Beautiful Disaster

Part Twenty-nine

His time away from Night Light had been well-spent, in Hugh's opinion. He whistled as he made his way back, a plastic of Christmas lights in one hand and a wreath in the other. On his mind was the ever-pervading thought of Izzy and how he had to learn to live without her.

He wasn't about to compromise his and Izzy's favor in Mario's eyes. He also did not want to put a wedge between Izzy and her father. They were just starting to strengthen the relationship between them, and he didn't want to end up breaking it.

A sound from behind him caught his attention. Hugh turned and saw an old lady come out from the gate of a residential cottage. "Good evening, Miss Haber. Isn't it a little too dark to be out and about?"

"Oh! Hello there, young man. Isn't it a little too dark to go wandering about town?" Miss Haber answered saucily. Her long shawl was replaced by a thick coat that went all the way to her toes.

"You got me there," Hugh commented worriedly. What was an old woman doing out in the open and past dinner time too?

"Where's Izzy, by the way? I thought she might be with you, taking a romantic walk under all this lovely moonlight."

The mention of Izzy's name made a lump form in Hugh's throat. He'd almost forgotten his present dilemma with Izzy when Miss Haber greeted him. He should have known that if anyone ever brought up Izzy in a discussion, it would be Miss Haber.

"She's at Night Light, helping the others prep for the coming Christmas party," he answered. "I came from over there too. I went out to buy some additional lights for the front entrance."

The old lady gasped and raised her hands in delight. "It's along the way to where I'm headed. You see, I found this wallet at the fair the other day, and the name on it's not familiar to me. I'm on my way to the bed and breakfast place. Need to see if anyone with the name Peter Lewis is staying there."

Hugh's brows scrunched up at the mention of that lowlife. "Peter Lewis? I know him. He's Izzy's ex."

All at once, the expression on Miss Haber's face darkened. She loved Izzy like a grandchild, and she had been as offended as anyone when she found out that someone had used and cheated on the dearie. "You mean he's that no-goodie philandering sissy who broke my Izzy's heart? Why I ought to go down to the inn and give him an earful. He'll be deaf by the time I'm through with him. Anyone who hurts Izzy that way has to deal with me."

Miss Haber almost rushed past Hugh, but he was able to stop her. He grabbed hold of her before she could accidentally slip on the pavement or make a racket that would surely garner the attention of the other residents. "Settle down, Miss Haber. I'll deal with Peter Lewis."

"You better make sure he won't be able to walk when he leaves town, young man. I'm counting on you to defend your lady-love." Miss Haber had a stubborn expression on her face, and Hugh realized that there was no appeasing the woman. He had to agree to whatever Miss Haber asked of him, even though he wasn't going to actually do it.

"And I'll give him his wallet back," Hugh added.

"Thank you."

Hugh escorted Miss Haber to her house and accepted the found wallet before the old woman went in. He held the newly bought decorations in one hand and flipped the wallet open with the other. There, in one transparent compartment, Peter's face proudly grinned at the camera.

The expression on the man's mug filled Hugh with a sense of disgust. In his opinion, not a cell of Peter's body deserved to live. How could he just use Izzy like that?

Hah! Then again, Izzy did well keeping her cool at the pub a while back. Hugh snorted as he pocketed the wallet. Surely Peter Lewis is still frowning over her rebuff. That man ought to know who he's dealing with. He'd need a ten-wheeler truck or a gun to bring Izzy down—

Hugh's heart froze over as the thought struck him. He took out the wallet and scrambled to open it. He looked closer at the picture.

Peter was tall. Peter was lean. And Peter was wearing a gray jacket and a black cap with an orange bill in the picture.

♥

Continued

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