“You ready?”
Syd shook her head as she was interrupted from her musings. “Sorry, what?”
Abby grinned at her, clearly amused. “Are you ready to go look at the rest of the property?”
“Oh, sure. I guess.” Syd followed Abby back to the barn to drop off the supplies. She accepted the helmet Abby handed her and got on the back of the ATV.
Abby turned her head to talk to Syd. “You need to scoot closer and wrap your arms around my waist. I don’t want you falling off the back.”
Syd did as Abby instructed, and if she were being honest, she didn’t hate it. Her arms wrapped around Abby’s solid midsection, and she had a strong yearning to run her fingers up and down the muscular abdomen she felt under Abby’s T-shirt. Syd believed Abby shuddered as she pressed into Abby’s backside. Maybe Abby would be up for a little fooling around while Syd was in town. It wasn’t like it would, or could, develop into a relationship. Once Syd was finished with the house and it was up for sale, she’d go back to her life in Chicago.
* * *
Abby was sure Syd couldn’t hear her pounding heart over the motor of the ATV, but feeling Syd’s hot center pressed up against her wasn’t making it easy for her to concentrate on navigating the terrain. Abby was attracted to Syd, there was no denying it. Her seductive smile and bedroom eyes had Abby wrapped up all in knots and Syd probably had no idea that just a simple raised eyebrow said so much. Or maybe she did. Abby didn’t know Syd hardly at all, but she wanted to. She had been pretty secluded from female companionship on the farm but certainly sought it when she went on trips, which unfortunately wasn’t often enough, especially recently as Virginia’s health seemed to be failing.
Over the past few months, Abby observed Virginia moving a bit slower, taking more naps, being a little more lethargic. Abby insisted on taking her to see her doctor, but Virginia just said she had “a little bug.” Ever since Virginia died, Abby cried in the privacy of her own bedroom at night and blamed herself. If she had just forced Virginia to go see the doctor, she might be alive today. She blinked back her tears and was grateful that Syd was behind her so she couldn’t see her face. She took a deep, shuddering breath and shifted in her seat, ashamed that she felt such a sexual attraction to Virginia’s granddaughter while she was still mourning her death.
They drove around the property, occasionally stopping for Abby to point out certain areas to Syd, such as property lines. There wasn’t much to see overall. Most of the scenery was near the house, especially the mature trees that lined the outer edges of the pond and a walking path around the small body of water that led to a small picnic area. Abby and Virginia would occasionally walk back there with a basket full of sandwiches, chips, and drinks and enjoy the fresh air in between chores. She felt the thickness in her throat and found it difficult to swallow as she recalled the happier times she spent with Virginia. Abby would have to take Syd there for a picnic, to show her that place that was so special to her grandmother. She hoped that Syd would find it as peaceful as her grandmother had. They arrived back to the house, and Syd invited Abby in for lunch. As Abby heated up the leftover stew, Syd threw together a salad. Abby realized Syd hadn’t said much since they got back.
“What do you think of the property?”
“It’s amazing. And humongous.”
Abby laughed. “It’s a pretty decent size. Virginia always complained that they didn’t need that much property, but when your grandparents were younger, they had a small herd of cows and some other livestock. Virginia sold them after your grandfather passed away. She didn’t have much interest in keeping them around because it would have been too much work for her, but she said the chickens were easy.”
Syd nodded as Abby spoke. “I imagine it would have been difficult for her to manage the cows and other animals by herself.”
Abby cleared her throat to try to dislodge the lump that seemed to be a constant reminder of all that she had lost when Virginia died. She had offered her help to Virginia to take care of the cows for her, but she declined the offer. Abby would have done anything for the woman who showed her just as much love as her own grandmother. “Have you had a chance to look around the house yet?”
Syd shook her head. “I was planning on starting that today. I was too exhausted last night to do anything.”
“Do you want any help?”
“I might at some point. Can I let you know?”
“Of course.” Abby took their dishes into the kitchen and rinsed the food off. “Would you like me to come back later to feed the chickens again?”
Syd smiled. “No, I think I can manage. Thanks for all your help today, Abby. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime. Remember, if you need anything, I’m only a call away.”
Feeling disappointed in being dismissed and ending her day with Syd, Abby put on her helmet and rode back to her farm, hoping Syd would take her up on her offer to help. She really didn’t have any idea of what Syd would find, but she sincerely hoped she would get the answers to her questions and also discover how loving her grandmother was.
* * *
Syd didn’t know where to begin. Once Abby left, she walked into the living room and slowly turned in a circle. What was she supposed to do with all the framed pictures on the shelves? She wasn’t too concerned about the books or knick-knacks; she could just donate those. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and called the one person who she felt could help.
“Hi, Mama.”
“Hi, baby. Are you in Iowa?”
“Yes. I’m standing in the living room and I have no idea where to start. There are a ton of framed photos of you and your parents. Should I keep them? Throw them away? Give them to you?”
“Oh, Syd. I wish I could answer that for you, but it’s your house now and it’s up to you what to do with everything there. I don’t want the pictures so you can either keep them or throw them away.”
