appreciate that.”
“Wow. Can you ever be stuffy sometimes.”
His eyes narrowed as he digested that. The cat
nuzzled Sunny’s ankle. “Hey.” She reached down and picked up the unresisting
feline.
“It has a loud motor,” Jonathan said. It didn’t seem
to mind when he took it from her. He held it up, then handed it back. “Give it
a girl’s name. And she’ll make a gentler pet for you.”
Sunny refrained from telling him she could have done
that all by herself. Instead she stroked the kitten. “Yes, you do have a loud
motor. Hope you won’t keep me awake all night, cat.” She gave Jonathan a fast
grin. “Hey, I like that. Why give it a made-up name? What’s wrong with Cat?”
He chuckled. “Sometimes you’re amazingly
uncomplicated. And other times I couldn’t figure you out if my life depended on
it.”
She walked past him into the house, taking Cat with
her.
“Did you mean it about the dishes?” he asked. “The
ones that aren’t broken, that is.”
“No.” She nuzzled the feline as she walked down the
hall, not wondering about her rapid mood change so much as wondering how easily
Jonathan had accepted it.
“Then I’m going to drive into Castleton and leave
you and Cat to get acquainted.”
“Okay.” She turned to face him. “Uh, Jonathan?”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay if I use salt and pepper when I make
dinner?”
He frowned, and she smiled.
“Bye,” she said.
The front door closed, leaving her on her own. He
was taking the long way around to get to his truck that was parked in back.
Apparently he’d had enough of her for one morning.
* * *
By noon Sunny had finished clearing out the
upstairs, with the exception of her room and Jonathan’s. But the next floor,
the attic, would be more work than the first two floors combined. It was time
to call the disposal company to pick up another full dumpster and leave her an
empty one.
She took a boloney sandwich and a can of Sprite to
the back porch and shared everything but the beverage with Cat. The animal got
a bowl of water. When a movement in the yard caught the corner of her eye, her
head snapped up.
“Oh, hi, Matthew.” She opened the screen door and
descended the steps. No car. “Did you hike the beach?”
He nodded. She waited for him to speak, but he said
nothing. His manner seemed strained.
“Would you like a sandwich?” she offered. “I just finished
lunch.”
“No, thanks. Uh...I just wanted to say I was sorry
about what happened to you the other day. I know you had a close call, and Tom
Fairly thought maybe me and some other guys had been target shooting around
here. But we weren’t, not then.”
“Okay.” He was looking more and more uncomfortable,
but she didn’t know how to put him at ease.
“I was wondering if you’d looked for the bullet,” he
added.
“Oh. No, we didn’t. Didn’t even occur to us to look
for it. It would’ve imbedded itself in the sand or carried into the water.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I looked but couldn’t find
anything, and then I wasn’t sure exactly where you were when you were hit.
Except that you were in the cove or near it.”
“Why were you looking for it?”
“I was hoping to prove it didn’t come from my
rifle.”
Hoping to? Then there was a chance it
did?
She asked, “Where do you and your friends usually
hold your target practice sessions?”
In answer, he turned and pointed to the grove of
cypresses on the bluff with their misshaped branches that had been permanently
blown inland by wind. “But we haven’t been out here since you moved in. At
least I haven’t, and I don’t think they have either.”
“Who would they be?”
He looked down at his scuffed sneakers. They weren’t
expensive designer ones; they looked more like variety store specials. “I don’t
want to get anyone in trouble.”
She relented. He was trying to do the right thing.
“If I can’t interest you in lunch, can I get you something to drink?” She held
up her can of
“Wow. Can you ever be stuffy sometimes.”
His eyes narrowed as he digested that. The cat
nuzzled Sunny’s ankle. “Hey.” She reached down and picked up the unresisting
feline.
“It has a loud motor,” Jonathan said. It didn’t seem
to mind when he took it from her. He held it up, then handed it back. “Give it
a girl’s name. And she’ll make a gentler pet for you.”
Sunny refrained from telling him she could have done
that all by herself. Instead she stroked the kitten. “Yes, you do have a loud
motor. Hope you won’t keep me awake all night, cat.” She gave Jonathan a fast
grin. “Hey, I like that. Why give it a made-up name? What’s wrong with Cat?”
He chuckled. “Sometimes you’re amazingly
uncomplicated. And other times I couldn’t figure you out if my life depended on
it.”
She walked past him into the house, taking Cat with
her.
“Did you mean it about the dishes?” he asked. “The
ones that aren’t broken, that is.”
“No.” She nuzzled the feline as she walked down the
hall, not wondering about her rapid mood change so much as wondering how easily
Jonathan had accepted it.
“Then I’m going to drive into Castleton and leave
you and Cat to get acquainted.”
“Okay.” She turned to face him. “Uh, Jonathan?”
“Yes?”
“Is it okay if I use salt and pepper when I make
dinner?”
He frowned, and she smiled.
“Bye,” she said.
The front door closed, leaving her on her own. He
was taking the long way around to get to his truck that was parked in back.
Apparently he’d had enough of her for one morning.
* * *
By noon Sunny had finished clearing out the
upstairs, with the exception of her room and Jonathan’s. But the next floor,
the attic, would be more work than the first two floors combined. It was time
to call the disposal company to pick up another full dumpster and leave her an
empty one.
She took a boloney sandwich and a can of Sprite to
the back porch and shared everything but the beverage with Cat. The animal got
a bowl of water. When a movement in the yard caught the corner of her eye, her
head snapped up.
“Oh, hi, Matthew.” She opened the screen door and
descended the steps. No car. “Did you hike the beach?”
He nodded. She waited for him to speak, but he said
nothing. His manner seemed strained.
“Would you like a sandwich?” she offered. “I just finished
lunch.”
“No, thanks. Uh...I just wanted to say I was sorry
about what happened to you the other day. I know you had a close call, and Tom
Fairly thought maybe me and some other guys had been target shooting around
here. But we weren’t, not then.”
“Okay.” He was looking more and more uncomfortable,
but she didn’t know how to put him at ease.
“I was wondering if you’d looked for the bullet,” he
added.
“Oh. No, we didn’t. Didn’t even occur to us to look
for it. It would’ve imbedded itself in the sand or carried into the water.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I looked but couldn’t find
anything, and then I wasn’t sure exactly where you were when you were hit.
Except that you were in the cove or near it.”
“Why were you looking for it?”
“I was hoping to prove it didn’t come from my
rifle.”
Hoping to? Then there was a chance it
did?
She asked, “Where do you and your friends usually
hold your target practice sessions?”
In answer, he turned and pointed to the grove of
cypresses on the bluff with their misshaped branches that had been permanently
blown inland by wind. “But we haven’t been out here since you moved in. At
least I haven’t, and I don’t think they have either.”
“Who would they be?”
He looked down at his scuffed sneakers. They weren’t
expensive designer ones; they looked more like variety store specials. “I don’t
want to get anyone in trouble.”
She relented. He was trying to do the right thing.
“If I can’t interest you in lunch, can I get you something to drink?” She held
up her can of
Similar Books
