Bill stayed with Misty. It seemed the right thing to do in spite of what had happened between them. He could not walk away and leave her there with a crushed car and a terror of a dog. So Bill stayed, embracing her until she was out of tears, and tried to talk through some practical next steps regarding tow trucks and rental cars.
When the tow truck driver arrived, he let out a hearty guffaw and announced they would need a bigger rig, which would not be available until late the following day as it would have to be dispatched from yet another town.
“In my opinion you ought to just leave it there,” the driver said. “Could become a tourist attraction. You never know.”
Misty did not appear to see the humor. She sat cross-legged in a patch of shade, staring gloomily at her crushed car, her violin case in her lap. Bill wanted desperately to comfort her, but his was not the support she needed. At least he could give her a ride, so he offered to escort her back to Chocolate Heaven and drive her back to her trailer after he stopped to fetch Fiona.
She didn’t seem eager about the arrangement, but at least she hadn’t outright declined. What’s more, she allowed him to collect Jellybean, though the looks she shot at the dog were venomous.
“It’s like he wants to destroy me, to keep me prisoner here in Albatross,” she muttered.
I should thank Jellybean for that, Bill thought, recalling that it was the naughty dog who brought Misty into his shop in the first place. Painful though it was to consider what he’d lost, he would always be grateful that he’d gotten to know her.
After the preschool pickup, Fiona was thrilled to find Jellybean in the backseat of the van and immediately set to work scratching him in all the places that made his eyes roll in pleasure. Jellybean seemed not the least contrite for the disaster he’d caused. Bill admired his ability to hold on to the positives in life. An idea dawned.
“You know, I was thinking,” Bill said.
Misty continued to stare ahead, drumming her fingers on the violin case.
“It seems like Jellybean might not be a good fit for your apartment, and he causes all kinds of trouble in Albatross, so what about Ernest?”
She glanced at him. “Ernest?”
“Yeah. He owned Jelly for a while, and the dog gets along great with Gumdrop and Jujube. Maybe he’d take him back for you.”
A smile spread across her face. “You think he would?”
“You could call him and ask,” Bill said.
“That’s a great idea,” she said. “Why didn’t I think of it?”
He would have offered a funny remark if things were different, but his good humor was at an all-time low, so he fetched the phone from his glove box and handed it to her.
She glanced at the screen. “You have three missed calls and a message from the same number.”
“Yeah?” He was not in the habit of checking his phone because he didn’t really understand half the buttons on it, and he’d never figured out how to get to the messages. He kept his eyes on the road. He could not bring himself to ask her to check for him. Exactly why you let her go, Bill. Don’t forget it.
“I’ll check it out later.”
Misty called Ernest. When she hung up, her whole body sagged in relief. “He’s going to take Jellybean until Lawrence shows up, if he ever shows up.”
“Awesome. When?”
“He said anytime, so I could bring him right now, if…” She hesitated. “If you can give me a ride, I mean.”
He squirmed. “I, uh, really should be back at the shop.” The real truth was, he was reluctant to spend a moment more with Misty than he had to. The shame and the yearning were too great.
She gazed out the window. “I understand. Sorry I asked. It was thoughtless.”
“No, I get it. I mean, the dog just totaled your car. Let’s go right now. It’s okay.”
She tried to talk him out of it, but he was determined. If she could off-load the dog, it would be one more step toward getting what she wanted—to leave Albatross for good. It’s the right thing for both of us, Bill told his churning stomach.
She chewed a fingernail as they drove along until he couldn’t stand the quiet. “What’s on your mind?”
“Something Jack said. I saw him at the Lady Bird yesterday.”
Jack. The name made his jaw muscles clamp down tight. They’d been making dinner plans, he figured. Why not? Jack was a real man, the kind who came with an education and a bright future. With an effort, he kept his tone level.
“What did Jack have to say?”
“That Lawrence was supposed to give some sort of speech Friday night to kick off the Silver Screen Festival. I wished I’d had the chance to tell him on the phone. He might have come back just for the opportunity to address his fans directly.”
“Maybe he will call again.”
“Then I’d better stop somewhere in Twin Pines and get a new cell phone, just in case.”
“Right.” They traveled on. Fiona slept with Jellybean curled up on her lap.
“Adorable,” Misty said. “You’d never guess in real life Jelly could be such a handful.”
