Jan pulled her hand away and turned to walk into the kitchen. “That’s nice. And thanks so much. That doesn’t explain why you’re here, though. I’m going to make some tea. Do you want some before you leave?”
Michael reached out for her hand again and turned her around. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not leave.”
“Are we having this conversation again? Because I don’t think I can stand it. I’m exhausted. Tired of crying. Tired of thinking about you.” She waved her hand toward the refrigerator. “I’m even tired of ice cream. And that’s saying something.”
Michael smiled. “I think I’m not being clear. You were right. I went back to San Diego and I fell into all the same patterns. Working too much. Not sleeping. Even Swoosie was pissed off at me.”
“Your dog does require a lot of attention, you know.”
“Yes. She stole one of my art boards and dragged it out into the hole in the back yard.”
Jan smirked. “I’m glad to hear it’s not just my underwear she’s using for her landscaping projects.”
Michael reached out to touch her cheek. “But the worst part was that I missed you. And being here. Talking with you. Hiking with Swoosie. Hanging out. I’d be sitting there at my dining room table by myself in the middle of the night working on stuff for the vodka guys and find myself staring into space and wondering why.”
“Good question. I can’t say I haven’t wondered why you work such long hours. It’s not healthy.”
“I know.”
Jan moved away, turned on the stove, and put the tea bags into mugs. “Really? It certainly doesn’t seem like it. Did you think of trying something radical like sleeping? Even your dad said he hadn’t heard from you.”
“I didn’t run up to his place with Swoosie last weekend. He called me to make sure I was okay.”
Jan leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. “Apparently you are, since you’re here. Bringing me back to the original question of why.”
“You know me better than just about anyone, except possibly my dad. The night I went to your motel room, I told you about when my mother died. And you know about my—to put it nicely—troubled youth.”
Jan shifted her stance. What was he talking about? “So? I got the impression you never spent much time actually talking to some of your prior dates. That is a downside of flings and one-night stands, you know. But it doesn’t explain why you’re here.”
“If you work all the time, it’s a great excuse. I’ve avoided getting serious with anyone because I didn’t want to lose someone again. It’s bad enough caring about a dog. Getting Swoosie wasn’t my idea. But that’s a whole different story.”
“Yes, I think I was the one who pointed out that I didn’t want to get hurt. And as noted, that didn’t work out very well. I’m completely sick of crying, and I think even Rosa is wondering what is wrong with me. Where are you going with all this?”
Michael stepped closer to her and took a deep breath. “Sitting there in my lonely house, I came to a conclusion. The J. Geils Band was right. Love stinks.”
“What?” Jan shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. “You’re quoting 80s pop bands? Sorry I had to ruin your day with all my whiny feelings. But like I said, I warned you.”
Michael reached out and extracted one of her hands, clasping it in both of his. “No. I mean I love you. Desperately. Stupidly. To distraction. Like every completely sappy love song you’ve ever heard. But it stinks to be in love when the person you love isn’t with you.”
Jan turned to him and looked into his eyes. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He took her other hand and drew her closer. “I want to be with you. I’ll move here if you still want me to. I like it here. I was happy and I want to feel that way again. With you. Right now my job is a mess, and I don’t care. Even if I keep doing work for the vodka company, they’re in Russia. And a lot of the other people who are trying to get me to work for them again are in New York City. So it doesn’t really matter where I live. My dad is content and settled now with Dave. And after the last week or so, I know for sure that I am not happy when I’m not with you.”
Jan wrapped her arms around his neck, not quite believing what she was hearing. “You’re really serious? What would you do?”
Michael wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’ve thought about that quite a bit.” He paused to kiss her neck. “The way Derek ran the agency was...I think the word you used was toxic. I figured that’s just how advertising was. And I think some part of me was worried about failing. Letting my mother down somehow, particularly since I was such a screw-up in high school.”
Jan shook her head. “I think by anyone’s estimation, you’ve been successful professionally.”
