by Cindy Bell
“Hello.” Ally smiled. She wanted to say something clever to hold his attention, but instead she said the first thing that popped into her head. “Do you want some chocolate?”
“I’d better not, don’t want to spoil my dinner.” Luke winked at her then walked away. Ally wasn’t sure what to think of the detective. He was a transplant from the city, and though he acted like a perfect gentleman, Ally could sense that he was out of his element. She popped her earbuds back into her ears and returned to the window.
Chapter Two
That night after Ally shared a delicious meal with her grandmother, she retreated to her room. As usual Peaches followed right along behind her. Ally’s ex thought it was odd that she could have such a strong connection to a cat. But to Ally, Peaches was a friend, her best friend. It didn’t matter to her that they were different species. As soon as she sat down on her bed, Peaches jumped right up beside her. Ally stroked her orange fur.
“You will not believe who saw me dancing like an idiot today.” Ally laughed. “I guess Luke got quite an eyeful. He said I looked beautiful, but I think he was just being polite. I’m not sure that he will ever look at me the same way again.” Peaches nestled her hand and meowed softly. “I know, I know, you love me no matter what.” Ally smiled at her cat. Peaches always calmed her down. She decided to let go of the embarrassing moment and focus on the next day. In her mind she began to list all of the questions she wanted to ask the staff of Freely Lakes. She also decided that the next time she saw Luke she would ask him about any crimes in that area. The retirement community was still in Blue River, but it was on the border of the neighboring town of Freely. Freely Lakes got its name from the cluster of three lakes on which it bordered.
Even though it was only five minutes away, that didn’t mean that it wasn’t a target for criminals. Ally fell asleep that night with a solid plan in mind for ensuring that her grandmother’s new home would be safe and comfortable. That plan was ripped right out of her mind when her grandmother burst into her room the next morning.
“Ally, Ally, we overslept! We have to get going. I don’t want to be late! First impressions matter!”
“Huh? Okay. Wait, I’m getting up.” Ally struggled to her feet with sleep still clinging to her senses.
“Hurry, we still have to get the chocolates!”
Ally had a quick shower and rushed to dress, then made sure both Arnold and Peaches had food for the day. Once that was taken care of she grabbed her keys.
“Ready, Mee-Maw?”
Her grandmother stepped out into the hallway in a sleek, silver blouse paired with a fluted, purple skirt. The combination of color accented her eyes, her figure, and the bright smile on her lips. It was unusual for Charlotte to wear something so smart and for the first time Ally realized that her grandmother really was looking forward to more of a social life.
“You look gorgeous.”
“Why, thank you.” Charlotte smiled. “Are we ready to go?”
“Mm, just let me gulp down this cup of coffee.” Ally guzzled the liquid without even adding a drop of milk. The drive to the shop was fast. Ally’s heart pounded from the chaotic morning and the fact that despite the black coffee she was still trying to wake up.
“You stay in the car, I’ll grab the chocolates.” Ally hopped out of the car and rushed to the front door. She fumbled with the keys as she attempted to open the lock. As she finally slid the key into the lock the morning sunlight played off the large front window of the shop. Despite the fact that Ally had spent so much time cleaning the windows the day before she could see several smudges on the surface of the window. She wiggled the key and finally got the door open, but there wasn’t time to clean the windows again. If they wanted to make the open house they had to get there fast. She rushed inside and grabbed the chocolates off the bench. On the way out she was careful to make sure she locked the door. She returned to the car with the chocolates and handed them to her grandmother.
“Let’s roll!” Ally smiled as she turned down the road that led to Freely Lakes. “I’m ready to see what this place has to offer.”
“Me, too!” Charlotte grinned.
A large bunch of balloons sailed high in the air, tied down to the mailbox at the front of Freely Lakes.
“Wow, it looks like somebody’s birthday party.” Charlotte laughed. “I guess that they’re into the festive way of doing things.”
