Page 76 of The Man Next Door
“And I’ll look again after lunch,” Zona promised.
Martin left to go to the store in preparation for a visit from his daughter and her children, and Louise decided to enlist Bree’s help in the search for Darling. Zona got busy making lunch.
She’d just finished making a shrimp salad when Bree showed up.
“Did you see any sign of Darling?” Louise asked.
“Sorry, Gram, I looked. I drove all down Sierra Madre and almost up to Big Dalton Canyon Trail and no sign of him.”
Louise sighed heavily.
“Don’t worry, Gram. Don’t you rememberHomeward Bound? Of course he’ll come back.”
Bree spoke with such confidence. Zona hoped her daughter was right.
“Thank you for helping,” Louise said. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if he returns. Meanwhile, stay and have lunch with us. How was your Fourth of July party?” she asked once they were settled at the kitchen table.
Bree shrugged. “It was okay.”
“Only okay?” asked Zona, passing her the salad bowl.
Bree’s mouth drooped. “Fen and I are totally finished. He doesn’t even want to be friends.”
“Doesn’t want to be friends? Why on earth not?” Louise wanted to know.
“Because he wants more,” Bree said with a scowl.
“That’s understandable if he’s in love with you,” said Louise.
“Yeah, well, I’ve seen how well love works out.” Bree stabbed a shrimp with her fork and stuck it in her mouth.
Zona said nothing. She was too busy feeling guilty. If only she could have saved Bree’s money. All her daughter had now was that chip on her shoulder and Zona had no idea how to dislodge it.
“I guess it’s all for the best then,” Louise said, opting for diplomacy.
Bree shoved away her plate. “Why can’t he be happy being friends?”
“Because he wants more out of life. He wants more out of you,” Louise said reasonably. “That’s the thing about love. You come together as both best friends and lovers and teammates. You build a life together. You raise children. You help each other over the hard bumps along the way.”
“Yeah, like Dad and Gary did for Mom?” Bree said, her voice dripping sarcasm.
“Things didn’t work out for me. That doesn’t mean they won’t work out for you,” Zona said. “Look at Auntie Gracie. She’s happy. Look at your Gram.”
“I was very happy,” Louise said. “Your grandpa was the best and I miss him every day.”
“If you miss him so much, why were you taking a singles cruise?” Bree argued.
“Because I miss him every day. I had something special and my heart wants to feel that again. Growing old alone is no fun.”
“You’re not alone. You’ve got us,” Bree told her.
Louise’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I know. And I’m grateful for both of you. But you each have your lives to lead, andI can’t be inserting myself in the middle of them every time I feel lonely.”
“But you have lots of friends,” pointed out Bree.
“True. So do you, dear one. So why are you looking so glum?”
Bree bit down on a corner of her lip.
