Daydream Retriever (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 10) Page 25

  “Do I need to drive you to LAX? I’m going to cry the whole way, you know, and it’s a long drive.”

  “George knows a private pilot who owns a plane and flies from the Alpine Grove airport to LAX regularly. He flies some rich business consultant to LA a lot because the guy has to meet clients in the city all the time. I’m going to hitch a ride.”

  “Wow, you’ve really got this all figured out,” Lisa said as she rolled onto her back. “I’m still going to cry.”

  Pete sat up and reached down to wipe a tear off her cheek. “Please don’t.”

  Pulling the sheet up over her, Lisa sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but I love you, so don’t you think it’s natural that I’m going to miss you?”

  He pulled her back into his embrace and rested his chin on her hair. “I love you too.”

  Lisa turned around, stunned at this revelation. “You do? Then why are you leaving? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Just because I love you doesn’t mean I should stay. For one thing, like I said, I need to get home. For another, I made my ex-wife miserable and I don’t want to put you through that.”

  “I already told you, I don’t care about what happened before. You’re not a cop anymore, so really that’s all old news.”

  “You need to figure out what you want to do with your life, or you’ll resent me the same way you resent your ex-husband.”

  “That’s not true. Even though we’re not married anymore, I certainly don’t resent him. Without him, I wouldn’t have my girls. There’s no way I’d have traded being their mother for anything.”

  “Maybe that’s the wrong word then. But you’re still not completely okay with how your life changed after you had your accident, and you’ve told me many times you have no skills. You need to discover for yourself what you’re good at and things you like to do.”

  Lisa wanted to roll her eyes, but refrained. “Oh, please. Is this the alphabet thing again?”

  “Living with me is not a career or even a hobby, once you don’t have to deal with being my caregiver anymore. You’ll get bored or feel like an under-paid maid and start to hate me. Like I said, I’m not easy to live with when I’m more like, well, myself.”

  “You keep saying that you’re different than I think you are. That being a cop changed you. Maybe it did, but I’ve spent a lot of time with you now. What if getting shot, having a ski accident, living here, and even staying with me changed you too? Did you ever think of that?”

  “I don’t feel different, but I suppose all those years of counseling and PTSD support groups might have done something. Who knows? Maybe the meditation helps too. I don’t know. But let’s face it, I’m still pretty messed up.”

  Lisa rested her head on his chest. “I used to think that by this point in my life I’d have everything figured out. But I think everyone’s a work in progress, making it up as we go along.”

  After their adventures in food fighting, chocolate escapades, and subsequent conversation, Lisa resolved to try not to ruin her last couple of days with Pete. He was leaving and she needed to accept it and try her best to behave like an adult.

  It wasn’t easy, so she decided to put off dealing with the unpleasant quest to find a new contractor until the following week, after Pete was in Arizona. She couldn’t face dealing with that mess while Pete was still in residence. They had so little time left, she wanted to enjoy their last hours together in peace. Lisa resolved to finish gluing the last of the magazine pieces onto the decoupage table and clean up the mess she’d made in the office. Since Pete was definitely able to handle getting upstairs without any trouble, she had the medical supply company pick up the bed. The office seemed gigantic without the bed or desk in there.

  Friday morning, Lisa took Pete to his last physical-therapy appointment. As usual, Harley had a fine time being fawned over by the residents of the facility, but today Lisa was on a mission to talk to her aunt Betty, so she dragged the dog away from his fans and down the hallway to Betty’s room.

  Betty was holding court with her four girlfriends again. The women were also pet lovers, so there was a lot of cooing and cuddling of the dog before Betty finally shooed them out. She leaned to pet the smooth fur on Harley’s head while Lisa sat down in the chair next to the bed.

  Lisa leaned forward in the chair toward her aunt. “I need to apologize to you, Betty. The last time I was here I was unkind and I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Linda. Sometimes I think you need a bit more backbone.”

