Annie's Answer (10 page)

“Understandable,”
Gramps said. “She’s frustrated because she can’t do everything herself. Maybe
I’ll make a call and challenge her to a game of checkers.”

“She might put
you to work scrubbing the checker pieces with a toothbrush,” Annie said making
a feeble attempt at a joke.

“Now don’t be
critical,” he said. “Getting old is not for sissies, and Mrs. Hayward has had
it harder than some, losing her house and all.”

Her
grandfather rarely rebuked her, and Annie was quick to explain herself. “I know
how much she misses her home and  friends,” she said. “I’m only sorry I
can’t do more to help.”

“I know how
hard you work,” her grandfather was quick to say. “The woman is probably at
loose ends, not knowing how to fill her days. Boredom is old folks’ enemy. I
see it every time I call at the nursing home.”

“Of course you
do,” her mother said, always quick to smooth over the slightest hint of discord
in her small family. “Now I’d better get going.”

“Sure you
don’t want a ride to work, Mom? It’s hot outside already.”

“No, I enjoy
walking. You’d be surprised how many people are out this time of day. It’s like
one big club of walkers and runners.”

How would her
mother fare if she moved to a strange town where she didn’t know anyone? That
was Mattie’s situation, and Annie wanted to do all she could to make her happy.

She left the
house soon after her mother did, hoping she was early enough to run into
Nathan. Although she wasn’t kidding herself about the possibility of a
relationship, her day was still brighter when she crossed paths with him. Eager
as she was to take over the flower shop, she would regret losing the
opportunity to see him.

On the way to
the Sawyer house, she wondered when she could get out and sell some ads. And
maybe she should go to the flower shop and tell the Polks she would almost certainly
have the down payment by Labor Day.

Chugging into
the circular drive in front of the house, she saw Nathan going out to his car
carrying a brief case. He was wearing a light beige suit that emphasized how
tall and slender he was, and his sandy hair had been tamed by pushing it away
from his face. For a minute she thought he’d drive away without saying
anything, but he looked up and walked toward her.

Quickly
getting out of the car, she called out “good morning” and was rewarded with a
big smile.

“I enjoyed our
supper last night,” he said.

“So did I.”
She hoped he couldn’t tell how much. “How’s Mattie today?”

“Peeved
because I don’t have time for breakfast. I couldn’t convince her sitting in
court isn’t like plowing the back forty. How are you?”

His question
caught her off guard. She couldn’t tell him that  seeing him for a few
brief moments made her day.

“Fine. I like
your suit.”

Dumb, dumb,
dumb, she told herself. Couldn’t she come up with a better comment than that?
She was flunking small-talk 101 with the one person she really wanted to think
she was clever and witty.

“Oh, thanks,”
Nathan said, sounding mildly surprised. “Sorry, I have to go. Judge Carlson
runs his courtroom like a marine boot camp. It won’t do my client any good if I
get my wrists slapped for not being there on the time.”

“Of course,
don’t let me hold you up. Have a nice day.”

“You too.”

She watched
him get into his car, first taking the keys out of his pocket. The miracle of
Westover was that he was still unattached, but she absolutely could not allow
herself to fantasize about changing his status. Just because he bought her a
meal didn’t mean he saw her as anything but his great aunt’s companion.

When she went
into the house, Mattie met her in the foyer, lightly leaning on one crutch.

“I found moldy
cheese in the refrigerator,” she said, sounding scandalized. “Cleaning it has
to be our next project.”

Annie mumbled
agreement, her mind still too occupied with thoughts of Nathan to care what
Mattie had planned for her.

At least the
morning went quickly. Mattie didn’t insist she scrub the fridge with a
toothbrush, but she was almost that meticulous. No germ could survive her
crusade for cleanliness.

Annie followed
instructions, but her mind kept wandering. Fortunately she’d learned Mattie
didn’t require much in the way of conversation. It was enough if she threw in
an occasional word or two to show she was listening.

“Isn’t that
lovely,” Mattie said admiring the sparkling clean fridge. “Now what should we
have for lunch?”

“I could get
takeout,” Annie said, wondering if she could squeeze a quick visit to the
flower shop into a run for food.

