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Chapter One
The clock on the church steeple towering above the town of Clam Cove on the rocky coast of Maine began its hourly song. Each chime matched Hanna’s racing footsteps. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.
She was late for work. Rushing wouldn’t change that fact but she pressed on anyway. With several minutes to go before she arrived at the Cup of Joe Diner, Hanna wondered if she could sugarcoat this disaster. Rounding the corner at the side of the diner, she secured Bella in a shady spot. Brushing stray golden dog hairs from her black pants, and then gathering her thick auburn tresses into a ponytail, she headed through the door of the diner, straight into the glare of her boss, Joe Craven.
“Hanna!”
That was all Joe needed to say; one word uttered in disgust. His clamped jaw and narrowed eyes confirmed what she knew would come next.
“You know the policy here, and I don’t bend the rules for anyone. I’ll mail your last check.” With that blunt announcement, he turned and headed to the grill.
Hanna stared at his back. Tears threatened to spill over the edge of her eyes. Even knowing Joe’s zero tolerance policy for tardiness, the shock of his words, and what it meant for her immediate financial future, cut like a knife in her belly. Blinking back the tears, she fled the diner before anyone saw her embarrassment.
Judging by her furiously wagging tail, at least Bella was happy to see her back so soon. She licked Hanna’s trembling fingers as she struggled to untie the leash from the shade tree.
“I’ve got myself in a terrible mess now, Bella. But don’t worry, I promised Grandpa that I’d take good care of you until he’s able to go home from the hospital. One thing I always do is keep a promise.”
Bella’s deep honey-colored fur under her hand felt silkier than the downy softness of a newly hatched chick. When she found the Golden Retriever’s sensitive spot under her ear, the sixty-pound dog practically melted against Hanna’s legs. Taking on Bella was the one bright light in her life at the moment. What do people say—when it rains, it pours? That described her situation. She wondered how many more hits she would have to endure. With her life an ugly tangled mess thanks to an abusive ex-boyfriend, she could now add no job, to her troubles.
As Hanna walked away from the diner toward her small apartment with Bella trotting at her side, she considered the bright side—things could only improve from this low point. “You know, Bella, maybe I should look at this as a golden opportunity to get my life headed in a brand-new direction.”
Bella looked up at Hanna with her chocolate eyes and whined. Apparently, Grandpa had trained her well to tune into a person’s mood and needs. At least, Hanna decided Bella’s whine meant that she was adding encouragement to the conversation.
As cars whizzed by and trees swayed overhead, Hanna continued to talk to her four-legged companion. It comforted her to know that someone, even if Bella was only a caring dog, was listening.
“Working for Joe was okay, but waiting on tables isn’t what I want to do for the rest of my life anyway, and he didn’t let me spend enough time baking pastries. That’s what I love,” she explained to Bella. “Maybe this is the push I need to come up with a plan for the rest of my life. No more excuses.”
Bella woofed.
They continued at a comfortable pace—Hanna lost in her thoughts and Bella keeping close to her side.
Just as the noise of a revved-up engine and screeching tires broke through Hanna’s thoughts, her arm jerked so hard it felt like it was torn clean from its socket. She hit the pavement. Bits of gravel shredded her pants right into her skin, sending shocks of intense burning pain up her leg.
She lay still, gravel digging into one side of her face.
Bella licked her. She whined and pawed at Hanna’s side.
Hanna groaned. “What happened?” she asked her dog as she tried to gather herself up. Everything stung or ached or throbbed as she lay on the edge of the road. Her first thought was to move away from the traffic before someone ran her over.
Bella pulled on the leash hard enough to help Hanna half crawl, half slide onto the grass strip away from the whizzing cars. This spot would have to do until her head stopped spinning and she could stand and try to limp the rest of the way home.
Nothing made sense. Did a car hit her? She didn’t think so, or she’d be in much worse shape. With the leash wrapped around her hand, and her shoulder screaming with pain, she decided that Bella must have yanked her out of harm’s way. She tenderly felt the side of her head and winced.
“Is that what happened?” Hanna pushed herself to a sitting position with her good arm. “You pulled me out of harm’s way?”
Bella curled up as close to Hanna as possible and set her big beautiful head in her lap.
“If only you could talk and tell me what happened.” Hanna wrapped her arms around Bella’s neck and cried into her fur at the reality of what could have been.
Now, she could add almost run over to her list of things going wrong in her life. Hanna slipped her phone from her pocket only to see several missed text messages. Her stomach clenched in a knot.
