The Icing on the Cake (2 page)

Kristine crouched down and began a
visual search for the lost item.  Sure enough, she spotted it against the
building, behind one of the ladder legs.  “Found it,” she announced, as she
rose and passed it to him.

He took it from her and held it
carefully as he opened the toolbox.  He rummaged around and found the
screwdriver he needed.  After lifting the sign into the correct position, he
carefully reattached it.  He leaned back for a better view of the entire
setup.  “I’m going to come back later and do a better job of securing the
sign.  I’m afraid it’s going to come loose again.”

“I’ll … hire someone.”

He closed the toolbox and dropped off
the ladder.  He pinned her with a quizzical glance.  “Why would you do that?”

She shifted under his scrutiny.  “It’s
not your job to fix my sign.”

He laughed.  “This is Cooper Glenn,” he
said, spreading his hands wide.  “When a neighbor is in need, we all step up to
the plate, er, sign, to help.”

“Uh, huh.  Well, thanks again.”

She turned to leave when he called her
back.  “You forgot your toolbox.”

“Oh, yeah.”  She walked back to him and
reached for it.

He held onto it and stared at it
thoughtfully.  “This belonged to your dad,” he said, smiling softly.

“Yes, it did.”  She took it from him and
was about to walk away again when he spoke.

“I was sorry to hear about his passing. 
He really was a great guy.”

Kristine nodded.  “Thank you, and yes,
he really was a great guy.”

“How’s your mom?”

Kristine sighed.  “She’s having a hard
time.”

“Is she still working at the bakery?”

“Uh, no,” she answered crisply.  “Well,
I should go.  I have baking to do.”

“Where’s Lori?”

“Oh, well, I don’t know.  Why don’t you
call her?  Her number’s in the book.”

His mouth twitched into a smile.  “Will
she be at the bakery later?”

She shrugged.  “I haven’t a clue.”

He watched her quizzically.  “Doesn’t
she work at the bakery?”

Kristine hesitated.  She’d almost made a
sarcastic remark about her sister’s lack of commitment when it came to the
business.  Lori typically floated like a leaf on the wind, her ultimate
destination from hour to hour seemingly up to the fates.  She came and went as
she pleased and she had never been a big fan of the eight-hour workday. 

Joe seemed awfully concerned about her
sister’s whereabouts, but then, they had been an item for nearly a year while
in high school.  The two had made a beautiful couple—Lori, tall, platinum blond
and statuesque.  Joe, taller, dark, and built like a Greek god.  Perhaps he
hoped to pick up where he and Lori had left off years before.

She wondered, did he still have feelings
for Lori?  She began chewing her lip thoughtfully.  Lori had been divorced for
several years and was now dating Chad Lawson, a local lawyer.  It appeared the
two had a future together, if Lori’s take on their relationship was accurate.

“Krissy…?” Joe said, interrupting her
thoughts.

It took her several seconds to remember
the question he’d asked.  “Sometimes she works,” she answered with a sigh. 
“Well, I really need to get moving.  Duty calls,” she added too brightly.

Kristine turned away from Joe and
started toward the bakery when suddenly, she heard a woman’s scream.  She spun
around, alarmed, and registered the arrival of the large dog that had caused
her fall from the ladder.  The dog lumbered toward her and rose up on its back
feet.  Its large front paws struck her chest, causing her to topple backward. 
Somehow, some way, and she had no idea how he did it, Joe managed to catch her
once again.   

For a brief second, she was dangling in
the air, held by him, and mortified by the sight of the sidewalk inches from
her face.  Suddenly, he grasped her other arm and pulled her into an upright
position and set her on her feet as if she weighed no more than a small child. 

“Gracie!” the woman cried in horror as
she reached Kristine.  “Did she hurt you? 
Gracie
,” she moaned.  “What
am I going to do with you?”

Joe, who was still holding Kristine
upright, watched the woman angrily.  “That dog could have killed Krissy.  Until
you can control her, you have no business bringing her downtown.”

“Kristine.  I’m Kristine,” she said
shakily.  Why Joe insisted on calling her Krissy…?

“I’m so sorry,” the woman said, watching
Kristine with concern. 

“That dog is out of control,” Joe
insisted again.

The woman’s eyes filled.  “I know!  I
told my husband that, right before she dug out of her dog run and jumped over
our six foot fence.  Funny, she’s his dog but you don’t see him chasing after
her.”  She visibly deflated before them and began to cry.  “I can’t keep her,”
she said resignedly.  “I’ve tried everything to keep her contained, but…”  She
threw her hands up in defeat.

“She wants to be around people,” Joe
said.  “You wouldn’t enjoy being confined, would you?”

“She’s confined
only
when we have
somewhere we have to be,” the woman said in her defense.  “She spends most of
her time inside the house with me.  Unfortunately, it turns out she’s a runner
and takes off at the first opportunity.  Today, my youngest opened the screen
door and she took off like a shot before I could stop her.”

Joe spun around, attempting to spot the
dog.  He saw her standing in the doorway of the bakery, as if waiting for the
doors to open for the day.  “Her name’s Gracie?” he clarified.

