"He says he can."
"But he doesn't have a license."
"He said he'd get one at the DMV. That's why he left early. I called Frank, and he said he'd be glad to work him in for the driving test today."
"He doesn't have a car-"
"He's using my truck."
"How did he get there?"
"He drove."
"But he doesn't have a license!"
"I thought I already explained that." Nana looked at her as if she'd suddenly become slow-witted.
"What about the choir? You're just getting back into it."
"It's fine. I already told the music director I'd be visiting my sister, and she says there's no problem. In fact, she thinks it's a good idea. Of course, I've been with the choir a lot longer than she has, so she couldn't exactly say no."
Beth shook her head, trying to stay on subject. "When did you start planning all this? The visit, I mean?"
Nana took another bite and pretended to consider. "When she called and asked me, of course."
"When did she call you?" Beth pressed.
"This morning."
"This morning?" From the corner of her eye, Beth noticed Ben following the interchange like a spectator at a tennis match. She shot him a warning look before returning her attention to Nana. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"It's like candy on a battleship," Nana said with an air of finality.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," Nana said, "that I'm going to see my sister. She said she's bored and that she misses me. She asked me to come, and so I agreed to go. It's as simple as that."
"How long do you intend to be gone?" Beth suppressed a rising sense of panic.
"I'm guessing about a week."
"A week?"
Nana glanced at Ben. "I think your mom has caterpillars in her ears, She keeps repeating everything I say like she can't hear me."
Ben giggled and popped a shrimp into his mouth. Beth stared at them both. Sometimes, she thought, dinner with these two was no better than eating with the second graders in the cafeteria.
"What about your medicine?" she asked.
Nana added some more shrimp and grits to her bowl. "I'll bring it. I can take my pills there just as easy as I can take them here."
"What if something happens to you?"
"I'd probably be better off there, don't you think?"
"How can you say that?"
"Now that school has started, you and Ben are gone most of the day and I'm alone in the house. There's no way Thibault would even know if I was in trouble. But when I'm in Greensboro, I'll be with my sister. And believe it or not, she has a phone and everything. She stopped using smoke signals last year."
Ben giggled again but knew enough not to say anything. Instead, he grinned at the contents of his bowl.
"But you haven't left the kennel since Grandpa died-"
"Exactly," Nana cut her off.
"But…"
Nana reached across the table to pat Beth's hand. "Now, I know you're worried that you won't have my sparkling wit to keep you company for a while, but it'll give you a chance to get to know Thibault. He'll be here this weekend, too, to help you out with the kennel."
"This weekend? When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow," she said.
"Tomorrow?" Beth's voice came out as a squeak. Nana winked at Ben. "See what I mean? Caterpillars."
After cleaning up the dinner dishes, Beth wandered to the front porch for a few solitary minutes. She knew Nana's mind was made up, and she knew she'd overreacted. Stroke or not, Nana could take care of herself, and Aunt Mimi would be thrilled to see her. Aunt Mimi had trouble walking to the kitchen these days, and it might very well be the last chance Nana had to spend a week with her.
But the exchange troubled her. It wasn't the trip itself that bothered her, but what their little struggle at the dinner table signaled- the beginning of a new role for her in coming years, one she didn't feel altogether ready for. It was easy to play parent to Ben. Her role and responsibilities were clear-cut' there. But playing parent to Nana? Nana had always been so full of life, so full of energy, that until a few months ago it had been inconceivable to Beth that Nana would ever slow down. And she was doing well, really well, especially considering the stroke. But what was going to happen the next time Nana wanted to do something that Beth honestly believed wasn't in her best interest? Something simple… like driving at night, for instance? Nana couldn't see as well as she used to, and what was going to happen in a few years when Nana insisted that she wanted to drive to the grocery store after work?
