Page 81 of Missile Tow
“Seems to me, Mrs. Hatfield, that James has already made his choice,” Chip quipped. “A fine choice indeed.” John shot Chip a death glare, knowing what Chip was trying to do. “And as you already know, I’m taken by Van, so this works out fantastically.”
“Until Van moves on from Missile, correct?” Sadie inquired. “I’m sure he has bigger and better places to be than our little hamlet.”
“You might be right,” Chip agreed. “But I’m afraid if Van decides to leave Missile, I’ll be right behind him, ma’am.”
Sadie clutched her neck in disbelief. “You’d never,” she huffed. “We depend on you and the mercantile, Calvin,” she added, using Chip’s formal name. “We simply couldn’t allow such a thing.”
Chip pulled me to his side. “Then I suggest you charm the pants off this little bugger here, ma’am. Because I’m as serious as a heart attack. If Van goes, I go.”
“Well, that is simply ridiculous,” she harrumphed. “You couldn’t possibly do that.”
Bertie, who’d apparently been in the kitchen, spoke up when she came through the swinging door and into the living room where we were.
“What’s even more ridiculous, you dingbat, is that you presume Chip would listen to your advice,” Bertie scolded.
Sadie gave her a dismissive wave, deciding Chip’s recommendation to charm me was in her best interest. “So, Vance. How are you enjoying your stay here?”
“I’m enjoying it very much, Sadie. I can see myself living in Missile.”
Bertie stepped beside Sadie. “Which means,Hatfield, you better concentrate on your grandkid being with someone else who’snotChip,” she chirped. “Chip is taken, as you can clearly see.”
The six of us stood staring at one another. Sadie, I assumed, was wondering if Chip would actually leave, and whether she needed to suck up to me. Bertie appeared smug that her comments had rendered Sadie speechless.
James had sidled up so closely to John that no space existed between them. While Chip and I squeezed our hands tightly together, enjoying the absurdity of the evening thus far, John appeared horrified.
Sadie found her voice and turned toward John. “Are your parents driving themselves here, John?”
John met us at Sadie’s, so we hadn’t heard how his reunion had gone with them. “They won’t be coming, ma’am,” he reported.
I noticed John swallow hard and look away. His answer was succinct, which, to me, sounded like bad news. Chip told me John’s parents were never thrilled about their relationship and that John rarely saw them when he lived here. Witnessing John attempting to act like he was okay broke my heart.
“Their loss,” Bertie stated, seeming to sense John could use support. “I’m just happy you’re here with us, kiddo,” she added.
Knowing that Bertie cared deeply for Chip’s ex didn’t bother me in the least. In fact, her feelings about John only solidified that mine were accurate. John was good people.
After the meet and greet calmed down, and the guests found areas to chat in, I wandered around the interior of Sadie’s first floor. The charming woodwork was original to the era and well-maintained. Her furnishings were Victorian antiques and complemented the overall appearance of the house itself.
While admiring the many figurines she had displayed on a large teak shelf, Sadie came up behind me. “An old woman’s hobby,” she said. “They give me joy and keep me company.”
I picked one up carefully and checked the bottom of the porcelain little boy. “Hummel,” I quietly stated. “I figured that’s what they were.”
“You recognize Hummel figurines?” she inquired, perking up considerably and taking the small statue from me. I figured she didn’t want me holding her collection, but instead, she handed me another one. “Check her out,” she encouraged. “My very first one. A gift from my husband.”
“Adorable,” I agreed. “I know that Sister Maria Hummel made drawings of children in traditional Bavarian settings, most with innocent expressions and rosy cheeks,” I began. “And then when her drawings became all the rage in Germany, the Goebel company secured the rights and produced figurines to match her artful drawings.”
“Wow,” Sadie exclaimed. “What else do you know about them, Vance?”
I turned the figurine over and spotted the Goebel bee logo stamped there. “The official logo,” I stated. “Proves them to be originals.” I backed up a tad and gestured at her collection. “All Goebel’s?”
“Every last one of them,” she declared, clutching her hands together over her heart. “I adore them all.”
“See the crown here, or what’s also known as thefull bee?” I asked, showing her the bottom of the porcelain piece. She moved closer, lifting her glasses and squinting at where my finger was. “This piece is original to the 1930s to 1950s. Quite valuable, actually.”
I returned the porcelain piece and grabbed another very recognizable statuette. “The one you’re holding now came frommy mother-in-law, and it’s titled Adventure Bound,” she proudly announced.
I gasped, doing my best to excite her. “No way,” I argued.
“As you kids say.Yes, way.”
