My Sweet Valentine

by Sanders, Jill

  “Well,” he looked at the old building and pointed his searchlight at the side of the wall. “I don't see anything out of place. But just in case, I'd hire an inspector to take a look first chance you have, Patty.”

  “Most definitely. Do you think the building is safe?”

  “Yes, I see no reason to be concerned. It's just a small chunk.” Robert pulled the piece out of Sara's front seat. “Do you have a garage to park this in tonight?”

  Sara nodded her head. “I can have my mother park in the driveway.”

  “Well, my insurance will pay for the replacement. Just call Rusty and have him do it. Tell him to bill me and we'll take care of it all.”

  “I'd suggest telling everyone to park away from the building until you get it looked at.”

  “Of course. We're just lucky no one was hurt.”

  Robert turned to Sara with a smile. “Amelia and I can't wait until you open your doors. We've been dying for a good place to get a cup of Joe. Tell me you're going to have coffee.” He gave her a pleading look.

  “Several kinds.” She smiled. “Free cup with a purchase of a piece of coffee cake for the first week.”

  He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Coffee cake!” He said it like a dying man. “It's been a long time since I've had coffee cake. We can't wait.”

  Just then, bright lights turned into the parking lot. Sara recognized Allen's truck and smiled.

  “Well, if I'd known there was a party…What happened there?” He rushed from his truck and stopped by the side of her car.

  “Well, either my car was hit by a meteor, or part of Patty's building fell off and hit it.” She smiled. She watched Patty and Robert head into the store after they said their goodbyes.

  He looked at her car and opened the door. Robert had set the large chunk next to the wall before he'd gone inside.

  Now, she stood under her umbrella and watched Allen look up at the building with a frown. “Robert thinks it fell from the side?”

  “Well, I don't know. But Patty's going to have the inspector out.” She looked up at the side of the building for what seemed the hundredth time.

  “Hmmm.” He stood there looking up into the dark.

  “You didn't have to stop. Robert cleared the glass from my seat. I'll be okay driving the short distance home.”

  “Huh?” He looked down at her, still a frown on his face. “Oh, no. I needed to buy some dog food.” He turned back towards the building, this time searching the edge of the parking lot.

  “Dog food?” She was shocked. She didn’t know he had a dog. She supposed there was plenty about him that she didn't know.

  “Yeah, Beast will need some. Probably a bed and toys as well.” He continued to look along the wall.

  “Beast?” She was getting confused. “I didn't know you had a dog.”

  “I don't.” He smiled at her. “Well, you can't really call him a dog yet.” He walked over to his truck. He'd left it running and the lights were still on. She could see in the brightness that the rain had stopped. When Allen stopped to open the door of his truck, she heard a high-pitched bark. Then he pulled away from the door carrying a small, dark ball of fur.

  “Oh!” She rushed over to his side and they stood under the front awning of the store as the puppy, formally named Beast, licked her face and hands.

  “He'll grow into his feet,” Allen said smiling at her. She looked at the puppy’s paws and saw what he meant. “Hence the name Beast. One of the guys I work with had a litter. He brought a few in today trying to get rid of them before Christmas.”

  She laughed. “What if he doesn't grow into them? You could end up with a petite dog.” She laughed when the puppy tried to crawl into her coat. She unzipped it a little as he snuggled into her chest. “He's cold. I don't think Patty will let you take him inside. I can stand out here and keep him warm if you want to grab his supplies.”

  He smiled at her. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded and watched him turn and go into the store. A minute later, Patty opened the door and smiled at her. “You can come in and at least stand by the doors. But no further.” Sara stood just inside the doors with the puppy sleeping against her chest in her coat. Actually, Beast was keeping her quite warm.

  Less than ten minutes later, Allen walked to the front with a cart full of items.

  “Did you buy Patty out of all the dog toys?” She laughed at his full cart.

  “No, actually it looks like someone beat me to it.” He smiled. “She did have a full cat toy selection, though, and I thought Beast wouldn't mind.” He frowned a little. “At least not this first time.”

  By the time Allen had checked out, Beast was fully awake again and trying to get down. “He probably has to go.”

  Allen clipped on the new collar and ripped open the leash. “Here, I'll just walk him in the grass.” He set the puppy down in front of his truck and Beast decided to relieve himself right there in the parking lot. “Or,” Allen said laughing, “right here is good.” She laughed.

  “I like that sound.” He said, looking at her. She smiled back at him. “What do you say we follow you home? Make sure you get there okay.”

  She nodded and ruffled the puppy’s ears when Allen picked him back up. The two of them looked good together. The shadows that crossed his face made him look a little dangerous, but the small puppy cradled in his arms made him look irresistible. They followed her home and she was glad they had. It was a little hard to see through the shattered glass. She was thankful for the assurance that he was there if she needed him.

  When she pulled in, her mother's car was already in the drive and the garage door was open. Her mother and sister stood in the garage and watched her pull in. Allen honked his horn and waved as he drove by.

