Boo (28 page)

“They’re harmless, I promise,” Wolfe said, taking Miss Peeple’s coat. “A little rambunctious, but harmless. They’ve been in the house most of the day.” That was hardly an explanation, but Wolfe didn’t know what else to say. “Please, have a seat.”

“Your house,” Miss Peeple said, looking around. “Extraordinary. What fine taste you have.”

“Thank you. Can I get you some coffee?”

“No, dear. You might as well offer me liquor.”

“What?”

She turned to him, wobbling on her cane. “I was addicted to the stuff for years. Had to have three cups in the morning, one by noon, and I gargled with it at night. It was practically an idol in my life, I worshiped it as if it were. Do you know what I mean?” Her small eyes narrowed as she looked at him.

“Not really.”

“Oh yes,” she said, in a lighter tone. “I’m sorry. You’re new to this.”

“To what?”

“Religion.”

Wolfe swallowed. She was here to talk about religion? He suddenly felt uncomfortable. She was, after all, just a little old lady. But Ainsley had warned him to stay away from her.

She made her way over to his chair near the fireplace, propped her cane against the wall, and sat down. “But I will take a glass of water.”

“Oh. Okay. Sure.” After getting her the water, he took a seat across the room. He almost wanted to start a fire, too. There seemed to be a chill in the air. “So, Miss Peeple, what brings you by?”

She looked at him as if surprised by the question, then smiled slightly. It turned into a grin, and before he knew it, she was baring a full set of yellow crooked teeth. He bit his lip in anticipation of what she might say.

“Why deary, I just came by to chat, that’s all.”

Ainsley spent the rest of the afternoon alone, thinking. She’d taken a long walk, window shopped, and then found herself at Sbooky’s. Whereas once she would pass the aisle that held his books feeling only contempt and anger, now she was curious. She walked the aisle, looking at each book, daring herself not to pick one up. She came to the end-cap, where a life-size cutout of him stood, promoting
Black Cats
. The image, shot at a creepy angle, didn’t look a thing like him. She tried to imagine him sitting in that old house of his writing these novels. She
couldn’t. She supposed it was because she knew a different man. A changed man. A man whose feelings ran deep and wide.

“Grab one while you can,” the clerk named Dustin said from behind her.

“No thanks,” Ainsley said. “I’m just looking.”

“That’s our second shipment in two weeks. We can hardly keep them in stock. Tourists coming through for the holidays and all.”

The boy went back to doing his work. Ainsley stared into the eyes of the poster. This man she had hated for so long. This same man she could now hardly keep her mind off of. Could she really be falling in love? After all her prayers to be married,
this was
who God had for her? The mysterious ways of the Lord never ceased to
amaze
her.

Her conversation with Martin Blarty interrupted her reverie. She had new reservations today. Was Wolfe tainting her? Was he pulling her away from what she knew to be good and right? She’d gone to see a horror movie with him!

She decided to return home. Her father would be wanting dinner, and they had a lot to discuss about the day’s events. Her father had always been very fond of Reverend Peck, and she knew he would be worried sick.

Opening the front door revealed voices coming from the living room. Not aware they were expecting company, she hung up her coat, tucked her windblown hair behind her ears, and walked in. Garth and her father sat on the couch, Thief the cat between them, watching football.

“Ainsley, how are ya?” Garth said, a twisted smile on his narrow face.

Ainsley folded her arms, glancing at her father, who was more into the football game than their exchange. “Garth, what are you doing here?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

“I couldn’t imagine.”

“Watching the game with your dad, of course. And”—he held up a can of Coke—“enjoying a cold one.”

Ainsley rubbed her temples and shook her head. “Right. Well, I’m going upstairs to lie down. I’m tired.”

Garth hopped up off the couch. “Quite a day at church, wasn’t it?”

“Quite a day.”

“Wonder what’s gotten into the reverend?”

“Are you asking out of concern, Garth, or just because it’s something to talk about?”

Garth scowled. “Why don’t you take a couple of aspirin? Headaches make you a little grouchy.”

“And what do they do for you, Garth? Make you do a song and dance?”

“Quiet, you two,” her father said. “I’m trying to watch the game.”

Garth moved out of the living room, closer to Ainsley. “Actually, I came by to talk to you and your father about Thanksgiving.”

“Oh, you’re busy. Too bad. Maybe next year.”

“Noooo,” Garth said with a frown. “I came to see if I could bring a guest.”

“A guest?”

“Yes, a guest. You know, it means an invited—”

“Garth!” Ainsley snapped.

“I said it’d be okay,” her dad said from the living room, his eyes glued to the television. “Figured we’d have enough room.”

Ainsley looked back at Garth. “Fine, bring a guest.”

“Don’t you want to know who it is?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“I bet you’re going to tell me anyway.”

“We’ve been seeing each other for a while now. I wasn’t sure how to break it to you.”

Ainsley suppressed a laugh. Garth was
seeing
someone? “Who?”

