Page 49 of The Night the Lights Went Out
“Wow. What a way to thank a family home for its years of service.”
Wade frowned. “Maybe you shouldn’t be spending so much time with Sugar. For the record, I’m moving it to another piece of property I own a couple of miles down the road. I’m going to restore it and then live in it. It’s in really bad shape now—needs a completely new roof and there’s a bit of termite damage. If it stays here, it will disintegrate and be lost forever. Even Sugar thinks I’m doing the right thing.”
“My apologies.” She smiled up at him, loving the way his eyes turned up at the corners like he was always secretly laughing at something. She was still trying to think of a way to bring up the subject of the gala when the man Wade had been speaking with called out.
“Hey, Wade—while you’re talking, I’m going to check out that new backhoe you have over there. She’s a beauty.”
“Come here for a second, Bill. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
As the man approached, Wade said, “I want you to meet an old friend of mine—the one whose grandparents are from Sandersville. He happened to be in town on business and wanted to drop by one of my construction sites to find out the secret to my success.”
Merilee considered for a brief moment pretending she hadn’t heard him and making an excuse to leave before she realized that she’d never be able to walk far enough away from her past. It was always there, lurking in the shadows. So she turned slowly, squinting more than the sunlight required.
“Merilee Dunlap, please meet Bill West. Another developer who wishes he’d thought to buy up land in north Fulton County when I did.”
They shook hands and Merilee did her best to smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s always good to meet friends of Wade’s. He always knows how to pick ’em. Well, with a few notable exceptions.”
Wade elbowed him. “Now, now. Be nice.”
Bill grinned. “So, you know Heather.”
Merilee glanced over at Wade, wondering why she and Heather might have been a topic of their conversation. “Yes, she’s a friend of mine. Through the kids’ school.” She wasn’t positive that was true, but she hoped that by saying it, it would make Bill stop talking.
He chewed on his lower lip. “Then I’m not saying a word. I just knew her when she was dating Wade. When she was still a nice person.”
“Watch it,” Wade warned.
Bill held up his hands in surrender. “All right, all right. I’ll stop.”
Merilee wondered at the use of the past tense, but before she could say anything, Wade said, “So, doesn’t Merilee look familiar to you? I swear I know her from somewhere but can’t place her. Maybe you can. Of course, you sowed a lot more wild oats than I ever did in my misspent youth, so maybe you’ve got fewer brain cells than I have.”
“Ha,” Bill said before turning to study Merilee. She continued to squint and smile, trying not to make it obvious that she was holding her breath. “Yep. Definitely looks like someone I should recognize. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking that I should know so many beautiful women that they all start to run together.”
Merilee exhaled, feeling the sweat roll down her spine beneath her jacket.
“Right,” said Wade, slapping his friend on the back. “You let me know if it comes to you. Go check out my backhoe and make sure you tell me how jealous you are.”
“Nice to meet you, Merilee,” Bill said, tipping the rim of his hard hat as he left.
Wade turned back to her. “I saw you called me a bunch of times on my cell. Sorry I couldn’t talk—it’s been a crazy morning already.” He crossed his arms. “So, what can I help you with? Is there a problem with the cellar doors? Or the shelves?”
“Oh, no. They’re both fine. Really. You did an amazing job on the shelves—you finished them off just beautifully. You’re a real craftsman.”
“Is this about the army trunk in the cellar? I called Sugar and she had no recollection of it.”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said—about there maybe being ammunition or rifles or something dangerous in there. I just don’t like the idea of my kids—or anybody’s kids—snooping around and breaking a lock. If you could ask Sugar if it’s okay to open it, then we probably should,” she said, her smile now plastered on her face as she realized that the time had come. She mentally kicked herself for not waiting until he’d called her back on the phone.
“So... ,” he prompted.
“So... yes. Well, there’s this gala fund-raiser at Windwood. Heather is the committee chair and she asked that I head up the auction committee.”
“No, I’m not giving anybody free land, if that’s what you’re here to ask for.”
“No, not that—unless you really want to. I, um, she’s putting me at the head table with her and Dan, and when I told her I was planning on going solo she said that wouldn’t work because then she’d have an uneven number of chairs as well as the girls-to-boys ratio at the head table. Personally, I don’t see a problem, but clearly it’s an issue for her.”
He was scrutinizing her closely now, apparently now anticipating her question and enjoying her discomfort. “Clearly,” he said.
