Annie's Answer

by Hanson, Pam Andrews

  “It was nice she called,” Mattie added, and Annie heard the regret in the older woman’s voice.

  Her grandfather was so lively and engaged in the community, she hadn’t realized how hard it must be to grow old among virtual strangers. She vowed to be patient with Mattie, even when the woman’s demands made her difficult.

  “Now about the drawer. I don’t imagine George’s wife has anything as practical as a roll of contact paper in the house. We’ll have to go to the store.”

  “I can run get some for you,” Annie said.

  “I’d like to pick the pattern, not that you don’t have good taste,” Mattie said. “Anyway it will be a nice outing. You can drive George’s wife’s car. Nathan left me the keys.”

  “I’d really rather use my own.” It horrified Annie to think she might get a scratch on Mrs. Sawyer’s practically new Cadillac.

  “Fine,” Mattie said, still smiling to herself thanks to her friend’s call. She retrieved her purse and a second crutch, not wasting any time getting into Annie’s old VW.

  “You get around in this old thing?” she asked, apparently not big on tact.

  “I mostly just drive around town,” Annie said, telling herself to be patient, patient, patient.

  After a harrowing half hour selecting contact paper, Mattie had her drive to the market for soy cheese and whole wheat pasta so she could surprise Nathan with a casserole for dinner.

  Back at the house cleaning drawers appealed to Annie’s sense of order, although she still worried Mrs. Sawyer might not appreciate it. By mid afternoon, she’d lined half a dozen drawers and, at Mattie’s insistence, had washed all the tableware and utensils before replacing them.

  “Well, we accomplished a lot today,” Mattie said when it was time for Annie to leave.

  Reminding herself to be patient and kind, Annie didn’t mention that Mattie had mostly sat watching her and supervising. If this was what the older woman enjoyed doing, at least it made the day pass more quickly.

  Nathan didn’t come home before it was time to leave. The day seemed empty without at least a glimpse of him, but she tried to tell herself it was best that way.

  By the time Annie had to go to the pancake restaurant, she felt exhausted, more from taking orders without question than from the actual work. She left with Mattie’s assurance they could do more kitchen cleaning tomorrow.

  After a slow day, as Monday usually was, she found herself clock-watching, eager to get home. When it was almost time for the restaurant to close, she had one last customer.

  “Am I too late for a stack of pancakes?” Nathan asked, coming up to her as she refilled ketchup bottles for the next day.

  “Sorry, the cook has closed the kitchen,” she said. “Didn’t Mattie make her casserole for you?”

  “She made it.” His tone told her enough. “I waited until she went to bed to come looking for real food.”

  “I’m sorry. There might be a couple of fast food places still open.”

  “Can you leave now?” he asked. “Come get a bite to eat with me?”

  Could she? Her boss would have a fit, but she accepted Nathan’s and hurried to the kitchen to ask Marie to finish the closing jobs for her. When the other waitress agreed—not without some curiosity about the reason—Annie tossed her soiled apron in the laundry bin and grabbed her purse.

  Maybe she was being silly, pretending she had a date with Nathan, but after her long day a little fantasy would go a long way.

  Nathan was smiling to himself when Annie hurried out to leave with him. Did he really need or want a greasy hamburg or fried chicken that had been under a heat lamp since the dinner hour? He could just as easily have had a bowl of cereal at home, but he’d missed seeing Annie before she left today. He had a legitimate reason to talk to her about his aunt, but he wasn’t good at self-deception.

  Sitting in court, trying to stay focused, he’d daydreamed about Annie. When he couldn’t get home before she left, he’d been surprisingly disappointed. His aunt’s healthy but horrible casserole gave him a reason to seek Annie out at her evening job.

  “Have you had dinner?” It occurred to him that her work schedule didn’t leave much time for meals.

  “I usually have something when I get home from here,” she said, walking out beside him with a backward glance over her shoulder as though she expected to be stopped.

  “How late do you usually work?” It was information he wanted to file away for future reference.

