The Great Escape (Wynette, Texas #7)(67)

Lucy eyed Temple. “No offense, but you might want to go along with him.”

Panda smiled, his first of the morning, then cut the ignition and returned to his lecture. “We watch the parade, take a walk around the harbor, get back in the car, and go home better people.”

Now Lucy was the one who snorted.

“It could happen,” he said with a lack of conviction.



THEY FOUND A VIEWING SPOT near the end of Beachcomber Boulevard away from the smell of fried food and the worst of the tourist crowd. As Lucy had predicted, the people nearby were more interested in Panda than either of the women, although Lucy attracted more notice than Temple, something that irritated the Evil Queen. “I know it’s illogical,” she whispered, “but I’m used to being the center of attention.”

Lucy laughed and whispered back, “Now’s as good a time as any to consider adding a mental health component to your workout.”

“If I were sane,” Temple said on a sigh, “I wouldn’t know who I was.”

And that was the thing about Temple Renshaw. Exactly when you wanted to write her off as an obnoxious diva, she’d say something that twisted your heart. The fact that she was both brutally insightful and totally clueless kept her from being insufferable.

The day was windy for a parade. The pennants hanging from the lampposts snapped in the breeze, and the canopies over the food tents billowed like overstuffed stomachs. A local politician led off the parade as grand marshal, followed by a marching band and a group on horseback. The first of the floats came into sight, a Native American scene sponsored by Jerry’s Trading Post. The next float featured a forest of crepe paper palm trees listing wildly in the wind and a grass hut bearing the sign BIG MIKE’S ISLAND BROKERAGE: HOUSES AND BOATS. Big Mike Moody stood at the front having the time of his life waving to the crowd and throwing out candy bars.

A dancing hot dog from Dogs ’N’ Malts strutted next to a pirate promoting Jake’s Dive Shop and a giant walleye representing the Island Inn. Lucy had forgotten about Bree until she saw a honeybee following the Girl Scouts. Antennae topped with bouncy black balls rose from her tight-fitting black hood. The wind tried to carry away her sign advertising Carousel Honey, but she hung on. She looked only a little embarrassed as Lucy waved at her.

The bicycle brigade was up next, and Toby was so excited to see Lucy he nearly lost his balance. He’d been to the house twice since Temple had arrived, but both times Lucy had set off with him on her bike before he spotted Temple. Lucy blew him a couple of kisses for fun, and he grinned good-naturedly.

Six elderly members of the American Legion passed. Seeing them, and being around so many American flags, made Lucy miss her mother. She cheered loudly.

Panda leaned down and whispered, “Way to keep a low profile.”

But she’d stopped worrying about being recognized, and even Temple no longer seemed so anxious. “There are some seriously overweight people here,” she said. “It’s like Fat Island brought to life.”

“Close your eyes and do your Kegels,” Lucy advised before Temple decided to stage an intervention.

When the parade ended, none of them was ready to go home, but the idea of mixing with the crowd made Temple nervous. Lucy suggested a trip to the lighthouse instead. Since Panda was even less anxious to get back to Goose Cove than Lucy, he readily agreed.

The wind blew stronger at the lighthouse point than along the parade route, and ropes chimed against the flagpole. Although the building was open to visitors in honor of the holiday, most of the tourists were still in town, and the parking lot held only a few cars. The three of them climbed the winding metal staircase inside the tower to an open, fenced galley just beneath the black dome and giant lens. They’d left their hats in the car to keep them from blowing off, and Temple reached up to anchor her wig. “What a beautiful view.”

Behind the flying clouds, the sky shone a brilliant blue. The metal railing was warm from the early afternoon sun, but the wind whipped angry waves across the jetty, and only the larger pleasure boats dotted the choppy water. Temple left them to circle the galley.

“Makes you feel sorry for people who never get to see the Great Lakes,” Panda said as he slipped his aviators back on.

Lucy felt exactly the same way, but she didn’t want to talk to him, so she merely nodded.

A pair of terns beat their wings over the water, searching for a meal, while a gull circled stubbornly above them, ready to steal their catch. Panda propped his forearms on the rail. “I owe you an apology.”

“So many to choose from.”

He stared straight ahead, his eyes shadowed behind the dark lenses. “What I said to you three weeks ago … That night … I was pissed because you’d locked the door. I was pissed about a lot of things, none of them your problem.”

She’d suspected his ugly words had more to do with him than her, but they’d still hurt. “Sorry. Don’t remember.”

“That night at the motel … You were great that night. I was the one who—”

“Really,” she said icily. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“I’m sorry. Again, I’m sorry.”

“Not necessary.” She refused to soften her expression even though she was glad he’d offered an apology.

Temple passed behind them, her third trip around the galley. “I’m going down. If that’s all right with you, Warden.”