“I guess.” Ally took a deep breath and reminded herself of how important this was to her grandmother. She tried to have a good attitude, but her first instinct was that no place was good enough for her grandmother. She parked and glanced over at Charlotte. “We don’t even have to go in you know. You don’t have to do this.”
Charlotte reached over and patted Ally’s hand. “I’m not leaving you, sweetheart, you know that, don’t you?” She met Ally’s eyes. The two shared the same shade of green eyes, as did Ally’s late mother.
“I’m just worried about you, Mee-Maw. What if something happens?”
“I’m only a few minutes away from where you will be. If I need you, I can call you.”
Ally nodded. She turned the car off. “I guess since moving back home it’s been so nice to have you there when I wake up in the morning again.”
“I appreciate that, Ally, but maybe it’s not me that makes the difference. Maybe you’re just longing to have someone there when you wake up again. Divorce is hard, sweetheart.” She smiled gently.
Ally grimaced. “You could be right about that. I didn’t really think about living alone again when I was going through the divorce.”
“Give it time, you’re going to find that you love having some room to expand. It’s part of the healing process to get to know yourself again.”
“How did you get so wise, Mee-Maw?”
“I raised your mother, and you. I spent decades figuring life out, and starting all over again, many times. Just like I am now. I used to be afraid of change, now I’m just excited. It’s never as bad as you expect, and there are always surprises just around the corner.”
“I hope you’re right.” Ally opened the door of the car and stepped out. Her grandmother did as well. As they walked across the parking lot Ally noticed that there were several cars parked near the entrance of the building. Many of them had handicapped placards, some did not. She didn’t like to think of her grandmother as getting older, maybe that was another reason why she didn’t like the idea of Charlotte moving into a retirement community. As they walked towards the building Ally noticed a man in a suit. He stood by the door.
“Hello there.” As they walked up, the man took off his hat, and dipped his head respectfully. “Welcome to Freely Lakes Retirement Community.”
“Why, thank you.” Charlotte smiled. “What a lovely greeting.”
“Are you here for the open house?” He held the door open for them.
“Yes, we are. I’m planning to move in.” Charlotte pushed a few strands of her long, gray hair back behind one ear. “Perhaps you could give us a tour?”
“Ah, I would enjoy nothing more, my lady, but alas my role is only as a lowly doorman today. I’m sure there is someone inside who will be more than happy to assist you.” He bowed his head again. Charlotte giggled. Ally’s eyes widened as she followed behind her grandmother.
“Did you really just giggle?”
“I did.” Charlotte grinned. “I love the way he talked to me.”
“Oh boy, I see that I’m going to have to keep an eye on you.”
“We will look out for each other.” Charlotte nodded. “Besides, I will need some way to keep myself busy while you and your detective get to know each other.”
“Mee-Maw, nothing’s happened!”
“Mm hm.”
As they walked down the hall Charlotte pointed out the beautiful live plants that lined the walls. “You know how much I despise artificial flowers. Someone puts a lot of effort into caring for these plants. That’s a good sign.”
“They are nice.
” Ally opened the door to the recreation room. Inside were several folding tables and an assortment of food to select from. With so many options to choose from, Ally felt her stomach rumble. She hadn’t taken any time to have breakfast that morning.
“Look, they have muffins.” She made a quick turn to the food table.
“Go on, I’m going to introduce myself to a few people.” Charlotte walked towards a group of women that stood around another table. Ally set down the boxes of chocolates they brought to share in order to pick up one of the muffins from the tray. As soon as she set them down she heard a high pitched squeal.
“Are those what I think they are?” A towering woman with white curls and a booming voice reached for the top box of chocolates.
“They’re from Charlotte’s Chocolate Heaven.” Ally smiled, then took a bite of her muffin.
“Oh, that place is fabulous! I just love her chocolates. I never get over there anymore to get some myself, but my friends all know that they are my favorite. Do you think that anyone would notice if I took the whole box?”