  “We’re supposed to be done at ten, but my boss always finds jobs to keep us later.” She slid onto the seat of Nathan’s Lincoln when he opened the door.

  Inside the vehicle she looked small and vulnerable in a way that tugged on his heartstrings. He wanted to make life easier for her, but he didn’t have a clue how to do that without offending her. She certainly hadn’t jumped at the chance to be a live-in companion for his aunt, not that he blamed her. But it would’ve given him a chance to solve her financial problems.

  “Where would you like to go?” he asked, only a courtesy since most of Westover was closed down by now.

  “If you don’t like fast food….”

  “Not much.”

  “There’s Mama’s Place on Main Street. I don’t think it closes until midnight. And it’s fairly dark. I won’t feel so conspicuous in my uniform,” she said.

  “Mama’s,” he mused. “I can’t believe there’s an eating place in town I haven’t tried, although I have to admit we Sawyers usually go to the country club or the restaurant in the Hotel Burgess, both closed by now. Let’s go to Mama’s.”

  No wonder he’d never bothered to try the small restaurant sandwiched between a resale shop and an empty building with a FOR RENT sign on a window painted black. If Westover had a rundown area, this would be it. Fortunately urban renewal had given the business district a new face some years ago, missing only this short block off Main Street.

  “It’s not fancy, but the food is good,” Annie said in an apologetic tone.

  After assuring her he was eager to try something different, Nathan parked on the street right in front of the place, a sure sign it wasn’t busy. When he went through the door with Annie, he was surprised by how small it was inside. There were maybe ten tables crowded together and a swinging door to the kitchen. Only one was occupied. A lone man in brown coveralls and a greasy red cap was hunched over a large platter heaped with food.

  Nathan followed Annie to a table for two against the wall and pulled out a chair with a cracked faux leather seat. It was definitely a dive, but all he really cared about was the chance to talk to Annie away from his great aunt.

  “I know it doesn’t look like much, but trust me,” she whispered, taking out one of the two laminated menus sandwiched between a ketchup bottle and oversized salt and pepper shakers. A chrome napkin holder was pushed against the wall, and the wood of the table was stained and gouged but free of food remnants.

  “Lot’s of comfort food,” he said, reading through the kind of entrees other people’s moms made when he was a kid: chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese, beef stew. If he hadn’t been genuinely hungry before, he was now.

  “How’s the meatloaf?” he asked, using the tried and true method of talking food to put his dinner companion at ease.

  “It’s a pork and beef combination with bits of veggies and the best gravy you’ll ever taste,” she said with a little grin. “Coming here is our guilty treat—Mom’s, Gramp’s, and mine.”

  “Why “guilty?” he asked, enjoying the moment more than he could’ve imagined.

  “Because Mama cooks with real butter, lard in the pie crust, and all kinds of things that aren’t supposed to be good for you.” She laughed softly. “Gramps says it tastes so good, it must be sinful. He’s just kidding, of course.”

  “I was really impressed with your grandfather’s sermon Sunday. I’ve thought a lot about what the Sawyer family can do to help the town and especially the less fortunate. I’d like to do more pro bono work than
we do, maybe even open a storefront office where people will feel more comfortable coming to us—well, to me. My father is pretty much tied up with his regular clients, tax law and stuff like that.”

  “Pro bono? Does that mean helping people for free?”

  “Yes.” Why had he brought up his idea with Annie? He hadn’t even mentioned it to his father yet, but it was on his mind a lot. Sawyer and Sawyer spent too much time helping well-to-do people with monetary problems when there was a world of hurt outside their offices.

  “That sounds wonderful!” she said.

  He felt a foot taller under Annie’s approving gaze, not noticing the bulky man in a white apron who came up to the table.

  “Hi, Mama,” Annie said in a cheerful voice. “What do you have left tonight? Any macaroni and cheese?”

  “Sorry, Annie. I have one serving of shepherd’s pie, or I can make a grilled cheese or a BLT.”

