Read Online Pounding the Pavement by Jennifer van der Kwast - Free Book Online Page B

dark.
    The knock at the door is firm, and troublingly so. Nothing at all like Amanda’s wishy-washy tap-tap. I keep the safety chain fastened and peer suspiciously through the crack of my door.
    My darling little cell phone winks back at me. And behind it, the dark hallway brightens with the glint of Jake’s mischievously charming smile.
    “Hey,” he says. “Forget something at the office yesterday?”
    I slam the door shut. Before I unfasten the chain, I take a futile moment to brush back my hair and smooth out the bags under my eyes. Damn, damn. Of all the times for Mr. Right to come a-knocking!
    I can hear Jake talking to me from the other side the door. “You left the office in such a hurry yesterday, you forgot to fill out your time sheet. I filled it out this morning for you, and your address was on it, so—”
    I remove the chain and open the door, displaying myself in glorious full view. Jake’s jaw drops.
    “Jesus. You all right?”
    The questioning look in his eyes makes it plainly clear I have not successfully hidden my tears. The gay, flimsy party mask peels off my face. The dam holding back the watershed springs a leak. I burst.
    Jake staggers back a step, afraid to drown in the puddle I’ve just become. “Whoa. What’s the matter?”
    “Come in, come in,” I choke between sobs.
    I lead Jake through the living room and past the kitchen without offering him so much as a danish. Rather, I take him directly into my bedroom and gesture frantically at my computer.
    “Look!”
    Jake leans on my desk and squints at the desktop photo of a wire-haired terrier with a wet, pink tongue and forgiving eyes. He looks back at me, uncomprehending.
    “I don’t get it. The puppy made you cry?”
    “He’s abandoned.”
    “He is?” Jake turns back to the computer and skims the print below the picture. I slump down into the Aeron and hug my arms to keep my shoulders from racking.
    “Oh, hey, no. It’s okay.” Jake jabs a finger at the screen. “It says here he was already adopted.”
    “Keep reading,” I sniff.
    He peers in closer. After a moment his shoulders sag.
    “You finish?” I ask.
    He stays quiet. Finally, he shakes his head. “I can’t read anymore.”
    I feel the well bubbling inside me again. “You get to the part where they brought him back?”
    “Yeah.”
    “And the part about the cigarette burns? And the broken legs? And the fact that he had been kicked in the stomach so hard, he couldn’t even urinate?”
    Jake shudders and clicks the picture closed. Unfortunately, there are still similar pictures, of similar victims, all lined up in a neat little row on my computer. A chain of furry snouts held high and proud for the camera.
    “What the—” Jake straightens and cocks his head at me. “How long have you been doing this?”
    “All day.” I scoot forward in my chair. “Here, let me show you the litter of puppies they found at the abandoned warehouse—”
    “No.” He holds up his hand, barring me from the desk. “I think you’ve had enough.”
    He fixes me with such stern, blazing eyes I stop at once. For a moment, neither of us says a word. His expression softens, and he studies me with a sad smile. I hope he isn’t checking me out. This really isn’t the best time for it. I look away to pat down my swollen eyes and wipe the tip of my snotty nose with the back of my hand.
    Jake clears his throat. “When was the last time you got out of your apartment?”
    “Ummm, I don’t remember. Yesterday?”
    He nods. He was expecting as much. “You know, I passed the Loew’s theater on my way over here. That new Robert De Niro movie is playing. I was thinking of going to check it out. Maybe you wanna come with me?”
    I bite my lip. I am afraid any second now I may start crying again. “You feeling sorry for me?”
    “A little. But I could also use the company.”
    “Good enough.” I grab my keys from off my desk. “What time does it start?”
    “Seven-fifteen.”
    “Great,