Stepping over the threshold, Bella is struck by the contrast between Valley View and her weekend accommodations.
Millicent’s penthouse is filled with gleaming glass, metal, and stone. The contemporary layout is all rectangular edges; the modern light fixtures are stark and bright. The décor is white, white and more white.
Here, the palate is warm and eclectic – amber brocade wallpaper, carved mahogany woodwork, richly patterned fabrics, lace curtains, jewel-toned stained-glass window panels. Golden light spills from ochre globes on wall sconces and the bronze Victorian chandelier suspended from a scrolled plaster medallion.
And while Millicent’s place smells as sterile as it looks – not that there’s anything wrong with cleanliness – Valley View is wonderfully fragrant, a mixture of old wood, honeysuckle from the vase on the console, and …
‘Do I smell Italian food?’ Bella asks Drew as he sets down the bags and closes the door behind them.
‘There’s a lasagna in the oven. I figured you’d be hungry.’
‘You made a lasagna?’
‘I bought a lasagna. And it should be ready in …’ He checks his watch. ‘Ten minutes.’
‘You’re amazing. Thank you. Max will be thrilled. He loves lasagna.’
‘So I hear. He’s upstairs looking for Chance and Spidey, so …’ He clears his throat. ‘Listen, Bella, I had an unexpected rescue yesterday.’
It’s what he does. He rescues animals.
Something he’d recently told her comes back to her now. ‘If ever there was a woman who didn’t need rescuing, it’s you.’
It had been exactly what she’d needed to hear in that moment.
In this one, she asks, ‘Aren’t all of your rescues unexpected?’
‘Some more than others.’
‘We’re talking about the puppies?’ she asks, helping herself to a handful of M&Ms from the crystal bowl on the registration desk.
‘Yes. You know, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly word gets out around here about—’
‘Everything,’ Bella says. ‘It’s just like any small town, I guess. You can’t keep a secret.’
‘I wasn’t trying to. I just didn’t want to worry you about anything here on a weekend when you were supposed to be relaxing and having fun.’
Relaxing and fun don’t entirely describe the last forty-eight hours. Certainly not the last twelve or so.
‘Anyway, I’d have brought them to my place,’ Drew goes on, ‘but Janet is staying there with the kittens.’
‘There are kittens?’
‘There are always kittens. Two nursing litters at the moment, and a pair of orphans, and they all have to be kept in separate rooms from each other and the puppies, and with the bird … well, there aren’t enough rooms.’
‘Did you say bird?’
‘Yes. The cockatoo.’ At her blank expression, he says, ‘I didn’t tell you about the cockatoo?’
‘You did not.’
‘Ah. There’s a cockatoo. Long story. Anyway, that’s why I brought the puppies here. But don’t worry, we’re all clearing out of here.’
‘I’m not worried.’ In fact, she feels a pang of sadness at the thought of Drew leaving so soon. ‘If you can’t bring the puppies home, where will you go?’
‘To the animal hospital. There’s a kennel for them, and I can sleep on the couch in the waiting room.’
‘Couch? You mean that hard bench? And they’ll hate being in the kennel. Drew, why don’t you just stay here? At least for tonight. It’s late.’
He checks his watch. ‘Not that late.’
‘Late enough, and we have a lot of catching up to do. I need to find out what’s been going on around here all weekend and … well, I didn’t even know you were fostering a cockatoo. So there’s that.’
‘Yes, and I wanted to hear about the wedding, and Chicago, and … I’m sure you have a lot to tell me.’
‘I do.’ About the wedding, and Chicago, and—
No. Not that.
As much as she longs to tell someone about seeing Sam at the airport, Drew is probably the last person with whom she should discuss it. As close as they are, and as much as she values his opinion, she never feels comfortable bringing up her late husband.
But that doesn’t mean she wants to be alone tonight. Quite the opposite.
‘Please stay, Drew. You wouldn’t even have to sleep in the parlor.’
He raises an eyebrow.
‘No! I don’t mean … I mean, I have an empty room because of the cancellation, so you can stay there. The, um, the Apple Room, isn’t it? Or … wait, the Teacup Suite?’ she guesses, like a clueless gameshow contestant.
‘Tommy and Candace are there, remember?’ At her blank look, he says, ‘The TV stars?’
‘Oh! The Specter Inspectors. I did know that. Which room did you say is vacant now?’
‘I didn’t, but it’s the Jungle Room. And I might just take you up on it, if you’re sure you don’t mind. Janet thinks she found someone to take the orphaned pair of kittens tomorrow, and then I can go home with this crew.’
‘This crew?’
‘The dogs.’
‘Right! I want to hear all about them, too.’
‘Bella? Are you sure you’re OK?’
‘Yes! Why wouldn’t I be OK?’
Max’s footsteps bound along the upstairs hall. ‘Doctor Drew, I did all the stuff you said! I changed into my pjs and I’m all clean. Can I play with the puppies now?’
Drew looks at Bella. ‘Want to see them? They’re awfully sweet.’
‘Wouldn’t miss it.’
