by Diana Orgain
I let out a mournful yelp, and doll face winces.
“Looks like Wanda wants to stay with you,” Gracie teases. “I bet she’d be a cutie if she had a bath and got trimmed.”
Maeve holds up her hand. “I’m not in the market for a pet right now. I don’t even know if my landlord will allow it.”
“Whatever you say,” Gracie says, “But I think you like her!”
Yes! You like me! I know you do.
Maeve climbs into her car, and shoos me over to the passenger’s seat.
Looks like my luck has turned. Finally!
I found myself a witch to befriend. She’ll change me back, I know she will!
I hope she has food at her house.
Soon we pull out of the parking lot and are on our way. I stumble in the vehicle. I’ve never felt so lopsided in a car before. Maeve laughs a little. “You all right there, Wanda?” she reaches over and touches my head. I feel a slight shiver.
She really is gorgeous.
“Jeez, you do stink! I’m giving you a bath when we get to the house,” she says.
Oh, beautiful, I am okay with you giving me a bath.
She stops in front of a convenience store and smiles at me. “Stay here,” she says and rolls the window down for me. She hurries inside and returns shortly with a large bag of dog food, dog treats, and dog shampoo.
Dog food? No thanks.
We keep going down the road, eventually turning down a dirt road not far from the Main Square. The homes are all on large lots, with a little acreage, it seems–I really do feel like I’m in a movie–very Sweet Home Alabama, though I know I’m only a six-day walk from LA.
She pulls up to the only house without tacky lawn ornaments, but it has grass that’s knee high. “Come on, girl,” she calls, and I willingly get out of the car and follow her up to the house.
“Straight to the bathroom with you, stinky,” she says.
I listen and look for a bathroom. I find it and sit patiently. She raises a brow. “Smart dog.” Did you understand me?”
I yelp, and she laughs as she heads into the bathroom to turn on the water.
Phase one of my plan is done.
Now I just have to figure out how to let her know I need her help. And I really do need her help.
Chapter Three
Maeve
A pang of guilt shot through Maeve’s chest as she watched Wanda put her tail between her legs and let out a loud, unadulterated whine. The evening before had been really pleasant with the dog’s company, but Maeve couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps someone was looking for the dog. And, even if she didn’t have an owner, Maeve hadn’t cleared having a dog with the landlord, and the last thing she needed right now was for the dog to make a mess of her rental home. So, despite her moral compass screaming at her to do otherwise, she was dropping Wanda off at the local pound.
The dog cried and yelped at Maeve when she handed the leash to the woman behind the desk. “I think she likes you,” the woman said, making Maeve feel even worse. “You’re Gracie’s friend Maeve, right? She told me you might be by here. My name’s Katie. I run this sad excuse for a pound.”
“Yeah, that’s me. Jeez, the dog sure isn’t making this easy,” Maeve said, kneeling down to give Wanda some farewell hugs and kisses.
Wanda pressed her nose into Maeve’s cheek, and Maybe suddenly clutched the fur around Wanda’s neck.
How did I get so attached to this dog in only one evening? Maeve thought.
“I feel so guilty, but it’s not even my dog, you know?” she said to Katie. “I’m sure someone will come and claim her.”
“I don’t know,” Katie says. “We’re kind of full at the moment, and Wanda looks to be an older dog. I’ve got to be honest with you, if someone doesn’t claim her within the next month or so, we’ll probably have to put her down.”
Maeve’s gut tensed, as Wanda let out a frightened yelp.
“It’s like she understood that,” Maeve said, scratching the back of the dog’s ears.
“Are you sure you want to drop her off?” Katie asked, giving the leash a slight tug to pull Wanda towards her.
“I have to. She’s not my dog, and I don’t even know if my landlord would let me ... but, you know what ... if it comes down to it, could you take my contact information? I don’t want you to have to put her down.”
“I think I can swing that,” Katie said with a relieved smile. She rubbed Wanda on top of her head and then dragged her to the back room to place her in a kennel.
