by Carrie Carr
Her eyes tracked to the item left on the arm of the sofa. She crossed the room and lifted the men's suit jacket to her chest. She raised it to her face and inhaled, trying to catch even the slightest hint of her grandfather. Unable to detect anything, she felt tears burn her eyes.
"He's gone." Ellie blinked the moisture from her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. She knew in her heart that Travis wouldn't have wanted her to continue mourning his passing. "I'm sorry, Grandpa."
With a new resolve, Ellie gently folded the jacket and started for the master bedroom. She had a lot of things to go through and pack.
Travis had made Ellie promise that she'd donate everything of his that she couldn't use. She had tearfully agreed, and felt a deep shame at the thought that she'd let him down.
She opened the master bedroom door and peered inside. A layer of dust covered everything. Ellie walked in and rubbed her itchy nose. After Travis died, she'd cleaned the room one last time and closed the door.
She ran her hand along the handmade quilt that covered the queen-sized bed. "I bet Lex would like this," she mused. Travis had told Ellie years ago that it was the last thing her grandmother had finished before her passing, and he'd only allow it off his bed long enough to have it cleaned.
After she stripped the bed and got over a sneezing fit, Ellie opened the window. The cool air felt good on her dusty and overheated skin. She turned and surveyed the room. "The sooner I get started, the sooner I get finished." Brushing her hands together to remove the dust, she focused on her task.
EARLY THE FOLLOWING morning, Lex awoke to the gentlest of kisses. She opened her eyes and saw Amanda's face. "'Mornin'."
"Happy birthday, honey." Amanda kissed her again, this time making the contact last longer. "I wanted to give you a chance to wake up before the girls came barreling in here."
"Thanks." Lex threaded her fingers in Amanda's hair and brought her close again. "I think I need more awakening," she said, right before Amanda bent down and took her breath away.
They were able to spend almost an hour "waking up" before a series of knocks thumped on the bedroom door.
Amanda adjusted her nightgown and sat up. "Come in."
"Happy birthday, Momma," both girls sang, right before they jumped onto the bed.
"Careful, girls. Your Momma's still hurting," Amanda warned.
Melanie waved a folded piece of red construction paper. "I made you a card. Lorrie helped me with some of the hard words." She handed it to Lex, who showed the proper respect for the artwork.
"It's beautiful, Mel. Thank you." Lex held out her arm and waited until Melanie was tucked against her. "I love you, sweetheart."
"Love you too, Momma."
Lorrie was more cautious as she crawled to the other side of Lex. "We stayed up late working on our presents." She fought off a yawn. "I made you a coupon. It's for one boot polishing, and then I'll clean your saddle, too."
"Wow." Lex looked at the handmade coupon and grinned. "This is great, Lorrie. Thank you." She tugged Lorrie close and kissed the top of her head. "I love you."
"Thanks, Momma. Love you."
Amanda watched as the children closed their eyes. "I'll give you my present, later," she whispered.
"I thought you already did that." Lex winked at her. "Don't worry about it. This is better than any present."
"They've grown so fast, haven't they?" Amanda lightly played with Melanie's hair. "How upset would you be if I said I wanted another one?"
Lex's eyes opened wide. "Another girl?" She quickly looked at her wife's flat stomach. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Amanda poked her. "No, silly. It's just," she grinned as Lorrie snuggled closer to Lex. "I miss having a little one around." A light tap caused both women to look at the open door. "Can we talk about this more, later?" At Lex's nod, she raised her voice just enough to be heard. "Hey, Ellie." Amanda waved her in. "We didn't wake you, did we?"
Ellie shook her head as she stepped into the room, carrying a plastic-wrapped bundle. "I heard the girls, and figured it was safe to come in."
"For now," Lex said. "What do you have there?"
"Uh, well," Ellie stammered. "This seemed like a good idea at the time, but." She placed the bundle on the foot of the bed and removed the protective plastic. "I was clearing out the house yesterday, and came across this." She lifted the quilt and opened it up.
The morning light brought out the vibrant colors of the quilt, causing both women on the bed to hum in appreciation. Lex was the first one to speak. "That's beautiful."
