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Authors: Laura Childs
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support and . . .”
“And let me guess,” Theodosia cut in. “You want to be there for Delaine. You want to offer a shoulder to cry on, so to speak.”
“Exactly!” said Horton.
“Only the two of you are estranged.”
“The thing is,” said Horton, “we’re practically family. At least we
would
have been had this marriage taken place.” He held up a hand. “Look, all I’m asking is that you talk to Delaine. I know she listens to you, thinks the world of you if you really want to know the truth. Just try to convey the fact that I’m a good guy. That I’m willing to help her any way I can.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to her,” said Theodosia.
But I don’t know if I can convince her. Because I’m not totally convinced myself.
Horton beamed. “You know what? You’re a peach!” He opened his arms wide and enveloped Theodosia in a clumsy hug. He tried to deliver a peck on her cheek, but Theodosia turned her head so he got an ear instead.
“I’ll run this by her,” Theodosia promised, as she wriggled out of Horton’s grasp. “Next time I see her.”
7
With the surging
Atlantic as a backdrop, Theodosia and Earl Grey jogged along a narrow beach littered with broken oyster shells, then sprinted up a short path into White Point Gardens.
This was the tip of Charleston’s Battery. The place where rogue pirates had been hanged, where British cannons had bombarded the city during the Revolutionary War, and where old Civil War cannons still stood like sentinels. Edging the park was a row of elegant mansions. Here, fanciful Victorian homes stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Federal, Italianate, Gothic Revival, and Georgian-style homes. And like so many buildings in the romantic city once known as Charles Town, these homes were painted in a soft French palette: alabaster white, pale pink, pastel blue, and soft gray.
As Theodosia and her dog pounded across the grass, winds from the Atlantic caressed them, stirring up ions and intoxicating sips of sea air.
“Have you had enough?” Theodosia asked Earl Grey, as they bounced across East Bay Street and headed down a narrow cobblestone alley. “Did you blow out the carbon?”
Earl Grey tossed his head and strode easily alongside Theodosia. He was a Dalbrador, half Dalmatian, half Labrador. She had found him as a pup, huddled and miserable, a poor lost stray, hiding from the rain in the alley behind the Indigo Tea Shop. She had taken him in, warmed him, fed him, and been instantly captivated. Earl Grey, so named because of his slightly dappled coat, had been her constant companion ever since. On a lark, they’d started therapy dog training together. But almost immediately they began to take their mission very seriously. Now, Theodosia and Earl Grey visited hospitals and retirement homes where Earl Grey brought smiles and laughter to folks who were sometimes facing grim circumstances.
Theodosia swung open her back gate and cut across her small backyard. She’d done some more planting last month, and her once-scraggly garden was beginning to look a little more lush and verdant. Peeking into the tiny fish pond, she saw a half-dozen goldfish hovering in the crystal-clear water. Happily, they were still there. Last year she’d had trouble with a neighborhood raccoon who’d used her fish pond as his own personal sushi bar. This year the fish seemed to be holding their own. And thank goodness for that. Theodosia hated the thought of the poor little creatures being helplessly gobbled!
They ducked in the back door and went straight through the kitchen. Even though Theodosia had lived in her home for almost six months, she still hadn’t done anything about the ugly kitchen cupboards. Still, the rest of the house more than made up for it.
In the living room, she knelt down and built a small fire. Even though the afternoon had been pleasant and warm, the evening was starting to feel cool. As she touched a match to the pile of kindling, Theodosia hoped there wasn’t
“And let me guess,” Theodosia cut in. “You want to be there for Delaine. You want to offer a shoulder to cry on, so to speak.”
“Exactly!” said Horton.
“Only the two of you are estranged.”
“The thing is,” said Horton, “we’re practically family. At least we
would
have been had this marriage taken place.” He held up a hand. “Look, all I’m asking is that you talk to Delaine. I know she listens to you, thinks the world of you if you really want to know the truth. Just try to convey the fact that I’m a good guy. That I’m willing to help her any way I can.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to her,” said Theodosia.
But I don’t know if I can convince her. Because I’m not totally convinced myself.
Horton beamed. “You know what? You’re a peach!” He opened his arms wide and enveloped Theodosia in a clumsy hug. He tried to deliver a peck on her cheek, but Theodosia turned her head so he got an ear instead.
“I’ll run this by her,” Theodosia promised, as she wriggled out of Horton’s grasp. “Next time I see her.”
7
With the surging
Atlantic as a backdrop, Theodosia and Earl Grey jogged along a narrow beach littered with broken oyster shells, then sprinted up a short path into White Point Gardens.
This was the tip of Charleston’s Battery. The place where rogue pirates had been hanged, where British cannons had bombarded the city during the Revolutionary War, and where old Civil War cannons still stood like sentinels. Edging the park was a row of elegant mansions. Here, fanciful Victorian homes stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Federal, Italianate, Gothic Revival, and Georgian-style homes. And like so many buildings in the romantic city once known as Charles Town, these homes were painted in a soft French palette: alabaster white, pale pink, pastel blue, and soft gray.
As Theodosia and her dog pounded across the grass, winds from the Atlantic caressed them, stirring up ions and intoxicating sips of sea air.
“Have you had enough?” Theodosia asked Earl Grey, as they bounced across East Bay Street and headed down a narrow cobblestone alley. “Did you blow out the carbon?”
Earl Grey tossed his head and strode easily alongside Theodosia. He was a Dalbrador, half Dalmatian, half Labrador. She had found him as a pup, huddled and miserable, a poor lost stray, hiding from the rain in the alley behind the Indigo Tea Shop. She had taken him in, warmed him, fed him, and been instantly captivated. Earl Grey, so named because of his slightly dappled coat, had been her constant companion ever since. On a lark, they’d started therapy dog training together. But almost immediately they began to take their mission very seriously. Now, Theodosia and Earl Grey visited hospitals and retirement homes where Earl Grey brought smiles and laughter to folks who were sometimes facing grim circumstances.
Theodosia swung open her back gate and cut across her small backyard. She’d done some more planting last month, and her once-scraggly garden was beginning to look a little more lush and verdant. Peeking into the tiny fish pond, she saw a half-dozen goldfish hovering in the crystal-clear water. Happily, they were still there. Last year she’d had trouble with a neighborhood raccoon who’d used her fish pond as his own personal sushi bar. This year the fish seemed to be holding their own. And thank goodness for that. Theodosia hated the thought of the poor little creatures being helplessly gobbled!
They ducked in the back door and went straight through the kitchen. Even though Theodosia had lived in her home for almost six months, she still hadn’t done anything about the ugly kitchen cupboards. Still, the rest of the house more than made up for it.
In the living room, she knelt down and built a small fire. Even though the afternoon had been pleasant and warm, the evening was starting to feel cool. As she touched a match to the pile of kindling, Theodosia hoped there wasn’t
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