The Luck of the Paw (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 9)

by Susan C. Daffron

  A crash came from the other room and Mia started to stand up, but clunked the top of her head on the sink. “Ow!”

  The Venetian blinds from the motel window were sprawled across the floor next to Gizmo, who seemed extremely eager to go outside, dancing around near the doorway. Mia grabbed his collar. “Gizmo! Hold on. Sit!”

  The dog sat for half a second, then resumed his anxious cha-cha around the door.

  She turned, grabbed her jeans from the chair, and yanked them on. “Hold on. I’m working on it.”

  Finally, she had pants on herself and the leash on Gizmo. She grabbed the room key and hurried outside into the darkness. Gizmo yanked her toward the closest patch of grass, and as soon as his paw touched green, he assumed the position. Mia made a face. That was one bad smell and she didn’t have a baggie this time. At least it was dark. Maybe no one would notice that gargantuan pile on the lawn. She mentally apologized to her fellow travelers and vowed to return with a baggie in the morning, once the sun was up.

  Having completed his mission, Gizmo turned around and trotted happily back to Mia. She stroked his head. “I guess you feel better now, huh?”

  They returned to the room and Mia locked the door behind them. She attached Gizmo’s leash to a chair near the bathroom, so she could keep an eye on him while she cleaned up the rest of the toilet-paper disaster.

  After she was done, she attached Gizmo’s leash to the nightstand and crawled back into bed. She pointed her finger at him, “You lie down right there and go to sleep.”

  Looking momentarily distressed at the firm tone, the dog spun around and curled himself into a ball with his nose behind his tail.

  Mia squeezed her eyes shut, trying to take herself back to that sensation of happiness and peace she’d felt walking along the sidewalk next to the beach earlier. Life on the road might require a few more adjustments than she expected.

  Over the next week, Mia logged many miles as she worked her way up the California coastline, stopping at various Motel 6s along the way. She acquired an x-pen, which helped keep Gizmo in one place, although he did manage to sneak a pillow off the bed and chew it up one night. The next morning when they checked out, the manager had not been amused, and Mia sheepishly paid for the damage and moved on.

  Although she saw many wonderful sights, she learned that driving every day and figuring out how to get food when you have a dog became exhausting over time. Drive-through fast food was starting to bring her down, and she could order delivery pizza only so many times before she was completely sick of it.

  At the Monterey Motel 6, she was lying on the bed eating chips and watching the TV news. A freak October storm had dumped more than a foot of snow in the mountains near Lake Tahoe. Mia sat up and handed Gizmo a chip. If she wanted to see Alpine Grove, it would probably be a good idea to get there before the snow arrived. She had no experience with winter driving, so she thought it would be best to see the place while it was still fall. Once she’d satisfied her curiosity about the postcards that were addressed to her father, she could head back south and maybe travel east. If she went far enough, she could go see Disney World. Why not?

  She handed Gizmo another chip. “What do you think? Wanna see a big lake next?”

  Gizmo wagged his tail and Mia smiled. Even though he had a bit of an eating disorder, Gizmo was an easygoing travel companion.

  A few days later, Mia wound the trusty little RAV up the mountain road toward Alpine Grove. After due consideration, she’d decided to name her little green steed Flicka, since they were likely to have many adventures together, just like the horse and the boy in the book.

  As the road ascended in elevation, she turned off the air conditioning and opened a rear window so Gizmo could enjoy the fresh, pine-scented air. The dog snorted and snorfled happily as some particularly good scents hit his nostrils. Mia giggled. All those breezes probably led to doggie information overload.

  She slowed as she entered the main street of the small town. It was lined with brick buildings that had cute little shops, restaurants, and real estate offices. Several couples were walking on the sidewalk and groups of people stood chatting companionably in the sunshine. An ice cream cart with a festive umbrella had a sign proclaiming it was the last day of the season for ice cream. Mia parallel-parked next to it and purchased an ice cream cone. She got back into the car, broke off a piece of the cone for Gizmo, and handed it to him. Bending to look at the map spread out on the passenger seat next to her, she determined that the lake was south of town. Maybe she’d missed the turn. With so much open space around here, she might be able to find a spot where she could take a longer walk with Gizmo. After so much road time, the poor guy could probably use some exercise.

