Last Licks

“Whatever it’s made with, the stuff is potent.” Sunny laughed and hopped into bed. Shadow followed, snuggling under the sheet and a thin blanket.

Soon enough, they were both asleep.

11

The next morning, Sunny sat at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of coffee, while Mike prepared to head off to the old school and his daily three-mile trek. She’d awakened to find a clear sky outside her window and a cool breeze drifting in. Except for the smell of damp earth, no trace remained of last night’s storm—and even better, the heat and humidity of the last two days were gone as well. The weatherman on the radio said as much.

I guess he looked out his window, too,

Sunny couldn’t help thinking.

“Sure you don’t want to come along?” Mike asked.

“I’ve got calls to make this morning, and then some visits,” she told him.

Mike grinned. “And a date tonight.”

“Right,” Sunny said sarcastically. “Provided we get through the day.” She waved good-bye to her dad as Shadow came into the room, looked around, and finally settled at her feet. When she finished and got up, he moved to a patch of light from the kitchen window while Sunny went upstairs to shower.

As she washed herself, she couldn’t help stealing glances at the back of her right hand. It was incredible: instead of pink scratches, a set of silvery lines barely showed up against her skin.

“For a hippy-dippy chippie, Luke’s mother sure knew her stuff,” Sunny said.

She came out of the bathroom wrapped in a terry cloth robe and went to her room to pick out the outfit of the day. This wasn’t easy. She wanted to look nice for her visit with Mrs. Martinson, but tough enough to deal with the temperamental Dr. Gavrik. In the end, Sunny went with flats, a pair of charcoal gray slacks, and an off-white top.

“When I get home, I’ll change into something more suitable for O’Dowd’s,” she muttered. “Something that can stand up to splinters and won’t show beer spills.”

She’d just finished wrestling with her hair and putting on some makeup when the phone rang. It was Will Price, calling to tell her he’d secured them a lunch appointment with Dr. Gavrik for twelve thirty. “Should I pick you up around noon?”

“Sure, but I’ll be over at Mrs. Martinson’s house, so pick me up there,” Sunny told him. “See you then.”

She hung up and went downstairs.

Shadow perked up and ambled over when he saw Sunny leaving some supplies for him. She gently massaged his fur, then washed her hands and was on her way.

It was a pleasure to be outdoors today, now that the soggy, enervating weather had moved on. As she walked the few blocks, Sunny saw a number of people coming out to take care of deferred garden business, like mowing grass. Mike put his own gardening efforts into cultivating the rosebushes Sunny’s mom had planted years ago, but tended to neglect the lawn. As she arrived at the Martinson house, Sunny saw that Mrs. M.’s butterfly bushes were in bloom, bringing blue blossoms and a sweet scent to the air.

She rang the doorbell and heard excited barking inside.

When Helena Martinson answered the door, she had one hand on Toby’s collar. “Come on inside, dear,” Mike’s lady friend said. “Is the kitchen all right?”

“It’s fine.” Sunny stepped carefully as Toby romped around her feet. “No lack of energy in the little guy, is there?”

Helena got Sunny established at a little table right beside the kitchen window and set out two mugs of coffee and, of course, two pieces of her famous coffee cake.

Toby went to his water bowl and began noisily drinking.

“We just got back from emptying him, and here he is, loading up again.” The older woman gave Sunny a wry smile. “There are a lot of things about owning a dog that they don’t tell you.”

“You’re not regretting your adoption, are you?” Sunny asked.

“Of course not. You’re good company, aren’t you, Toby?”

Toby came over to rest his muzzle on Helena’s knee—and leave a wet spot on her tan trousers.

Sunny raised a forkful of cake to her mouth and followed it with a sip of coffee. “Delicious, as usual.” She looked at Helena expectantly. “So, tell me—what did you find out about Alfred Scatterwell?”

“As you know, I wasn’t very fond of Gardner because of what he tried to do to me—in this very kitchen, as a matter of fact.” Helena’s eyes seemed to skitter around her spotless kitchen. Sunny had never seen her so reluctant to share gossip; she tried to encourage her with a little humor.

“I know Gardner was a bit of a dog,” Sunny said. “Dad started to remember that, when the surprise and the initial reunion feeling began to wear off. First he remembered the good times. After all, it was thanks to that band he had with Gardner that Dad met my mother.” She laughed. “Of course, the band broke up after Gardner tried to get between my dad and mom, but that only hit Dad later. Speaking of hitting, did I mention that Dad punched Gardner in the nose?”