Daydream Retriever (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 10)

by Susan C. Daffron

  Lisa gave her another hug. “Yeah, we’ll see how that goes. I can’t figure him out.”

  Bev gave her a lascivious grin. “Well, you have all night all by yourselves to work on that. And I can’t say I’m not jealous, because in case I haven’t mentioned it, he’s cute. Those blue eyes slay me.”

  “I know what you mean. I’m trying not to fall all over him like I did with Mike, but I’m not being completely successful.”

  “Let me know what happens. I want all the dirt. The most romantic moment I’ve had lately was Kevin saying, ‘I’ll throw that into the laundry for you.’ I swear I just about swooned.”

  Lisa laughed. “Be still my heart.”

  The two women shared a long, last hug goodbye and Lisa walked across the courtyard to the lodge. She was looking forward to taking a hot shower and having dinner with Pete. Skiing had a way of making you ravenous like almost no other activity.

  She walked into the room and found Pete sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep. Apparently the massage had worked. He was passed out cold. She gathered her things and took a very hot, very long shower. By the time she turned off the water, her skin was pink, but her muscles had relaxed enough that she might be able to make it through dinner without them seizing up. She’d never had to worry or even think about that kind of thing twenty-five years ago. Getting older happened to everyone, but she didn’t have to enjoy the signs of impending decrepitude.

  She emerged from the steamy bathroom clad in a thick, snuggly white robe. Pete had awakened and was sitting upright on the bed, reading. He looked up and threw the book aside. “You look happy.”

  She capered over to the bed, crawled over next to him, and gave him a kiss. “It was a fantastic day. You were right. I can’t believe it, but we had so much fun!”

  “I knew you would. It sounds like the letter ‘b’ was a success.”

  “How did you know? You promised you’d tell me.”

  “After I was stabbed, I had to go back to work and face what I was afraid of in order to move forward.”

  “That sure wasn’t the answer I was expecting.” Lisa sat up straight, looking down at his face. “I thought you were shot and then retired. You were shot and stabbed?”

  “The guy with the knife was first. It was when I was with the K9 unit. I’d only been on the force for a few years and I made a stupid mistake.” He pulled up his shirt and pointed at the long scar on his abdomen. “Fortunately, he missed anything important. But the knife made a mess.”

  “I wondered about that, but I didn’t want to ask.”

  Pete closed his eyes briefly, then sighed. “The whole thing was a massive screw up on my part. I told you about Lakota. He was what they call a dual-purpose police dog. He was trained to sniff drugs, but also to attack to protect his handler; i.e., me.”

  “What happened?”

  “We had staked out the dealer because Lakota had already let us know that drugs were on the premises. My partner Tom and I had agreed that we’d surprise the guy. So we waited two hours for the right moment, lying in wet grass near an old warehouse. We had it all planned out.”

  “Did you get him?”

  “We did apprehend him, but it was sloppy, and everyone got hurt because of me. I was tired of sitting there doing nothing. Then the guy walked so close to us that I took the opportunity to jump him. It was a big mistake.”

  “Is that when you got stabbed?”

  He nodded. “It was like the whole thing happened in slow motion. I didn’t know he had a knife. So he jabbed me, I went down, and he ran. I saw Lakota run after him, followed by Tom. Turned out the guy also had a gun. He hit Lakota in the paw, and grazed Tom’s chest, but Tom was wearing a vest and was able to tackle the guy and take him down.”

  “So you got your man.”

  “Tom got his man, in spite of me. He’s six four and probably weighs three hundred pounds, so when he tackles someone, they’re done.” Pete shook his head. “Lakota had to have surgery on his paw and then retired. Tom transferred to a different division to get away from me. I can’t say I blame him.”

  “What happened to you?”

  “I was on medical leave for a while. There was an investigation because Tom was shot, but he refused to say I was at fault, so all I got was a reprimand.”

  Lisa touched his hand. “It sounds like you think you were at fault.”

  “I did and I do.”

