Page 37 of Grounded
“Who’s Felicia?”
“Stuart’s new secretary … never mind.”
“I told Beverly everything I knew about Stuart, what you found out about past girlfriends, your experience. It went right over her head. She was afraid to call, but wanted your e-mail address.”
“I haven’t laid eyes on a computer in two weeks, and my phone is spotty.”
“Annie, I’m so sorry. When you come back at the end of the summer, stay with me until you find something. I’ll keep looking in the meantime.”
Annie said goodbye to Janice and hung up the phone.So this is how he deals with it. Find someone new to take away the pain. Feel better, replace what was lost and grow something new on top of old roots.
And she had thought he was calling because he missed her. Annie laughed out loud. “That son of a …”
The next morning, Lindy called to see if Annie could meet for lunch at the Diner. While Annie gathered her purse and keys, her grandmother moved slowly over to the shopping list next to the telephone. With her glasses held at a certain angle, her grandmother studied the list. “Bring me a five-pound bag of sugar and a pint of heavy whipping cream. I’ll get my purse.”
“No, I’ve got it. Call my cell phone if you think of anything else.”
“Oh, wait a minute. Get that two thousand dollars out of the coffee can in the freezer. I’ve been keeping it in case that Ms. Hawkins changed her mind after staying there, but I’d better get it in the bank.”
“You keep money in the freezer?”
“That’s one of my hiding places. I’m not sure I remember where all I’ve stashed money over the years. If anything ever happens to me, go through everything before you sell it all off.”
Annie tucked the wad of bills in her purse. Rolling down the windows of her grandmother’s car, she took in deep breaths of the sweet scent of honeysuckle. Pulling out of the driveway and onto the two-lane road, Annie left the windows down, feeling a sense of freedom a closed car couldn’t give.
She drove slowly, listening to the bobwhites call from the roadside forest as she followed the winding creek which led into town. The dense wilderness, thick with cane and trees, unfolded into flat farmland once again before reaching the town limits of Somerville, the county seat.
It was noon. The Somerville National Bank was next to the County Attorney’s office, and Annie found a parking space on the street in front of both. She had hoped to get the money in the bank as soon as possible, but she didn’t want to be late for her lunch with Lindy. When plans were firmed up over the weekend, she remembered Lindy saying she had to be in court right after lunch.
The law office was in an old Victorian building. The tall ceilings and wood floors lent an air of old-time lawyering. The secretary rang Lindy’s office, and she appeared dressed in a crisp navy blue suit.
“Want to see my office?” Lindy asked.
“Sure,” Annie said, following Lindy back to a beautiful room featuring a gas log fireplace and restored to its original woodwork.
“This is beautiful!” Annie said, admiring the painted woodwork and rich wood floors partially covered with a Persian rug. “I never dreamed these old buildings had such character.”
“Dad owns the building, so he decided years ago to take it back to its original glory. I think he did a pretty good job.”
“It’s surprising,” Annie said. “I wouldn’t have thought these buildings could be so attractive on the inside.”
“Time, work and money, but restoration is worth it,” Lindy said as she led Annie back to the foyer. “If you’re ready, we’ll walk down to Bill’s.”
Just two blocks down the street, a red-and-white-striped awning marked the entrance to Bill’s Diner.
“I remember the awning being blue and white when I worked here,” Annie said as they approached.
“It was. He changed it last fall and upset everybody in town. Now that they have gotten used to it, I think they like it better.”
Lindy pushed open the plate glass and metal door, which jingled the bell above. Several customers looked up to see who was coming through the door.
“Well, if it isn’t the prodigal child come home!” Bill rubbed his hands on his white apron and bounded around the counter like a Saint Bernard. Annie met him and they hugged.
“Hey, Bill, how are you?”
She looked at him and noticed he had gained a few pounds, but for the most part, he looked the same.
“Ornery as an old hornet!” And to Lindy he said, “This girl was my star waitress for four years. Annie, can I interest you in a job?”
