Little Girls and Puppy Dog Tales
 

Chapter 5
 

“Hi, I’m John Anderson. Welcome to our lane.”

“John? Not Brian?” Celeste asked. From what she remembered the man standing in front of her looked exactly like Brian Kinney.

“No, I’m Brian’s older brother. And yes, we have been mistaken for one another. But I’m better looking,” John joked putting Celeste at ease. John then stuck his hand out toward Sam who was waiting not so patiently.

“I have to apologize for Briana’s disappearing act,” John said to Celeste. “She does want to meet you, but she’s...”

“Scared?” Celeste offered.

“Yes. But I don’t think she realizes it. So for now the princess is in hiding until she works up the nerve to face you. And once she does, watch out,” John said with a smirk.

“What does that mean?” Sam asked in full cop mode.

“That means, Bree is one special little girl and she owes that in part to you,” John said as he smiled brightly at Celeste. Celeste looked up to the tall handsome man and returned the smile. John knew that smile all too well.

“You'll have to put up with us for a while longer. Who have you met so far?” John asked. His casual nature soothed and calmed the situation.

“We’ve met Justin, Bobby and his sister,” Sam replied.

“And we’ve just come from meeting Jennifer and Molly,” Celeste said. “They look like they could be members of my family,” she added.

“Makes sense. Brian made a deliberate choice in asking Justin to father their child. It may have been a little presumptuous of him but Brian wanted a child that looked as much like Justin as possible. To do that they needed to choose a surrogate that closely resembled Justin’s mother and sister.”

“Genetic manipulation like that is a gamble at best,” Celeste said. Her deep blue eyes were wide with wonder. “You couldn’t have known if there was dark hair and eyes in my family that could have popped up in Briana.”

“True, but Brian Kinney excels at gambling. It shows in his business choices. He took a gamble when he created Kinnetik and his other ventures. He also took a gamble at deciding to meet me and my mother. But enough about Brian. He’d love to know that he’s been the center of our conversation.” John laughed. “And my brother is stuck up enough without me tooting his horn. So you’ve seen most of the lane. Has anyone shown you the cabin?”

“No not yet,” Sam replied. He was finally looking forward to something on this lane.

“Then come on,” John said as he herded his band of two toward the cabin. Just then Beau came bounding across the lane. “Beau!” John greeted the large dog. Beau stopped to scrutinize the visitors. “It’s okay, boy, they’re friends.”

Beau stepped up to Sam to give him a cursory sniff. Then he turned his attentions toward Celeste. She had a familiar scent.

“He’s big,” Celeste said in a frightened whisper.

“Yes, he is, but he’s friendly to those who are harmless. Beau guards the lane and the people who reside here. He also just recently became a father.” John laughed as Beau bolted up the lane and then toward the stream. “He sired six pups this summer that are driving him crazy.”

“Six?” Celeste exclaimed.

“All but one will have homes when they’re weaned. We can’t seem to find a home for the last one,” John said with a sad sigh as he unlocked the cabin door and showed the Watson’s inside.

“Why?” Celeste asked.

“Juan, is a bit of a wanderer,” John explained, and at the looks he was getting from Sam and Celeste, John explained further. “Brian named him. Juan was exploring his environment a little too much for his mother’s liking, so Brian calls him Juan. The name stuck. Please feel free to look around,” John suggested as the Watson’s walked into the cabin.

Sam and Celeste looked around the spacious cabin ooohing and aahhing as they did.

“This is fantastic! You built this?” Celeste asked John.

“Yes, I designed it and my crew built it.”

“But you had a hand in it,” Sam stated knowingly.

“You’re right. I couldn’t resist strapping on my tool belt for this one,” John chuckled. “I’m very proud of how it turned out. Michael and Ben allow me to showcase it to perspective clients who are interested in a vacation home.”

“So you specialize in small homes?” Sam asked as he examined the interior walls.

“No, my company does anything from a high-rise office to multi-dwelling apartments to cottages and historical restorations. We can afford to be choosy regarding the projects we take on. Michael is Brian’s closest childhood friend. When he expressed a desire for a quiet place of his own where he could bring his family, Brian offered him this plot of land. It was Ben and Michael’s wish for it to be a cabin and not a cottage.”

“Well I think it’s wonderful and thank you for showing it to us,” Celeste said. Sam was also impressed although he didn’t want to admit it. “Can I ask about the larger cottage across the lane and the greenhouse.”

“Sure. After living out here for many years and having family stay with us we decided that the lane could use sort of a bed and breakfast of its own. Not that we charge for anyone to stay there, but it’s large enough to accommodate several families. It has a large fireplace in the living room and a communal kitchen. It comes in handy during the holidays. Our friends and family can come for a visit, stay over if they’re too tired to drive back to the city or just stay on for a nice long visit.

“Anyone that comes for an extended stay buys their own groceries and cooks their own meals. The family loves it and we find it convenient,” John explained.

“And the greenhouse?” Sam asked.

“That’s Brian’s baby. He and Justin went to Hawaii for their anniversary. The trip didn’t quite turn out like they had expected, but what they did come home with was an appreciation for the native plants and flowers. I’d be happy to show you.”

 

*****
 

“Dada, Uncle John is bringing them this way,” Bree said a little worried as she peeked out the window again.

