She looked back up at him again.
“I know my mom and dad would never let you be alone if something ever happened to me. And then there’s Jo and Gil too. You would be well taken care of.”
She looked back up so quickly that her hair flew into her face. She pushed it back and launched herself into Floyd’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I don’t want you to die.”
He was patting her back when a slight sound from the doorway brought his gaze in that direction.
There stood the social worker with a frown on her face. Crystal was right behind her and she said, “I’m sorry Sheriff, she just walked right past me before I could stop her.”
Floyd picked Penny up by the elbows and sat her on her feet. He stood too and said, “Good morning Mrs. Watkins, what can we do for you today?”
She frowned more if that was possible. “I am here to conduct a surprise interview with you and Penelope Mr. McCracken.”
Floyd could tell that Penny was about to object to being called Penelope again so he quickly said, “Come in, and have a seat then.”
Half an hour later, Floyd was trying to think of something he could arrest the nasty woman for. She had done everything she could to get Penny to say that he was mistreating her.
He’d just about had all he could take when she stood and said, “Mr. McCracken, you informed me that you have a house under contract. I would like to see it before I go back to Springfield and file my report.”
Floyd gritted his teeth and said, “Okay, just let me call the realtor so she can arrange it.”
Ten minutes later, they were on their way to their new house where the realtor was going to meet them.
As soon as they walked inside the front door and stood in a small foyer, Mrs. Watkins took off on her inspection.
Floyd looked down at Penny who was looking all around her at the house. And when he saw the big smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes, he knew for sure that this was the right house for them.
After Mrs. Whitaker inspected every room in the house, she came back to where Floyd and Penny were standing in the family room with the realtor.
She had a clipboard in one hand and her briefcase in the other. She sat the briefcase on the floor, finished writing on the clipboard, and then stuck it inside the briefcase.
When she looked up at them, she said, “Mr. McCracken, I can only assume you will be purchasing new bedroom furniture and window dressings for Penny’s room. The ones in your apartment are Spartan to say the least and certainly not appropriate for a nine-year-old girl.”
Floyd gritted his teeth again and said, “Yes, ma’am I plan on taking Penny shopping or at least my female cousin or my mom will. We’re going to need a lot more furniture to make this big place into a home.”
“Good.”
With that, she picked up her briefcase and went out the door. As she passed him, she said what he was beginning to think she must always say, “We’ll be in touch Mr. McCracken.”
After she was gone, the realtor looked at him with a strange look on her face and said, “Is she ever pleased about anything?”
Floyd laughed without mirth. “I seriously doubt it.” Then he snorted, “I sure do feel sorry for her husband though.”
Once they were back at the office, Penny grabbed Floyd’s hand and led him into his office.
She looked up at him and said, “I’m glad they sent me here to live with you, Dad. Don’t let that witch take me away from you, okay?”
Floyd still couldn’t get used to Penny calling him Dad. It was fantastic though. He wanted to laugh, shout out for joy or something but tried to keep a straight face when he said, “I don’t intend to let them Penny. You’re my daughter and you’re going to stay with me.”
“Good!”
She went back into Crystal’s office and began working on her schoolwork again leaving Floyd feeling like he’d just been given a fantastic gift.
* * *
As Sue Ann drove into her garage, she was still high from their first day of officially owning the coffee shop. She and Jo were both so excited and she knew that right now Jo was telling Gil all about their day. Her best friend had barely been able to wait to get home to tell him.
But who could she tell? Her mother? Andy? Well, yes of course she could and would be telling them. But it wasn’t the same as telling a loving husband the way Jo was going to do.
Floyd! She wanted to tell Floyd. Well, if it was any consolation, she would see him in a little while. They had a celebration planned at the pizza parlor. But a lot of other people would be there too. They might not have any time alone.
She walked into the kitchen and was confronted by her mother who was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her. She could tell immediately that her mother had something on her mind.
“Hi Mom. How was your day?”
“Boring.” She pointed at the chair across from her. “Have a seat. I’d like to talk to you.”
Sue Ann snorted. “Good grief. That sounds serious.”
Then after she thought for a moment, she burst out, “Andy’s okay isn’t he?”
Wanda held up a hand. “Calm down Sue Ann. Andy’s fine and he’s in his room right now.”
Sue Ann pulled out the chair and plopped into it. “Well, don’t scare me like that.” She blew out a loud breath. “Okay, you’ve got my attention now. What do you want to talk about?”
Wanda frowned then tried to smile at her daughter, her only child. “Well, I’ve got two things I want to talk to you about.”
Wanda took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Sue Ann wanted to reach out and pull the words out of her mother.
“First, I got a job today.”
Sue Ann was puzzled then hurt. “But Mom, you know you don’t have to work or pay me to live here. Andy and I love having you and it’s a load off my mind to have you watching him, especially now that we’ve bought the coffee shop.