  “There’s also something I want to ask you about. It’s about the stuff in the house that you want.”

  “That you never gave to me.”

  Lisa put her palms together, trying to shove down her irritation. “I haven’t been able to find it, but I want to know if when you say your stuff is in the house, you mean it might be inside one of the walls.”

  “Well, I told you it was in the house, didn’t I?”

  “So you mean literally inside it, right? That what you want was built into the walls. Is that what you’re saying?

  “Of course. Weren’t you listening? I put it there so it would be safe. It might be in that room that your mother turned into the dining room, now that I think about it.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Lisa paused. “Or well, it would be, except we might have a little problem. It would be really great if you could tell me what the thing in the dining room wall actually is.”

  Betty’s eyes clouded and she shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

  Lisa stood up and moved to sit on the bed, taking her aunt’s hands in hers. “I have some bad news. If your stuff was located in the wall, I think it may have been stolen.”

  “Stolen! The whole point of putting it there was so no one would find it. You need to call the police! Call nine one one!”

  “It would be really helpful if you remembered what it is because that would be the first question the police will ask. I think I know who took it, but there’s no way to get it back if I don’t know what I’m asking for in the first place.”

  “All right, I’ll try.” Betty looked thoughtful for a moment. “Who do you think stole it?”

  “The contractor who was working on the house, Craig Maddox. I think he’s originally from Los Angeles.”

  “That name sounds familiar.” Betty shook her head. “But I don’t know why. I can’t remember.”

  “All right. If you think of anything, please let me know. I’m still at the house. Craig has disappeared and I have to figure out how I’m going to get the rest of the work done.”

  Betty patted her hand. “If you find that snake, I want to talk to him too.”

  Lisa mustered a wry smile. “Don’t count on it. When I confronted him, he didn’t take it well. He made it sound like he has left town.”

  Betty looked concerned. “I’m going to think on this, Linda. I promise I will.”

  Lisa said goodbye to her aunt and she and Harley walked down the hall to wait for Pete. She settled into the chairs outside the physical-therapy room and listlessly thumbed through an ancient magazine she’d already perused.

  Lisa looked up when the door opened. Pete limped out, followed by George. The physical therapist really was gorgeous. Now that her sex life was about to return to a bleak, lonely wasteland, maybe she should continue to stop by here. When she visited Betty, she could wander down to the physical-therapy area and casually say hi to George so she could at least get a little eye candy.

  Pete thanked George and said goodbye. Lisa and Harley accompanied Pete to the truck, and on the drive back to the house, he asked, “So did you learn anything from Betty?”

  Lisa shook her head. “Whatever the mysterious stuff is, she doesn’t know. She is definitely mad at Craig and demanded that I call the police. She did seem to realize that I can’t report a theft if I don’t know what was stolen.”

  “Yeah, it doesn’t even count as vandalism, since the guy was working on the
house. Does she know Craig?”

  “I don’t think so. Or maybe she did, but she can’t remember.” Lisa shrugged. “Conversations with Betty are confusing, but I apologized to her, so I feel better. We’ve mended fences and I think she understands why I can’t give her the thing she wants.”

  Pete crossed his arms across his chest. “The fact that Craig stole something out of the house bothers me.”

  “That’s your latent crime-fighting skills talking. There’s nothing I can do about it, so it’s not worth thinking about anymore. Did George give you a referral to a physical therapist?”

  “Yes, although he thinks I should stay here longer for continuity and all that.”

  “At least I’m not the only one who thinks you should stay.” Lisa’s stomach was a little queasy at the thought that the next day she’d have to say goodbye and watch Pete get on a plane.

  “Hey, we talked about this. It’s not like we’ll never talk to each other again. We agreed that I’ll call you on Saturdays or you’ll call me.”

  “Once a week isn’t enough.”

  “You’ll get used to it.”

