Third Time's the Charm

by Liz Talley

  “I’m so upset at myself,” Rosemary said, shaking her head and entering the ice cream shop.

  The committee to create the nonprofit animal rescue sat gathered around two pulled-together tables in the back of the eatery. Grace had an agenda in front of her, and the rest had various folders. Sunny’s stack was color coded, and she had three pens lined up to the side.

  “Good evening, everyone,” Rosemary said, actually sliding an apologetic look toward Sunny. Sunny narrowed her eyes and looked puzzled but said nothing.

  Henry took a seat next to Ed Hermann, leaving the empty chair next to Sunny for Rosemary. Sunny noted his action and looked down at her open folder.

  “I’m going to call this meeting to order,” Grace said, smiling at those gathered.

  Sassy moved silently around them, filling cups with fragrant coffee.

  “First, I feel like finally we’re making things happen. I’m so appreciative to each of you for caring enough to be here, so let’s get started,” Grace said before covering her report about the meeting with the director of animal control.

  “I thought we could announce the rescue name at the block party dance on Friday night. We can go ahead and reveal our official logo at that point too. You know, with the name,” Peggy said, looking at Sunny.

  “Has everyone seen the new logo?” Sunny asked, shuffling through her papers. She withdrew a single sheet. On it was a rendering of a dog that looked like the pup they’d nearly run over two weeks ago. Beneath the dog’s head, a ginger cat peeked out. The bright greenish-blue background was a nice contrast to the colors of the dog along with the red bandana tied around its neck. “I have a friend who does this sort of work. I sent him a photo of Fancy, the homeless dog I’m trying to place, and I asked him to add a little kitten that looks like Peggy’s Han Solo.”

  Peggy glowed.

  Everyone oohed and aahed over the logo, which was very deserving of the praise. As usual, Sunny had knocked it out of the park.

  “That’s perfect, Sunny,” Grace said.

  Thirty minutes later, they pushed back their chairs, satisfied that things were progressing better than expected. Grace gathered up her papers, looking incredibly happy. Henry liked that so many of these people were passionate about helping animals. He’d never given much thought to what happened to stray animals before. His kids had clamored for a puppy, but he’d been able to put that off. Maybe he could adopt a dog once he completed the house.

  Grace paused before standing. “Oh, Sunny. Do we need to pay your graphic artist friend?”

  “Nope. He owed me a favor, so there’s no charge for the logo design,” Sunny said as everyone cleaned up their spaces, leaving generous tips to cover the cost of the coffee. Henry refused to allow the jealousy flooding him to continue. Sunny had a past he didn’t know about. Guys who owed her favors. Guys she might have looked at with eyes void of hate. Wasn’t his business.

  Sunny touched his sleeve. “Hey, Henry. Wanted to let you know Deeter called about my bike. I’m picking it up tomorrow. I called the dealership and they said to bring the car back and they’d drop me at the garage. Is that okay?”

  “Of course. I’m taking care of the bill.” He pushed his chair in, noting a few of the committee casting curious glances at them. “Oh, and what about your mama’s van? Any word?”

  “Yeah, they’re delivering it to us on Friday. I don’t know what you said to them, but thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome. They should be ashamed at taking so long to fix a van that someone like your mother needs.”

  “Well, it’s being fixed now,” she said with a small smile. “How’s your daughter?”

  “She’s fine. She had surgery to correct a lazy eye. Wasn’t too noticeable, but it was worsening faster than they liked. You know kids—they heal so fast.” It struck him at the moment that she didn’t know kids. She’d had five miscarriages. He was an insensitive ass.

  “They do. I’m glad she’s okay.”

  “Yeah, we spent several days listening to audiobooks and playing Barbie dolls. She’s back in school already.”

  “That’s good.” Sunny picked up her things and slid them into the bag she carried.

  It was an old canvas bag, army green. He was almost certain it had belonged to her husband. He had the sudden inclination to buy her another one. Something pretty—leather and perfect for her. But he wouldn’t. She had every right to carry her dead husband’s bag. Every right to want to keep a connection with the man she’d been married to for many years.

