Harvest Moon (Virgin River #15)(89)

More sobbing.

“You’ll probably be grounded forever,” Kelly said, just to get Courtney’s mind off the dog.

“Did you tell him?” she asked through her tears.

“Yes. You were right. I think he’s pissed. But he’ll probably get over it. All we really care about right now is that the dog’s okay. Right?”

“Right,” Courtney said miserably.

“You’ll feel so much better when you know that for sure.”

“I have school,” she said.

“Nah,” Kelly said. “There’s a major illness in the family. Hospitalization, even. I’ll call you in sick. We’ll go together. Pick him up. Bring him home. I’ll stay with you till your dad gets back. You’ll get through this…”

“It’s all my fault,” she whimpered.

“We’ve been through that,” Kelly said. “Even the vet had accidents with his crazy dogs—puppies are intrepid! They can find trouble anywhere.”

“But my fault for not going to the Hawkinses’. I wanted to prove we didn’t need anyone. I wanted my dad to see that he didn’t need anyone besides me. What a dummy!”

“Well, you can put that proving thing off a little while, I think. Just a little assistance here and there until you can drive your own dog to the vet, huh?”

“But it was wrong. Jerry was right—it was wrong.”

“Who’s Jerry?” Kelly asked.

“Oh, the stupid counselor who said we need lots of people in our lives.”

Kelly pulled Courtney a little closer. “Listen, you’re doing fine, kiddo. Don’t take on too much without help, but don’t beat yourself up. I think you’re doing very well. You’re smart, responsible and you love your dad a lot. You get an A-plus.”

“But I really screwed up tonight…”

“Nah,” Kelly said. “You called me. When you needed help, you called. You get big points for that. And we got the job done.”

“But I was trying to keep you and my dad from getting married, and what a dumb thing!”

Kelly was still for a moment. Very still, very quiet. “Honey, didn’t your dad tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“I’m going back to San Francisco. Next week. Oh, I’ll visit sometimes, like once a month or whatever. But I’m going back to the city to work.”

“You are?” she asked softly.

“Yeah. It’s time.”

Quiet filled the space in the room. “Well, if Spike and I need you, I guess you won’t be around…” Courtney said.

“There are plenty of people around. There’s your dad, he doesn’t leave often. Jill and Colin. The Hawkinses.”

“I guess,” she said very softly.

“I do have one suggestion, though,” Kelly said. “Might want to change his name from Spike to Sparky.”

Courtney’s laughter blubbered through her tears.

Spike was discharged, though his tail was indeed a bit shorter. Kelly stopped by the Victorian to get something comfortable for the evening so she wouldn’t have to sleep in her clothes again. She showered at Lief’s and made some kick-ass mac and cheese for dinner. Courtney went to bed with her puppy while Kelly dug around in the cupboard for the hidden brandy. She was just getting real comfortable on the couch in the great room when Courtney appeared. She was holding her pillow and her puppy, now alert, was standing at her side.

“Aren’t you coming?” she asked Kelly.

“Coming?”

“I guess you don’t want to sleep in Dad’s room, but you could sleep in mine.”

Kelly thought about it a minute. Then she said, “I’ll be right there.”

Lief’s flight was a little late. He didn’t get back to Virgin River until one in the morning. There was a light left on for him. A note on the counter said Mac and cheese in the fridge.

When he didn’t see Kelly on the couch, he got a little excited, hoping he might find her in his bed. He carried his bags back to his room. Nope, not in his bed.

He doubted she’d leave Courtney alone, not after all that had gone on. With the hall light to illuminate Courtney’s room, he pushed open her door. There, in her bed, Kelly was curled around his daughter, his daughter curled around her dog. All asleep.

Spike lifted his head. He wiggled free of Courtney’s embrace and trotted out toward Lief. When Lief pulled the bedroom door closed, Spike, with a slightly shorter tail, trotted alongside.

“You’re not exactly my first choice,” Lief said to the dog. “But you’ll do.”

A week later, it was time for Kelly to go. Kelly and Jill sat at the kitchen table with their morning coffee. The fire was lit, making it cozy. Though the sun came up bright and the sky clear, it was still cold outside. Jill said, “Well, it was a great fantasy, that you’d cook what I grow, sell it under a family label and stay.”

“Maybe that will still happen someday,” Kelly said. “Just not right now.”

“I’m encouraged by the fact that you’re leaving your furniture on the third floor. At least I’ll see more of you than I used to.”

“Luca has lots of properties around the Bay Area. He insists I use one of his small furnished apartments while I think about where I want to live. And why not? He’s richer than God, and he’s getting a bargain in me. Besides, I want a place like this as my getaway. I’m never going back to the kind of grind I suffered before I walked out on that insane restaurant. People need balance. We can’t work all the time.”