Ellie smiled bashfully. "It was on Grandpa's bed. He told me Grandma made it, and he never slept without it. I took it to the cleaners yesterday morning and had them freshen it up." She placed the quilt over Lex's legs. "I thought you might want to have it. Happy birthday."
Lex blinked several times and finally had to clear her throat. "That's, ah, damn, Ellie. Thank you. Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. She was more your grandmother than mine, since I'd never met her. I figure it would mean more to you."
"What means more to me is that you thought about it. Thank you." Lex looked down at the sleeping children sprawled across her. "Expect a hug when I'm not covered in kids."
Ellie laughed and nodded. "Sure thing. Well, since the sun isn't up yet, I'm going to go on back to bed for a while. See y'all later."
After Ellie left, Amanda pulled the quilt up and studied the craftsmanship. "This is amazing. I can't believe how great of shape it's in."
"Yeah. Guess Grandpa took good care of it." Lex touched the quilt with one finger. "I really miss him."
Amanda clasped Lex's hand and kissed the knuckles. "I know, love. So do I." She rolled onto her side and tucked their joined hands beneath her chin. "Get some sleep, birthday girl. We've got a fun day planned."
Chapter Seven
AMANDA TWIRLED HER pen in one hand, staring at her silent phone. Her inbox was empty. With her office door open, she usually had to struggle to think over the din of women's chatter. Today, however, all was quiet. She dropped the pen to the desk and sighed. "This is ridiculous."
Business had trickled to a crawl at Sunflower Realty. Amanda had tried everything imaginable to drum up business. In the slow economy, very few people were in the market for a house, especially in a town the size of Somerville. When she first started working at the realty office, they were staffed with six realtors, not including Amanda. Over the last year that number had dwindled to three.
She heard the bell on the front door ring and looked up from her desk to see Peggy and Wanda hustle inside. Curious, Amanda stood and met them in the front of the office. "I thought you two were at lunch."
"We were." Wanda perched atop the receptionist's desk. "I mean, we were on our way. But Peggy wanted to walk, since it's not that far and then we saw the sign, and had to go look and see what was going on. But we couldn't see much until we got really close and--"
Amanda held up her hand to stop Wanda's story. "Take a breath." Turning to Peggy, she asked, "Would you mind?"
"Oh. Sure." Peggy grabbed a chair and pulled it close. "Sorry. My feet are killing me. These heels aren't made for walking fast." At Amanda's glare, Peggy continued. "As Wanda said, we decided to walk to the café. The weather's not too bad, and I was tired of being cooped--"
"For god's sake, would one of you please get on with it?" Margaret, the receptionist said.
Peggy gave her a hurt look. "All right, fine. We were almost to the café when Wanda noticed a new building going up down on Steward."
"Lex and I saw it the other day, too," Amanda added. "Oops. Sorry, go ahead."
"Anyway," Peggy drew out the word slowly, to make sure she wouldn't be interrupted again. "Wanda took off down the street to see what was going on. When we got there, we saw the sign." She paused for dramatic effect, much to everyone's annoyance.
"What?" Amanda and Margaret yelled, simultaneously.
Wanda took over the story again. "Horn Realty." The n
ew business was a national chain real estate firm, specializing in fast turnover. "Can you believe it?"
Amanda dropped into a nearby chair. "Damn. I was afraid of something like that."
"What do you mean?" Peggy asked. "Did you know about this?"
"Of course she didn't." Wanda put her hand on Amanda's shoulder. "You didn't, right?"
Amanda shook her head. "Not exactly. But I had a sneaking suspicion that something was off." She wiped her face with both hands before standing. "I need to take a look at a few things." She returned to her office, feeling the eyes of the other women upon her.
Once at her desk, Amanda opened the bookkeeping program on her computer and looked at the figures for the second time that day. They would be hard-pressed to break even this month. She had stopped taking a salary several months prior, hoping to weather the fiscal storm. It had only delayed the inevitable. She rubbed her eyes and picked up the phone.
