Chapter 22 – Jennie
Wednesday morning, it’s business as usual. Chris and I get up before Granny this time. We both get ready for the day, and breakfast is almost on the table when Granny walks into the kitchen, Pumpkin right on her heels as always.
“Good morning, everyone,” Granny says as she takes her seat at the table. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
Actually, it’s kind of dreary, and it’s been drizzling all morning, but we’re not going to argue with her.
Chris pours her a cup of coffee and adds creamer. “You’re right. It is a beautiful day,” he says as he winks at me.
I plate some French toast and bacon and set it in front of her. She enjoyed the French toast so much the other day, I thought she’d like it again.
“What’s this?” Granny asks as she stares at her plate.
“It’s breakfast, Granny,” I say as I set the butter dish and the pitcher of warm maple syrup on the table. “French toast and bacon.”
She makes a face. “Do I like this?”
“You do. You had it the other day, and you said it was delicious.”
She frowns. “I did?”
Smiling, I nod at her. “You did.”
Then her frown transforms into a bright smile. “Well, if you said I liked it, then I’m sure I do.”
Some days her mind is sharper than others. It looks like today isn’t going to be one of those days. I feel a pang of sadness that she’s slowly slipping away from me. But no matter what, I’ll hang on to her as long as possible.
“Why don’t you take a bite and try it?” I suggest. “If you don’t like it, I’ll make you something else, okay?”
“Oh, no, dear. I don’t want to be any trouble.” She takes a cautious bite. Then another. “This is delicious.” And then she proceeds to devour the rest of her meal.
Chris and I join her at the table to eat our meals. He keeps looking at me with a slight grin on his face, as if he’s thinking about last night. Remembering what we did and how we slept entwined in each other’s arms all night long. He’s making me blush.
There’s a knock at the door.
“That’ll be Dawn,” I say as I start to get up from my chair.
“I’ll get it,” Chris says as he stands. “I need to go get dressed. You finish your breakfast.”
After he lets Dawn in, Chris returns to my bedroom to grab his hat and duty belt. He’s in the process of buckling it around his waist when he walks into the kitchen.
“What about your sling?” I ask.
“I can’t wear it and drive, so I’ll have to do without. I’ll put it on in the evening to rest my arm.”
I’ve seen him in his uniform a million times, but for some reason, it’s hitting me differently this morning. I get up and run my hands over his shirt, smoothing the tan fabric. “You look so handsome in your uniform. I’ve wanted to tell you that for years.”
He cups my face and leans in to give me a kiss. “I wish you had. I’ve always been so desperate for your attention. The smallest little crumb from you—every smile, every wave—made my day.”
And I withheld that from him for so long because of my own insecurities. My eyes prickle as tears form.
“Hey,” he says with a smile. “No tears. No guilt. Remember?”
I nod. “Yeah. I remember.” But that’s easier said than done.
We say our goodbyes to Granny and head out the door.
Chris drives me to the diner in his loaner car. “Have a good day,” he says as he pulls up to the back entrance. He leans over to kiss me. “I’ll see you later, honey.” He smiles. “This is all very domestic, isn’t it? Me, dropping you off at work.” He looks so happy.
“It is. What do you think about that?”
“What? Us, doing partner things? I love it.” He pats my thigh. “Give me a heads up when you’re ready to take a break. I’ll pick you up.”
“Are you sure? It’s a terrible inconvenience. You can’t plan your whole day around me.”
He grins. “Watch me.” Another kiss. And then he says, “Now go, before I have second thoughts about us working at all today.”
Laughing, I get out of the car. “See you later, Sheriff.” After closing the door, I turn and walk in through the back door.
My office looks pretty empty now, with no desk or chair, but I’ll order new ones today. I can hear easy jazz music coming from the kitchen as Robert goes about prepping for breakfast.
I poke my head through the kitchen doorway. “Good morning, Robert.”
He’s in the middle of rolling out the dough for biscuits when he gives me a big smile. “Welcome back, boss!”
“Thanks. It’s good to be back.”
I’ve got a ton of work to do this morning after an unexpected three-day break.
My routine for making the pies and donuts is all messed up, and I’ll be pressed for time this morning to catch up.
Fortunately, I’ve got some fresh dough I can use for the pies.
I prep two and get them in the oven as soon as possible so I can start on making some cake donuts.
Today I’m feeling like chocolate icing and strawberry.
I’ll have just enough time to make a few dozen before the diner opens for business.
Cara and Michelle wander in shortly and go about their assigned tasks in preparing for our morning customers. Chad saunters in and gets to work.
