Daydream Retriever (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 10)

by Susan C. Daffron

  Harley looked unusually thoughtful and Lisa smiled. “Is this some secret I don’t know about?”

  “Just a little male bonding over blood, gore, and snow.”

  “How are you feeling today?”

  “All right, I guess. They cut back my drugs, so now I hurt and am noticing even more how unbelievably bored I am.”

  “You have physical therapy, right?”

  “Twice a day. Then there are meals. But there’s a lot of time in between when it’s me, myself, and I doing a lot of nothing and having way too much time to think. So I’m trying to focus on my breathing instead.”

  “You must be bored. Unless you’re dead, breathing happens pretty much automatically. Don’t they have anything for you to read or anything?”

  “I meant meditation. They say there’s a little library down the hall, but I’m not particularly mobile yet. The drugs make it hard to concentrate, so I return to the breath.”

  “You meditate? Are you a monk?” He did have a lovely, low, slightly gravely voice.

  “Not even close.”

  “What do you do? Other than ski.”

  “You mean ski badly?”

  Lisa laughed. “I didn’t say it, you did!”

  “But you thought it.” He stopped petting Harley and pointed at her. “You know you did.”

  “I told you my accident wasn’t terribly different, so apparently we both are terrible skiers.”

  “Not according to the ski-patrol guy. That reminds me. How was the big date?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. You dodged my question. What do you do?”

  “I’m retired.”

  Lisa gave him an appraising gaze. He couldn’t possibly be even close to sixty-five. “You look awfully young to be retired. What did you do before you retired? Make millions in the stock market? Sell some big company?”

  “Nope. I took early retirement from the police force. I was a cop.”

  Lisa looked down at Harley. Interesting. That explained the solving crimes comment and his controlled, calm, almost stern presence. Even lying in a bed, he exhibited a quiet strength that was a little unnerving, but was probably invaluable during a crisis. “What kind of police work did you do?”

  “Narcotics mostly. The K9 partner I had was the most amazing drug dog I’ve ever seen. I got really lucky with him.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Lakota, which means ‘friend’ or ‘ally.’ And he was.”

  “I’m sure. Is Lakota retired too?”

  “Yes, he lived with my old partner, Tom.”

  “So he’s gone?”

  “Yes, but Lakota had a great retirement. Tom’s family loved that dog to pieces.”

  “I see why you like Harley so much.” Lisa smiled. “Once a dog person, always a dog person, right?”

  “This guy just needs a little training, that’s all.” Pete stroked the dog’s head. “Check it out. See what a good boy he’s being?”

  “Harley is available for adoption. I could put in a good word for you.”

  Pete shook his head as he ruffled Harley’s ears. “No, I can’t handle having another dog.”

  Given the tone of his voice and the heartbroken look in his eyes, Lisa wasn’t about to argue. “Okay, but the offer stands if you change your mind.”

  Bringing up his canine partner seemed to dampen Pete’s mood, but he was still obviously enjoying petting Harley. After a slightly awkward lull in the conversation, Lisa said, “I need to go show some old jewelry to my aunt Betty. Would it be okay if I left Harley here with you for a few minutes?”

  Pete’s expression brightened. “Sure. We’ll hang out.”

  “Thanks. If it’s like yesterday, she won’t remember who I am or what she wants, so I should only be a few minutes.”

  “Take as long as you need.”

  Lisa encouraged Harley to stay out of trouble and left the room. The hallway, like the rest of the facility, was generic, with pastel-colored carpet and walls. Everything was clean and new, and yet still institutional. Various scary-looking pieces of stainless steel equipment were scattered along the walkway in stark contrast to the artwork on the walls, which featured peaceful meadows and colorful flowers. She pushed the chrome handle on one of the double doors to enter the section of the building where Betty was located.

  Once again, Lisa heard Betty before she entered the room. Her aunt’s voice echoed down the hallway. “A lot of deer get hit by cars on that spot on the highway near the Enchanted Moose. Why did they put the deer crossing there? They need to move that sign.”

