The following day was Saturday, so I had the day off work. Isaac, however, had so much going on at the project site that he had to go to work first thing in the morning.
We had gone to my house after the concert, and Isaac didn't end up going back to his hotel until after 2am. We stayed up until the middle of the night, talking about the ins and outs of getting married and leaving for Chicago.
Neither of us cared about a big wedding, and we talked about asking my uncle Jacob to just get us a marriage license so that we could do something private, but ultimately we decided to have a little ceremony and party to celebrate.
I knew I would have about fifty or so people present once I invited our family and closest friends, and Isaac said he would likely just invite his parents, grandparents, and his brother. He said no more than six or eight, and maybe not even that on such short notice.
We even touched on the topic of having a celebration in Chicago once we got there. He planned on talking to his family the following day and said we would know more once that happened.
So, we talked and talked that night, and it still felt like there were more unanswered questions than answered ones afterward. All I knew was that we were planning a party the following weekend and that, in the meantime, I had to quit my job. The station had been good to me, and I really hated to leave them high and dry, but there was just no way I was putting off our plans so that I could give them two weeks notice.
It would make for a crazy hectic week, but I decided that I would work my normal Monday through Thursday and that we would get married on Saturday before leaving for Chicago on Sunday. Isaac had work plans the following Monday, and Sunday was the absolute latest he could leave.
I went to the station the very next morning while Isaac was at work. I almost composed and sent an email knowing that neither Ann nor Paul would be there on Saturday, but I just didn’t feel right without talking to someone face-to-face.
I ended up talking to a guy named Bill who was the weekend director. I told him that I would finish my shifts next week, but it would be my final days with the station because I was moving to Chicago the following weekend.
He was nice enough about it, but he didn’t try to hide the fact that it would put them in a bind. It was because of this that I told him I had a couple of friends from hair school that worked in local salons and might be a good fit. I gave their numbers to Bill. He thanked me for that and said they hated to lose me, and then on my way out, I heard him calling Paul on his day off to let him know that he should start looking for replacements.
I only stayed at the station long enough to tell Bill that next week would be my last, which was about five minutes. And it wasn't even five minutes after that when Paul's assistant, Barb, called my cell. I recognized the number and I honestly didn't feel like picking up, but I did. I was driving and I talked to her through the speakers of my car.
She not only asked me if I would call my friend to see if she wanted the job, but she also asked if she could possibly come in starting next week so I could train her. I honestly couldn't believe they were asking me to do such a thing. It made me feel frustrated and maybe even a little hurt. I knew I was leaving them in a bind, but I barely felt like working the last four days much less scrambling to find my replacement and train her. I told Barb that I would see what I could do and call her back in a little bit.
I decided to go by Isaac's job site, but I went home to pick up Patrick first. I hadn't been gone very long, and I knew Patrick would be fine in his kennel, but I liked to take him with me because everybody loved him.
I was surprised to find that Isaac wasn't at the site. I went into the trailer, hoping to find him there, but he wasn't. I talked to Diane, one of the contractor's secretaries, who said, "He was here first thing this morning and stayed for a couple of hours, but he had to go back to his hotel. I can try to call him for you, but I think he's coming back after lunch."
"I'll call him," I said. "Or I'll just go by his hotel. Thank you."
I left, heading to his hotel. I tried to call him on the way, but he didn't pick up. It was late morning, so I figured he had grabbed an early lunch or had squeezed in a workout and jumped in the shower.
Patrick and I had been to his hotel lots of times. They didn't technically allow dogs, but they knew we didn't stay long, and the concierge loved him, so he always winked at us and said something out loud about what a good 'service dog' Patrick was.
A family was in the elevator with us, and they talked to me the whole time about how breathtakingly large Patrick was and how owning a dog so big must be like having a horse in my house. They said he must eat me out of house and home. I had heard similar comments before and I always smiled and agreed with them, but, honestly, I was used to how big he was and I didn't even notice it by now.
The family got off on the third floor and Patrick and I rode up to the sixth before stepping off to head to Isaac's room. The fact that the station had asked me to help them find my replacement was in the back of my mind, but I chose not to think about it. I chose to look forward to seeing Isaac. I would tell him what they had said and see what he thought I should do.
I was just about to knock on his door when I overheard Isaac using an irritated tone.
"I just had to deal with this crap explaining myself to Mom and Dad, Justin. I thought of all people, you would understand. I expected you to just drop everything and come over here."
(There was a pause.)
"Because I love her, Justin. I told you that."
(Another pause.)
"No, she's not pregnant."
He wasn't yelling, but his tone was impassive, and I stood next to his door, feeling stunned and hurt.
"Mom and Dad are coming," he said. "And I wanted you to come and bring your family. I'd like them to meet you guys."
(He paused again.)
"Oh, my gosh, Justin, don't be ridiculous."
I swallowed hard, thinking of all the possible things Justin could have said to make Isaac respond in that way.
