Barefoot Season

by Susan Mallery

  “It’s not about the money.” Carly drew in a breath. “I’m glad you’re back. I was worried.”

  “I know. You were trying to help. I should have been more gracious.”

  “Why start now?”

  Michelle grinned. “Good point.” She picked up the Baggie containing the broken pieces of her phone. “I should probably get this fixed, too.”

  “I don’t know. If you really don’t want to get any calls, you’ve found the perfect solution.”

  “I think a phone could come in handy. I’ll go first thing tomorrow.”

  There was a moment of silence, then Michelle said, “Thank you. For everything. I know I haven’t been easy to deal with. Damaris pushed me over the edge. I thought I could trust her completely and it was all a lie. I didn’t know how to handle that. You were there for me.”

  “You’re welcome,” Carly said, suddenly fighting tears. “I want to help and be someone you can depend on.” She almost said that they were sisters and should be there for each other, but maybe it was too soon for that. She’d barely come to terms with that reality herself.

  “At the risk of pissing you off,” she said cautiously, “I do have to tell you one thing. It’s not completely horrible,” she added. “It’s just strange.”

  Michelle drew in a breath. “Okay. What is it? Alien landings? The daisies have been sneaking out at night and killing people?”

  “Ellen stopped by. She was her usual unpleasant self to me, which I’m used to. But she implied that the rules she put in place for you didn’t come from any committee or the bank board. That she had done it herself, sort of as a power play.”

  “Can she do that?”

  “I don’t know. I have no experience with the banking world. I just wanted to tell you what happened.”

  “Nothing I’m dealing with today,” Michelle admitted. “It’s way above my pay grade right now. Anything else I should know about?”

  “Mom, Mom, are you—?”

  Gabby rounded the corner, then slid to a stop, her eyes huge.

  “Mom, is that a dog?” Her voice was thick with reverence, as if she’d just been given the world.

  “Yes. Michelle is taking care of him. Be careful, he’s—”

  There was no time to finish the statement, warning her daughter that the pathetic guy might not react well to a child’s exuberance. Gabby barreled toward him, arms outstretched. The dog whimpered and started to back away, but his leash held him in place.

  Then Gabby had reached him. She wrapped both arms around his body and leaned her head against his back.

  Carly was already moving, prepared to get between Gabby and the teeth that were sure to follow.

  But instead of attacking, the dog stood perfectly still, as if the stroking of little hands relaxed him. His long, skinny tail began a slow, tentative side-to-side movement.

  Gabby straightened, her grin wide. “He’s beautiful. Does he have a name? Can I take him for a walk? Do you think he’ll like Mr. Whiskers? Can I dress him in clothes?”

  Michelle laughed. “Impressive, kid. That’s a list. Let’s see. He doesn’t have a name. I’ve been thinking of Chance.”

  “I like that,” Gabby told her. She turned to the dog. “Hi, Chance. I’m Gabby. We’re going to be best friends.”

  The tail wagged again.

  “Chance needs to get used to his surroundings,” Carly told her daughter. “He got in some trouble and that’s why he’s so skinny. He needs to get his strength back before he can play a lot. But I was thinking maybe we could go to the pet store this afternoon and buy him some food and a bed and stuff.”

  Gabby clapped her hands together. “Could we? Oh, yes, we’ll get you good toys, Chance. Then you can get better and we’ll play together.”

  “I’m sure he’d like that,” Michelle told her. She looked up at Carly. “Thank you. For everything. I knew you’d take care of the inn.”

  Carly throat tightened. “I’m happy to help. Just ask for anything.”

  Michelle laughed. “I think I already have.”

  * * *

  The meeting room was plain, with a couple of windows and chairs in rows. Michelle figured there were about twenty guys there. She was the only woman, but then she was also the only person who had brought a dog.

  One guy talked about the nightmares he had and how he wasn’t sleeping. Most of the group nodded, as if they, too, had the same problem. Another guy said that Ryan had been arrested for stealing a car. There were murmurs of sympathy. Michelle had no idea who Ryan was but guessed she wouldn’t be meeting him anytime soon.

  No one paid any attention to her, which was how she preferred things. She sat in the back, Chance stretching out next to her on the worn carpet. When the hour ended, the leader reminded them it was smarter to ask for help than to wait until there wasn’t a choice.

  Everyone stood. She half expected a group prayer, but they simply started walking toward the door, a few stopping to talk to each other. Michelle had nearly made it to freedom, when the leader tapped her on the shoulder.

  “You’re new,” he said.

  She nodded.

  “We meet every day. You’re welcome here.”

  “Thank you.”

  And that was it.

  She walked to the parking lot feeling both relieved and maybe a little better. She was taking steps to heal. The process would be slow, but she would get there.

