Rebecca’s Cove

Chapter 7

“So where to now?” BJ asked once they settled into the red Jaguar.

“After I take you home, I was going to swing by the Cove and get some lunch, then I have to get to the office.”

“Oh.” BJ sounded disappointed. “You just ate there a few hours ago.”

“I have to eat a lot of meals. They’re not all as big as breakfast, but I usually eat about every three hours. You’re welcome to join me.”

“Nah, I’m not too hungry yet.”

“Look, if your leg feels up to roaming around downtown, I could eat lunch while you browse. Then I can take you back home and get my truck.”

“Hmm, I’m sure that would be about as exciting as watching grass grow, but I guess it’s better than looking at that cotton ball of a mutt for the rest of the day.”

“That reminds me. I fed Arturo while you were taking a shower this morning. His food is in the cabinet over the fridge. He gets fed in the morning and at dinner time.”

“Check. So what do you think about the Jag?”

“I think I’m spoiled after one morning of driving it.”

“Yep. You really do get what you pay for with these things. It moves like you’re sliding along silk.”

“I know, it handles great. Earlier this morning, I thought I was in heaven.”

“What do you mean, earlier?” “What?”

“You said it handled great earlier. What do you mean? Earlier when?”

“Um...”

BJ straightened up in her seat. “Mack didn’t drive it to Tanti’s house, did he?”

Hobie shook her head. “You did!”

Hobie slowly nodded.

“Holy shit, woman! What is wrong with you? Every time we talk, I catch you in a lie. Is this a compulsive problem?”

“When have I lied?”

“Every single time we talk! Let’s start with the whole ‘I am a doctor but’ conversation, then there’s that coach you delude, the nutty woman and her hamster. And you didn’t tell my grandmother why my leg was really in a cast.”

“Well, you didn’t tell her to start with.”

“You sure weren’t jumping in to make any admissions.” “Look, I didn’t mean to lie about the car. It’s just that I’d

never driven a Jag before, so Mack took my truck and…shit! I’m sorry.”

“Sorry you did it, or sorry you got caught?”

“Well, both, I guess, if you’re gonna put it that way.” “How did you ever get a medical license?”

“I’m a very good doctor!” “Who can’t tell the truth.”

“I bet no one tells the truth when they’re around you.” “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that you wouldn’t know the truth if it was right in front of your face on a billboard written in letters fifty feet high! The truth is, Baylor Warren, you are the most opinionated, self-centered, unfeeling person I have ever met.”

“Stop the car,” BJ cried out. “What?”

“I said stop the goddamn car!”

Hobie looked in her rearview mirror and pulled into a deserted sandy lot. “Are you okay?”

“Get out.” “What?”

“I said get out of my car right now!”

“Are you insane?”

“I am not going to sit here and let some hick animal doctor from jerkwater USA tell me—”

Hobie removed her seat belt, shoved open the car door, and jumped out. “You know what? You do have to listen because you don’t have a choice. For once, someone is going to tell you just what they think of you!”

“Shut up!” BJ shouted.

“Oh, yeah? Who’s gonna make me?” “I swear I’ll hit you with this crutch.” “But you can’t reach me, can you?”

“Don’t make me throw this thing at you.”

“I’ll bet you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with it!” “Hey, I played softball.”

“I’m surprised! Seeing as it’s such a girly sport!” Hobie shouted at the top of her voice. “I am not going to walk two miles back to town just because of your...your...bruised ego!”

“It’s my car! I’ll be the one to decide who drives and who walks. Let me tell you another thing—”

“Forget it! I’m outta here! You can have your fancy car and the attitude to go with it. If I never see you again, it will be too soon!”

“Good, go!” “Fine!” “Fine!”

They glared at each other, neither wanting to be the first to admit defeat. Each woman had apparently concluded that she was in a fix without the other.

“Okay, I think we’re gonna need to rethink this, temporarily at least.”

Hobie silently sat and slammed the car door. “Okay, but the minute we get back to town, I am never speaking to you again.”

“That’s just fine with me.”