Ally grinned. “No, I don’t think so. I’m sure my grandmother would love to know that she has such a big fan. She’s planning to move in here soon.”
“Oh, I know. It will be amazing! I will have to become best friends with her. Just promise me that you won’t tell her that it’s because of the chocolates.”
Ally couldn’t help but grin at the woman’s enthusiasm. “I promise. Hurry and take those to your room before someone catches you.”
“I will!” She winked and hurried off. Charlotte walked up behind Ally.
“One box is already gone? Oh dear, I guess we should have brought more.”
“Next time we will.” Ally grinned.
“Shall we take a walk along the lake?” Charlotte offered Ally her arm. “Someone just told me there is a family of ducks that I would like to see for myself.”
“Absolutely.”
The two women made their way down a long, winding path that led to a small, peaceful lake. “I hate to admit it, but this place is beautiful,” Ally said.
“And I don’t have to lift a finger. Someone else mows the lawn, someone else waters the garden. I just get to enjoy it. What could be better than that?”
“But won’t you miss Arnold?”
“Of course. But I will get to visit him all the time. Besides, he has Peaches to keep him company.”
“I’m not so sure he likes that idea.” Ally laughed. Her laughter carried across the calm water of the lake. She took a deep breath of the fresh air. She really could see why her grandmother would want to live at Freely Lakes. The people were nice, the setting was idyllic, and the sense of freedom was distinctly in the air.
“I guess we’ll have to pick out your apartment.”
“Oh, I already did! There are a few apartments that overlook the lake. I’d really like one of those. Unfortunately, they’re all occupied at the moment, but the manager assured me that she will work on it for me. I’m willing to live in a different one until one of those becomes available.”
“What if we offer someone who lives in one of the apartments free chocolates for life if they switch with you?” Ally laughed.
“Good idea. But one thing I’ve learned in life, Ally, is that patience will get you everything. I have plenty of time to look forward to the room. Sometimes the anticipation is just as sweet.”
“I wish I had your patience.” Ally sighed. “Sometimes it feels like all I do is try to force the hand of fate, and it never works.”
“How can you say that?” Charlotte looked over at her with a small smile. “You’re here with me, aren’t you?”
“Good point.” Ally grinned.
As they walked back towards the main building, Ally noticed the woman who had taken the entire box of chocolates. She walked with an unsteady gait.
“Oh dear, that’s Myrtle Dents, isn’t it?” Charlotte clucked her tongue. “Someone got into the sauce far too early.”
“Do you know her well?”
“Not very. Her family has lived in Freely for a long time. In fact I spoke to her earlier this week when I stopped in. She lives in one of the rooms that overlook the lake, and offered to show me the view. Of course, she was sober then.” Charlotte shook her head as the woman swayed back and forth along the path. “Retirement is no excuse for picking up bad habits. Hopefully she doesn’t drive.”
“Now, Mee-Maw, we can’t judge. I saw her not that long ago when she took some chocolates we brought with and she was sharp as a tack. Maybe she’s on some kind of medication that makes her a bit loopy.”
“Maybe. But I’ve seen a lot of drunk people in my time, and that woman looks drunk to me.”
“I guess we won’t know unless we ask.” Ally started to walk towards the woman, but before she could reach her another woman took Myrtle’s arm and led her away. Ally thought that the woman looked familiar, but she had met a lot of new people at the open house and wasn’t quite sure where she had seen her.
“Let’s head back inside, I think they are going to do a little presentation about the different activities that are available at the center.”
“Great.” Ally nodded. She stared after Myrtle for a moment, then followed her grandmother back to the main building. Inside they had set up an area with mockups representing all of the different activities that residents could choose from. One of the women held a tennis racket to represent the tennis courts. She wore a cute, little, white tennis skirt.
“As you can see we have a variety of activities available to not only keep you on your toes, but give everyone the chance to socialize and get to know one another.”