“I bet you’re dying to know now, aren’t ya?”

“Garth, for crying out loud. Who is she?”

“Melb. Melb Cornforth.”

“From church?”

“Yes, from church.”

“Oh … um …” Ainsley had to try harder not to laugh. “Isn’t she in her … late forties?”

“So?”

“I didn’t realize you liked older women.”

“They have a maturity that other women I know don’t have,” Garth said. His nose tipped upward into the air.

Ainsley’s laugh slipped out as a violent burst. Her father even turned around momentarily.

“Something funny?” Garth asked.

“No, no,” Ainsley said, covering her mouth and shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I just … never pictured you two together.”

“Opposites attract. And there’s a
major
attraction there. We can hardly keep our eyes off each other.”

Ainsley’s eyes teared up with each word Garth spoke. She finally gained control of herself and managed to smile.

“So,” Garth continued, “I wanted to bring her to Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Of course,” Ainsley said. “She’s welcome.”

“I
hope
we can stay long enough for turkey. We like to spend a lot of time alone, you know. People in love often do.”

“No! Oh, you moron!”
her father shouted at the television. “Blakely just threw an interception!”

Garth winked at Ainsley before returning to the living room. “I thought the day they drafted that guy they made a huge mistake,” Garth said. “Well, I’ve got to get going.” He strutted past Ainsley and out the door with a charmed look on his face.

Ainsley went to the kitchen, leaned on the counter, and laughed some more. Garth and Melb Cornforth? Was this a joke? She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to imagine those two together. Remarkably, it wasn’t hard, and Ainsley hoped that maybe, for once in his life, Garth might leave her alone and find true happiness with someone else.

It seemed, frankly, like a pipe dream.

“To chat?”

“Why yes. And to welcome you to the church, of course.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

“Tell me a little about your religious background, dear.”

Wolfe stared at the woman, trying to understand what she really wanted to talk about. He watched her gulp her water as if it were something special. Surely she was just a nice, elderly woman with good intentions. Lonely, maybe. Hadn’t Ainsley shown him how to behave just this afternoon? He thought about how she’d treated those two people with such respect, compassion, and grace.

“Well,” Wolfe said, “I don’t really have a religious background.”

“None at all?”

“No.”

“Dear heavens, child. At least tell me a Mormon has come and knocked on your door.”

“Not that I recall.”

This seemed to disturb her deeply.

“My parents raised me to appreciate God and respect others, but I suppose I’ve let even that slip away over the years. I’ve never prayed or gone to church. But I’ve always felt Him near. When I walk in the early morning, or watch the sun set, or—”

“Yes, yes, dear, that’s nice and all. But we don’t worship the sun, you know. And besides, the question here is, do you fornicate?”

“Excuse me?”

“Or drink? Or smoke? Or curse?”

“I’m … um …?”

“Or fornicate?”

“You already said that.”

“Did I? Well sometimes that particular sin is worth mentioning twice. Although it almost feels like a sin just to say it.” Her eyes seemed to suck all the light out of the room. She leaned forward in her seat a little. “Oh, honey, don’t look so concerned. I’m sure you’re not wrapped up in any of those things.”

“No, I—”

“But don’t think the devil won’t come in and tempt you. You’re an enemy now, son. And before you know it, the smell of alcohol will entice you, and women will start looking good to you.”

“Women never looked bad to me.”

“Yes, but the draw will be such that you won’t be able to resist. Even an old lady like me might look inviting.” She winked, and Wolfe felt his stomach turn. “The devil has a way of laying traps, traps that will trip you up, make you fall. Or, as we’re fond of saying,
backslide
.”

“Miss Peeple, with all due respect, I’m not exactly sure what your point is. I thought that now I would be able to resist temptation.”

Miss Peeple blinked precisely twice. “I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

“About what?”

“Love, peace, joy, faith, grace, et cetera, et cetera. All those fun little phrases Christians like to throw around like chicken feed. The Christian life is about
righteousness. Holiness
. People don’t like to use those words much. They like those mushy, feel-good words. But if the Christian life were
that
easy, everyone would embrace it, wouldn’t you say?” A strange twinkle glinted off her eyes.

“So what’s the good news then?”

“Excuse me?”

“I always thought that
gospel
meant ‘good news.’ ”

“Oh it does, dear. The good news is that you have me.” She lowered her voice, as if someone might be listening. “There aren’t too many people who’d come up here, tell it like it is. I’m here because I don’t want you to be
deceived
. Incidentally, another word Christians are fond of pretending doesn’t exist.
Deceeeeiiiived
. You should be comfortable with saying that word.” She said it again, like a snake hissing.

Wolfe leaned back against the couch, thinking this woman was nothing like Ainsley
or
Reverend Peck. Their lives seemed simple. Good. Pure. Happy. This woman seemed … complicated. But then, she’d lived a long time. Elderly people, he’d always presumed, possessed a wisdom that was hard to find among the general population.