Moments after they were under way, both women felt foolish—not that the emotion did anything to dull their anger, but they did at least feel a small amount of regret. Of course, being the rational women they were, neither was willing to admit it. They looked at each other but quickly looked away.

Hobie took a deep breath. Even when she was a child, it had been up to her to play peacemaker. She and Mack had fought incessantly as children. It usually started because of his unmerciful teasing, but Hobie’s mother had taught her that it took a much stronger person to extend the olive branch first.

Another deep breath and Hobie knew what she had to do. “Um...do you still...you know, want to walk around town?”

“I don’t know. Will I be safe? Do you plan to do much driving?” BJ replied sarcastically.

Hobie closed her eyes and gripped the wheel tightly. “Okay, Baylor, here’s the deal.”

“Must you always call me that?”

“What, Baylor? I thought that was your name.”

“It is, but I detest it. Tanti is the only person I can tolerate it from.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize. Well, Bay—um, BJ, what I was going to say is that it seems pretty obvious, from the interaction we’ve had so far, that we grate on each other. I don’t know why, but I guess it happens. We’re in a situation, though, where we’re kind of stuck with each other for the time being. This is a small town and I don’t see either of us getting far without interacting with the other at least once in a while.” Hobie could hear BJ grinding her teeth, but the other woman still sat with her arms folded across her chest, staring straight ahead.

“I propose that we do our level best to avoid each other. Again, I understand that it’s a small town and that we may run into each other eventually. It may be more than we care for, but I ask that when we are in the same company, we treat each other with a small amount of respect and keep a civil tongue. Even ignoring each other may be easier on our stress levels than what we’ve been experiencing. How does that sound? I mean, how do you feel about my offer?”

“Like I’m making a deal with Satan.” Hobie sighed. “So you disagree?”

There was a long pause before BJ answered. “I...suppose not.”

“Okay then. Do we have a deal?” She held out her hand.

BJ counted to ten before she answered. It wasn’t that she was still mad at Hobie, but something inside her never let go of an argument. When BJ took a step back, inside her head, and looked at the situation, she realized she really didn’t want to fight with Hobie.

“Deal,” she finally said. Perhaps staying away from Hobie was the best thing after all.

“Okay,” Hobie said. “Do you still want to look around while I eat?”

“Yeah, why not. Beats a sharp stick in the eye.”

They agreed to meet back at the car an hour later. Hobie walked off to the Cove and BJ grabbed her crutches and decided to explore the town.

“Well, that was fun.” BJ leaned against the car and glanced at her watch. She shook her wrist to make sure it was running. “Now all I have to do is think of something to do for fifty more minutes.”

BJ yawned, stretched, and listened to her stomach rumble. Damn! She looked longingly at the Cove’s entrance. She stopped a passer-by and asked the man if there was anywhere else to eat in town.

“Anywhere else?”

“Yeah, besides Rebecca’s Cove,” she said. The conversation didn’t hold a lot of promise.

“The Cove’s open,” he said in confusion.

“I know, but...it’s a long story. I just want to find out if there’s anywhere else to eat in town.”

“Why would ya want to eat somewhere else when the Cove’s right there?”

BJ sighed and seriously thought about asking the man if he was Rod Serling, but she figured the sarcasm would be lost on him. “Right you are,” she said loudly. “What could I have been thinking? The Cove it is.”

Walking into Rebecca’s Cove for the second time that day was an entirely different experience. No one seemed to notice her, except for the man who held the door open for her. “Whaddaya say, Coach?”

“Middle linebacker.” Walter Cassidy pointed a finger at her. “Right again.”

Once inside, BJ saw that nearly every person in Ana Lia came to the Cove for lunch. Two additional waitresses scurried around the tables and booths, while JoJo minded the counter. The sounds of noisy conversation and dishes banging together filled the air.

She scanned the restaurant for an empty seat, but there was none available. A narrow booth opened up, but she knew she could never get her casted leg inside the tiny space. She was about to turn around and leave when she spied an empty seat at the counter. She was halfway across the restaurant when she realized who the empty seat was next to. This is the story of my life.