  “Grilled cheese for me. You haven’t tasted anything as good as Mama’s sandwiches,” she told Nathan enthusiastically.

  “Make it two,” Nathan said, then asked her what she’d like to drink.

  “Mama?” he asked in a soft voice when the large bald-headed man walked through the swinging doors to the kitchen.

  “His name is Maeleachlainn Maksimilan Kelly,” as close as I can pronounce it. I guess his parents went overboard finding ethnic Irish and Greek names, so Mama it is. My children’s names are going to be easy to spell and pronounce.”

  “Your children?” he teased with a grin. “You have names picked out already?”

  “Not exactly.” He loved it when she blushed. “First I have to make a success of my flower shop.”

  “Do you know what’s involved in running it?” As soon as he asked, he knew he sounded too much like an attorney.

  “I took a two -year business course at the community college, and I’ve been gardening since I could see over the tops of my mother’s flowers.”

  He’d put her on the defensive, and it was the last thing he wanted.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be critical. I have a feeling you can accomplish anything you set out to do—even getting along with my aunt.” He meant it sincerely.

  “She’s not that difficult,” Annie said. “Just lonely and worried about getting old. I can’t imagine losing a home and leaving all my friends. She was so happy when she got a phone call from someone she knew in high school.”

  “She likes you,” Nathan said. “But then, who wouldn’t.”

  There was more he wanted to say, but this wasn’t the time or the place. Would there ever be a right moment? Did he know what he was doing here? The last thing he wanted was to hurt Annie in any way, but she was giving him ideas he hadn’t seriously considered before.

  “So what did the two of you do all day?” he asked, needing to change the subject.

  He listed with rapt attention as Annie told him about cleaning drawers and buying contact paper. She was alternately funny and sympathetic to his aunt, and he wondered why he’d had reservations about hiring her. She was the perfect companion for Mattie.

  “Here you are, folks,” Mama said, putting large platters and oversized glasses of iced tea in front of them as Nathan realized they were now the only customers in the restaurant.

  “I wasn’t expecting a full dinner,” he said appreciatively as he picked up a French fry from a huge mound beside onion rings and a cup of slaw.

  “It looks great,” Annie said when Mama asked if everything was okay before walking back to the kitchen.

  “Why didn’t I know about this place?” Nathan asked after biting into a cheese sandwich on thick Italian bread deep fat fried until the sharp cheddar was deliciously melted.

  He knew the answer. It was a dive in anyone’s book and not on the Sawyer’s list of approved hangouts. It was past time for him to branch out from under his parents’ large shadow. In law school he’d fully intended to practice anywhere but in Westover, but his father had convinced him to join the family firm, using his age and extensive clientele as reasons.

  They lingered until Mama locked the front door, but Nathan still didn’t feel ready to end the evening. He put his hand on Annie’s shoulder as they walked out to his car, surprised by how fragile she felt under his touch.

  She was quiet on the drive to her house, perhaps overcome by fatigue, given her long day. He wanted to make life easier for her but was at a loss to sort out the complicated feelings whirling around in his head.

  He walked Annie to her front door, still reluctant to let her go.

  “Thank you for the meal. I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she said.

  “I hope Aunt Mattie didn’t try to feed you leftover egg salad for lunch.”

  “No,” she said giggling. “She told me you loathe it, but she thinks it’s good for you.”

  “That would be Mattie. Thank you, Annie,” he said impulsively, looking down on her mass of soft brown curls.

  “What for?”

  “For being so nice to Mattie.”

  He wanted to say more, but first he had to be sure of his feelings. Certainly he was attracted to her, but was it only because she was so refreshingly different from any woman he’d ever dated? Was it fair to her to pursue a friendship when he had no intention of committing to a long-term relationship?

  She shrugged off his compliment and opened the door. “See you tomorrow—well, maybe. Have a nice day in court.”

  Walking back to his car, he replayed their meal together in his head. Had he started something he might regret, or was this the beginning of something so special it could change his life forever?