When I turn on the OPEN sign and unlock the front door, I find the line of customers waiting outside is longer than usual.
I think the fire on Sunday is the reason for that.
Folks haven’t been able to eat here for a few days, and suddenly they miss the place.
And, I’m sure a lot of them are simply curious and are here for the gossip.
I feel like I’m running non-stop all morning, just trying to play catch-up. As soon as the donuts are ready, I take a box next door to Maggie.
The rest of the day progresses normally, with no drama, no fires, no sightings of David, and no obnoxious customers.
On the David front, now that he’s been served the restraining order, I hope I’ve seen the last of him.
Part of me realizes that’s wishful thinking.
As I told Chris, I don’t think a piece of paper is going to stop him from doing what he wants to do.
Chris manages to make himself available each time I need to run home to spell Dawn for a bit.
* * *
When it’s nearing time for me to head home at the end of my work day, I text Chris to let him know. He replies right away.
Chris: I’ll be there in five mins
Sure enough, he pulls up to the back of the building, where I’m waiting at the back door. I climb into the front passenger seat of his borrowed cruiser.
He leans over to kiss me. “How was your day?”
“Good. And busy! We were slammed all day. I guess having a fire is good for business.”
“Most of them are a bunch of busybodies,” he says. “Hoping to get the juicy details.”
We’re halfway to the house when my phone rings. I check the screen. It’s Dawn. “Hi, Dawn. What’s up?”
“Jennie!” The quaver in her voice puts me instantly on alert. “Oh, Jennie, I’m so sorry!” She’s crying.
A chill crawls down my spine. “Dawn, slow down and tell me what’s wrong?”
Chris turns to me, instantly on high alert. “What is it?”
“Pumpkin got out,” she says. Her voice is shaky as she talks through her tears.
“I went to look for him, but I must have forgotten to lock the door because when I returned home—with the cat—the door was ajar, and Rosie was gone. I’ve searched every inch of the house twice, and the garage, but she’s not here. ”
I mute the call for a second to tell Chris, “Granny got out. She’s missing.”
Immediately, Chris hits the accelerator.
“Dawn, we’re on our way. We’ll be home in two minutes.”
As soon as we’re home, Chris jumps out of the car and runs inside.
When I walk into the kitchen, Dawn is sitting at the table and Chris is crouching in front of her. He’s holding her hands as she sobs, trying to coax her into telling him everything that happened.
“Pumpkin slipped outside when I went out to get the mail,” she says to Chris. “I went to find him, but I guess I left the kitchen door unlocked. When I returned, Rosie was gone. I’ve searched everywhere.”
At that moment, Pumpkin saunters into the kitchen, purring loudly as he rubs against Chris.
“I’ll check again,” I say as I begin a thorough search of the house, checking every room, every walk-in closet and bathroom, the laundry room, the furnace room.
I even run out to search the detached garage, but it’s empty.
I check the yard. I call her name. And as every second passes, my heart contracts painfully into a tighter and tighter ball.
When I race back inside, Chris looks my way for an update. Sadly, I shake my head. Nothing.
Chris rises. “Stay with Dawn,” he tells me. “Try to calm her down. I’ll canvass the neighbor to see if anyone has spotted Rosie.” He cups my face and pulls me close to kiss my forehead. “Don’t worry. We’ll find her.”
My heart is in my throat. I can’t even imagine what Granny is thinking right now. She must be so confused, and so scared. “I want to look with you,” I say.
Chris eyes Dawn, who is crying hysterically. “I really think you should stay here. I’ll call the station and get everyone out looking for her. Can you send me a recent photo of her that I can pass around? I’ll call Micah, too. He’ll help.”
“Do you remember what she was wearing?” Chris asks Dawn.
“Her floral robe and pink slippers,” she answers.
“She hasn’t been gone long, sweetheart,” Chris says to me, “so she couldn’t have gotten far. She’s probably just a couple of blocks away at most.” He squeezes my hands. “I promise you, we’ll find her.”
My stomach drops as I watch Chris walk out the door.
The first thing I do is scroll through my camera roll to find a good, clear image of Granny. I text that to Chris.
At the sound of Dawn’s heart-wrenching cries, I say, “Let’s go sit in the living room.” I take her hand and coax her to her feet. “We’ll be more comfortable in there.”
Even though she’s still crying, she complies. Once I have her sitting on the sofa, I put my arm around her and hold her close. “It’s okay, Dawn. It was an accident. It’s not your fault.”
She stops crying long enough to say, “But it is! I left the door unlocked.”