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“Well, on Wendy’s part, yes,” Erik agreed, chuckling at her expression. He liked Frieda. She was high-strung, but a good person.
“What would you do?” Birgit asked, looking at Wendy with concern. “We’ve dealt with vandalism, fires, wild animals, and chemical terrorism. We don’t want you anywhere near that.”
“If our theory is right, that won’t be a concern,” Wendy assured her, patting her arm. “Anita won’t want me hurt. If anything, she’ll want me pampered. She’ll be watching in some fashion or other, and in turn, we some of you can watch them. See if you can glimpse a face or catch a picture.”
“The downside is that Wendy will have to stay away from us, though,” Erik said next, slightly frowning. “So that means she can’t be seen here for any reason.”
“Can we visit her?” Heidi asked, giving Wendy a small smile.
“With discretion, yes,” Erik replied. “But wait until late evening, and confirm with her first. Park far away, and if she has a back door, use it.”
“I do,” Wendy piped up. “And my backyard cuts really close to one of the nature trails. If you take that, no one will see you. I can draw you all a map later.”
“Perfect,” Erik praised.
“So, what should I be doing in the meantime?” Wendy asked.
“I hate to tell you how to spend your money, but you might have to flash it,” Erik replied, looking slightly guilty. “Go into a town for a few days, visit some of the Holstead-owned stores, and try to let Anita catch you out. Tease her a bit for being so stalker-like that first night, but then let her bond with you. Take her to coffee, or dinner. And just let her say whatever she wants. Nine times out of ten, she’ll steer her conversation toward this place, and that’s when youreallypay attention.”
“Ooo, you get to be a secret agent,” Frieda whispered excitedly, grasping at Wendy’s arm. “Please,let me switch places with you. I’ve waited my entire life for a moment like this!”
Everyone at the table laughed, and Wendy gave Frieda’s shoulder a consoling pat.
“Sorry, darling, but I believe that I must play this role and I alone.”
“But you’ll get to next time,” Erik teased.
“I’d better,” Frieda grumbled, pretending to pout.
A moment later the food and wine arrived, and they all took a short break to dig in. Frieda had ordered well. Side dish bowls loaded with spaetzle, sauerkraut, Bavarian potato salad, red cabbage, brown gravy, and spiced apples were all passed around with large plates of pork schnitzel and bratwurst.
Thankful for getting to enjoy her second well-cooked meal in a row, Wendy dug in with gusto, trying a little bit of everything. As they ate, the conversation took a brief turn to lighter topics. Heidi declared that she was going to remodel her cabin and expand in the spring, to which all the men at the table readily offered their help.
Chris announced that his last small store in San Francisco was getting sold for a lovely price and that he was going to officially retire from his store in Leavenworth and hire a manager to take over. Cynthia shared that she was looking forward to going apartment shopping, and then everyone laughed when Lorrie quickly told her she wasn’t allowed to move out any time soon. Sitting across from them, Wendy could see how close the two women were and was warmed by their deep friendship. She was happy that Cynthia had decided to move to Leavenworth, not just for her, but for Lorrie.
When the plates of food and bottles of wine were drunk, they moved back to discussing their next move. While Wendy was doing her part, everyone else had their own duty to be vigilant. Any spare time was to be used keeping an eye on Wendy, just to see what might show up. A year ago, such security would have been off-putting to Wendy, but as of the events of late, she was thankful for it and didn’t really want to be alone.
“I think that’s everything,” Erik announced after a few moments of silence finally went by. They had been talking so much, that the quiet hum of the restaurant felt stiff and unwelcome. “I think we should all head home and get some sleep. Tomorrow’s a new day.”
“Indeed it is,” Tucker agreed as they all rose. He stuck out his hand and clapped Erik on the back. “Thanks for everything, man.”
“Yeah, really,” Davis agreed, shaking his hand next. The other men in the group all agreed, taking turns to shake Erik’s hand. Wendy had forgotten that he was just as new to this group as she was, and it warmed her heart to see him so well accepted.
“We’ll come check on you soon,” Birgit promised Wendy, giving her a hug goodbye. The other women all agreed and took turns giving her hugs as they made their way outside.
“So, sleepover?” Davis asked, turning to Heidi with a boyish grin.
Heidi laughed and rolled her eyes. “Finnneee.” She sighed, going on her toes to kiss his nose. But no funny business. Just sleep.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Davis swore, his eyes lighting up with mischief.
“A sleepover sounds good, doesn’t it, Tucker?” Pierce asked, eyeing up Lorrie and Cynthia.
“It would be safer,” Tucker replied, grinning at Cynthia.
“What are we going to do with these two?” Cynthia sighed, feigning exhaustion as they all began to walk out.
“Well, we’ve already let them in the house.” Lorrie laughed. “I think they forgot they were strays.”
