The Widow of Saunders Creek (18 page)

Aunt Trudy’s house smelled of jasmine and cigarette smoke. I kept my distance as I followed Ray into the kitchen and set the bags on the counter. Silently, he exited the room, leaving me with Aunt Trudy, who had already plopped down in a kitchen chair, her feet propped up, puffing away on the longest cigarette I’d ever seen. Not that I was an expert.

“Would you care for some sweet tea or coffee, dear?” she asked, pointing me to the refrigerator. “I could answer any more questions you have about contacting Jarrod.”

Nothing could have induced me to stay with Ray in the house. The way the guy appeared and disappeared gave me the creeps. But of course I couldn’t say that to his grandmother. “Thank you for the offer, but I should get back to the store and see if Sam needs me.”

“Wait just a second. I want to give you my number.” She reached for a tablet sitting on the table. Resting her cigarette in her mouth, she scribbled on the paper, ripped it out, and handed it to me, squinting around the smoke puffing upward. “Call me if you need me.”

Even though she didn’t say Jarrod’s name, I knew what she meant. If I wanted her to conduct a séance. I took the number and tucked the paper into my pocket, with a mental note to add it to my contacts list on my phone.

Aunt Trudy didn’t get up as I said good-bye and then walked through the dining room to the door. I hoped Ray had gone back to wherever we’d pulled him away from.

As I drove back to town along a deserted gravel road lined with maples and pines, I wondered how many times Jarrod had driven this same route. Did the beauty of trees and fields and blue sky give him the same desire to breathe it all in so deeply?

Did he miss his Ozarks home, or was he still here waiting to be invited into the conversation?

What if Aunt Trudy honestly was able to contact him in a real way? What if I could communicate with him, and he could speak back to me?

I had never been one of those girls given to Ouija boards and séances at sleepovers. To be honest, I’d always been afraid, thanks to my mother, who always said Ouija boards let demons speak and that those who contacted the dead were an abomination to God. As much as my mother drove me crazy, I never wanted to take a chance she might be right.

But that was before my husband died, before I began to sense his presence, and before I met someone who might actually be able to help me.

I wrestled with the two sides of the issue all the way back to town, and by the time I turned onto the street that would take me to Sam’s store, I was no closer to an answer than I had been when I opened my eyes this morning. I just didn’t know.

A blast of cool air finally made its way through the vent, but I couldn’t feel good about it when I knew I’d be back in a week or two to fix it again.

“There,” Mom said, nodding with satisfaction. “I told you there’s no point in getting a new one. This one works fine.”

“Have it your way. I have to get back to work on my house.” I lifted my hand in farewell. “Go easy on that unit. You can’t turn it down to sixty-five and expect it to last.”

“Well, I can’t expect my customers to bake in here either.”

Without bothering to respond, I walked into the spring scorcher. Dad had always maintained that he’d married the single most stubborn woman in the world. And in my thirty years, she hadn’t given me any reason to disagree with his wisdom.

Corrie’s Jeep pulled into the parking space a couple of cars away. Finally. Her face was flushed from the open Wrangler, and she seemed nervous. Aunt Trudy must have upset her.

I set the toolbox in the back of the truck and waited for her to glance my way and wave. Instead, she seemed lost in thought. I stepped up from the curb and cut her off on the sidewalk before she could enter the shop.

She gasped and jumped back. “Oh sheesh, Eli,” she said, her palm on her chest. “You scared the heck out of me.” She backhanded me on the arm and showed a crooked grin. “What are doing sneaking up on people?”

“Sneaking up?” I laughed. “How could I sneak up on you when I walked right toward you from the front?”

“Whatever. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“So, how did your afternoon with Aunt Trudy go?”

She gave me a sly grin. “She hates my Jeep.”

“I imagine. A ride like that isn’t exactly an old lady’s speed.”

“I guess I should have taken your mom’s car.” She glanced toward the shop window. “Did you get the air conditioner fixed?”

I nodded. “For now. But it’ll go out again in a couple of weeks, and I’ll be back here to patch it up again.”

