Just Me - M J Marlow (reading strategies book .txt) 📗

asked me as he stepped away with regret in his eyes. I looked at him with the usual confusion when he asked me out. I knew it was just the act of a friend who was looking out for a friend. “You have to eat, Maggie.” “I’ll heat up some soup,” I shrugged. He took my hand and led me to the kitchen. I knew what this meant. He was not leaving until he saw that soup on the table and me with a spoon in my hand. So I pulled out the kettle and filled it with water. When he saw this, he shook his head and took the kettle from me. “That,” he said tightly, “is not lunch. You’re coming with me, Sweetness Mason.” Whenever he used the nickname the three guys in our gang of four had chosen for me in high school I knew he was not letting me refuse. So I got my purse and sweater and slipped my shoes on and we left the mansion. He made certain it was locked up tight before we got in the patrol car and drove to the diner in town. It was a beautiful day. The sky was a brilliant blue and the trees were just beginning to take on their fall color. As Joseph left my property, I could see that quite a few people were still taking advantage of the Indian Summer weather to be out on their sailboats on the Mississippi River. In this area of Iowa the rolling hills and bluffs were always a shock to anyone who thought our state held nothing but cornfields and pig farms. “In another few days,” I sighed as I took in the splendors of mid-Autumn displayed before me, “we’ll be wearing coats.” “And you’ll still be hiding in your Office,” Joseph teased as he glanced over at me fondly, “buried in someone else’s business.” “Not as long as I have you to rescue me like from time to time, Muscles,” I replied. I laid my hand on his arm and smiled at him fondly. “You’re my best friend, Joseph. I can always count on you to look out for my welfare.” Joseph started to say something but there was a warning in my eyes he saw immediately and he let it lie. I let my attention stray to the nineteenth century storefronts as he drove into our small town and past the historical district. Our town fathers had very wisely chosen to hold on to the look and feel of Briarton’s original architecture. Any new structure built in the city limits had to look as if it could have been constructed in 1840, the year our town was founded. “You don’t get out enough, Maggie,” Joseph said as we pulled up in front of his Office and walked across the street to the Diner. He opened the door for me and we stepped back in time. Earl’s Diner had been here forever. The original features were still in place. Music from the big band era played over the hidden speakers and I smiled. “Hey, Maggie!” Rhonda Jansen called from the cash register as she rung up a sale. She had been one of my friends in high school and we had stayed close since. Her husband was the grandson of the original owner. “Sheriff!” her eyes went wide as she saw who I was with. “Looking good, Stud!” “Don’t let your husband hear you, Racy,” Joseph smiled at her with affection and ruffled her hair. Rhonda James Janson was his cousin and they had a very odd relationship. I had been seriously jealous of her until I learned hey were related. “I’d hate to have to face him down.” “Oh coz!” Rhonda laughed that gloriously warm laugh of hers that warmed the heart of anyone within the sound of it. “You know my man wouldn’t hurt a fly.” “I,” Joseph said as he tweaked one of her curls, “am not a fly.” His teasing look altered to one of outright respect as he saw the man now. Thor Jansen came out of the kitchen and the diner suddenly became a much smaller place. He was at least seven feet tall, I had always thought. Here was the Viking god whose name his mother had given to the man in the flesh. He even wore his blond hair long, held back when he cooked. Arms the size of small tree trunks were on display and the t-shirt he wore was more like a second skin. Every woman in the place was instantly aware than an Alpha male was in the room. “Thor,” Joseph nodded as he put his hand to the small of my back, reminding me that he was there. I was not immune to the sight of Thor Jansen any more than any other female. Joseph, of course, was no small man but Thor made him seem like a dwarf. “The Maggie special, please, and a cup of coffee and slice of cherry pie for me?” “Hey there, Maggie,” Thor smiled as me and I felt my knees buckle under his intense blue gaze. “Haven’t seen you in here for at least a week.” He looked me over and his concern was plain. I had lost some weight over the last month. “You eating right?” “That’s what I count on you for,” I replied with a bemused smile. Thor and Rhonda made it a point to send me a meal from time to time. In fact, a lot of the people in this town seemed to make it their business to make certain I was taking care of myself. I might remain at my property most of the time, but I could count on a phone call or a visit because someone was ‘in the neighborhood’ at least three times a week. I had a sneaking suspicion that Maxine had arranged that. “Do our best, Maggie,” Thor nodded, his gaze shrewd. He never missed anything this man. “You need