Maeve’s palms started to sweat, as she listened to Wanda barking and yelping the entire time. She reminded herself that someone would very likely show up to claim the dog and that Wanda wasn’t her responsibility, but the reminder did nothing to soften the blow.
Katie returned moments later, rubbing the back of her neck as though it were sore. “Poor girl doesn’t want you to leave. I haven’t had a dog fight me like that in a while.”
“Aw, now you’re making me feel worse!” Maeve said.
After swapping contact information, Maeve headed out the door and back home. When she turned onto her street, she was surprised to see Gracie’s pickup truck parked in her driveway.
Maeve smiled and waved, as she climbed out of her car.
Upon seeing her, Gracie piled out of the pickup. She was dressed in white shorts, a stylish blue tank top, and sunglasses. Gracie studied Maeve for a moment, in her torn jeans and plain t-shirt and said, “You forgot, didn’t you?”
“Forgot?” Maeve had been so wrapped up in getting Wanda to the pound, that she honestly had no idea what Gracie was talking about. But as she stood in front of her and took in the summery outfit, the thought suddenly hit her.
“Lunch on the Lawn!” Both women said together.
Gracie removed her sunglasses and gave Maeve a serious look. “I thought you wanted the space for the café? You need to make a good impression on my sister Lil, if you—”
Maeve held up a hand. “Don’t say another word! Let me run inside and change.”
Maeve dashed into her house and rummaged through her closet. She hadn’t had a chance yet to properly sort her clothes, and being in a rush flustered her.
She dug through several drawers before she found anything suitable. She finally settled on a pair of flowery shorts and matching pink and green silk top. She slipped some strappy gold sandals on her feet and quickly pinned her strawberry blonde hair with a tortoise shell clip.
Ready in record time!
When she ran out of the house, Gracie smiled. “Well, that’s more like it,” she said. “Now hop in the Chevy, Maeve, because I need me some lunch. How about you? You hungry?”
“You know what? I am. I dropped Wanda at the pound and missed breakfast,” she said climbing into Gracie’s truck.
Gracie made a little sad face at the mention of the pound, but said nothing while she revved the engine.
They wound through Wisteria Pines, and Maeve enjoyed the scenery of the small town. There was a train station that offered themed rides to tourists and locals, a quaint gold shop, and a small town square with a statue in need of renovation. She rolled down the window and let the mountain breeze ruffle her hair.
After a bit of drive, Gracie pulled into Wisteria Park. Maeve’s breath caught as she saw that the little lunch event she’d been expecting was instead, quite an extravaganza. There were vendors set up selling homemade items such as quilts, dolls and wind chimes. A few booths were selling desserts, ice cream, and artisanal jams and honey. A local restaurant had set up their own tent with enough food to feed an army.
Close to the park was a small stream with children running around, splashing in the water. Some were wearing bathing suits; others had merely abandoned their shoes. Near the stream was a small stage, where a local band was setting up.
“Whoa,” Maeve said, as she and Gracie jumped out of the truck. “This little party is a lot more than I expected. Is every person in town here?”
Gracie shrugs
. “Probably. You’re going to love it.” She pulled Maeve through the crowd toward the food tents.
Together, they dodged children running around and playing in the grass, teenagers tossing a football, and adults crowding around a tent selling locally brewed beer. They stopped at a tent selling pulled pork sandwiches and waited in the short line.
Suddenly, Gracie’s arm shot into the air, and she shouted across the crowd. “Joseph! Hey, Joseph!”
Maeve’s face turned bright red.
A man in an officer’s uniform made his way over to them. Maeve nudged Gracie in the side. “I told you I’m not interested in dating right now,” she said.
“Shut up,” Gracie said through gritted teeth.
As the man came closer, Maeve’s shoulders hiked up in anticipation.
He was tall, well built, his eyes were a sparkling blue, and his chestnut brown hair was neatly combed.
“Gracie,” Joseph said with a smile that showed off his perfectly white teeth.
Maeve swooned and realized with a twinge of regret, that Joseph really was as handsome as Gracie had made him out to be.
“Joseph, this is Maeve. She’s new to Wisteria Pines,” Gracie said.
