Terri shrugged. “A nice lady came by. She’s a friend of Aunt Ruth’s, and she said she wanted to welcome us to the neighborhood. “
I groaned. “Let me guess, she’s a hundred-and-six, has gray-blue hair, and uses a walker.”
“You’d be wrong.” Terri bit off a big bite and spoke around the food. “Her name’s Lily Bennett, and she’s young, about your age.”
“Not old like you?”
Terri chuckled. “Just call me Granny.”
I am, for the record, all of two years younger than my twenty-eight year old cousin. “What time is this shindig?”
“Starts at six.”
“You gonna wear clothes?”
“Smartass.” She sucked down the rest of the sandwich and water then headed for the back door, shifting as she went
“It was a legitimate question,” I told the collie. She gave me a sharp little bark, then slipped through the doggy door.
I poured some warm coffee into the cooling liquid in my cup, then leaned against the counter and considered this living with my cousin thing. I might just be in over my head.
****
Lily and Ken Bennett’s house was a cute yellow bungalow over three streets and near the neighborhood’s main road. The couple greeted us warmly while the aroma of meat cooking on the nearby grill had my mouth watering. I glanced toward Terri and saw her nose twitch. I sent up a little request that she not do something crazy like grab a piece of meat off the grill and scarf it down in a couple of huge bites. And yes, she was fully capable of doing just that.
Lily’s husband Ken greeted us, then headed back to the food while Lily took us over to meet the other guests.
“This is Stephie and Jake,” Lily said. “Guys, meet Shay and Terri.”
I smiled and shook hands, all the while trying to place the man.
He got there first. “You’re the impromptu ballerina from that Fourth of July celebration a few years back.”
My face went hot and I swallowed hard. “Oh no, you probably think I’m a nut.”
“Hardly.” Jake glanced toward Stephie. “It was about fifteen years ago. There was this adorable girl who suddenly broke into a ballet dance right on the courthouse lawn. Even at my age, I could tell she had amazing talent.” He glanced at me and grinned. “And obviously a drive to perform.”
“Oh! I hope you followed that dream,” Stephie smiled, her eyes shiny and hopeful.
I wanted to run back to the house as fast as I could, throw myself on my bed, and cry until I couldn’t cry anymore. Instead, I pulled up my big girl panties and forced my lips into a smile. “Actually, things just didn’t work out that way. Instead I became a writer.”
“What do you write?” she asked.
I felt my face go hot. Talking about myself was not something I enjoyed. “Mostly novels, plus some freelance journalism to help pay the bills.” I grabbed my cousin’s arm and pulled her closer. “Terri’s the one who kicks butt. How many times have you been on the New York Times’s bestseller list?”
“Four, but you’re an amazing writer, Shay.” Terri leaned a bit closer to her audience. “She writes as Shannon Alexis. Check out her books, they’re great.”
Stephie, Jake, and Lily all looked excited and promised to check out both our literary accomplishments. I looked at my cousin and silently tried to convey how grateful I was for her help. She gave me a one-armed hug as she told them about my contemporary romances and her urban fantasies. They looked appropriately impressed, and I slid into the familiar, but still kind of amazing, role of almost-semi-famous-local-author. I was fine as long as I didn’t have to toot my own horn.
Lily greeted her newly arrived guest. “Hello, Ace. Glad you could make it.”
“Thank you for inviting me.” Ace gave Lily a quick hug.
“Have you met our new neighbors Terri and Shay?”
He smiled. “Hello, Shay.”
“Ace.”
Terri bounced over to him, wiggling all over. “Hi, Ace. You have an awesome dog.”
“You’ll have to be more specific.” He grinned. “I have quite a few.”
“Hugh.” She wiggled some more. “He’s fun.”
A frown pulled at Ace’s forehead. “How do you know Hugh?”
“I saw him out the window when you came by Aunt Ruth’s house the other day.”
Skepticism clouded his features, and I totally understood.
