a-soft-place-to-fall - Rakhibul hasan (story books to read .TXT) 📗

out of range before she turned to Sweeney. "What on earth is going on around here? That's the tenth person who commented on how great I look today."

"It's called love, honey," Sweeney said with a big smile. "L-U-V, and it shows." Annie felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "I'd rather they thought it was a facelift." "Sorry," Sweeney said. "Nobody will believe it, not with the way you two have been

looking at each other."

Annie did her best not to cast a quick glance in Sam's direction but Sweeney caught

her.

"See? And he's been doing the same thing."

They had tried very hard not to make a spectacle of themselves. She had work to do promoting Annie's Flowers to anyone who stopped to smell the roses while he had done an admirable job pretending he was interested in Phyllis Riley's beadwork and the big display of corncob art that was courtesy of Marge Rhodenbarr's third grade class at Shelter Rock Elementary. Warren showed up around two o'clock. He motioned Sam over

to where he stood by the display table and engaged the two of them in an animated conversation about the museum that focused even more of the town's attention on the new couple.

Claudia stopped by to use the bathroom in Annie's Flowers. She managed a hello for Annie but breezed by Warren and Sam as if they weren't there at all.

"She'll get over it," Warren said. "Tomorrow it'll be Eileen's new haircut or the way Susan is bringing up her kids. The woman isn't happy unless she has something to complain about."

Warren was right but only up to a point. Annie knew that the reasons ran much deeper and so did the hurt. Because that's what it was. Claudia wasn't angry. She was hurting and Annie knew why.

"I'll be back in a second," she said then darted into the shop as Claudia was ready to leave.

"You look lovely today," Claudia said stiffly as Annie blocked the doorway. "That sweater flatters you."

"I've been hearing that all day," she said with a self-conscious laugh. "These compliments have made me wonder how bad I've been looking lately."

A long, awkward silence rose up between them.

"I should get back to the booth," Claudia said, shifting her purse from under her right arm to under her left. "Roberta couldn't make change if her life depended on it."

Annie placed a hand on the woman's forearm. "Claudia, about last night –"

"You don't owe me any explanations, Anne. You're a grown woman. You can make your own decisions."

"I should have said something," Annie said, fumbling for the right words. "At the very least, I could have introduced you."

"Perhaps you had other things on your mind."

Annie took a deep breath. The easy social lie was on the tip of her tongue but maybe this was the time to go a little deeper. "You're right," she said. "I did have other things on my mind. I'm sorry if I hurt you. That wasn't my intention."

Claudia held her gaze for a moment, then looked out toward the village green. Annie covered her ringless left hand with her right. Sounds of laughter and music drifted through the open door along with the delectable smells of hamburgers and hot dogs sizzling on the grill.

Please, Claudia, say something. . . anything. Tell me you were angry. Tell me he's not good enough for me. If we can talk about this, we're halfway there.

They had been through so many tough times together. She hated to think that her happiness could ever drive them apart.

#

"What took you so long?" Roberta demanded when Claudia returned to the booth. "I've been doing turnaway business."

Claudia looked at her friend of almost sixty years. "Am I a bitch?" she asked. Roberta's round face froze. "What did you say?"

"Oh, don't act like you never heard the word before, Roberta Morgan, because I know you have. I've even heard you use it once or twice."

"That may be but I've certainly never heard you use it. Not once in all these years." "Well, you're hearing it now." She glanced around to make sure nobody was within

earshot. "Do you think I'm a bitch?"

"Good heavens, Claudia, what kind of thing is that to ask?"

"It's a perfectly reasonable question. I've been doing some thinking today and I haven't liked some of the conclusions I've come up with."

"Were you watching The View again?"

"None of your business. Now are you going to answer me or not?"

Roberta looked like she would rather be any place on earth but there. "That's a terrible question. You've put me in an impossible spot."

Poor Roberta. She dithered on, never quite realizing she had answered Claudia's question.

Yes, you're a bitch, Claudia Galloway. It's official. Are you happy now?

The thought had first occurred to her when Susan told her she had always been a difficult woman to be around. It wasn't at all the way Claudia viewed herself. John, bless his heart, had always told her she was the sunshine in his life, the one person he could count on to be in his corner no matter what. They had been through their share of tough times, things she wouldn't tell a living soul about, but their love for each other had never wavered. He had thought of her as an even-tempered woman, good-natured and easy-going. Everything her children thought she wasn't. Susan would have driven right off the road laughing if Claudia had ever told her any of that and she had no doubt the rest of her children would do the same.

Like just now at the store with Annie.

Would it have hurt you to bend just a little? She was reaching out to you and you wouldn't give an inch.