Joseph studied Maeve for a moment, then asked, “Why does your name sound familiar?”
“Because she’s famous,” Gracie said.
“I am not,” Maeve said, embarrassment washing over her.
“You are too,” Gracie insisted. “She’s a big-time song writer from LA. She’s written, Die! You Cheating Dog, and Choke on That Lie, and I’ll Never Get Over You.”
Joseph’s eyes grew wide. “I love those songs. Man, you’ve had some huge names sing your tunes. I never thought I’d actually meet a celebrity out here in Wisteria Pines.”
Maeve laughed, an unintentionally loud, nervous laugh. “Oh, I wouldn’t call myself a celebrity.”
The radio on Joseph’s shoulder holster beeped and a voice said, “Hey, Mont, it’s that Donnie kid again ...” Joseph’s hand clamped down on the radio, and he mouthed, “talk to you later,” as he turned to listen to the message.
“Donnie, I swear, that boy is going to wind up in prison,” Gracie grumbled, as they reached the front of the food line.
“Local bad boy?” Maeve asked.
“Not exactly. He just thinks he’s a bad boy. He’s actually a real sweetheart.” Gracie pulled out her wallet and ordered two sandwiches.
Maeve tried to stop her from paying, but Gracie said, “Save your money, you can buy Lil a glass of wine when we see her and that will get you into her good graces.”
They took the warm sandwiches over to a picnic table and sat down. Gracie pointed toward the crowd, and Maeve saw two teenagers—a boy dressed in all black and a cute blonde girl in all pink –an odd-looking pair, though it was fairly obvious they were a couple. The two of them were talking to Officer Joseph Mont.
“Donnie got into trouble for robbing a convenience store a while back. His parents went through a rough divorce, and he’s been acting out. The all black thing is new, but I’m pretty sure it’s a phase,” Gracie said.
“Who’s the girl?” Maeve asked.
“His girlfriend Julie. Sweet girl. If his parents won’t bother trying to turn him around, she will,” Gracie said.
No sooner did Maeve unwrap her sandwich than Gracie reached across the table and popped her on the hand. Maeve looked up, startled, but saw that Gracie was attempting to be sly and point without being noticed, cutting her eyes toward a woman with long, brown hair in a tight braid, trailing all the way down her back.
“Remember the crazy woman I told you about who kept speeding so that Joseph would pull her over?” Gracie whispered.
“Oh, wow, is that her?” Maeve asked.
Gracie nodded. “That’s Eleanor. She’s an awesome beautician if you ever need a haircut, but she’s got a pretty colorful reputation.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well, and this is only a rumor, she had an affair with Mayor James Wayne. I don’t know how true it is, but she and her husband divorced last year over it, and he left town. He was irate and before leaving, yelled it from the rooftops, but the mayor denied it, of course.”
Maeve giggled as she took a bite of her sandwich. “Small town drama, right?”
“Of course,” Gracie agreed.
“These seats taken?” an older gentleman asked.
“Tommy!” Gracie said with a smile. “No, come sit! Maeve, this is Mr. Ether. He’s our local farmer.” Mr. Ether smiled, and tipped his hat as he took a seat next to them. Then, he waved his family over, and introduced his wife, two sons, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.
“Got the whole gang out today, huh?” Gracie asked, scooting down the bench to make room.
Tommy grinned. “I’ve got to get them off the farm every once in a while.”
“You’re telling me,” the youngest of the Ether boys grumbled.
“Work is good for the soul,” Tommy said.
“How are the new calves doing?” Gracie asked.
“Doing good,” Tommy said and then frowned, his gaze shifting toward the crowd.
Maeve turned to see who Tommy was scowling at and spotted Mayor James with his assistant, Nadine.
“Everything okay?” Maeve asked.
“Sorry,” Tommy said, breaking his stare. “James and I go way back. He and I had ... well ... a less than pleasant conversation the other day.”
“He’s trying to take some of dad’s land to build a stupid shopping complex,” the older Ether son said. “We’re over there trying to expand our cattle operations, and this guy is threatening to use eminent domain to take away land that’s been in our family for five generations.”