“Fiona too. Sleeping, they look like angels.”
Bill’s phone buzzed.
“Missed call again?” he asked.
“No,” she said, looking at the screen. “A text this time.”
His mind began to spin. What if the shop was burning down? Or Gunther had an accident?
He felt her looking at him. “Do you want me to tell you what it says?” she said softly.
Because you can’t read a simple sentence?
His skin flamed hot.
Let her, he told himself. Let her see the kind of life she was getting away from.
“Yes,” he choked out.
“It’s from Catherine Anderson.”
His head jerked toward her. “Catherine Anderson? That’s Fiona’s aunt.”
“The one who was overseas?”
“Yeah. What does she say?”
Misty read the message. “She said she’s been calling and calling. She’s on her way to Albatross right now. Actually, she’ll be at your shop within the hour.” Misty’s eyes opened wide. “Better turn around, Bill. I’ll get Jellybean to Ernest later. Let’s get you back so Fiona can see her aunt.”
“She’s never shown much interest before.”
“Maybe she’s come home for a while. Where does she live?”
“Georgia, I think, when she’s in the States. Long way to come just for a visit.”
She studied his face. “I’m sure that’s all it is. Just a surprise visit.”
Misty’s calm reasoning did not totally erase the nervous twinge in his gut.
Bill drove faster than he should have, and they arrived at Chocolate Heaven within the hour. He lugged a cranky Fiona out of the car. Her hair was sticking up in all directions, and she was not at all pleased to be awakened from her nap. Jellybean wasn’t either, but Misty clipped him to his leash.
They entered the shop to find Gunther up to his elbows in yellow rubber gloves and a wide lake of brown chocolate on the floor.
“Conching machine’s busted, and I tipped it over trying to fix it. Place is a mess.”
Bill groaned, trying to restrain a wriggling Fiona. “Hold on, Fee. I don’t want you in the chocolate.”
Fiona wriggled harder, turning her body into a floppy fish that Bill struggled to hold on to. “Stop it, Fee.”
But she would not stop. Flailing was added to the wiggling, and Bill was not able to hang on. She slid from his arms, and he only barely managed to grab her hand to keep her from falling. Held by Bill’s grasp, her feet hit the chocolate and skidded out from under her, splashing both of them in melted goo.
Jellybean raced forward, tugging on the leash and trotting right into the chocolate before Misty could stop him. She hauled him back but not before his torso was sticky, his muzzle dripping from where he’d tried to lap it up.
“Chocolate is poison to dogs,” Gunther hollered. “Don’t let him eat any more.”
Misty snatched him up, and he promptly shook his coat, vigorously splattering her, Bill, the screaming Fiona, and the woman in the white jacket and pants who stepped through the door at that moment.
The lady recoiled as if she’d been struck. “What did I just get all over me?”
“Chocolate,” Bill said weakly. “Hello, Catherine.”
Jellybean strained to get close enough to the newcomer to welcome her properly, but Misty kept him back.
Catherine dabbed at her jacket with a napkin she pulled from the nearby table. “Hello, Bill.” She looked down at Fiona and smiled. “Hey there, sweetie. You’re a sticky mess.”
Fiona stopped thrashing at last. Jellybean whined, flopping his ears and sending more chocolate flying.
“I’m sorry, Catherine. It’s good to see you, but we’ve had a little chocolate accident,” Bill said. “Can you give me some time to get things cleaned up and we can start this visit over?”
A frown creased her brow. “I only have a few minutes before I have to present a report to an overseas client, and that might take a long while. I’ll just go check into the Lady Bird, and we’ll try this again tomorrow morning, okay?”
He nodded. “Can I…are you just here to visit your niece, by the way? I was just wondering if there’s any other reason.”
“A visit, yes.” Her eyes drifted across the splattered shop. “And to talk about a possible new arrangement. We could have talked on the phone before. I called a half dozen times.”
“Sorry about that,” Bill said. He did not even try to offer a lame excuse.
Catherine waved a hand. “No harm done. See you tomorrow.”
The bells accompanied her departure.
His eyes met Misty’s as she held Jellybean, her own clothes doused with chocolate. Bill could not read much of anything, but he deciphered the meaning behind Catherine’s words just fine.
A new arrangement.
He saw in Misty’s worried gaze that she’d gotten the same message too.