It wasn't that she wanted Annie to be unhappy. What kind of woman would she be if she wished unhappiness on the girl she'd raised as one of her own? A bitch, that's what, the worst kind of bitch. Heartless and unyielding. But oh God how it hurt to think of her with a man who wasn't Kevin. In a way it was like losing him all over again.

She had never wanted another man after Jack's death. Oh, she had had plenty of offers from some of the kindly gentlemen of Shelter Rock Cove but she had spurned all of their advances. Jack was the love of her life, her only true love, and there wasn't a man on earth who could compare. She had always believed it was like that between Annie and Kevin. Kevin had worshipped Annie. The family used to tease him about the poetry and the flowers. His brothers and sisters were practical, down-to-earth types who wouldn't be caught dead knowing the difference between a couplet and a sonnet. But Kevin not only knew the difference, he wanted to tell you all about it and he did so in a way that made his words a permanent part of your heart.

Annie had glowed in those early years. The whole town had basked in that glow. KevinandAnnie. AnnieandKevin. You couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. Even today you couldn't look at Annie and not see Kevin, so tall and handsome, right there by her side.

Tears welled up and she reached into her purse and retrieved her sunglasses and slipped them on. Last night, seeing Annie hand in hand with someone who wasn't Kevin

– well, there was no explaining how that had felt.

Had she really been in denial all this time? It didn't seem possible but what other explanation could there be for that feeling of utter shock . Up until that moment she had been able to pretend that Kevin was in the next room, or maybe on the next block, beyond her reach but not gone. Never that. But nothing could explain away the sight of Annie, luminous and filled with joy, as she looked up at that wiry, edgy man who had walked into Cappy's with Warren.

Get a grip on yourself, Claudia, or else everyone in town will be talking about the way you fell apart during the Labor Day festivities.

That would give the town years of good gossip and she wasn't about to make that mistake.

Next to her, Roberta was chatting away like a magpie, telling Adele Roscoe and Jean Gillooley all about the Adam Winters seminar they had taken and how they were thinking of becoming investors and Claudia all but leaped for her best friend's crepey throat.

"Now what did you go and blab to Adele and Jean for?" she demanded the second the women wandered off. "Why don't you call our children too while you're at it?"

"They saw the brochure sticking out of my tote bag," Roberta said with a mutinous look in her beady little eyes. "What was I supposed to do, lie to them?"

"Yes," Claudia snapped. "You could have told them about the seminar without blabbing our business all over town."

"Remember that question you asked me a few minutes ago? I think I can answer it now."

"Oh, hush up," Claudia said. "Why don't you just –"

Well, of all the nerve! Annie's new friend – what was his name, Sam Something or other – was heading toward their display like he had an urgent need to win a mammogram and help fund the senior center.

Roberta squinted in his direction. "Isn't that –" "Yes," Claudia hissed, "and if you –"

"Mrs. Galloway?" He stopped right there in front of them and stuck out his right hand. "We didn't have the chance to meet last night but Warren and Annie told me a lot about you."

She knew his name was Sam Butler and she had no choice but to shake his hand. His grip was strong but not too familiar. She was glad he knew his place.

Roberta gave her a poke in her ribs.

"This is my friend Roberta Morgan," she said although why Bobbi couldn't introduce herself was beyond her.

Roberta eagerly shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you. I saw you last night with our Annie." She actually batted her eyelashes at the man. "I must say you make an adorable couple."

He thanked Roberta but it was clear her comment had embarrassed him. "I heard you talking to the other two ladies about a financial seminar." Claudia arched a brow. "You were eavesdropping?"

"Yep," he said with an easy smile. "Afraid so."

Roberta, ever oblivious to nuance, plunged right in. "I have an extra brochure if you'd like it."

He flashed a big toothpaste commercial smile at her foolish friend who all but swooned. "I wouldn't mind taking a look at it."

Roberta whipped out the brochure and handed it to him. "You can keep it if you like."

He wasn't listening. He flipped through the pages, eyes scanning the columns of text like it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. She and Roberta exchanged looks.

So handsome! Roberta's look said. And so interested in finance.

He's just looking at the pictures, Claudia's own look retorted. There was something scruffy about him, even though his clothes were clean and relatively stylish. But then didn't they all wear jeans and sweaters these days, as if someone somewhere had decreed everyone under fifty must wear the uniform or be drummed out of their generation. Just a touch of carelessness that some women found very attractive. From the foolish look on Roberta's face, it was clear that she was one of them but not Claudia. She had always loved the way her Jack had looked in a suit and tie, so proper and distinguished and above reproach. Kevin hadn't been quite so formal but he had always been perfectly turned out in tweed sport coats and fine cords that befitted his position as a teacher.

" . . . we went to his seminar the other day," Roberta was saying. "In fact we're –" "Bobbi," Claudia interrupted her friend, "we need some more of the sign-up sheets.