Cedar Woman (183 page)
Authors: Debra Shiveley Welch
discuss
m
y pr
o
po
s
al.”
The
ne
e
d
f
o
r
d
is
t
raction
was
para
m
o
u
n
t
in
Lena
’
s
m
ind.
Her
n
e
w
p
r
o
j
ect,
e
x
citin
g
,
thrilli
n
g
and
v
ery
a
m
b
i
t
i
o
u
s,
aff
o
r
d
ed
j
u
st t
h
e
d
i
v
ers
i
o
n
h
er
m
i
n
d
n
eeded
un
til S
o
n
n
y
fi
n
ally arr
i
v
ed.
Nickie
nodded, seating
h
e
rself in a
leath
e
r side chair,
gl
a
n
cing at the cl
o
ck
n
e
r
vo
u
sly.
Son
n
y
w
a
s
n
o
w
two
h
o
ur
s
late;
Sonny
was
always earl
y
.
In
fact,
he
was
ob
s
ess
i
ve
a
b
ou
t
,
n
o
t
o
n
l
y
bei
n
g
o
n
tim
e,
but
early to
t
h
e
j
o
b.
“
O
k
a
y
,
L
e
n
a,
w
h
a
t
’s
t
h
e
s
co
o
p
?
”
N
ic
k
i
e a
s
k
e
d.
Lena
was
ne
rv
ous
as
we
ll
.
L
i
ke
N
ic
k
i
e,
s
h
e
c
ons
ta
n
tl
y
g
l
anc
e
d
at
t
h
e
cloc
k
.
Where
c
ou
l
d
he b
e
?
She
k
n
e
w
t
h
at he wa
s
n
’t
s
h
op
p
in
g
o
r w
o
rk
i
n
g
o
u
t
.
This
had
t
o
be
rela
t
ed
t
o
wh
at
ha
p
p
e
n
ed
th
e
day
be
f
o
r
e
.
M
a
y
b
e
h
e
’s
j
u
st
emb
a
rr
a
ssed
a
n
d
will
c
a
ll
in
sick
s
o
o
n
,
s
h
e
m
u
sed.
Lena
s
h
o
v
e
d
t
h
e
tho
u
g
h
t
as
i
d
e
a
n
d
c
on
tin
u
e
d
.
“
Nickie,
I have an
idea
for
a
new resta
u
r
a
nt.
I
have
a
n
a
pp
o
int
m
ent t
h
is
W
e
d
n
e
s
d
a
y
with
a
real
estate
agent
to
look
at
an
av
ailable
site
in Wester
v
ille,
n
o
t
far
fr
o
m
my
h
o
u
se,
in
fact.
It’s
a
g
reat
bu
i
l
d
i
n
g
–
mid
to
late 1
8
0
0
s
is
m
y gu
e
ss,
an
d r
o
om
eno
ug
h f
o
r all t
h
at I
’
ve
en
visi
o
n
e
d
.
Lena
an
d
N
ic
k
i
e
c
o
nc
e
n
t
ra
t
ed
on
t
h
e
p
la
n
s
f
o
r
t
h
e n
e
w
s
to
re, discuss
i
ng
start
up
c
o
sts,
staffing,
m
enus
an
d décor.
B
o
th were
a
w
a
re
of the clock’s hour
han
d
’s slow
decent as
t
h
e
hours ticked by.
By 5:
0
0
P
.
M
., bo
t
h
L
e
na
an
d Nickie
were
fr
antic.
“
Nickie,
I
’m a
f
raid
so
m
et
h
i
n
g
has
h
a
pp
e
n
e
d
to
S
o
nn
y
,
an
d
I
t
h
i
n
k
it
ma
y
b
e
m
y fa
ult
.”
“
W
ha
t
?
” Nick
i
e
an
s
w
er
e
d
.
“
What
co
uld
yo
u
h
a
ve
d
one
t
o S
o
nny
t
o cause
him
to disappea
r
?
”
Lo
ok
i
n
g
i
n
te
n
t
ly
i
n
to
h
e
r fr
i
e
n
d
’
s
eye
s
,
s
e
arch
i
n
g
for
an
an
s
wer,
u
n
d
e
rstan
d
ing
d
aw
n
e
d
.
Nic
k
i
e’s
face
r
e
g
istered
h
e
r
th
o
ught
p
r
o
cess,
and
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