Sumter Point

by K. G. MacGregor

  Beth set down her fork, no longer interested in her lunch.

  “This isn’t all Shelby’s fault. Hooking up with her was my mistake. I knew we weren’t right for each other, but I didn’t want to be by myself. I just…”

  Ginger reached out and gave her a reassuring pat on the hand.

  Beth was embarrassed to hear the shake in her voice. She should have gotten over this by now. “I’d been by myself for so long that I just thought life was going to pass me by if I didn’t find somebody. So I settled for Shelby when I should have waited to find someone special.”

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry I put pressure on you. You’re right to wait for somebody special this time. I got lucky with Mallory, and it makes all the difference in the world. I was never this happy with Tonya.”

  “I’m really glad for you. But I’m not ready to meet anybody right now.” She appreciated that her friend was willing to back off.

  But she wasn’t about to share with her what she just realized—that as long as Audie Pippin was possibly in the picture, she wasn’t about to get tied up with someone else.

  “Watch this!” Audie faked her throw twice before sending the flying disk low and straight across the lawn. Buster had to hustle, but he caught up with it just before it touched the ground.

  “Good boy!” Violet slapped the palm of her good hand on the arm of the wheelchair.

  From the shaded patio, a group of onlookers cheered as well, mostly visitors to the nursing home. Several were children, fresh from church for their weekly visit with an elderly relative. Audie and Buster kept them entertained.

  “Here’s one you haven’t seen.” She dangled the Frisbee in front of the dog as he waited obediently. “Okay, Buster… jump!” She flipped the disk in the air and he spun to catch it. Immediately, she took it from his mouth and did it again, five times in all without a miss.

  “We’re going to put you both in the circus!” The familiar voice belonged to Beth, who was wheeling Mr. Wortman to a spot in the shade.

  “Grammaw tried to get me to run away but I kept coming back.” Audie flung the Frisbee as far as she could to send Buster on his way. “How’s BD?”

  Beth walked closer so Miss Violet could hear. “He’s terrible. He sleeps on my dining room table all day. And he knows he isn’t supposed to, because he gets down when he hears me at the door.”

  “Then how do you know he was there?”

  “There’s a warm spot right in the middle of a pile of black hair.”

  “Sounds circumstantial to me.”

  “At least it isn’t my kitchen counter.”

  “Grammaw, you want to go sit in the shade and talk with Beth awhile?”

  “I can’t stay out here,” Beth said. “Two of our aides called in sick today, and we’re down anyway because it’s the weekend.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “That’s a nice offer, but I think the county would frown on having one of our visitors distribute meds.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Maybe I could just take blood or something.”

  Beth grinned at her silliness. “Actually, it would help if you could keep an eye on Mr. Wortman. I’ll be back for him in about twenty minutes.”

  “Will do.” Audie gave her a salute as she disappeared back inside. Then she positioned her grandmother’s wheelchair on the patio next to a bench for visitors. “I’ll be back in just a minute, Grammaw.”

  She jogged around to the parking lot and came back carrying Buster’s water bowl, which she filled from the faucet on the side of the building.

  “He likes coming out here and showing off.”

  “He’s not the only one,” her Grammaw said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know what it means, Audie. You like to show off for Beth.”

  “I—what—?” Nervously, she looked around to see if anyone was listening. “What are you talking about?”

  Violet talked slowly, taking care to speak her words as plainly as possible. “I see how you act around Beth when you come out here.”

  “That’s—I do not. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but I come out here to see you.”

  “I know that, Audie. But you can’t tell me you don’t look for her every minute you’re here. I know you too well.”

  This was disturbing.

  It was true that she always looked for Beth and tried to talk to her. That was because Beth was the only one out here she really trusted to take care of her Grammaw.

  But they didn’t talk about Grammaw every time. The last few days they had talked about BD… or Beth’s board exams… or Audie’s diet… or whether or not she should sell the house. And it was undeniable that she sometimes followed Beth out into the hall to give her a word of appreciation about something. Obviously, Grammaw had noticed.

  This was disturbing.

  “I like Beth,” Audie argued. “She’s really nice to you.”

  “The others are nice too.”

  “I’m sure they are. But Beth is different because she took in that cat. You know how important it is to me that people like animals.”

  “Audie, you’re not fooling me.”

  This was disturbing.

  “I think Beth’s… pretty.” It didn’t kill her to say that. It was definitely true. “But don’t go thinking there’s anything going on.”

  She got up and shooed a fly from Mr. Wortman’s hand. Then she came back to sit on the bench next to her Grammaw.

  “Beth looks for you too,” her grandmother said.

  “What?”

  “She comes to the room whenever you’re there.”

  “That’s because she’s your nurse.”

  “Mmm-huh.”

  “I know you like Beth, Grammaw. So do I.” Audie checked again to make sure no one was within earshot. “But I don’t think she’s interested in me like that.”

  Audie was surprised by the disappointment she felt at her own conclusion. She would like it if Beth were interested in her. Unlike most of the women she knew, Beth had her whole life under control.