  She drove north out of town and turned around at a motel and RV park called the Enchanted Moose. The sign proudly proclaimed that it had no vacancies. Oh well, that place was out. She drove back through town and made her way toward the lake.

  There weren’t many roads signs and no indication of where the lake was located. Mia turned left on one of the unlabeled roads. She’d been driving for a while and the lake was gigantic, so it had to be somewhere close. The road wound through fields edged by forest, and a few houses started appearing. As the houses got more expensive-looking, Mia figured she must be on the right track.

  The road curved around another bend and then opened up to a jaw-dropping lake vista. Continuing to meander high above the brilliant blue lake, the road hugged a hillside that dropped down to the shoreline far below.

  The car thumped as the pavement ended and the road transitioned to gravel. Mia slowed the car, driving carefully and taking brief glances at the phenomenal view. The houses along the road had been built into the hillside, seeming to cling to it. Many had huge panoramic windows, so from inside it must seem like you were flying over the lake. Wow. Talk about the high-rent district. This place was about as far from a derelict trailer in Windiberg as you could get. Apparently, this was how the other half lived.

  Mia turned her attention back to Flicka. Something felt funny with the car. The ride felt odd and there was an extra thumping noise. Did her brand-new car already have a flat tire? She slowed down and steered the car past a driveway to an empty spot along the road that didn’t seem to be part of someone’s front lawn. Pulling over, she stopped the car and looked out at the lake. It would be only a matter of time before someone built a house on this lot. What a view. She turned to look at Gizmo. “Just a sec, Giz. I need to check on something.”

  Mia got out and walked around the car. Sure enough, the left rear tire was flat. She crouched down to look at it more closely. The silver head of a screw was visible and presumably the rest was embedded in the tire. When had that happened? Fortunately, the RAV had a full-size tire hanging on the back door, but she was going to have to move a lot of stuff around to find the jack. Ugh.

  She opened a rear door to access the backseat. “Okay Gizmo, we have a problem. You need to get out. Let’s go for a little walk, and then I’ll deal with the tire.” Gizmo hopped out daintily and sniffed the ground. “Sorry. For once, we’re in a place with no garbage for you to eat.”

  Gizmo went about his business while Mia gazed out at the lake. A sharp bark came from the hillside below them and she looked down. A small pudgy white poodle mix ran up, making a wide range of yapping noises as it ran, until it spotted Gizmo. With wide eyes, Gizmo looked up at Mia in confusion, and then wagged his tail at the stocky little dog. The smaller dog play-bowed and wagged her stubby tail at Gizmo, who sniffed politely.

  Mia crouched down and held out her hand. “Hey, little dog. Where did you come from?”

  The dog gave up on its burst of ferocity and rolled over on its back for a tummy rub. Mia smiled. “Wow, you’re a real killer, aren’t you, little girl?”

  From below a male voice shouted, “Lulu, where are you? This isn’t funny! Come back here.”

  Mia, Gizmo, and the dog that presumably was named Lulu, turned to look toward the voice.
A man scrabbled up the hill and grunted as he crawled up over the edge on his hands and knees. He sat back on his heels and looked at Lulu. “Come here, baby. You scared me!”

  The little white dog ran over to him and he clipped a leash onto the dog’s collar.

  Mia held up her hand in greeting. “I guess Lulu is your log?”

  Pushing his brown hair back from his forehead, he stood up. “Log? Wait, what did you say?” He readjusted his wire-framed glasses. The thick lenses emphasized his brown eyes, which were so large and round, they were almost cartoonish.

  Mia tried to force herself to stop thinking about all the bug-eyed characters on The Simpsons, so she wouldn’t blurt out something completely inappropriate and bizarre. At least the guy didn’t have mustard-colored skin anyway.

  She watched as he stood up and pointed at the poodle. “Lulu is yours?”

