'If you could check the employee rosters I'd appreciate it.'
Carlton looked skeptical about adding another task to his list.
'Perhaps you could give me that information when I bring you the information for your meeting?'
His shoulders sagged, and he tapped on his phone again, adding the additional request.
'What time is your meeting?” she asked.
'After lunch,” he said.
'I'm coming downtown for a Loose Threads meeting,” she said. “I'll swing by on my way.'
'See you tomorrow, then.” He stood and turned toward the long-arm machine. “Good to see you as always, Beth,” he said, and let himself out.
'Is there anything I can do to help you?” Harriet asked her aunt when Carlton was gone.
'I can't think of anything you could do left-handed that would help.” Beth said. “Your job is to rest up and heal.'
'How about I walk downtown and get us some dinner?'
'Are you sure you're up to it?” Aunt Beth asked. She looked at her closely.
'I'm fine, really. I've had lots of rest.'
'Okay, but take your cell phone with you, and if you're not back in an hour, I'm coming looking.'
'I'll be back, don't worry. If I get too tired, I'll call and you can come get me, but I won't need to.'
She went into the kitchen and picked up a thin brown flowered nylon shopping bag that folded up in a small pouch she could carry in her pocket until she needed it. She took money from her purse, wrestling left-handed with her wallet until she finally was able to extract enough bills to cover the anticipated cost of dinner.
'Do you have any preference?” she asked Aunt Beth when she'd returned to the studio.
'Honey, if I don't have to fix it, anything sounds great.'
Harriet headed out of the studio and down the driveway. She still was undecided about what dinner would be.
'Hey, doll,” came a male voice from behind her. A familiar vintage Ford Bronco cruised into view, inching forward, keeping pace. “Want a ride?'
'Sure,” she said.
Aiden stopped and jumped out to open the door. She was still on a neighborhood street, so no traffic was in sight.
'I'm on my way to California,” she told him.
'I'll go anywhere with you,” he said. “Let's go.'
'Don't you need to pick up Randy?'
'Nah, Carla will feed her eventually.'
'You're impossible,” she said with a smile. “Actually, I'm on my way to pick up dinner for my aunt and I. Would you like to join us?'
Aiden was silent. Harriet looked at him. It was unusual for him to not have a ready quip. “What?” she finally said when he continued to stare out the windshield. “Do you have a date?” She was joking… until he didn't answer. “If you have a date, just say so. It's okay.'
'I don't have a date,” he said. “Not like you think, anyway. It's just…” He broke off, obviously choosing his words carefully.
'Just what?'
'It's just that I promised I'd be a guinea pig for Carla tonight.'
'That's okay,” Harriet said. A deep stab of pain knifed through her stomach; or maybe it was her heart-she wasn't sure. “Carla needs you.'
'She wants to have Terry over for dinner, but she's afraid her cooking isn't up to snuff. I've tried to tell her what a great cook she is, but she wants to try the dinner menu first, just in case.'
A great cook, Harriet thought. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. Carla was his housekeeper, after all. But now she was his cook. His “great cook,” she amended.
'That's fine. I realize I was inviting you at the last minute.'
'You don't have to give me notice,” he said. “You know that. I'd rather eat with you, but Carla was so worked up over having Terry over, I agreed. If I'd known you were going to ask me, I'd have said no.'
'It's no big deal,” she said. “It's my pain meds talking. Of course Carla needs your support. Are you going to be there when Terry comes to dinner?'
'I told her I'd take Wendy to Tico's Tacos and introduce her to Mexican food.'
Harriet looked out her window. Aiden reached over and turned her face toward him.
'I can get one of the vet techs to babysit. I'm sure Carla wouldn't mind.'
'It's not that,” Harriet said. “I'm actually worried about Carla being alone with that guy so much. There's something off about his genealogy story. He claims he's trying to get to know his father by retracing his past. He says his dad used to work for Carlton 's dad, but Carlton doesn't remember him.'
'And that surprises you?” Aiden asked.
'Actually, it does. Carlton 's dad made him write out the birthday and Christmas cards for all the employees back then. He wrote every name at least twice every year for some number of years. I realize he could forget someone after twenty years or more, but when I told him the name, it didn't trigger anything.'
' Carlton 's a weasel-I wouldn't put faith in anything he remembered or didn't remember. I can guarantee you the only thing he thinks about these days is Bebe.'
'Still, I don't trust Terry.'
'They're just having dinner. They're not even leaving the house.'
'Unless they go for a walk by the strait. Then he could kill her and dump her in the water and we might never find her.'
'You have been watching way too much television,” Aiden said. “Terry is not out to kill Carla.'
'Maybe not, but he's lying about
She sank back in her seat, and Aiden drove in silence.
'Have you decided where you want to get food?” he finally asked as they approached town.
'Tico's sounds good and easy to carry, too.'
'I'm going to drive you home when you get your food,” he said. “I don't have to be home for a while.” He looked down when he said the last part.
'It's okay, really,” she said and put her hand on his arm.
Aiden guided the Bronco into the small parking lot at the side of Tico's. He got out and came around to Harriet's door, opened it and pulled her carefully into his arms, making sure he didn't jostle her collarbone.
'I'm sorry I can't come to dinner. I really want to.'
'Look,” Harriet said as she leaned back and gazed into his ice-blue eyes. “I just overreacted there for a minute. Like I said, it was the pain meds talking. I really do want you to help Carla, and more important, I want you to protect her.'
'Are you sure?'
'I'm positive,” she said, and almost meant it.
She leaned toward him. Aiden steadied her face with his hand and gently brushed his lips over hers. She smiled against his mouth, and he kissed her more deeply, being careful still of her wounded shoulder.
'Please, amigos, get a room,” came a booming voice from the back door. “You're going to drive my business away.'
Jorge laughed and waved the dish towel he was holding at them. Harriet laughed, too.
'Busted.'
'I guess we better go in,” she said.
'Yeah, he's probably on the phone with your aunt already.'
'What?'
'You heard me. Jorge is as big a gossip as any of the Loose Threads.'
Harriet finished getting out of the car, pushing him out of the way.
'I don't need them talking about me any more than they do already.'
'Do you two want food today, or are you just here to make out?” Jorge asked when they came into the restaurant.
