Inn at Last Chance

by Hope Ramsay

  For entertainment, he had books. Lots and lots of books that he bought at the Goodwill store for pennies apiece. And of course, there was hunting and fishing. He worked some, too. He had a part-time job for Mr. Randall at the Painted Corner Stables, and he’d helped Dash’s wife restore the theater in town. He took in jobs repairing furniture from time to time. But his life was pretty simple compared with a lot of other folks’.

  He was comfortable here. He didn’t have to say much to anyone. And that was always good, because he’d never been good with words. Not even before Vietnam or Luke’s death.

  So he was pretty well blown away on Friday when Nita’s familiar Toyota Camry came bumping down his dirt road.

  He got up and peered through the front windows the minute he heard her engine. He stood there staring like an idiot or something when she got out of the car, wearing a pair of blue jeans, those big, puffy suede boots the ladies seemed to like, and a winter jacket. She looked like she’d come out here for a winter hike.

  She stood by her car for a long moment, studying his house. His heart started pounding in his chest because he couldn’t tell if Nita thought his place was a shack or something else. He’d been working hard to make it something special, something unique. But he knew folks in town continued to refer to his place as a shack in the woods. Mostly he didn’t care what people thought. But he cared about Nita.

  More than he should.

  She crossed the little clearing and stepped up onto his porch. She knocked on the door like a woman on a mission.

  He thought about playing possum and not answering, but Nita destroyed that plan by shouting, “I know you’re in there, Zeph Gibbs. So don’t you pretend otherwise.”

  He had to smile. Nita had been a little bossy when she was in elementary school, and she had evidently not outgrown the tendency.

  He put his book down on the rocking chair’s seat and answered the door.

  The woman didn’t wait for an invitation. She barreled right through the door, forcing Zeph to take a step back.

  And then she stopped, and her eyes grew round, and she kind of spun around as she studied the wooden walls of his front room.

  “Good God almighty, Zeph, you must have a thousand books on these shelves.”

  Every wall in his house had built-in shelves. And every shelf had books on it. “All told I have eight hundred and fifty-nine books. All of them are paperbacks, though, and out here they don’t last so good. The damp gets to them.”

  “You know how many there are?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I have them sorted and cataloged. But I don’t use the Dewey system.” He managed a little smile.

  “Good heavens. I could teach it to you if you were interested in working part-time at the library.”

  “Miz Nita, unless we do something, no one’s going to be working at the library.”

  She folded her arms across her chest. “Exactly, Zeph. And that’s why I’m here. I need to talk to you about Gabe Raintree.”

  This was, of course, the last thing on earth that Zeph wanted to talk about. So he stalled. “Uh, can I get you a cup of coffee or something?”

  “Yes, that would be very nice.”

  “Come on back, then.”

  Nita followed him into his little kitchen. “Oh my goodness.” She practically breathed the words.

  “Ma’am?”

  “Zeph, this is beautiful.” She gestured at his hand-built cabinetry and the stove and oven that he’d just installed. The appliances weren’t exactly new; they were each slightly damaged, and he’d gotten them from a salvage company for much less than retail. “You’ve been keeping secrets. Folks in town believe you live in a shack.”

  “I know. That’s probably because my daddy lived in one, and that’s where I came up. But I decided a long time ago that I didn’t ever want to live in one again.”

  “You built this place?” She sank down into a one-of-a-kind chair, at his one-of-a-kind kitchen table.

  “I did. It kept me busy. Kept my mind off things I didn’t want to think about.”

  He pulled down two mismatched coffee mugs and poured some coffee from an old-fashioned, on-the-stovetop percolator.

  “It’s pretty strong, ma’am. Do you want milk or sugar or something?”

  “No, Zeph. Just sit down. We need to talk.”

  He sat and put his hands around his cup but he didn’t look up. Never in his wildest imagination had he ever envisioned Nita sitting at his kitchen table. And if he had fantasized about it, he would have had her staring out the window at the view of the river, not staring at him like she was seeing him for the first time.

  “Zeph, did you hear about what happened at The Jonquil House last night?”