“I didn’t know anyone other than Shay was home,” he said.
“I was unpacking,” she told him.
I gave her a serious glare, but she ignored me.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Terri. You’re welcome to come by and see Hugh anytime.”
“Feel free to bring him to our house whenever you like. I know Trixie loves playing with him.”
“Thank you. Hugh definitely enjoyed playing with her.”
The two of them smiled at each other. Now that was a weird pair. I guess it made an odd sort of sense, the dog lover and the dog. I faked a cough to cover my laugh.
“I just realized I read one of your books a few months ago.”
I smiled at Stephie. “Good to know somebody has.”
“I loved the book, but I read it just before I met Jake.” She laughed softly as her face reddened. “I planned to read more of your work, but I got a bit distracted.”
I glanced toward her handsome husband. “I can see how that could happen. Who needs a book when you’ve got a real-life romance going on?”
Her eyes lit up as she smiled. “Me. I love Jake, but I need my romance novel fix. “Now that I remember how good that book was, I can’t wait to read more.”
“Thank you.” My face was hot. “I hope you like whichever you choose.”
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” a female voice said.
Stephie and I both looked toward the tiny, blonde woman who Ace had turned to meet with a hug.
“That’s Liza,” Stephie told me. “She’s an interesting person, and a great friend.”
I smiled, wondering what it would be like to have all these nice folks as friends. With the exception of Ace, of course.
A man wearing wire-framed glasses wrapped his arms around Liza and pulled her against him. “Hands off my wife, Ellison.”
Ace backed away, his hands up in mock surrender.
Liza smacked her husband on the arm. “Stop acting like a caveman, Steve.”
The caveman rolled his eyes and held out his hand. “Good to see you, Ace. How’s it going?”
“Same as usual. Most people around here are great, but the few who aren’t are a big pain in the ass.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
The two bumped fists, then jumped into a lively discussion of the Tennessee Volunteers versus the Georgia Bulldogs college football teams.
Liza groaned and turned away. That’s when she spotted Terri and me. “You must be Ruth Capps’s nieces. I’m Liza and that geeky caveman over there is my husband, Steve.”
“Shay,” I said, extending my hand. “From what I’ve seen, the other one’s pretty primitive too.”
She glanced over her shoulder before taking my hand. “Aren’t all men?”
“Sadly, I believe they might be.”
“Hi, I’m Terri.”
Liza took the offered hand. “Hi, Terri. Nice to meet you.”
“You and your husband own Z-Com Tech, right?”
“Yes we do. How in the world did you know that?”
“I did a lot of research for a book I wrote. Software tech is fascinating stuff.”
Terri and Liza bonded over tech talk until Lily announced the food was ready. I got myself a steak and salad, then took my plate and drink and sat them on the edge of a small table near the periphery. There was an available chair nearby, but I wanted to stand so I could mingle or move, whichever I needed.
“Hiding in the corner, huh?”
Stephie sat her food on the table near mine.
>
“My kind of party goer.”
I smiled. “Good to discover a kindred soul.”
“Supposedly, artistic types tend to be introverts, so I guess we fit the profile.”
I racked my brain for what I’d heard she did. “You’re a photographer, right?”
She nodded. “And I help Jake at the antique shop.”
“Doesn’t that involve working with people?”
She let out a big, heartfelt sigh. “Yes, it does, but I love our inventory. I also love helping Jake. Who is extroverted, of course. Along with both Madison and Liza, my two closest friends.”
I nodded my understanding. “Terri is too,” I told her. We both looked toward my cousin, who seemed to be having the time of her life right in the midst of the partygoers.
She grinned. “I guess we’ll have to hold down the introvert end of the group.”
“I guess we will.”
There was a friendly connection between us that I’d rarely felt, and even when I’d felt it, making and keeping friends had never been one of my top priorities. I was thinking this was my opportunity to make a new friend, when I heard footsteps coming our way.
