by Debby Mayne
“What are you talking about?” Pamela felt her lips twitch. Most of the time, she and Andy got along fine, but now, his strange comment made her nervous.
“You know.” He waved his arms. “Bethany and Pete. They seem to be doing okay without your interference.”
She rolled her eyes. “Their relationship is going nowhere.”
“It might be moving slowly, but . . .” Andy lifted an eyebrow. “Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be.”
She shuddered to think how his way of thinking would never work. “I don’t think so. I think—”
Andy touched Pamela’s lips with the tip of his fingers. “Wanna know what I think? I think we should end this conversation before one of us says something we’ll regret.”
“I promise I’ll be careful what I say to either of them. Heaven knows, those two are as skittish as all get-out. But I find it hard to just sit back and let them miss an opportunity at real love.” Pamela opened the car door. “I’ve known Bethany most of her life, and she’s never been one to go after what she wants. Her hesitation is part of the problem, and from what I’ve seen, Pete isn’t any better.”
“It must work for her. She married Charlie,” Andy reminded her. “I’m not so sure about Pete, though.”
“It worked for Bethany in the past only because Charlie was aggressive, and he was willing to take chances. Pete has never been married, and he’s still with the family business. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with either of those things, but I do think it’s pretty telling about his lack of initiative.”
Andy didn’t say a word. He just shook his head.
Three hours later, Pamela found herself talking to Murray as he sat on his perch in her kitchen. “So do you think I’m a busybody?”
Murray stared back at her but didn’t answer.
“Don’t start the silent treatment now—not when I really need you. Talk to me, Murray. Am I meddling too much in Bethany and Pete’s business?”
“Takin’ care of business . . . squawk . . . Takin’ care of business.” He bobbed his head and squawked a few more times.
“See? That’s what I’m talkin’ about. You agree with me, don’t you?” She went to the refrigerator to get Murray a treat. When she came back, she shoved a carrot stick through the wires of the cage. “You’re being good today.”
Murray let out a loud wolf whistle, making Pamela laugh. She poured herself a cup of coffee from the morning’s brew, stuck it in the microwave, and then leaned against the counter to wait for it to heat up. Murray scooted across his perch until he was as close to Pamela as he could get in his cage.
When the microwave beeped, Murray fluttered his wings, bobbed his head, and jumped around the cage. “Fire, fire . . . squawk . . . Get moving, everyone! Fire.”
Pamela pulled her coffee from the microwave, set it on the counter, and leaned over to talk to the bird. “Murray, you spend way too much time at the fire hall. I need to talk with your daddy about that.”
“Daddy loves his precious little birdie . . . squawk . . . Daddy loves his precious little birdie.” Murray tilted his head and gave her an innocent look. “Daddy loves . . . ” Murray stopped mid-sentence and didn’t even bother to squawk. Pamela leaned over and looked at him to make sure he was okay. She jumped when he let out one of his ear-piercing squawks.
She laughed. “Don’t scare me like that.”
“Scary bird . . . squawk!”
“You’re right,” Pamela agreed. “Very scary.” She smiled down at Murray. “And yes, your daddy does love you . . . very much.” She dumped two heaping teaspoons of sugar and at least as much cream into her coffee. As she took a sip, she imagined Andy telling Murray how much he loved him, and that warmed her heart.
“Maybe I can watch you a little more often.” Pamela paused for a reaction from Murray, but quickly realized how silly that was. “You’re actually pretty good company.”
“Company’s here . . . squawk! Answer the door, dummy.”
Pamela chuckled. “At least you’re good company until you say something like that.” She glanced up at the clock and thought about how she’d normally be out and about after church, but she actually didn’t mind spending time at home with Andy’s bird. In fact, she found it rather comforting. “We might as well figure out what to do with the rest of our day.”
She sat down at the table with the phone and pondered who she should call and invite over. Naomi immediately came to mind, so she punched in the number she knew by heart. No answer. Next on her list was Sherry, but as she thought might be the case, Sherry and Brad had plans. She scanned her list of garden club members until she got to the end with the listing of new people. Gina! Perfect!
“I’ve got Andy’s bird for a few hours, and I thought you and your sweet little family might enjoy coming over for a snack this afternoon. I’m sure Lacy would enjoy Murray.”
“Actually,” Gina said slowly. “Lacy is scared to death of that bird.”
“Why on earth would she be afraid of Murray? He’s harmless . . . well, he is until someone tries to grab him.”
“Maybe so, but they got off to a bad start. The first time we ever saw him, Sherry was bird-sitting him, and he was in the card shop. He let out one of his loud noises, and that shook Lacy up pretty bad.”
“That’s all the more reason you should bring her over,” Pamela said. “We can help them make friends.”
Some noise in the background caught Gina’s attention. “Let me call you back, okay? Jeremy needs me for something real quick.”
After Pamela hung up, loneliness flooded her heart, and she felt as though every ounce of breath had been sucked from her lungs. It had been many years since her husband had passed, but every once in a while, something happened that reminded her how much she missed him. She got up from the table, dumped the rest of her coffee in the sink, and turned to face Murray.
“So what would you like to do?”
