Chapter Twenty-Two
“S
urprise!”
Libby recognized the voice even before she looked up from her work and saw the short gray-haired woman coming through the door into the office. She pushed back the chair so fast that it rolled against the wall behind her, and she rushed over to hug her old neighbor.
Dolly took a step back and eyed Libby from the toes of her athletic shoes to her dark hair that was done up in a ponytail. “You look happy. I knew coming up here would be good for you.”
Libby took her by the hand and led her over to one of the wingback chairs that faced the desk. “Sit down and talk to me—and yes, ma’am, moving here is the best decision I’ve ever made. Thank you for talking me into doing it.”
“I just gave you a little push.” Dolly took a seat. “It’s sure enough cooler in here than out there in the store.”
Libby finally remembered her manners. “Can I get you a bottle of water?”
Dolly shook her head. “Thank you, but I just finished one. Giving away cold water is a great idea when the weather is like this.”
Libby sat down next to her. “Are you on your way home or just getting started on an adventure?”
“My friends and I left Austin on Friday. We’re on a road trip to Pawhuska, Oklahoma, to visit Ree Drummond’s store, and we’re hitting antique stores along the way. We stayed in Dallas that night. We spent yesterday in Jefferson, and tonight we’ll be in McAlester. This is our last road trip, so we’re making the best of it. By the end of next week, we’ll be in Galveston to board a cruise ship.”
Libby reached over and laid a hand on Dolly’s shoulder. “Are you sick? Why is this your last road trip? And are you sure you’ll have the energy for a cruise after a road trip like this? You didn’t mention it in your letters.”
Dolly’s bright smile deepened all the wrinkles around her eyes. She covered Libby’s hand with her own bony, veined one and said, “I’m not sick, and I plan to live to be a hundred—unless the good Lord has other ideas. But this is our farewell to big adventures for me and my friends. We are all going into an assisted-living place in Austin when we get home. We agreed years ago that when one of us started having problems, we would go together. The time has come. No looking back, other than to relive all our good times. No regrets about anything.”
Libby picked up Dolly’s hand and held it to her cheek for a moment before dropping it. “I want to grow up and be like you.”
“Honey, don’t set your goals that low. You get married and have a family. Everyone at the shelter keeps saying what good help you were, and the kids that are still there ask about you all the time.” Dolly patted her hand. “Also, I want you to know that my friends are now volunteering at the women’s shelter, too.”
“Oh, Dolly, that is such good news, but how will—”
“Not to worry,” Dolly said with a smile as she shook her head, “about how we’ll get back and forth to volunteer. Pecan Grove—that’s the name of our new home—has a shuttle van that will take us anywhere we need to go.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Libby said. “How are things at the shelter? I have missed the kids so much.”
“Going very well,” Dolly answered. “Jason and his mama are gone now. They’ve relocated somewhere up north. Nebraska, I think. The only trouble with volunteering is that I get too attached to the children and then they are gone.”
“But more come in that need you just as bad. Thank you for bringing news of them to me. Getting to see you is like a breath of fresh air,” Libby said after a sigh.
“Honey,” Dolly said with a smile, “this is not the end of our visits. I’ve got your phone number, and when we get settled, I will text you my new address. If you are ever in Austin again, we can go out for dinner.”
Benny opened the door without knocking and stopped right inside. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No problem,” Libby said. “Come on in and meet Dolly. She was my neighbor in Austin—the one who gave me a push to interview for this job. She loved the store the last time she was here.”
Benny crossed the room in a few long strides with his hand extended. “I’m so glad to meet you, Dolly. Libby has mentioned you several times. Thank you so much for steering her up this way. She’s really been an asset to the business.”
Dolly shook hands with him. “I’m glad things worked out. I was just leaving. My friends will be ready to get back out in my air-conditioned car, and we’ve got two more hours before we get to our next hotel. Or maybe three, if we see a garage sale on the way.” She winked at Libby, pushed up out of the chair, and raised her arms for another hug.
Libby bent slightly to embrace her, and Dolly whispered, “He’s a keeper. Don’t throw him back. His eyes light up when he looks at you.” She took a step back and skewered Benny with a glance. “I told her I’d text my new address when I get moved into my new digs, and she will get my salt-dip collection. I ran out of room to keep all of them in my apartment years ago and had to put them in storage. None of my kids, grandkids, or great-grands want them, so they’re being shipped to Libby. Keep her on track!”
