A double sudsing of the flea shampoo had left the little dog’s coat pure white, and the more Steven rubbed it with towels, the fluffier and curlier it became. Finally, he set her on the floor, a fleecy white cloud disrupted only by two black eyes, one black nose, and bottom teeth exposed by a slightly underslung jaw.
Uncle Joe Jr., sitting at the kitchen table reading, lowered his newspaper and just shook his head when Steven and the dog emerged from the service room. “I don’t know what you found out there on the highway, Steven, but that ain’t no dog.”
“Oh, she’s precious.” Aunt Nancy Jo bent down and reached out her hand, but the dog just looked at her and edged closer to Steven. “She knows how her bread is buttered, that’s for sure. What are you going to do with her now?”
“I thought I’d keep her with me tonight. It’s a little late to introduce her to the other dogs.”
“I’ll say.” Uncle Joe Jr. folded his newspaper and got to his feet. “They’d laugh themselves sick and then have her for a midnight snack. I’m going to go see what’s on TV.”
He looked down at the dog, who met his gaze with one of her own, and shook his head as he left the room. “That’s a cat, that’s what that is. A cat or a rabbit, one, but I’m telling you, that ain’t no dog.”
While Aunt Nancy Jo tried to make friends with Speed Bump with a few bits of pork chop she scraped off a bone, Steven found a scrap of paper and a pen in the junk drawer and sat down to compose the ad he had promised his aunt he’d place in the paper.
To the yahoo who dumped a little white dog on the Last Chance Highway: You may be glad to know I found her before a car or the coyotes got her. If you think you want her back, call me. We’ll talk.
6
Brooke and David Reed had said they’d probably get to Last Chance sometime in the late afternoon Monday, and Kaitlyn spent most of the day watching the clock and trying to quell the feelings of impending doom. She felt exactly as she felt in high school after she had been suspended again, waiting for her parents to get home to deal with it.
Grow up, Kaitlyn. You know by now they’re not going to kill you. It’s not even like they can take privileges away. You don’t have any privileges.
“You know, that’s the fifth compliment I’ve had today on my hair.” Juanita brought Kaitlyn’s attention back where it belonged as Lurlene left. “And more than one person asked if you were going to set up shop here in Last Chance. I’d give it some thought, if I were you.”
“Maybe.” Kaitlyn shrugged. She’d never looked more than a few weeks ahead, but then she’d never really considered how her actions would affect anyone but herself before either. Now there was Olivia to think about.
Funny. Olivia had been hers to think about for seven years and she had taken that gift for granted. In fact, having a daughter had seemed more a burden than a blessing in those days when she was a single mom back in Scottsdale. Letting Chris assume guardianship had seemed like a win-win for everybody. But now, not so much.
It wasn’t that Chris rubbed her nose in it or anything. They both loved Olivia and cared for her, corrected her when she got a little sassy, and reminded her to do homework and take baths, but if Kaitlyn decided tomorrow to pick up and leave Last Chance, she’d have to go alone. That, she knew, was never going to happen, but it still didn’t mean she wanted to open a salon in Last Chance and live here for the rest of her life. She shuddered at the thought.
“Have you given any thought to what you might call it?”
“Call what?” Kaitlyn gradually became aware of the fact that Juanita was still talking to her, although Juanita didn’t seem to notice that Kaitlyn hadn’t been listening.
“Your little beauty shop. What do you think of Curl Up and Dye? I saw that someplace and I just thought it was the cutest thing ever.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen that too. I don’t know, Juanita, there are so many things to think about. Opening a business is huge. Ask Chris. And it takes a whole lot more money than I’ve got. I think you’re stuck with me here at the Dip ’n’ Dine for a while.” Kaitlyn tried to smile, but truthfully, the thought depressed her so much she wanted to cry.
“I bet you that’s your folks. They’re not from around here, I know that much.” Juanita stood, hands on hips, looking out the front window as a steel gray Lexus eased into the parking spot closest to the front door.
“Yep, that’s them, all right.” Kaitlyn watched her mother, slim, blonde, and wearing a faux fur bomber jacket and knee-high boots, and her dad, nearly as tall as Chris, but considerably trimmer, emerge from the car. They didn’t have time for much that wasn’t work related, but workouts with their personal trainers were never neglected, and it showed.