“She doesn’t want to buy another one, huh?” Her eyes gentled with compassion. “How are the house repairs coming along?”

“Not too bad. The house is almost done. It’s the yard and rest of the property that’s taking the most time.” As a matter of fact, I was beginning to wonder if I’d ever finish repairs in time to accomplish the work on the camp that had to be completed before the campers arrived. “How are you getting along with Joe and Tim?”

“I like them a lot, actually.”

“So they’re doing a good job?”

She nodded, smiling. “Joe finished the back deck yesterday. Today he says he’s getting rid of all the boards on the porch and building the new frame. He told me I’d have to use the back door for a while.”

“I’ll stop by later and take a look at things.”

“Do you want to come for supper? My sister, Lola, is here for a couple of weeks.” She smiled. “She’s got a major crush on Joe, so you don’t have to worry about her dumping any love potions into your drink.”

I laughed. “Did Aunt Trudy make you stay while she fired up her cauldron?”

She smiled. “No. I took her to the grocery store, and then she asked me to stop by Dollar General for the nonfood items, because they’re cheaper there. By the time I got her all the way to her place and helped her unload her things, three hours had gone by.” She sighed. “I left my
phone inside, which is why I didn’t call. I just hope your mom doesn’t think I blew her off the whole afternoon.”

I grinned and opened the door for her. “Mom knows Aunt Trudy. She even mentioned you probably had to go to several places before you took her home.”

Her face relaxed. “Good.” She turned to me before heading inside. “So what about dinner? We’re throwing some lobsters on the grill.”

“Lobster, huh?” My eyebrows rose, and I couldn’t resist teasing her a little. “You must be some highbrow chick.”

“I’m related to a highbrow chick. They’re actually lobster tails, and I think she cleaned out the little fish market in Springfield, because we have way too many. You’d be doing me a favor if you said yes.”

She smiled with her eyes, and her dimples flashed. I knew I’d be going to dinner at her house.

“Oh shoot, Corrie. I wish you’d called first.” Lola looked gorgeous in a blue summer dress that showed off her deeply tanned legs and perfectly toned arms that made me jealous. She slipped on a pair of three-inch Jimmy Choo shoes. She was beautiful enough to take any guy’s breath away, but she was definitely not dressed for firing up the grill.

I glared at my sister. “I told you I left my phone at the shop all day while I drove a crazy lady all over the stupid county.” I felt a little guilty for calling Aunt Trudy crazy, but I couldn’t believe Lola was ditching me at the last minute.

She walked out of the room, and I followed her up the stairs to the guest room. “And you can stop pouting about me going out,” she said,
sliding in a pair of silver hoop earrings. There wasn’t a hint of regret or apology in her tone. “Joe asked me to go with him to a concert tonight, and I know you don’t want me to call and cancel on a guy like that.”

“What am I supposed to do about Eli?”

She turned to me and gave me a look. “Well gee, I don’t know, Corrie. Cook the man a meal, perhaps?”

“If I grill lobsters and serve dinner out on the deck, it’ll look romantic.”

She shrugged. “So? You can’t pretend you haven’t thought of Eli that way.”

“I don’t have to pretend. Eli is a friend and my late husband’s cousin. That’s it.” And I didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. “Lola, he’s going to think I invited him to dinner under false pretenses.”

Her silver bracelets jangled as she waved aside my concern. “Look, if it bothers you so much, just call him and reschedule for tomorrow. Wait, not tomorrow. Joe and I are going to dinner tomorrow. Make it Wednesday. The lobsters will last that long if we keep them in the crisper and ice them.”

I couldn’t believe her audacity. “Eli has church on Wednesday, and I’m so happy you came all the way from Dallas to visit my handyman.”

She grinned. “Well, you’re the one that hired him.”

I walked across the bedroom and grabbed Lola for a tight hug. “Have fun with Joe.” I left her and went to the door, then turned back. “You know what I think would be really funny?”

She looked away from her gorgeous reflection and looked at me. “What?”

“If you fall madly in love with my handyman.”