  Her good mood lasted until she saw Jared leaning against her truck.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, angry more because she was embarrassed than because he’d done anything wrong.

  “Loitering. How was the meeting?”

  “Fine.”

  “You talk?”

  “No.”

  He grinned. “You will.”

  “You think you’re so smart.”

  “You’re not my first rodeo.”

  Great. Because she wanted to be reminded she was nothing more than a project.

  She opened her mouth to tell him to get the hell out of her life only to realize she was petting Chance on the head and he was letting her. She glanced down to find the dog leaning against her as she stroked his head and ears.

  “Well, look at you,” she said.

  He looked up at her. Maybe it was her imagination, but she would swear his doggie eyes held something like hope.

  She wished there was a way to tell him he could believe in her. That she would never betray him or hurt him. But he would have to learn that over time.

  She turned her attention back to Jared. “You probably expect me to thank you.”

  He chuckled. “Not today, but sure. Eventually you will. You’ll embarrass us both with your gratitude.”

  She hated the sound of that. “Don’t expect me to sleep with you because of all this.”

  The chuckle turned to a laugh. “You’re not ready,” he said, pushing off her truck and straightening.

  Not ready? What did that mean? And why did he get to say?

  Before she could ask, he patted Chance and said, “I have a charter. I’ll see you later.”

  She was left in the parking lot, watching him drive away, feeling as tongue-tied as she had back in high school.

  “Men are stupid,” Michelle muttered.

  Chance looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

  “Not you,” she added.

  His tail wagged.

  Thirty-One

  “Thanks for this,” Carly said as Sam pulled into the pet-store parking lot.

  “You’re going to need a big, strong guy to help you carry everything,” he said, catching Gabby’s attention in the rearview mirror. “Isn’t that right?”

  Gabby giggled. “Uh-huh. We’re going to get Chance the biggest bag of dog food they have. So he won’t worry about being hungry anymore.”

  Sam had come by just as Carly and Gabby had been getting ready to leave. He’d offered to go with them and they’d both quickly accepted. Now, as Sam helped her daughter out of the truck
, it occurred to her that she shouldn’t have let Gabby meet him so quickly. If things didn’t work out, Gabby could be hurt. She would have to make sure her daughter understood Sam was a friend and might not be much more than that ever.

  Life was easier when it was man-free, she thought, following them into the pet store. Note to self, she thought humorously. Now that you’ve started dating, stop.

  Sam grabbed a cart and they headed for the dog department. They stopped first at the beds. Gabby picked one that was red plaid with a soft pillow inside.

  “I like the purple better,” Gabby said as Sam angled it into the cart. “But Chance is a boy and sometimes boys don’t like purple.”

  “That’s true. But we like red.”

  They bought a second bed for Michelle’s office at the inn, dog shampoo, flea treatment, bowls and the biggest bag of dog food Carly had ever seen. Nail clippers and a soft brush were added to the cart. Gabby found peanut-butter-flavored dog cookies and insisted they get some.

  “Even dogs need cookies,” she told her mother.

  “If you say so.”

  They lingered over the toys. Gabby chose balls and a tugging rope and bone that was supposed to be good for a dog’s teeth. Sam added a pooper-scooper, which made Gabby giggle.

  When they’d purchased everything and loaded the car, Sam suggested they walk by the marina and have ice cream.

  After getting their cones, they walked along the boardwalk. The clouds had come in, but there wasn’t any rain and the air was warm. Tourists strolled, rode bikes and crowded the tour boats heading out onto the water.

  “Still like it around here?” she asked.

  “I do. It’s a nice little town.”

  “Where did you grow up?”

  “A small town you never heard of in Virginia. So I know the drill. Everybody keeps track of everybody else’s business. Memories are long and if you screw up as a kid, it can haunt you for the rest of your life.”

  She glanced at him, then away, thinking about Ellen and how very much she wanted to make sure Carly kept on paying for those mistakes.

  “What?” he asked, keeping his voice low. Gabby was out in front of them, skipping along and occasionally hanging over the railing to stare down at the cranes on the rocks.

  “You’re right,” she said. “It’s just like that. We do get the tourists in every summer as a distraction, which helps. But for us locals…”

  “A few things still making trouble?” he asked.

  “Lately, yes.” She glanced at him, wondering if she should tell him the truth. She probably should. In his line of work, he was bound to hear rumors.

  “I had a reputation for being wild in high school,” she admitted, speaking quietly so Gabby wouldn’t hear. “Specifically my senior year. My mom left and my dad didn’t much care what I did. I partied and got a reputation for sleeping around. I thought if I gave those guys what they wanted that I would feel special. Taken care of. It didn’t work, of course.”