Before Mattie
could accept or decline, the front door chimes sounded. Annie hurried to answer
with Mattie meandering after her.

“Gramps!”
She’d completely forgotten he might call on Mattie.

“Well, if it
isn’t Reverend Williams,” Mattie said. “Do come in. You’re just in time for
lunch.”

“You needn’t
trouble yourself,” Gramps said. “I just thought it was high time I called to
welcome you to Westover and our congregation. And I’m just plain Dwight now
that I’m retired.”

As long as
Annie had known her grandfather, she still marveled at his gift for putting
people at ease. In moments he and Mattie were chatting like old friends.

“Why don’t I
run out to get lunch while you visit?” she suggested hopefully.

“That sounds
fine,” Mattie agreed. “Reverend, please come into the kitchen. I always say
that’s the place for friends, the heart of the home. The living room here looks
ready for one of my nephew’s society parties.”

Before Annie
could ask what Mattie would like for lunch, the front door opened and Nathan
walked in carrying a large white paper bag.

“Nice to see
you, Reverend,” he said, handing Annie the bag and shaking her grandfather’s
hand. “You’re just in time for lunch.”

As they walked
to the kitchen, Annie caught a whiff of something so delicious it couldn’t
possibly be fast food.

“I discovered
a great new restaurant,” Nathan said, giving her a significant look. “Hard to
believe I’d never been there before, but I think this is the kind of cooking
you love, Aunt Mattie. And please join us, Reverend Williams.”

He didn’t need
to tell Annie the food came from Mama’s. He’d outdone himself, bringing four
large Styrofoam cartons including one with nearly half an apple pie and cheese
slices.

Mattie played
hostess, instructing Annie to get out the everyday plates, colorful Fiesta
ware.

“None of
those,” she said, telling her to put one back. “I can’t abide food on purple
plates. I don’t know why George’s wife didn’t pick a nice color like yellow to
go with the others.”

It seemed
surreal to sit down for a meal with her grandfather, Nathan, and Mattie. At
least there was no reason for her to keep up a conversation. Mattie and Gramps
talked nonstop while Nathan watched with a bemused expression, frequently
looking in her direction as though they shared a secret. Neither of the older
people asked where the food came from.

“How about I
challenge you to a game of checkers, Mattie?” Gramps asked when they’d finished
eating. “I have a set in my car.”

“Checkers are
for old people,” she protested, sounding more like the taskmaster Annie knew.

“I have to get
back to the office,” Nathan said. “It was nice seeing you, Reverend. Annie, why
don’t you walk me to my car?”

She left her
grandfather and Mattie debating about the merits of checkers as a way to keep a
person’s brain nimble and followed Nathan outside.

“You went back
to Mama’s.”

“I had Bonnie
pick it up for me,” he admitted. “I don’t usually send her on personal errands,
but I couldn’t get away in time.”

“Do you have
to go back to court?”

“No, the judge
called a recess. I have to give my summation tomorrow morning.” He’d left his
suit jacket in the car, but he still looked warm as the sun beat down on their
heads. “How did your morning go?”

“Fine. I
cleaned the fridge.”

“I’ll tell
Aunt Mattie to leave something for the cleaning crew. You’re not the maid.”

“No, please, I
don’t mind. It gives me something to do to pass the time, and it’s Mattie’s
idea of fun.”

“If you’re
sure….”

The concern on
his face made him seem even more appealing.

“Yes, it’s not
a problem,” she assured him.

“That’s not
why I wanted a word with you.” He sounded hesitant, and her first thought was
she was going to be fired.

“I’m doing my
best.…”

“Of course you
are. I enjoyed our dinner last night—well, you saw I brought lunch from
Mama’s.”

“People do get
hooked on his cooking.” She was teasing, but it didn’t come out that way.

“It wasn’t the
food. I haven’t had much time for fun with Dad gone. I wonder whether you ever
get an evening off from the pancake place.”

Was he asking
her out? He must have something other than a date in mind. Did he want her to
take Mattie to some evening event?

“I have
Thursday evenings off,” she said in a hesitant voice.

“How about dinner
with me?” he asked. “And maybe the summer theatre north of town is doing a
production you’d like to see. I haven’t been there in ages, but they have an
equity cast.”