Syd shook her head at her mother’s attitude. “Gee, Mama. Thanks for your help,” she said sarcastically.
“I’m sorry, baby, but you have to realize how I felt about my parents. We were always so close and I loved them so much, but they broke my heart when they gave me that ultimatum. I was already so madly in love with your daddy that I couldn’t, or didn’t, want to live my life without him. Isaiah even suggested breaking up in order to make my parents happy, that he didn’t want to be the reason I lost my family. That showed me he truly loved me and cared about my happiness, so it was him that I chose. I tried calling my parents a couple of years later when I found out I was pregnant with you, and my daddy hung up on me. They never even knew I was pregnant with you. I was terribly hurt that they turned their backs on me. So, no, I don’t want anything of theirs.”
Syd took a moment to think about what her mother said and how she felt, and she became more sympathetic. Her chest tightened as she tried to imagine her parents turning her away for who she loved. They would never do anything like that. Of course, her mama probably thought the same thing about her own parents. “I’m sorry they treated you and Daddy that way, but I just don’t know what to do.” The stress of the situation hit Syd, and she felt the tears well up in her eyes. It was as if she had reverted back to being a child and needed her mama to make everything all right. She wept and her throat tightened, making it difficult to speak. She pounded her fist into her thigh, upset that she felt so impotent. She had always been in control of her feelings and situations she had been in, and she was completely out of her element at that moment being so out of control.
“Oh, baby girl, I wish I was there to hug you. Do you want me to come out there and help you? I can leave first thing in the morning and be there by early afternoon.”
Syd wanted to scream “yes” into the phone. She wanted her mama here with her, going through all of the pictures and personal items that should be for her and that would eventually be passed on to Syd. It was like her mama was the middle-woman that had been completely cut out of the pictur
e and Syd had been thrust to the front of the line. But she couldn’t do that to her mama. That house held sad memories for her, and Syd wanted to protect her mama from feeling sad if she could help it. She would just have to put on her big girl panties, buck up, and take care of that once and for all. “Thanks, Mama, but it’s okay. I’ll take care of it. I’ve never had to do this before and I was just feeling a bit swamped. I can do this if I can just figure out where to start and take care of one thing at a time.” She wiped her eyes and held her head high, proud of regaining her control.
“How about this? Leave the pictures for now. Start with less significant things. Does she still have her sewing room?”
“Yes,” Syd said as she wiped the last of her tears.
“Okay. Start there. You can throw away the patterns, pack up the useable materials to donate. That kind of thing.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good place to start. Thanks, Mama. I’m going to get started so I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”
“I love you too, baby. Promise me you’ll call me if you need me to come out there.”
“I promise.” Syd placed her phone in her pocket and went in search of trash bags. She would have to make a trip into town tomorrow to get some boxes. She let out a huge breath and felt ready to conquer the list of things she needed to do over the next two weeks. Maybe Abby knew of a place that would take donations. Syd made a mental note to ask her about it tomorrow. She had made good progress on the sewing room when she realized it was getting late. She still had to feed the chickens and prepare dinner for herself.
She put her boots on and went to the barn to get the feed. She made quick work of it, made sure the chickens behaved themselves, then went back inside to fix dinner. She pulled out the ingredients then realized how tired she was. She put the food away and fixed a tuna sandwich instead.
After dinner, she went back upstairs, but rather than going back into the sewing room, she went to her grandmother’s room. She stood in the hallway looking at the closed door, uncertain of what she would find beyond it. She grabbed the doorknob, then just as quickly pulled her hand away as if it had scalded her skin. She reached out and skimmed the door with her fingertips, then leaned her forehead against the white barrier. She stood there for minutes or hours, trying to gather the courage to perform the one simple task of opening a damn door. Syd felt as if she were intruding and snooping around. This wasn’t her house. Well, technically, it was, but it didn’t feel like it. Stop being silly. She shook out her arms and hands like she was getting ready to run a race, then let out a deep breath before taking the plunge.
Syd opened the door and felt along the wall for the light switch. Once the lights turned on, Syd took in the room. The furniture was all white and the walls were painted a light taupe. Syd imagined the three large awning windows behind the headboard would let in lots of light during the day. The bed was covered with a white quilt with brown square patterns, as well as a few throw pillows, and flanked by two nightstands. Syd was stunned to find the eight-by-ten framed picture on the chest of drawers was of her dressed in a business suit. It looked like downtown Chicago in the backdrop. Syd had a phone to her ear and she was smiling.
She wondered who she was talking to at the time, and even more so, who took that picture. “The private investigator,” she said to herself. The fact that Virginia had this picture in a frame made Syd feel a sadness so deep, she had no idea where it came from. She briskly rubbed her chest over her heart as if that would help it heal. She was hurt that the woman who cared enough for her to hire a private eye to keep tabs on her didn’t care enough to try and see Syd when she was a child. She sat on the edge of the bed, picture in her hands, and fantasized of what could have been. Syd imagined what it would have been like to take road trips to see Grandmom Adams, and she bit the inside of her cheek to try and prevent herself from crying.
