The Lost Girls of Johnson's Bayou
Page 18
“Did Paul…was he ever able to find out anything…”
“No. I still don’t have any idea where I came from, but I don’t care. I’ve asked him to stop looking. I want to put the past behind me and focus on the future.”
“And Kathy?”
“Is doing great. In fact, she called last night to say they’re expecting their first baby.”
Madelaine’s face lit up. “Oh, that’s wonderful to hear.”
Paul stepped out of the café with a bag of pies that Madelaine had given him earlier. He placed the pies in the backseat of the car and walked over to give Madelaine a hug. “Don’t worry about missing her,” he said. “We’ll be back to visit soon. After all, Ginny has a wedding to plan.”
“Me?” Ginny pretended to slug him in the arm. “You are fifty percent responsible for all planning.”
Paul wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently and slowly. “Then I think we should elope. Tonight. And preferably to one of those places that doesn’t require clothes.”
Madelaine laughed. “Go on, you two. Get out of here.”
Paul released Ginny and gave Madelaine a hug. “The café looks great, by the way. The new colors are really nice.”
Ginny grinned. “And it only took Saul three weeks to finish the painting. A new record.”
“Hey,” Paul said, “did you ever find out where he went that day that we all went to the school?”
Madelaine shook her head. “Yeah. Someone came by and told him there was two-for-one steaks at the butcher. Apparently he bought enough for a small country. Probably got it stashed in that penthouse basement of his.”
Ginny looked over at Paul. “Did you ever find out who gives him the money? I mean, I know he wasn’t the bad guy and there was no reason to check into it, but I was just curious.”
Paul smiled. “So was I, so I looked into it some more. Turns out our friend Mr. Pritchard won a lottery sixteen years ago. Apparently, he was afraid of being hit up for money from his lazy relatives, so he set the whole thing up with a trust to make annual payments by cashier’s check.”
“Unbelievable,” Madelaine said. “Who would have ever believed that so many secrets could be contained in such a small place?”
Paul looked at Ginny. “Are you ready?” The question was so simple, but Ginny knew all the implications behind it.
She placed her hand in his and smiled. “You know it.”
* * * * *
ISBN: 9781459220973
Copyright © 2012 by Jana DeLeon
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Table of Contents
Back Cover Text
Introduction
About the Author
Cast of Characters
Dedication
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Copyright