Dovetail(97)

“I wish I knew what I was waiting for.” Kathleen’s gaze was aimed at the front of the restaurant. “Is a marching band going to come in or something?”

“Better than that. I’ll give you a hint. Keep your eyes on Doris. She’s the key to this whole thing.”

When the door swung open, Joe allowed himself a glance back, relieved to see the boy he’d paid earlier coming in with a white envelope in his hand. The kid yelled, “Special delivery! I got something here for someone named Doris?”

Kathleen stared, mesmerized, and narrated for Joe’s benefit. “Okay, the kid’s holding up an envelope. Doris must have heard because she’s coming out of the kitchen and going straight for him.”

Doris’s voice could be heard saying, “My name’s Doris.”

“Then this is for you.” The kid’s voice floated over the heads of the restaurant patrons.

Kathleen leaned forward and said, “He handed her the envelope and took off out the door. She’s opening it now.”

“Watch her face,” Joe said. “Don’t look away for even a second.” They’d both forgotten their sandwiches, now half-eaten on their plates. “What do you see?”

“She’s opened the envelope and looks puzzled. Now she’s pulled out a note and is reading it.”

“Keep looking,” Joe said, barely able to contain his excitement. “What is she doing now?”

“She’s smiling.” A look of wonder came over Kathleen’s face. “Really smiling, and she looks like she might cry.”

“She’s smiling, huh?” He rested his elbows on the table and tented his fingers. “But I thought that you said making her smile would be impossible.” Joe couldn’t stop grinning.

Kathleen tossed him a knowing look. “Joe Arneson, what did you do?” She reached over and nudged his arm.

“After I figured out that I was trying too hard and doing all the wrong things, I changed my strategy. I realized that I needed to give her a reason to smile. After a lot of thought, I came up with a plan. I filled an envelope with five hundred dollars in cash and put in an anonymous note saying she should use the money to buy Randy a new wheelchair and whatever else he needed.”

“Nice,” she said approvingly. “Where did you get the kid who delivered it?”

“Just a random child riding his bike on the street.”

“And you just handed over an envelope with that much cash? What if he took off with the envelope?”

Joe shrugged. “I wasn’t too worried about it. I paid him ten bucks and made a big deal about him coming in right at one thirty. Told him it was a secret mission. He seemed like a good kid.”

“Wow, five hundred dollars. That’s a lot of money. Nice of you.”

“I had it, and she needed it. It was an easy thing to do.”

Kathleen gave him an appreciative nod. “Well, you know what they say: God gives people money to see what they do with it.”

“Who says that?”

She thought a second and said, “I’m not sure. It just popped into my head.”

“I like it,” he said approvingly. “God gives people money to see what they do with it. Words to live by.”





CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

SPRING 1984

When Joe suggested a rowboat ride out to the island the first warm day of spring might be romantic, Kathleen was more than agreeable. This time around, Joe had rented a rowboat and arranged for her to meet him at the pier. When she arrived, he helped her into the boat and settled in to row, giving her the luxury of being a passenger. The lake rippled with small waves, and the air was warm and fresh, smelling like sunshine. Kathleen took a deep breath and opened her arms.

“What a glorious day,” she said. “There’s something so calming about being on the water.”

Kathleen watched Joe happily rowing and took note of the way the surface of the water shimmered and sparkled, undulating before her eyes. She smoothed out the front of her skirt and lifted her chin to watch birds fly overhead. It had taken a lot for her to shake the guilt of being responsible for Ricky’s death. Now, after so many months, some sadness still lingered, but she was working to put it behind her.

When they reached the island, Joe hopped out and pulled the boat onto shore, then helped her out. The island had a different feeling during the day, she reflected. Peaceful. Joe reached back into the boat and pulled a towel off a picnic basket, then grabbed the handle.

“I was wondering what that was,” she said. “Aren’t you the tricky one?”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Joe took her hand and led her down the path. When they reached the clearing, Kathleen stared in wonder, taking it all in. The site had been cleared of trash, and a linen tablecloth covered one of the picnic tables.

The trash barrel had been replaced with a shiny new one, and the metal sign hanging on it said KEEP NATURE THE WAY GOD INTENDED. PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF.

Joe opened the picnic basket and took out an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne, along with two champagne flutes, and set them on the table.

“Champagne. Why the champagne?” she asked.

“To celebrate afterward.”

“Afterward?” She felt a flutter of anticipation.