Tierney rang the doorbell and took a step back. A dog barked, and then Leanne opened the door, smiling brightly. “Welcome!” Timo the cocker spaniel came running and circled Tierney’s feet, jumping up at her constantly. Only when he realized she wasn’t impressed did he plop down on his butt and merely stare at her with his tongue lolling. Not unlike Charley, but smaller.
Leanne beamed. “This is great! I was actually pretty sure Ms. Bonnaire would have showed you the door that first day.” She waved at Tierney to come inside. “I’ll just get Timo’s leash and collar.” She opened the door to a narrow closet just inside the front door. “Tell me. Did the whole Frances-sent-me idea really work that well?” She strapped the collar around Timo’s neck and handed the leash to Tierney, who hadn’t found a large-enough pause in Leanne’s word flow to answer her.
“I didn’t lie to her,” Tierney said, hoping Leanne wouldn’t pry for information about Giselle or her.
“Just a white lie, if you ask me.” Leanne winked, and her bright orange-red lips pulled into a wide smile. “All for a worthy cause.”
“As I said, I didn’t have to lie. Ms. Bonnaire hired me anyway. Full-time, really.” Tierney motioned toward Timo, who was now tugging at the leash with his little white teeth. “I’ll have him back in an hour.”
“Oh. Okay. Sure. That’ll be great.” Leanne looked disappointed at Tierney’s reluctance to gossip. “I’m working from home today. I’ll be here.”
“See you in an hour then.” Nodding politely, Tierney gave a light tug at the leash and made a startling ptcht sound, which made Timo let go of the leash. “Now that’s a good boy. Come on. Let’s go for a walk.” She strolled down the road leading to the marina and the beach beyond it. The parking lot was full of cars, which meant business was booming for Mike, as she owned the coffeehouse called the Sea Stone Café. Studying the many fancy yachts, sailboats, and motorboats along the docks for a moment, Tierney shook her head at how different her world must be from that of the people who owned them.
She followed the gravel path leading past the marina and headed toward the dunes that in turn would take her to the beach. She doubted dogs were allowed all the way down to the water at this time of year, but she hoped it would be possible farther north.
Timo seemed to be on his best behavior. Perhaps it was all the unfamiliar scents tempting his nose or the fact that Tierney spoke to him in a calm, friendly voice and wouldn’t let him get away with pulling on the leash. He was no doubt used to his owner’s chatty nature, even if she was more soft-spoken than the friend who had been with her that first day—Daphne, was it? Tierney couldn’t remember.
As she walked up and down the dunes, which was great exercise for both of them, Tierney spotted a tall person walking two dogs. Huge dogs. It took Tierney only a second to realize it was Mike with hers and Vivian’s dogs. Tierney waved, hoping to exchange a few words with the charismatic woman. If Tierney hadn’t led such a nomadic life, Mike could have become a very good friend. She could feel it.
“Tierney!” Mike called out from a distance. “What a great surprise.” She stopped a few yards from Tierney when she spotted Timo. “And who’s that little fellow?”
Tierney introduced her new friend but refrained from telling Mike whose dog it was. Leanne might have other values in life when it came to matters of the truth, but she would still benefit from Tierney’s rule of confidentiality.
“I recognize him, I think.” Mike frowned. “Remember, I meet a lot of people when I’m at the café. I think that’s the chief of police’s cocker spaniel. He’s met our boys before.” Mike let the huge Great Danes closer. She had them on a joined leash, easily handling them. “Perry, Mason. Remember, he’s little. Be gentle.”
Perry and Mason resembled giraffes as they dipped their heads to sniff the now-dwarfed Timo. After yelping once at their towering over him, Timo seemed to recognize them and began to wag his tail.
“How about if we go farther up the dunes together? I know some great paths up there.” Mike smiled. “I want to hear all about your progress with the music.”
Tierney began walking next to Mike, glad she could combine work with some extra fun. “Actually, we made some headway today. It’s quite the miracle, since we were driving all night.”
Mike stopped so fast, Perry and Mason nearly made her topple over. “You were driving in the night with Giselle?” She gaped. “What the…I mean, why?”
