Chapter 6

The next morning, Betty awoke and stretched. She didn’t even hear the alarm clock going off, and Beaux Jacques stood at the foot of her bed, woofing excitedly. “Aww. Beaux Jacques… ugh. It’s early. Sigh. Fine, you always get your way, don’t you, Commander.” Betty smiled and laughed at the dog as she padded to her bathroom. She had managed to unpack most of her belongings despite the ordeal she had at the Cornerstone. Looking in the mirror, she took off her glasses and examined her reflection. She had bags under her eyes, and even though she knew she’d regret going out, she decided not to change clothes or put on makeup until she and Beaux Jacques went for their morning walk and she got coffee.

Pulling her hair up in a messy bun, she brushed her teeth and pulled on her long, athletic socks and sneakers. While having curves, she did consider herself healthy and tried to exercise at least once a day. She was by no means a health expert and certainly didn’t miss any meals, choosing the best restaurants to dine at when time allowed. She also was excited about finally having the time to prepare gourmet dishes herself. Once things were situated at the Cornerstone, she would Once fully dressed in her grey yoga pants and a tight white t-shirt, she grabbed Beaux’s leash and asked, “Are you ready, Beaux? You better take me to find coffee ASAP Commander, or you’ll be dealing with one cranky lady today.”

Beaux Jacques didn’t speak at her comment, just led his human through the door and into the morning sun. Betty inhaled deeply and exhaled into a smile. Even with the recent developments at her bed and breakfast, she wouldn’t trade her new home for her past. She felt truly grateful that she had the luxury of setting her own schedule and essentially had less day to day stress to deal with. She took long strides, concentrating on the feel of the pavement underneath her feet as the sun peaked through the morning haze, its reflection sending pinks and oranges across the skyline. It was a cooler morning, and she could tell from the cars parked on the side of the gated community that most of its residents hadn’t woken up for work yet. She rounded the corner and left the gated community with Jacques in town, happily swishing his tail and sniffing the air. Before she had the opportunity to pull him back, Beaux Jacques veered to the right suddenly, and Betty opened her mouth in shock at the sight of Brannigan stopped on the side of the street with this hands-on his thighs, sweating and breathing heavily. Betty almost cracked a smile, amusing herself when she thought, “Good dog.”

“Good morning, Miss Betty! I certainly didn’t expect to see anyone out this early. Usually, it’s just me and the sunrise at this time or morning.”

“Shouldn’t you be in bed or something? You have mail to deliver later.”

“I work out in the mornings before work. So I see ol’ Beaux Jacques here couldn’t sleep?”

Betty couldn’t help but stare at his body as he took a long drink from a water bottle he carried at his side. He absent-mindedly let some drip from his lips and trail down his toned chest to settle in the grooves of his abdomen. She cleared her throat, making herself respond to his question, shifting her eyes to the ground. “More like his owner couldn’t sleep either, so coffee it is. I suppose I’ll go back to the Cup and Saucer and get an espresso.”

“Hmm. That’s curious.”

“What’s that?”

“Oh, it’s just that I thought you would be more of a latte gal. Mind if I walk with you?”

“No. That’d be great. Beaux Jacque isn’t too talkative this morning anyway. I think he’s a bit pouty from last night.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“I left him alone a bit longer than I intended. There were some issues at the Cornerstone.”

“Oh yes, I read about that in the paper. It was terrible. I was hoping you didn’t have to deal with that yet.”

The pair walked to find that the Cup and Saucer were indeed open, and it was buzzing with activity. The events in the small town had people talking, and as they approached the side of the small restaurant, Betty noticed the hum of voices stopped abruptly.

“Sigh. This may have been a bad idea.”

“It’s okay, Betty, you don’t have to answer any questions. I read in the newspaper the police said you found the body was that right?”

“Yeah. That’s all though it was quite an accident. Do they know who it was?”

“I’ll let you read the article when we sit down. It’s best not to talk about it here. Everyone’s business is everyone’s business here, Betty, and it’s hard to tell who may be within earshot. Let’s just get your coffee, so you’re not a mean girl and go about our day.”

Betty nodded her head, and they walked to a table together. All the heads in the restaurant seemed to turn in their direction, but Betty focused on Brannigan and decided to ignore the curious bystanders. She hadn’t planned on her introduction to the small town being so dramatic, but she knew in her heart she could handle the pressure of being put on display. Before she realized it, she found herself staring at Brannigan’s strong arms once more. She traced their shape as they led to his strong hands, which held onto the breakfast menu steadfastly. “Hey… Earth to Betty, are you okay?”

Betty then reddened and refocused on Brannigan. “Yeah. Um… do you have that newspaper?”

“Yeah. I’ll get it from the front counter. What are you drinking?”