Kaitlyn could only imagine what her dad was thinking as he stood by the car and looked down the road that ran through Last Chance. Her mom was leaning into the open back door and emerged holding a cat carrier. Oh, great.
“Chris, they’re here.” Kaitlyn didn’t even try to put any enthusiasm in her voice.
Her brother came out of the kitchen and headed for the front door with a big smile on his face. Sure. They liked him. She watched as he shook their dad’s hand and walked around the car to greet their mom. He came close for a hug but stepped back when he saw the carrier. They were still talking when the three of them came through the door.
“Mom, we can’t have a cat in here. Can’t you keep him with you just till we close? It won’t be long now.”
“No, I cannot. You can just put him in your own car until you’re ready to go home. He has meowed, without stopping, at least once every two seconds since the minute we pulled out of the driveway at home, and I am not getting back in the car with that cat. That’s all there is to it. Hello, Kaitlyn, dear. I brought you your cat, and a few other things as well.”
“Hi, Mom.” Kaitlyn pasted a smile on her face and kissed her mother’s cheek. Dad was always easier to get along with, and Kaitlyn went to him for the hug she knew she’d find.
“Where’s Olivia? I thought she’d be here.” Brooke looked around the diner, her eyes resting only briefly on Juanita.
Chris lifted the cat carrier off the table where Brooke had put it and peered inside before placing it on the floor. “She goes to a lady’s house after school, Mom. We’ll pick her up after we close, unless you want to go get her. I know she’s been looking forward to seeing you.”
Brooke looked at her watch. “Didn’t you say you were about ready to close up anyway? We’ll just go check into our motel in San Ramon and meet you somewhere for dinner. How would that be? I can’t wait to see that sweet girl. I’ve brought her some presents.”
“You know, Mom, we have a nice motel right here in Last Chance. I told you about it.”
“Yes, you did.” Brooke didn’t elaborate. “See you soon, dear.”
David Reed prepared to follow her out. He looked around the room and smiled. “Nice place you’ve got here, son. Not quite where I thought you’d end up, but you’re young yet.”
Juanita, apparently tired of being overlooked, stepped forward with outstretched hand. “I’m Juanita Sheppard. Welcome to Last Chance. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I can’t say enough nice things about your son.”
Brooke touched Juanita’s hand with her fingers and nodded. “Hello. Yes, we’ve always been proud of him.” Her voice was as cool as her smile. She turned to Kaitlyn. “Come with me to the car, dear. I have all of your cat’s paraphernalia in the backseat. You’ll need that.”
Nodding again to Juanita and lifting a cheek for Chris to kiss, she led her husband and Kaitlyn back outside. Kaitlyn braced herself for the worst, but after handing her all the cat’s stuff, her mom leaned against the car and actually smiled at her. It wasn’t the warmest smile Kaitlyn had ever seen, but it wasn’t the tongue-lashing she had been fearing since she found out her parents were on the way.
“Well, dear, I hope what we did was all right with you. We never heard anything from you, so we weren’t sure what you wanted
us to do with the apartment you left.” She waited a moment as if to give her daughter a chance to explain herself.
Kaitlyn didn’t say anything. What was there to say?
Brooke raised an eyebrow and continued. “At any rate, we liquidated everything but your clothes and a few knickknacks that we thought you might want. They’re in the trunk.”
“Liquidated?”
“We sold everything, dear. The furniture was ours anyway, but we considered it yours for liquidation purposes. The rest went to a woman who puts on yard sales, and what didn’t sell went to charity.”
“All my stuff’s gone?”
“Well, dear, we didn’t think it meant anything to you since you just walked off and left it.”
Kaitlyn just looked at her mom. She had no words.
“Since you and Olivia are here with Chris, this will probably serve you better anyway.” Brooke fished in her purse and pulled out a check. “This is everything we made. Dad and I paid the expenses, so it’s all profit for you.”
Kaitlyn took the check and looked at it. It was certainly larger than any check she had seen her name on in a long time. But still, everything she had considered hers was gone.
“You’re free as a bird, my sweet Kaitlyn.” Brooke’s smile had broadened, and she patted Kaitlyn’s cheek. “No ties left in Scottsdale. Except us, of course, and we want you and Livvy to come visit us as often as you can.”