Joe picked Lola up at five thirty so they could grab a bite before the concert. The house heated up quickly in the late afternoon and early evening hours, so I cranked all the ceiling fans and turned on the window unit. Eli hadn’t installed the outside unit yet because the electric wiring in the house wouldn’t support it, so the house stayed warm despite my best efforts.

I had considered calling Eli and canceling, but if I were truthful with myself, I would have to admit that I’d missed our chats over the last week and I didn’t want to cancel the dinner.

I expected him by seven. Should I finish cooking early and take time to shower off the smoky smell of the grill? Or should I get ready and be grilling when he arrived, thus smelling like charcoal all evening? I finally decided to wait to cook. He wouldn’t be getting close enough to be bothered by the smoke anyway.

The thought of spending the evening alone with Eli sent my nerves reeling. I didn’t try to analyze my unexpected feelings as I showered, blew my hair dry, and brushed makeup over my face. I dressed in a pair of jeans and a pullover top. All I knew was that Eli was coming over, and my stomach had butterflies because of it.

Eli knocked on the back door at two minutes before seven. I grabbed the lobster tails on my way out and smiled. He wore a pair of khaki shorts with a button-down shirt slipped on over a T-shirt that said “Still Waters Camp.” A pair of flip-flops finished off the outfit.

I motioned to the shirt. “Is that the name of your camp?”

“Yes. It seemed fitting.” He smiled and lifted the lid on the grill for me. “You should come out and see it sometime. It’s not quite up to par just yet, but we’re working on it.”

“And your place? No wonder I barely see you these days.” I smiled, sliding the tails onto the rack. “And I’d love to come see your camp. Thanks for asking me.”

“Well, you really didn’t have to wait for an invitation.”

I’d come close to walking over there more than once this past week, but I hated to impose when I knew he was pushing to get it finished. I couldn’t bring myself to actually go. “Good to know.” I motioned to the outdoor table. “I thought we’d eat out here, if that’s okay with you. It’s not much cooler inside.”

“That window unit’s not much good,” he said. “Especially in this kind of heat.”

I smiled. “I’m sure the last thing you want to talk about is an air conditioner.”

He held out my chair for me as I sat, then took a seat catty-corner from mine. “I’ll be up and down checking the grill, so don’t plan to hold my chair every time. I’ll understand.”

“Duly noted.” He glanced toward the house. “Is your sister joining us?”

“Oh.” I scowled and stood up again, then walked to the grill. “She threw us over for a concert with Joe MacGregor.”

Eli lifted his chin in acknowledgment. “He mentioned the concert, but he didn’t say he was taking anyone.”

I shrugged. “It was last minute, I think.” I turned the lobster tails. They were starting to smell good, and my stomach gurgled in
appreciation. I’d missed lunch while I was running Aunt Trudy here and there, and I hadn’t wanted to spoil my dinner by grabbing a bite when I got home, so I was ravenous.

“I have to get a couple of things from the kitchen,” I said, walking toward the back door. “I’ll be right back. Do you want some ice tea or a soda?”

“Tea sounds perfect. But I can get it.”

I shook my head. “I have to get the vegetables for the grill, anyway.”

Eli followed me inside despite my protest. “I’ll get the drinks while you get the vegetables,” he said.

Eli’s very nature and presence in the house made me feel feminine, and I had to admit it felt good to make a meal and share it with a wonderful man. I was a little embarrassed at the direction of my thoughts, and even more so that the narrow nineteenth-century hallway necessitated that we walk single file in order to reach the kitchen.

“Thanks, Eli,” I said, opening the fridge. I grabbed the pitcher of tea and handed it to him. I waved toward the cabinets, but there was no need to state the obvious when the doors were glass. I pulled out a covered platter that contained vegetable kabobs and the salad fixings—lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and a vinaigrette dressing I’d made earlier. I actually preferred creamier dressings, but I thought this went better with lobster tails and sweet potatoes. Besides, Mother had always believed it was tacky to serve blue cheese, ranch, or Thousand Island to guests. I never knew why, but it must have made a mark somewhere in my psyche, because here I was serving a dressing I didn’t much like.