The woman nodded.  “Yes.  I figured if I
gave her a ladylike name, she might live up to it.”

“No such luck,” Joe said, now smiling
sympathetically.  “What kind of dog is she?”

“She’s a pitsky,” she informed, “part
American Pit Bull Terrier, part husky.”

He nodded and eyed the dog
thoughtfully.  “She’s a beautiful dog.”

Kristine turned to look at the dog.  Joe
was right.  Gracie, bright white with green eyes, had one orange ear and one
speckled ear, and was gorgeous.  Her face resembled that of a pit bull, but her
body was husky, though her coat was short.  She was all muscle, still a puppy,
and they soon learned, a ball of wriggly love.

Gracie seemed to sense she was being
watched and dashed back to them.  She leapt at Joe, attempting to put her front
paws on his chest.  He took a step back and watched her sternly.  “No!” he
commanded and she promptly dropped onto all fours and began circling his legs,
desperate to be petted.  “Gracie, sit!”

To his surprise, and that of Gracie’s
owner, the dog promptly sat down.  Joe moved closer and Gracie tipped against
him and pressed the side of her face against him.  She looked up at him with
adoring eyes. 

Joe knelt down and began petting her. 
He tousled her head, rubbed her ears, grasped her mouth and looked at her
teeth.  Next, he ran his hand along her back and finally, gave her tail a
gentle tug.  She rewarded him by kissing him squarely in the mouth.

He laughed and rose up.  “She’s a good
girl,” he said.  “Spirited but sweet.”

The woman eyed him tentatively.  “Would
you…?  I mean, is it possible…?”

“Are you asking me to take her?” he
asked.

She nodded.  “I just can’t do this
anymore.  As I said, Gracie is a runner.  We’ve tried everything to keep her
home.”  She shrugged.  “Nothing can stop her from bolting.  I’ve finally
concluded that maybe we’re not the family for her.  If she loved us, she
wouldn’t run.”

Joe shook his head.  “It’s not that,” he
assured her.  “I’m afraid Gracie is part husky and they’re noted for having the
wanderlust.  The only thing that will keep this one corralled when the mood to
roam strikes her is to put her dog run on a concrete pad, so she can’t dig
out.”

“Gracie can climb…”

“Which is why her dog run will need a
roof,” he added with an indulgent smile directed at the dog.

The woman gave a weary sigh.  “I…  I
honestly can’t do this anymore.  I have five kids…  And this one is a full-time
job,” she said, nodding toward Gracie.

“I’ll take her,” Joe said.

Kristine searched his face.  What was he
thinking?  The dog was part pit and was a runner to boot.  She speculated he’d
just signed up for a whole lot of doggie drama. 

The woman watched Joe gratefully. 
Relief was evident on her face, until…  She glanced at Kristine with alarm, and
back to Joe.  “I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about you.  I do love
Gracie.  I can’t give her to just anyone.  I couldn’t bear it if someone was
mean to her.  She’s actually very submissive.  Someone could really hurt her—or
even her feelings…”

Joe smiled with understanding.  “I’m a
dog lover,” he assured her.  “I would never hurt her, or her feelings.  And I
promise to make every effort to assure Gracie doesn’t run off.”  He winced. 
“The thing is, since she’s part pit, if someone happened to see her running
toward them, and with the undeserved stigma the breed has, something horrible
could
happen to Gracie.  I promise I’m going to assure that doesn’t happen.  I’ll
construct a large dog run on a thick concrete pad—with a roof,” he added. 
“She’ll only be confined when absolutely necessary.  She’ll spend most of her
time with me, riding along with me in my truck to job sites.  And I intend to
do intensive training with her.  Frankly, Gracie is bored and needs to be kept
busy so she isn’t overcome by the instinct to run.”

“What is it you do exactly?” the woman
inquired.

“I own a commercial construction
company.  I grew up here and moved back to town recently.”  He turned to
Kristine.  “Krissy here can give you a character recommendation, if need be.”

Kristine swallowed hard.  He wanted her
to vouch for him?  She didn’t know him any longer.  She never really had known
him that well.  He’d been Lori’s friend.  Sure, he’d spent time at her house
when they were kids, but she hadn’t spent any quality time with him.  Frankly,
he had frustrated her to no end, constantly teasing and harassing her at every
turn.  She often wondered how he could make her heart go pitter patter when she
wanted to strangle him much of the time.

When she didn’t immediately come to his
aid and give him a glowing recommendation, he watched her, mouth agape.  He
nodded her way, as if encouraging her to speak.  The woman watched her
intently.  Finally, Joe nudged her with his elbow.

“Oh!”  Kristine gave herself a shake. 
“Joe is…”  She swallowed again.  “I mean…”

“Krissy!” Joe cried, unsure whether to
laugh or be offended.  “Help me out here.”

She turned to the woman.  “Joe is…”

“A great guy,” he supplied, watching
Kristine with a mock-wounded expression on his handsome face.   

The woman suddenly burst out laughing. 
“It’s all right.  I feel as if I’m a good judge of character, and Gracie seems
to adore you.”

