Pumpkins, Paws and Murder by Kathy Manos Penn

Author:Kathy Manos Penn [Penn, Kathy Manos]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781734322644
Publisher: Manos Penn and Ink
Published: 2020-03-24T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The next morning, I stowed my bag in the trunk, fastened Dickens in the back seat, and made it to Toby’s Tearoom by 8:45. If time allowed, I’d stop by my cottage before picking up Belle and Wendy, but if not, I wanted to be ready to hit the road.

I almost didn’t recognize Sparkle when she walked in the door. Her dark hair in a ponytail, she wore sweatpants and no makeup. She looked exhausted and frazzled. Grief will do that to you. I know.

I waved her over before she had a chance to go to the counter. “Sit. Let me get you something. Do you prefer coffee or tea? How about a muffin or scone?”

She asked for a large black coffee and a gingerbread muffin. I left Dickens with her and placed our order with Jenny. When I returned to our table near the back of the shop, Dickens was nudging Sparkle’s hand. Today, her name didn’t fit. Her eyes looked dull and her skin ashen.

Patting Dickens on the head, she looked at me. “Leta, you’re so kind to invite me out. I’m not handling this very well. I mean, I wasn’t married to Max, but I did love him. I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“I don’t think you have to be married to a man to mourn him,” I said. “And I don’t think there’s any rule about how long you have to be with someone before you can love him deeply. It’s understandable you’re grieving. It’s bad enough he died. The circumstances make it even worse.”

She nodded and teared up. “We’d known each other for years, didn’t always date, but were friends. Just began dating again this summer . . . after Trixie. After his marriage ended.”

I was taken by surprise when her demeanor suddenly changed. Her face turned red, and she looked angry. “I can’t believe he was trying to get Trixie to come back to him. I thought he was done with her. I thought he loved me.”

Dickens barked, “Is she angry with you?”

I touched Dickens to let him know I was okay. I wasn’t sure how to respond to Sparkle’s outburst, so I danced around it and replied in a soothing voice. “How sad to have begun again and then to lose him like this. Were you dating when he met Trixie?”

“Yes. No. I mean, he met her during one of our spats. We’d sometimes break up for as much as a month but always get back together. Maybe because we were both foster kids, we had a special bond. It’s hard for people who had a regular mum and dad to understand.”

“Oh gosh, Sparkle. So you don’t have any close family?”

“No, I’ve got my flatmates in Totnes, but no family.”

“You’re fortunate to have them. When you go home, I think you’ll find that reminiscing with them about Max will help you. I’ve found that sharing stories about my husband helps me to cope with losing him. It can be bittersweet, but I feel like he’ll always be with me as long as I can talk about our time together.

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