Tierney saw no point in keeping Stephanie’s presence a secret, since Vivian and Mike would meet her the next time they visited Giselle. Keeping most of the detail out of her recounting of last night’s ordeal, she told Mike the gist of it all.
Mike began walking again but kept her eyes on Tierney. “Am I right to understand that you not only persuaded Giselle to keep you around, but you also talked her into making room for a kid in need of shelter—under her own roof?”
“That’s about it, I suppose. You do make me out to be rather manipulative, you know.” Only half joking, Tierney nudged Mike’s arm with her shoulder.
“No, no. Not at all. In fact, I think it’s great. If you only knew how many times Vivian and I, and the others in Chicory Ariose, have despaired at Giselle’s solitude. Sometimes I’ve dreaded going to her house, as it pained me so bad that we had to leave her there alone when we went home to our respective happy relationships. She would stand in the window, holding Charley back so she wouldn’t run out, jump the fence, and chase our cars. Don’t get me wrong. Giselle is a formidable woman in her own right, but that doesn’t make her less lonely. Your presence, and this kid, Stephanie, is just what she needs.”
“From your mouth to…” She shrugged, afraid she might have let too much of her newfound, hopeless attraction—and affection—when it came to Giselle show. “It’s temporary. All of it.” Tierney’s voice wobbled, and she coughed, embarrassed.
“Do you wish it would be more, well, permanent?” Mike asked gently.
“That’d be presumptuous, wouldn’t it?” Tierney turned her head and focused on Timo, who was now busy digging a hole in the sand. One of the Great Danes looked longingly at him and then decided to stealthily assist Timo with one gentle paw.
“No. I don’t think so. We feel what we feel. To hell with conventional ways to handle ourselves. I can tell you care for Giselle. At what level, and in what capacity, that’s your business, and I won’t pry.”
It was as refreshing as it was intimidating to be with someone as straightforward as Mike. With her black hair and dark-blue eyes, she was such a stunning woman. She and Vivian had initially appeared mismatched, but one only had to be in their presence for ten minutes to feel the love between them. And if Tierney could sense that about them—after all, they were virtual strangers—perhaps it wasn’t as unlikely that Mike could do the same when it came to Tierney’s feelings for Giselle.
“Stephanie sounds like a terrific kid,” Mike said, changing the subject. “I know quite a bit about growing up that way. I lived on the street for a while, before the Belmont Foundation gave me the chance of a lifetime. That’s how I saw it. Thanks to them, I could buy the café, which was in poor condition, renovate it, and watch it grow into what it is today. That in turn sent Vivian my way, which later brought Manon and Erin. So, and I’m not trying to be a know-it-all here, please don’t think that. Who knows what the future will bring for you, and for Stephanie?”
Tierney wanted to put on her usual armor and claim that no orphan, or kid in the system, would ever presume to dream that big—not if they knew what was good for them. Such high-flying dreams led to heartache and devastation. But this was Mike, someone with a similar background to her own, and that made it impossible to dismiss what she was saying.
Not wanting to comment on Mike’s words, Tierney checked her phone. “Hey. It was nice to see you again, Mike. I better get Timo home. His owner is a bit…particular.” She smiled, her less-than-authentic one that felt more like a grimace. “And I heard you,” Tierney added, not wanting Mike to think otherwise. “Thanks.”
Mike placed a hand on Tierney’s shoulder. “Giselle has my number if you ever need to, you know, chat. About anything. And just so you know, I never gossip. Not even to the love of my life.”
Thinking about the amazing, beautiful Vivian, who had captured the heart of the entire music world, Tierney could relax into a genuine smile. “Anything I share with you about myself, you can tell Vivian. She’s cool.”
Mike chuckled. “I’ll tell her you said so. That’ll make her day.”
They parted after having to pull Timo away from his gigantic friends. As Tierney walked back toward his home, she pondered what Mike had said. She thought Tierney was good for Giselle. And coming from Mike, it hadn’t sounded like she meant in more a professional capacity—more like personal. But how personal and in what way, exactly?
No matter what way, Tierney had risked her heart, whether Giselle was into women or not.
The walk back took only ten minutes, and Tierney found Leanne waiting for her on the sidewalk. She was frowning, and Tierney’s heart sank. Now what?