  “Guess I’ll be seeing you. I’ll send you the logo to use on the tax ID forms for the businesses. You did a great job at getting sponsors,” Sunny said.

  “He only twisted my arm a little bit,” Sassy said from behind them.

  They turned to find the owner of the Lazy Frog wiping down tables. The ice cream shop normally closed at six, but Sassy had stayed open late just for them. That was a thing about small towns that he loved. Couldn’t get that in a big city. Or California.

  Okay, yeah, they probably did things like that in California, but not with Sassy’s panache.

  Sunny smiled at Sassy. “I better run. Gotta take Fancy Pants for a walk.”

  “Be careful,” Henry called as she pressed open the glass door.

  Sunny turned. “It’s my neighborhood. No one messes with a Voorhees there. Just rich boys like you.” She winked at Sassy and disappeared into the darkness, her hair whipping around as the wind caught it.

  “Well, at least she’s smiling more these days,” Sassy said when the door closed. “You responsible for that?”

  “I don’t think so,” Henry said, picking up the bin of dirty dishes sitting atop the trash can and taking it to the back for Sassy. “I’m pretty sure she’s in survival mode. Taking care of Betty, working a day job, remodeling a house, and helping start this rescue is a lot to take on.”

  “But it’s keeping her busy, letting her heal a little. Losing a husband ain’t no easy thing.”

  Henry set the bin down. “I guess not.”

  “But I think she seems a bit lighter than before. Having a purpose does that for a person. She may not care for dealing with her mother. Betty’s a desert and ain’t nobody poured water on her in a while. But like a desert, she still has potential. Sunny might be the absolute right person to help Betty see that and, in the process, find a bit of rain for herself.”

  Henry wasn’t exactly sure what Sassy was talking about, but he thought he grasped it. Both Sunny and Betty had gone a long time without much good in their lives. Sometimes a person couldn’t wait for the good to come. She had to find the good around her. Maybe it was a glass-half-full philosophy or, as Sassy said, just having purpose. Sometimes having someone rely on you was enough to get you to put your feet on the floor every morning. “That dog is a lot like Sunny. Someone tossed it away, and its life has been hard. I think Sunny sees herself in Fancy. I’m sure a psychiatrist would have a field day with all this, but I’m not smart enough to fully understand.”

  Sassy lifted a shoulder. “You’re plenty smart enough. I don’t know all of what happened between you two back then. I mean, I know you knocked a girl up and tried to do right by her. Jillian’s not a bad sort, but I got eyes in my head.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I know you’re still carrying a flame for the one that got away. The timing might have been the thing that was wrong. The feelings weren’t.”

  “I care about Sunny, of course. I want the best for her. But timing or not, Sunny and I will never have what we once had.”

  “Of course not. You were kids. You can’t go back to that, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find something worth saving. Sunny needs time. Just give her a little time.”

  “You know, you’re a nosy old woman.”

  Sassy laughed. “Well, I don’t have much to do anymore. My kids have grown up and gone off. My husband is content working in his garden and playing cards once a week. Life is boring at the Grigsby plac
e. So I sit up here and watch the world go by. I put a well-placed word in when I need to because we all got talents, and mine is seeing what is right before me.”

  “That’s your talent? Telling people what they should be doing?”

  “We all have one,” Sassy said with a choking laugh, dumping the dishes into soapy water.

  “And you think I should be… Wait, what do you think?” Henry found some amusement in the thought Sassy felt she was the great counselor of the lovelorn. Or just screwed-up people.

  “Give Sunshine some time. Her world is very gray. But clouds don’t stay forever.”

  “I’m not interested in Sunny David.”

  “And I’m the Queen of Sheba,” Sassy said, shooing him out. “Go on and get home. Give some thought to what I’m saying.”

  Henry shook his head. “I don’t have to. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  “I got a good nose, Henry Todd.” Sassy tapped her nose, her dark eyes sparkling. “Like I said, time has a way of taking care of these things. You’ll see everything clear pretty soon. And then you can come back and tell me what you know. Things are at work. I feel them.”

  Henry had no clue what Sassy was talking about, but he wasn’t going to wade any further into Sassy’s deep pool. “Thank you for staying open and letting us meet here.”