  He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I spoke with Sheriff Rhodes over the phone this morning.”

  “You didn’t do that to Jenny, did you?”

  He gripped his cup a little tighter. “Do you think I’m the kind of man who would do something like that?”

  She shook her head, her dark eyes big and kind, the way they always were. “No, Zeph, I don’t. But I reckon there are people in town who’ve read Black Water and who can’t help but see parallels between you and the crazy man in that book. Folks are saying you did that thing to Jenny just to get her and Gabe to move out.”

  He nodded. “I reckon I’m not surprised. I reckon it’s mostly white folks saying that.”

  “That’s true, I’m sorry to say. I wanted to come out here and tell you that I don’t for one minute believe you’d do something like that. But it looks bad, Zeph. Real bad.”

  He shrugged. “There isn’t anything I can do about it.”

  “Yes, there is. I’m convinced that Gabe Raintree is not what he appears to be. And we both know there’s more to his history than folks realize. I’m worried about Jenny. I’m worried about you. And I don’t know what to think about Gabe. You need to tell Sheriff Rhodes what happened when Luke died. He needs to know all the facts.”

  “I promised I would never do that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Gabe deserved a chance to live a normal life. He was only ten, and the gun misfired. It was an accident, pure and simple. But it was one of those accidents that could have been avoided if I had been paying attention. I knew Gabe wanted to try that gun. I knew his granddaddy had forbidden it until he was twelve. I should never have taken my eye off him. I tell you, Nita, it’s just a blessing that Gabe doesn’t remember what happened. Telling him now would rip him apart, especially since—” He drew himself up short before he could say one word about the ghost.

  “Especially since what?”

  “Nothing.”

  She put her mug down and gave him a stare like the one his old granny used to give him when he’d been up to no good. “What, Zeph? The time for secrets is over. If Gabe is unbalanced, we need to get him out of that house and into some place where he can get help. I’m not going to sit by and let Jenny Carpenter get hurt because of something I asked her to do. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, ma’am, but Gabe isn’t a threat to her, unless you’re thinking about him breaking her heart.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “They’re falling for each other. Any fool can see it. And I think…”

  “You think what?”

  He laid his hands palms-down on the table. Maybe it was time to tell the truth, the whole truth. He took a breath and let it out slowly. Then he looked up. “Nita, I’m going to tell you the whole truth. And when I’m finished, I’m going to ask you not to blab it all over town, or run to Doc Cooper, and try to get me help. Because I’m not crazy. I’m not disturbed. I just like being alone, is that clear?”

  She reached out and put her hand over his, and he immediately knew that, while he liked his solitude, he wouldn’t mind Nita coming out here from time to time just to break the monotony. “I don’t think you’re crazy, Zeph. What’s eating you?”

  “Nita, I’m about to tell you a ghost story.”

&n
bsp; Friday wasn’t nearly as busy at the Cut ’n Curl as Saturday, but it was busy enough. When Jenny walked through the front door, Ruby Rhodes was juggling two of her best clients, Lillian Bray and Thelma Hanks, while Jane Rhodes was giving Savannah Randall a manicure.

  Ruby looked up from the body wave she was putting into Lillian’s hair with a big, wide smile. “Stone called this morning, honey. We’ve all heard about the horrible thing that happened out at The Jonquil House. Don’t you worry, now, Clay promised that he’d bring the roll-away bed from my place up to the apartment on his lunch hour.”

  “Thank you, but, I’m not here about the bed. I was…” Her mouth went dry. She wanted to be made over in the worst way, but saying it out loud felt like a betrayal of her own principles. Why should she have to get herself all dolled up to catch a man?

  Not that she was trying to catch a man, exactly. She just wanted to…

  Well, what she wanted was scandalous. But a woman her age needed to look things squarely in the eye and get on with it. The Jonquil House had needed a makeover. And if she wanted to be the in-charge innkeeper, she needed to upgrade as well.

  “What, honey?” Ruby asked.

  “I was wondering if you could squeeze me in today?”

