When Tomorrow Comes, page 7
“I’m sorry. I was making up with our neighbor. She says she has a financial proposal for me.”
“What does that mean? What’s she proposing?”
“I’ll find out Thursday. She’s invited me to her birthday dinner.”
Libby snorted. “Like she’s going to talk business at her birthday party.”
“I don’t think it’s a party. She apparently doesn’t have a lot of friends…well, not human friends. I think it will just be the two of us.”
Libby raised an eyebrow. “Maybe she wants to pay you to be a friend-with-benefits.”
She scowled. “She’s not like that. She’s sweet, and chivalrous, and very rule oriented. She’s just awkward and unsure with people.”
Libby slipped her laptop into her messenger bag. “I hope you’re right, and she makes a big donation to Heavy Petting.” She paused by the front door. “We really need to hire someone to help John, which you should be doing right now.”
“I’m going, I’m going.”
“You also need to update our website and social media. Someone dumped two new dogs on us while you were out having fun, and you need to delete the pets that found families at the adoption event Saturday.”
“I will,” she said, but they both knew Libby would have to prompt her several more times to get that work done. She was just so easily distracted. And her neighbor with the intense eyes and sexy body was a big distraction.
Chapter Seven
Teague swiped her finger through the bowl of cream-cheese frosting, narrowly dodging a crack on the knuckles from Connie’s wooden spoon.
“If you don’t quit, I’m not going to have enough to ice the cake.” Connie’s scolding drew a frown from Teague.
“I do not know why you bother with a cake,” she said. “Just stick a couple of candles in the icing.”
“I might do that if you weren’t having an adult guest for dinner,” Connie said. “I don’t want her to think she’s dining with a six-year-old.”
Teague made a dismissive sound. She was not aware of a rule against licking bowls once you reached adult age. She stole another fingerful of icing, but Connie’s spoon was quick this time. “Ow!”
“Behave.” Connie placed the second layer of cake on top of the first, then poured the frosting from the bowl on top. She handed the empty bowl and a spoon to Teague, who instantly began devouring the leavings. She loved cream-cheese frosting. Connie shook her head as she spread the icing over the entire cake. “Are you sure about the menu? Maybe your friend would like something fancier.”
“Nope. I did promise to have a meat burger in case she doesn’t like my Beyond Burger.” She went to the sink to rinse the frosting bowl and put it in the dishwasher. The rote move was partly due to her need for order and partly because nothing left out was safe with a monkey in the house.
“Good idea. I’ll cook both.” Connie was quiet as she washed and chopped potatoes for steak fries. “I’m a little surprised you wanted to acknowledge your fortieth birthday, considering you see it as a harbinger of your early demise.”
Teague frowned. “Who told you that?”
“Margaret called the day after the funeral to ask if you were okay. She was worried after revealing your birth father.”
She pinned Connie with an indignant stare. “You knew, and you did not tell me?” The betrayal burned her. She had forgiven her great-aunt’s silence, but Connie was more like her second mother. How could she have kept this from her? She stood and paced angrily.
“Oh, honey. It was your parents’ decision to keep your adoption secret. They didn’t want the idea of that supposed curse hanging over you all your life and asked me to honor their decision.” She wiped her hands on a dish cloth and rounded the kitchen island to intercept Teague’s pacing and hug her tightly from behind. “You’ve been like a daughter to me since you were a baby, and I don’t believe in that stupid curse. I think your father and his brother brought their deaths on themselves by smoking cigars and never exercising.”
She stopped pacing and relaxed in Connie’s prolonged hug. “I have called my doctor about getting an MRI.”
Connie released her, then tugged her around to face her. “Do what you feel you must to ease your mind, but please don’t dwell on this. You are healthy as a horse, and now you have this pretty friend right next door.”
“I want to talk to her about finding homes for my animals when I am gone.”
“Not Badger.” The little terrier mix at Connie’s feet wagged his tail. “Nothing is going to happen to you, but if I’m still alive when you do leave this life, that little guy is mine.”
Teague smiled, her anxiety draining away. “I promise. You already own his heart. Have you been slipping him extra treats?” She was teasing Connie.
“I plead the Fifth.” Connie retrieved a large bowl of fresh strawberries from the refrigerator and handed it to it to Teague. “Clean and wash these, please.”
“I have to prepare my own birthday dinner?”
“You have to help if you want your cake topped with strawberries…” Connie paused chopping up the potatoes.
A carrot cake with cream-cheese frosting and strawberries. It was an odd combination, but Teague’s favorite. She moved to the sink to begin the task.
“Truthfully, I need to keep you busy here in the house or you’ll disappear into that animal house and get busy writing equations, and your guest will end up eating cake by herself.”
“The cottage is my office, not an animal house. And I think better with them close by.”
It was true. Leo’s deep purr when he was sprawled across her desk for a belly rub warmed her, as did Flower’s pleased grunts as Teague scratched behind her ears. Cappie and Mac arguing over food, then Cappie grooming Mac like he was another monkey and Mac careful with his huge beak as he reciprocated entertained her. And Snow’s soft snores as he rested up for his night guard duty calmed her.
