Chapter Fifteen --
“Grandma wants to know if she can make dessert for tonight,” Jenny confided, after I dumped Kenny in the library on my way to the kitchen. “She’s going to teach me how to make peach pie.”
“Oh, she shouldn’t have to cook on her special weekend,” I told the teenager. “You three should be out having fun!”
“Actually, I was hoping you would lend us your car, Miz Scarlet, so we can go pick the peaches at Lueken’s Farm.”
“Tell you what, Jen. You take your grandparents out for a couple of hours and I’ll get all my prep work done for dinner tonight. And then, if you and your grandmother want to bake, the kitchen will be all yours this afternoon.”
“Really?” Those eyes were gleaming with excitement. Jenny not only had family, she had blood relatives. She had a grandmother and an aunt who shared her winning smile. The orphan belonged in this world. I was happy it was turning out this way.
“Really.” Suddenly caught up in a tight squeeze by a pair of overly enthusiastic arms that wrapped around me like an octopus and wouldn’t let go, it took me a moment to extricate my own arms and hug back. “Go. Go have fun with your grandparents.”
Laurel scooted in from the butler’s pantry in her motorized scooter in time to see Jenny skip out with the Ford Focus key fob in hand.
“Well, I hate to say it but I think our little girl is going off for good soon.”
“Probably,” I smiled, feeling a little ache in the back of my throat. “I’m going to miss her.”
“We all will. Still, you took on quite a challenge, dear. I’m very proud of you.”
“Are you, Mama?”
“Between saving the girl’s life and then the dog....”
“Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek. Her hair smelled like raspberry sorbet and I giggled. Jenny had taken her to the mall earlier in the week for some shopping, and they had stopped at Macy’s for some indulgences. In such a short time, Jenny had brought a lot of life to the inn.
“Whatever will we do as an encore?” my mother wondered.
I sat down with her to go over the plans for dinner, since this would be family only. Already I thought of Tony and Maria as long-lost distant relatives. How else could I let Jenny’s grandmother use my kitchen?
We decided to dine on the enclosed porch off the kitchen. That way, we could open all the windows and get a nice breeze, but the screens would keep the mosquitoes out. They had been brutal for most of the summer nights, arriving at dusk for a little blood-sucking, and they came in swarms, thanks to some rainy weather early in the season.
Kenny claimed the title of grill master, so I left him to it. He set up Bur’s gas-powered cart just off the porch, where there were patio chairs and tables for those who wanted to sit outside while the sun was still out. He marinated his steaks while I made twice-baked potatoes, sliced fresh tomatoes to scallop with saltines and butter, and tossed a big salad. My mother suggested shrimp cocktail as a starter, so I cooked and chilled the seafood. Willow stopped by to check on Mozzie, so I asked her to join us for dinner and to bring Myrtle.
“Mom’s off with her friends tonight. Bridge game. I, on the other hand, am free. Love to join you. What would you like me to bring?”
“What about an appetizer, something to nibble on?”
“Will do. See you at six.”
Bur and Kenny set up the long tables on the porch before Bur left to pick up his date. I threw on checkered cloths, filled a couple of vases with a cheerful assortment of zinnias, snapdragons, and bachelor buttons to set at either end, and then added the place settings to the picture perfect scene. I wanted it to be a worthy memory for Jenny, a “remember the time” kind of moment. I would snap lots of photos for her memory box.
“Miz Scarlet,” said the man with the tongs, “do we have time for a hike before the crowd shows up?”
Huck and January scampered along the trail as we made our way up to the summit and down the east side of White Oak Hill. We stopped at the pond where we used to swim when we were kids long enough to dip our toes in the cool, clear water and take in all that glorious tranquility.
“It’s still beautiful here,” he told me, holding my hand.
“Mmm....” I replied dreamily. “This is a perfect day.”
“I was talking to my bosses recently about opening a branch office for Mercer Security.”
“Really?” It took a moment before that news made its way into my conscious brain. I sat up straight and looked Kenny in the eye. “Where? You’re not going to tell me you’re moving away, are you?”