“You’re twelve minutes late. I was worried.” Leanne bent and patted Timo. Being very excited to see her, he placed his paws on her thighs. “Timo! Where have you been? You’re dirty!” Leanne didn’t just frown anymore. She scowled at Tierney. “Where have you been walking him?”
“Among the dunes. And I know I said an hour, but he had so much fun with a couple of dogs we met and—”
“Dogs? You let him play with some strange dogs? Are you insane? They could have parasites, heartworm, or any other communicable disease. What were you thinking?”
Trembling now, from anger and from being upset, Tierney replied, “I never put him in danger. Mike said Timo knows Perry and Mason, and all they did was dig in the sand. See? It’s falling right off when it dries.” Tierney motioned toward Leanne’s trousers.
Yanking the leash out of Tierney’s hand, Leanne brushed her knees with her free hand. Then she stopped in mid-motion, her face mellowing. “Mike? As in Michaela Stone?”
“Yes.”
“And you suddenly know her?” Leanne tapped her chin. “Ah, of course. She’s been to Ms. Bonnaire’s house. I’ve heard they sometimes collaborate. Well, then. That’s all right then. Still, I loathe tardiness. Next time—”
“Excuse me.” Furious still at the way Leanne had talked to her, Tierney held up a hand, palm forward. “I’m not so sure there’ll be a next time. Timo is a great dog, and he listens very well once he understands that’s what the person walking him wants. That said, I’m not going to subject myself to verbal abuse like this. You don’t pay me well enough for that.”
Leanne gaped. “Wait a minute. Who do you think you are? From where I’m standing, you’re a stranger to our town, arriving here and looking for odd jobs. You claim you’re touring colleges, but how do I know that’s true. Maybe it’s a good thing my husband insisted on running a nationwide search on you to make sure you wouldn’t run off with Timo. He’s our baby.”
So cold now, Tierney pulled her hands into her sleeves. “Go right ahead. Do your searches. That won’t change the fact that I did an excellent job walking your dog. Some sand between the toes never hurt anyone. Neither has going on an impromptu play date with a four-legged buddy. Just give me what we agreed on for today, and you won’t have to deal with this insane, inept, and tardy person again.”
“Hmm. I really should deduct for the time you made me wait, but nobody will ever say I’m not a woman of my word. Here.” Holding out the money for Tierney, Leanne raised her chin in a clear challenge. “Don’t get too comfortable at Ms. Bonnaire’s. I’m sure she’ll find it interesting to learn that you planned to trick your way into her house.”
“I’m sure she will—oh, right—she already knows. I told her on the first day about the two helpful acquaintances of hers that I met in town, and how they encouraged me in a very special way to apply for the job as her assistant.”
It would have been entertaining, if it hadn’t been so appalling, to study Leanne’s expression. She went from smirking superiority to furious apprehension in seconds.
After grabbing the bike she’d leaned against the fence, Tierney unlocked it and mounted it in one fluid movement. She didn’t say good-bye—that would have been hypocritical—but she sped down the road where one posh, mansion-looking house after another seemed to lean toward her. She couldn’t wait to get back to Giselle and Stephanie. Tierney groaned. Now she had a whole other problem to consider. Should she wait and see if Leanne’s cop husband would find she had a sealed juvenile record or tell Giselle beforehand?
Turning the corner, Tierney was relieved that the return trip was downhill. She’d spent a lot of energy going off on the horrible dog-owner, and now she could just let the bicycle roll down the hill. The wind caressed her face, whipped her hair around her neck, and whistled where it found the maples and shrubbery.
As she reached the intersection at the bottom of the hill, she shifted her grip to squeeze the brakes on the handlebar. Nothing happened. Her heart thundering, Tierney tried again. And again. And again. Watching the traffic go by in the intersection, she put her feet down, trying to press her soles to the asphalt. She barely reached it with the tip of her toes. The cars and trucks seemed to approach sideways as they zoomed across the road she approached from.
“Ahh!” Judging that she had only one option to save herself from certain death, Tierney turned the handlebars a sharp right. The next thing she knew, everything blurred, a lot hurt, and then the blur turned black.