by Lyndsey Cole
“Of course I’ll help. Do you want me to dress up in my best Fourth of July attire too?”
Annie clapped her hands. “I was hoping you’d say that. See you at the café, no later than noon. The parade starts in the parking lot.”
Jason mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like, “Why didn’t I lock my door this morning?”
Annie made it to the café mere minutes before opening time. Leona glared, Mia sighed with relief and Danny said, “Good morning Annie.”
What a nice guy. You could always count on Danny to be in the moment with a warm smile. Annie hoped Leona didn’t break his fragile heart.
The door opened, bringing in a steady stream of customers. Blackberry pies, cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins flew out of the pastry case. The faces moved through in a blur of friendly chatter until one voice attracted Annie’s attention.
“Maybe you can talk some sense into my father.”
Annie looked into Kirk Hayworth’s face, and it wasn’t a friendly expression she was met with. “Excuse me?”
“My father. He’s decided to hire his odd neighbor’s daughter to help him on the farm. Why her? He’s always disliked those people.”
“Do you mean Jillian?”
Chapter 17
“Is that her name? She showed up out of thin air and my father is gaga over her.”
The customer behind Kirk leaned around him and rudely asked, “Are you going to order or just talk all morning?
“Kirk, I can’t talk about this now,” Annie said, wanting to move on to the paying customers.
He waved his hand at her dismissively. “Never mind. I hoped you were different.”
When there was a lull in customers, Danny sidled over to Annie. “Who was that guy giving you a hard time earlier?”
“Peter Hayworth’s son, Kirk. He’s upset about decisions his dad is making about the farm. I don’t know why he thinks I can help him.”
“Well, he left this outside on one of the tables.” Danny gave Annie a book.
She opened it to see another message, Annie, be careful who you talk to. “Are you sure it was Kirk who left it?”
“Well, I didn’t actually see him put it there, but I noticed it after he walked by.”
Annie rushed out to the deck, searching for Kirk’s face and was relieved to see him sitting at the far side, away from everyone.
She slammed the book on the table in front of him. “Did you leave this for me?”
Kirk looked at Annie with his eyebrows raised in surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Annie settled into a chair next to him and slid the book onto her lap.
“What do you think I can do?” Annie asked Kirk, referring to his earlier request for help.
He rested his arms on the table. “I have no idea. Something is strange about what’s happening and my father always talks so highly about you. He never listens to what I have to say.”
“I’m flattered, but we have never discussed how he runs his business. You would have more influence about that.”
Kirk stared off into space. He drummed his fingers on the table.
Annie leaned forward. “Do you know something else?”
Suddenly, he swiveled toward Annie. “Here’s the thing,” he said quietly. “I arrived at my father’s house Wednesday morning.”
Annie nodded. Her stomach flip-flopped, wondering what Kirk knew about the morning Robbie died.
“My dad was fit to be tied. He knew it was the day Robbie was supposed to sign the papers to sell the land to the condo developer. That’s why I went to the farm in the morning. I was afraid Dad might do something stupid.”
“Do you think he killed Robbie?” Annie asked in disbelief.
Kirk shook his head, his eyes filled with concern. “I don’t know. He was ranting and raving and stormed out of the house before I could stop him. I don’t know what he did. And now Jillian is working her way into the farm.”
“What do you know about Jillian?”
Kirk’s head shot up and his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? I don’t know her at all.”
Annie’s thoughts danced in her head. Jillian was Kirk’s half-sister. What would that information do to him? She made up her mind, reaching her hand out to cover Kirk’s hand. The touch startled him.
“Thank you for sharing your concerns with me,” Annie said. “Here comes Jillian, you could talk to her yourself. Maybe you’re making more out of this than you should.” Annie stood up as Jillian stopped at the table.
Kirk pushed his chair back. “I have nothing to say to her.” He spit the words out to Annie without even glancing at Jillian.