“I wondered where you’d wandered off to.” Jake slipped an arm around Stephie.
“Really dude, you can’t stay away from her for more than an hour?”
Ace had come over too. It figured.
“We’re still newlyweds.” Jake gave Stephie a quick kiss.
Ace rolled his eyes. “If you say so.”
Jake chuckled. “One day you’ll fall under some woman’s spell and you’ll understand.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Ace said.
Jake smiled at me. “Rumor has it you work with Ace. I’m sorry.”
“I’ve only done one story with him.”
“Really? What happened, a cow get out of the fence over at McKinsey’s again?”
“I wish,” Ace said. “Sadly, it was a cat hoarder.”
Jake sighed. “Oh man, that had to be awful.”
“It was horrible,” I told him. “That poor woman just kept screaming not to take her babies. I hope she gets some help and support.”
Ace stared at me, and anger moved through his body. “Poor woman? What about those poor animals? She mistreated and killed almost a hundred cats, and they aren’t sure they’ve even found them all yet. She should go to jail for the rest of her life!”
Rage burned through me. “She’s sick. She needs help, not jail.”
“She’s sick all right.”
“Hey, it’s a party. Let’s all chill.” Jake had hold of Ace’s arm, and he jerked trying to free himself, but Jake held on. “Why don’t we go check on dessert?” Jake pulled, and surprisingly, Ace let him.
“You really have a way with women, Ellison.” I heard Jake say. There was what sounded like a growl, and I’m pretty sure it had come from Ace. Good grief! Please tell me he didn’t turn into an animal. One shapeshifter in my life was enough.
“Jake will calm him down,” Stephie said.
“I can’t believe he cares more about animals than people. Animals are great, but they aren’t us.” It was then that I remembered who I was complaining to. “I’m sorry. I have no business complaining to you about your friend.”
Stephie shrugged. “He comes across too strong sometimes. I think he does care about people, he just doesn’t want to admit it.”
I thought about that for a minute, but it seemed wrong somehow. “I don’t understand.”
Stephie smiled. “That’s because you’re such a nurturing person.”
My face went hot. “Not really.”
“Trust me, I know a nurturer when I see one. Give Ace some time. He’s not a bad sort.”
“If you say so.”
I glanced toward the man in question. Terri was inches from him, talking rapidly and wiggling in that restless way she had. Ace was smiling, obviously enjoying the company.
It figured that those two had connected, but then why wouldn’t they? I smiled in spite of myself. Doggie love connection. Those two were a perfect match.
Oddly, I felt a little stab of hurt.
Chapter 4
I arrived at the Ugly Creek Gazette the next morning feeling more than a little anxiety. I was thankful for the part-time reporting gig, it helped pay the bills. Still, seeing Ace again wasn’t something I looked forward to.
Voices greeted me as I opened the heavy door and walked into the newspaper office. Stephie was standing with Mr. Costa beside the long table. Hope rose in my chest.
“Hi there, Shay. Have you met Stephie Blackwood?”
“Yes, we met last night.”
“Good, then you can get right to work. There’s a program at Ugly Creek Elementary School in about an hour. They’re having a special assembly honoring one of the teachers—only she doesn’t know anything about it. You two lovely ladies head over there and get some good stuff for me.”
Stephie saluted. “Yes sir, we’ll get right on that, sir.”
Mr. Costa laughed. “I’m so glad you fell for that Blackwood kid. You definitely belong here in Ugly Creek.”
Stephie’s cheeks turned pink. “Thank you for accepting me.”
Mr. Costa smiled my way. “I predict you’ll be next to become a permanent part of our community.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. My aunt certainly loves living here.”
“Your aunt is something else,” he said. “That woman is full of surprises, but taking off on an around the world tour takes the cake.”
“What really surprised us was that my mom and Aunt Rebecca went with her. All three Capps sisters together and taking on the world.”
He chuckled as he shook his head. “If the other two are anything like Ruth, the world had better look out.”
