Chapter Ten #2
“My mother thought about coming, but she has
too much work to deal with,” Annabelle told her as the two hugged.
“Business keeps on getting better for my family, and it means more
and more of her time.”
“She is a wonderful example to everyone,” the
woman replied. “She’s living proof that women can do some things
better than men.”
“My father’s proud of her,” Annabelle said.
“He brags about her every chance he gets.”
“They have the ideal marriage. Any woman who
is adored the way your mother is has fortune on her side.”
Annabelle nodded then turned to Natalie.
“This is my sister-in-law, Natalie. Natalie, this is Fran
Moore.”
Fran smiled at Natalie then gave her a hug.
Natalie couldn’t be sure, but the hug felt a little too tight.
“Fran is short for Francine,” Fran told
Natalie. “Very few people call me Francine.”
“Only her parents and grandparents do that,”
Annabelle added.
“I keep telling Annabelle she could be called
Anna or Belle, but she insists on keeping her name the way it is,”
Fran said as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. “So, do you go
by Natalie or Nat?”
“Natalie,” Natalie replied.
Fran glanced at Annabelle. “Am I the only one
who likes to shorten their name?”
“No,” Annabelle said. “My brother prefers
Tony instead of Anthony.”
Fran shot her a pointed look. “That doesn’t
count. He’s not one of the members of our group.”
Annabelle shook her head in amusement. “You
can always go back to being called Francine if it bothers you.”
“I think Fran sounds better. It makes me feel
older and more distinguished.”
The butler opened the door, and this time two
other women came into the parlor. They looked to be in their early
thirties.
“This is Rosalyn Medford, and this is
Katherine Elwood,” Annabelle told Natalie before she told the two
Natalie’s name.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet the woman
who managed to get Mark Larson to settle down,” Rosalyn said.
Katherine glanced Fran’s way, and Natalie
sensed that Fran wasn’t all that pleased by Rosalyn’s words.
Annabelle shook her head in amusement.
“That’s not a good impression to give Natalie.” She directed her
gaze to Natalie. “Mark was not the kind of young man who ran around
with a lot of women. He was always respectful of anyone he
courted.”
“Which made him quite a catch,” Katherine
added. “Many women wished to marry him.”
Many? Natalie supposed this shouldn’t
surprise her since she’d fallen in love with him. Velma had wanted
to marry him, too. But Velma hadn’t loved him. She’d only loved his
money. Did most of the other women have the same motive for wanting
to be with him, or had they, like her, loved him?
Another woman came into the room, and this
time it was the butler who made the introduction. “Mrs. Gordon has
arrived,” he announced.
“You can call me Margie,” Mrs. Gordon said,
smiling as she came over to the others.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Annabelle greeted
before she told her everyone else’s names.
“I hope I can remember everyone’s names,”
Margie said when Annabelle was done. “I do much better at
remembering faces, so if I forget, please don’t be upset.”
Natalie liked Margie right away. Of all the
ladies in the group, besides Annabelle, Margie helped to put her at
ease. And it wasn’t just Margie’s kind smile that did it. She
reminded Natalie of her dear departed grandmother who’d let her
sneak in cookies before supper and who had told her all sorts of
interesting stories while they gathered fruits and vegetables from
the garden.
“We’re still waiting for Rhonda, Janet, and
Bethany,” Annabelle told the group. “Once they get here, we’ll take
a walk past the gardens in the park and then have some tea at one
of the restaurants in town.”
“It sounds like a perfect way to spend an
afternoon,” Margie said.
“It’s more fun than trying to calm down some
angry builders,” Annabelle said. “I’m glad my mother gets to work
the rest of the day while I get a break.”
“I’m sorry I missed her,” Margie began, “but
I understand. My husband is often called to handle unpleasant
situations when they arise. It’s best when things run smoothly, but
often that which can go wrong, will.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Rosalyn said with a
chuckle. “My husband owns two hotels, and the new pipes he’d just
had put in one of them burst. There was water all over the
place.”
“That’s what he gets for not using the
plumber my father recommended,” Annabelle teased.
Rosalyn laughed. “Well, you notice he didn’t
make that mistake with the second hotel.”
The others joined the two in laughing just as
the butler brought three older women into the room.
“Wonderful,” Annabelle cheered. “Since we’re
all here, let’s leave the stuffy indoors and enjoy some fresh
air.”
Natalie supposed she should feel more at ease
now that everyone was here, but the opposite was true. All of the
women seemed as if they’d known each other for years. Well, except
for Margie, but Margie was already talking as if she’d known the
others for a long time. It seemed that Natalie was the only one who
didn’t know what to say.
I’m nervous. It’s natural that I can’t think
of anything to say. Give it time. When I feel more comfortable,
I’ll come up with something to add to the conversation.
Relaxing, she followed the others out of the
house.