finish it, damn it. You know what I mean? Don’t just leave me hanging in a diner with Journey playing on the jukebox.”
“Hey,” David said. “Don’t knock Journey.”
He started singing the intro to Don’t Stop Believing .
“Nothing against Steve Perry or anyone in yellow leopard shirts,” Kate said. “But I just expect more from a show like that.”
I smiled, not sure what they were getting so worked up over.
“I love the good cliffhanger,” David said. “You go to work the next day and talk about all the possibilities of what happened. It’s fun. It makes the audience think.”
“But not in a series,” Kate said, putting down her empty wine glass. “You put hours and hours into a watching a show, and then they just don’t write an ending for it? That’s just dumb.”
He shrugged.
“Okay, Mama Kate, maybe it’s an age thing.”
He took another sip from his drink, smiling and raising his eyebrows and then looking at me.
“What are you talking about?” Kate said. “I’m not that much older than you.”
“Ha! Maybe you aren’t, but even you gotta admit that you’re pretty serious. It’s not a bad thing, but I’m just saying you don’t like, you know, relax about things. You’re a little uptight.”
He laughed, trying to make it a light-hearted comment. But judging from Kate’s expression, she didn’t take it that way. David noticed too.
“Come on, don’t be mad at me now or all I’ll think about on the way over to Portland tomorrow is that Sista Kate has put a hex on me. I meant that uptight thing as a compliment. Somebody has to be the adult here, right?”
“Yeah, sure, David,” she said.
When he offered her a sip of his dirty martini, she took his glass, and finished it off.
“See, I’m not so uptight, David Norton,” she said, her face twisting into a look of disgust. “Ugh, how do you drink these things? They’re sick.”
David just laughed as he poured himself another.
“I’ll have to get used to them if I’m going to be Detective Slocum. He’s a real man, and this is a real man’s drink right here.”
“Yeah,” Kate said. “A real drunk man.”
I laughed and shook my head.
We were quiet for a little while, watching the show. I was in the chair leaning sideways, my feet up on the arm. Even though I wanted to pull the blanket over me, I thought the better of it with David in the house. His spinster comment was still fresh in my mind.
A nice fire was crackling in the fireplace. Drops of rain were splattering across the window. I tried to focus on the show, but I ended up staring outside into the dark rainy night a while, my thoughts turning to Ty.
And how he was getting back, just about now.
Coming off the airplane. Home again, in Bend.
“So, do you feel ready?” Kate asked, yawning and stretching.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” David said, letting out a rare nervous sigh. “I just worry that I’ll freeze up or something. You know, draw a complete blank while I’m up there.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” I said. “I’ve got a good feeling about it. I’m excited for you, David. I really, really am.”
“Yeah, yeah, but tell me what you see for my future, Psychic Abby Craig. Do I get the part?”
He rubbed his hands together and looked at me expectantly.
“I wish I could say,” I said. “I mean, I could tell you about the ghost that keeps bothering me, but I’m afraid that’s about it in terms of that kind of thing. Unless you’re dead, I can’t seem to help.”
He sighed.
“Oh well. I wish you’d just see the future instead. That way it would be of some use.”
His words lingered for a moment.
The future.
Suddenly, I was struck by a thought.
Something I hadn’t realized before.
David, drunk on the sofa.
Helping me understand.
Helping me realize exactly what was going on.
CHAPTER 21
I was trying to finalize my menu for Christmas dinner. I had a biscotti recipe in mind for dessert but I
“Hey,” David said. “Don’t knock Journey.”
He started singing the intro to Don’t Stop Believing .
“Nothing against Steve Perry or anyone in yellow leopard shirts,” Kate said. “But I just expect more from a show like that.”
I smiled, not sure what they were getting so worked up over.
“I love the good cliffhanger,” David said. “You go to work the next day and talk about all the possibilities of what happened. It’s fun. It makes the audience think.”
“But not in a series,” Kate said, putting down her empty wine glass. “You put hours and hours into a watching a show, and then they just don’t write an ending for it? That’s just dumb.”
He shrugged.
“Okay, Mama Kate, maybe it’s an age thing.”
He took another sip from his drink, smiling and raising his eyebrows and then looking at me.
“What are you talking about?” Kate said. “I’m not that much older than you.”
“Ha! Maybe you aren’t, but even you gotta admit that you’re pretty serious. It’s not a bad thing, but I’m just saying you don’t like, you know, relax about things. You’re a little uptight.”
He laughed, trying to make it a light-hearted comment. But judging from Kate’s expression, she didn’t take it that way. David noticed too.
“Come on, don’t be mad at me now or all I’ll think about on the way over to Portland tomorrow is that Sista Kate has put a hex on me. I meant that uptight thing as a compliment. Somebody has to be the adult here, right?”
“Yeah, sure, David,” she said.
When he offered her a sip of his dirty martini, she took his glass, and finished it off.
“See, I’m not so uptight, David Norton,” she said, her face twisting into a look of disgust. “Ugh, how do you drink these things? They’re sick.”
David just laughed as he poured himself another.
“I’ll have to get used to them if I’m going to be Detective Slocum. He’s a real man, and this is a real man’s drink right here.”
“Yeah,” Kate said. “A real drunk man.”
I laughed and shook my head.
We were quiet for a little while, watching the show. I was in the chair leaning sideways, my feet up on the arm. Even though I wanted to pull the blanket over me, I thought the better of it with David in the house. His spinster comment was still fresh in my mind.
A nice fire was crackling in the fireplace. Drops of rain were splattering across the window. I tried to focus on the show, but I ended up staring outside into the dark rainy night a while, my thoughts turning to Ty.
And how he was getting back, just about now.
Coming off the airplane. Home again, in Bend.
“So, do you feel ready?” Kate asked, yawning and stretching.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” David said, letting out a rare nervous sigh. “I just worry that I’ll freeze up or something. You know, draw a complete blank while I’m up there.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” I said. “I’ve got a good feeling about it. I’m excited for you, David. I really, really am.”
“Yeah, yeah, but tell me what you see for my future, Psychic Abby Craig. Do I get the part?”
He rubbed his hands together and looked at me expectantly.
“I wish I could say,” I said. “I mean, I could tell you about the ghost that keeps bothering me, but I’m afraid that’s about it in terms of that kind of thing. Unless you’re dead, I can’t seem to help.”
He sighed.
“Oh well. I wish you’d just see the future instead. That way it would be of some use.”
His words lingered for a moment.
The future.
Suddenly, I was struck by a thought.
Something I hadn’t realized before.
David, drunk on the sofa.
Helping me understand.
Helping me realize exactly what was going on.
CHAPTER 21
I was trying to finalize my menu for Christmas dinner. I had a biscotti recipe in mind for dessert but I
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