“No, Sue Ann, it’s nothing like that. I love living here with you and Andy.” She paused to run her hand through her graying brown hair. “It’s just that I need to get my life back in order. I really need to get a place of my own and I couldn’t do that without getting a job first.”
When Sue Ann sat there staring back at her, she continued, “I’m only fifty-six years old, Sue Ann. I don’t want to just curl up and die now that your father’s gone. He wouldn’t want that. In fact, he was always telling me not to just stop living when he died. He wanted me to find someone and get married again.”
She Ann started to get angry. “Is that what this is all about Mom? Are you going to get married again . . . so soon?”
“No, Dear. I don’t intend to do that any time soon. And I haven’t met anyone. I just want to place myself in a position to be able to do that . . . when the time is right.”
Sue Ann thought about her dad who had been in so much pain the last few months. Then, she had to be honest with herself. He had told her several times to help her mother after he was gone. He’d asked her specifically to help her mother to live again and not stand in the way if she eventually found someone she wanted to marry.
Sue Ann stood then walked around to her mother’s side. Wanda stood and She Ann pulled her into a hug.
“Whatever you want to do, Mom, I’m okay with it. Dad made me promise not to stand in your way.”
Tears were streaming down the cheeks of both mother and daughter when Andy came storming into the room.
“I’m hungry” He came to a halt when he saw his mother and grandmother both crying. “Gee what’s going on in here?”
Sue Ann turned to her son and said, “Grandma got a job today.”
She turned back to her mother. “You didn’t say where the job is.”
Wanda giggled and said, “Well where else do you think I’d work. After your dad and I owned that hardware store for so many years. The Simpsons were glad to get someone with so much experience in the hardware business.”
Andy looked from one to the other again. “Does that mean I’m going to be going back to Mrs. Whitaker again?”
Sue Ann smiled at his concerns. “I don’t know for sure yet. I’ll have to call her later to find out.”
She turned back to her mother. “Oh, Mom, you said you were moving out too. Where?”
“I talked to Floyd today and his house is closing next week but he still has three months left on his current lease. So I’m going to sub-lease those three months. After that, I may stay there or I might just find somewhere else. I’ll make that decision then.”
Sue Ann had to sit back down. This was all too much for her to take in all at once.
She turned back to Andy and said, “Remember, we’re going to the pizza parlor to celebrate out new coffee shop. Are you about ready?”
Andy raced out of the room and Wanda laughed. “I guess that answers your question. But I’ll bet he’ll still be ready before we are. You know how he loves pizza.”
An hour later, Sue Ann entered the pizza parlor with her mother and Andy but her mind was on Floyd. She didn’t see him at first. Where was he? His Cherokee was in the parking lot so she knew he was there somewhere. Penny came up and Andy took off with her.
Then she saw Floyd in a corner booth with his cell phone to his ear. She headed that way. This was better than she’d hoped for. She wanted to talk to him alone and this might be her only chance the whole evening.
He disconnected his phone as she sat down next to him forcing him to slide farther into the booth. He looked at her and smiled as he looked around the room. Then he leaned over and kissed her. She had been about to do the same and their lips met a little too forcefully.
They both backed up with a laugh and tried it again a little softer this time but still having trouble since they couldn’t stop laughing.
“Hi.” That was all she could manage.
“Hi yourself. I’ve missed you.”
Wow! She couldn’t have asked for a better opening. “Me too. Oh Floyd, I’ve had the most wonderful day. Jo and I had a blast at the shop. It’s so different serving people coffee and food rather than cutting or perming their hair.”
He grinned and said, “I’ll bet it smells a lot better too. I don’t think I need to ask if you’re going to like it there.”
* * *
Floyd still couldn’t get used to actually kissing Sue Ann Curtis. Well her name was Vickers now. But she and Jo had always pestered him and his brothers everywhere they went when they were all growing up. And lately, for the last two years at least since she moved back to Crowleyville, they’d fought almost every time they’d been around each other.
What had changed? Who had changed? Had he? He knew the answer to that question had to be yes. He’d probably been changing some before, but since Penny came into his life, he felt as if he had become a new man.
And now, after yesterday, that’s what they were all saying he was, a new man in Christ. He still wasn’t too sure exactly what all that meant but he was learning. He’d read his new Bible last night for an hour before going to bed. He sure was glad that Gil had given him some passages to read. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a clue.
He had actually enjoyed reading the Bible. Imagine that.
He turned to Sue Ann, kissed her again, and then drew back.
“You know I think I could get used to doing that.”
She giggled and slapped him on the shoulder. “You know we shouldn’t be doing this in public don’t you?”
She nodded toward Penny and Andy who were both grinning at them from across the room. “On top of that we both have kids here and they seem to be getting an eyeful.”
