CHAPTER TWENTY
The next morning, Misty lay in bed thinking of Crystal, hoping she was having a fabulous time in Paris.
Her thoughts drifted to David and his family.
She was falling hard for him, but she wouldn’t tell him until she was more confident in herself.
She realized her feelings for David included loving his family, which made it more complicated.
She got up and dressed for her morning walk through town.
“Ready for a walk?” Misty asked Sugar, and Sugar came running to her.
Misty hooked a leash to her harness, locked up the house, and headed out.
Sugar knew exactly where they were going and led the way.
It was cool, a reminder of days to come, and Misty enjoyed the briskness of their pace.
If she looked carefully, she could see subtle changes to the leaves.
Gone was the early bright green of spring.
A faint yellow had entered some leaves as if readying to show off brighter colors in a month or so.
She saw a flash of red and smiled as a cardinal took flight.
It was a good omen, signaling a nice day ahead.
As they entered the park, Misty saw David’s father. He was kneeling in front of one of the flower beds, pulling weeds. Tears stung her eyes at how carefully he worked among the flowers, seeing the work as a tribute to his daughter.
Sugar pulled so hard on her leash that it slipped out of Misty’s hands. David’s father looked up and burst out laughing as the dog bounded toward him.
“Hey, Sugar,” he said, getting to his feet and patting her.
Misty came over to them. “She couldn’t stand not being able to greet you.”
“It’s great to see her. You, too. Happy Labor Day!” His deep-blue eyes, like David’s, filled with light as he grinned at her.
“And to you,” she said. “Hopefully, it will be a relaxing one for you. David says this is a busy time for the business.”
“It’s busy most of the year, until our winter break,” said David’s father. “Then, Susie and I will take off for Florida for a month or so.”
“Susie told me you took her to Paris for an anniversary trip,” said Misty. “That’s where Crystal and Emmett are celebrating their honeymoon.”
“I heard about their wedding. Congratulations to you for being a part of it.” He stood, and Misty decided to move on so he could get back to work.
“Thanks. I’ll see you later,” she said, picking up the leash and leading Sugar out of the park, aware his eyes were on her.
###
At the Lilac Lake Café, things were busy.
Dogs were allowed on the concrete patio, so Misty headed there and was delighted to see Sarah Bullard Miller sitting at one of the tables with her twin daughters.
After her husband’s death, Sarah’s parents, who owned the hardware store, convinced Sarah to move back to town.
Sarah enjoyed a hearty laugh, was well-liked and joined the group at Jake’s when she could.
But helping at the store and taking care of her girls kept her busy.
Sarah waved. “You’re welcome to join us.” She turned to the girls. “Emily and Mia, please say hello to Ms. Owens. She teaches second grade at the school where you’re attending kindergarten.”
They gave her identical smiles, but one girl had light-brown hair, and the other had blond hair . All four eyes were the same attention-getting green color.
Sugar sat between their chairs and loved it when the girls stroked her.
Misty lowered herself into a chair opposite Sarah. “I’m glad you were able to make it to the wedding.”
“Such a sweet, short ceremony,” Sarah said. “I’m happy for Crystal. She and Emmett are a wonderful couple. Where did they go on their honeymoon? I know it was a secret.”
“Paris,” said Misty, grinning. “It’s always been a dream of hers to go.”
“What a fantastic surprise,” said Sarah.
A waitress brought food for Sarah and the girls, and Misty placed an order for herself.
As she waited for her food, Misty observed Sarah’s handling of the giggly girls. She seemed so calm. No wonder Aaron Collister had spent time talking to her at the wedding.
Misty’s food arrived, and they all finished their meals at the same time. Misty stood. “See you later at the picnic at the cottage. I will bring brownies, but I need to get home to make them.”
On the way out of the restaurant, Misty waved at Nettie.
###
That afternoon, after saying goodbye to Sugar, Misty drove to the Lilac Lake Cottage with a platter of warm brownies.
She’d also brought lemonade to share and decided at the last minute to bring her bathing suit and a towel.
For large parties like this, two bedrooms in the cottage were available for those wanting to change clothes.
She found a place to park and walked into the front yard to see it teeming with people. Like other Labor Day parties here, people came and went whenever they wanted. She saw Hazel talking to Mike and checked to see where David was. She’d parked her car near his truck.
He looked up at her and smiled as she walked toward him. “Hi. I made brownies. You said you liked them.”
“I do. Here, let me carry your bag while you have the other things,” said David.
She walked up to Taylor. “Shall I put the brownies on the dessert table?”
“Yes,” said Taylor. “You can put the lemonade in the kitchen. We have paper cups and plenty of ice there. Clothing can be placed in one of the bedrooms. One is marked for ‘girls,’ and the other is for ‘boys.’”
