Fuzzy Logic (6 page)

“I’m sure it wasn’t him.” Jan said as she picked up a stack of books. “He had to cancel at the last minute to go on a business trip. It was for a major client. I talked to him before I left.”

Jill gave her a knowing look. “That’s so typical. I know it was him, all right. Yesterday I had to write a letter to the book distributor. So I used that infernal machine.”

“It’s called a computer.”

“Whatever. I used it, okay? I know it’s 1995 and we’re all supposed to be ‘embracing technology,’ but I still hate it. And of course, something happened and then the screen was blank and my letter was gone. I don’t know where it went. That never happened with my typewriter, you know. It was the end of the day and I was fed up with it all. So I turned the stupid machine off and locked up. I was so angry that I decided to go for a walk to enjoy the pretty fall weather before I dared get in my car. I needed to clear my head, and it was so beautiful outside. I walked by the H12 and saw Steve come out of one of the rooms with a very blonde woman.”

The H12 was a low-budget motel that had earned its moniker because it had 12 rooms. Those rooms were in dire need of restoration and it was not the type of place anyone would go to impress a date.

“The H12? That’s not a very nice place. I wonder why he would be meeting a client there.”

“Honey, that woman was no client.” Jill cleared her throat. “Unless he’s selling something more than just drywall. Or maybe
she
was selling something, given how she was dressed.”

“You’re just saying this because you don’t like Steve. He’d never cheat on me.”

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but they looked pretty cozy.” Jill crossed her arms. “I’m serious, Jan. I’ve heard rumors about him before, but I didn’t want to pass on anything that was just idle small-town gossip. This time I saw him with my own eyes.” She reached out and put her hand on Jan’s shoulder and looked into her eyes. “You really need to talk to him, honey.”

Jan shook her head. “I’m sure it’s all just a misunderstanding. I’ll give him a call after I pick up Rosa. Everything will be fine.” But the slightly sick feeling she had in her stomach suggested that it might not be.

After the conversation about Steve, the rest of the afternoon at the library with Jill was awkward. Jan asked a couple of questions, but Jill kept repeating that she “knew what she saw.” Jan decided to leave a little early to pick up Rosa and let Jill lock up. As her car bumped along the driveway toward Kat’s house, she replayed the conversation with Jill over in her mind. But she kept coming back to the same place. Steve would never cheat on her. He just wouldn’t. They’d been together too long. Maybe sometimes he got angry or didn’t understand what she was saying. But after all these years, she knew him. He wasn’t a bad person. Sure, he spent a lot of time on the road for work, but Steve always said she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Jill just didn’t get it. Jan was the woman Steve wanted to marry and he would never jeopardize his future with her.

Jan got out of the car and went over to the Tessa Hut straightaway so she could say hello to Rosa. A flash of panic went through her chest at the sight of the empty cage. Where was Rosa? She heard noises outside and peeked out the door. Kat was walking over from the house surrounded by three of her dogs and Rosa on a leash. Jan exhaled with relief. Her black dog was obviously happy to be part of the pack trotting toward her.

Jan waved. “I wondered where Rosa was for a second.”

“Yes, she’s with me. And everyone else. They all got along well, although I think Rosa may have some issues with cats. The cats took the safe approach and opted to hide while she was here.”

“Wasn’t she out here in the kennel?”

Kat looked toward the Tessa Hut. “Not exactly. I wanted to ask you about that. Has she ever been in a kennel before?”

“I’m not sure. She was my mother’s dog, and my mother is not particularly good about caring for, well, much of anything. I guess you’d say Mom doesn’t have a very long attention span. She got Rosa, kept her for a little while, and then gave her to me when taking care of a dog wasn’t fun anymore. At first I was angry about it, but Rosa is so sweet, I couldn’t just give her away.

“I know that feeling.” Kat smiled. “I inherited all of my Great-Aunt Abigail’s dogs and cats. And Joel’s dog, too.”

“You get to work here, where you can take care of your pets. The problem for me was that I have to work all day at the library, and I wasn’t sure what to do about Rosa. I talked to Jill, the other librarian, and she was okay with Rosa being our office dog as long as she didn’t disturb the patrons or cause any trouble. And she doesn’t. She’s really good. Sometimes Rosa hangs out with the kids at story time, too. They love her.”

Kat nodded. “I guess that makes sense. It’s funny; I’ve been to the library many times and never seen a dog there.”

“Rosa mostly sleeps back in the office. Jill complains about how she’s in the way all the time, but she really loves her.” Jan looked over Kat’s shoulder. Joel was walking toward them from the house. “Hi, Joel.”

“Hi. Sorry about the problem we had with Rosa.”

Jan looked from Joel to Kat. “Problem?”

“More of a mystery, I guess.” Joel looked over at Kat. “Didn’t you tell her?”

“I was getting to it.”

Jan bent down to pet Rosa. “Is she okay? She seems okay. What happened? She didn’t get sick or anything, did she?”

Kat shook her head. “No. But she kept getting out of her kennel in the Tessa Hut. We couldn’t figure out how she was doing it. I’d put her inside, go to do something, and then I’d turn around and she’d be sitting next to me. It kind of freaked me out, to be honest. We’ve checked the chain link, the latch—everything. I have no clue what she’s doing.”

Jan stroked the dog’s head. “Wow, Rosa. I didn’t know you were so creative.”

Joel smiled. “Maybe your mom taught her some of her magic tricks.”

Kat gave him a blank look. “Magic tricks?”