  “I’m not sure why you’re telling me all this.”

  “You and I both know that everything can change in an instant. One tiny mistake and everything is different. It’s easy to let that define the rest of your life. Sometimes going back and facing it can be a good thing.”

  “But you retired.”

  “I retired two years ago. I was only twenty-six when everything went down with Tom and Lakota. At the time, I didn’t know what to do. Being a cop was who I was and all I knew. After a lot of counseling sessions, I decided I needed to go back to it. At the time, it was the right thing to do.”

  “So why did you finally retire?”

  “By that time I had my twenty years in and I’d seen way too much. While I was lying in the hospital after being shot, I knew I was done being a cop. My heart wasn’t in it anymore.” He smiled, “To throw a little more Shakespeare at you: ‘One man in his time plays many parts.’ I decided it was time for me to find a different role to play.”

  “It sounds like you were ready.”

  “I thought I was, but like I told you, I didn’t go gently into that good night. Adapting to retirement was more difficult than I’d expected, and it didn’t go quite as well as I thought I would.”

  “You certainly tried. The alphabet of fun is very creative.”

  “It worked okay up until ‘s,’ I suppose.”

  “Well, I’m glad I met you.” She put both hands under his shirt, running her fingertips along the contours of the long scar. “If you live long enough, you’re bound to end up with a few extra lumps, bumps, and imperfections. Or stretch marks, in my case.”

  He pulled her hands out from under his shirt and wrapped his arms around her, dragging her down to him as he nuzzled her neck. “You always smell like roses.”

  She tilted her head back. “It’s tea rose.”

  “It reminds me of when I was little. There was this long rose hedge that ran down one side of our yard and I used to lie down next to it because it smelled so good.” He moved his lips over her collarbone. “This is such a bad idea. I’m sorry.”

  She moved to look at him. “You said that before. I’m here because I want to be here.”

  “You’re going to regret it. I’m a mess.” He raised his eyebrows. “Every relationship I’ve ever had ended in disaster. Women have told me there’s something fundamentally wrong with me.”

  “Well, if you’re a mess, then I must be too. If this is some type of contest, I think my divorce after more than twenty years of marriage probably trumps your romantic failures.”

  He ran his fingertip along her collarbone. “You have to be one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. I thought, hey, maybe we could have a fling and it would be fun. No harm, no foul. But you’re not built that way. If we do this, you’re going to end up hating me.”

  Lisa leaned over and kissed him forcefully and passionately. “I’m a big girl.”

  “I’m not sure you know what you’re dealing with. I feel like you haven’t seen the real me because I’ve been immobilized. I’m impatient. I rush everything. Being on crutches has been an extreme exercise in patience. I’m afraid that when I’m back to normal, you’ll realize what a selfish troglodyte I really am.”

  “Troglodyte?” Lisa giggled. “Is that like a hobbit?”

  “But a lot less cute.” He put his palms on both sides of her face and gazed into her eyes intently. “I’m serious here. I’ve seen things no one should see. I’ve seen women who were raped and beaten. Told mothers their sons were killed in some senseless drive-by shooting. Heard too many people scream in te
rror and watched them die. It changes you.”

  Lisa pulled his hands away from her face and clasped them in front of her. “I understand, but I’ve spent a lot of time with you. Nothing you’ve said makes a difference in how I feel.”

  “All right, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He gave her a sly smile. “And I have to say I’m more than a little curious about the creative work-arounds to my physical limitations that you mentioned.”

  Lisa returned his smile. “It’s been a long time, so I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m a little rusty. But it could be fun.”

  “Fun is good. I like fun.”

  The next morning Lisa opened her eyes and gazed at a pretty wooden Shaker-style dresser. Wait a minute. Where was the French Provincial gilt horror she knew so well? She rolled over and saw that Pete was lying next to her, reading. Oh, yeah. The Snow Grove Lodge. With Pete, who looked, if possible, sexier than he had last night. The whole slightly rumpled and mussed hair thing definitely worked. She nudged herself closer to curl up next to him.

