go ahead and open her food truck tomorrow if it’s okay with you.”
“Of course. And you’ll stay with me, too, Peyton. Okay?” Allison said.
“Or me,” I said.
“That won’t work,” Allison said. “Conflict of interest or something considering you and Sam are dating.”
“This is the guy?” Peyton said, uncrossing her arms and standing straighter.
I nodded quickly. Now was not the moment to discuss my love life.
“Well, he hasn’t been a complete jerk, I guess,” Peyton said.
“That’s good,” I said evenly.
“Anyway,” Sam continued. “It’s fine if you want to stay with Allison. In fact, it’s what we would prefer.”
“Gee, thanks for the permission.” Peyton blanched. “Sorry. I’m not happy with how the day has gone and I should be more respectful. Thank you.”
She sounded like she meant it. Sort of.
“All right. It’s settled. Come with me,” Allison said as she gently took Peyton’s arm. “Tomorrow’s another day. Letme finish a few things in my office and then we can go home.”
“Harry, where are you staying?” Sam asked as Allison and Peyton disappeared into Allison’s office.
“Small hotel on the way to a town called Smithfield.”
“Why don’t you stay at my house?” Sam said. “I’m at Becca’s most of the time. You’ll pretty much have the place to yourself.”
Harry seemed momentarily confused by the offer, and then said, “I don’t want to impose.”
“No imposition,” Sam said. “It probably seems empty most days and a potential target for theft. You’ll make it look a little lived-in.”
Target for theft.
I loved it when he talked cop.
“In that case, thanks.”
“Get your stuff, and then both of you come over for dinner,” I said. “I need to get home to Hobbit.”
Arrangements were made, and as much as I wanted Sam and Harry to give me all the details about everything that had happened that day, I knew they wouldn’t as we stood in the parking lot. My only hope was that I could get them to talk during dinner. Sam didn’t really drink, but I was so curious about the day’s events that the idea of liquoring them up crossed my mind.
When I was the only one left outside Allison’s office building, I turned to go back through the market and to my stall. But then I stopped as intuition tickled at the back of my neck. I turned around one more time to look toward the trucks. Basha was outside again and looking at the top right corner of Peyton’s side panel.
“What in the world?” I muttered.
I had an urge to go back and ask her again, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. I’d have to find a better way to get her to talk to me. I could try to ply her with some strawberry jam. Maybe she could use some for her cheesecake cupcakes.
As I walked past Allison’s office, I leaned in to see if I could hear anything, but no sound made it out.
Once in the comfort of my own truck, I set the box of cupcakes on the passenger side of the bench seat and was glad to finally head back home toHobbit.
Eight
Hobbit was as happy to see me as I was to see her. I kept the distractions at bay during our evening frolic. By the time we’d run around the strawberries and pumpkins a few times, we were both panting. Hobbit found relief in her newly filled water bowl, and I found relief with the tallest glass of iced tea I could pour.
Dinner was grilled burgers and a mix of other stuff I found in the fridge. Tomato and mozzarella salad, with sides of cucumbers and strawberries, went well with the giant burgers.
It was a meal even a big guy like Harry could enjoy. Though he was plenty used to heat, our humidity could take down even the strongest man if he wasn’t used to it. The shaded patio was surprisingly comfortable by dinnertime, the heat and humidity both now tolerable. Sam and I toldHarry that we could go into the air-conditioned inside whenever he wanted to. He didn’t seem to want to.
“This is beautiful,” Harry said after dinner and
“Of course. And you’ll stay with me, too, Peyton. Okay?” Allison said.
“Or me,” I said.
“That won’t work,” Allison said. “Conflict of interest or something considering you and Sam are dating.”
“This is the guy?” Peyton said, uncrossing her arms and standing straighter.
I nodded quickly. Now was not the moment to discuss my love life.
“Well, he hasn’t been a complete jerk, I guess,” Peyton said.
“That’s good,” I said evenly.
“Anyway,” Sam continued. “It’s fine if you want to stay with Allison. In fact, it’s what we would prefer.”
“Gee, thanks for the permission.” Peyton blanched. “Sorry. I’m not happy with how the day has gone and I should be more respectful. Thank you.”
She sounded like she meant it. Sort of.
“All right. It’s settled. Come with me,” Allison said as she gently took Peyton’s arm. “Tomorrow’s another day. Letme finish a few things in my office and then we can go home.”
“Harry, where are you staying?” Sam asked as Allison and Peyton disappeared into Allison’s office.
“Small hotel on the way to a town called Smithfield.”
“Why don’t you stay at my house?” Sam said. “I’m at Becca’s most of the time. You’ll pretty much have the place to yourself.”
Harry seemed momentarily confused by the offer, and then said, “I don’t want to impose.”
“No imposition,” Sam said. “It probably seems empty most days and a potential target for theft. You’ll make it look a little lived-in.”
Target for theft.
I loved it when he talked cop.
“In that case, thanks.”
“Get your stuff, and then both of you come over for dinner,” I said. “I need to get home to Hobbit.”
Arrangements were made, and as much as I wanted Sam and Harry to give me all the details about everything that had happened that day, I knew they wouldn’t as we stood in the parking lot. My only hope was that I could get them to talk during dinner. Sam didn’t really drink, but I was so curious about the day’s events that the idea of liquoring them up crossed my mind.
When I was the only one left outside Allison’s office building, I turned to go back through the market and to my stall. But then I stopped as intuition tickled at the back of my neck. I turned around one more time to look toward the trucks. Basha was outside again and looking at the top right corner of Peyton’s side panel.
“What in the world?” I muttered.
I had an urge to go back and ask her again, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. I’d have to find a better way to get her to talk to me. I could try to ply her with some strawberry jam. Maybe she could use some for her cheesecake cupcakes.
As I walked past Allison’s office, I leaned in to see if I could hear anything, but no sound made it out.
Once in the comfort of my own truck, I set the box of cupcakes on the passenger side of the bench seat and was glad to finally head back home toHobbit.
Eight
Hobbit was as happy to see me as I was to see her. I kept the distractions at bay during our evening frolic. By the time we’d run around the strawberries and pumpkins a few times, we were both panting. Hobbit found relief in her newly filled water bowl, and I found relief with the tallest glass of iced tea I could pour.
Dinner was grilled burgers and a mix of other stuff I found in the fridge. Tomato and mozzarella salad, with sides of cucumbers and strawberries, went well with the giant burgers.
It was a meal even a big guy like Harry could enjoy. Though he was plenty used to heat, our humidity could take down even the strongest man if he wasn’t used to it. The shaded patio was surprisingly comfortable by dinnertime, the heat and humidity both now tolerable. Sam and I toldHarry that we could go into the air-conditioned inside whenever he wanted to. He didn’t seem to want to.
“This is beautiful,” Harry said after dinner and
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