Hobie turned to smile at whoever sat beside her. The smile froze on her face. She arched one eyebrow.

“Look, I don’t like this any more than you,” BJ said. “I’m only sitting here because it’s the only seat available.”

Hobie shrugged and turned away. “It really doesn’t matter.” “I’d sit somewhere else if I could.”

“S’okay.”

“It’s just that with this cast, well, the booths are kinda out, and—”

“Look, I really don’t care!”

“Okay, okay. Touchy. What’s good to eat here for lunch?” BJ asked, looking around at the surrounding patrons’ plates.

“Duck’s breath burgers.”

“Well, if you’re not going to even be serious—”

Hobie grabbed the menu from BJ’s hand and pointed to the sandwich section.

“Oh...duck’s breath burgers. Okay, now what’s good to eat that wasn’t quacking around in the backyard yesterday? Okay, okay...don’t give me that look. What the heck is it, anyway?”

At that moment, JoJo set a plate on the counter in front of Hobie. It contained a massive hamburger and a generous helping of thick-cut French fries.

“It looks good, but why the name?”

Hobie lifted the plate and held it under BJ’s nose.

“Whoa, mama!” BJ declared at the overpowering odor of garlic. “I hope your patients don’t mind.”

“I’m a vet. I see animals all day. They probably just think I’m one of them.”

Hobie went back to ignoring BJ, and BJ continued to peruse the menu. The distinctive strains of conversation lifted above all the other background noises and BJ looked above the register to see a television mounted on the wall. Her eyebrows came together after she had listened for a few moments.

“Is everyone watching that TV?” she asked Hobie. “Yes.”

“Are you watching it?” “I’m trying.”

“Very funny. What’s this show called?” “El Darkside del Amor.”

“The Dark Side of Love?” BJ smiled. “Is that what it means?”

“Yes. Is everyone watching this particular show?” “Pretty much everyone.”

“Every day?” “For years now.” “And you?”

“Since I moved back to Ana Lia,” Hobie said. “It’s kind of a tradition.”

“You do know it’s a Spanish soap opera? That they’re not speaking in English?”

“Of course I do!”

BJ paused but couldn’t let it go. “Hobie, do you speak Spanish?”

“No.”

BJ waited a few heartbeats before asking her next inevitable question. She wasn’t exactly sure she wanted to hear the answer, however. “Does anyone here speak Spanish?”

“Mmm, not that I can think of.”

JoJo stepped up to take BJ’s order. “What’ll it be, Ms. Warren?” she asked, followed by a bright smile.

“A healthy dose of sanity, please. Oh, what the hell, a duck’s breath burger, heavy on the garlic.”

“Good morning, Dr. Allen. Good morning, Miss Grant.” Hobie and Laura mentally groaned. Lisa Carini was a

precocious ten-year-old who yearned to be a veterinarian. She had a small menagerie at home, and whenever she brought one of her pets into the office, it turned into an all-day question-and-answer session. She was intelligent and knowledgeable but the most infuriating child around. Inside her Red Ryder wagon was Percival, her five-foot green tree python. Mostly green with a bluish-white stripe down his back, he lay there, unmoving, a large lump in his middle.

“What have we here?” Hobie turned on her doctor’s voice. “What we have here is Percival. Your memory isn’t too good, is it?”

“Lisa!” Mrs. Carini reprimanded her daughter.

Hobie took a deep breath and began again. She couldn’t find much fault with Lisa. She had been the same way as a child.

“Okay, why don’t you tell me why Percival is here?” Hobie said.

“He won’t move. I don’t understand it. I had him in the backyard yesterday and I went to clean the pool. He was wrapped around his tree when I left, but when I came back, he was like this. I read that males can become lethargic at certain times of the year.”

Laura and Hobie looked at each other and braced themselves for one of Lisa’s zoological tirades.

“However, since I’m not breeding Percival, I don’t understand it.” Lisa scratched her elbow and continued. “I understand that if a snake sits all day, he can grow obese and constipated, which is why we are here today, Doctor.”

