The setting sun threw shades of orange across the river as they drove down the narrow road leading into the park and located the outdoor seating area. Brian waved as they pulled in. He’d saved them seats in the second row. Pam and Amber scooted in on the bench next to Brian.

  “How about I get us some popcorn before the movie starts?” Jamie asked.

  Pam nodded. “Make it a large.”

  “Will do,” Jamie said.

  Pam held her hand up to stop him from going. “And a coke. Oh, and some juice for Amber.”

  “I’ll come along and help carry,” Cathy said, following Jamie to the snack bar. The grounds were very crowded tonight and there was a wait to get snacks. A couple of teenage boys pushed to get ahead of them in line. Cathy ended up pressed against Jamie. She let her head linger against his chest. His musky smell reminded her of their kiss.

  “Boys,” Jamie said, rolling his eyes.

  She felt his fingers slip into hers, squeeze, and release.

  When they got to the counter, Jamie ordered and Cathy offered to pay. He pushed her money back to her. “My treat.”

  The outside lights lowered and the pre-movie cartoon began as they made their way back to the seats with two large bags of popcorn and drinks for everyone.

  Jamie moved in next to Amber, and Cathy was left sitting on the aisle. They were right on time. The movie began and Ringo’s distinctive voice told them about a village where everyone and everything had to have a point, literally and figuratively. They all even had pointed heads.

  Amber giggled.

  In this place, Ringo continued, one poor little boy, Oblio, was sadly born with a round head. Even though everybody else liked him, the town bully wanted him gone. He was different. Period. No action was too devious for the villain to achieve his goal.

  Cathy remembered how most of her so-called friends in high school had disappeared after Todd had banished her. She could relate.

  They watched little Oblio and his faithful, pointy-headed dog, Arrow, begin their journey alone, hoping to figure things out. Up and down, over and through they went, all accompanied by Harry Nilsson’s sweet songs.

  While everyone’s eyes were glued to the screen, Cathy peeked at Jamie’s profile. It was glowing in the reflected light from the screen. His lips were slightly open, his hair lazily framing his face. She longed to put her head on his shoulder and nestle against him.

  A cool breeze picked up and Pam passed out blankets for their laps. Jamie’s leg brushed Cathy’s as they all squeezed together to share the covers. It was enough to distract her from the movie again.

  But Oblio was in trouble now as giant bees swarmed him. His dog ran for cover. Upsetting for sure. But not to Oblio. He believed everything had a point no matter how confusing or hard to find. Good attitude there, Cathy thought.

  The blue dog, Arrow, cracked Cathy up as he tagged right along. With his pointed head and ears, he mugged at the camera with expressions that said, “Can you believe this?”

  A happy ending came when Oblio finally returned home with his newfound wisdom: It was not necessary to have a pointed head, to have a point in life. The whole town rejoiced and the villain was overcome.

  Amber sang along to the song, “Me and My Arrow,” as the credits rolled.

  Jamie chimed in and so did Cathy. “Everywhere we go, it’s me and my Arrow.”

  “Daddy,” Amber said. “I want a dog just like Arrow.”

  Jamie smiled. “As soon as we get a house, we’ll get you a puppy too.”

  “A blue one?” she asked.

  Pam chuckled. “Maybe a gold one like Cathy used to have. A retriever.”

  “Buddy was his name,” Cathy said.

  “I’d like a gold dog,” Amber said, grinning ear to ear.

  Buddy had been a great dog. He followed Cathy everywhere. Pam had a way of bringing up the memories she’d buried. It was Christmas, her senior year of high school. The fragrant pine tree her dad brought home was decorated and stood tall in their living room. Doris Day sang “Silver Bells” on the cassette player. Buddy warmed his old arthritic bones up by the fire that sparked and glowed. Dad was right next to him, holding his hands toward the flames. Mom offered sweet hot chocolate. Fluffy marshmallows floated like clouds on its surface. Dad had not had a drink all day.

  Dad’s booming voice asked, “Who wants to open presents?”