  She had a career, a home… everything coming together just as she had planned. She had suffered through a bad relationship and probably knew all the mistakes to avoid. Audie didn’t have a chance of attracting somebody like that. She didn’t even have a plan for her life. The prospect of the new job terrified her, but not as much as decisions about the house. She fed her body nothing but junk. She rarely exercised. And she burned away her brain cells with margaritas and marijuana. Outside of her friendships with Dennis and Joel, the only relationships she knew lasted one night at a time.

  Yes, it would be flattering as hell if somebody like Beth were interested in her.

  Beth emerged from the building and slipped around to sit beside Audie, out of sight from the door. “Hide me.”

  Audie noted the satisfied smile on her Grammaw’s face and gave her a warning look. “No problem. What did you do?”

  “Nothing. I just need a minute to rest.” Buster came over and laid his head in Beth’s lap.

  “It must be crazy in there.”

  “It is. Lunch starts in ten minutes and we just finished collecting the trays from breakfast. Our kitchen looks worse than the inside of your car.”

  “Hey!”

  Beth ignored her objections. “Looks like you’ve worn Buster out.”

  “He just needs a little rest, then he’s good to go again.”

  “I wish I could get BD to play. I got him a catnip mouse but he won’t touch it.”

  “Really? Most cats can’t resist those.”

  “Apparently, BD can.”

  “Are you sure he isn’t playing with it when you aren’t there?”

  Beth frowned as she considered the question, and Audie discovered that the little crinkle above her nose was very cute. As soon as she realized that she was grinning stupidly, she looked away, embarrassed because her Grammaw had already noticed.

  “Now that y
ou mention it, I find it in a different place every time I come in.”

  “Then he’s playing with it. He just doesn’t know how to play with you. You need a toy that both of you can use at the same time.” A very intimate image flashed through Audie’s head, and it was all she could do to remember they were talking about a cat.

  “Like—like something with a string on it.”

  “I don’t think I saw anything like that at the grocery.”

  “I’ll pick up one from the pet store.”

  “Thanks. That’ll be fun.” Beth slapped her knees and stood up.

  “I guess I’d better get back in there. I’ll take Mr. Wortman with me. Thanks for keeping an eye on him.”

  “No problem.”

  “Miss Violet, get Audie to bring you in for lunch in ten minutes, okay?”

  Violet nodded her agreement. They watched her go and she turned to her granddaughter. “See? I told you.”

  Audie wasn’t willing to accept her Grammaw’s assessment. But now that the idea was planted in her head, she was certainly going to watch for it.

  Chapter 11

  “You looked like you were having a good time yesterday,” Beth said as she pushed Miss Violet down the hall toward the dining room.

  “I like Sundays because Audie stays longer.”

  “She’s off today too, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, but she has a lot to do on Monday. She’ll come by, though.” Miss Violet reached up to pat Beth’s hand. “Don’t you worry.”

  “Wha—what do you mean don’t worry? I wasn’t worrying.”

  “I know, but you always look for her.”

  “I guess I do.” She did look for Audie every day, but that was because Audie was a concerned and loving family member who counted on her for feedback about how her Grammaw was doing.

  Of course, Miss Violet was doing well, so naturally they talked of other things… like BD… her nurse’s boards… Audie’s diet… and what she should do about the house. And Beth admitted to herself that she sometimes asked Audie to follow her into the hall so she could give her a word of encouragement. Her initial impression—that Miss Violet’s granddaughter was some kind of hellion—was wrong. She liked Audie, even more as she got to know her.

  “I told her you always came to see me when she was there.”

  Beth felt herself start to blush. This conversation was getting out of hand. “I don’t always do that. It just works out that way because she’s usually there when I’m supposed to come in and take your vitals.” Though she sometimes skipped over Miss Violet if Audie hadn’t yet arrived.

  They entered the dining room and started toward the table where Edith Platt was already eating.

  “I told her wrong then,” Miss Violet said. “I know she looks for you every day, so I thought maybe you looked for her too.”

  “Audie looks for me?”

  “Mmm-huh.” Miss Violet smiled at her breakfast companion.

  “Good morning, Edith. How are you today?”

  Edith began the usual rundown of her maladies, effectively nipping the chat about Audie in the bud. But Beth had heard just enough to get her imagination going.

  Embarrassing though it was, Beth was right. The Xterra was a pigsty on wheels.

  Audie stretched her arm under the passenger seat and pulled out yet another wad of fast food wrappers. All told, she had enough trash from the car to start her own landfill.

  She had no excuse for letting her vehicle get this nasty. It was the first car she had ever bought brand new, and she had always been proud of its sharp looks. But little by little, it had turned into a mud-covered trash heap. She was determined to bring it back to its classy state, a car anyone would be proud to ride in.

  Audie tossed the vinyl floor mats into the power-wash bay and unraveled the clunky vacuum hose. With all four doors and the cargo hatch standing open, she deposited a handful of quarters in the machine and began the task of sucking up the debris, the usual dirt and leaves… french fries between the seat and console… sesame seeds from sandwich buns in the grooves of the seats… and in the ashtray, a half dozen—

  “Damn it!”

  But it was too late. In addition to being clean, the Xterra was now a drug-free zone.