“I suppose. But now that I’ve been away from it, I’ve come to the conclusion that there was no reason work had to be so stressful. I got caught up in the competition because that’s what everyone did in that environment. If I ran my own smaller company, I could take on just a few select clients. I could go back to doing more creative design work, which I enjoyed. And I could learn about all the new software programs. Not to mention, have a life again. Be with you. Go hiking. Take photographs. Go back to working with Swoosie again. I used to train her all the time when she was young. She loved it. I loved it.” He pulled her into his embrace. “But not as much as I love you.”
He gave her a kiss that was intense and all-consuming. As Jan began to melt in his arms, the kiss was interrupted by the sudden sound of the teakettle whistling. Pulling away, she turned to the stove to silence the obnoxious noise. She looked over her shoulder past Michael to the living room, where Swoosie and Rosa were happily sitting on the sofa shredding her book into tiny pieces. She smiled at Michael, “I think Swoosie and Rosa are forming a book club. Maybe you could start on that training program sooner rather than later.”
He gathered her in his arms again. “It’s a deal.”
Chapter 14
Brainstorming
A few days later, Michael and Jan drove toward Kat’s house. Rosa and Swoosie were in the back seat observing the scenery. The Alpine Grove gossip grapevine had gotten word that Michael had returned and Kat had invited them over for a brainstorming session.
Michael smiled at Jan. “I think my first marketing suggestion may be to get this driveway graded. I can feel the suspension of my car crying out in agony.”
“Yes, my only advice is to go extremely slowly and try to dodge the biggest craters.” The car slammed into a pothole. “Like that one.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s your car.” If Michael was moving to Alpine Grove, he was going to have to get used to bad roads.
“I may need to trade this thing in before I move. I’m guessing winter driving isn’t going to be better.”
“Not usually. But the snow does fill in the holes.” Turning them into miniature skating rinks.
Michael pulled the car up near the house. Maria and Kat were outside examining something in the yard. Maria was wearing tight spandex pants and heels. She shook her finger at Kat. “I think we should squish it. That thing was on your head. When you were in the house.”
Kat cringed and shook her hands in front of her in disgust. “So gross. So gross.”
“Are you guys okay?” Jan asked as she walked up to them. It looked like they were doing some kind of rain dance with lots of waving and pointing.
Kat pointed at the insect that was crawling around on the ground in front of them. “That...that thing fell off the ceiling and landed on my head. Then it was crawling on me. I am so grossed out right now.”
“She went screaming out that door.” Maria inclined her head toward the house. “It wasn’t pretty. I think Joel mighta blown a gasket, he was laughing so hard.”
Michael crouched down to get a closer look. “That is one big beetle. What is it?”
Jan bent to examine the insect. “It’s a Western Conifer Seed Bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis or WCSB. They�
��re very common around here. In the fall, they tend to move inside to find a place to winter over. They’re harmless, but produce a piney odor when provoked, so sometimes they’re confused with stink bugs.”
Kat shuddered. “Oh my God, they’re moving inside?”
The insect buzzed loudly and took off toward the trees. Maria shrieked and Kat ran away from the bug toward the house.
Jan looked at Michael. “I guess I provoked it. Would you get the dogs?”
“Sure.” He turned to walk back to the car, his feet crunching through the leaves.
After the bout of mild hysteria, Maria had composed herself and was checking her own hair for insect life. She leaned her head toward Jan. “There isn’t anything in there, is there? Now I have bug paranoia. I hate that.”
Jan peered at Maria’s mop of dark hair and pushed a few curls around. “I don’t see anything. I think you’re fine.”
Kat waved from the relative safety of the steps. “Sorry about that. It’s nice to see you again. Do you want to come inside?”
Michael approached with Swoosie and Rosa on leashes. “Thanks.” Rosa was walking sedately and Swoosie was trying to tie a square knot around Michael with her leash. He bent to try to extricate his left leg from the leash.