Seeing Greg’s name pop up made everything worse. It had taken her too long to understand how obsessed he was with her. His recent rage chilled her to the bone. Dealing with him on top of everything else that hit her recently brought on more tears.
Bella lifted her head.
“Thank you for being here,” Hanna said again. “I can count on you to be loyal even if it’s hard to have trust in anyone else at the moment.
Her phone beeped with another text. She didn’t open this one, either. She was so done with Greg, and it only made him angrier when she tried to explain why they couldn’t be together. He said he’d made a mistake. Some mistake. When he grabbed her arm, leaving bruises in her tender flesh, he’d crossed a line. That action made it crystal clear that continuing any kind of relationship with Greg was not an option.
A car slowed, sending Hanna’s heart racing.
Bella growled.
The passenger window lowered and an elderly woman gave her a friendly smile as she leaned across her front seat. “Are you okay, honey? That’s really not the greatest place to sit and enjoy the weather.”
Even though she hurt all over, Hanna chuckled at the ridiculous image others must see of her on the side of the road hugging a dog. “You’re right about that. Actually, someone almost hit me, and by the pain in my shoulder, I think my dog pulled me to safety.”
“I live over there.” The woman pointed to a house a few driveways back. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I got out of my car and looked over here. That golden blur dashed to one side with you flying behind. That’s quite the dog you have. How about the two of you climb in and I’ll take you to my house? I’ll fix you some lemonade while you check your injuries and figure out who to call for help.”
The kindness in the woman’s voice made Hanna sniffle and hiccup. She wiped her nose. “Thanks. I’m Hanna, and this is Bella.”
“Well, Hanna and Bella, I’m Geraldine, Gerri for short. Climb in and I’ll get you off this road.”
Hanna pushed herself upright with her good arm and opened the door. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“Trouble? You look like you’ve had more trouble than you deserve, honey. I’m happy to lend a helping hand. Now, climb in before someone rear-ends me. These kids drive like the devil on this road.”
Hanna let Bella into the back seat. Being careful not to jostle her shoulder, she managed to slide in next to Gerri.
“Slam that door good and hard or it might not catch properly. This car runs like a top even if it is older than the hills.”
Gerri carefully checked the traffic then made a U-turn and pulled into a driveway not far from where she’d rescued Hanna.
“Is there someone you could call?” Gerri asked. “A pretty girl like you must have a boyfriend just dying to come to your rescue.”
Hanna climbed out and Bella followed. Gerri’s kindness was almost too much after all she’d been through this morning. Ignoring Gerri’s question about a boyfriend, she said. “I’ll just walk home. It’s not far.”
Gerri grabbed her arm. “I don’t think so. You’re in no shape to be walking anywhere. Haven’t you learned your lesson about walking on this road? Come in and I’ll make you some of my special lemonade while you figure out who to call for a ride.”
Hanna said a silent thanks that Gerri didn’t push her about a boyfriend. As kind as she seemed to be, that wasn’t a subject she wanted to discuss. Especially with someone she’d only just met.
Gerri led the way into her tidy ranch house. Every surface had some sort of doily under an array of knickknacks. Porcelain dolls, carved cats, and delicate teacups filled floor to ceiling shelves. Not a safe space for a dog with a bushy, wagging tail.
“Oh no.” Hanna managed to catch a carving of a wooden horse before it hit the floor when Bella’s tail brushed over the coffee table.
Gerri laughed. “Don’t worry. If a couple of these dust catchers break, I’ll never miss them. I’ve got all my favorites tucked away, out of harm’s way.”
Hanna giggled. Her emotions made the full swing from desperate to giddy now that she was safely off the road.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back in a flash with lemonade for us and something for your friend.” Gerri disappeared into what Hanna assumed was the doorway to her kitchen.
“This day is turning into something more interesting than I’d ever imagined,” Hanna said to Bella. “Do you think it’s safe to say that trouble is behind me and my life has turned the corner?”
Bella, with eyes like deep brown pools, searched Hanna’s face. She wagged her tail as if letting Hanna know that whatever was to come, she’d be by her side. They were a team.
“You know,” Gerri said when she returned with a tray filled to overflowing with enough lemonade and treats to feed the whole neighborhood, “something about that car that almost hit you is bothering me.”
Hanna hadn’t given the car a second thought as she lay on the side of the road, bruised and scared. “What do you mean?”
“Well,” Gerri poured lemonade into two dainty cups, “I’d swear it swerved right toward you. If Bella hadn’t pulled you out of harm’s way, I don’t think you’d be sitting here with me enjoying this lemonade.”
End of Excerpt