She was used to being alone most nights back in Chicago, where she knew she could see her parents or Vanessa within thirty minutes, so she never felt lonely. But she felt lonely here in this strange house. She didn’t want to worry them, as she knew they would be once they heard her crying. Hearing their voices would make her feel even lonelier because she wouldn’t be able to be physically wrapped up in their love. She supposed she could call Abby to come back over, but that’s not what Syd needed. With her tight string of emotions, it would be dangerous to have Abby back in the house, and she might look for a physical comfort that would have no bearing on making her less lonely. She needed time alone to think up a game plan. It had been a whirlwind since she got the call from William Kramer. She needed to just slow down and come up with a plan.
She placed the frame on the dresser and closed the door on her daydreams of what could’ve been. She was too tired to dig through her grandmother’s bedroom items. She was feeling raw and emotional, and she was hanging on by a very thin thread. She just wanted to try to finish packing up the sewing room. She carried a couple of trash bags out to the garage and was surprised to see how many boxes that were still on the shelves. She ran her fingers through her hair as she squeezed her eyes shut and yelled. Jesus! It was going to take her forever to go through all that. She shook her head and muttered a few expletives while she climbed back up the stairs. Maybe she would ask for Abby’s help after all.
Chapter Six
Abby rose with the sun and listened to the birds chirping out the window. Last night, her grandmother had asked her to invite Syd to dinner, but she realized she gave Syd her number but didn’t get Syd’s. She’d go over after breakfast and invite her personally. Abby had enjoyed showing Syd around the property and sharing meals with her. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little disappointed to leave her yesterday afternoon. She could tell Syd was overwhelmed with the size of the property, and Abby hoped she would ask for her help. There was something about her that intrigued Abby, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Yes, she was attractive. That was probably an understatement.
Abby didn’t know much about her except she lived in Chicago and she used to be some sort of banker, but now she worked with kids. Before Syd went back home, Abby hoped she would get to know her better. Maybe they could even remain friends. Abby sometimes went to Chicago for book signings, and there wasn’t any reason why they couldn’t have dinner together when she was in the city. She didn’t have much time to get to know Syd though. Syd mentioned that she would be there for two weeks and it was already day three.
Her phone buzzed on her nightstand, interrupting her musings. A number she didn’t recognize popped up on the screen and she answered.
“Hi, Abby. It’s Syd. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, you didn’t, and I was just thinking about you.”
“Oh, yeah? What were you thinking about?”
Syd’s voice was low and sexy, and it sent a delicious shiver throughout Abby’s body. She wondered if Syd might be up for a little fun while she was there. It wasn’t the first time that thought ran through her mind, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it probably wouldn’t be a good idea. Why start something that they couldn’t finish. Abby had a strong feeling that she would want more than just a night in bed with Syd, and having more just wasn’t geographically possible. She quickly wiped out the strong wish to volley back the flirtation.
“Well, I was thinking a few things, actually. Like that I hardly know anything about you except where you live. I thought about how overwhelmed you looked when I left yesterday, and I wondered if you wanted some help today. And last, but not least, my gran wanted me to invite you to dinner tonight at our place.
Syd chuckled, and Abby felt warm inside.
“First off, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. All you have to do is ask.”
Abby thought she heard an innuendo in that statement, and it made her stomach do a little flip.
“Second, you were correct that I’m overwhelmed and I was calling to ask for your help if you weren’t too busy today.”<
br />
The only thing Abby had planned on doing was writing in between chores. She could skip a day though. She was ahead of schedule of her weekly word count goal, so not writing for one day wouldn’t disrupt her getting her manuscript in on time.
“I’m not busy, and I can be there after my morning chores, probably in a couple of hours.”
“That would be great. Thank you so much. Now, most importantly, please tell your grandmother I’d love to have dinner with you both tonight. What can I bring?”
“Oh, not a thing. Just yourself.” Abby couldn’t help but do a mental happy dance that Syd would be joining them for dinner. That would be a great opportunity to get to know her better. Get real, Abby. It would be a great opportunity to gaze into her warm brown eyes and fantasize about kissing her full, pink lips. You’re not fooling anyone.
“Abby, my mama told me never to show up at someone’s house empty-handed. How about I make a dessert?”
Abby laughed. “Okay, you can bring dessert.”
“Great. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
Abby held her phone to her chest as if it were Syd she was holding. Before she forgot, she saved Syd’s name and number to her contact list then got dressed to start her chores. She arrived to Virginia’s—Syd’s—two hours later and entered the house when Syd yelled for her to come in. The smell of apples, cinnamon, and sugar assaulted her senses, and her mouth watered. Abby found Syd in the kitchen with her back to Abby bending over to pull something out of the oven. Abby found her mouth watering again, but for an entirely different reason. Syd’s shapely backside filled in her dark blue jeans quite nicely. A whole list of ideas of what to do to that backside started flipping through Abby’s mind, and she quickly and conveniently forgot her vow to keep things with her on a platonic level. Syd turned around holding a pie, and she must have caught Abby staring because she smirked as she brushed past Abby to place a perfectly golden-brown apple pie on a hot pad.
A Call Away Page 5