“Are you serious?” Gracie snarled.
“He’s offering a lot of money for us to settle outside of court,” Tommy said. “And apparently, spitting at his shoes was not the etiquette way to respond to that. I got to hire me a lawyer to keep him from building a shopping complex on my land. I can’t believe it.”
Next to him, Mrs. Ether tsked.
“I can’t have a bunch of shops opening up right next to my pastures,” Mr. Ether continued. “Bunch of kids will be there all the time, and they’ll mess with the herd.”
“Nadine is trying to talk him out of it,” Mrs. Ether said hopefully. “She’s a sweet girl. I’m sure she’ll settle him down. A shopping complex next to a cow pasture won’t do well anyways, and the mayor realizes that now –but he’s too prideful to back down at this point and admit he was wrong.” Mrs. Ether looked directly at Maeve. “I heard you and Nadine are in a bidding war for that building Gracie’s renting?”
Anxiety clawed at Maeve. If Nadine was the local sweetheart, it wouldn’t benefit Maeve to be in an out and out war with the woman.
“Well, I’d like to open a café,” Maeve said, smiling as sweetly as she could. “And I understand Nadine’s interested in opening a sub shop, but I’m kind of curious ... if she works for the Mayor—”
“Oh, she hates her job,” Gracie said.
“Of course, she does,” Mr. Ether said. “She spends all her time cleaning up the mayor’s messes like his little affair with—”
Mrs. Ether nudged her husband. “You don’t know if that’s true. Stop gossiping.”
Gracie and Maeve stifled a giggle.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Maeve saw Donnie and his girlfriend Julie approach the table. The young man had a big grin on his face. Before he could say anything, Tommy Ether pointed a finger at him. “Come to steal more of my fruit, kid?”
“I’m sorry about that, Mr. Ether,” Donnie said, looking contrite.
“I’m sure you are. I’ll bean you over the head with my cane again if you pull another stunt like that,” Mr. Ether snarled.
Donnie nodded, then turned toward Maeve. “Are you really Maeve O’Dare?” Officer Joseph told me you were over here.”
Maeve felt the sizzle of embarrassment flush over her. She wasn�
�t used to getting so much attention for her songs. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Listen, my brother is in the band, and they want to do a cover of one of your songs ... but they ...”
Maeve smiled. “Haven’t bought the rights to perform it?” Donnie grimaced and Maeve waved a hand, dismissing his concern. “Tell him, its fine.”
Donnie blew out a puff of air, clearly relieved there wouldn’t be a lawsuit pending.
Then Maeve added, with a chuckle. “Just this once.”
She watched as Donnie ran back to his older brother and reported the news.
Maeve swiveled to look at Gracie. “Is Lil here? Can I meet her?”
Gracie polished off what remained of her pulled pork sandwich and crumpled the paper wrapper in her hand. “Sure, let’s try to track her down.”
They stood and said good-bye to the Ether family. As they strolled through the crowd, Nadine rushed toward Gracie and grabbed her arm. “I hear you’re feeding the competition,” she teased.
Gracie smiled warmly and introduced Nadine and Maeve.
“Are you trying to steal my business, darling?” Nadine asked, placing one hand on her slender hips.
Maeve swallowed the dread she felt. She wasn’t prepared for a confrontation. This woman seemed really sweet, and yet, she knew what happened when you didn’t fight for your dreams. They withered and died.
“I love the space,” Maeve said.
Nadine threw her head back and laughed. “Well, me too, missy.” She leveled a finger at Maeve, “But you better keep looking, because Lil and I are signing a lease agreement tonight.”
Disappointment surged in Maeve’s belly, and she felt as if she’d retch the sandwich she’d just gobbled up.
Was it a done deal?
Had she already lost the space?
No! There has to be another way.
Before Maeve could say anything, a large man lumbered over.
“Nadine!” he barked. “Bobby needs an appointment for next week.”
Nadine sighed and wiggled her fingers at Maeve and Gracie as she sauntered off to do the man’s bidding.
Gracie introduced the man to Maeve as Mayor James, but all the Mayor did was squeeze her hand and walk off.