  Every head in the place swiveled, even Lillian’s. Good Lord, Lillian was liable to blab all over town that the chicken-hurling hussy had come down here and demanded a brand-new look.

  “Hallelujah!” Jane said from her manicure station.

  “Amen to that,” Savannah seconded with a grin.

  “It’s that nice young preacher, isn’t it?” Thelma said. Eugene Hanks’s wife was having her roots attended to, and she looked a little bit like Phyllis Diller or maybe the bride of Frankenstein. Seeing her hair all covered in tinfoil and standing on end was almost terrifying.

  “I declare,” Thelma continued, “that preacher is as handsome as the day is long.”

  “He certainly is. And he’s a pious man as well. I like that about him,” Lillian said with a sniff and turned away as if dismissing Jenny’s chances with the preacher. Which kind of rankled even if Jenny didn’t much like Reverend Lake in the first place.

  Jane popped up from her place and crossed the room with a big smile on her face. “You come right on in. Ruby is busier than a one-armed paper hanger today, but Savannah is my last manicure for a while. I’ll do your hair.”

  Jane took her gently by the crook of her arm and guided her across the room and into one of the salon chairs. “So, tell me what you had in mind while I finish up Savannah’s mani.”

  “Uh, well, uh…” All coherent speech fled Jenny’s mind. Now that she was here, surrounded by pink walls and the ammonia smell of Lillian’s permanent solution, she was completely flummoxed. She had no idea how she wanted to look, except that she wanted it to be natural. And she wasn’t sure she was ready for weekly visits to Ruby.

  She just wanted to look better, sexier… something.

  She was saved by the bell over the front door. Sabina came charging in, her cheeks pink from the chilly temperatures outside. “Is she really here?”

  And everyone in the shop said yes in unison, which was even more embarrassing.

  “Praise the Lord and tipsy china cabinets,” Sabina said, crossing the room. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

  She sat down in one of the pink vinyl hair-dryer chairs. “So, I think we need to spruce up the color and cut it to chin length. What do y’all think?” Sabina asked Ruby and Jane.

  “I wouldn’t do anything drastic to the color,” Ruby said. “Just a few highlights.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Savannah said. “And, honey, if you really want to change your look, you need to think about contact lenses.”

  “Or a least a pair of frames that don’t make you look like an owl,” Jane said.

  “Honey, I’d go whole hog,” Ruby said, “and get that Lasik treatment. Alma Newberry did that last summer, and it just changed her life.”

  “You also need some clothes that fit you better,” Savannah said. “You’re hiding your figure under a bushel basket.”

  “Oh don’t you worry, Savannah, just as soon as Jane and Ruby work their magic on her hair, I’m taking her to Charleston for some shopping. I have an auction down there on Monday, anyway.”

  “I need to be back by Monday.”

  “No, you don’t. You need to stay away and let Sheriff Rhodes do his thing. And then when we get back, we’re going to have a big bonfire and burn every sweater and turtleneck in your closet.”

  “But I like sweaters,” Jenny protested, suddenly uncertain of all these changes.

  “Of course you do. But there are floppy, shapeless sweaters and then there are tight-fitting twin sets that display your assets. Once you try one of them, you’ll see that you can be comfy and sexy at the same time.”

  “Really,” Lillian said in an unpleasant voice, “I doubt that Reverend Lake would be terribly impressed by a woman who dressed like a slut.”

  Everyone glowered at Lillian. “No one is dressing her like a slut,” Sabina said.

  “Jenny,” Lillian said, “it seems to me you’d do better to worry about your character instead of your wardrobe. In my mind, you deserved what happened to you last night for harboring that devil Gabriel Raintree.”

  “Lillian,” Ruby said in a voice that was as unfriendly as Jenny had ever heard from the hairdresser, “that was an ugly thing to say. Stone told me what happened. It was horrible and malicious. And I won’t have anyone saying that she deserved something like that. And furthermore, Mr. Raintree is the grandson of a governor from a well-respected family, who has written many entertaining books. I don’t think he’s a demon, and I won’t have people saying such ugly things in my shop, is that clear?”

