Chapter 5
Despite the day dawning gray, chilly, and with a light drizzle falling, Lucy was in good spirits.
She hadn’t felt this free … well … ever.
She had always had something heavy hanging over her head.
Sometimes it hadn’t even had anything to do with her but had been something affecting her father and brothers in their investigation company.
Out here, with the endless sky and distant horizon, nothing seemed to press in on her; nothing pushed her down. She could finally breathe. Also, Robert not arresting her and sending her back to Boston had been a big win in her books. He was quite the gentleman.
She had seen him briefly every day since arriving. He’d made a habit of stopping in at the store on his way around town, but Robert seemed to be run off his feet. They hadn’t had much time to talk, but she was hoping that would change over the weekend.
“It’s probably going to be a slow one,” Mr. Di Aventura said, handing Lucy a mug of the bitter coffee he made daily in the back office on a potbellied stove. “Folks around here like nothing more than a slow, rainy morning.”
“Folks everywhere like rainy mornings,” she said, accepting the mug with a smile.
“Where is it you’re from again?” he asked.
“I’m from Boston.”
“Ah yes, I thought I caught a hint of Beantown accent,” he said playfully.
“And I thought I caught a bit of a Brooklyn twang in yours,” Lucy teased back.
“You ever been to New York?” he asked.
“When my father had business there,” Lucy said.
“And what business is that?”
“He’s in security. He also does some basic investigating for clients who have problems.”
“Sounds interesting.”
They sipped their coffee and watched the rain patter down harder outside, forming puddles in the road outside.
“You know, after a while, you’re gonna start missing some things from back east. There’s a lot to recommend this place, but seriously, the heat and the humidity of summer! It feels like you’re in an oven,” Mr. Di Aventura said, shaking his head. “I’m savoring this rain, let me tell you.”
Just then, the bell over the door to the store jingled, and a boy of around fourteen years came in. He had an oilskin coat held over his head like a tarpaulin. As he stepped into the store, he leaned out of the door with the coat and shook some of the water off it.
“Hi, Timothy, how are you today, besides wet?” Mr. Di Aventura asked, turning and smiling at the boy.
“I’m good,” Timothy said. He had a naughty smile and a twinkle in his dark eyes that made Lucy think he was a king of mischief. “What about you, Uncle Leo?”
“Enjoying the rain,” Mr. Di Aventura said. “Hey, have you met Lucy yet?”
Timothy shook his head. He had black hair that was curling around and over his ears. It needed a bit of a trim. “I’m Timothy Lupo.”
“Lucy Rowling,” she said.
“How old are you?” he asked. “You here with your folks?”
“Timothy! That’s rude!” Mr. Di Aventura interjected. “You never ask a lady her age.”
Lucy chuckled. “It’s fine,” she said, waving his words away. “I’m twenty-three.”
Timothy shrugged. “Okay. You look younger.” He grabbed Lucy’s hand and gave it a vigorous shake.
She chuckled. “Well, thank you for that.”
As he shook her hand, something began to appear out of the collar of his shirt. Lucy stared, unable to take her eyes off it. It was like another head growing out of his shoulder. She began to recoil. What was going on?
Her heart began to pick up the pace, and she felt her muscles tense, ready to run the moment he let go of her hand.
The extra head was poking all the way out now. It had brownish-gray fur and pointed ears. When it turned its head to face her, she saw that it had dark marks across its snouted face and long white teeth.
It was a thing from a horror story. It looked like a cat crossed with a rat. What was it doing in Timothy’s jacket? Did he know it was there? If he did, it didn’t seem to bother him.
The thing climbed all the way out of Timothy’s jacket now and walked casually down his arm toward her.
With a terrified scream, Lucy jerked her hand back. The thing then leaped to the floor and chittered, holding its little hands up as though to grab her. It reached for her skirt and she stepped back, fetching up against the counter.
“What the heck is that?” she yelled. “Keep it away from me!”
“Critter!” Timothy called. “Critter, come here!”
But the thing wasn’t listening. Critter seemed fascinated with Lucy. It took hold of her skirt and began to climb up it.
She reacted without thinking. Her muscles just moved, and before she knew what was going on, she had tossed her coffee into the thing’s face and thrown the tin mug at it. The mug missed, landing on the floor behind it with a clang.
Critter let go of her, landing lightly on the floor. He used his oddly perfect little hands to wipe the coffee off his face, all the while making angry, squeaking noises.
Mr. Di Aventura bent down and scooped the creature up in his arms.