Jillian slumped into Kirk’s vacated chair. “I’ve supremely mucked this up.” She looked up at Annie. “Did you tell him?”
“That Peter’s your dad?”
Jillian nodded.
“No, the words almost came out of my mouth, but he should hear it from his dad, not me.”
Annie hoped she wasn’t missed inside as she sat back down with Jillian. “Why were you with Peter outside your mother’s house the day Robbie died?”
Jillian’s eyes opened wide with surprise.
“He wanted to know if my mother had signed the papers. He said he had already asked Robbie, but Robbie only laughed in his face.” She dropped her head. “I was trying to calm him down.”
Annie put her hand on Jillian’s arm. “What did Peter do after you talked to him?”
She looked away. “I think he went home.”
“And what about Luke? Did you see him go in to talk to Robbie?”
“He drove out when I was talking to Peter.” She pulled on the hair at the tip of her braid.
Annie considered her answers and wondered if Peter did go back into the house after Luke left. Who was lying to her?
Annie set the book with the message on the table. “Why have you been leaving me messages?”
Jillian’s mouth fell open. She whispered, “How did you know it was me?”
“I didn’t. Until now.” She glared at Jillian. “What are you hiding?”
Karen, from the animal shelter, hollered and waved to Annie, saving Jillian from having to answer a difficult question. “We’re getting organized in the parking lot for the pet parade. Are you coming?”
“I’ll be right there.” Annie stood up and told Jillian, “You have some explaining to do.”
Roxy and Annie walked around the building to join the small crowd of people and dogs. Peter’s daughter, Emily, was off to one side with her two kids. Logan jumped up and down when he spotted Annie.
“There she is. There’s Annie and Roxy,” Logan pointed.
Annie waved, happy that Peter gave Emily the message to bring the kids to the pet parade. Logan had an American flag t-shirt on and Ariel had a red, white and blue ballerina outfit. Annie stuck on her headband with star shaped flags sticking up and joined Emily.
She crouched down to Ariel’s level. “You have the most beautiful outfit on. Would you like a balloon to carry?”
Ariel nodded enthusiastically, staring at the stars on Annie’s headband. “This color.” She pointed to the red in her outfit.
“Of course. How about you Logan?” Annie asked.
“Blue, please.”
Annie returned with the red and blue balloons.
Karen held both hands up. “Thanks for coming everyone. We have a special person to lead the parade this year.”
Annie saw the back of a red, white and blue top hat next to Karen. Her hand covered a laugh when she saw the hat turn around and Jason’s grinning face appear. She hadn’t expected him to dress up—her comment about a costume was meant to be a teasing joke—but seeing him decked out like Uncle Sam, she had to admit he fit the part quite handsomely.
She put two thumbs up and shook the little star flags sticking above her own head to make them wiggle. She knew they looked pathetic compared to his effort—top hat, red and white vertically striped pants, a
blue jacket with tails and red and white striped lapels, and the biggest surprise of all, a white goatee.
Ariel tugged on Annie’s hand. “What is it honey?”
“I have to pee.”
Annie found Emily busy texting on her cell phone and handed Ariel over to her mom, explaining where to find the bathroom.
“I’ll wait here with Logan and Roxy.”
All the volunteers in various red, white and blue attire lined up with the shelter dogs, also with patriotic collars or bandanas. Annie handed Roxy’s leash to Logan so she had her hands free to take some candid photos. This was an opportunity too colorful to ignore and would be perfect for her Candid Around Catfish Cove photography exhibit.
The lens of her camera zeroed in on an unexpected participant. Hazel stood quietly with Zoe. She even had on a red and white striped shirt and Zoe had a red, white and blue bandana tied around her neck.
Emily returned with Ariel, and Annie made her way with Roxy and the two kids closer to the front of the line to keep an eye on Jason’s maneuvers. A red mustang convertible pulled out of the parking lot to start the parade. It was a motley assortment of dogs, many already adopted from the shelter, accompanied by their forever families and about two dozen shelter dogs still hoping to be to find homes.
