by Kasi Blake
Chapter 13
Yard raking was an eternal, Sisyphean-style task in Sutton in the autumn. It seemed like every time I got a quadrant of the lawn clean, a fresh breeze wafted through, shaking down yet another shower of leaves from the sky. But the air was crisp and clean, the world smelled of earth and leaf, and I loved watching the chickadees do their swooping flight in to the feeder.
Besides, with what people paid for a gym membership, I was getting my exercise for free. And I had the added benefit of creating fine compost for next year’s garden.
My phone rang just as I stepped back into the house for some tea, and I picked it up. “Hello?”
A woman’s voice came warm over the phone. “Just checking in that we’re still on for our virtual book club in two days.”
I smiled. “Hello to you too, Simone. Yes, absolutely. I’m nearly done with An American Tragedy. Thank you for agreeing to switch out the book of the month on such short notice.”
“Anne, Kathy, and I didn’t mind at all,” Simone assured me. “And with what you have going on over there, it seemed like a good choice!”
“I’ll have Skype all set up and ready to go,” I assured her. I chuckled. “And, as fate might have it, I’m actually seeing Kathy in person tonight. But I promise we won’t talk about the book. We’ll leave that for the group.”
“You’d better not,” teased Simone. “Our book time is sacred!”
“All right then, I’ve got to finish this raking before I head out. Talk to you in a few days!”