The phone rang twice and was picked up. "Hello?" Anna Leigh Cauble answered.
Amanda swallowed the lump in her throat. Her grandmother had opened Sunflower Realty over forty years ago. "Gramma? Are you busy right now?"
"Not at all, dearest. Is everything all right?"
"Um, well. Would it be okay if I came over for lunch?"
The sound of the television, which had been in the background, shut off. "Why don't you come over now? I've got a stew simmering on the stove. We can make it brunch." Anna Leigh's gentle voice was tinged with concern.
"That's even better. I'll be there in a few minutes. Bye." Amanda hung up the phone and looked around her office. Photographs of her family dotted the credenza opposite her desk and also along the shelves of the nearby bookcase. When she became the office manager she'd seen no sense in changing the furniture. The solid wood pieces had been made by Jacob Cauble for his wife, and Amanda felt a deep sentimentality for the set.
Amanda took her purse from beneath the desk, stood, and pushed in the leather chair. She walked out of the office and turned the light out behind her.
Near the front of the office, Wanda and Peggy still hovered around the receptionist's desk. The three women turned as Amanda approached.
Wanda scooted off the edge of the desk. "Are you okay?"
"Not really. But since you seem to have everything under control, I thought I'd go see my grandmother." Amanda hitched her purse strap over her shoulder. "Unless you'd rather I stayed here and kept the three of you company."
Margaret laughed. "We could always use a fourth for canasta. But if you're too good to play with us, then I guess we'll let you go. But you'll miss the pizza we ordered."
Amanda stepped by the trio. "That's all right. If you get too bored, just lock up and go home. I doubt anyone will notice." She walked out the door and tried to ignore the whispers behind her.
LEX GRUNTED IN pain as she swung herself up into the saddle. It had been a week since her injuries, yet she was still hurting. Thunder danced sideways but she had no trouble settling him down.
"Should you be riding?" Ellie asked from her perch on Amanda's paint pony, Stormy. "Can't one of the guys go?"
Lex leaned down and used her hand to put her right foot in the stirrup. The brace she wore on her knee was too bulky to allow much movement. "I've only got three guys working right now, and they're doing other things. It's a short ride to check one of the cat traps. If you don't want to go, that's fine."
Ellie shifted in the saddle. She'd been riding before, but wasn't as comfortable as Lex and Amanda on horseback. "There's no way I'd let you go alone. Besides, I like riding."
"Uh-huh." Lex took in Ellie's rigid posture. "I can see how relaxed you are," she said. "But thanks for coming along. I'd take the jeep, but the terrain's too rough."
"You couldn't drive, anyway. And I completely suck at driving a stick." Ellie coaxed her horse forward. "Come on. Let's get this over with. I swear it's getting colder."
Thunder shook his head as Lex tapped his flank. "She's a wimp, isn't she boy?" She patted his neck and laughed at the look Ellie gave her. "Are you sure you're up to this?"
Tugging her leather gloves, Ellie laughed. "I am if you are, cuz."
"Smartass." Lex led the way, trying not to show how achy she felt. They hadn't even left sight of the barn and her back was already stiffening up.
They rode for a while in silence, both seemingly content to enjoy the brisk morning. The trees had lost their leaves, giving them an eerie, skeletal look. The only sound was the rhythmic thump of the horse's hooves through the deadfall. When a cool gust of wind blew through Ellie's coat, she tightened the material around her and suppressed a shiver.
Lex noticed the action. "Are you doing all right?"
"Yeah. Kind of spooky out here, isn't it?"
"It can be, at times. This damned drought has made it worse." Lex edged Thunder closer to Stormy. "How are you doing, otherwise?"
Ellie turned to face Lex. "What do you mean?"
"I know our kids can be a handful. I guess I just want to make sure they're not driving you crazy."
"Actually, they've been great. It's hard to stay down for long when you've got those two around." Ellie's smile reflected the recent healing of her heart. "I owe you and Amanda a lot."
"Nah. You're family. Nothing to owe." Lex decided the conversation was getting too serious. She grinned. "You're looking pretty settled on Stormy."
