While he set the beach chairs along the shore, Naomi strolled down the concrete path. She wore a sleeveless paisley-print dress and sandals, her hair loose and blowing in the wind. His heart jumped. He’d never seen her without the ponytail. The cheese and wine caught her off guard, and she touched her heart.
“You said you had something important to ask me. Now I’m intrigued. What’s the occasion?”
“Have a seat,” Thomas said, inviting her to sit beside the lake. He lifted his wine glass and motioned for her to do the same. “A toast.”
“What are we toasting?”
“A better tomorrow for all of us.”
“I can drink to that.” Naomi sipped the Pinot Noir. She closed her eyes as a smile spread across her face. “That’s amazing. I’m in heaven.”
Thomas shifted his chair to face hers. She crossed one leg over the other and watched him with curiosity. The lake breeze kept flipping the hem above her knees, forcing her to flatten it out.
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
She set the wine down. Uncertainty flashed in her eyes.
“Okay.”
“I took my father up on his offer.”
Naomi sat forward.
“You really did it?”
“Shepherd Systems is my company.”
She popped out of her chair and wrapped Thomas in a hug.
“I’m so proud of you, Thomas. You made the right decision. But I never expected you’d leave the sheriff’s department.”
“I’m not.” As she returned to the chair, her eyes questioned his. “As I told you, I’d be in over my head if I ran my father’s company. It’s not my area of expertise. The last thing I want is to ruin the business my father built and destroy his legacy.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m bringing in an operations manager, someone with the requisite skills to push the company to new heights.” Thomas leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees. “Naomi, I want you to run Shepherd Systems.”
She choked on the wine and coughed into her hand. After she composed herself, she said, “I know nothing about Shepherd Systems. Don’t you think you’d be better off finding someone with more experience?”
“I saw your eyes light up when you helped Ruth Sims. Your ideas are innovative and effective, and your track record in Ithaca speaks for itself. There’s nobody more qualified to run my father’s…to run my company.”
Naomi touched her forehead as her eyes glistened.
“This is a lot to process. I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. Starting salary is one-hundred-seventy-five thousand, and that includes full medical, dental, and vision. We offer six weeks of paid vacation time, eight after three years, and unlimited sick and maternity leave, all paid. So what do you think?”
She was quiet for a long moment as the boats rolled across the lake. Then she sprang from her chair and threw her arms around Thomas.
Crying into his shoulder, she said, “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for my family. This morning, I wasn’t sure how I’d put food on the table. And now you’re offering me more money than I’ve ever dreamed of. How can I ever thank you?”
He uncertainly hugged her back, patting her shoulder as she continued to weep.
“You can thank me by stopping by the office Monday morning to fill out your paperwork. That is, if you don’t need time to get your affairs in order.”
“No, no. I can’t wait to start.” She bounced on her toes. “This is so exciting.”
“The office opens at six in the morning and closes at eight in the evening. Unlike my father, all I care is that you put in a full work week. If you have to leave for a few hours in the afternoon to pick up Scout, or your caregiver flakes out and leaves you hanging, you’ll adjust your hours. We’re flexible.”
She kissed his cheek.
“You don’t need to convince me. I can’t believe this is happening.”
As they laughed and watched the blue waters slosh against the shore, Scout wheeled herself down the path. Thomas couldn’t wait to share the good news.
* * *
Thomas’s F-150 slumbered in his driveway when Chelsey parked at the curb. She glanced at the house and didn’t see him inside. Reaching across the seat, she grabbed the bouquet she’d picked from her yard. It seemed awkward giving flowers to a guy. But she wasn’t one for tradition, and she didn’t want to arrive empty handed. Call it a peace offering.
Along the ridge, a shadow moved through the state forest. Her eyes stopped on the shape. The stranger seemed to be staring at the A-frame. As she stepped along the ramp to gain a better view, the person vanished.
An enormous dog watched her through the window, its tail thumping. Raven had mentioned something about a dog Thomas rescued from the woods. Chelsey climbed the wheelchair ramp installed for the neighbor’s daughter and pressed the doorbell. After a minute, she pressed the bell again. The dog was closer now, its snout pressed to the glass and leaving condensation splotches on the window. The rescued animal appeared to be some sort of German Shepherd or Siberian Husky, but larger.
Her heart hammered as she waited for the door to open. She’d held the words inside for so long.
Maybe he was out back, working in the yard or hanging out at the guest house with LeVar.
Chelsey rounded the house and saw them. Thomas and Naomi embraced on the lake shore as Scout hurried to join them. They looked like the perfect family.
The sickness rolling through Chelsey’s body doubled her over. The yard vanished behind a veil of tears. All around her, the wind off the lake shoved and pushed, driving her off the lawn as though she wasn’t wanted. She’d been a fool to believe in new beginnings and fairytale endings.
She dropped the flowers and left them to die.
Thank you