She knew that in the end, she'd handle these situations when the time came. But she dreaded it. It had been hard enough to keep Nana in check this summer, and that was when her physical problems were obvious even to Nana. What was going to happen when Nana didn't want to admit to them?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Nana's truck slowly rolling up the drive and coming to a stop near the back entrance to the kennel. Logan got out and went around to the bed of the truck. She watched him sling a fifty-pound bag of dog food over his shoulder and head inside. When he emerged, Zeus was trotting beside him, nosing at his hand; Beth figured that he must have kept Zeus inside the office while he'd been in town.
It took him a few more minutes to unload the rest of the dog food, and when he was done, he started toward the house. By then, dusk had begun to fall. The faint echo of thunder sounded in the distance, and Beth could hear the crickets beginning their evening song. She suspected the storm would hold off; with the exception of a couple of scattered showers, it had been miserably dry all summer. But the air, carried from the ocean, was scented with pine and salt, and she flashed on memories from a beach long ago. She could remember seeing spider crabs scuttling before beams from the flashlights that she and Drake and Grandpa were holding; her mom's face illuminated by the glow of the small bonfire her dad had started; the sight of Nana's marshmallow catching fire as they toasted them for smores. It was one of the few memories she had of her parents, and she wasn't even sure how much of it was real. Because she'd been so young, she suspected that Nana's memories had become fused with her own. Nana had told her the story of that night countless times, perhaps because it was the last time they'd all been together. Beth's parents had died in an auto accident only a few days later. "Are you all right?"
Distracted by her memories, Beth hadn't noticed that Logan had reached the porch. In the fading light, his features seemed softer than she remembered.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She straightened up and smoothed her blouse. "I was just thinking."
"I have the keys to the truck," he said, his voice quiet. "I wanted to drop them off before I went home."
When he held them out, she knew she could simply thank him and say good night, but-maybe because she was still upset that Nana had made her decision to leave without talking to her about it first, or maybe because she wanted to make her own decision about Logan-she took the keys and deliberately held his gaze. "Thanks," she said. "Long day for you, huh?"
If he was surprised by her invitation to talk, he didn't show it. "It wasn't too bad. And I got a lot done."
"Like regaining the ability to drive legally?"
He offered a lazy smile. "Among other things."
"Did the brakes give you any problems?"
"Not once I got used to the grinding."
Beth grinned at the thought. "I'll bet the examiner loved that."
"I'm sure he did. I could tell by the wincing."
She laughed, and for a moment, neither of them said anything. On the horizon, lightning flashed. It took some time before the thunder sounded, and she knew the storm was still a few miles off.
In the silence, she noticed Logan was looking at her with that peculiar deja vu expression again. He seemed to realize it and quickly turned away. Beth followed his gaze and saw that Zeus had wandered toward the trees. The dog stood at attention, staring at Logan as if to ask, Do you want to go for a walk? Emphasizing his point, Zeus barked and Logan shook his head.
"Hold your horses," he called out. He turned back toward Beth. "He's been cooped up for a while and he wants to wander."
"Isn't he doing that now?"
"No, I mean he wants me to wander with him. He won't let me out of his sight."
"Ever?"
"He can't help it. He's a shepherd and he thinks I'm his flock."
Beth raised his eyebrow. "Small flock."
"Yeah, but it's growing. He's really taken to Ben and Nana."
"Not me?" She pretended to look wounded.
Logan shrugged. "You haven't thrown a stick for him."
"That's all it takes?"
"He's a cheap date."
She laughed again. Somehow she hadn't expected him to have a sense of humor. Surprising her, he motioned over his shoulder. "Would you like to walk with us? For Zeus, it's almost as good as throwing a stick."
"Oh, it is, huh?" she parried, stalling.
"I don't make the rules. I just know what they are. And I'd hate for you to feel left out."
She hesitated briefly before accepting that he was just trying to be friendly. She glanced over her shoulder. "I should probably let Nana and Ben know I'm going."