to get out more.” He looked at Joseph. “See she does, Muscles.” “Plan on it,” Joseph said in a voice that had me looking at him in confusion. He moved his hand to my elbow and guided me to a table by the window. As we went, I noted his gaze taking in the entire room, noting the locals and the out of towners. Always on duty, I smiled as he pulled out the chair for me. “So, Maggie…” “Sheriff!” a strident voice cut through whatever he’d been about to see. He got a long-suffering look on his face for a brief second that made me giggle, then he rose to his feet and his expression was polite as the source of that voice approached. Miss Edna Everett, the town librarian, and a constant thorn in his side. She was even tinier than I was but her abrasive manner and sharp eyes had always intimidated anyone who met her. “Miss Edna,” Joseph put on his most charming smile. “What can I do for you today?” “You can,” she actually poked her finger into his chest and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud at the sight of this tiny bird woman taking Joseph, who had to be at least a foot taller and wider than she was, to task. She suddenly quieted as she saw me, and a wide smile crossed her face. “Why Margaret, you dear child. How nice to see you out and about.” “Hello, Miss Edna,” I smiled back at her. “How are you today?” “Why you darling girl,” Edna beamed and came over to kiss me on the cheek. “You always were a thoughtful child.” She pulled back with a frown. “Are you feeling all right, Margaret. You’re running a bit warm.” “Nothing a good meal won’t cure,” Joseph said as he saw Thor bringing my lunch over. He remained standing while Edna was there. “This,” he smiled as he the grilled cheese sandwich, vegetable beef soup, and a chocolate milk shake was set in front of me, “is lunch!” “I’ll leave you to it then,” Edna nodded. “Sheriff,” she said stiffly. “I’ll be over to talk to you later.” “Lucky me!” Joseph muttered under his breath. He sat down as the woman moved off and looked at me in gratitude. “I should take you out more often, Sweetness. You don’t realize what you save me from.” “Someone’s dog digging in her rose beds again?” I smiled back at him. “Isn’t that what it always is?” He nodded. “She grows prize winners, Joseph. Of course, she’d be upset if someone was disturbing them.” “Quit stalling,” Joseph said as he nodded to the meal I hadn’t touched, “and eat!” “You are a bully, Joseph North,” I laughed at him as he held a sandwich half out to me and nodded. I bit into it and sighed as the creamy cheese and rich tasting whole grain bread hit my taste buds. After that I needed no encouragement to eat. We talked then about how things were going for each of us and about our mutual friends in town. We might live next door but he was a very active Sheriff and spent a great deal of time traveling the area, while I was quite happy to stick close to home. “Hey, Maggie! Hey, Sheriff!” Pastor Andrews smiled as he came in to pick up his lunch. His wife was out of town on Fridays, her day to visit the nursing home and he did not cook for himself as a matter of principle. I like the grandfatherly man. He reminded me of an absent-minded monk with his thinning white hair and wire-rimmed glasses. I had helped him do research for his sermons from time to time. “Good to see you out and about, Maggie dear.” He smiled at Joseph. “Are you under arrest?” “In a way,” I smiled at the man. “He insisted I have a lunch that did not consist of pre-packaged food. You know Joseph. He never lets anyone win an argument.” “Best man the Speech Club ever had,” the Pastor nodded. Pastor Andrews volunteered time at the high school and he had been the coach for the Speech Club for nearly thirty years. “He’s right, you know. Proper nutrition is very important and you have been looking a bit pale the last few weeks.” He laid his hand on my shoulder and met my eyes with concern. “Are you feeling all right, Maggie?” “I’ve been a bit tired lately,” I admitted to the man. I never lied to the Pastor. “That’s the third person to comment on how pale you look since we got in here,” Joseph looked at me sharply. He’d already decimated his slice of pie and was sitting there watching my every move. I was quite annoyed with him at that point but his concern ended that feeling. “Probably just a cold coming on,” I assured him. “I’ll stop work early today and do some reading.” “You should have told me you’ve been feeling ill, Maggie,” Joseph frowned. “I would have brought lunch to you.” He went to pay the tab and the Pastor smiled down at me. “He’s a good man, our Sheriff,” he said as he patted my shoulder. “He cares about you.” “He’s a good friend,” I nodded and finished my soup. The Pastor gave me an odd look and went to pick up his food. Joseph sat back and waited for me to finish my lunch. Several other people came over to say hello and it was nearly four by the time we returned to the mansion. I realized I really should get into town more than. So much for an early night, I frowned. I would have to work at least three hours to make up for that long lunch. I caught myself on the railing of the front stairs a moment as a dizzy spell hit and