Page 120 of Will Bark for Pizza
Dinner?
Grandma Connie, did you say dinner?
“Yes. C’mon Husker.”
But Mom, what about dinner?
“It’s not time yet.”
Are you sure, Opal?
“Be a good boy, okay?”
I’m always a good boy!
“Yes you are, Husker.”
THIRTY-FIVE
KIRA
Sunlight warmedmy skin as I lay back on my paddleboard. Husker sat at the edge, perched and attentive like the captain of our board. I allowed my fingers to dangle, dipping them into the water as I floated in the middle of Ghost Lake with Lila. The clear sky overhead was the prettiest shade of blue, the water calm, with sprinkles of kayakers and paddleboarders, all content to keep to themselves. Summer days didn’t get more perfect than this in Bluebell Springs.
Moving home feltright.
It felt like the peace I’d so desperately been seeking since I moved away.
“Okay, we can get the books in five weeks,” Lila said from Connor’s borrowed board. “It’ll be cutting it close, but I got you a deal on shipping.”
“You know, the point of being on the water is to disconnect,” I reminded her. We’d been working aroundthe clock at the bookstore. With the help of several book club members, we inventoried every last book, identifying the oldest ones we’d use for a sidewalk sale that preceded our soft opening next week.
“I’m putting away my phone,” she said in surrender.
“And put it on silent.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“I think the biggest flaw of this local lake is that they insisted on having a cell tower nearby,” I mumbled. “Youdoknow how to relax, right?”
“Ordering four thousand copies of your special edition books and getting them here on time with a shipping discountisrelaxing to me,” Lila said, shooting me a cheeky grin to match her tone.
“I still think you ordered too many.”
“You thought a hundred of each was too many,” Lila shot back.
“What if no one comes?”
“Nope,” Lila said firmly. “You donotget to worry about that. That is my job. And I’ve been waiting two years for this opportunity. Trust me, I’m not going to mess it up.”
At the sound of an engine, I forced myself to sit up. It wasn’t loud, but it was distinct. Uncle Karl would drive that old beater truck until the wheels literally fell off. We all joked that the day it quit working, he’d retire from his auto body shop and spend all his free time trying to bring the old Ford back to life. It was so strange to see him out at the cabin twice in the span of a week when he spent a decade avoiding it.
I wondered if today was the day he finally sold it.
“You okay?” Lila asked.
“Yeah, I am.” Though, the idea of buying the family cabin, of living on Ghost Lake and being able to paddleboard any time I wanted had its appeal, it wasn’t practical. Taking over the bookstore was no small feat. Dad promised to get things as close to the black as possible after the sale of the building closed. But we both knew it wouldn’t be enough. I needed to set aside every spare dollar I had to revive Mom’s store. I told Beckett as much yesterday, and gave him my blessing.
“You know, after your sexy handyman buys that cabin, you can still visit,” Lila said, her tone nearly as suggestive as her waggling eyebrows.