“Murray wants candy . . . squawk!”
“Spoiled rotten, that’s what you are.” Pamela got Murray a couple more carrots. “You may have two. That’s all.”
“That’s all, folks! Squawk!”
“Maybe we should work on teaching you some new words.” Pamela smiled at her brilliant idea. “Andy will be so surprised.” She planted her fist on her hip and thought about what to teach Murray. “I know. Let’s try this.” She leaned over and said, “Repeat after me. ‘Yes, ma’am, anything you say.’”
Murray stared at her, his beak closed, his wings flat by his sides.
“C’mon, Murray, you can do this. Say, ‘Yes, ma’am, anything you say.’”
She spoke slowly, hoping Murray would pick up the words. She leaned down and repeated the sentence, but he didn’t even open his beak.
“Hmm. I wonder how many times I have to say it before you catch on.” She walked back and forth in front of his cage. “Yes, ma’am, anything you say; yes, ma’am, anything you say . . .”
Pamela repeated the phrase over and over until she got tired of hearing her own voice. Finally, she sighed. This was pointless.
She was about to carry Murray into another room for a change of scenery when Gina called. “Jeremy said he thought it would be an excellent idea to bring Lacy over to see Murray. He doesn’t want her to be so afraid of a bird, and he thinks it would be a good idea to let them gradually get to know each other.”
“Wonderful! When can you come?”
Gina laughed. “We’re standing on your porch right now.”
As soon as Pamela dropped the phone into the receiver, she hurried toward the door. Gina was the only person Pamela knew beside herself who didn’t see any point in waiting. That was why Pamela intended to groom her for garden club presidency. Sherry had already said she wasn’t interested, and someone had to do it.
She flung the door open, and there stood Lacy looking
cuter than ever. “Is Murray here?” the little girl asked, her voice quivering.
“Yes, come on in.” Pamela stepped back to let Lacy and her parents inside. “He’s in the kitchen, so let’s go see him.”
Lacy hesitated until Gina nodded and gave her a gentle shove. “Go on. He won’t hurt you, will he, Miss Pamela?”
“Of course not. Besides, he’s in his cage.”
As soon as they entered the kitchen, Pamela realized she’d spoken too soon. Murray’s cage door hung open, and he was nowhere in sight. Her heart sank.
“Where are you, Murray?” Panic rose in her chest as she skittered around the kitchen, looking high and low for the mischievous bird, while Lacy wedged herself between her parents.
Jeremy squatted down beside his daughter. “Lacy, sweetie, I’m gonna help Miss Pamela find Murray and put him back in his cage. Stay right here with Mommy, okay?”
“Come out, Murray. I’ll give you some candy if you do.”
A rustling sound from the indention above the cabinets caught everyone’s attention. “Murray wants candy . . . squawk . . . Murray wants candy!”
Pamela pulled the carrots out of the refrigerator again and pointed to the cage. “You’ll get some candy if you’re a good boy. Now come down from there and go back to your perch.”
“Murray wants candy!”
“I told you I would give you some if you behave.” She slid a carrot stick into the cage and pointed again. “Now go on in there and get your candy.”
He bobbed his head, stepped side-to-side, and flapped his wings. Pamela held her breath as he lifted off the cabinet and flew down and into the cage, jarred the wire door, and pounced on the carrot stick.
“Good boy.” She slammed the cage door shut and brushed her hands together. “Would you like some more candy, Murray?”
“Yes, ma’am, anything you say . . . squawk! Yes, ma’am!”
Jeremy chuckled. “Smart bird.”
Chapter 20
Bethany drove home after spending Sunday afternoon at Pete’s stark apartment. He wasn’t kidding when he said he had few possessions. Until seeing his place, she thought she’d done a good job of clearing out the clutter. But now, as she walked through her own house and compared it to Pete’s, she realized she still had too much. The thought of how they could be good for each other flitted through her head, until she reminded herself of his commitment to bachelorhood.
She put down her purse on the hall table and entered the living room, where photos remained lined up on the built-in bookshelves. She lifted one and studied it. She remembered seeing this frame the first time she ever stepped foot in Charlie’s parents’ house, but she had no idea who the people were. She carefully placed it face down on the coffee table and moved on to the next picture.
An hour later, she’d removed all but three framed pictures from the shelf—one of Charlie’s family when he was a boy; one of her and Charlie’s wedding; and another of her, Charlie, and Ashley. The rest of the pictures could be stored in the attic.
After wrapping the delicate frames in tissue and loading them in a box, she started on another shelf filled with curios—one she’d overlooked during her last round of cleaning. After living with it a while, everything had become invisible. She sighed. Between her mother-in-law’s ceramic pieces and her own vacation souvenirs, she was able to fill two more boxes. She sneezed.
A knock sounded at the door, so she stopped to see who it was. Her mother stood there grinning. “I thought you might need some company.”
Bethany smiled and gestured for her mother to enter the house. “You did? Or are you curious about how my day went with Pete?”
Instead of answering, Naomi walked around looking at the area Bethany had just cleared. “You’ve been busy, haven’t you? Where are your dust rags? These dust bunnies are prolific, and they’ll run you out of the house if you don’t do something about them quickly.”
