It was the most personal thing Nora had shared with Sam.She looked at Nora with a new understanding.“You miss him.”
“Of course I do.But that’s what grandchildren do.They grow up and have their own lives.”Nora adjusted her purse with brisk efficiency.“Which is why I adopted Precious.A dog will never move to Seattle and forget to call.”
Franklin reappeared, slightly out of breath, the dogs looking pleased at their unexpected walk.“That was the best five minutes ever,” he announced, handing the leashes back to Sam and Nora.
“Back to fractions,” Nora told him solemnly.“Your future depends on it.”
“That’s what Mom says.”Franklin didn’t sound convinced.But he waved goodbye and headed back to the activity room, calling over his shoulder, “Bye, Arlo and Precious.”
Sam, Nora, and the dogs walked to Nora’s car.
“Well?”Nora asked when they were out of earshot.“Did you learn anything useful from Pamela Cross?”
Sam thought about the tension that had gripped Pamela when Margaret’s name came up.“Maybe,” Sam said slowly.“She definitely doesn’t like talking about Margaret.”
“Most people didn’t care for Margaret,” Nora pointed out, opening the car door.“That doesn’t make them murderers.”
“No,” Sam agreed, helping Arlo into the back seat.“But it’s interesting that she claimed not to know Margaret well.Charlotte said Pamela usually helped clean up after meetings.You’d think that would give her more than a passing familiarity with the other members.”
Precious jumped into his front seat spot with practiced ease, turning to gaze out the window as if ready to supervise their drive home.
Nora started the engine.“So now we head to the Italian place.You look like you could use a good meal.”
“What about the dogs?”
“Hmm?”Nora had a bewildered expression as if she weren’t exactly sure whom Sam was referring to.“Oh, you mean Precious and Arlo?It’s a nice enough day to sit outside, don’t you think?There’s plenty of patio seating out there, particularly at this time of the day.Come on.It’s not as much fun eating by myself.”
The Italian restaurant’s patio was nearly empty at this hour, just past the lunch rush and well before the dinner crowd.A server brought water bowls for the dogs, who settled companionably under the table while Sam and Nora studied their menus.
“The chicken piccata is excellent,” Nora said.“Though I’m partial to their carbonara.”
Sam ordered the piccata, and they fell into an easy conversation about nothing in particular: the upcoming holidays, their neighborhood, and Precious’s ongoing weight management program despite his allegedly perfect portions.
“Mr.Holloway at the retirement home suggested more walks,” Nora said with a sniff.“As if we don’t walk enough already.Precious has a naturally stocky build.”
Precious, hearing his name, lifted his noble head from beneath the table.His argyle sweater vest had ridden up slightly on one side.He looked hopefully up, perhaps wondering if he might be given a sample of the menu items once they arrived.
A few minutes later, they were eating their delicious meals.Sam found herself genuinely enjoying the food and the company.Nora had a way of making her laugh with her acerbic observations about Sunset Ridge residents, delivered with just enough affection to keep them from being truly mean-spirited.
“You should come by the house sometime,” Nora said as they finished.“I’ve been meaning to have you over properly.None of this standing on doorsteps business.”
“I’d like that,” Sam said, surprised to realize she meant it.
As they drove back to the neighborhood, Nora said casually, “I ran into Olivia this morning, on her way out to volunteer at the food pantry.She looked a bit worn out, poor thing.Have you talked to her much since this all started?”
Sam realized with a guilty start that she hadn’t spoken with her friend at all.“I should check on her.”
“Might be good timing.She mentioned she’d be home all afternoon.”