  “Yes. Thank you for keeping an eye on her. I didn’t think she’d run up the hillside like that. Normally, she’s a lazy slug.”

  Mia smiled weakly, “But she’s adorable. All round, curly, and mute…I mean cute.”

  He held out his hand. “My name is Chris, by the way.”

  “I’m Mia.” His hand was soft and his clothes were brand-new and expensive, if the little logo on his polo shirt was any indication. Climbing up cliffs was probably not generally part of this guy’s normal daily routine. She gestured toward her own wagging dog. “This is Gizmo. I hope we’re not trespassing, but my tire…it’s flaccid.”

  He raised his eyebrows as he glanced at the RAV4. “I’ve never heard that word used to describe a tire before.”

  Mia put her hand to her cheek, which was now extremely warm. Her face was undoubtedly a fantastic shade of red. Why did she bother trying to talk to anyone? She was such a lost cause. “I uh, um, yes, the tire is flat.”

  “Do you need help?”

  “I can change the tire, but if you could hold my dog’s leash for a second, that would be great. I need to unload stuff to find the crack…I mean jack.” She gestured toward Gizmo. “He’s not familiar with the area and I don’t want him to get lost. The car is new and I’m not sure where the jack is stored. I need to look at the manual.”

  Chris took the leash from her with a smile. “So what brings you to Alpine Grove?”

  Mia walked toward the RAV, opened the rear door, and began rummaging through the compartments in the back. She didn’t really want to get into the whole story about the lottery tickets and postcards with someone she didn’t know. “I saw pictures and it looked pretty here.”

  “It is! I’ve visited a number of times and I love it. This summer has been beautiful and now all the leaves are turning. Lulu and I have done some hiking. There’s a trail along the lake that’s easy and flat.”

  “I guess she’s not a big walker.” Mia walked around to the passenger side of the car, opened the door, and began moving things around so she could get into the glove compartment and find the manual.

  “Lulu is getting older and she isn’t a big fan of exercise. That’s why I couldn’t believe it when she hauled her little body all the way up that steep hill. I assumed I’d have to carry her up.”

  Mia rummaged around and finally extracted the RAV manual. It was time for Flicka to reveal where her jack was located. Holding up the booklet and flapping it toward the road, she added, “You probably have stuff to do. I’m fine. You don’t have to stay.”

  “I’m not going to just leave you here.” He readjusted the leashes in his hand. “The least I can do is hold your dog. Where do you live?”

  Mia looked up from the manual. She’d found the tire iron in a bag located in one of the compartments in the rear of the vehicle, but the jack was under the front passenger seat. Setting the book aside, she stood up and kneeled next to Flicka. “I’m in the process of moving.”

  “I guess that explains the packed Toyota.”

  “Yes, it does.” Mia rummaged under the seat and touched cold metal. What an odd place to put it. She held up the scissor jack. “Found it!”

  He smiled. “So where were you coming from?”

  “Well, Windiberg originally, but we’ve been traveling for a little while now.”

  “Really? Windiberg? I went to high school there.”

  Mia grabbed the instruction manual from the passenger seat and walked toward the back of the car. “Me too.”

  “When did you graduate?”

  “1984.”

  Chris moved nearer to her. “Me too. I guess that means we went to school together.”

  Mia stopped to look at him more closely. “What’s your last name?”

  “Blanchard. What’s yours?”

  “Riggins. I sort of remember you, I think. But you look really deficient…I mean different.”

  “I don’t remember anyone named Mia.”

  “Well, it’s short for Amelia. And back then, I called myself Amanita for a while.”

  “Really? The poisonous mushroom girl? That was you?”

  Mia crouched down to look for the spot where the jack was supposed to go under the car. She’d driven hundreds of miles to get away from Windiberg and managed to find probably the only person in teeny-tiny Alpine Grove who went to school with her. What were the odds? Probably about the same as winning the lottery. Hmm.

  She looked up at Chris and pointed at the underside of the car. “Do you think that looks like the picture in the manual?”