“I know, sweetie.” Connie sprinkled the potatoes with seasoning, then dumped them into the air fryer. “Although I complain a lot about them, I do care about your beasts. I’d offer to live here with them if something did happen to you, but most of them would outlive me. What would happen to them then? You need a better solution.”
“That is my plan.”
* * *
Baye was surprised when Connie answered the door instead of Teague. She was much more welcoming than the first time she’d found Baye on their doorstep. “Is…is Teague here?”
Connie grabbed her hand and practically dragged her through the doorway. “Yes. She’s expecting you. Come on back to the kitchen.”
Teague, however, wasn’t there. A cake topped with strawberries and two candles shaped in a four and a zero sat on the table, and Badger was the only animal present.
“Your timing is perfect,” Connie said, taking a tray of three burgers from the oven. “I had just put these in the oven to keep warm, and the steak fries need only another minute or two.”
Baye shifted uncomfortably. “Is she out back in the cottage?”
“No, dear. She’s in her rooms.” Connie pointed to a door near the diaper-changing station. “I gave her a nice shirt for her birthday and insisted she wear it to your date rather than that ratty T-shirt she had on. I thought she’d pay more attention to her attire once she grew up, but it’s still like pulling teeth to get her to wear a collared shirt unless she has a business meeting. Have a seat while I finish the food preparations.”
Baye climbed onto one of the padded stools at the kitchen island and held up a gift bag she’d brought. “I hope she likes the present I got for her. It was a hard choice. We’ve been friends only a little more than a week, and I imagine she buys herself anything she really wants, so it was hard to decide.” She hesitated. “Did she say this was a date?”
“No. She’d never admit that. I could tell, though, that she’s a little anxious about making a good impression.”
“Me, too.” Baye was relieved she wasn’t the only one feeling nervous. She fidgeted a bit. “I really like her. We’re totally opposite in many ways, but alike in others. We both struggle for people to understand and accept us.” She ignored Connie’s raised eyebrow encouraging her to explain more.
After a long moment, Connie lowered her voice. “Well, I can give you a few pointers where she’s concerned.”
“Please. That would help.”
“She generally doesn’t like other people touching her, but if you wrap your arms around her in a firm hug a minute longer than most would think appropriate, you’ll feel her relax and hug back.”
“I think I figured that one out already, riding behind her on the motorcycle the other day.”
“Also, you must be explicit with her. She has trouble recognizing subtleties in other people’s expressions and body language. You might have to say you do or don’t like something. And, when she’s tired or hungry, she gets more impatient and less understanding—”
At the sound of a door opening behind Baye, Connie abruptly turned and opened the drawer of the air fryer. “Oh, dear. I’ve been chatting away like an old fool and almost cooked the steak fries too long.”
Baye felt a fleeting touch to her back. “Hey, you,” she said as she turned to face Teague, and her breath caught. “Wow. You clean up nice.” Suddenly unsure how Teague might interpret the cliché, she remembered Connie’s advice to be specific and added, “You are devastatingly handsome in that shirt.”
Teague’s face reddened. “It is a birthday present from Connie. I am wearing it to please her.”
Baye eyed the dark blue Oxford shirt left untucked over faded jeans. “That disappoints me. I was hoping you were wearing it to please me.” She stepped forward and wrapped Teague in a tight hug for a long moment, then kissed her on the cheek before stepping back. “Happy Birthday.”
Teague glanced at her and reached up to touch the cheek Baye had kissed. “I, uh—”
When she couldn’t seem to find the words, Connie interrupted her. “You two have a nice dinner.” She loaded her meal and a carafe of hot herbal tea onto a serving cart. “I’m going to have mine in my rooms upstairs so I can put my feet up and watch my television shows.”
“Would you like us to bring you a slice of cake when we cut it?” Baye asked.
“Thank you, dear, but the sugar would keep me awake. I’ll have a slice in the morning for breakfast.” She pushed the cart past the ornate wrought-iron door that kept the animals—except for Badger, who happily followed at her heels—from entering the rest of the house, then touched a black button on her left, and the wall opened up. Connie, her dinner cart, and the little terrier stepped into the elevator that was revealed and were gone.
“Connie lives upstairs? Is Badger her dog or yours?”
Teague smiled and held up her finger. “I can answer only one question at a time, but we should eat before our food is cold.” She took their plates from the oven and carried them over to a bistro table set for two. “Would you like a glass of wine or a beer?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re drinking.”
“I do not drink alcohol. I am having water with my meal.”
“That sounds perfect.” Baye was curious but would ask later why Teague didn’t drink. She held out a chair for her to be seated.
Teague frowned. “I should seat you as a guest in my house.”
“But you are the birthday girl, so I thought I should seat you.”
Teague seemed to ponder this response, then sat in the offered chair, only to spring back up. “No. This does not feel right.” She held out the opposite chair for Baye. “Please let me seat you.”
Baye started to protest, then sat down. “It’s your birthday, so you get anything you want.” She allowed Teague to settle her closer to the table. “How has your day been so far?”