  Lisa stopped in the doorway, and the three other women looked up. The last time she’d seen Betty holding court in her room, Betty had thrown the women out before Lisa could even say hello to them. “Hi Betty. I’m sorry to interrupt, but I brought by some more things for you to look at.”

  Betty said, “Interrupt what?”

  “Your conversation with your friends.” Lisa smiled at the women and put her hand to her chest. “My name is Lisa. It’s nice to meet you.”

  A woman with a tight gray bun protruding from the back of her head said, “I’m Doris, that’s Alice, and over there is Bernice.”

  Betty said, “Get out, Doreen. And the rest of you too!” Doris moved uncomfortably and adjusted her pink housecoat. Alice narrowed her eyes and gave Betty a death glare.

  Lisa frowned. “It’s okay with me if they want to stay.”

  Betty repeated her command and the women shuffled out. Alice turned her head for a final icy glance as Lisa sat down on the edge of the bed. “They really didn’t have to leave.”

  “Yes, they did. I don’t want them to see my stuff. You brought it, right?”

  Lisa pulled the bag off her shoulder and reached her hand inside. She pulled out a clump of heavy bead necklaces and chains. “I found these in a dresser.”

  Betty snatched one of the chains and held it up in front of her face so that it was almost touching the purple frame of her glasses. “I don’t care about this. Why are you bringing me this crap?”

  Lisa pulled out more jewelry and laid it on the bed. “I thought you wanted the jewelry. Isn’t that what you said?”

  “I want the stuff in the house.”

  “Mom said you wanted jewelry and this was in the house. What do you mean by stuff? I can’t exactly bring the furniture, you know.”

  Betty gazed out the window. “Is it dinner time yet? I think they are stealing my food.”

  “They are not! You’re not going on another hunger strike, are you? I promise I’ll try to bring whatever you want.”

  Betty turned to look back at Lisa. “What do you call two jalapeños getting it on?”

  “Stop that, Betty. I’m not falling for it. I need to know what you want me to bring to you.”

  “You are just like your mother, Linda. Never listening. I remember when I stayed there that Thanksgiving, she got all over my case because I went for a walk. I told her I was going for a walk.”

  “Was that when you were gone for two days?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  Lisa slumped her shoulders. She was getting nowhere trying to talk to her aunt. The woman switched topics faster than a politician. And time was passing. Lisa needed to get back to Pete’s room before Harley got too squirrelly. “Okay, I’ll look around for more stuff. Is it jewelry? Could you at least give me a hint?”

  “I told your mother about the box. And your grandpa too. Why does no one ever listen to me? Where is my dinner?”

  “Okay, I’ll look for a box. I promise.” Lisa wasn’t sure if Betty remembered that Grandpa had been dead for a long time. She gave her aunt a hug and hustled out the door and down the hallway back to Pete’s room.

  She peeked inside where both Pete and Harley were fast asleep. Pete’s arm was around Harley’s shoulders and the dog had his muzzle resting on Pete’s chest. The scene was utterly adorable. Pete absolutely had to adopt Harley, because these two clearly needed each other. She vowed to convinc
e Pete that he should have another dog.

  As she walked closer, Harley lifted his head and thumped his tail. Pete opened his eyes and readjusted himself so that he was sitting up straighter. He smiled. “I totally passed out.”

  Lisa sat down. “Your body is healing and you need rest. I’m glad Harley was helpful. I was worried I’d been gone too long and that he’d pull another Lassie move and run off to find Timmy in the well.”

  “The conversation with your aunt didn’t go well, huh?”

  Lisa pursed her lips. “I didn’t say that.”

  “But it didn’t, did it?”

  “Not really. She loses focus and it’s hard for me to keep up. Half the time she’s telling a dirty joke or recounting a distorted memory. I find it incredibly frustrating.” Lisa flopped her hands on the bed in exasperation. “That probably makes me a bad person.”

  “You can always just smile and nod.”

  Lisa looked down and ruffled Harley’s ears. “Well, yes, there’s a lot of that. But she keeps saying she wants something in my parents’ house, and I have no idea what it is. It’s about to be remodeled and I need to figure out what she wants before my parents list the place for sale again.”

