Goodness gracious, Aunt Irene was right. He’s a good guy, but still leaving. Either way I’m alone with a broken heart.
“Whatever, so now you’re leaving to who knows where for who knows how long. Can we leave now, Clifford?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Clifford said. “I’ll need you to come by tomorrow and sign your statements.”
“Fine,” I said and stood.
“Oh, by the way, Clark. With Berg retiring, I need a good detective. Do you know anyone?” Clifford asked.
“Hmm, I just might,” Clark answered.
#######
Aunt Irene was a bit shaky, and I took her home with me. Georgie took her car, and she and Paul would return it later. I drove to a quiet café outside of town that Aunt Irene enjoys. Neither of us had eaten lunch, and I treated her for saving my life.
We were eating hot open faced turkey sandwiches, a lunch both of us loved when she looked at me.
“I told you not to be so judgmental. Clark’s a good guy. Really good like a secret agent.”
She took another bite, and a twinkle in her eye let me know she was calming down after our ordeal. I’m not sure I’ll ever recover. I nearly killed Clark. If I was taller or he was shorter, I might have clubbed him on the head. If he wasn’t faking it before and might have liked me, he sure doesn’t now. I really am doomed.
Aunt Irene and I drove home. Her car was parked by her cottage when we got home.
As she got out of the car, she said, “Between church and the madness at Inga’s I took Yummy for a walk. He should be okay.”
I thanked her and walked into the house. I could hear Yummy whine, and I took him outside to the puppy run.
I settled in a lawn chair and muddled over how I had messed up my life. I didn’t trust Clark enough to believe he’d never hurt me. He sure wouldn’t trust me now. I went over every bit of evidence that made me doubt him. It all seemed relevant at the time. Looking back, if I added in all the times he wanted to help, but I pushed him away, I might have seen the truth. Aunt Irene was right.
Well, Annie, you have gone through the last ten years alone. You’ll make it through the next ten or thirty. Everyone says you’re a trooper. You might be a lonely one, but you’ll make it.
A quiet voice said, “Hi, can I sit down or will you hit me with an umbrella again?” He was grinning.
I dropped my face into my hands mumbling, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I had no idea who you were.”
He dropped in the chair next to me. “I couldn’t tell you. You were in danger. You would have been in more danger if you knew. You take too many chances as it is. I couldn’t believe it when I saw you stuck on top of that shelf. You scared the heck out of me. I could have taken care of whatever you needed. I’m tall.”
“I know, but I thought you were involved with the Kellehers and I wasn’t sure what to do.” I tried to smile back.
The wind shifted, and it blew off the lake. The air became chilly.
Clark said, “Can we go inside and talk?”
I nodded. He picked Yummy up out of the puppy run, and Aunt Irene was smiling and waving from her window.
We sat and talked and talked more. It started to get dark, and Clark ordered a pizza. I opened a bottle of wine. I think I opened two bottles. We talked even more. After pizza and wine we laughed while we talked. It seemed like the craziness was pushed out of both of our minds.
Between the first and second bottles of wine, Clark took Yummy for a long walk. I had a nice video chat with Laci. I told her the Chief solved Inga’s murder, but not all the gory details of my near demise. I did tell her about Bill. It would be on the news and in the papers. She said that she and Bill were friends, but not much more. They had a few group dates and went to bonfires on the beach last summer. He liked to video chat, but she felt he liked her more than she liked him. I was relieved that my daughter wouldn’t have a broken heart.
#######
Yummy nuzzled against my ear, and my eyes opened slowly. I closed them again. The bright sunlight was streaming through the window. I yawned thinking it was going to be a beautiful day. I heard gentle snoring. I knew it was Clark, and I remembered last night. I had a lot of wine but didn’t sleep well. I had a nightmare at three in the morning. My scream brought Clark running up the stairs. Yummy was barking like mad and running from one end of the bed to the other. Clark sat with me and held me. I think we both must have fallen asleep.
It isn’t fair to him, Annie. You need to make up your mind. Do you love Clark Cavanaugh? You need to be an adult about this situation. If you can’t love him, let him know. Clark is a decent man, and he’ll understand. Make a decision. You were wrong about him. He’s one of the good ones.
I climbed out of bed and watched the lake glisten in the morning sunlight. When I heard Clark get out of bed, I turned and did my best to smile. I needed to talk to him, but wasn’t sure how to start.
Clark walked up to me and slid his arms around my waist. He kissed me and whispered, “Good morning.”
“Good morning. I’m sorry
