Secrets in the Lowcountry--The River (19 page)

After
spending
over an hour
w
orking
,
she heard a familiar
w
histle.
Jean,
she thought. Stepping out from the almost completed stall, she
w
histled back. Her friend strode for
w
ard, as Taylor dropped the rake. They hugged one another briefly.

“I’m so sorry,” Jean said, stepping back a foot or so. “Is there any ne
w
s?”

“None.”

“I’ve kept
current
regarding the
search via Mary.”

Good,
I
w
on’t have to explain.
“I’m not giving up. He’ll come back.”

Taylor asked a fe
w
questions about the barn and the horses, before saying, “
Will
w
e see you at the funeral?”

“Of course, your mom
w
as one of my best friends in school. If I can do anything for you or your dad, please let me kno
w
.”

Taylor
nodded and headed
home
w
ith leaded feet.
She almost dreaded going back to reality,
w
hich she had pushed aside
w
hile cleaning the stalls.

A
s she
w
alked
up the dirt
and stone drive
w
ay, s
he
recognized Jeff’s B
M
W
SUV parked in front her home
.
A moment later,
he exited
her home
and glanced do
w
n the path
.
She lifted her hand and
w
aved.
He
returned her greeting.
Ho
w
good to see him!
Her lips curved up in an involuntary
smile.
Dr
essed in a short-sleeved light blue shirt that
she kne
w
w
ou
ld emphasi
zed
his dark, blue eyes,
and
black khakis
that
stretched over his long legs
,
she mentally pulled up short
.
W
hat
w
as she doing,
an engaged, almost married
w
oman ogling a single guy?
She slo
w
ed her pace,
to gain
control of her very strange emotions.

“Taylor,” Jeff said, coming do
w
n the steps and to
w
ard her.
“My classes ended at noon.
Since your guests left this morning, I decided to come by and take you for lunch or just visit.”
He surveyed her mud and muck spattered clothes.
“Upon closer observation, I
w
ithdra
w
both suggestions.”

She laughed.
“Don’t you like the aroma?
It’s call eau de barn.”

“I recall that aroma and remember you’ve used that brand for years.”
He chuckled.

She raised one hand to punch
him
an old game they’d played many time
s
. H
e
avoided her as easily as he had so often in the past
.

“Oh, no.” He chuckled.
“
If both of us used the same perfume the board of health might condemn the entire plantation.”

“About lunch …
”

“I withdraw my invitation
,” he teased.

“About lunch.
W
hile I change,
w
hy don’t you raid the kitchen?”
She
gave a girlish
smil
e
.

“Before you change clothes, I suggest a sho
w
er
w
ith lots of soap,” he pretended to examine her closely
, “and
w
ash your hair
,
t
w
ice.”
He zigzagged a
w
ay from her.

She kept trying to s
w
at him, but he avoided her.

They started
w
alking the short distance to the house.
“Nice car,” she said
, as she glanced over the Beamer
.
“I didn’t realize professors’ salaries
at local universities
ranged so high.
I might have to call my congress
w
oman and tell her to reduce your pay.”
She
contemplated
him
w
ith
a mock fro
w
n.

“If I had to survive on my salary, I’d be driving a three year-old Ford Focus.
My consulting busine
ss do
es okay
.” H
e opened the trunk and pulled out a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. “I al
w
ays keep a
change of clothes available.” Then h
e clicked the lid closed.

Taylor surveyed him strangely.

“In case I
w
ant to
w
ork out, go fishing
,
I have tackle and a rod in there, too. Al
w
ays be prepared.”

“I’d forgotten you
w
ere an Eagle Scout.”

“Not quite. Girls came along and the scouting took second place.”

Changing the subject, she said,
“I have a question about
investments
and
unfortunately one about
Ms. Lee.”

“Okay.
W
hat?”

“Not here.
W
hile
w
e’re eating lunch.
”
She
headed for the side door.
“Mary
w
ould kill me if I
w
alked into the hall
w
ay
w
ith this muck plastered to
me.”
Taylor strolled past the
azaleas
and the camellias,
w
hich months before
had
been a riot of color, to the end of the brick
w
alk
w
ay. Rounding the house, she
w
alked up the three outside steps leading to the bedrooms and the kitchen
. After opening the door, she took a left and headed
up the back
steps
,
w
hile
Jeff
moved
to
w
ard the kitchen.

“Hi, Jeff,” said Mary,
w
hen he entered the kitchen.
“I thought I heard Taylor.” She glanced behind him.

“I met her outside. She decided the smell of the barn
w
ouldn’t add much to the kitchen, so she headed for her sho
w
er.”

“
W
ise idea.” Mary
grab
bed
a
w
ooden spoon
and
w
aved it on the air in a mocking threatening manner. “I’ll keep this handy if she decides to invade the kitchen prior to the sho
w
er.”

Jeff laughed.
“
She asked me to pack a lunch, too. Before I do,
I’
ll
change clothes
.”

*~*

W
hen he returned, he
w
atched Mary
shut off the
w
ater
running
in
to
the sink.
She dried her hands on the to
w
el thro
w
n over her shoulder.

Jeff
w
alked over and
looked in the sink
. G
listening peaches
stared back at him
.
“
A bit early for locals, but they look and smell great.
May I?” he asked
, reaching for one
.

She nodded.
“I just picked t
hem from David Stanley’s garden,
w
ith our
w
arm spring, everything
’
s
a little early. They’
re a little small, but t
w
ice as
s
w
eet.
W
e had stra
w
berries the beginning of April,” she added
, almost
w
istfully.

Jeff chose a
small, firm peachy-rose one and took a large bite, reducing the fruit by almost half.
The juice threatened to spill over his lips and
do
w
n his chin
.
He
hastily
w
iped his mouth
w
ith the back of his hand.
After a quick s
w
allo
w
, he stated, “David raises
the best
fruit in the state or any
w
here else.
”

Mary took one from the pile
and dried the
w
et, furry covering
.
“I totally agree
w
ith you.
W
hat do you
w
ant for your picnic?
”
She took a bite
of a
peach
.

“Actually, Taylor instructed me to ‘raid the kitchen’.”

She chuckled.
“Oh, that brings back memories.
I never kne
w
if
w
hat I had prepared for dinner,
especially the dessert
,
w
ould be intact by the time you three finished
…”

They
stood quietly and a
w
k
w
ardly.

Finally, Mar
y said, “Jeff,
w
hy don’t I fix the
picnic lunch?
Taylor needs
a distraction
.
She’s taking the DNR decisions not to continue the helicopter search hard.
And
that horrible
w
oman Ms. Lee
called at least t
w
ice this morning,
once before the guests left.
If Taylor isn’t here, she can’t take Ms. L
ee calls or abuse. I tri
ed to explain to that
horrible
w
oman, but she’s insensitive to any concern not her o
w
n.
”
Mary muttered something under her breath.

Jeff stared.
Had Miss Mary s
w
orn? If so, it
w
as a first.

“Ho
w
’s Doc
handl
ing his
w
ife
’s
death?”

“Not
w
ell.
W
e learned today that excessive speed caused the accident. Julia Ann al
w
ays had a heavy foot.” S
he paused
, a fro
w
n filling her face
.
“Ho
w
’s your dad doing?
I thought
w
e’d see him for the
w
edding.
Sorry,
I keep saying things tha
t stir up unpleasant memories,”
she said a catch
sounded
in her throat.