"Are Mom and Dad back yet?" Stephanie inquired when she entered the pub and encountered her grandmother with three plates balanced on her arm while she served her customers at the big round table in the corner.
It had been an outrageously busy day, but after arresting Ogden Vaughn at the Wyatt house, Stephanie had been taken back to the pub while Vaughn had been taken to a local clinic to get a cast on his broken arm. Then, she knew, her parents and Aunt Kim had gone to the jail to witness his interrogation. Now, she was awaiting word on the outcome of that interview.
"Not yet," Caroline replied. After a quick glance at the guest check, she placed each dish of piping hot food on the table in front of the person who ordered it, and asked if they needed anything else. When they responded they did not, she smiled pleasantly and moved toward Stephanie to place a loving arm around her. "I know you're anxious for all this to be over, but those interrogations can go on for a while. I'm sure it won't be much longer, though." Noticing that Jeannie wasn't with her, she asked, "Where's Jeannie?"
"She's had a headache all day, so I'm just leaving her alone for a while," she said, then admitted, "I think we were watching too many videos on the computer last night."
"That can happen," Caroline said. "Your mother used to get headaches when she was your age watching too much TV." Then, speaking to a table of young guests, she asked, "Would you like refills?"
"Yes, that would be nice," one of the guests replied.
Caroline placed three empty glasses on her tray, and Stephanie walked with her to the bar. "What did you think of the house?" she asked as she slipped behind the bar to refill soda orders.
"I hate to admit it, but I really like it. It's really run-down. Those awful people tore things up and made a terrible mess, but the bedroom they had picked out for me is amazing. I can't even describe how much I like it."
"The Princess room," Caroline said with a knowing smile. "I remember how eager your parents were to decorate that room for you. What sixteen-year-old girl wouldn't love a room like that?"
"It's a lot bigger than the one I have in the condo. And I'd love to have my own bathroom. And a walk-in closet." She folded her arms on the counter and leaned against it, eagerly. "It has a window box! Did you know that?"
Caroline nodded. "I remember it. Your mother and I were going to put a padded cushion on it. I like the way it overlooks the backyard. It was going to be your toy box when you were young, and then whatever you wanted it for when you got older."
"It would have made a great toy box," Stephanie said. "I hate that I missed that. The yard is huge! I wonder if Dad would consider putting in a pool."
Caroline looked up from the soda dispenser. "A pool?"
Stephanie grinned. "Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself."
Caroline laughed. "Maybe, but I like the way you're talking! I've really missed you and your parents." She picked up the sodas to deliver them back to the table, but this time, Stephanie did not follow.
"I think I'll go out back for a while," she said.
"Nothing back there but the dumpsters," Caroline said.
"I've never been back there."
Moving through the kitchen area, Stephanie pushed open the heavy back door and stepped out onto the concrete back porch with an iron railing and steps leading down to the dumpsters. There was a slight odor of rotting food, but with the cover down, it was not foul enough to deter her from looking around.
A tall wooden fence ran along one side of the narrow driveway that permitted the trash trucks access to the dumpsters, but it had not been properly treated so there were rotting boards and broken places along the bottom and the top. Looking up at the building, she could see the windows of her grandparents' bedroom. They had a nice view, she decided, for it was looking toward the park in the distance.
After a few moments of exploring, she decided there was really nothing to see. With a sigh, she sat down on the steps and waited, hoping her parents would hurry up and get back.
Ten minutes later, the door opened, and Steve stepped outside with a large bag of his favorite brand of potato chips.
Stephanie turned around and started to get up, but he waved her back down. "Hey, Dad. How did it go?"
"It went well." He sat down on the step beside her. "Found out a few surprises, but thankfully I think we're about done with this mess." Offering her the bag of chips, he gave her a recap of the interview with Ogden Vaughn while they slowly made their way through the bag.
"Wow, what are the odds that your grandfather would be the guy who built the hiding place in the house that you eventually owned? That's just so weird."
"Yeah, it is. Just goes to show how small of a world it really is, though. I guess I'll have to testify at Vaughn's trial, but really, all we have to do now is decide what we want to do with the rest of our lives."
A movement beside the dumpster caught Stephanie's eye, and she focused on it more intently. A small scruffy dog was nosing through the wrappings that had fallen onto the ground, searching for scraps of food.
"Hey, look at that," she said. "I think he's hungry, poor thing." She watched the dog, wistfully, then admitted, "I've always wanted a dog."
"You have?"
"Yeah, as long as I can remember. Mom said if it was up to her, she'd let me have one, but we live in the condo, and even though we own the unit, the association won't allow pets inside the building. Except for that dumb actress on the tenth floor. She has a dog, but the association looks the other way because she's special." She made a show of tossing her hair over her shoulder and batting her eyes, mimicking the actress's mannerisms. "Total airhead. I don't think it's fair that they bend the rules for her, but Mom said that was in the clause when she signed the deed."