“What did you go and do that for?” Timothy demanded, his earlier friendliness completely gone. “It’s just Critter. He’d never hurt a fly.”
“What is he?” Lucy asked. Now that her terror was subsiding, she was starting to think she might have slightly overreacted. Taking a step forward, she leaned in closer to Critter.
The little creature glared at her and hissed angrily.
“He’s a raccoon,” Timothy said, angrily rounding on her, his chin out in an aggressive stance. “And he’s my pet. Why did you try to hurt him? He wasn’t going to hurt you.”
“Timothy, there’s a good chance that Lucy has never seen a raccoon before,” Mr. Di Aventura said calmly, handing the little animal back to the boy. “And he did come out of your jacket like something out of one of those penny dreadfuls you’re fond of.”
There was a moment of tense silence as Timothy considered his words.
Mr. Di Aventura looked nervously from Lucy to Timothy and back again. She didn’t know what to say. Timothy was angry with her, and she could understand why. She supposed if she had a pet, she also wouldn’t like for it to be assaulted.
After a long pause, Timothy finally nodded. “You’re right. Critter did climb out of my jacket like something unnatural. I’m going to have to tell everyone about it. You were so good, boy.” The last he said to Critter, who nuzzled him in his neck while still shooting Lucy angry, offended looks.
“Gee, I’m really sorry,” she said, biting her lip. “I didn’t know what he was or that he was friendly.”
“That’s okay,” Timothy said magnanimously. “I’m sure Critter will forgive you eventually. Maybe by next year. That’s not so far away.”
“And you?” she asked, hoping for a better prognosis.
He treated her to his mischievous smile. “I’m a lot more forgiving.”
“Oh good,” she said, grateful she hadn’t already made an enemy in town.
After that near disaster, Lucy decided to let Timothy and Mr. Di Aventura handle their business without her. She went to the back of the store and started making a list of fabrics that needed to be ordered.
There was no denim. It was a newer fabric, but it was so hardy and long-lasting that she imagined that things made out of that would last a long, long time. They were also running out of cotton and broadcloth, which was used for a variety of things, including skirts, shirts, and blouses.
The door jingled again, and Lucy thought it had to be Timothy and Critter leaving the store. Gosh, she felt bad about her reaction to the little guy.
“Hello there,” a voice said.
Lucy looked up from her list-making and smiled. “Well, my day just got a lot better,” she said. She went over to where Robert stood by the shelves, hat in hand.
“Oh? Is something wrong?”
“No … well … maybe … I met Timothy, and then I met Critter by accident,” she confessed. “He gave me a bit of a fright.”
“He does that,” Robert said with a rueful smile. “Anybody get hurt?”
“I tossed my coffee in his furry little face. I feel terrible.”
Robert smiled. “Don’t worry. He’ll get over it. He’s endured worse. Mrs. Odenkirk tried to shoot him with a rifle when Critter trespassed into her yard. I was called out to settle the dispute.”
“It seems both parties are still alive. That seems like a job well done in my book,” she said.
Robert nodded. “So, I actually came by to see if you wanted to go to lunch with me. Anita and Kevin opened a restaurant at their farm down the road. I’d love to catch up with you. We haven’t seen each other properly since the day you arrived here.”
“That is true,” she agreed. “Yes, I would love to go to lunch.”
Robert grinned. “I’ll come by in a couple of hours and pick you up.”
“That will be wonderful,” Lucy agreed excitedly.
After Robert left to take care of a few things, time seemed to slow to a crawl.
No one came to the store for fabric, alterations, or to order anything new.
Lucy had a few repairs she had to do, and she got those done in no time.
One job was patching Jeff’s trousers, which were ripped.
Another was sewing buttons onto a work shirt for Troy, and that was it. Then she sat and waited.
She finished her list for Mr. Di Aventura and swept and mopped the floor in the back of the store. She sorted the fabrics into colors and then sorted the buttons and thread to match.
She was about to start reorganizing the pattern books and magazines when the door jingled, and Robert arrived.
“Oh, thank goodness. I was going mad with boredom,” she confessed.
“I take it you’re ready then?” he asked.
She nodded. “Take me away!”
They had to walk to the restaurant. Lucy and Robert both had oilskin coats, and it was pleasant to walk in the rain.
They didn’t talk much on the walk as it was hard to hear over the pattering of the rain on their hoods. Before too long, they reached a turning in the road, and then Lucy got her first look at the little farm.
The town wall encompassed the pasture, which held a few cows.
“That’s the start of our herd,” Robert explained. “And the town’s horses are there in the barn, watching the rain,” he said, pointing.