  He crouched down next to her. “Yeah, see that indentation in the metal? That’s the lift point where you’re supposed to put the jack.”

  “It works for me.” Mia grabbed the tire iron and began loosening the lug nuts on the tire. She stood up, put her foot on the iron, and held onto the roof of the car. Finally, the nut gave way. “Why do they always put these on so tight?”

  Chris shook his head. “You were that girl who always wore black. And your hair was different. It was black, stiff, and spiky. Kind of like Elvira.”

  “Wearing black doesn’t automatically mean you look like Elvira.” Mia did not want to talk about high school. She moved the tire iron to the next lug nut. “Your glasses are different now too, you know.” She didn’t want to mention the fact that those hideous huge black frames had been almost as horrifying as her Elvira motif. At least Chris had filled out, so he didn’t resemble a turkey vulture anymore.

  “I think I was in your biology class.”

  Mia cringed mentally. Of course he was. Naturally, she was doomed to meet someone who had witnessed one of her most humiliating moments. “I don’t remember.”

  “I was sorry to hear about your mother and that man. I guess he was your stepfather?”

  “That was a long time ago.” She was definitely not getting into that topic with this guy.

  “I was in college and my mother sent me the big newspaper article after the investigation was complete.”

  “Could you pass me the handle for the jack?”

  Chris bent down and handed her the metal rod. “Mom said you were in my class, but I couldn’t remember who you were.”

  “That’s not a surprise, since I’m sure they didn’t refer to me as Elvira in the article.” Mia hooked the jack handle into the scissor jack and began cranking the handle, probably more forcefully than she needed to. Spinning it was more tiring once the jack made contact with the car. She continued slowly turning the handle until the flat was far enough off the ground so she could pull off the tire and replace it with the spare.

  Chris said, “I can take the tire off the car if you want. You must be tired.”

  “It’s fine.” Mia yanked the wheel off the car and dropped it on the ground with a thud. “I’ve done this a lot on another can…car.”

  “You had to change tires?”

  “Retreads are cheap, but they don’t last.” Mia walked to the back of the RAV and removed the plastic tire housing.

  “Retreads? I didn’t know you could still get those.”

  “There was a place in that old industrial park on the w
est side that sold them.” Mia removed the cover and rolled the spare tire over to the side of the car.

  “I haven’t been back to Windiberg in a long time. My parents moved after my sister left for college.”

  “It’s the same.” Mia hoisted the tire onto the car and stood up. “I’m never going back.”

  “You sound pretty sure about that, but you never know. Maybe you’ll get homesick.”

  “Not going to happen.” She crouched down and began hand tightening the lug nuts. “I’ve left there for good.”

  Chris picked up Lulu and stroked her head. “Where are you moving to?”

  “Could you hand me the tire iron?”

  He put Lulu back down and gave Mia the tire iron. “Are you moving for a job?”

  Mia stopped turning and glanced at him. If Chris knew about her mother, maybe he knew about the lottery too. If he asked her for money, she was going to scream. Why couldn’t people just leave her alone? “You sure ask a lot of questions.”

  “I’m just making conversation while I’m holding your dog, since you seem sort of upset. Are you okay?”

  Gizmo made a hacking noise and yakked up a piece of pine cone. Mia glared at Chris. “Could you make sure he doesn’t get at anything else? Gizmo tends to eat…everything. He’s not very picky.”

  “Eww.” Chris pulled Lulu away from the well-masticated pieces of cone. “Let’s move over here, you guys.”

  Mia tightened down the last nut and turned the jack handle to lower the car to the ground. She put the tire iron and handle back into the little tool bag and stood up. “I think I’m done. Thanks for holding Gizmo.”

  “Where are you staying?”

  “I’m not sure. The only place I saw near town was full.”

  He nodded. “Yes, that’s the Enchanted Moose and there’s some big convention or something tonight. Plus, half of it is under construction. Lulu and I are staying there because they take pets. I don’t think anywhere else does though.”

  “That figures.” Mia jammed the little tool bag back into the side compartment in the rear of the RAV and lifted the boxes back into place.