Chapter 17 #2
“Because he wants more out of life. He wants more out of you,” Louise said reasonably. “That’s the thing about love. You come together as both best friends and lovers and teammates. You build a life together. You raise children. You help each other over the hard bumps along the way.”
“Yeah, like Dad and Gary did for Mom?” Bree said, her voice dripping sarcasm.
“Things didn’t work out for me. That doesn’t mean they won’t work out for you,” Zona said. “Look at Auntie Gracie. She’s happy. Look at your Gram.”
“I was very happy,” Louise said. “Your grandpa was the best and I miss him every day.”
“If you miss him so much, why were you taking a singles cruise?” Bree argued.
“Because I miss him every day. I had something special and my heart wants to feel that again. Growing old alone is no fun.”
“You’re not alone. You’ve got us,” Bree told her.
Louise’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I know. And I’m grateful for both of you. But you each have your lives to lead, and I can’t be inserting myself in the middle of them every time I feel lonely.”
“But you have lots of friends,” pointed out Bree.
“True. So do you, dear one. So why are you looking so glum?”
Bree bit down on a corner of her lip.
“It sounds like he loves you,” Louise persisted.
“Love. Right,” Bree scoffed. “I don’t think it says much about Fen if his love is so wimpy he can’t stick around. He should give me more time.”
“How much time?” asked Louise.
Bree scowled. “I don’t know. But he should understand, and he doesn’t.”
“Understand what?” Louise persisted. “That you’re afraid?”
“I’m not afraid. I’m smart. I’m not going to screw up like Mom did.”
“I’m not psychic,” Zona snapped.
“What a thing to say!” Louise scolded. “You think your mother should have been able to see into the future?”
Bree’s face flushed. “Sorry.”
“Even the most loyal man will eventually lose hope,” said Louise. “And really, would you want to stick with someone who didn’t want to stick with you?” she added reasonably.
“I just want to be friends,” Bree grumbled.
“Well, we can’t always have what we want,” said Louise, clearly out of patience.
“Thanks, Gram,” Bree said and frowned. She stood. “I need to get going.”
“Busy social life waiting?” Louise baited.
“Mom,” Zona warned.
“It’s okay. She knows I love her. You’ll always be my favorite grandchild,” she told Bree.
Bree let out a snort. “I’m your only grandchild.”
“Still my favorite.”
It was a good note to leave on, which was what Bree did. She promised to stay on the lookout for Darling, then kissed both her grandmother and her mother on the cheek—no smile for either of them—and then was gone.
“That girl,” Louise said with a shake of the head. “What are we going to do with her?”
Keep loving her, of course.
“I hate that she’s so fearful,” Zona said.
“One thing I’m confident about. There will come a point when she lets go of that fear. It will take the right person and the right circumstance is all. She’s young. Give her time to figure things out.”
Zona sighed. “I wish I’d chosen better men.”
“You chose with a trusting heart. There’s no shame in that. And there’s no point staring at the past. What’s important is what you’re doing right here in the present.”
Like not being able to find her mother’s dog. Honestly, she couldn’t seem to do anything right. Zona blinked back tears.
“Sweetie, I think you’re exhausted. You need a nap,” Louise said gently.
“No, I need to go look for Darling. And then I need to close out my bids on eBay.”
“You’ve done enough. I’ll make some calls. You go do your eBay thing and then relax.”
Relaxing was nowhere in Zona’s future. “I will,” she lied.
While Louise called around the neighborhood, Zona got busy with her second job, packing up items she’d sold so they’d be ready to take to the post office.
She’d made a small amount of money that week, but not as much as she’d hoped.
There was the writing on the wall, and it said it was time for Zona to step up her game.
She spent an hour poking around online, looking for potential lucrative side hustles.
After an hour, she found something she thought she could make work.
Her car was far from new, but she kept it clean.
If she became a rideshare driver, she could set her own work hours and still be available whenever her mother needed her.
And if she only worked weekends, well, Louise had enough friends to keep her company on a Friday and Saturday night.
If not one of them, Gilda could be persuaded to come hang out with her.
It might just work, and at least Zona wouldn’t get varicose veins from being on her feet waiting tables.
Instead, she’d probably get a big butt from all that sitting.
Oh, well. Into every life a little fat must fall, she told herself.
After some research, she decided to go with a new rideshare company called HopIn.
Hop into more money as a driver for us! She was ready for that.
She was smiling by the time she finished filling out the very long application form, glad that she was being proactive.
Once she’d passed the company’s security check, she would be good to go.
She could still find items to sell online, but this side hustle would keep her earning money during the fall and winter months after garage sale season ended.
“Who knows? You might meet a millionaire,” Louise’s friend Carol said when she came over to cheer up Louise and Zona shared her possible new job.
“Or get strangled,” Louise said, frowning. “I’d rather you found a waitress job.”
“This way I won’t get varicose veins,” quipped Zona.
“I don’t like it,” Louise said.
When it came right down to it, neither did Zona. She’d much prefer to spend her weekends relaxing in front of the TV with her mother or reading a good book, but a girl couldn’t always have what she preferred. This was the way it had to be until she could replenish her daughter’s college fund.
It was going to be easier than restoring Bree’s faith in men.
brEE’S SNOTTY JAB at her mother was camped out in her brain, roasting her conscience like a marshmallow.
But what she’d said was true. Mom had been stupid and naive. She’d screwed up, gotten screwed over, and then so had Bree.
She was the one depositing money in that account for years, whispered Bree’s conscience. Even Gary had contributed.
Yeah, and then drained it all, and Mom had let him. Why was Gram taking Mom’s side?
Her conscience spoke more loudly. You love your mom.
Of course she did. But she needed a break from her. And Gram.
No, you need to apologize.
“Oh, shut up,” she told her conscience, and smothered it. Then she went back to staring at the movie she was streaming and not watching.
“I DON’T LIKE the idea of Zona letting strangers in her car,” Louise said to Gilda on Monday morning as they made their way to the shower.
“That’s the problem with grown kids. They don’t listen,” Gilda said.
“Between Zona and Darling, my hair is going to be completely white under this blond,” Louise complained.
“Darn dog. Where could he have gone?” wondered Gilda.
“I wish I knew,” Louise said sadly. “You don’t think he could have wandered as far away as the foothills, do you?” If he had, they’d never see him again.
“Let’s hope not. If he has, a coyote probably got him.”
There was a horrible thought. Louise blinked back sudden tears.
“Don’t give up,” said Gilda. “Remember the movie about the two dogs and the cat who crossed the Canadian wilderness to get home?”
“Yes, my granddaughter already reminded me of it.” But movies were not real life.
“That could be Darling. And at least he doesn’t have to cross a wilderness.”
Louise tried to feel encouraged and failed. “It is what it is, as they say. I’ll have to resign myself to losing him.”
But later that afternoon, it looked like she wouldn’t have to resign herself to such a sad fate after all. Louise was trying to concentrate on committing murder on the high seas and Gilda was crocheting when they heard whining and scratching on the front door.
“Darling!” Louise exclaimed.
“Trying to ruin your door,” muttered Gilda as she set aside her crocheting.
She opened the front door and in bounded a dusty Darling.
He raced to where Louise was struggling to get off the couch, tail wagging, and dropped a bone on the hardwood floor right at her feet.
A bone, long and slender like a femur. Crusted with dirt, and something rusty that looked like—eeew—blood.
“What on earth?” began Louise as Darling put his front paws on her, ready to show her some love.
“Oh, dear God,” gasped Gilda. “I think that’s . . .”
“A human bone,” Louise finished with her and they stared at each other in horror.