“I feel it should be wine, but I don’t think that’s quite appropriate at this hour, do you?”

“Haha. You have no clue just how ironic that statement is. I’ll be back, dear.”

She realized that Brannigan didn’t get her drink order as she peered at the menu. She held it up to her face, pretending to study it intensely, but she could feel the stares coming from the tables opposite her. She was used to pressure in her former occupation, but somehow this was different. She definitely wasn’t used to be a social spectacle. She chided herself for not taking the time to get fully made up before taking out Beaux Jacques. The dog seemed to sense her panic and moved to get up. He stood and pressed against her side, resting into her, his head gently nudging her arm as a sign he wanted affection. She set the menu down on the table and bent her head downward. “Hey there, Beaux Jacques. You’re a good boy, you know that Commander. I promise we won’t be here long, but then I have to go to the Cornerstone. “The dog grumbled in objection, and then Betty continued, “I know. It’s not going to be like it was before. I’ll only be there a lot in the beginning until I can establish a management routine and get some marketing movement. Then I’ll be home a lot more.”

“Oh, is that so? I’ll keep that in mind.”

Betty reddened once more as she realized that Brannigan had overheard the entire conversation between herself and Beaux Jacques. After petting Beaux Jacques, she sat back up to see him place a cup of liquid, steaming and hot in front of her. He then sat down opposite her and also pushed a newspaper in her direction. Betty wrinkled her nose at the smell of the liquid. Then she allowed a slow smile to creep across her face. “Hmm. I told you I wanted coffee.”

“Yes. You did.”

“So why didn’t you bring me a coffee?”

Betty took a long drink from her cup and continued her line of questioning. She nodded appreciatively at the cup and also made a small murmur of pleasure.

“See Betty, you said you wanted the coffee, but I knew what you needed instead. Keep that in mind.”

“Well, thank you for the chai. It is very soothing. Sigh, I just can’t believe that I’ve already ended up in the middle of some sort of foul play.”

Betty furrowed her brow as she quickly read through the article in the paper. She couldn’t believe the article had already leaked in the local paper. She would definitely have to address the issue in her staff meeting later. It certainly wasn’t the way she had hoped to introduce herself to her new employees.

Brannigan caught her lost in thought and said, “So that little exchange between you and Beaux Jacques? What were you referring to, what wouldn’t be the same as it was before?”

“Oh. Nothing.” She surveyed the look of concern in Brannigan’s eyes and sighed. “Fine. I didn’t want anyone here to know this, so you can’t tell anyone… before I decided to buy the Cornerstone, I was a corporate lawyer. I spent way too many hours away from home at work, and it destroyed my previous relationship, if you would even call it that. I left Beaux Jacques alone quite a bit, and I’ve felt guilty for it ever since.”

“Ah. I see.” Brannigan took a sip of his drink and nodded his head. “That’s good stuff. She really outdid herself this morning making it. Well, I suppose you’ve come to the right place to relax. Relaxation is art here, and trust me, not much happens. That’s why the news of the murder has caused such an uproar.”

“So who was the girl I found?”

Betty grimaced, remembering the dead young woman in the shrubbery. She was so young and full of life it seemed. It was a shame to see her that way, and she felt as if she deserved some sort of justice for her life being robbed from her so quickly.

“I know the paper didn’t report any names, but it’s suspected it’s Hanna Davis.”

“I’m sorry, I have no frame of reference as to who that is.”

Before Betty could ask him any further questions, Brannigan looked at his watch and shook his head. “It’s been a lovely morning with a lovely woman, but I’m afraid duty calls. I better be getting home, so I can get ready for work. Mondays are always quite busy with the weekend backlog of mail. I’ll see you and Beaux around.” Beaux Jacques woofed at the sound of his name, and Betty was left sitting with her mouth open, shocked at his abrupt departure. As a few more guests entered, Betty caught the eyes of the kind owner, who had been staring at her sitting alone after Brannigan had left. The woman made a subtle motion with her head toward the road, indicating the Betty should leave. Betty subtly nodded at her and picked up Beaux Jacques leash. “Come on, Beaux. We have to get prepared for the day anyway.”

Beaux stretched and wagged his long tail, happily walking at Betty’s side through the gate of the Cup and Saucer. The pair headed back down the same path they walked previously. Betty secretly hoped to catch another glimpse of Brannigan to ask him about his odd behavior, but instead, the pair traveled alone, save for a couple people biking through town. She keyed herself into her apartment and found that her mail had already been delivered. She smiled to herself, realizing that Brannigan must have made her home the first stop on her route. Examining the contents, she found nothing really unusual. There were the normal ad circulars and some bills which had already been paid for, which had generated in her name for her new lease.