  Cathy’s mom slipped her arm around her and the light scent of gardenia was subtle on her clothing. “Cathy first,” she said.

  The sweet memory lingered in her heart.

  By the following May, both Buddy and her father were dead. By July, Cathy was married to Todd and her mother was forced to sell their family home and move to their summer house on the Russian River.

  A golden dog, a golden dad, a golden moment. Lost now in time.

  In the movie, even when lost in the forest, little Oblio didn’t blame anyone. He was excited about what was ahead and did not look back. What lay ahead for her? More of the infinite emptiness that she tried to fill with work and denial? And what was the point of feeling this way about a married man who would soon be gone?

  Everything had a point; Cathy just had to figure it out.

  CHAPTER TWENTY- SIX

  Another Sunday. Days of the calendar were flying by as they set a new routine. It was hard to remember Jamie hadn’t always been there. From the minute Cathy met him, she recognized him from some other place or time. She’d never believed in soul mates before. But how else could she explain this feeling of finding her other half, the person that made her whole?

  Cathy floated through the days, happier than she’d been in a long time. Health & Hearth was humming along through the summer, making a bigger profit than last year. Tourists filled the Guerneville shops and cafés, families poured into the resorts along the River, and gays with great tans hung out at fine restaurants and nude beaches.

  The ringing of her phone startled her. She pounced to quiet the noise so as not to wake Amber from her afternoon nap. Some man she’d dated in the spring was on the line asking if she wanted to go out for a drink later. Code language for get drunk and jump into bed, she supposed. It certainly wasn’t a date. Who were these men she’d been choosing to hang out with? Placeholders until the real thing came along? Temporary distractions while life passed by? Now she could see these relationships were not safe, they were damaging. Another reinforcement that she did not deserve love. And now, she had love. But at what cost?

  No sooner did she say “no thank you” to him—even though he was pretty cute—and hang up than it rang again. This time it was for Jamie. He took it on the phone in his room. Pam followed him down the hall.

  When they didn‘t come out after several minutes, Cathy made her way down the hall towards the bathroom. She heard Pam and Jamie arguing and stopped at their bedroom door to listen. It was her house after all. He must not have gotten the job. How awful he must feel.

  “What am I suppose to do, invent a job out of thin air?” Jamie’s voice was strained. Cathy couldn’t hear Pam’s reply. “I can’t just wait and hope, Pam. I need to work.”

  Cathy hoped Amber was in a deep sleep and could not hear them. She covered her ears and moved quickly away. Pictures of her marriage to Todd floated back, along with the ugly scenes that followed only months after their wedding day. She hurried back to the living room and took a seat in the rocker. This was not her business.

  When they walked out again, the look on Jamie’s face was so painful Cathy pretended not to see it. Her heart dropped as she turned away.

  He stood before her. “The Inn at Napa said no. It just wasn’t a good fit. They emphasized it was not my fault,” he mumbled. He avoided eye contact and walked toward the kitchen. Jamie held up the bottle of Chablis. “Who wants a glass?”

  Pam nodded. Cathy rose to join them. “A small one for me,” she said.

  Jamie poured the wine and slouched down into a dining room chair. “Our options are looking pretty limited. Perhaps we should start looking back in the Bay Area?” he asked Pam.

  Cathy gulped down the wine.

  Jamie’s eyes stared at the wood grains of the table. Pam, a vision in a lemon-yellow empire dress, stood behind him and rubbed his shoulders. Her fingers alternately caressed his cheek and tussled his hair. Something Cathy could not do. Pam was the wife. Judging Pam’s wardrobe or anything else was beneath Cathy. She still had her dignity and did not need to resort to petty thoughts to ease her own guilt.

  “Whatever. It’ll work out,” Pam said. “This is our dream. We can’t give up now.”

  For once Pam’s smile looked wilted. Cathy wondered just what dream Pam was referring to. Jamie certainly loved Sonoma County. Pam loved the city. But she had a way of making everything seem right out of a Disney movie. Even back after Todd had walked out on Cathy, Pam had said, “He’ll be back. Just wait.”

