CHAPTER 11
After breakfast Christina stood in her bathroom, checking her reflection with a critical eye. Maybe she looked a little better today. Her make-up and hair were half-working. At least that’s how it seemed for the moment. If she could just keep up her pretense of having energy.
She’d hardly slept last night, after her and Ben’s conversation. Fears pounded her, and she’d tossed and turned. Why had she said so much to him? How could she have opened up like that? Even if he did ask her to. Even if he got mad when she hesitated. In the end it would come back to haunt her. Ben might think he could love her for who she was. But really, most of what he’d seen was the competent side of her at work. The side that caught on quickly and did her job one hundred percent. Of course people at the company liked her for that. Of course her boss praised her.
This morning before breakfast Ben had taken her out to the front porch for a quiet conversation. “Thank you so much for talkin’ to me last night, Christina. I loved hearin’ about you. I love you all the more today.” And he’d kissed her.
No doubt he meant it. But she’d only shown him one little edge of the iceberg of her past.
Pasting a pleasant expression on her face, Christina forced herself out of the bathroom to be with the family.
Only Mrs. Dearing, Maddy, and Sarah lingered at the kitchen table. Christina could hear the little girls chattering away in their play room. Jess had gone off to pick up the lobster with Tamel—even though she’d sworn up and down she wouldn’t. Ben, Tommy, Don, and Mr. Dearing were getting ready for their golf game. The thought of being left behind in the Dearing household without Ben made Christina’s heart flutter.
Penny sat on the couch, eyeing Christina. She looked so adorable.
“Hey there, cutie.” Christina approached slowly, holding out her hand. Penny sniffed Christina’s fingers, then put her chin on her paws. Christina eased onto the couch beside her and gave her some gentle pats.
“Christina, you want to join us?” Mrs. Dearing said. “We’re just finishing our coffee.”
Christina smiled at her. “I’m trying to keep this new friend I’ve made.” If they only knew how much she’d wanted a dog as a child. She’d have done anything to cuddle one as darling as Penny.
Maddy nodded. “Looks like you’re doin’ pretty good.”
Pogey walked into the family room, shoeless. Christina caught a whiff of smelly feet. Penny sneezed.
“She likes you.” Pogey pointed at the Yorkie. “She doesn’t like just anybody.”
Christina’s heart surged. “That’s what Lacey said too.”
Pogey made a face—
What does my sister know?
He stood looking at the dog, his sturdy legs spread, tongue working across the front of his teeth. Christina tried to think of something else to say.
“Pogey, is that your real name?”
“Naw, it’s Peter.”
“Oh.” She waited for an explanation but none came. “How did people start calling you Pogey?”
“It’s all Lacey’s fault. When she was little she couldn’t say Peter. She said Pogey. And it stuck.”
“You don’t sound too happy about that.”
Pogey glanced at his grandmother and aunts. “Well, what’re ya gonna do?”
Christina suppressed a smile.
He pointed at Penny. “Wanna hear her howl?”
“Now, Pogey, you’d better be careful.” Sarah got up from the table, carrying dishes to the sink.
“Penny’s already had a rough mornin’,” Mrs. Dearing said. “I had to put her through her weekly tooth brushing. You know how she hates that. She always sticks out her tongue.”
“I don’t like brushin’ my teeth, either.” Pogey made another face.
“We know,” his mother said.
Pogey came closer and touched Penny’s nose. “She’s really funny when she howls. She acts like she’s too uppity to do that, but if you play the piano and sing, she just can’t help it.”
Christina tilted her head. “My singing would make anybody howl. And I can’t play the piano.”
“I do. My mom makes me take stupid lessons.”
“They are
not
stupid,” Sarah said.
Pogey marched to the piano and sat down on the bench. “She likes this song. Penny, I mean.” He started to play a simple rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Penny’s head came up. Her ears pricked forward as she watched Pogey’s back.
“But ya gotta sing.” Pogey started the song over, singing along. Out came a surprisingly clear voice. “Somme wherrre oover the raiiinbow, way up hiiiigh…”
Christina raised her eyebrows. “That’s really nice, Pogey.”
The ten-year-old glanced over his shoulder. “C’mon, Penny. Sing with me.” “Theeere’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullllaaaabyyyy.”
Penny made a noise in her throat and put her head back down as if she wanted none of it. She closed her eyes, but they popped back open. She lifted her head once more.
“Somme wherrre oover the raiiinbow, skies arrre bluuuue. Aand the dreeeams that you dare to dream really doo comme truuuue.”
Christina glanced at the women in the kitchen. Maddy brought a finger to her lips and whispered, “Whatever you do, don’t laugh.”
“Someday I’ll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behiiiiind meee.”
Lady Penelope popped up on her feet like a puppet. She lingered on the couch for a second, then jumped down. Head held high, she trotted regally to the piano and sat at the side of the bench. Her dark brown eyes watched Pogey.
“Where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that’s wherrre youuuu’ll fiiiiiind meeeee.”