“I don’t think so, Squirt. Your Uncle John said he’d give you time and he doesn’t go back on his promises. I think he’s going to show them the greenhouse. We’ll be okay,” Brian assured Bree.

“Okay, Dada.”

“Bree, your uncle is right. You invited them here; it’s time to meet them.”

“I will. Soon, I promise.”

“Okay, Squirt. You call the shots,” Brian said as he picked her up to hug and kiss her.

 

*****
 

“Oh my God!” Celeste exclaimed as they entered the greenhouse. It was Fall but the flowers in the greenhouse were magnificent. They took Celeste’s breath away. “This is … magical,” she added.

“Pretty impressive,” Sam had to admit.

“Yes, we all enjoy it from time to time,” John said as he looked around too. “If anyone needs some peace and quiet this is one of the places that we can come.”

“I can see why that’s true,” Celeste observed as she strolled towards the back of the greenhouse.

“The best is yet to come,” John informed her.

“What do you mean?”

“Keep walking and you’ll see.”

Celeste walked up to the last table and saw the waterfall and the koi pond. “Oh my God!” she exclaimed once again. “This is so wonderful.”

John smiled as he watched the reactions of the two people with him. Sam hadn’t said much so far. John was about to ask him what he thought when Sam spoke.

“I’d like to meet this Brian person. If he did all this he must really be something,” Sam said as he gazed at the back wall and the koi swimming in the pond. “Do they go outside?” he asked as one of the fish disappeared from view.

“Yes,” John said proudly. “The pond continues outside. We’ll have to close it off soon so the koi survive the winter.”

Sam shook his head. “I have a little pond in our backyard, but this beats everything.”

“You and Brian should have a chat,” John said with a chuckle. “Just be careful that he doesn’t talk you into making the pond the size of your whole yard. Brian tends to think big.”

“When might we finally meet Brian and Bree?” Celeste asked trying to keep her impatience out of her voice.

“I’m sorry this is taking so long,” John apologized. “Why don’t you both have a seat on the edge of the pond or look around some more and I’ll try to call Brian.”

When Sam and Celeste sat down, John headed outside of the greenhouse to make his call.

“I think we should go home,” Celeste said sadly. “This was a bad idea for everybody.”

Sam took his wife’s hand. “We can go if you want to, but we came a long way to meet your daughter.”

“Don’t call her that,” Celeste said quickly. “She’s Brian and Justin’s daughter, and apparently they didn’t teach the child any manners.”

“They probably taught her manners,” Sam said gently. “She’s probably scared about meeting you. Remember how worried you were when you got the invitation.”

“But this was her idea. Why did she ask me to come if she was going to run away when I got here?” Tears were threatening to fall.

“She’s just a little girl. I’m sure her whims come and go at lightning speed.”

“I don’t like being a whim,” Celeste said before Sam pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.

 

*****
 

“Brian, when the fuck are you going to get over here?” John demanded as soon as Brian answered his call.

“Whoa! You never swear.”

“I don’t usually have to make up excuses and try to entertain strangers for hours on end.”

Brian heard the frustration in his brother’s voice. “Bree just isn’t ready yet,” he said, not able to explain more than that.

“And when do you think she might be ready?” John demanded. “These people are starting to think we’re all nuts.”

“Bree,” Brian said speaking to his daughter, but letting John hear over the phone, “Uncle John says that Celeste is getting upset that you haven’t come to meet her. Are you ready yet?”

Bree stared at her father. “Sowwy, Uncle John,” she called out in her baby talk. “I’ll try to be ready soon. I promise.” Tears were starting to form in her eyes.

“You heard?” Brian asked into the phone.

“Yeah,” John sighed. “I’ll try to stall them a little longer.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to make the delay as short as possible,” Brian said before he cut the connection. He turned to Bree. “We need to go meet her soon.”

“I know, Dada. Can we go to the stream first?”

“The stream?”

“Yes, I need to see it before I meet … her.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I just do,” Bree pleaded.

“Okay, let’s go, but we better make it fast.”

“’Kay, Dada.” Bree placed her hand in her father’s and they headed out the back door of the B&B.

 

*****
 

“Better?” Sam asked as he released his hold on his wife. She seemed to have calmed down a little bit.

“Not much,” Celeste replied, but she wiped her eyes and sat up straight. “I should have listened to my gut and ignored that invitation.”

“It was pretty hard to ignore,” Sam chuckled hoping to cheer up his wife.

Celeste made a face. “I did want to meet the little girl who made that card.”

“I have to admit – so did I.”

“Why is she afraid to face me?” Celeste asked.

“Fear of the unknown,” Sam suggested. “She doesn’t know what you’ll be like, just as we don’t know what she will be like. She might hate you or like you too much.”

“Too much?”

“She wouldn’t want her dads to think she wants her biological mother in her life.”

“But that’s not what I want either,” Celeste protested.

“Yes, but she doesn’t know which way it might go. She’s torn, so she’s avoiding.”

“How did you get so smart?” Celeste asked with a smile at her husband.

“From dealing with all those criminals. I know a lot about human nature and motivation.”

“You certainly do,” Celeste agreed as she leaned over to kiss her husband.

“Oops,” a voice said. “Hi, hi, hi, I’m Emmett Honeycutt. Sorry to interrupt you.”
 

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