Hobie did a cursory examination of the reptile. She poked and prodded him, tickling his belly with the tip of a blunt hook until he loosened up and removed his head from inside his coils. She easily saw the problem, but Lisa and her family had probably never seen him in this shape because they fed him nothing larger than small rats.

“The good news is that there’s nothing wrong with him that another few days won’t cure,” Hobie said.

“I don’t think he’s constipated. I track all the dates of his stool defecation for his feeding schedule,” Lisa said in a self-important manner.

Just wait until she grows up. She’s going to be fun at parties, Hobie thought. “Lisa, I think the reason Percival is acting lazy is that he’s eaten a bigger meal than usual.”

“But I haven’t given him anything different,” Lisa countered.

“I’m not sure how to say this, but are you missing any of your rabbits, the big ones?”

“No, not one. I would have noticed,” Mrs. Carini said. “Besides, they aren’t in the backyard where Percival was yesterday. They have hutches outside the gate.”

All at once, Hobie had a horrible feeling. She realized exactly what Percival had eaten. The lump was about the right size. She didn’t have the heart to tell the girl or her mother.

“It looks as if he got a hold of a small animal. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. He should digest in within the next three to five days. In the meantime, keep him out of the sunlight and let him rest. He should do all the work just fine by himself. Worst-case scenario would be that we have to bring him in and soak him in warm water if he becomes constipated or that because of the larger-than-normal meal, he might suffer a rectal prolapse.”

“I understand, Doctor,” Lisa said. “We’ll follow your instruction precisely.”

“Lisa, Mrs. Carini, can I be frank?”

“Of course, Hobie Lynn,” Mrs. Carini said.

“Percival has become a bit bigger than most males of his species. I know you consider him a pet, but it may be time to think about giving him to someone who has the room for a snake his size.”

“He’s like one of the family.” Lisa looked upset.

“I know, sweetheart, but I would expect you of all people to understand that what really counts is what’s best for the animal.”

Lisa furrowed her brow and seemed to be thinking about what a real veterinarian would do.

“I guess you’re right,” she said. “But how do I find someone good to give him to?”

“Tell you what. I have a friend I went to school with that works at Busch Gardens in Tampa. I bet he would be able to find a great spot for Percival. Would you like me to ask him?”

“Busch Gardens, oh, yes. That would be a perfect spot for Percival. It would be like a real jungle for him.”

“Very good. I’ll contact him on Monday.”

Mrs. Carini thanked Hobie and Laura and followed her daughter out of the office.

“If that was my kid...” Laura let her thought trail off as she shook her head.

Hobie laughed, then grew serious. “What’s worse is I think I know what Percival ate.”

“What?” Laura asked.

“Remember when Mrs. Emberly was in here looking for Petey?”

“Yeah.”

“The Carinis live right behind Mrs. Emberly.” Hobie stared at her friend, waiting for her to catch on.

“Oh,” Laura responded distractedly. “Oh!” she exclaimed as realization dawned. “Oh, man. You don’t mean…”

“Yep. I’m afraid poor Petey played his part in the circle of life.”

BJ unlocked the front door to her grandmother’s house and stepped inside the cool interior. She sat on the familiar couch that had become her resting place and bed. The remote control for the television sat in plain view on the coffee table and BJ scooped it up. She flipped through the channels, but it didn’t take her long to realize that Evelyn didn’t have cable or a satellite dish. She passed by three major networks, one of which was barely visible through the snow, a local channel, and a public television station.

“Life on the edge,” she said as she watched a woman on the local station explain how to plant a sago palm.

A sound to BJ’s right captured her attention. She looked against the wall where she had left her suitcase. She remembered leaving the top open, but now all her clothes were arranged in a pile beside it. She sat there staring at the floor. Alittle ball of fluff stood in the middle of the clothing. Arturo looked about as happy with himself as one dog could. His backside wiggled back and forth until he sat again in his nest of garments.

“You little rat bastard.” BJ glared down at him. She bent down and easily lifted Arturo with one hand and brought him up to eye level. “You and I have to have a talk, Squirt.”