Tyler had police cars flashing blue lights on the street to stop traffic between the Cove’s Corner parking lot and the town green, a half mile at the most. Logan stood tall and proud holding Roxy’s leash and Ariel kept one hand on Roxy’s back and the other tucked into Annie’s hand.
Peter Hayworth drove the convertible with Emily in the passenger seat throwing candy to the kids watching from the sidewalk and Kirk sat in the backseat, unsmiling.
How interesting, Annie thought, everyone who was at the Benson house the day Robbie died showed up for the parade. Except Jillian and Luke Carbone.
Chapter 18
Once everyone arrived on the green, Annie gave Jason the responsibility of watching Roxy and the two kids while she took advantage of the opportunity for more photos. Many would end up with Karen for her bulletin board of successful adoptions and the rest might be part of her opening day photography exhibit.
Emily watched as her kids wandered around with Jason, petting all the dogs. The dogs available for adoption were grouped all together on one side of the green and Annie made sure to take lots of photos. Her camera caught Ariel crouching with her head cocked in front of a small yellow lab mix as if she was in deep conversation with the pup. Much to Ariel’s delight, the pup licked her face.
“Mommy. Mommy. Can we keep this one?” Ariel shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Emily talked to the volunteer about the adorable puppy and Annie kept her fingers crossed, hoping for a happy ending.
Jason stood behind Annie, his shadow suddenly engulfing her. He leaned close to her ear. “Uncle Sam thinks you’re the most beautiful girl here.”
Annie shivered and leaned back to rest against Jason’s body. “Uncle Sam caught the attention of all the ladies today. You can have the pick of the lot.”
“I like the sound of that. I know which one I’ll pick.”
“Do tell, Uncle Sam,” Annie said, still not turning around.
“If you accompany me to the fireworks tonight, I’ll give you a clue.”
Annie giggled. “Will Uncle Sam still be wearing this fine outfit?”
She heard a groan. “Uncle Sam needs to return the outfit in,” Jason checked his watch, “exactly one half hour or he’ll turn into a melted puddle of red, white and blue.”
Annie finally turned to face Jason. She saw the sweat dripping down his face. “Oh. I didn’t think about how hot it would be. Stand with these dogs waiting to be adopted for one photo, then you can go change.”
Jason did as requested and even managed a genuine smile for the camera before hustling to his car.
Emily asked Annie for help deciding about the little mixed breed Ariel fell in love with.
The puppy was given the name Bandit since she had the annoying, but charming, habit of stealing shoes when she was at her foster home. The volunteer was quick to explain that Bandit didn’t chew up the shoes, she liked to make a pile on her dog bed. Bandit was great with kids and was good with the basic sit, down, stay commands. And, best of all, she loved everyone.
Annie picked Bandit up and stared into her eyes. “What do you think little girl? Would you want to live with Emily, Ariel and Logan?”
Bandit yipped and wiggled all over.
Annie handed Bandit to Emily. “She says it’s the perfect family for her.”
Ariel and Logan stood still, holding their breath and holding each other’s hands, waiting for their mother to make a decision.
Emily nodded. Both kids jumped up and Bandit yipped again. Annie beamed; another dog she helped find a home. She lifted her camera and captured the two ecstatic children hugging Bandit. Pure, genuine happiness on all three faces.
The volunteer brought Emily to the table set up for signing the adoption papers while Annie kept an eye on Bandit and the kids. Other dogs were also finding homes and the line at the table grew.
Hazel and Zoe joined Annie. “Thank you for helping me find Zoe. I want to help the shelter more if I can.”
“Of course. Karen always needs volunteers to walk the dogs. She has a schedule and you let her know when you’re available.”
“I want to do more than that.” Hazel drifted into her own world before continuing. “When I was little, I had a dog and she was my best friend, the one I could always count on, the one I could tell my stories to. Robbie didn’t like her and one day she disappeared. I never knew what happened and I was never allowed to have another pet.”