Then, I remembered something. I remembered that day when I sat there and eavesdropped on my family at Shug and Doozy's house, and how I ultimately regretted doing that. I reminded myself that nothing good could come of eavesdropping. As curious as I was, and as much as I wanted to stand there and listen, I made up my mind to leave. It was only going to hurt me to hear him have to defend me. I took a deep breath and started to walk away, tugging on Patrick's leash.
He dug in, looking straight at the door like I was crazy for leaving when we could clearly hear Isaac's voice.
"Come on," I whispered bending down to speak near Patrick's ear. "Come on, Patrick. Don't do this." I tugged, and Patrick stubbornly tugged back, staring at the door like he really wanted to stay. "Please," I pleaded, still whispering in his ear.
This made him let out a loud bark.
It was so loud that I jumped.
Stunned and petrified, I stared at my disobedient dog with wide eyes. "No sir!" I whispered through gritted teeth before tugging him toward the elevator. He could see my distress, so this time, he stopped tugging against me and ran with me.
I felt like bad guys were chasing me as I ran with all my might down the hallway. I glanced behind me before disappearing into the elevator. I could see Isaac's door opening, but thankfully, he didn't catch sight of me. I pressed the button for the lobby over and over and over again, knowing that the only way he would catch up to me before the doors closed was if he ran.
I had never been so scared and out of breath in my whole life, and I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders when the doors closed and the elevator began to move. I let out a long sigh of relief and glanced at the ceiling. I was so shaken up that I paced without even realizing it. I took one last calming breath, trying to get myself together before the elevator door opened.
"Did y'all find Mister Charles?" Benson asked when we walked by him in the lobby.
"Yes sir, we sure did," I said, trying to act confident and happy even though I felt like I was about to come undone.
"I guess we'll see y'all next time, then," he said with a huge smile and wave.
"Yep, see you next time," I said, beaming at him and walking quickly out of the lobby.
I had parked on the street about a half-a-block away, and I walked to my car as quickly as possible without looking like I was running from something.
"Come on, boy," I said, guiding Patrick into the back seat in a hurry.
"Shelby!"
I knew who was yelling my name before I even turned toward the hotel. Isaac had just come out of the front door and was heading toward me. I hadn't seen him all morning, and he was wearing jeans and my favorite red jacket. I was too overwhelmed with love for him to worry about the fact that I had been trying to run away. I closed the door, making sure Patrick was safe in the backseat before turning toward Isaac. I let out a long sigh, watching him approach me.
"Benson said you told him you saw me upstairs," he said with a curious expression.
"He did?" I asked in such a way that made it obvious that I had been dishonest. Isaac instantly took me into his arms. His touch was gentle and tentative, but he held me in his arms nonetheless.
"I thought I heard Patty upstairs. Was that y'all?"
I nodded.
"Why'd you run away?" he asked.
I looked at him, trying to figure out what I should say. "I heard you talking to your brother," I said, opting for honesty. "I could hear you through the door when I walked up."
"So, you ran away?"
I shrugged. "I didn't want to stand there and eavesdrop. From what I heard, he didn't seem very happy with…" I trailed off, and not wanting to finish my sentence.
He smiled at me. "I seem to remember Jane Kennedy telling you right in front of me not to rush into anything," he said.
I rested my face on his chest, loving the feel of his arms around me.
"I know," I said. "And I don't blame Justin for whatever he was saying. I guess I just thought that I needed to leave you alone. You know. Let you finish your conversation."
He rubbed my back. "I heard Patrick bark, and then I went out in the hallway and saw the elevator door close. I had the most terrible sinking feeling. I just knew you had run away from me, Shelby, and I couldn't handle it." He pulled back far enough to look at me. He was looking straight into my eyes when he said, "You have to promise me that you won't get scared and run away, my love. No matter what you think you hear, and no matter what scares you, you have to promise me that you'll be tough enough to confront it and stay with me. Things aren't going to be just perfect a hundred percent of the time, and when they're not, you know what? We'll talk about it and get past it. You have to trust me just like I have to trust you."
I touched the side of his face, marveling at how very much I loved him. "I didn't mean to run," I said. "I just didn't want to stand there and listen to you guys, when I went to walk away, Patrick got really stubborn and wouldn't come to the elevator. That's why he barked."
"That's a good boyyy," Isaac said, looking at Patrick through the window.
Patrick barked again, causing me to roll my eyes. "What'd you tell your brother?" I asked.
"That I'd call him right back."
"What if he doesn't come?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Then he doesn't come," Isaac said. "He probably will, but even if he can't, it won't change anything. My parents will be here, and so will my grandparents. And really, all that matters is me and you, right?"
"You already talked to your grandparents?" I asked.
He smiled. "No, but I know they'll come. They're both retired. They'll be here. If my brother doesn't come it's only because he's busy with work and his family and everything. It wouldn't be because he's not happy for us. Whatever you overheard was only momentary concern, Shelby, I promise. He'll come around, no problem. They're all gonna love you."
"I know," I said. I laughed, catching myself. "I mean, I know it's only momentary concern, not I know they're all gonna love me."
He narrowed his eyes at me in a teasing way. "You know they're all going to love you," he said.
I gave him a confident shrug. "Yeah, probably," I said, causing him to smile.