Lisa didn’t know who Becca or Jack were, but she nodded politely. “Have you seen Kat?”
Maria sniffed and pointed at the buffet. “Over there with Joel. She’s pigging out on some of those spinach hors d’oeuvres that Brigid makes.”
Lisa excused herself and nodded at Pete to indicate they should go find Kat. At least she knew who Brigid was, so that was one person. It was odd to be at an Alpine Grove event and know so few people.
Kat waved when she saw Lisa and Pete approaching. After introducing Joel and Pete, Lisa gave Kat a hug. “Congratulations.”
“I heard you found a safe in the house,” Kat said.
“How did you find out?” Lisa asked.
“Larry told Maria, who told me.” Kat took a sip of her champagne and continued, “So, I’m dying to know what was in it. And why was it in your parents’ place?”
“My aunt Betty stashed it in the dining room wall while the house was being built. After the Cuban missile crisis in the early sixties, she was worried that the world was coming to an end, so she wanted to make sure her valuables were safe,” Lisa said.
“Nobody knew?” Kat glanced at Joel. “And here I thought my family was good at keeping secrets.”
“My grandfather was Betty’s brother, and he built the house. She never told my parents and apparently Grandpa didn’t either. As the years passed, it got more difficult to bring up the subject of ripping apart the wall, I suppose. Maybe Betty didn’t think my parents would keep the house as long as they have. And then at some point, she completely forgot about it,” Lisa said.
“How did you find it?” Joel asked.
Lisa said, “The contractor I hired, Craig Maddox, was in Betty’s class in elementary school. She taught fifth grade and he remembered her saying that she had a safe in a wall.”
“Now we know why he was so eager to take the job,” Pete added.
“But it’s all done. The real estate agent will be coming by to take pictures tomorrow.” Lisa said. “And I have to say, the house looks great. My parents would appreciate it if you’d tell everyone you know to come to the open house later this spring.”
Kat waved her glass at Lisa. “Wait, what was in the safe?”
“Fifty thousand dollars, some jewelry, and a bottle of bourbon.” Lisa glanced at Pete. “Betty said we could have the booze. We put the money in a regular bank account for her, and now she also has a safe deposit box for the jewelry.”
“That’s quite a windfall,” Joel said.
“She offered to give some of the money to us, but that didn’t seem right.” Lisa shrugged. “We’re headed back to Gleasonville.”
“Lisa is going to take a nursing-assistant course,” Pete said.
Lisa turned to smile at him. “And Pete is going to train Harley to do search and rescue. And get him certified as a therapy dog so they can come visit me at work.”
Kat raised her arms to the sky. “And at long last, I’m going to Hawaii tomorrow. Woo-hoo!”
Lisa congratulated the happy couple again, then she and Pete got some food from the buffet and sat down together at a table. “They look so happy.”
“So do you.”
“I am happy. For the first time in a long time, I’m healthy and I know what I want.”
“I’m glad.” He took her hands in his. “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.”
“Hamlet!” She gave him a sly smile. “I know it’s out of order, but Hawaii starts with ‘h’ and I’ve never been there. Do you want to go? I think a vacation to the tropics could be fun.”
“Fun is good. I like fun.”
The End
You’ve reached the end of Book 10,
but not the end of the series.
For more Alpine Grove adventures,
check out Book 11!
Thanks for Reading
Thank you for dedicating some of your reading time to Daydream Retriever. I hope you enjoyed Lisa and Pete’s adventures. I’ll be writing more books that will feature Kat, Joel and various other residents of Alpine Grove who bring dogs to the boarding kennel. Be sure to keep an eye out for the next novel.
If you would like to be notified by e-mail when I release a new book, you can sign up for my New Releases e-mail list at SusanDaffron.com.
I know that not everyone likes to write book reviews, but if you are willing write a sentence or two about what you thought of Daydream Retriever, I encourage you to post a review at your favorite book vendor site or share a message with your social networking friends.
If you would like to share your thoughts about the book with me privately, you can reach me through the contact page on the SusanDaffron.com web site.
~ Susan C. Daffron
Dedication
Like all of my books, Daydream Retriever is dedicated to
my husband James Byrd,
my best friend and biggest supporter.
Thanks for everything!
Acknowledgements
Writing a novel is never easy and I’d like to thank my husband James Byrd for his support and encouragement throughout the publishing process.
I’d also like to thank my alpha and beta readers for their eagle-eyed reading and great feedback:
James Byrd
Nancy Brashear
Sandra Marine
Jinx Kimmer
About the Author
Susan Daffron is the author of the Alpine Grove Romantic Comedies, a series of novels that feature residents of the small town of Alpine Grove and their various quirky dogs and cats. She is also an award-winning author of many nonfiction books, including several about pets and animal rescue. She lives in a small town in northern Idaho and shares her life with her husband and three really cute dogs.
Books by Susan C. Daffron
Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy
Chez Stinky
Fuzzy Logic
The Art of Wag
Snow Furries
Bark to the Future
Howl at the Loon
The Good, the Bad, and the Pugly
Treasure of the Hairy Cadre
The Luck of the Paw
Daydream Retriever
Book 11
Susan is also the author of a number of award-winning nonfiction books, including several about pet care and rescue. A complete list is available at:
www.susandaffron.com/books/
Get book release notices by email:
www.susandaffron.com/releases