  “Was that Allen Masters?”

  “Yes, he made sure I made it home.”

  “Robert called ahead to make sure we knew everything was okay. Wow!” Her mother looked at the broken glass. “You’re lucky you weren't in there when that happened. It would have landed in your lap.”

  Allen drove home thinking the same thing. He knew for a fact that the chunk of stone hadn't come off the building. He'd stubbed his toe on that same chunk last week when he'd parked at the edge of the lot. It had been sitting just on the edge of the parking lot in the snow. He'd been concerned that someone else would trip over it, so he'd un-earthed it and moved it further into the grass.

  When he drove up his driveway, his neighbor, Robert, was parked next to his drive. Pulling in next to him, he rolled his window down.

  “Hey,” he nodded. They'd become friendly over the last few years since he'd purchased the place. Robert's house was about a quarter of a mile farther up the road. “Wanna come in for a beer?”

  “Sure. Amelia’s spending the night with her mother.” Robert looked a little preoccupied.

  “Anything wrong?” He stopped short of pulling the sleeping puppy from the car and looked at the local sheriff.

  “Huh? Oh, nothing wrong between us, it's her mother's health. She's been in and out of the hospital lately. Amelia and the kids are staying with her tonight. Hey, is that a new dog?” Robert walked over to his truck door and looked in the window.

  “Yeah, Marcus Engrim's dog had a litter. If you're looking for a new pet, he still has six of them to get rid of.”

  Robert whistled. “Six? The kids have been begging for a dog. I'll have to run it by Amelia first. Now that she's working full time at the vet, I don't know if she'd want to come home and deal with another animal.” He smiled as the puppy half crawled and half jumped into his arms.

  “Come on in. You get the dog, I'll get the food.” Allen grabbed the large bag of puppy chow and tossed it over his shoulder.

  Balancing the dog food, he opened the door and flipped on the lights in his mudroom. Setting the dog food down, he ripped it open and placed a small amount in the new dish he'd purchased. He filled another bowl with water and set it next to the food. Robert set the puppy down and Beas
t attacked the food, spilling more on the floor than he actually got in his mouth.

  “Come on in. I'll grab that beer.” They walked out of his mudroom. The house wasn't huge, but the large living room and kitchen had sold him on the place immediately. The high ceilings and the wood pillars gleamed. The stone fireplace traveled up the full two stories, allowing the warmth to spread throughout the entire house. Above, two long balconies ran on either side of the living room. The master bedroom sat over the large kitchen with two smaller bedrooms and a bath on the opposite side.

  Downstairs he had an office to the side of the living room and a smaller guest bedroom. All in all, the place suited him.

  Handing Robert a beer, he leaned back on the marble counter and took a sip of his own. He thought he knew why Robert was here. He watched him and waited.

  Robert took a sip and sighed, then looked out the window. “Rumor is it that you've been seeing Sara.”

  Allen chuckled. “Yeah, I thought it wouldn't take long to get around.”

  “Well,” Robert turned back to him with a concerned look on his face. “Got any clue who'd like to throw a chunk of cement through her window?”

  “I was wondering the same thing. That same chunk has been sitting in the parking lot ever since I arrived in Pride. I know Patty knows it's been there, I just can't figure out why she didn't want Sara to know it.”

  “Yeah, she knows it. The piece fell of the back of the building four years ago. Patty had the inspector out then. When we went inside, Patty told me she didn't want to worry Sara and that her insurance would pay for it, seeing as Sara is sinking everything she has into the bakery.” Robert shook his head and took another sip of his beer. “Damned if that woman doesn't beat all.” He smiled. “Something my grandpa used to say.”

  Allen laughed. “It could have been some kids.”

  Robert shook his head. “I've checked with the usual culprits. Joe and Dwayne were in Edgeview all day with their mother. Since you're seeing her, I thought maybe you'd heard more about the whole deal in Seattle. I've called the detective that's handling her case there, but just got his answering machine.”

  Allen stood up and set his beer down. “Her case in Seattle?”

  Robert looked at him. “Oh, damn. I'm sorry. I thought for sure she would have told you.” He shook his head and set his beer down. “Before you ask, it's not my place to tell you. I assumed you knew. I better get back to the house. Thanks for the beer.” Robert started to walk toward the back door. “Oh, Allen, your new dog left you a little something back here. I guess you can call it a housewarming present.” Robert chuckled as he walked out.

  After cleaning up Beast's mess, Allen finished setting up the dog bed and toys he'd purchased in the mudroom. The puppy spent the next few hours sniffing around the house, trying to mark anything he could. Allen knew all too well how to train a dog and right before bedtime he placed Beast back in the laundry room and shut the door. Immediately the whining started, and half an hour later, he progressed to howling. By the time Allen was showered and sitting down to watch the evening news, the dog had fallen quiet. But when the TV turned on, the barking started again.