They’re sequestered in the mudroom off the kitchen, a trio of romping scamps overseen by a large, long-eared brown-and-white hound whose hazel eyes regard the visitors warily as they peek in.
‘See, Max? She’s a good mama, making sure her babies are safe,’ Bella says.
‘Actually, that’s not the mom,’ Drew says. ‘It’s a male dog.’
‘Is he the daddy?’ Max asks.
‘It’s hard to say. They were found under a backyard deck in Forestville yesterday morning. The homeowner had never seen them before, but there’s a coyote den in the woods on his property, and …’ He pauses to clear his throat. ‘Anyway, he called me, and I picked them up right away.’
‘What about the mommy?’
‘She wasn’t there,’ Drew tells Max, and flicks a somber glance at Bella.
Ah, there’s more to the story – and it isn’t pleasant. There are so many tragedies in Drew’s line of work, she thinks, remembering the orphaned kittens at his place. But there are lots of happily ever afters, too.
‘What kind of dogs are they, Dr Drew?’ Max asks.
‘The big guy is an American foxhound, maybe a purebred hunting dog.’
‘How do you know that?’
‘His markings, his build …’
‘What does he hunt?’
Drew, the animal lover, sidesteps the question. ‘Maybe bad guys. He can sniff out a bad guy from miles away with that nose.’
‘What about the puppies? They don’t look like him. They don’t even look like each other.’
‘I’d say they’re a mix of Lab and terrier.’
‘Are you sure they’re all brothers and sisters?’
Drew laughs. ‘I’m sure. Siblings don’t always look alike.’
‘The St Clair sisters look exactly alike,’ Max says, referring to a pair of Valley View regulars who are, indeed, identical, though not twins.
‘Are the St Clair sisters puppies?’ Drew asks.
Max giggles. ‘No! They’re old ladies!’
‘Well, that explains it. Puppies don’t always look like their siblings, even when they’re from the same litter.’
‘How old are they, Dr Drew?’
‘Probably about two months. Their mama must have been caring for them until she – well, until recently, because they’re healthy.’
‘Maybe you can go back and find her,’ Max suggests. ‘Maybe she’s just hiding. Jiffy’s dog Jelly likes to hide.’
‘Maybe. Come on, we have a few more minutes before dinner is ready. Do you want to see them up close, Max?’
‘Yes!’
As Drew opens the door wider and gestures for them to step into the mudroom, a tiny brown figure darts for the threshold.
‘Uh-oh, not again.’ Drew scoops him up before he escapes. ‘This little guy makes a dash for it every chance he gets.’
He closes the door and redeposits the puppy on the floor, where the others welcome their siblings back with a playful pounce. They’re playing with what might be a stuffed animal, or a chew toy, or maybe a wadded-up sock. It’s hard to tell in the tumbling, tail-wagging, squealing action.
‘They’re so cute!’ Max crouches on the floor beside them. ‘Aren’t they so cute, Mom?’
‘They are.’
‘Can I—’
Drew intercepts the question. ‘Hold one? Sure.’ He extracts a wriggling ball of white fur from the wrestling match. ‘Here you go, Max. She’s more fragile than she looks, so I’ll show you how.’
He kneels and settles the puppy in Max’s arms under the Lab’s watchful gaze.
‘Like this, Doctor Drew?’
‘Exactly like that. Good job.’
‘What’s her name?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘It should be Krypto. Doesn’t she look like Krypto, Mom?’ Max asks.
‘Krypto?’
‘Superman’s dog!’ Drew and Max say in unison.
Max grins. ‘You know Krypto, Dr Drew?’
‘Of course. Those were my favorite comics when I was your age.’
‘Hey, just like my dad! Right, Mom?’
Bella nods, though it isn’t something she’d ever discussed with Sam. This knowledge and this memory belong solely to Max.
‘I wish this puppy could be named Krypto even though she’s a girl and even though she’s not mine,’ Max says.
‘Then Krypto she shall be.’
‘Wow, really? I get to name her?’
‘Why not?’ Drew asks. ‘You can name them all.’
‘Even the Daddy?’
‘Sure.’
Bella swallows hard and presses her palms over her teary eyes, rubbing them as if she’s exhausted – which, of course, she is. That’s why she’s so emotional.
That, and thinking she’d seen Sam at the airport, and watching Drew with Max, and Max and Drew with the motherless puppies …
‘Did you hear that, little doggy? Your name is Krypto!’ Max gasps, and giggles. ‘She’s licking my face. That tickles.’
‘It means she likes you,’ Drew says.
‘I wish I could keep her. Hey, Mom, can I please … Mom? What are you doing?’
She sighs and looks at him, hoping he can’t tell she’s on the verge of tears. ‘I’m just tired, Max. How about you?’
‘No, because it’s not my bedtime yet,’ he says quickly, and turns back to the puppy.
He knows what she was asking, though. He doesn’t want to talk about it, and she’s not about to press the matter. Maybe she’ll bring it up tomorrow. Or maybe, when she’s well-rested and clear-headed in the broad light of a new day, she’ll settle on an obvious, scientific explanation for what happened.
But Lily Dale being Lily Dale … she wouldn’t bet on it.