Page 24 of Charm

“Copper,” I say the dog’s name while I pat his furry head. “Hey, buddy.”

“Hi, Holden,” Wally, one of my neighbors, greets me as he clings to his dog’s leash.

“Wally.” I toss him a smile. “How are you?”

“Good.” He nods so briskly that the straw hat on his head inches forward. “I was wondering if I could borrow something.”

“Sure.” I give Copper one final pat before he lands back on the floor on all four paws. “What do you need?”

“Your expertise.”

I know where this is headed. Wally doesn’t own a car. In fact, he has never had a driver’s license. Mrs. Frye is his usual go-to when he wants something from town, but since she’s not here, and my BMW is sitting in the driveway, Wally sees me as his ticket to wherever he’s headed.

The expertise part of it is a ruse that always works on me. He’ll tell me that he needs a second opinion on what fresh fish heshould buy to grill tonight, or what dessert at the bakery would be my first choice.

A journey with Wally is a guaranteed hours-long adventure, and I’d much rather spend that time waiting around to see if Summer strolls out of the house next door and wanders over here.

Before I can let him down easy, he tosses more information in my direction, “I had a nice conversation earlier with the young lady staying at Mrs. Frye’s house this weekend. She was getting into a car with a driver. They were headed to town. She offered to pick up a few necessities for me. What a sweet angel she is.”

I smile at his description of Summer.

If she’s already in town, maybe a trip there wouldn’t be such a bad idea. “Did you forget to ask her to grab something you need? I can drive you into town to get it.”

The offer may be genuine, but my motives aren’t. I’m not going to slide behind the wheel of my car just to take Wally to get one ingredient he may have forgotten for his regular Saturday grill night. I’m aiming to get more time with Summer, and if I have to head into town to make that happen, I’m all for it.

“No need.” He laughs off my suggestion. “I was hoping to peruse your library so I’d have something to occupy my time this afternoon. You must be an expert on what’s good to read. Do you have any suggestions?”

Leave it to my grandmother to create a library in this house that the locals swarm to. Wally isn’t the only one who stops in randomly when I’m around to pluck a book off the shelves. I can’t complain since the books are always returned in pristine condition with a hearty thank you.

“Come on in.” I step aside to give him and Copper the room they need to enter. “I can’t lend a hand with suggestions, but as you know, there’s plenty to choose from.”

“Don’t I know it.”

I give the dog another pat on the head. “I’ll find those treats I bought Copper the last time I was here.”

“He’ll love that.” Wally flashes me a toothy grin. “I promise I won’t be long.”

That’s a promise he’s guaranteed to break. Wally is notoriously slow when it comes to browsing the books in my late grandmother’s extensive library.

It looks like I’ll need to wait at least a few more hours to see Summer again.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Greer

I’m exhausted,but it’s in the best possible way.

After I went into town and grabbed a few essentials and non-essentials, I came back to my weekend retreat with the intention of settling in for a nap that I hoped would last at least two hours.

That never happened.

Instead, I spent almost ninety minutes talking on the phone. I took two very important personal calls, and when those were done, I focused on business for only twenty minutes.

Three quick calls took care of an issue that had popped up that Krista was ignoring. It wasn’t crucial, but I’d definitely label it as important.

Now that it’s all smoothed over, I’m finally ready to enjoy my Saturday night.

A series of quick knocks at the door brings a soft smile to my face. It has to be Joe. In anticipation of seeing him tonight, I showered after my calls and put on a maxi dress. It’s a perfect shade of green for me, and the fabric is so lightweight and breezy it feels like I’m wearing almost nothing.