Jan said to Maria, “I don’t think you’ve met Michael.”
Maria extended her hand to Michael. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Jan.”
Michael stood and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you too.” Swoosie was trying to yank him toward the house. “I think Swoosie is excited.” He turned to follow the dogs up the steps.
Maria turned to Jan, gave her a nudge, and whispered. “Damn, girlfriend, you weren’t kidding. He really is just smokin’ hot.” She fanned her face with her hands.
Jan blushed. “Yes. I, ah, think so too.” Her skin’s tendency to turn crimson at the slightest provocation was annoying. The last couple of days since Michael had returned to Alpine Grove had been better than she could have ever imagined.
Maria and Jan went into the house and they all settled inside around the kitchen table. Michael had brought treats to keep Swoosie’s attention so she wouldn’t sneak off and try to eat the house. The dog sat with her chin on his leg, hoping for a handout.
Kat said, “Thanks for coming out here to help me. I really need to name this as-yet-unbuilt kennel so I can board dogs. I am so not experienced with anything marketing-related. In fact, I purposely avoided anything to do with marketing when I was a technical writer.” She turned to Michael. “I read about brainstorming and it turns out I’m terrible at it.”
Michael smiled. “It’s not a big deal. The main thing is to get a lot of different people together, so you get a wide range of ideas. You have to consider all of the ideas, even if they don’t seem like they make sense.”
“Even if they’re stupid?” Maria said.
“No matter how weird or off-the-wall something is, you are supposed to write it down.” Michael said. “Sometimes a bad idea will spur another better idea.”
“Can we drink wine?” Maria asked. “I’m pouring, and after seeing that bug, I need a big glass. It was prehistoric. Like a tiny six-legged tyrannosaurus rex.”
“None for me, thank you,” Jan said. Never again.
Kat held her pen in the air. “Okay. I have a notepad and I’m writing stuff down.”
Michael looked at Kat. “So what image do you want the name to convey?”
Kat bent and put her forehead on the table. “You’re asking me questions? I didn’t know there was going to be a test.”
“How about words that reflect what you want people to think of when they are bringing you their treasured family pet?” Michael paused and stroked the fur on Swoosie’s head. “When I brought Swoosie to doggie boot camp in San Diego, I was looking for a place that was reliable, professional, trustworthy, and so forth. See what I mean?”
Kat raised her head. “That’s good. I’m trustworthy. I didn’t lose Rosa, anyway.”
“And she was an escape artist!” Maria said. “That dog is wily.”
“That’s reassuring,” Michael said. “Jan may be going with me to Russia, so I wanted to see if you’d be up for taking care of Swoosie, too.”
Jan shook her head. “No, I am not going to Russia.” She had done quite enough traveling for a while.
Michael looked at her. “She’s thinking about it.” He turned to Kat. “Swoosie is a lot more, ah, difficult to take care of than Rosa.”
Kat looked over at Swoosie, who still had her head on Michael’s leg. The dog wagged and smiled. “She looks adorable right now.”
“Swoosie has an eating disorder,” Jan said.
“I’m sorry. Is she okay?” Kat said.
Michael smiled. “Jan means that Swoosie eats everything. Whether or not it’s edible. So let’s get back to the brainstorming. How about saying the first dog-related words that come to mind? I’ll start. Hound, dog, woof, tail, wag, bark, puppy, paws, canine.”
Maria said. “Cujo!”
“I think scary dogs may not be what Kat is after here.” Jan said.
Kat said, “I prefer happy dogs, thanks. Not rabid ones. I think that might attract the wrong clientele.”
Jan said, “Happy Hounds, Hound Haven, Happy Tails, Wagging Tails, Puppy Paradise.”
“Hey, you’re good at this.” Michael said. “Some of those aren’t too bad.”
Joel nudged Kat, who was furiously writing down names. “At least someone is good at this.”