My heart was fluttering in my chest as those eyes, dark with disappointment, stared at me. I must have given him the wrong answer. He let out a long sigh before he said, “Are you crackers? I’m trying to tell you I want to open an office in Hartford.”
“Seriously?” “Oh, fan-freaking-tastic!” I whooped with delight, and as I did, he tilted his head to one side and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Of course it is!” He caught me as I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him with the enthusiasm of a lusty teenager. Who says love is only for the young?
We changed from hiking clothes to more formal attire when we got back to the inn. I threw on a cotton shift and sandals. Kenny wore a plaid Madras shirt and a pair of Dockers shorts with boat shoes. My mother was already out in the garden with Lacey and Willow, the pitcher of ice tea on the table with their glasses filled. The crowd began to gather as we neared the dinner hour.
Tony moved Mozzie’s crate to a quiet corner on the porch, so the little dog could be with us for the celebration. By the time we were almost ready to sit down, Bur had not yet arrived.
“Typical Poup behavior,” I sniffed with great disdain. “Leave it to him to be late.”
“Maybe his date was delayed,” my mother suggested. Was that a twinkle in her eye?
“Speak of the devil. Looks like they just arrived,” said Lacey, pointing to the driveway. Sure enough, there was Bur’s car. And who was that emerging from the passenger side?
“Larry!”
“Surprised?” the homicide investigator asked, as she hugged us, starting with a very delighted Jenny. “You didn’t think old Auntie Larry would miss this moment, did you? Not after I saved your butt up there on that mountain!”
Jenny did the honors, introducing her grandparents. I noticed Larry looked them over carefully, like they were possible suspects for some heinous crime, even as she shook their hands. Still playing the role of bad cop, ready to jump into the fracas should they turn out to be wanted felons...or unwanted grandparents.
We got the party started. While Kenny fired up the gas grill, Willow brought out her bean dip, salsa, and tortilla chips, and I grabbed the drink orders, which Bur filled in the butler’s pantry. By the time we sat down to eat, everyone was laughing and swapping stories.
A little after seven, Jenny and her grandmother went to the kitchen to carry out the pies. I followed with the vanilla bean ice cream and a scoop. The oohs and aahs rose up in chorus as the pies were placed on the table. I had to admit the lattice work crust was perfect.
“So, squirt, when are you moving to California?” Leave it to the Pouponmeister to bring the skunk to the picnic table.
“Uh, actually we talked about it this afternoon.”
“Oh, please don’t tell me you’re leaving tomorrow.” That was Laurel, her lower lip stuck out into a mock pout. “Who will drive me to the mall on Tuesday? Can’t we have her at least one more week?”
“And what about Mozzie? The vet hasn’t cleared him to travel yet,” I pointed out helpfully.
“It’s all about you, isn’t it?” my brother scoffed. I gave him a hard glare, which he completely ignored.
“I think you’ll have to clear it first with Sarge in New Jersey,” Larry added. “It depends on what the District Attorney’s office decides....”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jenn
y cut in.
“What?” That was Lacey.
“You’re not?” Bur was shocked.
“I’m staying, at least for a while. With all the things that have happened in the last couple months....”
“You’re staying?” I was stunned. “You’re not pulling a vanishing act?”
“If it’s okay with you...unless you want me to go.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news.” I hugged her. “Please stay.”
“Grandma and Grandpa thought your idea about me taking a class or two was good. I’m just not ready to go to school full time, not after my mom....”
“And we still have to sort out the mess with your stepfather in probate court,” Kenny reminded everyone.
I looked at the Googins girls, Kenny, and Bur. We still hadn’t given her the news about Christina.
“Besides, I want to make sure that my mother’s name is on the headstone up at the cemetery in Maine.”
“I don’t understand, Jenny. I thought your stepfather buried her.”
“No. We just had a memorial service. She left instructions that she was supposed to be cremated and the urn with her ashes was supposed to go next to her sister, my birth mother. I don’t think Steve’s done that yet.”