Kaitlyn watched her parents wave as they pulled out of the parking lot. She put the cat’s stuff in the back of the Jeep and walked back into the diner, still holding her check.
Chris had picked up the cat carrier again and was poking his finger through the grate. “Well, you survived. They didn’t even look all that mad from here.”
“No, it was weird. Dad didn’t say anything, and Mom was using her real estate voice—all cheerful and businesslike. They gave me this.”
Chris looked at the check and raised his eyebrows. “Wow. That’s sure not what you were expecting. Feel better?”
“They sold all my stuff. This is what they got for it.”
“You’re kidding. Without even asking you what you wanted?”
Kaitlyn shrugged. “Mom said it couldn’t matter much to me since I walked off and left everything. But it just felt like they were saying they were done with me. Like they were paying me off and cutting me loose.”
“Well, just between you and me, I think it’s time.” Chris’s smile softened his words. “I don’t think Mom and Dad were doing you any favors by bailing you out of any mess you got into all the time. And you know what? I’m betting you’re going to do just fine.”
“It’s just not what I thought was going to happen. I thought Mom would yell and Dad would look all stern and they’d tell me to get in the car because I was going back to Scottsdale, and I’d say no, and we’d have this big fight.”
“And you’d say you weren’t a child anymore? Looks like they beat you to the punch.” Chris laughed and put the cat carrier back on the floor so he could pull her into a hug. Kaitlyn closed her eyes. She wanted to just stay where she was and feel safe, but after a minute Chris pulled back and looked down at the carrier where the cat was still yowling his dissatisfaction with his confinement. “Look, would you take this cat home? You and Olivia can come back for me and we’ll go on up to San Ramon and get Mom and Dad for dinner.”
Kaitlyn sighed as she picked up the carrier and peeked inside. “Hey, cat. Long time no see.”
Steven’s SUV was parked outside Elizabeth’s when Kaitlyn pulled up and got out of the Jeep. Olivia met her at the door holding a little white dog.
“Hey, Mom, look! Can we keep her? Steven says if it’s okay with you I can have her. Her name is Speed Bump.”
Kaitlyn shot a look at Steven, who shrugged and gave her a guilty grin before she turned back to Olivia. “Well, I don’t think Meeko would like it very much if we brought a dog home, do you?”
Olivia froze. “Meeko?”
“Yep, your grandparents brought Meeko. He’s out in the car right now waiting for us to take him home.”
Kaitlyn found herself holding Speed Bump as Olivia raced to the curb and jerked open the back door of the Jeep. “Do not open that carrier until we get home, do you hear me?” She turned to Steven and handed him the dog. “You promised her a dog before you even spoke to me about it? What were you thinking?”
“It wasn’t exactly like that.” Steven still sounded guilty. “She asked whose dog it was. I said I’d found it. She asked if she could have it and I said we’d have to talk to you. That’s all that happened.”
“That’s true, Kaitlyn.” Elizabeth came from the kitchen. “It was all pretty much Livvy’s idea. Although you didn’t do a whole lot to discourage her, Steven.” A low, warning wail came from the back of the sofa, where a large gray tabby crouched, ears back and tail lashing. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, Sam. Hush up. That dog’s not about to bother you. You’re twice his size, anyway.”
Kaitlyn reached over and scratched Speed Bump’s ears. “He is cute. Where’d you find him?”
“It’s a she, and I found her on the highway.” Steven told the story of the abandoned dog, winding up with, “So unless I can find the owner, I guess I’ll keep her.”
Kaitlyn smiled. “It doesn’t sound like you want to find the owner that bad.”
“Well, not to give the dog back, anyway.” Steven held the dog up to look in her face, and on the back of the sofa, Sam arched, hissed, and spat.
“Steven, honey, I’m going to have to ask you to take that little thing outside. She’s worrying Sam to death, and he’s about to drive me to distraction. I bet she’d be happy in your truck for a little while. Kaitlyn, how about some tea?”
“I’d love to, but I’ve got to get that cat home and settled and then go get Chris. Our parents are in town and we’re meeting them for dinner in San Ramon.”
“Oh, that’s lovely. Will they be here long? I’d love to meet them.”