“Who would want to get to know that wench?” A slurred voice called out from the back of the room. Ally turned to see Myrtle leaning heavily on another woman’s arm. She pointed at the woman with the tennis racket. “Ruth couldn’t play tennis to save her life. Could you, Ruth? She just likes to wear the little skirts.”
“Hush! You’re making a scene, Myrtle. Stop acting so foolish!” Ruth said.
“I’m foolish? You’re the one spreading rumors about me everywhere! I’m dying, huh? Well, guess what? I’m still here, aren’t I?” She stomped her foot and nearly fell over. The woman beside her steadied her.
“Myrtle, stop this now, you’re just tired.” The woman beside her said.
“I’m not tired. I’m healthy as a horse. Which is more than I can say for this one! She has a problem with popping pills, don’t you, Ruth?”
“You shut your mouth!” Ruth swung the tennis racket so hard that Ally jumped back. She expected the racket to go flying, but Ruth kept her grip on it. She fixed Myrtle with such an angry glare that Ally thought the two might get into a fist fight.
“Okay, that’s enough, ladies.” The man who had opened the door for them moved between the two. “Why don’t we put on some music?” He raised an eyebrow to another man who stood beside a radio. That man turned on music. Myrtle was led away by the woman at her side. The gentleman who had intervened offered his hand to Charlotte. “I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression. We also have many social events, such as ballroom dancing. Would you like to join me?”
Charlotte grinned. “I certainly would.” She took his hand and cast a wink over her shoulder to Ally. Ally smiled, but her mind was still on the two women. If there was that much animosity between residents was it really the best place for her grandmother to live?
Ruth walked over to a table and sat down. She looked furious as she took a sip of her sugar-free soda.
Ally decided to see if she could gain any insight from the other residents. While her grandmother danced she sat down at a table with a small group of women.
“Wow! That was some argument. Does Myrtle often get drunk?” Ally asked casually.
“Myrtle?” A tiny woman on the other side of the table giggled. “No, never. She protested to having wine at the New Year’s Eve party, said it wasn’t fair to those who were on medications that sho
uldn’t be mixed with alcohol.”
“I guess she’s changed her mind about that.” The woman beside her said.
“Oh please, you know that Ruth had it coming.” The tiny woman said. “Ruth thinks she’s the belle of the ball because she is barely old enough to live here. She’s determined to get one of the apartments that overlook the lake, and has decided that because Myrtle is one of the oldest residents that has a room with a view, she will be the next one to die. The cruel creature has even started to take bets as to how much longer Myrtle has. Who could ever think that was acceptable behavior?”
“Oh now, that’s just her personality. She doesn’t mean anything by it.” The woman beside her shook her head. “I’m sure that if the two just spent some time together they would come to an understanding.”
“Ethel, not everyone is a peacemaker like you.” The smaller woman sighed. “No. I think if the two of them were in a room together that racket would be used for something other than tennis.”
“Beth! You shouldn’t say things like that!” Ethel scowled. “You know how easily someone’s reputation can get ruined by a rumor.”
The third woman, who had been silent the entire time raised her hands into the air. “Ladies, drop it. This woman doesn’t want to hear our dirty laundry. The truth is Freely Lakes is like a little town unto itself, it has its villains and its saints, and more than its share of drama. Too many old bitties watching daytime soap operas and trying to make it their reality.”
“I am not an old bitty!” Beth lifted her chin.
“Neither am I.” Ethel frowned.
“Well, I am.” The woman stood up from her chair. “And I prefer it that way. I keep to myself, I read my books, I take my walks, and no one threatens me with a tennis racket. Maybe the two of you should stop worrying so much about Ruth and Myrtle and pay more attention to how you’re spending your time. You could have knitted an entire sweater in the time it took you to gossip.”
“Now, who’s being dramatic?” Ethel rolled her eyes. Ally was a bit amused and slightly concerned by what she had heard. Freely Lakes sounded more like high school than a retirement home. The conversation ended when Charlotte was escorted to the table by her dance partner.