It took Ellie a moment, but she finally recognized the look on Lex's face. "Uh, yeah. I guess I am. Why?"
"Let's have some fun." Lex whooped and gave Thunder's reins some slack, causing the big horse to rear. "Heeyah!"
"Oh, shit." Ellie was barely able to stay on as Stormy took off after Thunder. "I'm going to kill you," she yelled at Lex, who laughed in response.
AMANDA SAW FEW cars on the way to her grandparents' house. Due to the light traffic, it took her less than five minutes to get through town. Everywhere she looked, she noticed the decline of the area. Businesses boarded up and overgrown yards showed the lack of attention. As she passed the newly constructed Horn Realty, she fought off the urge to stop and throw a rock through their brightly-decorated picture window. She turned onto a residential street and was soon at her destination.
The Cauble's residence, a two-story Colonial, was located in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Somerville. The house was surrounded by mature oak and pecan trees and had been Anna Leigh and Jacob's home for over forty years.
Amanda pulled into the driveway and looked at the place where she had spent much of her youth. She hoped that the news she brought wouldn't change how her grandparents lived. Taking a deep breath, she turned off the car and climbed out.
The front door opened and Anna Leigh stepped onto the porch. Of average height, her powder blue slacks and navy blouse complimented her slender frame. The breeze caused a lock of silver hair to blow into her face, and she used one hand to brush it back into the short style she wore. She waved as Amanda neared. "This is certainly a pleasant surprise."
"Hi, Gramma." Amanda gave her a hug before following her into the house. "I hope you feel the same way after we talk."
"Of course I will. Nothing you could say would change my feelings." Anna Leigh looped her arm around Amanda's waist and escorted her to the kitchen. "Your grandfather's going to be upset that he missed you."
Amanda took her usual place at the kitchen table and inhaled deeply. "Lunch smells wonderful. Where is Grandpa?"
Anna Leigh filled two glasses with iced tea and placed one in front of Amanda. "He's gone to Austin to pick up some special lumber. He's planning on making a new dining table for Michael and Lois' anniversary. We were at their home for dinner the other night and Jacob couldn't stand their old table. Lois told us she'd had the same piece for over twenty years, and even then she'd bought it second-hand."
"That sounds like Grandpa, all right." Amanda added a packet of sugar substitute to her tea. She stared into the glass as if to find all the answers there. The light touch of her grandmother's hand o
n hers caused Amanda to raise her head. "I've ruined Sunflower Realty," she said quietly. "It's not even making enough money to pay the utilities."
"Oh, my darling, no." Anna Leigh patted Amanda's hand. "You've kept it going much longer than I ever expected it to be. I opened it on a whim, so many years ago." She intertwined their fingers. "Growing up I'd never had a job. My father didn't think a proper young lady should do such a thing. Once Michael was in school, I felt the need to do something constructive. I'd bought Sunflower Realty for an investment, but soon became interested in doing more than just collecting dividends."
Amanda raised her head. Her hopeful face encouraged Anna Leigh to continue.
"Before I knew it, your father had grown, married and had his own family. I'd become so engrossed in running my business that I didn't know where the time had gone. I hired a manager and was able to cut my hours significantly." Anna Leigh got up and spooned out two helpings of stew. She brought the bowls to the table and finished her story. "I allowed the details of the office to slip away and was on the verge of closing it for good when you moved here. When Jacob had that horrible accident, nothing else mattered to me."
In between bites of stew, Amanda paused. "And I just rushed right in and took over."
"Not in the least. You showed such an aptitude for business that it actually gave me a new appreciation for it. I was very happy to turn Sunflower Realty over to your capable hands."
Amanda sighed. "But I haven't been able to keep it going. Maybe Rick was the right person for the job."
"Nonsense. That man couldn't manage a cesspool."
"Gramma!" Amanda nearly choked on her stew.
Anna Leigh looked very pleased with herself. "You're right. I'm sure he would have found a way to mess that up, too. Although he'd have been right at home." She raised her spoon to her lips and blew a demure puff of air over it. "Are you still looking for a housekeeper?"