  Of course Todd never even called to check on her pregnancy, much less returned. Pam lived in a fantasy world all her own. Cathy didn’t know whether to pity Pam or wish she could live there too.

  Fleetingly, Jamie’s red-rimmed eyes met hers. Cathy’s heart propelled her forward to comfort him, but she locked her legs in place and tried to breathe.

  He stood and leaned on the chair to face Pam. “I only have one more interview, and if that doesn’t work out, that’s it.”

  “Don’t say that,” Pam said. “The one next week will be it; you’ll see. Or we’ll go somewhere else. Then we can start looking for our own house.” The two of them paused, frozen in time.

  Cathy forced herself to breathe. She could hear Amber singing “The Eensy Weensy Spider” in her bedroom. At least one of them had a father who loved them. And no matter what, Amber deserved that.

  Cathy rose from the chair. “You guys can stay here as long as you like. You know that.”

  Pam threw her arms around Cathy. “Of course we do. You have been wonderful, Cathy, we don’t know what we would have done without you.”

  Over Pam’s shoulder, Cathy saw Jamie watching. He looked so discouraged. She wanted to shake him, tell him how wonderful he was.

  Pam finally stepped back. Cathy continued to look past her to where her heart called. Words poured out of her mouth. “Jamie, I’ve been thinking…we could expand the dining area at my café by taking over the upstairs rooms and start serving high-end dinners.”

  Jamie blinked like waking from a dream. He tilted his head and looked at her.

  Cathy was improvising, but she didn’t care. She wanted Jamie’s dream to come true. “It wouldn’t take much and the only other fine dining in the immediate area is at the hotel, with no charm, no healthy options.”

  He just stared. Pam glanced back and forth between their faces. “What do you think?” she asked him.

  “You don’t have to do that for us, Cat,” he said.

  “It would be for me too. I’ve been wanting to expand, and when could I ever get a chef like you up here?”

  His color was returning.

  “What about Jill?” he said.

  “Well, of course you will need a fantastic sous chef. And she primarily does lunch anyway.”

  His blue eyes stared into hers for what seemed like forever. She prayed he couldn’t read her mind. What was happening to her? Was this the right thing to do? Perhaps it would be best if they left. Soon.

  “Only if you’re sure,” Jamie said.

  “Let’s just see what happens next week.” Cathy tried to sound casual as she picked up her wine glass and retreated to her office to give them some privacy. She could hear them whispering behind her as she walked away. From the hall, Cathy heard a sweet little voice yell, “Out came the sun and it dried up all the rain!”

  She closed the office door and sat down at her desk. Heart racing, she fanned her face and neck with her hand and took a deep breath.

  Would it work? She had about $8,000 in the bank and could probably get a loan for the rest. The guestrooms didn’t fill every weekend, especially in the winter, when they just sat there. An intimate, fine dining area upstairs would draw tourists and locals. Getting into debt, a business partner, a higher overhead—there went her peaceful life. But it would be exciting. She punched some numbers into her new desktop calculator.

  It could work. Cathy called Jill to fill her in on the idea and get her opinion. Mostly Cathy talked and it was silent on Jill’s end.

  “Why don’t you come over tomorrow night at seven and we can all have a meeting about this at my house?” Cathy asked.

  Jill was still silent except for the sound of her measured breathing.

  “It is a bit sudden,” Jill finally said. “That will give me time to think about the repercussions from this.”

  “Not really, I’ve thought about it before,” Cathy said. “Jamie’s cooking will draw in extra business and it would benefit all of us. You could manage the downstairs and he could manage the upstairs café.”

  “It might work. See you tomorrow, Cathy.”

  The Upstairs Café. Cathy liked the sound of it. Once money started coming in, Jamie, Amber, and Pam would move out of her house. But they would live close and she would see Jamie almost every day. And Amber.

  What about Pam? She had been a friendly face once, when friendly faces were scarce. Of course she meant Pam too. They would all be close friends. Cathy could see all of them smiling like a big family.

  ****

  At seven on the dot the next night, Jill knocked on the front door.