“I couldn’t ...,” Libby stammered before Benny could speak.
“It’s done,” Dolly said. “You always admired them. Keep the ones you like and sell the rest. They should bring enough to make a little nest egg. This’ll be a see you later, not a goodbye—oh my goodness, I was so excited to see you so happy that I forgot to give you something.” She reached inside her tote bag and pulled out a manila envelope. “The kids all colored pictures to send to you. Even Jason did one before he and his mama left.”
Libby hugged the envelope to her heart. “This is so special, Dolly. I may cry.”
“No, you will not.” Dolly shook her finger at Libby. “You will be happy and laugh at the pictures and color sheets. That’s an order, young lady. Promise me?”
“I can promise to try,” Libby said.
“That’s good enough.” Dolly blew her a kiss and left the office.
Benny opened up his arms, and she walked into them. She laid her head on his chest and did her best to keep the tears from flowing.
“I can see why you said Dolly was like a grandmother.” Benny patted her back. “We’ll have to go visit her this fall.”
“I’d like that,” Libby said. “And thank you for what you said to her.”
“I meant every word of it,” he whispered, and his warm breath on her neck sent tingles all the way down her backbone.
He moved one arm from around her, and she started to step back, but he tightened his hold with his other one. She moved away from his chest, and he tucked his free hand under her chin. She barely had time to moisten her lips before his mouth found hers in a long, lingering kiss. Her heart kicked in a few extra beats. Her pulse shot up so high that she could hear wind rushing in her ears. She didn’t want it to end, and yet she wished it had never happened. Now things would be awkward between them, and she valued their friendship too much to ruin it.
Quit analyzing every little thing and enjoy the moment. Dolly’s voice was as clear in her head as if she were still in the store.
She wanted to lean in, to feel more excitement in a whole string of hot, steamy kisses, but she took a step back. “Benny, we can’t ...”
He cupped her cheeks in his big hands and smiled. “We are two grown adults. We don’t have to rush anything, but I’ve wanted to do that for several days now. I don’t want to have regrets when I’m as old as Dolly.”
Three things went through Libby’s mind. The first one was Victoria scolding her about being a stick-in-the mud. The second was that Dolly had just said a similar thing. The last was the advice about how attractive Benny was.
She glanced up at him and agreed with all three things, but mostly with the last one.
“Are you going to finish what you were saying?” he asked.
Libby wrapped her arms around his neck. “No regrets,” she said as she leaned in for another kiss.
“Not a bad week, considering this heat wave that we’re having,” Benny said on the way home that evening, but his mind was on the way Libby had felt in his arms rather than the total of sales when they closed out. His hand brushed against hers, and he laced their fingers together. He had felt the world stop when they kissed. That might sound silly coming from a man, but it was the truth. He’d never had such a strong reaction to just a few kisses—but then it had been months since he’d even had the opportunity for a good night kiss at the end of a date.
“We sold a lot of glassware from the new shelves,” Libby said. “Those purple pieces really went fast.”
Had the moment passed forever? Would she back away from even the idea of a real date? He wanted to voice the questions, but he didn’t want to hear the answers.
“And the sale of those two four-poster beds made room for us to bring some more out of the warehouse—but I want to talk about us, not antiques.” He dropped her hand when they reached the porch and opened the door for her.
“Benny, four people live here in Sawmill. Opal and Minilee made it clear when I first got here that you were off-limits. I know you are not a poor man and that you have a lot of money. How do you know I haven’t been playing you all along?”
“You’ve never struck me as the dishonest kind, Libby. And besides, as a lawyer, I have dealt with some pretty sneaky people, and they all have the same traits.”
Libby went inside and took off Fancy’s leash. The dog flopped down on her belly in the middle of the cool tile floor.
“And those telling signs about devious people are ...?” she asked.
“Fancy has the right idea,” Benny said.
“About sneaky people?”
“She could probably spot one of those kinds of people for sure, but I was talking about going in out of the heat,” he answered.
“You want to flop down on the cool tile?” Libby teased.
“That’s tempting, but I wouldn’t go that far. I would like a cold beer, though, and to talk about us some more,” he answered. “I can’t describe the traits, but I haven’t been fooled very many times. And, honey, you do not have any of them.”