Steve gave a low "dog whistle", and the dog looked up, ears alert. Its expression was wary, as if it had been chased off before. Its nose twitched, taking in scents that the humans could not smell.
"Come here," Steve said, gently, offering the dog a chip.
Its tail gave a tentative wag, tempted, but it remained where it was, still wary.
"It's okay," he coaxed, holding the chip lower.
The dog took a couple of steps nearer, then stopped again. It looked up and down the alley, as if verifying that it had a clear avenue of escape, but when it looked back, the tail gave another wag, and it took another step closer.
"It's okay, baby," Stephanie said. Taking the chip from her father's hand, she knelt down and held it out.
With its head low in a submissive position, the dog crept closer, then leaned forward to snatch the chip from her hand before darting back several paces again, crunching it hungrily. Then it turned back to face her again, ears up, clearly wanting another.
"Go see if Grandma has some scraps we can give it," she suggested.
"Your grandmother is going to kill us for encouraging it to stay around," Steve told her.
"If we don't' help it, it's going to starve!" she protested, then looked into her father's face with pleading eyes. "Look how skinny it is! How could anyone dump such a cute little dog? He looks kind of like Benji, from that old movie back in the '70's."
"Yeah, he does," Steve agreed.
"Dad, please?"
"Okay, okay," he relented. "I still say your Grandma's going to kill us, and if she doesn't your momma might! Stay here and I'll see what I can rake up."
He stood up, startling the dog, which retreated to the dumpster again. Knowing he was probably making a big mistake, he opened the door and went inside, then went down the corridor to the kitchen where Caroline was stirring a pot of clam chowder.
"Hi, Steve," she said, smiling cheerfully. "So that's where my bag of chips went."
He put the now-empty bag on the counter. "Yeah, sorry about that. I'll buy you another."
"There's more in the pantry over there. I had just laid that one out for easy access."
"Got any scraps?" he asked.
She looked up, eyebrows lifted. "What do you mean? We're having clam chowder for supper tonight, so you don't want to fill up on leftovers."
"Oh, it's not for me. Stephanie found a little dog out back, and –"
"She isn't feeding it, is she?" Caroline interrupted.
"Well, yeah, we gave it some potato chips, but it's really hungry and the chips aren't enough."
"Steve!" she scolded. "Now we'll never get rid of it!"
"Actually, I was thinking we might keep it," he confessed.
"Keep what?" Kayla asked, entering the kitchen from the dining area.
"There's this little dog out back that's starving to death," he explained. "Stephanie has really taken a shine to it, you know? She wants to give it something to eat."
Kayla sighed. "You're as bad as she is. She's been wanting a dog for years, but we always lived in the condo, and they don't allow pets."
"I know. She told me about the association and the building rules against pets, except for the dumb actress broad on the tenth floor –"
"Dumb actress broad?" Kayla asked.
"Yeah, the one the association allows to have a dog because she's famous. Anyway, if we move back here, we're going to have this big acreage, and it might be nice having a dog to guard the property."
Kayla glanced at her mother, who turned back to the chowder, refusing to take sides. "Yes, it would, but wouldn't it be better to pick out a dog together?"
"Well, we could do that," he said, solemnly. "And in the meantime, a life will be lost. The poor thing is starving. You know, sometimes, abandoned dogs are the best ones. Same goes for other animals. You picked up a stray tomcat once, remember?"
She knew he was talking about himself. "Steve, that isn't fair."
He slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled at her neck. "They can be extremely affectionate, and they're grateful for the second chance, you know what I mean?"
She was weakening. "You're really something, you know that?"
"Mm-hmm," he agreed. "Come on, he looks a lot like that Benji-dog from that old movie. He's cute as can be."
She sighed. "All right, we'll give it some food and take a look." Turning to her mother again, she asked, "Is there anything we could give it? Leftovers? Scraps?"
Caroline pointed toward the refrigerator. "Check the fridge. There might be some leftover roast."
Kayla opened the industrial refrigerator and looked over the items that were stored there. Finding a plate covered with plastic wrap, she withdrew it to look at the small amount of roast beef that was left over from yesterday's special.
"Are you sure you don't want to use it?"
"There isn't enough left over to do anything with. Go ahead and take it."
Together, Steve and Kayla chopped up some roast beef and placed it in a plastic bowl, then with the bowl of scraps in hand, they went out the back door, where they found Stephanie scratching the dog's ears. When the door opened, it skittered away several yards, uncertain, but stopped when it smelled the roast.
"Oh, poor thing!" Kayla exclaimed. "Someone has been mean to it!"
"I know," Stephanie replied. "She's really skittish. I think she's been living on garbage for a long time."
"Yeah, smells like it," Kayla agreed. "She?"
"Yeah, she got close enough that I can tell. Oh, you got some food for her." She reached up for the bowl, and Kayla gave it to her. Extending it toward the dog, Stephanie coaxed, "Come on, Chloe. Come on sweetie."
"Chloe?" Kayla looked quickly at Steve, then back at Stephanie. "You've already named it?"