“If you mean a little…shall we say different, then yes, the world doesn’t know what it’s in for.”
He touched my hand. “It’s great having you and your cousin living in Ruth’s house while she’s gone.”
“Thank you. It just seemed to be the best plan for everybody.”
“I hate to break this up, but we’ve got work to do,” Stephie said.
My face heated. “I’m sorry, let’s go.”
“My equipment is already in my car,” Stephie motioned toward a little red hatchback. “If you’re brave enough to ride with me.”
A couple of minutes later we were headed down the road.
“I figured Ace would be the photographer.” I smiled. “I gotta admit, I’m glad he isn’t. I wasn’t looking forward to working with him after yesterday.”
“You two do seem to rub each other the wrong way.”
“I guess.” I looked her way. “I don’t mean to irritate him.”
Stephie chuckled. “It’s easy to get him riled up over animals. That’s actually why he asked me to take work today, he’s doing a dog transport.”
“A what?”
“Moving dogs from one place to another. Apparently they use some sort of relay system. One person takes the dogs so far, then somebody else takes over.” She shrugged.
I considered that for a moment. “So you only work sometimes? I thought you split the photography work.”
“Um, sort of. I definitely want to stay in the game, but I spend a lot of time helping Jake at the antique store. Ace takes most of the assignments, and I take over if he needs me, or if I just want to get away from the store, or Jake, for a while.”
“Girl, if I was married to the likes of Jake Blackwood, I don’t think I’d ever want to take time away.”
She laughed. “He’s a keeper, but even the best of men can get on a woman’s nerves sometimes.”
I nodded, “Throw any two people together for a while, and they’ll get on each other’s nerves.”
She glanced at me with narrowed eyes.
“Like your cousin and you?”
“Exactly.” And my mom and me, but I didn’t want to talk about that. “Aunt Ruth talks a lot about Blackwood Antiques.
She loves that place.”
“She seems like a very nice person.”
I chuckled. “Nice and eccentric.”
“I like eccentric.” She pulled the car into a parking spot in the front of Ugly Creek Elementary School. “Ready to work?”
“Let’s go.” I got out and waited while she gathered her cameras. Then we headed inside. This day was certainly turning out better than the last assignment. Honoring a teacher, plus having a nice photographer with me was pretty much a dream assignment.
I tried to ignore an apparently masochistic part of me that missed Ace. I’d have my head examined later. Good grief, between Terri and Ace, some poor therapist was probably gonna get rich. With my money.
I shoved all that aside and got back to playing reporter.
****
The award ceremony with following party was fun, and the teacher seemed to be a really nice, deserving woman. I was still in a good mood when I arrived home. Then I pulled into the driveway and my wonderful day was over.
There they were, both of them, the causes of my upcoming nervous breakdown. Only one was human at the moment, so I spoke to the guy holding the leashes. “Ace? What are you doing here?”
He stomped toward me.
“I brought your dog back. She was at my house. Somehow she managed to get inside my fence and was playing with Hugh.”
I glared hard at Trixie, who whimpered softly as she put her head down.
“Don’t blame the dog.” Ace’s voice was rough with anger. “Somebody left her outside alone.”
“There’s a doggy door—”
“Which should be locked if nobody is home, especially since the fence isn’t sufficient to keep her in the yard.”
Anger heated my face; this wasn’t my fault. “She’s Terri’s dog.”
“Is Terri home?”
I gave the collie another glare before shaking my head. “Apparently not.”
The anger in his voice had only increased. “A pet’s a commitment. Somebody has to be responsible for them twenty-four-seven.”
I met his gaze and held it. “Which is why I don’t have one.”
“Maybe you should remind your cousin of her responsibility.”
“Trust me, I will.”
He handed me the rope around Trixie’s neck. It was tempting to leave it on her for a while, but I slipped it off and handed it back to Ace. “Thank you for bringing her home.”
Doggone Ugly Creek Page 3