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“Nope. Must have been Elvis.”
“You know, dog owner code says you can only blame the dog for smelly farts,” I pointed out.
That made her snort again, and we were still laughing as I stopped at the gates and buzzed them open. I pulled through, and waited until the gates swung shut again, then proceeded up the drive.
“This is such a pretty lane. I love all the trees lining the road. I bet it gives you a lot of extra privacy.”
“I can’t take credit for planting them. The original owner put them in about twenty years ago. But I loved the feeling from the first time I drove up.” I slowed down to allow Catie to really take in the view.
“Well, he made some excellent tree choices. All those maples must be gorgeous in the fall. The whole property must be.” Catie scanned the drive as we approached the house.
“It’s my little slice of heaven. When Dad was…”would I always stumble on saying when Dad was alive?“Uh, he planted some mums and begonias, plants that keep color into fall. His favorite was marigolds, but I am not crazy about the smell.”
As if sensing my discomfort, Catie squeezed my thigh. “I do like their aroma. They go from slightly citrusy to mildly spicy. And they’re edible.”
“Get out!”
“Nope, really. They are a little like saffron, but at less than a quarter of the price. If you grow your own, they’re free.”
“I’m not eating any flowers.”
“Want me to wow you with my edible flower knowledge?” She grinned. “Take nasturtiums. Throw those on a salad. Pansies are great edible decorations, honeysuckle can be used to flavor iced tea, but don’t eat the berries; they’re pretty, but not safe to eat. Dandelions make excellent wine, heck, even mums are edible. Although I’d rather just look at those.”
I pulled around the house and parked in front of the garage. I pressed the button on the ceiling to open the door, revealing the tidy interior. James was seated at the workbench in the rear corner and looked up as I killed the engine.
“Red, why do you know so much about eating flowers? I didn’t think you liked to cook.”
“I don’t. But I like to watch cooking shows. Kind of like wandering around in a hardware store. Everything in those, and in kitchens, is foreign and wondrous.” She laughed as she unbuckled her seat belt. “Also, I did some work for a gardening company. Designed one of their catalogs.”
“Noted.” I turned to Elvis. “We’re home, boy. Let’s go meet James.”
We climbed out, and I opened the back door, reached in, and scooped out Elvis.
James approached, wiping his hands on a rag, but stopped dead in his tracks. “You bought a dog?”
“Adopted him. Say hey to Elvis.”
“Holy shit! I thought you were resisting a pet. All the travel, etc.” James nodded at Catie, then presented his knuckles for Elvis to sniff.
The dog nosed up James’ arm and then licked his wrist.
I set him on the ground, and he raced over to the bushes by the side of the garage and relieved himself.
“Catie, couldn’t you talk him out of this?” James asked.
She smiled brightly. “Didn’t even try. I was just along for the ride.” She opened the rear of the truck and withdrew Frank’s cage.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You got a cat too?” James spread his hands wide and took a step back. I knew James wasn’t a cat fan, but I’d be willing to bet that with enough exposure to Frank, he’d change his mind.
Catie peered into the cage and made a cooing noise. “This is my cat. We decided to see if Frank and Elvis can survive a play date.”
Elvis returned to us and started jumping up on my leg, his butt swaying furiously from side to side. I rubbed my hands down his sides and tapped that butt. He dropped immediately to his haunches. His previous owners had trained him well and I was grateful. I scanned the area from the house to the dock. That was going to be a lot of yard to fence, to keep Elvis from wandering.
I clipped the leash I’d bought to Elvis’s collar and then retrieved the picnic hamper. I gestured with the hand holding Elvis’s leash for Catie to move ahead of me into the garage. James, cat carrier in hand, rushed to open the door to the house, then stepped aside.
“I brought enough stuff for you to join our picnic,” Catie mentioned to James as she passed him. Over her shoulder, she smiled at him. “And you can bring a date, if you want.”
“Um…not dating anyone at the moment,” James replied, a wary look on his face.