  “I suppose, but I’m going to be looking forward to weekends even more now. It’s going to be strange not talking to you every day. Having breakfast, talking while we’re going through all my family’s ancient crap, and just having you around. The house is going to seem so quiet again.”

  “It’s not like I’m not going to miss you too, you know.”

  Lisa wanted to scream, “Then don’t leave!” but managed to contain herself. He wasn’t saying why he was so dead set on leaving in the morning, and she was wondering if there was something he wasn’t sharing. Maybe he had a girlfriend back in Phoenix that he’d neglected to mention. How would she know?

  The next morning, Lisa dropped Pete off at the Alpine Grove airport, which was comprised of one short runway surrounded by a few hangars. She and Harley watched as Pete got into a tiny plane that looked far too flimsy to get airborne.

  When she saw the two-seater aircraft sitting on the tarmac, she demanded that Pete promise to call her when he arrived home to let her know he’d made it back to Arizona safely. He pointed out that she would probably be attending a party, and she replied, somewhat tartly, “so leave a message” before she gave him one last kiss goodbye.

  It was too bad if he didn’t appreciate her concern. That plane was scary small.

  Chapter 13

  Mondegreens

  After Pete left, the last thing Lisa wanted to do was go to a party, but Kat’s big bachelorette blowout was on the agenda and Lisa had committed herself to going. She’d called Maria earlier in the week to give her regrets, using Harley as an excuse. Without Pete at the house she had no dog sitter, and taking Harley to the kennel at the last minute seemed rude, since the party was for the kennel’s owner.

  Unfortunately, Maria had countered the argument, stating that dogs were invited to the event. Lisa was so surprised she couldn’t think of a way out of it and agreed to attend. At least Kat had remained firm on her commitment to veto costumes and strippers.

  Lisa got ready to go and loaded Harley into the truck. Maria had pointed out that the liquor was going to flow and most attendees had a ride home with a spouse, significant other, or friend. She’d said, “It’s like Cinderella, where we all turn into pumpkins at midnight when our rides show up.”

  It had occurred to Lisa that Cinderella didn’t turn into a pumpkin, but her ride did. She didn’t want to get into a big fairy-tale debate, so she decided to arrive late and leave early. If she made an appearance, had some tonic water, and let Harley say hi to a few canine friends, that would be plenty.

  She hadn’t been to the Enchanted Moose in years. It was a motel, RV park, and convention center that stayed in business mostly because people had so few options for event venues and places to stay in Alpine Grove. It was also the only motel that allowed dogs. All of Lisa’s high school reunions had been held at the Moose, but she’d been able to avoid them so far.

  Lisa and Harley got out of the truck, and she wandered around the grassy areas with him to ensure his bladder was empty before they went inside. The party was being held in one of the smaller rooms in the conference building. As Lisa walked down the hallway, it wasn’t difficult to determine which room it was because loud, raucous music blasted from within. When she opened the door, she entered a darkened area filled with twinkly lights that had been strategically strung in the shape of a specific part of the male anatomy.

  Lisa put her hand over her mouth as she stared up at the lights. She was startled by a woman who came up next to her and said, “It’s really something, isn’t it?”

  Lisa nodded, rendered temporarily speechless at the level of anatomical detail. Harley was wagging his tail, whapping her leg like a whip. She looked down and noticed that Harley had encountered another Labrador and the two dogs were happily sniffing one another. The woman at the other end of the dog’s leash said, “I’m Jan. I think we met at the library. This is my dog, Rosa”

  Lisa peered at her more closely. “Oh, yes. Hi. It’s nice to see you again. That’s some, uh, interesting headgear you have.”

  Jan took off the glittery penis tiara and held it in front of her. “Once she finds you, Maria will make you wear one too.”

  “I need to hide.”

  “Well, she’s headed for the stage now, so you have a reprieve. We should probably sit down for this.”

  “I think so.”