  He looked up from his book. “Good morning. Do you want to order room service again, or consider getting out of bed?”

  “I’m not sure I ever want to leave this bed.” She sat up and put her arms around his neck. “Returning to a torn-up house isn’t enticing.”

  “Well, check-out time isn’t until eleven.” He smiled as he ran his fingers down her arms and across her hip. “I vote for room service.”

  Lisa kissed him and put the book on the nightstand. “And checking out at ten fifty-nine.”

  On the way home, they chatted about the various ski runs Lisa had traversed with Bev the day before. She shook her head. “I feel sort of silly now about the whole thing. For years, I didn’t want to visit my parents in the wintertime to avoid driving past the ski resort and seeing the snow. I’m not sure what I was so afraid of exactly.”

  “Being afraid can be good if it keeps you breathing. For example, I can tell you that if you’re being chased by a drug dealer with a gun, fear is a rational emotion to have. Fear is good for self-preservation.” Pete looked out the window at the scenery whizzing by as they drove. “Obviously, almost dying in a skiing accident would give you a reason to be afraid of skiing again.”

  “But for years? It doesn’t make sense. I think my fear of skiing got worse instead of better over time. I felt like I let everyone down by not going to the Olympics. Like I was a huge failure. Everything got all twisted up in my mind.” Lisa glanced at him. “That probably doesn’t make any sense at all.”

  “Maybe it’s related to why you have so much trouble making decisions.

  “I make decisions. I’m on ‘b’ remember?”

  “I suggested that, along with ‘a,’ because you couldn’t think of anything. And then Bev encouraged me. You haven’t even selected the paint colors for the house. I think Craig is going to start stalking you with those paint chips.”

  “I suppose I have been avoiding that a little.”

  “The next time you talk to him, say to yourself, ‘no one will die if I pick the wrong paint color.’”

  Lisa laughed. “Now you’re just being obnoxious.”

  “You get my point though, right?”

  “I never really thought about it before. In a strange way, when I got cancer and thought I was going to die again, I think that made the skiing fears worse. It was all intertwined in my mind. Part of me is still afraid the cancer is going to come back. Then right before I moved here, I started not to care if it did.”

  Pete put his hand on her leg. “You really felt that way?”

  “Maybe it was more like I was afraid no one would care. Like I’d raised my kids, and no one needed me anymore. I was done. So if I died, no one would notice I was gone.”

  “I seriously doubt that. You have a family that loves you, for one thing.”

  Lisa’s eyes widened. “Oh, no! I forgot to call Carol and Cheryl. I always call them on Sunday mornings.”

  “You were busy.”

  “But they don’t know that. I always call. Cheryl says she can set her watch by my Sunday phone call. They probably think something is horribly wrong.” Lisa tried to stifle a giggle. “If they only knew.”

  “Your secret is safe with me. Just tell them you’re trying out the alphabet of fun.”

  “So what are you up to? ‘V’? No wait, vacation was ‘v.’ You’re on ‘w’ now.”

  “I guess so. Maybe I’ll whittle a walking stick while I’m sitting around watching you choose paint colors. Next week, the doctor claims we can talk about switching to partial weight-bearing status with a cane or something. I’ve got to get off these crutches someday.”

  “I already did ‘c’ for cooking. So what can I do for ‘d’?”

  “You’re supposed to decide, remember? What do you want to do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You must have some ideas. Hopes, daydreams, fantasies, aspirations? What?”

  Lisa paused and tried to think of something—anything—that would be fun. “Well, if you’re whittling, maybe I can do some type of craft too.”

  “Forget about me and what I’m doing. What do you want?”

  “I have an idea.” She glanced at him. “But you’ll think it’s stupid. It does start with the letter ‘d’ though.”

  “I won’t think it’s stupid. What?”

  “Remember how I found that pile of magazines?”

  “You called it the leaning tower of Cosmo, as I recall.”

  “Who knew Mom had a secret stash back there in that closet? I’ve always wanted to try decoupage.”