Michael said, “How about the kennel aspect? In San Diego lots of pet businesses include the words resort or spa, for example.”
“I think this is more like camping out.” Maria said. “In a leaky tent.”
Kat glared at her. “Hey, we’re working on it. It’s more like a bed and breakfast.”
Jan said, “Or a bed and biscuit?”
“Exactly.” Kat nodded. “We’ve got trails, too. Tails and trails.”
Michael crossed his arms on the table. “Do you want to include any local reference? Many businesses include the name of the town or are named after some geographic feature like a mountain range.”
“I already came up with Alpine Grove Dog Boarding.” Joel said. “It was deemed too boring.”
Kat said, “But what if we do grooming? Then it doesn’t work, anyway.”
“That’s a good point.” Michael said. “You might want to keep it general. Do you want to include your name?”
“Kat’s dog boarding is just a recipe for confusion,” Kat said. “My last name is Stevens which sounds like an accountant’s name. Blech.”
After another hour of questions and brainstorming, Kat had many naming options to ponder. She waved her notepad in the air. “I’ve got ideas. I totally owe you some free dog-boarding now!”
Michael smiled. “We might take you up on that.”
Jan shook her head. “Not immediately, though. We have a lot to do to get Michael moved here and settled before winter arrives.”
Kat gave both Jan and Michael a hug goodbye. “Thank you both.” She bent down to pet Rosa and Swoosie. “It was good seeing you two, as well. You behave yourselves.”
Chapter 15
Epilogue
After Jan and Michael drove home and fed the dogs, they were sitting on the sofa relaxing. Jan was leaning against Michael, reading the remnants of her library book.
“Your dog ate the ending of this mystery. I’m never going to find out what happened.”
Michael bent to kiss her neck. “I’m afraid your dog participated. Buy a new one.”
“The library book budget is being cut again. The board of directors wants to divert money to add computers. I think Jill may cry if they put more computers in the building. And she’s already mad at me for taking so much time off.”
Michael put his book down and cupped her chin with his hand to turn her head to his. “Speaking of time off, why won’t you go to Russia with me? It’s only for two weeks.�
�
Jan turned around to face him. “I can’t. It’s too much time. I should be working and getting organized. There’s so much to do to get you moved up here. You are going to sell your house and that means finding a real estate agent and listing it and pricing it. There are forms that will have to be signed. And when it sells, there’s organizing movers. Going through stuff. Deciding what to keep and what to give away. And you need an office here. So that means looking at office space. More real estate agents and rental agreements. And I have to work. It’s just too much.”
Michael smiled and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “You have 49 lists already. It will all happen. You don’t have to have it all figured out right now. Come with me. We just agreed that we can’t stand being a few hours apart. I certainly don’t want to spend two weeks on the other side of the world without you.”
Jan shook her head. “I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t.”
“Who says?”
Jan rolled her eyes. “Oh please. You sound like a ten-year old.”
“You say that a lot, but I know you think it’s endearing.” He grinned and then kissed her. “I mean it. Who says you shouldn’t go? Why are you should-ing all over yourself? Think about all the fun people-watching we could do. It could be incredible. Can you imagine? And I promise I’ll keep you away from the vodka.”
“You’re very kind.” Just the word vodka gave her a twinge in her stomach.
Michael looked into her eyes. “You could really help me on this trip. You were great at brainstorming at Kat’s. And I’ve told you before that you are a one-woman research department. I don’t think you understand how ad agencies would kill to have access to your encyclopedic knowledge. Just come with me. Take a chance. It could be fun. The library will still be there when we get back.”
Jan kissed him. “I will admit you have given me a new appreciation for fun. But I have responsibilities.”
“This is only the beginning of fun. We had fun in San Diego. We had fun here in Alpine Grove. There’s no reason we wouldn’t have fun in Russia, too. Fun is good. You should try it more often.”
Fuzzy Logic Page 23