If Catfish Had Nine Lives(65)

            Judging from the condition she was in and the mood Teddy had been in, I suspected they’d both already fallen too deep. I wanted to tell Opie to quit being so stupid. Though Teddy had a reputation, he also knew how to care about people; he truly did have feelings, too. But I didn’t think I should advise either of them regarding anything.

            “I don’t know what to tell you, Opie, but he has seemed a little down in the dumps since you two broke up.”

            “He has?”

            “Yes,” I said. I had the urge to run. I could tell she was about to ruin our moment.

            “I will call him today,” she said, as if assuring me.

            I smiled as I nodded and turned to leave.

            “Betts, wait,” she said as she took the steps to catch up with me.

            “Yes.”

            “Thank you.” She smiled sincerely. “And, well, never mind.” She put a few stray pieces of my hair behind my ear. She wanted to insult my hair, but she held back.

            It was the nicest she’d ever been about my hair.

            I sighed deeply.

            “See you later, Opie,” I said before joining Gram and Joe and the horse outside. If she only knew that she’d had a ghost from Broken Rope’s past right in her house.

            At least I had that on her.





Chapter 17




            After our visit with Opie, Gram insisted on us all going back to the school. I asked her why we just couldn’t back out of Opie’s driveway, find a quiet spot, pull out the last letter, read it, and call Jake for help. Or better yet, just call him first and set up a quick meeting. Surely he would have to be of assistance again, and we still had a little prep to do at the campsite.

            Gram said, “No, this is important, Betts; the culmination of so many years of Joe’s and my search, or mission, maybe. This all began back at the cemetery outside the cooking school; it needs to end there, too.”

            “Okay,” I said, hoping she didn’t catch the forced enthusiasm in my voice.

            So Gram rode with me in the Nova, Joe and the horse again following behind as we left the country, drove through Broken Rope’s small downtown, exited on the other side of town back into the country, took that curve in the state highway, and returned to the cooking school.

            I had, however, called Jake over to join us. Though Gram had wanted to read the last letter in the cemetery, I knew I wouldn’t be able to clearly see it in the bright outside light so I had to ask for a small change of venue. We sat inside the school at a corner of one of the large center butcher blocks. Joe and Gram on one side. Jake and I on the other. We’d closed the blinds and turned off all the lights. I pointed out to Jake where Joe was sitting.

            “How was Opie?” Jake asked.

            “As expected. There might be some statue planning in your near future,” I said.

            Jake thought a moment and said, “I can handle that.”

            He could.

            “This will be a very heady experience for Ophelia, but she’ll be all right, and even though she’ll find a way to make it all about her, the town will somehow benefit, too. She’s good at making sure everyone gets included. Eventually,” Gram said. She turned to Joe. “Are you ready for the last letter?”

            “I am,” Joe said as he nodded.

            “You’re completely sure?” Gram said.

            “Yes.”

            The shoe was most definitely on the other foot with this ghost. It took almost all I had to hold back a sigh of impatience or tell him and Gram to hurry up. Normally, I was the patient, curious, and sympathetic one, and Gram was telling the ghosts to move it along, or perhaps to just go away for a while.