  Chapter 10

  “Did you have car trouble last night, dear?” Annie’s mother asked at the breakfast table.

  “No,” Annie said, knowing this was her mother’s indirect way of asking why she’d been late getting home.

  “Oh, I just wondered. I thought I heard you come in, but maybe I was dreaming. Anyway, I worry about your VW. You know you’re welcome to drive my car. I always walk to work in the summer.”

  “If I rains, I can drive you,” Gramps reminded her, dishing up scrambled eggs on both their plates.

  “Don’t worry, Mom. When I buy the flower shop, I’ll have the delivery van to get around.”

  “How’s it going at the Sawyers’?” her grandfather asked, sitting down to join them.

  “Okay, I guess. Mattie keeps me busy. She’s having me clean all the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen. I guess it entertains her to find jobs I can do.”

  “Understandable,” Gramps said. “She’s frustrated because she can’t do everything herself. Maybe I’ll make a call and challenge her to a game of checkers.”

  “She might put you to work scrubbing the checker pieces with a toothbrush,” Annie said making a feeble attempt at a joke.

  “Now don’t be critical,” he said. “Getting old is not for sissies, and Mrs. Hayward has had it harder than some, losing her house and all.”

  Her grandfather rarely rebuked her, and Annie was quick to explain herself. “I know how much she misses her home and friends,” she said. “I’m only sorry I can’t do more to help.”

  “I know how hard you work,” her grandfather was quick to say. “The woman is probably at loose ends, not knowing how to fill her days. Boredom is old folks’ enemy. I see it every time I call at the nursing home.”

  “Of course you do,” her mother said, always quick to smooth over the slightest hint of discord in her small family. “Now I’d better get going.”

  “Sure you don’t want a ride to work, Mom? It’s hot outside already.”

  “No, I enjoy walking. You’d be surprised how many people are out this time of day. It’s like one big club of walkers and runners.”

  How would her mother fare if she moved to a strange town where she didn’t know anyone? That was Mattie’s situation, and Annie wanted to do all she could to make her happy.

  She left the house soon after her mother did, hoping she was
early enough to run into Nathan. Although she wasn’t kidding herself about the possibility of a relationship, her day was still brighter when she crossed paths with him. Eager as she was to take over the flower shop, she would regret losing the opportunity to see him.

  On the way to the Sawyer house, she wondered when she could get out and sell some ads. And maybe she should go to the flower shop and tell the Polks she would almost certainly have the down payment by Labor Day.

  Chugging into the circular drive in front of the house, she saw Nathan going out to his car carrying a brief case. He was wearing a light beige suit that emphasized how tall and slender he was, and his sandy hair had been tamed by pushing it away from his face. For a minute she thought he’d drive away without saying anything, but he looked up and walked toward her.

  Quickly getting out of the car, she called out “good morning” and was rewarded with a big smile.

  “I enjoyed our supper last night,” he said.

  “So did I.” She hoped he couldn’t tell how much. “How’s Mattie today?”

  “Peeved because I don’t have time for breakfast. I couldn’t convince her sitting in court isn’t like plowing the back forty. How are you?”

  His question caught her off guard. She couldn’t tell him that seeing him for a few brief moments made her day.

  “Fine. I like your suit.”

  Dumb, dumb, dumb, she told herself. Couldn’t she come up with a better comment than that? She was flunking small-talk 101 with the one person she really wanted to think she was clever and witty.

  “Oh, thanks,” Nathan said, sounding mildly surprised. “Sorry, I have to go. Judge Carlson runs his courtroom like a marine boot camp. It won’t do my client any good if I get my wrists slapped for not being there on the time.”

  “Of course, don’t let me hold you up. Have a nice day.”

  “You too.”

  She watched him get into his car, first taking the keys out of his pocket. The miracle of Westover was that he was still unattached, but she absolutely could not allow herself to fantasize about changing his status. Just because he bought her a meal didn’t mean he saw her as anything but his great aunt’s companion.