Libby kicked off her shoes and walked barefoot across the cold floor. “I might be one of those master manipulators who fall into the one percent that can fool even a smart lawyer like you.”
Benny closed the door behind him and got two longneck bottles of beer out of the cooler. He twisted the top off one and handed it to her. “Are you in that one percent?”
“No,” she answered and took a long drink. “But how can you believe me?”
“You’ve given me no cause not to.”
“Hey, y’all!” Opal pushed her way through the door with a large watermelon in her hands.
Dammit! The word chased through Benny’s mind, but he didn’t say it out loud. He loved Opal and Minilee, but he didn’t want to see them this evening.
“We harvested our best watermelon this morning, and we’re here to share it with you,” Minilee said. “We’ve chilled it all day in the refrigerator, and it’s just what we all need at the end of this hot day. We had a potluck after church services this morning, but—”
Opal raised a hand and butted in. “The AC went out in the fellowship hall, so we didn’t tarry long after we had eaten.”
“It was an eat-and-run type day, and hot food on a day like this just didn’t taste as good as it would have in a nice cool room. We just had a bologna sandwich at supper and thought we would share our melon with y’all for dessert,” Minilee said and handed Benny a butcher knife. “You can cut it open for us. I figure me and Opal can dig into one half; you and Libby can claim the other one. We’ll chunk up what’s left over for later and use the rind to make pickles.”
“I bet y’all could sell jams and jellies in the store,” Libby said.
Her tone was cheerful. The smile on her face was genuine. Does that mean she’s glad for the interruption? Benny wondered.
“We could never sell what we grow or make from our produce!” Minilee declared. “That would turn what we do into a job, and we retired years ago. We just make pickles and jam for fun. We’ve got lots of relatives and friends who always bring the jars back. When it gets to be a job, it’s not fun anymore.”
“I don’t know about that,” Benny said. “I think my job is a lot of fun.”
“Me too,” Libby said.
Minilee brought out four forks from her apron pocket. “Then you are a success. My grandmother told me when I was about to graduate from high school that I should find a job I loved to do. It didn’t matter if it was digging ditches, being a stay-at-home wife, or campaigning to be the first woman president of the United States—I would be a success.”
“Were you?” Libby asked.
“Yes. Me and Opal both were. We worked for Walter in the office for years and enjoyed our jobs. Now we are retired, and we love what we do in our old age,” she answered.
“Life is good.” Opal pulled a shaker full of salt from her apron pocket. “I like a little sprinkling on mine to bring out the flavor.”
“Not me,” Minilee said. “I take it just like the good Lord lets it grow.”
Libby wondered if she shouldn’t do the same—take it like the good Lord let it grow. Had the desperate times she had endured caused her life to ripen? Was she ready to let go of the past and move on without looking back?
Benny nudged her shoulder with his. “What are you thinking about?”
“Watermelons and life,” she answered, but she wondered—if she split her life open like Benny had just cut that melon in half and looked inside, what would she see? Would there be rotten spots that could ruin the sweetness?
“How are those two things anything alike?” Minilee asked. “I can’t imagine how watermelon and life can even be used in the same sentence.”
“I’m not sure I can explain how my mind works, but the best I can do is, what’s inside is not visible to anyone just looking at that green rind—somewhat like getting to know someone—and seeing the outside isn’t like understanding their heart and soul,” Libby said, then changed the subject. “I’ve never heard of watermelon-rind pickles.”
“I hear ya on all of it,” Opal said. “And we’ll bring a jar of pickles out next time you kids eat supper with us.”
“So, what’s on the agenda for y’all this next week?” Minilee asked. “Libby has all the drawers cleaned out, and the office is looking like something other than a trash heap. I don’t know where you are going to put any more merchandise if you bring home another trailer full, Benny.”
Benny shrugged. “I’m going to an estate sale in Clarksville tomorrow. The owner of the sale wants me to make her an offer to buy what she’s got—lock, stock, and barrel. I looked at the list of what they have, and there’s quite a bit of glassware. What we had on the new shelves sold really well this weekend.”
Opal dug into her watermelon and added a few grains of salt to what was on her fork. Before she took a bite, she looked over at Libby. “What about you? Me and Minilee thought maybe we could get you to go with us to the farmers’ market in Paris on Tuesday.”
