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After falling in love with the town, Chet had reached out to Paul Wagner, who had helped him find the cabin. Eva’s little red hatchback was in his driveway when he pulled in. It fit her perfectly. It was stereotypical of him as a firefighter to drive a truck, but he didn’t care. He liked it. And it was a great vehicle for Dottie.
“Hey, Sis.” He got out and opened the back door for Dottie. She hopped down and made a beeline for his sister.
“How’s the best girl ever?” Eva used the same voice all women seemed to use when talking to dogs. Although Meg hadn’t, he recalled. He wondered why. He also shook his head at how often she wandered into his thoughts at random times.
Dottie was leaning so hard against Eva; she was almost knocking her over. Chet knew it was something Great Danes tended to do. Everyone in his life had learned to brace themselves when she was nearby to avoid getting nudged to the ground by her backside.
Until he saw Eva in the driveway, he’d almost forgotten about the family call. They’d decided to do it together. “Misery loves company,” according to his sister, but he actually looked forward to chats with his family. As much as he loved his life in Silver Bay, he did miss them.
“How was work?” Eva asked.
“Nothing to report.” Chet’s family always appreciated when his job was boring. Too exciting meant more danger for him. He took their concern for what it was—family love.
“And you? Things good at the bakery?”
“As always.” Eva loved her job. And not just working with Baylee, who she adored, but getting to actually bake for a living. Neither one of them had wanted to follow in the footsteps of the family business, which was something that caused a bit of angst between them and their parents. But it had also united him and Eva in a way Chet appreciated.
They walked up the steps together to his front porch, Dottie bounding along with them and through the front door as Chet opened it for her.
He dropped his keys on a small table by the door.
“You want some water or something?” he asked his sister over his shoulder as he headed to let Dottie into the fenced yard.
“You got anything stronger?” She closed the front door and followed him.
Dottie sat at the back door, waiting patiently. Chet slid it open and left it that way. The dog trotted down the stairs to the backyard and sniffed around, happy to be in her own space again. Then she ambled back up onto the back deck and plopped onto her massive papasan pillow.
He laughed at his sister as he moved to the kitchen. “I may have a stray bottle of wine around, but I’m not sure how good it’ll be. Beer, I have.”
“Beer sounds good.”
He opened two bottles and joined his sister beside Dottie on the back porch. They toasted, then drank, enjoying the peace of the moment.The calm before the storm, he was sure his sister was thinking.
A glance toward Eva gave him the chance to see a more furrowed brow than normal for her before a family phone call.
“What’s up?”
“What do you mean?” She took another sip of her beer. Her left hand dangled over the side of the chair, stroking Dottie’s side. Chet’s buddies at the fire station joked that the dog looked like a dead cow when she was passed out on her side like that.
“You look more angst ridden than normal about a family call.”
“I don’t get angsty about family calls.” Her attempt at defending herself fell flat. She sighed. “Okay, fine. It’s just that Dad and Mom don’t give you the kind of grief they give me when we talk. I’m doing really well!”
“You are.” Chet took a sip of his drink.
“And beyond that, Mom has just sounded…weird lately.”
This was new. Chet tilted his head. “What do you mean?” The last time he’d talked to his mom she’d sounded fine. They hadn’t talked long, and Chet hated to admit he’d been distracted by work during their conversation, but he couldn’t think of anything that would be cause for alarm.
Eva shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a feeling.”
Chet looked out toward the backyard. The sun was beginning to get lazy in the sky, the air cooling as it lowered. “We’ll see what she says on the call. We’ve got time for some food before then. You want me to cook us up something?”
“That sounds great.”
They stood and went to the kitchen. After a full-body stretch, Dottie settled herself on the sofa in the family room while Chet went about making burgers for the humans of the house.
They chatted over dinner about life and work like they always did. Once the dishes were washed and put away, they set up Eva’s laptop on the table and settled in side by side. Their brother, Dominic, started the video call, and shortly after, their sister, Angelica, and their mother got connected.