  Pete glanced at her. “I have absolutely no idea what that is.”

  “Finally!” Lisa smacked her hand on the steering wheel. “I finally found something you haven’t run across in your reading. Now, I have to do it. I’ll need to get some Mod Podge though. Maybe I’ll try it on that awful end table in the office.”

  “And still, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Decoupage involves pasting paper onto a surface. You cut up magazines into pieces, then glue the paper onto a surface like the ugly end table. Then you seal it, so it’s permanent.”

  “That could be fun, I guess. Certainly messy, anyway. Messy can be fun.”

  “The wood chips from your whittling might mingle with my tiny pieces of paper. Who knows what might happen when all that wood pulp gets together?”

  Pete laughed. “Oooh, that sounds dirty. I’m in.”

  They picked up Harley and Lisa met Kat’s kennel assistant, Mia, who seemed nice enough, although not very talkative. Harley leaped into the pickup, excited to see his favorite human again.

  Lisa got in and gave Harley’s rear end a pat. “Yes, I’m here too. That’s not your good side. Why don’t you sit down?”

  Pete said, “Harley, sit,” and it was like the dog suddenly had a brain. As far as career options went, Lisa clearly had no future as a dog trainer.

  After they arrived home and ate a late lunch or early dinner, Pete set his crutches aside and gave her a hug. “I hate to say this, but I’m completely exhausted. I’m going to hobble off to my room and take a nap. But I had a really good time this weekend.”

  Lisa kissed him. “Me too. I’m not sure how to thank you for all your encouragement.”

  “You thought up a few ways last night.” He gathered up his crutches again and left, followed by Harley.

  Once she was alone, Lisa suddenly remembered again that she still hadn’t called her kids. On the East Coast it was late and they were probably out. Oh well, it was worth a shot. She ran upstairs to the phone in her parents’ old bedroom and had unsatisfying chats with her daughters’ answering machines. She set down the receiver and stared at it. With a pent-up need to talk to somebody, she picked up the handset again and dialed Bev’s number.

  At Lisa’s greeting, Bev said, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about you all day! How was the lodge? Tell me everything.”

  “We talked about all kinds
of stuff, and ordered room service, and…”

  “And? And what? You’re killing me here.”

  “You can figure out the rest.”

  Bev shrieked in her ear. “It’s about time!”

  “Ouch. Settle down. There’s no need to yell.”

  “So how was it?”

  Lisa twisted the phone cord around her finger. “Amazing, but…”

  “But nothing. Why is there always a ‘but’? Can’t you just enjoy something for once? I swear, you could start a fight in an empty house.”

  “He keeps saying that this is all a mistake and I’m going hate him.”

  “It sure doesn’t sound like you hate him.”

  “No, and that’s the problem. I’m falling in love with him. I’m afraid it’s going to be like Mike all over again. I fall head over heels like some overgrown teenager, because that’s exactly the type of thing I do. And then what happens? I end up with my heart broken into teeny-tiny pieces. Again.”

  “You don’t know that, sweetie.”

  “I’m not sure I can stand going through that again. It’s too painful.”

  “So what are you doing to do?”

  Lisa looked down at the phone cord that she’d twisted into a knot. “Shut up, stop over-analyzing everything, go back downstairs, and crawl into bed with him.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  Chapter 11

  X-rays & Walls

  The next morning, Lisa woke up next to Pete. The hospital bed wasn’t completely comfortable, since it was designed for only one person. She was curled up behind him, snuggled up with her cheek resting on his back. His dark brown hair was streaked with silver and had gotten longer since she’d known him. She wanted to reach up and thread her fingers through the soft curls at the back of his neck. Trying not to wake him up, she moved her head slightly so she could see the clock. She jolted up on her elbow.

  Pete started awake. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

  “It’s really late.” She looked down at the floor, where Harley was passed out on his side, looking like a furry yellow rug. “Apparently, our canine alarm clock wore himself out over the weekend too.”