Arguing and defending herself wouldn’t do a bit of good, so Bethany pulled a couple of rags from the hall closet. “I’m doing this in stages.”
“So I see.” Naomi pointed to one end of the shelf. “You start over there, and I’ll take this one. By the way, speaking of your day with Pete, how was it?”
“Good. We grilled hamburgers in the courtyard at his apartment complex.”
“That’s nice, but you didn’t answer my question. How was it?” Naomi stopped dusting and stared at Bethany as she waited for an answer.
“The hamburger was delicious.”
Naomi let out a groan. “Bethany, stop evading my question. Did you and Pete have a chance to talk about anything?”
Bethany shrugged. It was fun watching her mother work so hard for information. “We talked about all kinds of stuff.”
“Like what?”
“Plumbing and the garden club and the festival and . . .” Bethany grinned. “Is that what you’re asking?”
“What do you think?” Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Got anything to drink? This dust is clogging my throat.”
Bethany knew it was a ploy to change the setting. Naomi had always said the best place to find out anything you wanted to know about someone was sitting at the kitchen table. Fortunately, Bethany knew her mother well, and besides, there wasn’t anything earth-shattering to discuss. She’d spent most of her time with Pete dancing around the topics she’d already mentioned to Naomi, and when either of them strayed to more personal topics, the other pulled the conversation back to safety.
The instant they sat down with glasses of lemonade, Naomi looked Bethany in the eye. “Did you kiss?”
Hunch confirmed. “Um . . .” Awkward. “Yes.”
Naomi leaned back and grinned. “Was it a good one?”
“Mom!” Bethany tilted her head forward and gave her mother a hooded look. “I’m not sure how to answer that, and besides, it’s none of your business.”
“I’m your mother. I’ve been married and given birth to four children. I changed your diapers when you were little. Nothing should embarrass you around me.”
Bethany laughed at her mother’s tactics. Annoying but creative.
Naomi frowned. “I can’t help it if I want my children to be happy.”
“What makes you think I need Pete to kiss me in order to be happy?”
Naomi shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that I’m worried about you becoming one of those people who never leave the house. You can develop agoraphobia.”
Bethany choked on her lemonade. “I am not becoming agoraphobic.”
“That’s because I’m not letting it happen.”
Bethany held up her hands. “Stop worrying about me. I’m just fine. I’m removing the clutter, and I’m getting out almost every day. I’m at church on Sunday, and I’m involved with the festival committee. What more do you want?”
Naomi nodded. “Yes, you’re getting out, and at least that’s a start. But what about Pete?”
“Let me decide what to do with my own relationships.”
“But I want—”
“This isn’t about you and what you want, Mom.” Bethany hated cutting her mother off, but the conversation was having the opposite effect Naomi had intended. It made Bethany want to hide and not give folks in Bloomfield so much to talk about, but it was time to stand up to people, starting with her mother. As long as she continued seeing Pete, she knew their gums would flap.
“Okay, I get it.” Naomi stared at the table in silence for a moment.
Bethany placed her hand on top of her mother’s. “I know you love me, and you want what’s best for me, but let me decide what that is, okay?”
Naomi lifted her head, jutted out her chin, and looked Bethany in the eye. “Okay.”
Her mother’s voice cracked, belying the stoic face she wore. Bethany had to glance away to keep her mom from seeing the tears that had begun to form
in her eyes.
Naomi shuddered and cleared her throat. “How are things going with the festival promotion?”
“Good.” Bethany grinned. “Putting Gina in charge as coordinator was an excellent move. That woman has more energy than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“She reminds me of someone, but I can’t put my finger on who that is.”
“Pamela?”
Naomi’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s it! She reminds me of Pamela when she was much younger.” She chuckled. “And that daughter of hers is following in her footsteps.”
“That’s not a bad thing,” Bethany said. “At least not for the garden club.”
“True. It’s good to know we’ll always have someone ready to take charge.”
“Now back to the festival. We already have enough booths reserved to put on a decent festival if the weather is nice. Anything from now on is gravy.”
“The garden club’s booth will be the biggest, right?” Naomi gave her a hopeful glance. “And it’s indoors?”
“Yes, of course.” Bethany knew how important that was to her mother and all the other people who’d been in the organization for decades. “They . . . I mean we’ll have a strong presence, and we won’t have to worry about bad weather.”
Naomi nodded. “Now we need to move into high gear since the festival is less than a month away. And to think this all started with what I thought was a cockamamie plan to get Pamela off my back about growing the town.” She chuckled as she stood. “I better get on home. I have Zumba for Seniors first thing in the morning, so I have to get up mighty early.”
The next morning, Bethany finished another round of de-cluttering. This time, she felt joy surge with every item she removed from her house. She loaded up her SUV and drove everything to the community center that was now abuzz with festival activity. Following in Pamela’s footsteps, Gina had enlisted the aid of some of the folks who hung around playing board games. The grin on Howard’s face as he followed Gina around gave away the fact that he’d transferred his ardent admiration for Pamela to Gina, and he would do just about anything she asked him to.