Penny’s nose started to rise in the air. She pushed it back down.
“C’mon, Penny. Ya know you can’t help it. Somme wherrre oover the raiiinbow, bluuue birrrds flyyyy.”
The Yorkie made a funny little sound in her throat. Her head tipped back, back, until her brown nose reached into the air like those of her wolf ancestors. Christina felt a giggle kick up inside her. She pressed fingers over her lips.
“Birrrds fly oover the raiiinbow.”
Lady Penelope’s mouth opened, her jaw stretching forward.
“Why, then, oh why can’t Iiii.”
A gritty little rumble began low in Penny’s throat, then spilled out her open snout. “Aaaaooooooo …” It rose in pitch until she almost matched Pogey’s note.
Pogey’s shoulders shook in a quiet laugh, but he kept singing. “If happy little bluebirds fly …”
The howl got louder. “Oooooooooooooo …”
“Beyond the rainbow …”
“Ooooooooooooo …”
“Whyyy, ohhhh, whyyyy …”
“Oooooooooooo”—a doggie gasp—“aauuooooooooo …”
Laughter bounced around inside Christina. She glanced at Mrs. Dearing, Sarah, and Maddy. All three had hands pressed to their mouths.
“Caaaan’t …”
“Ooooooooo …”
“Iiiiiii?”
Penny’s last note split in two, a lower rumble and a high mini-coyote howl.
A chortle exploded from Christina. She tried to gulp it back, but it was too late. Penny’s nose jerked down. Her head snapped toward Christina. The Yorkie’s back straightened, as if she realized how far she’d fallen in her moment of weakness. Her little brown eyes narrowed, and her ears went back. She looked so downright doggie
mad.
Christina clutched her sides, trying not to laugh more, but giggles spilled out of her.
“Uh-oh.” Pogey looked from her to Lady Penelope.
Stiffly the dog rose to her feet. She faced Christina in a long moment of scathing, royal anger, then huffed around in a half-circle and pointed herself in the opposite direction. With utmost dignity she stalked to the far empty corner until her nose practically touched the wall. Then she sat down, back hunched. Her ears flattened. Everything about her body language declared
I’d rather stick my nose in this empty corner than look at the likes of despicable you
.
Laughter gurgled from someone at the kitchen table. Penny’s ears twitched.
Pogey turned toward Christina. “She’s givin’ you The Treatment ’cause you laughed.”
“I’m s-sorry.” But she couldn’t stop giggling. Oh, her stomach hurt.
Lady Penelope gave her little head a slow turn until she glared lasers at Christina over her shoulder. Then she pointed her nose back into the corner.
Christina’s eyes started to water. She wiped at them. “How long will she stay like that?”
Pogey shrugged. “Long as it takes. You ain’t gonna be pettin’ her now.”
Oh, no. The laughter in Christina died away. She’d turned Penny against her for good? What had she done? “Should I go over and try to make it up to her?”
“Definitely not.” Sarah spoke up from the sink. “She’ll walk away all the madder. Just let her be, she’ll get over it.”
From the looks of Penny, that wouldn’t be anytime soon.
“I’m sorry.” Christina’s throat went thick. “I didn’t mean to.”
Mrs. Dearing waved a hand. “We’ve all done the same thing. Penny’s just too funny. You should’ve seen the first time she howled. Syton and I nearly ended up on the floor. Lady P. didn’t speak to us for two days.”
Two days?
She and Ben would be gone by then. Christina swallowed hard. Not a good way to start the morning. Now she faced four to five hours without Ben while he played golf. And she wouldn’t be passing the time by cuddling Penny.
Pogey slid off the piano bench. He glanced at Christina and gave her a wrinkled-nose grin. “Don’t worry ’bout it.”
Footsteps pounded down the front stairs. “All right!” Ben’s voice. “Let’s get this show on the road.” He strode into the family room and spotted Penny in the corner. “Uh-oh. Somebody laugh at her?”
Christina looked at her lap. She felt rather than heard a silent exchange between Ben and his mother. Ben walked over and ran his hand across the top of Christina’s head. “Hey, don’t look so downhearted. She’ll forgive you.” Tease crept into his voice. “Someday.”
The word
hurt.
Christina felt it ping around inside her—then looked up and managed a smile.
“There ya go.” Ben winked.
Penny’s nose stayed in the corner.
Mr. Dearing, Jake, and Don soon appeared, all dressed and sun-screened for golf. A whirlwind of activity followed as everyone said goodbye. Ben kissed Christina. “Be back soon—in victory.” He grinned. “You keep out of trouble, you hear?” He swiped a finger down the top of her nose.
He was teasing again, but he shouldn’t be. If there was another big no-no for her to do, she’d probably manage it.
Heavy-hearted, Christina stepped out on the porch to wave goodbye as Mr. Dearing backed out the driveway. The air was so hot and muggy. The men would fry out on the golf course. What could they possibly see in that game?
Ben waved back and blew her a kiss.
Christina watched the car disappear down the road, then forced herself back inside. Alone.