  “You seem upset about selling the house.”

  “Not at all. It’s where I grew up, but I know it’s the right thing to do.”

  “Really?” Pete put his hand under Harley’s chin, raised the dog’s nose off his chest, and pointed it toward her. “You wouldn’t lie to the hero dog, would you?”

  “I’m not lying! Okay, maybe I am a little. Sorry, Harley.” Lisa returned to petting the dog’s head as he closed his eyes and fell back asleep. “You must have been extremely good at interrogating people.”

  “I had my moments. But this isn’t me interrogating. I’m curious. It’s hard to lose your childhood home with all those memories.”

  “I suppose, but it’s time. Past time, really. My parents moved out a year ago to an adorable little cottage in town, so they can walk to the hardware store. The old house refuses to sell, which is why I’ve been tasked with tearing it apart and remodeling it.”

  “You don’t look excited about the project.”

  “I’m not. But I’m in transition, I guess you’d say, so my brother took advantage of the fact that I didn’t have any excuse to say no.”

  “Transition from what?”

  “Being a stay-at-home wife and mother. Now I’m divorced with no skills and no career. Larry knows that and he ran with it.”

  “Why are you discounting being a wife and mother? That’s a lot of work.”

  Lisa tilted her head. “I think you’re the first person who isn’t a mom to ever say that to me. Are you married? Kids?”

  “I was married once back in the dark ages, but fortunately we didn’t have kids. She discovered pretty quickly that being married to a cop wasn’t quite what she’d envisioned. I think she liked the uniform better than she liked me.”

  “I’m sorry. Did you enjoy your career in law enforcement?”

  “In the beginning I did. I think I was trying to prove something. Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.”

  “Is that Shakespeare? High school English classes were a long time ago.”

  “Yes, from Julius Caesar. After I left the force, I read a lot of it. I found it comforting, somehow, to discover that human beings haven’t changed much in the last five or six hundred years.”

  “What were you trying to prove?”

  “That I wasn’t a coward. I was supposed to go to Vietnam, but I didn’t.”

  “I think that makes you lucky, unless you ran off or dodged the draft somehow.”

  “I certainly agree with you about the luck factor now. But I was eighteen in 1972, and I got a low draft number. I had mentally prepared myself to go be a brave soldier and serve my country, even though I didn’t necessarily understand or agree with what was happening. I was called to report for induction, but then there were no new draft orders in 1973. I felt like I’d chickened out or that I should have felt differently about the war.” He raised his hand with his thumb and forefinger an eighth inch apart. “I might have been a teeny bit screwed up back then though.”

  “You and everyone else.” Lisa smiled. “I think I’m the only person in my generation who wasn’t on drugs.”

  “Well, you and Bill Clinton. As I recall, he didn’t inhale.”

  Lisa laughed. “So were you able to tell he was lying too?”

  “No comment.”

  Chapter 7

  Time Capsule

  The next morning, trucks rolled up to the house, and Lisa spent a lot of time talking to contractors and attempting to keep track of Harley. After catching him heading for the front door, she kept him on a leash. The last thing she needed was for him to decide someone in the neighborhood needed rescuing.

  Once the workers set to their tasks, the noise and dust level rose dramatically. Ripping out ancient carpet apparently required a lot of yelling and power tools. An air compressor came on intermittently. The sudden drone followed by sharp whacking noises caused Lisa to want to jump out of her skin. Harley also felt compelled to bark at the noise every time he heard it, which didn’t help.

  Before she’d left the assisted living facility the day before, Pete had begged her to bring Harley back for another visit. She’d hesitated and ultimately said no, but now she was rethinking her choice. At least it was quiet there. Plus, the fact was that Betty was still looking for something, and it was up to Lisa to figure out what.

  Betty had mentioned a box. Maybe she was looking for some type of decorative box or knickknack, not jewelry. It was worth a try. And it would get Lisa away from the mind-numbing racket. She grabbed a cardboard box and wandered around the house, throwing a little wooden box, candlesticks, figurines, and a vase inside. If she collected a wide range of items, maybe something would trigger a memory and Betty would finally divulge exactly what it was that she wanted.

