’s number into her cell phone before deleting it and the message from both the cordless phone and answering machine. Innocent as his call had been, she wouldn’t give Tanner any reason to take his ill feelings out on him. She sat on the couch and propped her feet up onto the coffee table, before calling Red. “Hey,” she said after he’d picked up on the third ring. “Are you busy?”
“ I’m never too busy for you, Doc.”
She smiled at his answer. “Tanner called from some unknown number, demanding to know who I was speaking to for so long.”
“What happened?”
“I asked him to come clean and he accused me of being paranoid, of course. I told him by the time he comes back I won’t be here. We’re over.”
“ Good for you. He won’t come back and bother you tonight, will he?”
“Tanner would never go through that much trouble.” Her phone began to ring. “That better not be him calling. I’ll let the machine pick it up.”
When the recorded greeting finished she heard Sally from the hospital on the other line. “Hang on, Red. It’s the hospital.” She picked up the phone. “Sally? What’s going on?”
“ Hey, honey, your nine a.m. knee replacement just got cancelled—that’s a Mr. Mouton. His pre-admit blood work showed a high white blood cell count. It turns out he’s got a bacterial infection, so Dr. Trahan put him on antibiotics. Looks like that one will be put off for awhile.”
“ Okay Sal. That was my last surgery scheduled, so I won’t see you until Monday. Tell the gang I said Happy Thanksgiving.” She hung up the phone and picked up her cell, “Looks like I’m free until Monday. So…I guess I’ll be looking for a big, strong man to help me move some things back into my house tomorrow. Do you have any idea where I could find someone that fits that description?”
“ You have no idea how much I’m looking forward to that.”
She crossed her ankles and laughed. “Oh, I think I do, but thanks. It shouldn’t take long. I left most of my stuff in the house. I only have my desk, computer, and a couple of chairs to move. Everything else is clothing and personals. I’ll need to find packing boxes, though.”
“ You’re in luck, Doc. I didn’t finish unpacking until yesterday, so my garage is full of ‘em. I’ll bring some when I go.”
Tiffany’s phone rang again, and she waited for the machine to pick up. She froze as her mother’s voice, shrill with anger, erupted from the machine.
“ Tiffany Danielle LeBlanc, have you completely lost your mind? I know you’re home and I’m giving you one minute to pick up that phone or I’m going over there.”
Tiffany stared at the answering machine in horror. “Oh, my God, I cannot believe he called my mother. I need to take this, Red.”
“ Do you want me to stay on the line, or call you back?”
“ Give me ten minutes or so then call back.”
“ Be strong, Doc.”
“I will.” She disconnected, resenting the hell out of Tanner and her mother for forcing her to do so.
Tiffany took a deep breath and picked up the phone, “Hello mother. Did you call to say Happy Thanksgiving?”
“ You know why I called. Poor Tanner just called me, so distressed about you dumping him during the holidays.”
“ Poor Tanner was supposed to be spending it with his parents, but never made it that far. He called you from some other woman’s bed.”
“ Why didn’t you go with him?”
“ I’m on call. I can
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