Arturo’s backside continued to wiggle until he looked like a vibrating cotton ball. Suddenly, he reached out with a tiny pink tongue and licked BJ’s nose.

“Oh, gross. Dog germs!” BJ fell back on the couch, dropping Arturo into her lap. She wiped a hand across her nose only to have the dog lick the top of her free hand. “Okay, now stop that. Stop that, I said.”

The small dog then ran back and forth across the couch, leaping over BJ’s lap. Finally, he stopped and lowered his nose, his backside high in the air, as if daring BJ to come after him. When she reached for him, he launched himself from the couch and ran along the floor. He grabbed a small toy and sped back toward the couch. He jumped up, deposited the toy in BJ’s lap, then promptly rolled onto his back.

BJ couldn’t keep from laughing. She scratched his stomach until his tongue lolled from his mouth and he looked to be utterly relaxed. “If you weren’t so damn cute, you’d be in the oven right now.”

BJ lay back on the couch and realized how tired she was. She’d taken a pain pill after lunch and was beginning to feel its effects. “Well, I’m beat, how about you?” Arturo hopped onto BJ’s stomach and did a half turn before he plopped the full length of his body down as a sign of his agreement. “Must you?”

Arturo closed his coal black eyes and let out a long breath. “Oh, all right,” BJ said with a yawn. “But these are definitely not permanent sleeping arrangements.”

It was so quiet and peaceful that she immediately fell asleep.

The neighborhood was virtually silent, an atmosphere to which BJ was unaccustomed. Living in the city all her life, she had never known what it was like to sleep without the sounds of cars, trains, and people. Perhaps it was the depth of her slumber that caused her fright when the doorbell rang.

“Whoa!” The jarring sound startled BJ to the extent that she forgot all about her broken ankle. She attempted to roll off the couch, but one leg never followed. For the second time that day, she ended up face down on the floor beside the couch. She groaned in pain as she felt around for her crutches.

With some intense grunts and growls, Arturo had his teeth clamped on one of her crutches and was desperately trying to drag it closer to the prone woman.

“Thanks, Lassie,” BJ said as her fingers wrapped around the crutch. “I’m coming!” she shouted as the bell continued to ring.

She slowly crossed the living room and entered the wide hallway that led to the front door. “Yes?” she asked the old woman standing on the porch.

“Baylor Warren?”

BJ winced at the sound of her given name. “Do I have a choice?”

“Excuse me? Are you Evelyn’s granddaughter?” “Yes, ma’am. What can I do for you?”

“Ida Wedington.” The woman introduced herself in the curt manner that BJ had noticed most of the islanders used with mainlanders. “I saw that Hobie Lynn brought you back home earlier this afternoon. I wanted to give you some time to get settled before I came over and introduced myself.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re Tanti’s next-door neighbor. I remember you. Nice to see you again.”

“I see Hobie Lynn brought Arturo back home. Have you had any problems so far?”

“Nope.” BJ had a feeling that if she related all the experiences she’d had on the island thus far, the old woman would run away in fright.

“I wanted to let you know that I can continue to take care of the greenhouses and the outside chores, especially since you seem to be flying on one wing.” The old woman chuckled.

BJ found the older woman’s attitude a little patronizing. The feeling that people might have been laughing at her often set BJ off. Sometimes, as in this case, she realized that she had built the feelings up in her own mind, but that didn’t stop her from doing something foolish in response.

“No need for you to put yourself out. I can handle it.”

Ida raised one eyebrow in response. “You sure about that? It’s kind of...complicated.”

BJ chuckled. “I have a college degree. I’m sure I’ll be able to manage.”

“Well,” Ida said slowly. Her expression said that she had her doubts. “Would you like me to walk you through it the first time?”

“No, thanks, though. Tanti wrote out some pretty detailed instructions.”

“Okay, but if you find it’s too much, you just give me a shout. All right?”

“Sure thing,” BJ said, wondering why the woman was making such a big deal out of watering a few plants.

“Here you go then.” Ida pulled a massive ring of keys from her canvas book bag.

“What the hell are these?” BJ accepted the hefty set of keys. “There must be fifty of them.”