Kaitlyn looked around Elizabeth’s fussy little living room, with its crocheted afghan and framed pictures of family on every surface. She had no doubt what her mother’s reaction would be, and she had no intention of allowing Elizabeth to feel her mother’s cool, dismissive gaze. “Um, I’m not sure how long they’re going to be here, and they’re sort of making San Ramon their base.”
As if she could read Kaitlyn’s mind, Elizabeth put a warm, comforting hand on her arm. “Well, I’d love to meet them just the same. I want to tell them how much I’ve come to care for you and Olivia and Chris. And unless I’m entirely mistaken, I think they might want to meet Sarah and her family.”
Sarah. Of course. Kaitlyn closed her eyes for a moment. Chris was bound to want their parents to meet Sarah. He was so besotted with her, it wouldn’t even occur to him that his mother might find Sarah a bit beneath them. But even if Chris didn’t see it, Kaitlyn was pretty sure nothing would get past Sarah. She did not see this as the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
“Mom! Hurry! Meeko really wants out.” Olivia was back and tugging at Kaitlyn’s hand.
Kaitlyn smiled at Elizabeth and gave her a hug. “You’re right. You probably will meet them sooner or later, maybe sooner. But be prepared. They’re sort of . . .” She broke off. How do you tell someone your parents are complete snobs?
“Honey, don’t you worry one bit. If they’re your parents, I know we’ll get along just fine.”
Olivia was already back at the car, and Kaitlyn followed her down the walk. Having people think they knew what kind of parents she had because they knew her was nothing new. But having that be a positive thing was.
“Mom? Do you think Meeko and Sam could be friends? Both of them don’t like dogs.” Olivia buckled herself in the backseat and pulled the cat carrier next to her, then wiggled her fingers through the grate.
“I don’t think so, honey.” Kaitlyn watched Steven, his dog still under his arm, saying good-bye to his grandmother on the porch. She couldn’t help smiling
at how ludicrous a picture he presented standing there in boots with his cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes and holding that little ball of white fluff under his arm.
“Mom? What’s a speed bump?”
Kaitlyn pulled away from the curb. “It’s a little bump they put in the road so cars will slow down when they run over it.”
There was a moment of silence, broken only by another protesting howl from Meeko.
“Steven named his dog that?” Olivia could not have sounded more horrified.
“I’m sure he just thought he was being funny. He did save the dog from maybe being run over, you know.”
“Well, it’s not funny. I’m going to tell him that the next time I see him too. That’s just mean.”
“Okay.” Kaitlyn was barely aware of Olivia’s running conversation, sometimes directed toward her, sometimes toward her cat as she drove the few miles home. She pulled to a stop in the carport. “Do you think you can manage the cat carrier? I’ll get the rest of Meeko’s stuff. Don’t open it yet, though. We’ll fix him a nice little home in the bathroom, and then we have to get Uncle Chris and go have dinner with BeBe and Pops.”
“But Meeko doesn’t want to stay in the bathroom.” The carrier was almost too big for Olivia to carry, but she pulled away when her mother tried to help her. “I can do it.”
“It’s only till we get back from dinner. He’ll feel safer in a small place since everything is so unfamiliar.”
“Then he can live in my room?”
“That will be up to Uncle Chris.” Yep, all decisions were to be deferred to Chris, even simple ones like where the cat would sleep. Kaitlyn felt another pang of regret that she had allowed things to get this far, but she pasted a smile on her face. “Now, let’s get everything into the bathroom and you can finally let poor Meeko out while I get him all set up.”
The neon sign in the big window that fronted the Dip ’n’ Dine was out and the parking lot was deserted when Kaitlyn and Olivia pulled up to the front door a half hour later. Kaitlyn smiled at Olivia when she got out to go around to the passenger side. Olivia had protested a bit, but she had cleaned up really well. She was wearing new jeans—not a scuff or a hole anywhere—and a pale blue sweater the color of her eyes. Kaitlyn had even got her to put the cat down long enough to give her hair a good brushing, and it fell to her shoulders like silk, the sides pulled up and held with a blue grosgrain bow. If Olivia had ever looked like a motherless waif, those days were gone. Kaitlyn wondered if her own mother would even notice.
At Home in Last Chance Page 6