  Lisa flagged down Craig Maddox, the general contractor in charge of the crew, to let him know she’d be gone for a couple of hours. He gave her a salute and told her they’d still be there when she returned, but quite a bit of the carpet wouldn’t be. She smiled and thanked him before grabbing Harley’s leash and her box of knickknacks and fleeing the premises.

  Once she and Harley were settled within the blissfully quiet truck cab, Lisa breathed a sigh of relief. She reached over and patted Harley. “I probably shouldn’t be leaving those guys alone, but I didn’t think about how noisy this process would be. I hope Craig knows what he’s doing.”

  Harley thumped his tail a few times in sympathy, but didn’t seem to have any other suggestions, so Lisa started the truck for the trip back to the care center. Although she’d tried not to dwell on it, being around Pete made her uncomfortable. It reminded her of all the time she’d been in rehab after her accident.

  Although he seemed like a nice person and she was certainly sympathetic to his situation, it seemed like she was being confronted by her past after years of trying to avoid ever thinking about that time in her life . In many ways, returning to Alpine Grove was even more upsetting than she’d expected it would be. Maybe she’d just visit Betty and take Harley for a walk somewhere, instead of visiting Pete.

  Lisa parked the truck, unloaded Harley, and they followed the well-shoveled sidewalk inside. She stopped at the reception desk and placed the box of knickknacks on the counter so she could sign in. Harley was tugging on the leash and she yanked him back toward her, looping the leash over her arm while she tried to fill out the sign-in form. She mumbled “Just a minute!” under her breath, hoping the receptionist couldn’t hear her quietly chastising the dog. Were obedience classes available in Alpine Grove? Harley needed to attend some type of intensive doggie boot camp.

  With a mighty lurch, Harley yanked the leash off Lisa’s arm. She turned and watched as he galloped down the hallway and skidded to a stop next to a man in a whe
elchair. A nurse was holding crutches in one hand and helping the man stand up. He turned, looked down the hall, and grinned at Lisa. She raised her hand and waved slightly. So much for not seeing Pete.

  She picked up the cardboard box and walked down to the group. Harley was wagging so hard that his entire body was wiggling at the joy of seeing his favorite human. Whether he liked it or not, Pete was going to have to adopt this dog.

  With the assistance of the nurse, Pete somewhat ungracefully maneuvered himself onto the crutches as Lisa bent to grab Harley’s collar to get the dog out of the way. She looked up at Pete. “Sorry about that. As I mentioned, he’s not the most obedient dog.”

  The petite nurse moved the wheelchair out of the way. “Are you okay? Make sure you don’t put any weight on that leg at all.”

  Pete nodded, moved the crutches, and took a few steps. “No problem.”

  Lisa grimaced inwardly, recalling how painful those first few steps had been for her. “Don’t try to be a hero. If it hurts, say something.”

  Pete gave her an icy look and said, “It’s fine.”

  Lisa shook her head. “I can tell it’s not. Don’t overdo it. That will only make it worse.”

  The nurse put her hand on his upper arm and said, “I think she’s right. That’s enough for now. We just wanted to get you up on the crutches today, not run a marathon. Let’s get you back to your room.”

  Lisa followed with Harley as Pete got settled back into bed. Given the expression on his face, she could tell that he was annoyed. Lisa probably shouldn’t have interfered, but she knew how it felt to walk with crutches for the first time after spending days in bed.

  After the nurse left, Harley jumped up next to Pete and settled in for some affection. The tense look on Pete’s face relaxed somewhat as he began petting the dog. Lisa set the box on the nightstand and sat on the foot of the bed. “As you figured out, I’ve been through this type of recovery and I know how hard it is.”

  Pete stopped petting Harley for a moment, letting his hand rest on the dog’s back. “I hate being here. The doctor said I can’t put any weight on this leg for weeks. Weeks! I’m going to go completely stir crazy.”