Annie stroked Hazel’s arm. “That’s terrible.”
“I’d like to help start a program for therapy dogs. I’ve read about it.” She looked at Annie. “Would you help me?”
“Well, I, ah, don’t know anything about a program like that, but I’m sure Karen would be a good resource. We can discuss it with her, but I doubt she has the room or the money for something so ambitious.”
Hazel nodded. “That’s the part I can help with. I have the land and the money, you and Karen can figure out the rest.”
Annie’s mouth fell open. “Wow, Hazel. You certainly are filled with surprises.” Annie didn’t want to discuss it now, but she had a strong suspicion that Hazel was hiding a few more surprises about the day Robbie died.
“I need to talk to you about Jillian.”
Hazel stiffened. “What about her?”
“She’s been sending me messages about the day Robbie died but I don’t understand them. Can you take a look at them and see if they mean anything to you?”
“Robbie.” Hazel spit the word out. “I’m glad he’s gone and I don’t care who hears me say it. My life has so many new possibilities without his overbearing bullying.” She turned her piercing blue eyes on Annie. “Can you understand that?”
Hazel’s eyes were so intense, Annie had to look away before Hazel figured out Annie’s thoughts. Not that her thoughts came to a nice neat conclusion about what happened to Robbie. Not yet. All the trails from Hazel, Luke, Peter and Jillian weaved in and out and stopped abruptly before leading to any answer.
All Annie managed to utter to Hazel was, “I think I can understand,” before they were interrupted by Martha’s loud hello.
Hazel moved away with Zoe when Martha barged in, all smiles. “Guess what?” she asked Annie.
“You’re here to adopt one of the shelter dogs?”
“Oh. Is that what all these people are doing? No.” She whispered in Annie’s ear, “Harry proposed to me last night during the bonfire.”
That got Annie’s attention.
“He left Bob at the grill and apologized about being rude to me and asked me right then and there. Right in the middle of a crowd of people, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Everyone clapped.”
“How could you tell it
was Harry and not Bob asking you?”
Martha’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “I made them aprons and the roosters on Harry’s apron were red and the ones on Bob’s were yellow. Sneaky, huh?” She laughed so hard she had to cross her legs.
“What did you say?”
Martha held her hand out to show a small diamond engagement ring on her left hand. “I said yes, you ninny. How many proposals will I be getting at my age?”
Annie held Martha’s hand to get a good look at the ring. “He had the ring with him?”
“He said it was his plan all along. He’s been carrying this ring around in his pocket for weeks, waiting for the right moment. Those were his words. I think he was working up the courage, and when I stalked off he panicked.”
Annie hugged Martha. “Congratulations! When’s the wedding?”
“As soon as possible. Neither one of us is getting any younger.”
The crowd of people began to thin out. Annie started to walk toward the adoption table, but stopped and asked Martha, “How did Bob take it?”
Martha shrugged. “He’s not talking to Harry at the moment, but I’m sure they’ll work it out. Nothing has ever gotten between their special twin relationship for long.”
Until now, Annie thought, but decided to keep those sentiments to herself. Martha might be biting off even more than she could chew.
Karen was organizing all the adoption papers when Annie finally found a chance to talk to her. “How did it go today?”
Karen’s smile said it all. “Thanks to your Uncle Sam, we had the biggest turnout ever. Eight dogs adopted today and several people are on the fence but I’m sure some of them will be coming back to the shelter. Once those chocolate puppy dog eyes worm into your heart, it’s nearly impossible to walk away for good.”
Annie patted Roxy who sat patiently by her side. “Yes, true words for sure. Want to take a look at the photos I took?”
“Of course.” Karen walked around the table.
Annie scrolled backwards through her photos and they laughed or oohed and aahed over the best shots. Annie lowered her camera when the dog photos changed to her photos from around Catfish Cove.