  She stopped talking and pressed her lips together. “The irony is I was a tease. I didn’t have sex with anyone until I met the guy I married. But that’s just details. The other story is more interesting to anyone.”

  “I’m sorry you’re still hearing about it,” Sam told her. “Scandal dies hard.”

  “Tell me about it. Since Gabby was born, you’re the first guy I’ve dated. The first guy I’ve…” She cleared her throat. “You know.”

  He grinned. “I remember the ‘you know.’ I’m very fond of the ‘you know.’”

  She laughed. “I’d nearly forgotten I liked it, too.” Her smile faded. “It’s been years, but there are people around here who refuse to forget.”

  He put his arm around her. “Don’t let them get to you, Carly. Their opinions don’t matter.”

  They did when they could get her fired, she thought, remembering Ellen’s threats. But she wasn’t going to go into that with Sam.

  Gabby rejoined them. When they’d finished their cones, they went back to the pet-store parking lot and drove to the inn. She directed him to drive around back so they could load everything into Michelle’s office.

  “Looks like you’ve got company,” Sam said, pointing to the huge motor home parked behind the building.

  Carly stared at it, confused. “Usually guests warn me when they’re bringing a motor home. They want to make sure there’s somewhere to park it.”

  As she watched, the side door opened and a tall man stepped out. He was in his fifties, fit, with dark hair and familiar eyes. When he reached the ground, he turned and helped out a petite blonde woman.

  Gabby sucked in a breath. “Grandma?” she whispered.

  Carly couldn’t believe it. After all this time her mother and Michelle’s father had returned to Blackberry Island.

  * * *

  Gabby stood next to Carly. It seemed that neither of them knew what to do, Carly thought. She and her mother talked maybe once a year. She never spoke to Frank. There had been no hint of their plans and now they were here.

  Lana Sanderson smiled at her daughter and granddaughter. “You look surprised. Don’t I get a hug?”

  Gabby glanced up at her, as if looking for guidance. Carly drew in a breath and nodded. “Sure, Mom.”

  Carly hugged her briefly, then stepped back. Gabby hesitated before moving forward.

  “Hello, dear,” Lana said, lightly touching her granddaughter’s hair. “You’re so pretty. Just like your mom was at your age. I’ve missed you.”

  Carly wanted to ask if her mother had missed them, why did she never call or visit? Why did the holidays go by with little more than a postcard from some exotic location to celebrate the season?

  Gabby returned to Carly’s side and took her hand. Frank nodded at them both.

  “Good to see you girls. How are things here at the inn?”

  “We’re busy.”

  Carly thought about Michelle’s fragile state and wondered how she would react to the unexpected arrival.

  Lana looked past her to Sam. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Carly’s mother.”

  “Sam,” he said, shifting the dog bed to the other arm and shaking hands with Lana and Frank. “A friend of Carly’s.”

  And hey, Michelle’s ex-husband, but why get into that?

  Sam stepped back. “I’ll, ah, put this in Michelle’s office, then unload the truck.”

  “Good idea,” Carly said, thinking escape sounded like a great idea. Too bad she couldn’t.

  He nodded and touched her shoulder. “You know how to get in touch with me if you need anything, right?”

  “I promise.” She sighed and lowered her voice. “Brace yourself. I mean that in a scary stalker way.”

  “I can handle it.”

  Sam ruffled Gabby’s hair, then walked back around the inn. As Carly watched him go, she told herself at least she had something to look forward to. That she would get through the next few days and then her mother would be gone. Having Sam as a reward would certainly help.

  * * *

  Michelle arrived back at the inn to find Carly pacing back and forth on the front porch. She parked, then held the door open for Chance. He jumped down easily and stayed next to her as she walked toward the building.

  Carly turned and Michelle saw the panic in her eyes.

  “What happened?” Michelle demanded, not sure how much she could handle.

  “Nobody’s dead,” Carly said. She hesitated, then swore. “I just don’t understand. Don’t they have a damn phone? Sure, they couldn’t call you, but what about me? I’m here all the time. I’m easy to reach. But did they call? Of course not.”

  Michelle carefully regulated her breathing. She knew she was not at her best and any unexpected hiccup would be enough to put her back in danger.

  “Okay,” she said slowly. “Tell me.”

  “Your dad is here. Along with my mother. They showed up in a motor home.” She twisted her hands together. “I don’t get it. I talk to my mother maybe twice a
year. It’s not like we’re close. She’s met Gabby once. My daughter knows her grandmother from pictures. I’ve never spoken to your dad. And yet here they are. In the flesh.”

  Carly’s near-hysteria was oddly calming, Michelle thought as she made her way up the stairs.