  Sassy turned a knowing grin on him. “Okay then. I see. And you’re welcome. Like I told Grace and Sunny, we need something like this. The Humane Society used to do some good around here, but when Eppie died, it did too. The good Lord told us to tend the land and its beasts. We don’t do too good a job of that. Happy to help.”

  Henry gave her a wave, pulled on the jacket he’d left on the back of his chair, and pushed out into the night. The wind had died down some, but the old oaks in the square swished and the newly emerged daffodils bobbed their heads, the blooms almost neon against the darkness. The town had rolled up for the day, and only a few cars sat around the square. Bright lights spilled from Sal’s New York Pizzeria, and Henry could see technicians still working in the nail salon, but otherwise the small town was still.

  He stood for a moment and soaked it in. He rarely thought about this town and what it meant to him. His family had been here for generations, and when he’d lived in Jackson, he’d missed the comfort it gave him. Morning Glory wasn’t for everyone, but it was for him.

  A movement near the center of the square caught his eye, but before he could investigate, Sal stuck his head out of the restaurant. “Come grab a beer. It’s on the house.”

  Henry caught the scent of fresh-baked crust and spicy marinara. “That I can do.” He gave another glance at the square and at the redhead sitting on the bench near the fountain before walking toward the open door.

  Mother Nature decided to be kind to the residents of Morning Glory on Easter weekend. The sun broke through the clouds, painting the morning with soft streaks, and a gentle breeze ruffled the tender green leaves arching over the town square. The committee to raise money for a new animal rescue couldn’t have asked for a better day for the first annual Sunshine Fun Run.

  For the past few weeks, Sunny had worked like the dog she was trying to find a home for to get the 5K race and the nonprofit up and running. As she pinned numbers on the runners, she felt satisfaction creep inside her. It was going to work. Everything had come together.

  “Do we have any more safety pins?” Peggy Lattier asked, rooting around the box Sunny had set beneath the registration table.

  “In the mint tin.” Sunny handed race bags to the cluster of runners gathered around the table. She gave them a smile. “We’re a new group, and we’ll have permanent facilities soon. Until then, we’re committed to finding fosters for the hundreds of animals in Rankin County shelters. We appreciate y’all helping us.”

  “We’re always up for a race,” one of the men said.

  “And we love puppies,” the woman with him said, pulling out her phone. “Here are our pugs, Suzy and Bud.”

  Sunny glanced at the two fat rascals in the photos. “Cute.”

  “They’re so spoiled. We rescued Bud from a shelter in Tennessee. Isn’t he adorable?”

  “He is,” Sunny said as the group wandered off to stretch or whatever runners did before a race. Sunny wasn’t sure because she avoided most forms of exercise. She’d done a little Jazzercise a few years ago and one hot yoga class. One.

  “Hey, how are things going?” Henry asked, appearing at her elbow. He smelled like Irish Spring soap and cheerfulness. Damn him.

  Katie Clare rounded the table, took two peppermints from the bowl sitting on the table, and grinned at Sunny.

  “Good. We have surpassed breaking even, and people are still signing up. Paired with the sponsors, we’re looking at a couple of thousand dollars to put toward buying a place to house the rescue.” Sunny smiled at Katie Clare. “You going to do some running, Miss Delmar?”

  “Yep,” Katie Clare said, pirouetting. “See my new running outfit? Daddy bought it for me at Target. It’s got a unicorn on it. They aren’t real, you know.”

  “Of course they aren’t, but they’re sparkling fun even if they’re pretend.” Sunny nodded at the glittery unicorn. IMAGINE THE FINISH LINE in fancy script accompanied the mythical beast.

  “And look at my shoes,” Katie Clare said, rounding the table and sticking out her leg. Pink shoes with more sparkles.

  “Very nice.”

  “She likes pink. And glitter,” Henry said, a wry smile twitching his lips.

  “So I see.” Sunny added a little laugh.

  For the past three weeks, she and Henry had shelved the hurt and anger and instead focused on the work they were doing to get the rescue off the ground. And things had been fine.