  Beth shifted on the couch, prompting BD to raise his head and check out his surroundings. Even after five days in his new home, he was still nervous about strange noises and sudden movements.

  But he had progressed from a hiding place under the furniture to a perch on the back of the couch, where he could warm himself under Beth’s reading light as she studied.

  Despite his reticence, Beth liked having BD around. At least he didn’t bite her anymore when she tried to pet him, and though he maintained a watchful distance when she was reading or watching TV, he now slept next to her each night. There was definitely something comforting about having him close by.

  Both were startled by a knock at the door. BD’s response, which took less than two seconds, was to dash into the bedroom out of sight.

  Beth had no idea who would be at her door at a quarter to nine, but she wasn’t foolish enough to open it without turning on the light and looking through the peephole. And there, she got quite a shock.

  Audie smiled and waved back at her. But that wasn’t the shock.

  “Wow! You look great.” A major understatement. Audie was dressed in tight black pants that hung low enough to show off part of the tattoo that seemed to cover one of her hipbones. All that was visible above the leather belt was part of a leaf. It was impossible not to notice her nipples straining against a purple top that she wore like a second skin. It stopped just above her navel, which was pierced with a small gold hoop. But the biggest surprise was the beautiful reddish-brown hair that billowed around her shoulders.

  Up to now, Beth had never seen Audie without her ball cap.

  “Come on in.” And stay all night.

  “Thanks. I hope you don’t mind me just showing up at your door. I would have called, but your number’s not listed.”

  “It cuts down on telemarketers,” Beth explained, bending over to grab her purse. She took out a pencil and ripped a sheet from a notepad by the phone. “But here, let me give it to you.”

  Audie stuffed it into her front pants pocket. “I’m on my way out to the Gallery tonight,” she explained. “They’ve been having this amateur drag queen contest on Monday nights, and one of my friends is in the finals.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “If you want to come along, I’ll wait.”

  “Oh, I can’t.” Beth pointed to her textbook on the floor by the couch. “I have to study. Besides, it’s all I can do to get up in the morning after a class that lets out at ten. I’d be comatose if I went out to a club.” She hated how old that made her sound. “If I didn’t have to get up so early…”

  “Yeah, there are definitely advantages to working eleven to seven.” Audie held up a paper bag. “I brought a present for you and BD.”

  Beth looked inside to find a plastic fishing pole. At the end of the string was a fish stuffed with catnip.

  “I promise you, he won’t be able to resist this.” Audie looked around. “So where’s he hiding?”

  “Judging from the tread marks on the carpet, I’d guess in my bedroom. I probably won’t see him again until I turn out the light.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “I think he’ll be okay when he settles down and realizes that he’s safe here.”

  “I think so too.”

  They stood in awkward silence until Beth remembered her manners. “You want something to drink? I may have a beer in the fridge.”

  “Thanks, but it’s my night to drive. I’ll get a soda or something at the club.”

  Beth was pleasantly surprised to learn of this arrangement. It was an interesting dimension to Audie’s partying ways.

  “Well, thanks for the toy. I’m sure BD’s going to love it.”

  “You’re welcome. Guess I’ll be going.”
She started for the door.

  Beth followed her and stood in the doorway, still practically mesmerized by her sexy appearance. “I’m really glad you stopped by. Maybe I’ll come with you one of these days when I get finished with this school stuff.”

  “Yeah, I think you’d have a good time. I’ll even try to get you home before you fall asleep.”

  Beth smiled. “It won’t kill me to stay out one night.”

  “It’s a date then.” Audie flashed a bright smile and started down the stairs to her car.

  The idea of having a date with Audie Pippin was enough to get Beth’s imagination into overdrive. Of course, this probably wasn’t that kind of date. Audie hadn’t meant that at all. When you were young and hip like Audie—not to mention hot—you didn’t date people who stayed at home and cleaned their kitchen for fun.

  No, this wasn’t a mark-it-on-your-calendar kind of date, but one she would look forward to just the same.

  “Dwayne was funny as shit,” Dennis slurred as he fell into the passenger seat.

  “Yeah, too bad the judges didn’t have a sense of humor. He should have won,” Audie said. With one hand, she fished in the console for the joint Dennis had brought.

  “Damn right.” He buckled up for the ride home. “What did you and David talk about for so long?”

  “Lots of things. I told him about the house and he said not to sell it. You got your lighter?”

  Dennis dug in his pants pocket for a butane lighter. “He likes old houses.”

  “And we talked about how you used to be Joel’s twinkie.”

  “I was not! I just lived there while I—”

  “Whoa, shit!” Her rearview mirror had suddenly filled with flashing blue lights.

  “What?”

  Audie didn’t answer. She was too busy trying to chew and swallow the joint she was about to light. “Are you holding anything else?” she mumbled.

  Dennis shook his head numbly. “Just a popper.”

  “Shit. You better hope this is about a tail light.” Possession of amyl nitrites was illegal, and maybe enough to land them both in jail. “Where is it?”

  Dennis patted the breast pocket of his denim jacket. “Forget that. What about these?” He groped in the dark for the ashtray.