  Allen walked over to the door and opened it. Beast sat on his bottom looking up at him with his tongue rolling out his mouth. There was a huge smile on the puppy’s face, if Allen had ever seen one.

  “Fine, you can come out and watch the news with me. But no more messes on my floor. And you go right back in when I go upstairs to bed. Is that understood?” The puppy looked at him and then walked between his legs and into the living room.

  An hour later, after cleaning up two more accidents, Allen headed upstairs and lay in bed listening to the puppy bark. He tossed and turned for the first half hour, then finally got up and brought Beast in bed with him. The small dog turned three circles then lay next to him on his giant bed and closed his eyes.

  “Just this once, buddy. We are not going to make a habit out of this. I've got an early morning and you'll just have to get used to your new room.” The dog looked up at him for a second, then went back to sleep.

  Allen tried to roll over, but the eight-pound puppy was lying on his legs and felt like a ton of bricks. How is it he had the largest bed known to man, yet one small dog could take up so much room?

  Chapter Six

  “What about this one?” Allison stood next to a small desk in one of the largest antique stores in Edgeview. Sara walked over to it and looked down. The desk looked solid, but there were a few scratches on the top. Nothing that couldn't be sanded out. She didn't like the light stain either, but supposed once she sanded it she could always stain it a darker color. The size was right and she liked the design. Taking out her measuring tape from her purse, she checked that it would fit in her small office.

  “Yes, it's perfect.” She smiled at her friend. “Now all I need is a chair.” She looked around the room. “Maybe we can find something over there.” Sara marked the desk with a yellow tag to show that the item was taken then followed Allison into a smaller room that had over a hundred old chairs.

  It was just after lunch and so far that morning they had already found four small, round maple tables for the front eating area, and two high-top tables that matched. Then she'd stumbled upon the perfect mission-slat-backed chairs. There had even been some higher ones for the high-top tables. She'd purchased a few extra chairs and decided to make a mock waiting area for custom orders.

  Now all they needed was an office chair for her and a small table for just inside the door where customers could place their dirty dishes and silverware.

  “Are you really going to make breakfast sandwiches?” Allison asked as she turned a chair around to get a better look at it.

  “That's the plan. I've got this recipe for these yummy honey bread buns that go great with eggs and ham. I'll also have bacon and turkey sausage, but I like them with ham the best.” Sara sat in a chair, trying it out, but when she leaned back, the entire chair almost fell over. Shaking her head, she got up and continued looking.

  “What about custom cakes? Like wedding cakes? Have you done a wedding cake yet?” Allison looked eager.

  “You're already married, silly.” She smiled at her friend.

  “Not for me.” Allison rolled her eyes. “I spent weeks drawing my own wedding cake, but I found I just didn't have the talent for it.” Her friend smiled and pointed to a dark cherry chair, the same color she'd been thinking she would stain the desk.

  “Oh, it's perfect.” They walked toward it, “Let's just hope it's as comfortable as it is beautiful.”

  When she sat down in it, she closed her eyes and sighed. This was what she'd been thinking of. Dreaming of. This was a chair she could sit and relax in for a few minutes and do some paperwork in. She held her breath as she leaned back a little, testing the chair out. When it leaned back smoothly and stopped short of tipping her out backwards, she tried the swivel and was rewarded with a smooth ride.

  “Perfection.” She smiled at her friend.

  “Good, now we can get all this delivered and go have a cup of coffee.”

  An hour later, they sat in Starbucks on the busy side of Edgeview. It was right by the hospital and the large windows overlooked the emergency room doors.

  “I didn't know they'd opened this up here.” Sara frowned a little. “Didn't this used to be a gas station?”

  Allison laughed. “Yes, but shortly before Conner was born, they opened this up. It's in a perfect location, I think.” Her friend looked out towards the hospital. “I was just here the other day.” Allison chewed her bottom lip.

  “Oh? Is everything okay? Nothing wrong with Conner is there?”

  “No,” Her friend shook her head and smiled. “We were getting an ultrasound.”

  “Ultrasound? You mean…you’re pregnant?” When Allison nodded her head, Sara jumped up and hugged her.

  “Oh, congratulations. How far? What sex? I'm asking too many questions.” She laughed.

  “I'm fifteen we
eks. According to the ultrasound and the nurse on duty, we're having a girl. But Iian keeps saying it's a boy.” She laughed as she pulled out her cell phone. “Maybe you can tell? I can never make heads or tails out of these pictures. Even the artist in me can't see anything but a blob.”

  Sara looked at the screen and could see clearly that Iian was right. “It looks like a blob to me. A wonderful, beautiful blob. I'm so happy for you two. Does everyone know?”

  She shook her head. “Just the family. We figured we'd tell a few people and let it get out. So feel free to spread the word.”

  “If you wanted the word spread in Pride, all you'd have to do is mention it while shopping at Patty's.” They both laughed.