  She’d spent her days working at the high school, quickly learning the ropes. She’d cleaned out folders, reorganized the desk, streamlined the ID-making process, and learned the names of the entire office and janitorial staff. Meeting old teachers in the hallway had led to coffee in her office, and she found she enjoyed being part of the community of her former high school. She’d even gone to a basketball game last week and watched Woozy score twelve points. He’d thanked her by shouting, “Red” and then jogging over to give her a fist bump. For a few seconds, she’d felt like she belonged somewhere.

  The evenings were spent taking Fancy for a walk, painting the wainscoting in the living room, or working on the brochure she’d designed for the rescue. Last night at the street dance, they’d unveiled the new name of the rescue—Sunshine Animal Rescue. The slogan was “No more rain in their lives.” It wasn’t something she would have chosen since it was her name, but of the ten suggestions turned in to the group, it was the one that had won the Facebook poll. It wasn’t the worst of the bunch, and adding a sun behind the dog and cat on the logo actually looked better.

  “Guess we’re just checking in,” Henry said, motioning his son over. “Landry, come say hello to Sunny and Mrs. Lattier.”

  The teenaged boy looked horrified his father had even talked to him, much less forced him to speak. “Hey.”

  “Hi, Landry,” Sunny said, noting he looked a great deal like his father at that age. Of course, Henry had not only been athletic, good-looking, and well-spoken, he’d been able to charm the socks off any female within a two-mile radius. Or for that matter, any other article of clothing. Landry, however, seemed to suffer from a huge case of shyness. “Been knocking off any Harleys lately?”

  Landry actually paled. “Uh, no. I mean, I haven’t…”

  “I’m kidding. My bike is all fixed. Just like new again.”

  Immediate relief flooded the kid’s face. “Good. I’m so sorry about that. I guess I’m still learning how to back up.”

  “It’s not easy to learn to drive. You should have seen me trying to maneuver that motorcycle. It’s like wrestling an elephant,” she said, trying to engage the kid. She shouldn’t have joked about the accident. Landry was a serious guy.

  “I could do
it,” Katie Clare declared, tugging on the end of her braid and lifting her little chin up cockily. “I learned how to ride my bike in a week. I’m good at lots of stuff.”

  Sunny laughed. That girl did not suffer from shyness or lack of confidence. “I bet you are.”

  “You couldn’t ride a motorcycle, idiot,” Landry said, shaking his head.

  “Oooh, Landry called me an ugly name, Daddy. He can’t do that. You told him he couldn’t.”

  “Lan,” Henry called, giving him the side-eye, his voice holding warning. “What did I tell you?”

  “Sorry, KC,” Landry said. “I meant to call you dum-dum.” The kid grinned, tugging his sister’s braid and dodging her when she tried to swat at him. His smile was so much like his father’s that Sunny’s heart clenched.

  “Daaaaddy,” Katie Clare whined as only an eight-year-old could do.

  “He’s teasing you. And he said he was sorry. Don’t take everything to heart, Katie bug. Your brother likes to irritate you. So do us all a favor and ignore him.”

  “Okay, I’m going to see those dogs,” she said, pointing to the kennels holding a few of the rescues they’d tagged.

  Three dogs, not including Fancy, had approved fosters. Grace had put together a checklist for fostering and was sitting with the animals, trying to stir up interest in potential fosters and adopters. Sunny had put Fancy in one of the kennels, but the thought of someone wanting to adopt her made her stomach hurt. Which was not the reaction she wanted to have. Fancy deserved a good home. She deserved kids who would play with her, a bed in front of a fireplace, and most importantly, she deserved to not be yelled at by a demon in a wheelchair.

  Though Sunny had caught her mother loving on the pup when Betty thought no one was looking. Her mother talked a big game about the smelly mutt who probably had diseases, but she was quick to pull Fancy to her when she could. Sunny knew that if someone wanted to adopt the rescue, her mother would miss the dog. Well, at least a little bit.

  And Sunny could admit that she would miss the pup too. Having Fancy’s warm little body next to hers when she slept each night provided a comfort she couldn’t name. Maybe it just felt good to have something with a heartbeat next to her in bed.