  They settled into their seats with their dogs lying down next to them. Lisa noticed that Harley was being remarkably well behaved. Maybe all the work Pete had done training both the dog and Lisa had finally paid off. Or maybe the poor dog was in a state of shock at all the strange sights and smells.

  The music died down and the two women looked up at the stage as Maria attempted to negotiate the small step up. The maneuver was challenging because the lime-green spandex dress she was wearing made it difficult for her to move her legs. She teetered a few times, then grabbed the microphone off a stand. “Welcome everyone!”

  Jan leaned to Lisa. “You missed out on a number of drinking games earlier.”

  “That’s okay. I’m not drinking, since I have to drive home.”

  “I’m not either. After an incident with spiked Jell-O shots, I determined that alcohol and I needed to break up. We didn’t have a good relationship at all.”

  From the stage, Maria said, “Thank you all for being here to celebrate Kat’s last few weeks as a free woman. Where are you, Kat?”

  Kat waved her hand weakly from the bar, where she was standing with her gigantic hairy dog, Linus. It was a good thing the dog was so large because he seemed to be propping her up.

  Lisa whispered to Jan, “Is she okay?”

  “Three sheets to the wind, which is probably the only way she’ll get through this. Karaoke is next.”

  “Wow. It’s probably a good thing she won’t remember it.”

  Maria said, “As you know, the live entertainment I had planned fell through, so the entertainment is us! My friend Fred let me use his karaoke machine from the bar. But I’m sad to say that in an unfortunate turn of events, one of the patrons of the Mystic Moon Soloan got a little too exuberant and the machine has a little problem, so the thingie that shows the lyrics is dead. But it’s okay! You all know the words to these tunes, so feel free to sing along!”

  She bent to turn on the music and after a belch of static, the machine burst forth with the music from “Daydream Believer” by the Monkees.

  Maria belted out, “Cheer up, Lean Cuisine!”

  Lisa looked at Jan, “What did she say?”

  “I think she might not know the lyrics as well as she thinks she does.”

  “Did she say beans? I’m positive that’s not right.”

  “It’s not.” Jan said, “The song was composed by John Stewart not too long before he left the Kingston Trio. It was recorded by The Monkees and hit the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 ch
art in 1967. Davy Jones sang the lead vocals.”

  “Good heavens, you certainly know your Monkees trivia.”

  “I know a lot of trivia. It’s a bit of an occupational hazard.”

  Lisa gestured toward the stage. “Is it just me, or is this version dirtier than the original?”

  Maria belted out,

  “I once thought of you

  As a white knight on his skis.

  Now there’s snow and holy crap he peed

  Then the glad times start and end

  And the taller one will spend

  But how much faith in jewelry will we really need?”

  Cheer up, Lean Cuisine!

  Oh, a can of beans

  A daydream, I believe

  I’m under the homecoming queen.”

  Maria completed the song and bowed deeply. “Someone else has to take a turn now.”

  Many of the women in the room were ducking their heads, attempting to make themselves invisible. Finally, a blonde woman held up a glass and proclaimed, “You’re all a bunch of wimps!” before ascending the stage.

  A woman hiding in a dark corner shouted, “Go, Tracy!” as Maria handed her the microphone.

  The strains of “Blinded by the Light” came from the karaoke machine, but Lisa was only half paying attention. “White knight on skis” reminded her of Pete. Okay, he wasn’t a knight and she’d never actually seen him on skis, but still. She gave herself a mental reprimand for going down this line of thought yet again. It was past time to stop thinking about him. Continuing to be hung up on a guy who lived in a different state was going to make her miserable.

  Jan said, “I estimate that there is a less than three percent chance that Tracy will sing these lyrics correctly.”

  “Well, she did get the song title right.”

  Tracy crooned, “Wrapped up like a douche when you’re rolling in the night.”

  “And the ninety-seven percent wins again!” Jan said. “The correct lyrics have the word deuce, not douche.”

  “Really? I could never understand it.”