“I promise I’ll take good care of her,”
he assured her, but continued watching Kristine as if she were a space alien. 
He directed his attention to the woman again.  “Just so you’ll feel more
comfortable, I’m going to give you my address.  Please stop by anytime to check
on Gracie.  In fact, why don’t you plan on bringing the family by on
Sunday—say, two o’ clock?  I’ll have her dog run built and the backyard fully
fenced by then.  I promise.  You’ll leave feeling good about her new living
situation—and me.”

She smiled gratefully.  “I really
appreciate that.  My kids will really appreciate that,” she said, and then her
face fell.  “They’re going to be devastated when I tell them I’ve given her
away…”

“Have you considered getting a smaller
dog?  They’re so much easier to manage than a big one like Gracie.”  He pulled
out his wallet and counted out four hundred-dollar bills.  “I saw the cutest
little pups at the humane society yesterday.  I believe they were part
Chihuahua and poodle.  Honestly, they were the cutest little things I’ve seen
in a long time.”

“So you were
looking
for a dog?”
the woman said with a relieved smile.  “Getting a dog isn’t an impromptu decision
at all?”

“No.  My lab Jake passed away six months
ago.”  He smiled sadly.  “I miss him every day.  I was hesitant to get another
dog until recently, but I think I’m finally ready.  I think Gracie and I will
do great together.”

The woman seemed unsure about accepting
the money.  “I only paid two hundred dollars for Gracie.” 

“It’s okay,” he assured her.  “I’m sure
you’ve invested quite a bit of money since.  And if you adopt a small dog,
you’ll need to buy a collar and leash, as well as dog food.  He or she will
need a vet visit.”  He brightened.  “Maybe there’ll be money left over to take
the kids out for pizza tonight—to celebrate their new puppy.”

The woman extended her hand.  “I’m Mary
Williams, by the way.  And thank you—for everything.  I think you’ll be
wonderful for Gracie.  She really is a sweet dog.”

“It’ll be nice having a companion, and a
watch dog,” he added. 

“Er, well, Gracie isn’t much of a—”

“Kristine, you ever plan on opening up
this morning?” a surly voice called from nearby.

She glanced over at Mr. Clark, one of
Cooper Glenn’s many octogenarians and a regular customer at the bakery.  He was
waiting impatiently by the door.  “I’m craving an apple fritter,” he announced.

Kristine smiled at him.  “Mr. Clark,”
she said kindly, “as you know, we don’t open for another hour, but if you’ll
wait just a moment, I’ll join you and I’m sure we can find something to satisfy
that sweet tooth of yours.”

His cranky demeanor appeared to shed off
him like a coat and he smiled winningly.   “I was hopin’ you’d say that,
Kristine.”

“Don’t I always?”  She turned to Mrs.
Williams, and then to Joe.  “Well, I’d better get moving this morning. 
Congratulations on your new dog, Joe.”  And to Mrs. Williams, she said, “Bring
your new puppy by later for a dog biscuit.  We bake them up fresh for our
canine customers.”  With a final smile, she hurried toward the front entrance
of the bakery and pulled open the door.  “After you, Mr. Clark,” she said.

“Oh, no, ladies first,” he insisted, and
followed her inside.

Just as they entered, Minnie joined
them—having entered through the back door—ready to start her shift.  She
greeted Kristine and Mr. Clark and hurried to begin baking.  Much of the
preparation had taken place the evening before, but filling the glass case out front
with delectable baked goods took time.

“I’ll join you in a minute, Minnie,”
Kristine called, but turned her attention to Mr. Clark.  “I’m afraid we haven’t
prepared the fritters yet, but I do have a couple set aside for you.  They were
baked late afternoon yesterday.”

He grinned sheepishly.  “You put them
aside for me?”

She nodded.  “I knew you’d be by.”  It
was a dance they did each morning.  Mr. Clark was lonely, having outlived many
of his friends and family.  After having lost her father, Kristine certainly
understood the pain of loss, and Mr. Clark had experienced it often in his many
years.  If she could make him feel cared for by setting aside a couple fritters
for him every evening, she intended to do so for as long as he continued to
come to the bakery.

He grinned as she bagged up the treats. 
He happily paid and ambled out of the store.  Joe passed him coming the other
direction.  Kristine glanced up, surprised to see him and Gracie now standing
in front of the empty case.  Joe looked disappointed, but Gracie appeared
perhaps more so.  “We’ve come for a doggie biscuit,” Joe announced with an
impish grin.  “Well, Gracie wants a biscuit, that is.  I’d like something meant
for humans.”

Gracie glanced his way and gave a thump
of her tail.  He laid a gentle hand on her head.

“Gracie seems to have settled in with
you pretty quickly,” she observed.  “Didn’t she fuss?—leaving Mrs. Williams?”

He shook his head and gave a shrug.  “I
think she tends to respond better to men.  Mrs. Williams explained they hadn’t
had her for long, and that her previous owner was male.”

“Oh, well, then it makes sense then that
she’d respond better to you.”

“Well, that, and she
is
a
female,” he said, arching his brows.

Kristine sighed and nearly rolled her
eyes.  She suddenly remembered why she found Joe so irritating.  He was
confident to the point of obnoxious.