“Tradition, practicality, timeless character,” Jack mentioned as slowly as he moved.“Around here we appreciate the history of our small town, and people like to keep as many things as possible true to their humble beginnings.Whitewashing is classic; the look never seems to go out of style which is the essence of this charming town with its simple coastal ambiance.”
“I find all of this information fascinating,” Cavin replied, appreciating Jack taking the time to explain everything in detail.
As the group moved along, the kids thought every dog they saw might be Scout, and they even ran through yards chasing pooches that ended up belonging to someone else.Eventually they realized the features didn’t match the picture on the poster or the images in their heads from seeing Scout firsthand.
Early on in their search while Mrs.Madelyn and Jack talked to someone they knew on one of the porches, Levi pulled a folded and crumpled paper from his pocket and handed it to Cavin.
“What is this?”Cavin asked.“Something you made at church?”
Levi shook his head side to side.“It’s a flyer of the missing dog for you to carry since you didn’t bring yours,” he explained.“Mom says you are our spokesperson.”
“Remember to show them the picture,” Laney added with a grin.
“You two don’t miss much, do you?”
“What do you mean?”Laney asked.
“You notice things that happen around you, like realizing how I like to talk to people.”
“I saw that Georgia lady kiss you today,” Levi uttered with a scowl.
“Me too,” Laney shared, snarling a bit.
Cavin wished he could crawl under the rocks that mirrored the sidewalk to the foot of the porch where Mrs.Madelyn and Jack were talking to friends.Any chance of Noel missing the town gossip today just went out the window.“I think she was just trying to be nice,” Cavin explained, hoping they would buy that and forget what they saw.
“I wanted you to like my mom,” Levi announced.
“Yeah, we wanted her to kiss you,” Laney mentioned.“Not Georgia.”
Cavin almost said,Me too,but then realized the conversation was with children, one of them being Noel’s and the other basically belonging to her as well.
“But you can’t kiss her until I say you can,” Levi declared.
Cavin grinned.“Yes, sir,” he replied, rubbing Levi’s head while wondering if he would ever have the chance to kiss Noel Puckett again.“For now, let’s find Scout,” Cavin added, changing the subject before the Browns made their way back to the main sidewalk.
Unfortunately, the five of them didn’t find the dog on their walk after church, and when Jack invited Cavin to join them for lunch, he declined respectfully, not wanting to push his luck.He knew how protective Noel was over these kids, and she was probably already going to be mad at him although maybe that would give him another chance to see her.
For now Cavin managed to irritate the two most important women he knew in this town, and both made it clear that they didn’t want to hear from him.He knew how much influence Georgia held in the local politics, and he still hoped he could figure out a way to acquire Noel’s building.However, he made that challenge more difficult by losing Noel’s trust even though none of what happened with Georgia had been of his doing.
Cavin wheeled Jack back to the vehicle, and once all four passengers settled in, Levi rolled down the window and pointed at a man walking on the sidewalk in their direction.
“That’s Scout’s owner,” Levi shouted.
“Hey,” Laney greeted by waving proudly.
Cavin quickly realized it was the man who looked more like Santa Claus than any other person he ever laid eyes on.He remembered inviting this guy to the candy shop for a cinnamon roll on his first morning in town.
With his thin-framed glasses resting on the tip of his nose, the gentleman stopped near Cavin and enthusiastically waved at the kids.
“If it isn’t my little elves,” he noted with a chuckle, pulling at the black suspenders holding up the green trousers with his thick white sweater tucked in neatly.“Have you been keeping an eye out for my Scout?”
“Yes, sir,” Laney vocalized from the opposite side of the vehicle.
“We just looked for him after church,” Levi confirmed.
The man glanced at his gold watch.“You have been looking for a long time.”
“We search for Scout every day,” Laney announced.