"You can, but we won't be gone long. Zeus just wants to go to the creek and splash around for a few minutes before we go home. Otherwise, he gets hot." He rocked on his heels, hands in his pockets. "You ready?"
"Yeah, let's go."
They stepped off the porch and headed down the gravel path. Zeus trotted ahead of them, checking every now and then to make sure they were following. They walked side by side, but with enough distance to ensure they didn't touch accidentally.
"Nana told me you're a teacher?" Logan inquired.
Beth nodded. "Second grade."
"How's your class this year?"
"It seems like a good group of kids. So far, anyway. And I've already had seven mothers sign up to volunteer, which is always a good sign."
Moving past the kennel, they approached the small trail that led to the creek. The sun had dipped below the trees, casting the trail in shadow. As they walked, thunder boomed again.
"How long have you been teaching?"
"Three years."
"Do you enjoy it?"
"Most of the time. I work with a lot of great people, so that makes it easier."
"But?"
She didn't seem to understand his question. He pushed his hands into his pockets and went on.
"There's always a 'but' when it comes to jobs. Like, I love my job and my colleagues are first-rate, but… a couple of them like to dress up like superheroes on the weekend and I can't help but wonder if they're nuts."
She laughed. "No, they really are great. And I do love teaching. It's just that every now and then there's a student who comes from a challenging family background, and you know there's nothing you can do for them. It's enough to break your heart sometimes." She walked a few steps in silence. "How about you, though? Do you like working here?"
"Yeah, I do." He sounded sincere.
"But?"
He shook his head. "No buts."
"That's not fair. I told you."
"Yes, but you weren't talking to the boss's granddaughter. And speaking of my boss, do you have any idea what time we'll be leaving tomorrow?"
"She didn't tell you?"
"No. I figured I'd ask when I dropped off the keys."
"She didn't say, but I'm sure she'll want you to train and exercise the dogs before you leave so the dogs won't get antsy."
They'd come within sight of the creek, and Zeus plunged ahead into the water, splashing and barking. Logan and Beth watched him frolic before Logan motioned toward the low branch. Beth took a seat and he joined her, carefully preserving the space between them.
"How far is Greensboro from here?" he asked.
"Five hours, there and back. It's mainly on the interstate."
"Do you have any idea when she'll be coming home?"
Beth shrugged. "She told me a week."
"Oh…" Logan seemed to digest this.
All worked out, my foot, Beth thought. Logan was more in the dark than she was. "I'm getting the impression Nana didn't tell you much about this."
"Just that she was going and I was driving, so I'd better get my license. Oh, and that I'd be working this weekend."
"That figures. Listen, about that… I can handle things this weekend if you have things to do-"
"It's no problem," Logan said. "I don't have anything planned. And there are some things I haven't had a chance to get to yet. Just some little things that need to be fixed."
"Like installing an air conditioner in the kennel officer'
"I was thinking more along the lines of painting the door trim and seeing what I can do to get the office window to open."
"The one that's painted shut? Good luck. My grandpa tried to fix it for years. He once worked a whole day on it with a razor blade and ended up wearing Band-Aids for a week. It still wouldn't open."
"You're not filling me with confidence here," Logan said.
"Just trying to warn you. And it's funny because it was my grandpa who painted it shut in the first place, and he had a whole storage shed full of just about every tool you could imagine. He was one of those guys who thought he could fix anything, but it never quite worked out as well as he'd planned. He was more of a visionary than a nuts-and-bolts kind of guy. Have you seen Ben's tree house and the bridge?"
"From a distance," Logan admitted.
"A case in point. It took Grandpa most of one summer to build it, and whenever Ben goes there now, I cringe. How it's lasted this long without blowing over I have no idea. It scares me, but Ben loves to go there, especially when he's upset or nervous about something. He calls it his hideout. He goes there a lot." When she paused, he could see her concern, but it lasted only an instant before she came back to him. "Anyway, Grandpa was a prize. All heart and soul, and he gave us the most idyllic childhood you could imagine."