Jan scowled at the mention of her mother; it was always about her. “That would be her style, I suppose. Anyway, I should get Rosa home. It sounds like everything worked out.” Jan pulled her wallet out of her purse and opened it. “How much do I owe you?”

Joel and Kat exchanged a glance and Kat looked down at the photo in Jan’s wallet. She pointed at the photo.

“Hey, do you know that guy?”

The picture was a photograph that a Japanese tourist had taken of Jan and Steve in front of a waterfall when they’d been on vacation in Maui many years ago. “Yes, that’s my boyfriend Steve.”

“Oh. Oops. Sorry to be nosy.”

Joel put his hand on Kat’s shoulder. “She gets like that.”

“I know. I can’t help it.” Kat said. “It’s just that the other day in the parking lot at the grocery store, I saw that guy with a woman and she seriously smacked my car door with a shopping cart. Then she yelled at the guy to be careful of the wine bottle. My poor Toyota has enough problems. It hasn’t recovered from moving here. Now it’s got another dent. I think the woman was really pissed off and she took it out on my car.”

Jan frowned. “What did the woman look like?”

“She was a tall blonde woman wearing a red dress and heels. I don’t think I’ve seen her before. But like I said, I don’t know many people like everybody else does in this town. Isn’t Cindy your friend? She might know.”

Joel nodded. “That’s true. Cindy makes it her business to know everybody else’s business.”

As the implications of what Kat had seen sank in, a sick feeling settled in Jan’s stomach. She tried to smile. “I agree. Cindy does know everything. But we’re actually not that close. I see her at story time with her son almost every week at the library, and she does love to talk. I told her about my situation with Rosa and she said she knew a solution. I’m glad she led me to you. Rosa looks happy.”

Kat reached out to touch her arm. “Are you okay? I’m really sorry we couldn’t keep Rosa confined. We talked about it and you don’t have to pay us anything. It was such a short time—only a couple of days. It’s okay.”

Jan sniffed and shook her head. “That’s very nice of you, but I’ll pay you.” She yanked some bills out of her wallet, and thrust them toward Kat. “Is this enough?”

Kat took the money quietly and looked up at Joel questioningly. His eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t say anything. Kat turned to Jan again. “That’s more than enough. I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong? Sometimes I speak before thinking.”

A tear slid down Jan’s cheek and she blurted out, “I think Steve is seeing someone behind my back!” Wait. Did she really think that? It was impossible. And even if it were true, why was she telling this to people she hardly knew? She grabbed her purse more tightly, digging her fingernails into the leather. “I know this isn’t your problem and I’m so sorry to fall apart like this in the middle of your front yard. It’s just it’s been a long couple of days with the wedding and travel...and everything. Steve and I have been engaged since I got out of college. We’ve just been waiting for things to settle down before we get married.”

Kat squinted slightly. “I know I haven’t lived here long, but Alpine Grove is not exactly a hotbed of activity. I don’t think you can get more settled than this, can you?”

Joel gave Kat a long look and turned back to Jan. “I think what Kat wants to say is that maybe you should talk to him.”

Jan opened her purse, pulled out a tissue, and wiped her nose. “This is so embarrassing. It’s just a big surprise. I really should go. I appreciate your kindness and for taking care of Rosa.”

Kat nodded. “No problem. Any time. Like you said, she’s a sweet dog. And apparently because of her magical abilities, when she’s here she receives the ultra-red-carpet treatment and gets to stay in the house.”

Jan smiled weakly and took Rosa’s leash from Kat. “Yes, I’ll talk to her about that, but I doubt she’ll reveal her secrets.”

Kat grinned. “Great magicians never do.”

Jan opened the door to her cottage and Rosa rushed past her into the living room, flopping down on her dog bed with a furry flourish. Jan bent down to stroke the sleek fur on Rosa’s head. Somebody was sure glad to be home. Although it was good to be back in her cozy space, Jan was anxious about whatever may or may not be going on with Steve. Maybe it was nothing. But Joel was right; she should call and ask Steve a few questions. He’d probably have a reasonable explanation and everything would be fine. It had to be.

Steve lived in the city because of his job, but he often drove up to Alpine Grove and spent the weekend with Jan. They’d settled into a routine where he’d arrive on Saturday, they’d go out to dinner or she’d make him dinner. They’d take Rosa for a walk around the neighborhood and go to bed. Then he’d leave early Sunday morning. Because he traveled a lot on business, she usually didn’t see him more than one weekend every month.

Last weekend she’d been in San Diego for the wedding, so obviously she hadn’t seen him then. But why had he been in Alpine Grove? She had tried to be reasonable and understanding when he’d backed out of attending the wedding at the last minute. Unfortunately, Jill was right about that. It certainly wasn’t the first time he had canceled plans with her. And it had been uncomfortable explaining why he wasn’t there to her mother.

Jan was tired of her own spinning thoughts. She could go around and around making up stories, or she could just call Steve and find out why he had been here in town. Or she could make dinner, since he probably wasn’t home yet anyway. Smiling, she turned to Rosa. “What do you think about dinner?” Rosa jumped up at the mention of the magical word “dinner.” As her waistline indicated, feeding time was Rosa’s favorite time of day.

After Jan fed Rosa and herself and then ever-so-slowly cleaned up the kitchen, she could no longer think of any decent excuse to put off calling Steve.

“Hi Steve.”

“Hey babe, how are you? I guess you made it back okay?”

“Yes. Then I picked up Rosa.”

“How’s my fuzzy little girl? I miss that sweet dog. Tell her I’ll bring her an extra-special treat when I see her.”

“Rosa is fine, although I think she’s glad to be home.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure about that place you took her.”