“Leave your
aunt home alone?”

“She doesn’t
need a babysitter,” he said a bit impatiently. “Anyway, she’s an early-to-bed,
early-to-rise farm wife.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, you’d
like to go?”

“If you’re
sure—I mean, we’d just be going as friends, wouldn’t we?” She wasn’t sure
what she was doing. The last thing she wanted was to talk him out of it.

“Friends, of
course. I have an appointment, but I’ll get back to you on the time.”

As soon as he
left, she panicked. What could she wear? Her newest date dress was the one
she’d worn to the senior prom. Her feet were a half size larger since she’d
started waiting tables, and.…

And nothing!
Every girl should be Cinderella at least once in her life. Maybe Nathan was
only rewarding her for being a good companion to his great aunt, but she
couldn’t deny herself a brief interlude of sheer happiness. She didn’t know how
to act or what to say on a date with a Sawyer, but it would give her a memory
to cherish for a long time.

He never acted
on impulse, but this time he had. Nathan didn’t know what had come over him at
lunch when he’d asked Annie to go out with him. Now he worried she might read
too much into it. He didn’t have the time or the inclination for a long-time
commitment, but his instinct told him Annie was a woman who took things
seriously. The thought of misleading or hurting her warred with his expectation
of a pleasant evening in her company.

Whatever his
reservations, he wanted to spend time with her. She was funny and earnest,
hardworking and kind. In fact, no one could have made his aunt happier, and
that alone earned his deep respect.

He woke up
Wednesday morning wishing it were Thursday. At least he would be through with
the court case by this afternoon and could catch up on the huge load of work
his father had left for him. Spending the summer in Europe had been his
mother’s idea. She was outspoken about how boring Westover could be, but he was
surprised his dad had agreed to be away from the office that long. Maybe it was
his trial by fire to see if he could manage on his own.

Before he
could get to the shower, there was an insistent pounding on his bedroom door.

“Just a
minute.” Roused to full wakefulness, he threw on a robe and went to answer it.

“Aunt Mattie.”

“Sorry if I
woke you, but my sink isn’t draining properly. Should I call a plumber?”

She was
wrapped up in an oversized blue terrycloth robe he recognized as an old one of
his father’s. Since she’d left with very few things of her own, the family had
scrambled to give her a temporary wardrobe, soon replaced by mail order clothes
she picked out online. Apparently she had a fondness for the secondhand robe.

“Maybe we have
some of that stuff that clears drains,” he said. “You didn’t drop anything down
it, did you?”

“Certainly
not!” Mattie indignantly denied.

“I’ll take a
look,” he said, padding barefooted to her part of the house.

By the time he
checked out the sluggish drain, found something to unstop it, and convinced
Mattie he had to get ready for work, he was half an hour behind schedule.

It was a bad
start to an impossibly busy day, but he did get to his car just as Annie was
pulling into the drive, her car making a racket seldom heard in this part of
town. He could make time to say hello to her.

“I’m sorry I’m
late,” she said with beguiling breathlessness. “I had to stop at the flower
shop to tell them I’ll be able to buy it, then I picked up ad copy from two of
my regulars. I’ve spent the last hour knocking on back doors, hoping people
have gone to work early.”

“You’re all of
seven minutes late,” he teased, checking his watch. “Remember, I said your
hours are flexible. If you need to do something during the day, it’s not a
problem.”

“No, but
Mattie expects me.” She looked especially appealing in tan shorts and a bright
yellow tank top, practical for whatever jobs his great aunt had planned on a
day promising to be a scorcher.

“She’s
puttering around in her room. There’s no hurry.” He forgot he was in a big
rush.

“Well, have a
nice day,” Annie said, sidestepping to get past him.

“I’m looking
forward to the theatre tomorrow evening.” The truth was he didn’t care where he
went as long as it was with Annie.

He was on
dangerous territory here. Annie was sweet and adorable but unlike any woman
he’d ever been attracted to. Breaking up with her would be an emotional jolt,
but then, one date didn’t constitute a relationship. They would go out, and he
would have a chance to figure out why he liked her so much. One date, and that
would be the end of it.