“I’d love to,” Libby said with a nod, glad that Minilee didn’t want to talk about the watermelon-and-life subject anymore. “But tomorrow, I’m going to Clarksville with Benny.”
“Want me to babysit Fancy?” Minilee asked.
“That would be great,” Libby answered. “Some places won’t allow dogs inside the house, and it’s supposed to be another hot one, so ...”
“So, she can stay with us,” Opal declared. “And you should leave Elvis at home, too, Benny. It’s not like you’ll be gone overnight. We’ll make sure his water bowl is kept full here on the station porch.”
“Thank you,” Benny said with a nod. “Elvis will appreciate that, I’m sure.”
Libby caught the look that passed between Opal and Minilee and wished she could read minds. “What time should I bring Fancy over to you?” she asked.
“We get up early, so anytime is good,” Minilee answered.
Benny used his fork to dig out a chunk of melon at the same time Libby did, and their hands brushed against each other. She hoped that neither of the ladies saw the instant surge of heat that passed between her and Benny. But then, why would they? It wasn’t visible, and she doubted that Benny even felt what she did.
“I figured we’d leave at eight,” Benny said.
“We’ll have already picked the beans, cucumbers, and squash from the garden by then, so just bring Miss Fancy on over,” Minilee said. “She can watch the game shows on television with me.”
“After we read our chapter for the day,” Opal scolded.
Minilee narrowed her eyes and frowned. “Of course, but you don’t have to announce it so loud. Fancy might not be religious, and we don’t want to scare her away by reading the Bible out loud.”
“I think the lady who used to have Fancy might have gone to church,” Libby said, biting back a smile. “She had a picture of the Last Supper in her dining room.”
“That’s good,” Minilee said with a satisfied air. “But if she gets bored, we’ll let her watch the birds and squirrels from the front porch.”
Libby finished off one more bite of watermelon and then laid her fork to the side. “Y’all would be wonderful grandparents.”
“Yes, we would,” Opal said, and cut her eyes over at Benny. “But until we get a baby to rock and love on, we’ll have to be content with Fancy. Elvis is too big to cuddle.”
“You know what that makes us?” Minilee said with half a giggle. “We might not be grandmothers, but we are grand-bitches.”
“Minilee Stephens!” Opal air-slapped her arm.
“The truth is the truth, whether it’s served up plain or covered with salt,” Minilee declared. “Looks like we’ve done enough damage with this thing. Let’s take it home now and get the rest of it taken care of. We’ve only got half a dozen jars of pickles left in the cellar. Let’s make preserves out of this one.”
“If we’re going to do that, we should get the rind cleaned and in brine to soak overnight,” Opal agreed as she picked up what was left of the half that Benny and Libby had shared.
“Preserves?” Libby asked.
“The preserves are more like candied watermelon rinds. We use them in our fruitcakes at Christmas, and we use the sweet syrup in our tea,” Minilee explained.
Benny placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll get to taste one of their fruitcakes this winter. They are amazing.”
“Thanks,” Opal said as she started for the door. “Minilee, grab that other half—and don’t stand in the open door, talking half an hour. Air-conditioned air ain’t free.”
“Don’t you boss me. You might be two months older, but at our age, that don’t matter,” Minilee fussed as she followed Opal outside.
“On that note, I’m going to my trailer,” Benny said.
Libby cocked her head to one side and frowned. “I thought we were going to finish the conversation about us that a watermelon and the ladies interrupted.”
Benny dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I know where I stand, but I feel like you need to think about your position.”
She could hear him whistling all the way from the station to his trailer and wished she knew where she stood.
Listen to my advice about not analyzing everything, Dolly reminded her. Go with your gut and your heart.
Fancy came out from under the table and meandered across the floor. Libby opened the door into her apartment. The dog’s little toenails tapping on the floor told her that Fancy had gone straight to her food and water bowls. She cleaned the tabletop, washed up the forks, and laid them out on the cabinet.
Libby tiptoed into the bathroom when she saw that Fancy was asleep on the sofa. She adjusted the water, shed her clothing, and crawled into the tub. She slid down until her feet touched the far end and leaned her head back on the other end. Benny was right: she did need to get things settled in her own mind—not only about a relationship with him but also about what it would do to the friendship she had with Opal and Minilee.