  “Thanks for coming over,” Cathy said.

  Jill entered and made her way into the house. “No problem. It’s Dan’s spaghetti night, so I’m off the hook for dinner.”

  Jamie was at the table. Pam sat next to him drinking a Tab. Whoever formulated that disgusting diet cola had no taste buds! Amber was absorbed in the coloring books and crayons spread in front of her. Cathy took a deep breath and then walked over and joined them. Eyes glowing, Jamie pulled out the plans he’d drawn for remodeling the upstairs rooms into a fine dining loft. At first glance they looked brilliant. Perhaps this would work after all.

  Jill leaned over the plans. “I like the way you created a small waiting room on the landing. How many will the dining rooms seat?”

  Jamie pointed to what was now the small attic bedroom. “If we work it right, we should be able to seat about twelve to fourteen in here and even more guests in the bigger room. Each dining area could have a name and theme.”

  Pam tilted her head. “Are you going to have to go downstairs for everything?”

  “I took care of that some too,” Jamie said brightly. “The larger bathroom between the guestrooms will be made into a waitress station with all the drinks, wine, coffee, refrigerated items, a limited pantry, and more.”

  “Looks like you’ve thought of everything we’ll need,” Cathy said. In her head she added up the costs for all of this and tried to keep breathing.

  “My husband is pretty handy with carpentry work,” Jill said, seeming to be on board now, “and remember, Susan from our book group has a remodeling business. I’m sure she’d give us a good price.”

  As Jamie spoke about tableware, seating options, and menu printing, Cathy felt panic set in.

  “Let’s get real,” Jill said, staring at Cathy. “The more we all pitch in, the less the cost, but whatever way you look at this, you’re looking at some big bucks.”

  Pam was staring at Cathy as if she were going to wave a magic wand and say, “Jamie, your wish is my command.” Actually, perhaps that was not far from the truth.

  Jamie stared down at the plans.

  “We’ll make this work,” Cathy said, “and it will be a big success.”

  There was a moment of silence at the table before Jamie opened another folder and showed them a basic list of food and wine that would need to be ordered for the first week. They’d need a liquor license too. How long would that take?

  “We’re looking at a minimum of three thousand in remodel costs, about that for supplies and furnishings, and another thousand plus to stock up the kitchen,” Jamie continued. “Then we have the wine, menus to print, advertising, and staff to consider.”

  Cathy heard Jill exhale beside her. “You would need at least six months of costs behind you as well,” Jill said. “Especially because, if you decide to move ahead, the restaurant won’t open until after the summer rush.”

  “That’s true,” Cathy said, staring down at the massive lists of costs. “We need to think about our profit margin and when we might start making money.” She looked over to Jamie.

  “I’ll work on a profit loss statement and have it to you in a few days,” he said. “We can probably start a little smaller and build up.”

  Jill glanced over the sheets on the table. “Have you considered writing up a partnership agreement?”

  What could Cathy say? They hadn’t even discussed it. She felt foolish. “We will,” she said, avoiding Jill’s probing glare. She stood and walked toward the kitchen. “Anyone for ice tea?”

  “Me, I do!” Amber waved her hand in the air.

  Heads nodded. While she poured the sun tea over glistening ice in frosted glasses, she could hear Pam rattling on and almost dropped the pitcher.

  “You know,” Pam said, “we could always ask Caroline and Bentley to invest. They have the money.”

  Clever girl, that Pam. But Cathy thought she would rather die than ask them. She pounded down a glass of ice tea in front of Pam and smiled sweetly through gritted teeth. “Let’s not go there yet, Pam. I have some money of my own.”

  She shrugged. “They are very successful and—”

  Jamie held up his hand. “We can discuss financing later. Right now we’re just throwing ideas around.”

  Jill continued to bring up practical questions. Concern was written all over her face, but Cathy knew Jill would be totally onboard when the decision was made.

  Pam put her hand over Jamie’s. “These are great ideas, sweetie. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  He looked like an excited little boy who just got his first bike for Christmas.