  “I’m sorry.” Lillian managed to sound contrite until she added her next little dig. “But it seems to me that Reverend Lake will be more interested in Jenny’s character than her looks.”

  “Okay, let’s get something clear right now,” Jenny said. “I’m not interested in the preacher. I know y’all think he’s the man who is going to sweep me off my feet. But here’s the thing: I don’t want to be swept off my feet. In fact, I don’t even want to get married.”

  “What?” Five voices spoke in unison.

  “It’s true. I just want to be a strong, independent woman, like Wilma Riley, or Arlene Whitaker now that Pete has passed. And Wilma and Arlene come to the beauty shop, and no one gets on their cases.”

  “Honey, you have a point,” Ruby said.

  “But don’t give up on finding your soulmate,” Savannah said, her dark eyes gleaming as if she knew something.

  “Savannah, I know everyone says your aunt is trying to match me up with Reverend Lake. But I don’t love him.”

  Savannah grinned. “I don’t think Aunt Miriam ever said that you and the preacher were soulmates. But here’s the thing, when you meet your soulmate, you’ll know him, because he’ll make it hard for you to think or breathe. And everything you ever tried on any other man is just not going to work on him. He’ll be different, and you’ll know it almost from the start.”

  Thelma gave Savannah the oddest look. “Did Miriam tell you that?”

  Savannah blushed right to the roots of her naturally blond hair. “Well, y’all, no, not exactly.”

  “Honey, are you saying that you and your aunt have the same gift?” Ruby said.

  “Well, uh, it would be presumptuous of me to say that I have Miriam’s knack. After all, she’s been matching people up for decades.”

  “But…,” Jane said.

  “But I sometimes see things other people don’t.”

  “And you’re saying that Jenny is not fated to be with the new Methodist preacher?” Thelma asked.

  “No, Thelma, Reverend Lake is not Jenny’s soulmate.” She smiled at Jenny. “So I think you can pour your assets into as many sexy twin sets as Sabina can talk you into, because I don’t think your soulmate will judg
e you for it.”

  Sabina folded her arms across her chest with a disappointed frown on her face. “Oh, that’s a shame. When Miriam said she was going to have a handsome man, well, Reverend Lake is like a movie star, and so I naturally thought… Besides, most of the single men in town aren’t all that much.”

  “Oh I don’t know about that, Dr. Dave the Vet is nice looking,” Jane said.

  “And don’t forget the Canaday twins. They’re young yet, but I see real promise there, and Pat told me that Beau’s cancer is in remission,” Ruby added.

  “And there’s always Ross Gardiner over at the fire station,” Savannah said, giving Sabina the oddest look.

  “Ross isn’t exactly single. He’s my sister’s boyfriend,” Sabina said.

  “That boy needs to get off his backside and pop the question, if you ask me,” Ruby said. “And until he does, he still technically qualifies as one of the town’s good-looking bachelors.”

  “Goodness, there are so many bachelors that I feel like I’ve fallen right into an episode of The Dating Game,” said Thelma. “If Jenny isn’t going to be matched up with Reverend Lake, then who is it going to be, Savannah?”

  Savannah smiled like the Mona Lisa. “Aunt Miriam has already spoken on this point. Jenny is destined to have a very handsome soulmate. So Jenny, don’t you be settling on anyone who’s ugly, you hear me?”

  “Ugly inside or out?” Jenny asked.

  Savannah blinked. “Honey, you don’t need me to answer that. You already know the answer.”

  Jenny’s shopping trip to Charleston lasted a week, instead of a weekend. Not only did Sabina ensure that she bought new clothing, but the two of them attended no less than two auctions and then spent several days wandering the back roads of South Carolina picking through barns, looking for antiques for Sabina to sell at her store.

  Jenny scored a box of Blue Willow china to replace the pieces that had been broken in the china cabinet debacle. She also found assorted stemware and side pieces that would make her breakfast table special, as well as a few knickknacks that would probably make Mr. Raintree hurl. She didn’t care. She had a weakness for china figurines, and she wasn’t giving that up for anyone, not even Mr. Raintree.