“Productive. I cleared my inbox, accepted a new contract that I will sign after my attorney checks it, and had the shearer out this afternoon to give Lucky and the Fluffy family their summer haircuts.”
“The Fluffy family?”
“My three sheep.”
Baye covered her mouth as she laughed. She managed to chew and swallow without spraying her bite of veggie burger across the table. “Cotton, Crochet, and Yarn. I love it. Do you personally name all your animals?” More than half had names unexpectedly humorous, considering their very serious owner.
“Mac, Cappie, and Leo came with their names. Asset belonged to a goat herder who was selling his farm. He called him Stupid, but I thought that carried a negative connotation and renamed him Asset.” She held up her hand. “I do not believe animals understand the meanings of their names, but they are very sensitive to tone.”
Baye cocked her head and wrinkled her brow, trying to understand what Teague was explaining. “Tone?”
“Yes. The farmer would call out ‘Hey, Stupid.’ Asset is a positive word, and people naturally use a friendlier tone when they say it. I believe the animal reacts to the happier tone, and the person also unconsciously responds to the positive vibe.”
Baye swallowed the last of her burger and pointed to her plate. “This veggie burger, by the way, was delicious.”
“I am happy you like it.” Teague swished a steak fry back and forth through the ketchup she poured onto her plate. “Flower had simply been called Pig.”
“That’s not a good name for a lady swine. I imagine Flower makes her feel pretty.”
Teague nodded. “You think of something pretty when you say it, and she obviously reacts to that cue. Pigs are very intelligent.”
“I imagine the sheep didn’t have names, just a number if they came from a rancher.”
Teague nodded while she chewed.
“I never thought about this subject before, but I agree. Now I’m thinking over the names of the animals we’ve taken in at Heavy Petting. I might need to change some of them.” She chewed a steak fry as she considered this possibility. “All of the rescue places have an overload of pit bulls, and a lot of them have intimidating names. I’ll bet we’d be able to adopt more of them if we gave them friendlier names. I think I’ll change Terminator’s name to Teddy.”
Teague nodded again, finishing her burger. “You would not want to adopt out a dog to a person who liked Terminator as a name anyway. Those people tend to seek breeds that they can train to be aggressive. Most pits are sweet, loyal dogs that are good with children and cats if they are raised correctly.”
Baye was mesmerized by this socially isolated genius. She’d already discovered a very big heart and hidden surprises, like a daredevil motorcyclist, under that stiff, formal exterior. And, obviously, the way to Teague’s heart was through her animal friends. The sexual chemistry practically crackled between them, but Teague had made no real move to encourage it. Instinct told Baye that she’d have to make the first move, but she was hesitant. If she was too forward, Teague might run faster than Miss Hennie when mealworms and sunflower seeds were thrown out into the barnyard.
Teague glanced up just as each of them put a steak fry in her mouth, and they smiled at each other as they chewed. Yep. Definite chemistry.
* * *
“Are you ready for cake?” Uneasy with the reminder of her age, Teague reached to remove and set aside the candles shaped like a four and a zero from the top of the cake.
“Don’t take those off,” Baye said, grabbing Teague’s arm to stop her. “We have to light them and sing happy birthday to you.” She looked around. “And where is everybody?”
Teague was puzzled. “Connie is upstairs. She said she will have cake in the morning.”
“No. Not Connie. Where are Cappie, Flower, Mac, and the rest? They’re family, too. We have to share your birthday with them as well.”
How can she explain this? “Mac and Cappie are in their sunroom cages, and the rest are outdoors in the barn or pasture. Connie said their tendency to beg and sometimes try to steal food from the table would not be appropriate when I have a dinner guest.”
“I’m not just any dinner guest.” She reached across the table, causing Teague to flinch when she grabbed her hand and held on to it. “I love your animals, and they are family to you. So, let them share this with us.” Baye let go of her hand and indicated the door to the sunroom, which led out onto a large terrace. “Should we move outside so everybody can join us?”
Teague blinked in surprise, but delight bloomed in her chest. The last woman she’d invited to dinner had fled halfway through the meal because of the animals. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” Baye stood, picked up the cake, and headed for the door. “You bring out plates and a cloth to wipe off the patio table,” she called over her shoulder.
Teague hurriedly gathered the dessert plates, a knife for cutting the cake, and a damp dishcloth to clean the table. The minute she stepped into the sunroom, Cappie jumped from the top of his cage to her shoulder, and she nearly tripped over Mac, who was toddling across the floor in pursuit of Baye, who had obviously opened both cages on her way to the terrace.
Outside, she found the cake abandoned on the table and Baye unlatching the pasture gate for the pasture residents that might want to join them. Flower and Leo trotted toward them from the cottage. The Fluffy family and Lucky the llama lay in the grass and watched with interest, but apparently they preferred their own cud-chewing party.
It was a raucous gathering—Flower squealing, the goats bleating, Asset braying, Snow barking, and Mac yelling “cake” to summon his buddies until Baye made a slashing motion and yelled, “Quiet.”
To Teague’s amazement, the animals fell silent. “They never listen to me like that,” she said, frowning.
