T. McClure - Deal Of A Lifetime

“So you’re her great-aunt. Just the two of you here?”

She set a tub of butter and a jar of jam in the middle of the table and paused to give him her undivided attention. “At the moment. Chance was just home for a visit. That’s Sera’s brother.” Her face lit with a broad smile. “He’s a singer. That’s why she happened to be at the airport when you came in. Chance was on his way back to Nashville.” She carried a carton of eggs to the stove. “Mark my words. One of these days he’ll be singing at the Grand Ole Opry.”

She cracked an egg into a smaller skillet with one hand. The sound seemed to finally stir the big dog, who stood and stretched. He took two steps in Alex’s direction and growled, stared at him with droopy brown eyes.

“Should I leave?” He didn’t take his eyes from the dog.

“Why do you ask?” She was busy at the stove, laying crispy strips of bacon on paper towels.

“Cujo’s awake. Maybe I should go outside before he gets excited.” Alex eased out of the chair and backed toward the door. The dog dropped his nose to the floor and snorted. Alex reached behind him for the door handle when he heard a footfall outside. The door slammed into him and sent him flying in the dog’s direction. Coffee flew out of the cup as he tumbled onto the pillow where the big dog had been lying just seconds before. He curled up in a ball and waited, certain Cujo wouldn’t appreciate a stranger in his bed. Cool air drifted over him from the open door.

“What are you doing?” Sera’s voice was calm.

She probably didn’t want to further excite the dog. Feeling a breeze, Alex peeked through the crook of his elbow. Inches from his face, a fluffy white tail waved back and forth. “Protecting my vital organs.” When the tail continued to wag, he pushed himself upright and leaned against the wall. Pink tongue hanging out, the dog appeared to be smiling as he stared up at the young woman.

Alex was awestruck, his focus rooted to the woman who’d pushed through the screen door. Her yellow hood was pushed back, revealing dark, curly hair caught up in a high ponytail. Black ringlets caressed her cheeks, pink from exertion.

Her face flushed and dripping water, Sera covered her mouth with her hand as she looked down at Alex. “Good idea. Quick thinking, in fact.” She grabbed the dog on either side of the furry neck and spoke in a firm voice. “Cujo, not food. Not food. Outside.” She opened the door and the dog trotted outside. “There, you’re safe.” At the same time a mottled gray dog about half the size of the Saint Bernard appeared from the hallway.

Alex wondered if he had just been made a fool of but decided as long as the monster dog was outside he didn’t care. The gray dog appeared harmless. Rising from the pillow, he eyed the coffee leaving a dark stripe down the flowered wallpaper. “Sorry about your wall.”

Pulling two towels from a drawer, Sera handed him one and then, wiping her face with the other, moved to the stove to exchange a few quiet words with her great-aunt. Alex thought he heard a chuckle from the older woman, but it may have been a cough. He wiped the spilled coffee first from the wall and then the floor.

“Here you go, young man.” A big smile on her face, the older woman set a plate where he had been sitting before the dog woke up.

Three eggs and at least six strips of bacon. “I don’t usually eat this much for breakfast.” He glanced at the older woman, who still wore the wide smile. He could only guess she was happy to have someone to cook for.

With a chuckle she refilled his cup. “You’re a growing boy. Eat up, son.” She glanced behind him. “You deserve it after the morning you’ve had.”

Just as he lifted his cup to his lips, the gray dog stuck his nose between his elbow and his waist, jiggling the full cup. “Ouch.” Hot coffee soaked through his clean jeans. He grabbed the towel and pressed it to his thigh.

Sera rushed over and grabbed the dog by the collar. Meeting his gaze for just a second, she smiled. “Lucky, stop that.” Sera coaxed the dog to the pillow by the rocking chair, where Lucky rested his head on his paws, dark eyes darting between the woman and the man.

Sera pulled the yellow poncho over her head and hung it on a hook behind the door. “Maybe we should get you a travel mug, Mr. Kimmel. You’re having serious coffee issues this morning.”

Alex looked around the big kitchen for more pillows. Just the two. Biting off half a piece of bacon, he threw Sera a long look. “Have I met all your animals?”

Before answering, Sera poured a cup of coffee and then turned and leaned against the counter. “You’ve met both of my dogs, but not all of my animals.” She brought the cup to her lips. “Did you sleep well?”

He swore her eyes—he couldn’t decide if they were blue or green—had twinkled, and he feared she had something else up her sleeve. He refused to give her the satisfaction of showing his concern. “Like the proverbial log. Is the bridge still flooded?”

“Too foggy to see.” She grabbed the last piece of bacon from his plate and sat opposite him.

He scowled at his plate. “I should call Cy. I have a lot of work to do. The sooner he can pick me up, the easier for everyone.”

“Work? I thought you were visiting your relatives.”

He decided to ignore the comment. Pulling his phone from his pants pocket, he pressed a button. Nothing. He stood and walked over to the window above the sink. Then he turned an eye on Sera. “Don’t tell me. No cell towers around here.”

“Oh, we have cell towers.” She crossed her legs and smoothed the fabric of her sweatpants as if she were wearing linen trousers.

Holding the phone closer to the window, he tried again. Still nothing. He fixed her with a stare.

Holding the cup to her lips, she shrugged. “But we’re in a bit of a dip here. If you want a signal for your cell phone, you’ll have to walk up to the orchard on the hill.” She gulped her coffee and sighed, as if her job were done.

Clenching his fingers around the cell, he glanced down at the screen, which displayed a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge. Somewhere he wished he were at the moment. Anywhere, as a matter of fact. The Golden Gate Bridge would do, as well. Any bridge. “So no contact with the outside world.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Sera walked over to the back door and held out both hands like a model on a game show. A phone hung between the door frame and the cupboard. She picked up the receiver. “You’ve heard of landlines, I presume.” She dialed a number.

Alex walked back down the hall, leaving Sera to make arrangements for someone to pick him up. If he stayed in the kitchen one minute longer with the monster-truck-driving madam, he feared he might rip the phone out of the wall in frustration. And then she would sic the dogs on him and he would be history. He stared out through the glass panels flanking the front door to the lane they had driven down the night before. For the first time, he noticed two horses in the front pasture. They would probably turn on him as well, stomping him into pieces in the dirt.

“Alex. Your cousin wants to talk to you.” Turning away from the grazing animals, he looked down the dark hall. Sera’s head peeked around the corner. She held out the handset, connected to the wall with a curly cord.

He walked back past the photos and took the receiver from her hand. “Hello?”

“Hey, cuz. How was your night?” Cyrus’s deep voice echoed through the phone. If Alex didn’t know better, he could swear his cousin sounded amused.

Turning his back to the kitchen, Alex stretched the cord into the hallway. “Listen, whatever this favor is, it better be quick. You’ve already used up most of your quota. She wrecked the truck last night. Among other things. I’m lucky to be alive.”