“Fifty-two, to be exact. They’re marked at the top of each key. The greenhouses, shed, and all the rest are to the watering system. You sure you don’t want me to run through all of this just one time?”

“No, no, not necessary at all.” BJ felt as though she was in over her head, but being the wise woman she was, she wasn’t about to admit that fact.

“Okay.” Ida wasn’t convinced, but Evelyn had said that if Baylor wanted to handle things, Ida should let her.

BJ closed the door after thanking Ida, and once again tested the weight of the key ring in the palm of her hand. She looked down at Arturo before speaking. “Looks like we’re the keeper of the keys, pal.”Arturo wagged his tail and danced around her feet.

“Hey, it’s about dinner time,” BJ said when the grandfather clock in the living room chimed six. “Are you hungry?”

Arturo obviously knew that word. He spun around in a tight circle a few times, his feet barely touching the ground, then sped toward the kitchen.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” BJ said with an amused laugh. Owning a pet had never held any appeal for BJ, but Arturo seemed different. “I haven’t even been on this island for two days and already I’m talking to animals. Okay, she said your food was in this cabinet.”

BJ pulled out a large can, opened it up, and looked at it in confusion. “How much of this do you get?” BJ asked her canine companion. Arturo barked once and danced around a stainless steel food bowl on the kitchen floor.

“Hmm...okay, here ya go.” BJ emptied the entire can into the dog’s bowl. “Now how about me?”

BJ looked through the cabinets. She was only hungry for a snack and found an unopened box of Cheez-Its in the pantry. She loved nothing better than Cheez-Its and a nice cold beer. She was thankful that she had talked Hobie into making a brief stop at the grocer’s before coming back home earlier.

Briefly stopping at the refrigerator, BJ armed herself with an ice-cold bottle of Corona. She set her treasures on top of the coffee table and found the envelope containing her grandmother’s instructions for running the household. BJ took a long swallow from the bottle and opened the massive manual. She looked over at Arturo, who lay curled up beside her.

“Ha, we can do this, huh?” She took another drink. “Don’t tell me it’s too complicated. What do I look like—someone who flips burgers for a living?”

She started to read and became thoroughly engrossed in the many small tasks necessary to keep the greenhouses functioning. BJ stared in awe at the detailed drawings Evelyn had provided. “She must have been writing this thing for a year.”

“Oops. ‘Feed Arturo at breakfast and dinner. One-quarter of a can for each meal.’ No wonder you acted so happy, you little squirt,” BJ said to Arturo. The small dog, upon hearing the name that was quickly becoming familiar to him, stood up and shook the sleep from his body. He looked up at BJ, burped, and nestled back against the couch cushions.

BJ spent the rest of the evening reading her grandmother’s missive and talking to Juliana on the phone. She explained the whole story to her agent, who nearly laughed herself senseless.

“You know,” Juliana said, “if that doctor hadn’t called me, I’d swear you were making this whole thing up.”

“Trust me, this is no joke. I feel like I’m living in a surreal mix of Mayberry meets Twin Peaks. I promised Tanti, but I am not going to last out here, I just know it.”

“You hang in there, mate. I’m sure you’ll find a few ladies who can keep you occupied for the summer.”

“Are you kidding? Jules, you do not know what this place is like.”

“Yeah, well, that doc’s voice sounded plenty sexy. She rabbits on a bit, but she had the cutest laugh.”

“She laughed? When?” BJ arched an eyebrow at her unseen friend.

“I don’t remember what I said. She was probably affected by my wicked charisma and charm.”

“Bite me.”

Juliana laughed heartily. “Hey, do you have your laptop with you?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Good. You can get some work done while you’re there.” “You expect me to be creative and write a best-seller here?

Impossible, I can’t do it.”

“Yes, you can. You just need to chill out, mate. Get that doctor to give you some Prozac if you have to, but relax, take it easy, and work on that damn manuscript.”

“Do any of your other clients know what a ruthless, drug-promoting slave driver you are?”

“Yes, and they love me for it.”

“That’s what you think,” BJ muttered as she hung up.