Page 58 of Oohs, Ahhhs, and Orbs

“Oh, my. That’s… I don’t know what that is. How sad,” Bobbi Jo patted her chest. “And now? Are you thinking about it now?”

“Bobbi Jo,” Mac said, that same warning tone in his voice that told me all I needed to know about how often his wife pried into some poor soul’s life in a well meaning manner. “Why don’t we let Storm and Bridgette figure out their own relationship?”

“But, I was just asking a simple question, honey.” She turned back to look at me. “I didn’t offend you, did I, Bridgette? I am so sorry if I pried too hard. It’s a curse. I always want the best for people, you know?”

I reached across the table because I could sense that she really was upsetting herself at the thought of offending me. Taking her hand, I gave it a gentle squeeze. “No, Bobbi Jo, I’m not offended. I understand that you care about Logan and want to make sure that I am a good fit for him. I appreciate that. Maybe one day I’ll tell you my story. Right now,I’ll say that Logan and I are very committed to each other. I plan to stay with him for a long, long time.”

I pulled my hand back as Charlene approached the table with our drinks, and Bobbi Jo sniffled delicately. “That’s so good to hear.”

Charlene was even more perceptive than I had expected her to be. Even knowing that she had incredible instincts based on her connection with the land, she seemed to take one good look at me and figured me out.

After setting down Logan’s beer, she placed a glass down in front of me. I wasn’t sure what I was looking at when she first slid it over. It was pale yellow on top and red at the bottom of the glass, with several cherries floating in with all the ice. But after taking the first hesitant sip, just in case I was wrong about herintuition, I was delighted to find the refreshing taste of cherries mixed with the light fizz of the ginger ale.

“That looks interesting,” Logan had commented after watching me hum in approval.

“Just a little something I thought my new friend here would appreciate,” Charlene replied with a wink shot my way.

“Thank you,” I mouthed, and she nodded knowingly.

“What is it? That looks delicious,” Bobbi Jo said as she took her own sip of wine.

“It’s my own concoction,” Charlene replied evasively, and I could have jumped up and hugged her. “Your food is about ready. Bobbi Jo, would you like another glass of Moscato?”

She looked down at her glass, which was mostly empty, then shrugged one shoulder. “Heavens, why not. Thanks, hun,” she replied.

“You still good with your beer?” Charlene took in Mac. He asked for one more, then she walked away, yelling at someone to hold their horses when they shouted for another drink from across the bar.

Once we’d gotten our food, the conversation turned less intense as Mac and Bobbi Jo told me stories of their three girls, who were all teenagers and, as Mac swore, the cause of his hair turning gray. We were all sitting there with our table cleared of our empty plates, laughing at a story of their antics, when Logan’s phone dinged with an incoming message. We all turned to watch as he pulled it out to check what had been sent.

When he looked up at me with a grin, I got a flutter of butterfly wings in my belly at the reminder of how handsome he was.

“Kristy is ready to bring Samantha to the shop. Are you ready to go?” he asked as he tucked his phone away.

“That’s great!” I picked up the glass with what was left of my second drink and sucked on the straw until there was nothing left but ice cubes. “Yes! Let’s go. I can’t wait to meet her.”

We stood together as Mac and Bobbi Jo did the same. “We should be going too. It was so good to meet you, Bridgette,” Bobbi Jo stepped forward and pulled me into a big hug. I froze for half a second before wrapping my own arms around her. It felt nice and made me miss my mother terribly. Bobbi Jo may not have been old enough to be my mom, but she radiated motherly vibes. “You are perfect for Logan,” she whispered in my ear. “I’m so glad he found you.”

Her words brought moisture to my eyes, which I quickly blinked away. “He’s the perfect one,” I whispered back.

“No, sweetheart. He’s a good man, but he needed you more than you’ll ever know.” With those words echoing in my mind, we said goodbye and promised to get together again soon. There had been no talk of police work or the murders during our conversations. Other than the beginning when Bobbi Jo had been prying for information, the evening had been lighthearted and fun. It was just what Logan and I had both needed.

When we got back to the shop, I left Logan to wait outside for Kristy and ran upstairs to make room for Sammy. I looked around the small apartment space and sighed. It would have to do. She wasn’t a huge dog, but the space just wouldn’t do for long. She would need room to play and run around. I looked out the window to see headlights pull up toward the back door. Logan and I would need to have a discussion soon about getting a larger space. From what he’d told me, his own apartment wasn’t much bigger than mine.

I rearranged the couch and chair by pushing them over a little to allow for a dog bed to fit by the window. Then I took the throw blankets out of the basket on the floor for something toput her toys in. While I was getting the space ready, Mortimer strolled in, his tail twitching.

“You’re going to have a new roommate,” I warned. “I need you to be nice to her.”

Mortimer sniffed haughtily, then jumped onto the coffee table and sat, his long, fluffy tail wrapping around his feet. Then he just stared at the door as if waiting for a show to start. I rolled my eyes, then turned to the door when I heard footsteps heading towards us.

Samantha walked in, her head moving quickly back and forth, trying to take in everything as she seemed to be smiling with her tongue hanging out. It was probably a grand adventure to her. That, and she was likely extremely happy to be with Logan.

“Oh my Goddess, you’re so pretty!” I gushed as she walked into the living room. We both froze when I heard my words echoing in my head, but not from my voice. “Samantha?” I asked hesitantly.

“What’s going on?” Logan asked, holding a large dog pillow and a canvas bag that seemed to be filled with all manner of dog items.

“Mine!”Samantha said in a thrilled tone, then barked.

“Holy shit!” I gasped, then dropped to my knees. Samantha didn’t hesitate. She launched herself into my arms as I laughed, and we both hugged each other as well as a human and a dog could. I looked up at Logan, who was smiling but still looked slightly confused.

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