In the kitchen, Dani greeted her with a hug. “I’m glad you came. We need to talk. Follow me.”
Dani led her into the living room, away from the other guests. “I understand you had a fight with Harley Kirk.”
“Brody’s father? I wouldn’t call it a fight, necessarily.
I have Brody in my class, and when I saw him with his father at The Meadows waterfront, I did make some suggestions to Harley about handling Brody.
” Misty could feel her blood pressure rise.
“The man’s a bully to his son. He was calling him a chicken for not going into the water. Alone.”
“He and his family are new to the area. I understand his wife has been away in a treatment program, and while she’s been gone, he’s been raising Brody with her mother’s help.”
“That’s no excuse for treating a child like that,” said Misty.
“Of course not,” said Dani. “I’m concerned for your well-being. Harley has a bruised ego and a quick temper. Not a good combination.”
Misty let out a long sigh. “Thanks for letting me know.”
They walked back to the kitchen together, where Misty grabbed a cup of lemonade. Her mind was still whirling with emotion as she went outside.
David met her. “Want to go sit on the rock? There’s a nice breeze coming off the lake.”
“Yes, I need to cool off,” Misty said. She explained what was going on with Brody’s father.
David frowned. “That doesn’t sound good. Be careful, Misty.”
Hazel came over to them. “Can I join you?”
“Sure,” said Misty. “When did you arrive?”
“About an hour ago. It’s great to see everyone,”
They turned at the commotion by the entrance. JoEllen had arrived with a man in tow.
Misty blinked rapidly, studying the outline and the size of the man. “That’s him. Brody’s dad, Harley,” she said to David. “Leave it up to JoEllen to become involved in some way.”
“Better to have him distracted by her than for him to pay attention to you. If what Dani said about him is true, just stay away from him.” David took hold of her arm. “Let’s go.”
He led Misty and Hazel to the rock. Misty lowered herself to the warm surface and inhaled the lake air, feeling some of the tenseness leave her. She’d felt herself slipping back to when she’d been so inhibited by Vince, scared of doing something wrong.
Sensing her feelings, David clasped her hand and gave it a squeeze.
Misty smiled at him. He was right. This wasn’t the same situation.
As luck would have it, as soon as they left the rock and were walking toward the food, JoEllen brought Harley over to them.
“David, Misty, and Hazel, I want you to meet Harley Kirk, a friend of mine.” She clung to his arm. “He works on construction at The Meadows.”
Harley didn’t return JoEllen’s adoring looks but did nod politely at them. David, Misty noted, did not offer to shake hands with Harley; he merely said hello.
Whenever she looked at Harley, she felt herself knotted up with concern for Brody.
###
Misty was sitting on the lawn with David and Dani, watching a badminton game going on.
Harley and JoEllen were challenging Taylor and Cooper.
For all her dislike of her, Misty had to admit JoEllen was quick on her feet.
Though not as fast, Taylor and Cooper were better about cooperating as to who should go for the shot. And that’s when the trouble started.
Harley and JoEllen bumped into one another several times, and each time, Harley became madder.
At one point, he threw down his racket and walked away until JoEllen went to him and apologized.
Harley, aware of a crowd now, tried to play again, but when he missed a shot, he swore and tossed his racket at JoEllen.
Cooper walked over to Harley and talked to him. Then, Harley left.
JoEllen burst into tears and went into the house.
“Okay, everyone,” said Whitney. “It’s dessert time, and then David has promised to set off a few fireworks.”
Misty turned to David. “You brought fireworks?”
David grinned. “Yeah. Everyone knows how much I love them. I keep them year-round for group celebrations.”
Misty laughed. David was full of surprises.
###
As it grew dark, people sat on blankets and towels on the lawn, waiting for the fireworks down by the water. Brad helped David get them arranged for a show, and when the first one lit the sky with color, Misty clapped with the others.
She noticed Whitney had put earmuffs on her son, Timothy.
He was walking now and seemed to delight in the colors.
She observed the excitement on David’s face and felt a surge of appreciation for him, thinking how unexpected it was that this sweet man, who tended to be quiet, loved making so much noise.
When the show was over, Misty helped with the cleanup, said goodbye to David, and then went to her car. JoEllen was standing next to it. “Do you mind taking me home? I thought Harley would come back, but he hasn’t.”
“Sure. Hop in. I’m going straight home because I have to teach tomorrow.”
“Okay, thanks,” said JoEllen, climbing into the passenger seat.
They rode home in silence. Misty forced herself not to ask about Harley, and JoEllen didn’t want to talk about him or anything else.