Page 36 of Letting Go
Nothing appears out of the ordinary as I glance along the street.
As I run my hand over my truck, I inspect for additional damage and look for any notes on the windshield, although I’m not shocked that the person responsible for vandalizing the car of an FBI agent didn’t leave a message.
Squatting down, it’s clear this isn’t from just a nail on the road. The tire has a distinct, small, triangle shaped puncture hole. It would require fairly sharp blades to take out an entire piece of the rubber like that. The back tire has a matching puncture gash. I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck as I call to log the incident and reach out to my roadside service.
Looking up and down Main Street again, I absentmindedly run my hands through my hair.
What is going on in this small town?
Chapter sixteen
Vivian
It feels like I’ve been on an emotional rollercoaster for the past week. Four days after Walker came to see me, I received a third poem. Just like with the previous poems, I completed the same steps, and the Sheriff arranged for someone to collect the bagged evidence. As much as I try to block it all out, this latest poem continues to haunt me relentlessly.
I don’t understand what the poem is talking about, other than another thinly veiled threat pointing out that I’m doing something wrong, although I can’t figure that out either.
To add to this week’s fun, despite how much I wanted to put this off, I could no longer avoid having tea at the Riley’s. Marcie Claire not only mentioned it every single time we crossed pathsbut had also mentioned it to Daddy a few times. I suggested a meeting time while Eloise was at preschool so I had a hard stop to keep it short. Pulling into their driveway brings back so many nostalgic thoughts of my childhood and youth. Before we dated, Chase and I were first and foremost friends, and he is interwoven into most of my high school memories.
Chase’s mother Marcie Claire is a lot of things, but one of her talents is her award-winning green thumb. She’s the President of the Garden Club and is known throughout the region for her beautiful gardens. Marcie Claire’s front porch adorned with beautiful flower beds, served as the backdrop for my prom photos with Chase. The deep purple in her hyacinths were the perfect contrast to my pale-yellow prom dress and Chase’s dark blue tuxedo. I smile at the memory and wonder if Marcie Claire ever found out about the time a bunch of our friends threw up in her beloved garden beds after too much to drink the summer after graduation.
“Are you thinking of the prom photo, dear?” Marcie Claire interrupts my thoughts as I hadn’t heard her come out on the porch. She is dressed in pale pink slacks, a black cardigan set, black driving loafers, and of course her matching pearl earrings and necklace because who doesn’t wear their pearls at 10 a.m.?
“Indeed I was, ma’am. I haven’t seen that photo in ages but it’s a favorite memory from high school of mine,” I reply.
“Do you need a copy of it? I have each of my boys’ prom photos on the mantel in our den,” she asks.
“That’s so kind of you, I know I have a copy somewhere with my high school stuff that’s all in storage right now though. It is a great picture; your hyacinths were gorgeous that spring!”
“There was a lot of pretty in that picture, darling,” Marcie Claire replies fondly. I give her a small smile as I walk up the front steps and give her a cordial hug. “I just brought tea and a tray of pastries out on the side porch, I thought we might want to sit out here tovisit if that’s alright with you,” she says as she gestures for us to walk around the porch to the sitting area.
The Riley’s front porch wraps around the entire house until it meets the large deck out back. They have sitting areas on each side of the house with beautiful views overlooking Marcie Claire’s gardens. “I adore hosting coffee and tea times on the porch when the weather allows it. Thankfully today is a mild day, but if you get chilly, let me know. Clark had these fancy heaters installed last year and they can put off quite a bit of heat for such a slim profile.” She gestures to some kind heating unit mounted on the ceiling. If she hadn’t pointed them out, I wouldn’t have noticed. “It’s nice to be able to be out here more without being too cold.”
“You have done so much work over the years on your gardens, it seems only right that you should be able to enjoy them as much as possible,” I tell her honestly.
“You are too sweet, Vivian, thank you, dear,” Marcie Claire replies as she pours us each a cup of tea and selects a few pastries for her plate. I notice madeleine cookies and can’t help but put a couple on my plate. “Good choice! Those are from the new bakery on Main Street, and I wouldn’t admit this to anyone else, but I think they might be the best cookies in town. Now if you tell Shirley at the diner I said that, I will deny any such thing,” she says as she winks and laughs. “Her monster cookies are a classic but those madeleines are divine!”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
We visit and make small talk, which also means Marcie Claire tries to extract any and all gossip I may know about anyone in town. When I mention needing to pick up Elosie from preschool soon, Marcie Claire pulls out a folder of papers I hadn’t noticed on the chair next to her.
“These guidelines are just a mess, if I’m being honest. I’m worried if we don’t get them cleaned up, we could be putting theForrest Falls Women’s Society’s nonprofit status at risk and I would love your professional opinion,” Marcie Claire says as she hands me the documents. I start looking through the folder and have to hold back a laugh as I notice the letterhead. “It looks like Clark and Chase’s firm set up the original document, have you asked them for any insight about your concerns?”
“Oh, that’s right, I should have noticed that but to be honest, I didn’t look that closely at the original documents. I forgot Clark’s partner was the one that updated that for us in the mid-nineties, I think. Goodness, that was so long ago, I must have forgotten they were involved in that process,” Marcie Claire continues. “I heard about a women’s group in Nashville that didn’t update some guidelines and then they lost their nonprofit status, which would be such a headache, so I wanted to be proactive and make sure the Society was not in a vulnerable position. I’m sure you can understand, we’re cut from the same cloth in that way, a stitch in time saves nine and all of that.”
“It’s always good to be proactive instead of reactive. I’m not seeing anything here that is pressing, other than maybe some of this wording in article three could be updated and possibly adding in a clause about term limits for board members,” I tell her.
“Oh, we don’t really do term limits, dear. We just serve until we need to take a step back, which is why I have been happily serving as the President for so long. It’s a joy to serve such a wonderful organization.”
Feeling as though she wants me to thank her for her service of volunteering to lead a group of women that are professional gossips and queen bees, I suppress the expression of gratitude. “Of course, I would just have Clark or Chase or even one of their junior partners clean this up a little for you and I would think you would be okay. Although, it would be wise to have an attorney that is well-versed in nonprofit take a look if you have serious concernsabout anything,” I respond, telling her what I have already said to her multiple times.
“That’s a brilliant idea, Vivian. Thank you so much, dear. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me and put my mind at ease. You are still the same sweet girl you have always been,” Marcie Claire goes on as if I actually offered any significant or new advice.
“What in the actual hell are you doing here?” Like nails on a chalkboard, that voice could only belong to one person. The side door slams open and Chloe struts out glaring at me.
“Oh goodness, language Chloe! You will have to excuse her, Vivian. Chloe seems to forget this is not her house and at my house, I always require respect and manners.” Marcie Claire pats my hand as she sends daggers with her eyes at Chloe.
“Of course, Mrs. Riley, my apologies,” Chloe saccharinely replies. “Please allow me to try again. Good morning ladies, what is the wonderful occasion to have Vivian Stone invade the Riley family porch?”