"She needed a name," Stephanie said in her defense. "I used to pick out dog names when I was kid, just in case I ever got lucky enough to get one. Chloe was one of the female names I picked out."
She set the bowl down on the ground, and the dog inched closer, then gave the food a few sniffs before devouring it.
"There, isn't that good?" Stephanie asked the dog, which wagged its tail and moved closer to her.
Kayla sighed in defeat. "All right, but before she comes inside, she's going to the vet to be de-smelled, de-bugged, bathed, and vaccinated. Got it?"
"Got it," Steve and Stephanie said at the same time, then gave each other a high-five.
"Oh, and one more thing," Kayla said. "She's going to have to be spayed. I suggest you get on the phone to a vet ASAP and start making the arrangements."
"I'm on it!" Steve said. With a wink to Stephanie, he went back inside to make the call.
Stephanie smiled adoringly after him, then gave her mother a hug. "Thanks, Mom."
"Just remember, she's your responsibility. I mean it. You feed her, brush her, make sure she has plenty of fresh water, and most importantly, you clean up after any mess she makes."
"I promise."
It was difficult for Stephanie to leave Chloe with the vet to be groomed, vaccinated, and spayed, but she was excited and talkative all the way back to the pub. As soon as they walked through the door, Stephanie bounded upstairs to the family living area to tell her best friend. Jeannie was up, apparently feeling better, and Kim was telling her about Vaughn's interrogation.
Stephanie rushed up excitedly to grasp her cousin's hands. She was almost jumping up and down with exuberance.
"You won't believe it! We got a dog!" she squealed.
Inspired by Stephanie's excitement, Jeannie jumped out of the chair to hug her. "You did? That's wonderful! Where did you get him?"
"It's a girl, and she's a stray that was hanging around the dumpsters. I got her to come to me, and Mom and Dad said we can keep her!"
"That's so great!"
"But there's more! Listen to this!"
Kim did not wait to hear more. Noticing that Kayla had followed Stephanie inside the living room and was watching the excited girls with a smile, Kim got up and joined her sister while the two girls continued to talk. "So you got a dog?"
"I was outnumbered," Kayla admitted. "I actually saw the dog a few days ago when it was coming out of the alley, but I didn't get a good look at it or even thought much about it. Just figured it belonged to someone around here. Turns out, it was starving. Stephanie's been wanting a dog for years, but the HOA at the condo won't allow pets."
"So what does that mean?" Kim asked. "You've made the decision, then? You're really going to move back into the old Wyatt place?"
"Looks that way. Steve is wanting to put in an offer on the house right away. Stephanie loves her bedroom, and with her new dog, she thinks it's a good idea. I'm not sure what will happen if she decides to go to college, but she seems to be thinking about going to Salem U., so she can live at home. I must admit, I like that idea very much."
"Sounds like a plan." Kim glanced toward the pub. "So, is Mom going to allow the dog upstairs?"
"She's at the vet right now getting cleaned up, groomed, and defleaed. She'll be spayed in the morning, and I guess after that, she'll be coming home. She's young. The vet says she's less than a year old and hasn't had puppies yet, so looks like we got her just in the nick of time, as Steve says."
Jeanne and Stephanie rushed toward them, and Jeannie asked, "Mom! Did Aunt Kayla tell you?"
"About the dog? Yes," Kim replied.
"No! I mean about the house!"
"About moving back into the Wyatt house?"
"No! About the house that's for sale down the street from the Wyatt house!"
Kim looked questioningly at Kayla, who shrugged and said, "I didn't know there was a house for sale down the road from the Wyatt house."
"I can't believe you didn't notice it!" Stephanie said. "We drove right past it." Speaking to Kim, she said, "It's a great looking house, really big, with two stories and a big lot. It would be perfect for you and Uncle Shane!"
"Whoa! What?" Kayla exclaimed. Turning to Kim, she said, "Have you been holding out on us?"
Waylaid, Kim looked a bit flustered as she looked at each eager face in turn. "I'm not sure what everyone is talking about here. Shane and I are getting along great and yes, we've had some great times while we've been here, but we haven't really talked anything at all about the future. Seriously girls, you're getting ahead of yourselves."
Jeannie sobered a bit, but was not deterred. "Okay, maybe we're moving too fast, but Mom, even if you and Dad don't get back together, that doesn't mean we can't move back to Salem. Can't we at least go and look at the house? Stephanie and I could go to school together, and maybe Dad would be inclined to come back more often to see us. And who knows? Maybe things will work themselves out."
Kim looked from her daughter to Kayla, thinking that it would be nice to come home again to be closer to family, but she had made a new life for herself in Seattle. "Well, you've given me something to think about, but I can't make a decision on a whim like this. It needs to be thought through."
Kayla stepped in at that point. "Come on, girls. I think you've ambushed her. Let's give her some time and space to think about it, okay? Tell you what, let's go back to your bedroom, girls, and we can tell Jeannie all about our busy day."
Kim mouthed Thank you!