Katie smiled. “As soon as Rhett and I do our thing, I’m going to get a haircut. And I brought you some blueberry muffins.”
Delilah beamed. “I love blueberry muffins. Thank you.”
“Awesome. Trade you,” Katie said, then handed the box to Delilah and picked up Rhett’s leash. “Hi, baby. Are you ready to go?” she asked as she clipped on his leash.
Rhett chomped the leash and led Katie down the steps.
“See you later,” Katie said, and down the drive they went—Katie in her black slacks and a red-and-silver-striped blouse, the little Yorkie in his blinged-out collar. Neither of them aware they were the subject of conversation between three women in a car a couple of blocks behind them.
***
“See, there she is, just like I said.”
Betty Looper pointed and then tapped the brakes on her baby-blue Dodge Dart so they could observe Katie unseen.
Kay Ritter was in the back seat, peering between her two best friends occupying the front seat, and leaned forward for a better view.
“She’s so thin. I wonder if she diets. I’ll hate her for sure if she’s naturally thin.”
Charlene Smith poked Betty on the arm. “Go around the block the other way so we can see her face as we pass.”
“She’s about to turn right,” Betty said.
“How do you know that?” Charlene asked.
“Because I’ve been watching her for days. She walks Delilah’s dog around the block, moving at a slow pace until it poops, then she picks up the poop in one of those little bags, and usually winds up carrying the dog the rest of the way home,” Betty said.
“I wonder why Delilah’s granddaughter’s not doing this anymore,” Kay said.
Betty snorted. “Oh, girl! You don’t pay attention to anything. She graduated last year. She’s about to finish her first year of college. Delilah’s been walking Rhett, and you know how tottery she is these days.”
“Well then, I thought this woman was hired to be a teacher. So who’s gonna walk Rhett Butler when she’s in school?” Charlene asked.
“Oh, for the love of God!” Betty said. “We came to scope out the competition, and here you are worrying about walking a dog.”
Charlene glared at Betty.
Kay leaned over the seat again. “I still want to see her face. It would ease my jealous soul if she was homely.”
Betty shook her head. “She’s not homely. She’s real pretty. And they say she’s real nice, too.”
“Shit,” Kay said. “Now I’m gonna feel guilty for being jealous. I need to add myself to my good-night prayers.”
Then they all burst out laughing as Betty stepped on the gas, turned the corner, and began gaining on Katie.
Just as they were about to pass her, Rhett Butler wandered off into the grass and squatted, and when he did, Katie turned her back to the street and walked with him—thereby nullifying the scouting expedition they’d been on.
“Shoot fire!” Charlene whined.
Betty shrugged. “You’re just gonna have to take my word for it. And we’ve all got to remember…from what I’ve heard, she hasn’t accepted one single invitation from any of the guys. So it’s not like we’re out of the running.”
“We’re out of the running because we’ve already dated every damn one of them at one time or another,” Kay muttered. “Let’s face it. We all grew up together. There’s nothing new to know. Not for us about them. Not for them about us. It’s not her fault they are enchanted…so to speak.”
“We could always sign up for one of those online things where single people meet other single people,” Charlene said.
“And then you get catfished,” Betty said.
“What’s catfished?” Kay asked.
And they drove off to lunch, while Charlene and Betty explained the finer points of being tricked and scammed.
***
Unaware of the drama she was creating, Katie and Rhett Butler were already on their way back. And as usual, Rhett’s last half of the walk was in Katie’s arms.
When they reached the house, Delilah was sitting on the porch, visiting with a young man. They were deep in conversation as Katie came up the steps, but the moment the young man saw her, he stood.
Katie smiled at him, then gave the little Yorkie a kiss and a hug.
“I’m gonna miss you, sweetie. You be good for Miss Delilah,” she said, and then put Rhett in Delilah’s lap.
“Thank you, Katie dear. You have been a lifesaver. My new walker begins tomorrow.” And then she realized her nephew was impatiently waiting for an introduction. “I’m sorry, Katie. Where are my manners. This is my greatnephew, Walker Cash. He’s my oldest brother’s grandson. Walker, this is Katie McGrath. She’s a new teacher at our elementary school.”
Katie saw a glimmer of expectation in Walker’s eyes, and she was about to put out the fire before it had a chance to burn.
Walker beamed. “It’s a pleasure, Miss McGrath. Aunt Dee speaks highly of you.”
Katie smiled politely and then winked at Delilah. “I think a lot of her, too. It’s nice meeting you, Walker. Miss Delilah, I’ve got to run, or I’ll be late for my appointment. You and Rhett take care.”
Then she flew down the steps, jumped in her car, and drove away without looking back, and went straight to Coiffures and Colors by Maxine.
The hair salon was nestled in between the Dollar General and a barbershop. Katie eyed the cars in the parking lot at Dollar General and then parked at the curb in front of the shop and hurried inside.
A bell rang at the back of the salon as she opened the door. There were four chairs in the salon, and patrons in three of them, all in various stages of getting styled. And at the moment all three stylists and their customers were staring at Katie, when a middle-aged woman with pink hair came out of a doorway in the back, saw Katie, and headed toward her.
“Hello! Are you Katie?” she asked.
Katie nodded.
“Well, then come on back and we’ll get you started. I’m Maxine, and it’s real nice to meet you.”
For Katie, it was like standing on the shores of Lake Michigan and watching the ice break. The stylists all began smiling at her, and their clients gave her a little wave from beneath their capes as she followed Maxine to her station.
“You’re the new teacher in town, right?” Maxine asked as she ran her fingers through Katie’s hair.
“Yes, I am,” Katie said.