He snorted. “You know everybody’s telling me I’m a new man now and all that. Just exactly what does that prayer I prayed yesterday really mean anyway?”
Sue Ann looked deep into his eyes for a long time before answering. He knew she was judging his seriousness.
He must have passed the test for she smiled at him making his heart flop kind of funny.
“Okay, Floyd. That prayer means that you have invited Jesus Christ into your heart and that you will try to live for Him for the rest of your life.”
He dragged his hand across his short hair. “Wow. That’s a pretty tall order to live up to.”
She giggled. “No Floyd. None of us are ever able to do that completely. Did you notice that I said that we try, not that we do.”
“Oh.” He blew out his breath noisily. “That sure takes a load off my mind. I thought I was supposed to be perfect now and I sure don’t feel perfect, not even close.”
She laughed loudly this time. “Oh Floyd, I’m so happy for you.”
He looked at her and saw only sincerity. That threw him for a loop. Then he thought of something else he’d been wanting to tell her.
“You know, Sue Ann, you may be right.”
When she gave him a puzzled look, he said, “Yesterday, I left here thinking I was going to a bomb threat which is almost always a false alarm. I sure didn’t expect to be getting shot at on my way over there.”
He leaned back in the booth and so did Sue Ann so he placed his arm around her shoulders and looked into her eyes.
“When I was lying there in the floorboard of my Tahoe with shots coming through the windows, I had the strangest thought.”
He waited until she turned her intent gaze on him.
“I thought that if I did get shot, I was ready for it. I didn’t have to worry about what would happen to me if I died. Gil had really pounded that into my head yesterday before I prayed.”
When she kept staring into his eyes, he squirmed in his seat a little. “Does that make any sense at all?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again.
“Yes Floyd, it makes perfect sense. You really did become a new man yesterday.”
Just then, Jo and Gil slid into the booth across from them. Jo giggled and said, “I sure do like to see that.”
Floyd was surprised to see Sue Ann blushing. He pointed to her face and said, “You’re blushing.”
She slapped him on the shoulder. “So are you.”
“No I’m not.”
He looked across the booth at Jo and she was grinning and nodding her head. “I’m afraid you are Floyd. And I love it too. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush before.”
Gil looked across at Floyd and laughed. “I don’t know about you, Floyd, but I’m having a hard time keeping Jo from floating on air tonight.”
Floyd laughed with him. “Yeah, I know what you mean.” His face grew serious. “You’ve only been in Crowleyville for less than a year. I’ve known both of them all their lives.”
He squeezed Sue Ann’s shoulders. “And the things they’ve both gone through to get to this point in their lives. Man, it’s really great.”
Jo reached across the table and took Floyd’s hand. “I never could have made it through all of that if it hadn’t been for you Floyd.”
He looked over and into Sue Ann’s eyes. “I was always there for you too. It’s just that every time I tried to help you, you always threw it back in my face.”
Sue Ann smiled into his eyes and said, “Not anymore.”
Penny and Andy appeared at the edge of the table and Penny said, “The pizza just came out and me and Andy are hungry.”
The adults all laughed and slid out of the booth to move over to the large table set up for them with the pizzas on it.
After they had all eaten, they began to break off into groups again. Penny and Andy took off for the video games, Wanda sat with Florence and Eunice, and she was telling them about her new job and apartment.
The other four adults slid into another booth.
Once they were settled, Gil looked at Floyd and said, “Anything new on catching this Hennesey?”
Floyd shook his head. He looked at Sue Ann and then Jo before he made his decision.
“Well, we know for sure now that there were two shooters yesterday. We fo
und shell casings fired from different guns at two different locations with different shoeprints in the snow.”
Jo spoke up. “But who else could be helping him. Didn’t his whole gang or whatever you called it leave the area when he went to prison?”
Floyd ran his hand through his hair trying to decide just how much he could tell them.
“Okay, I think I can trust the three of you but you’ve got to promise not to tell anyone anything I’m about to tell you, okay?”
They all said yes at the same time.
“Okay. Well, the drug ring has been resurrected here in Crowley County. You’re right, Jo, it’s not the same people but we’re sure that Hennesey has hooked up with at least the leader of this new drug ring.”
He shook his head and glared at Sue Ann. “And before you ask, I can’t tell you who we think that is just yet.”
He took a drink of his Coke. “My guess is that he’s the one who was the other shooter yesterday. There’s an undercover DEA agent involved and I don’t want to let anything out that might give him away.”
He steered the conversation away from that topic and they all took the hint. Not long afterward, they all went home.
Chapter Twelve
Sue Ann was feeling wonderful as she and Jo opened the coffee shop Tuesday morning. She had had a simply wonderful time the evening before. She was still high when she unlocked the door to open for the day.
Before she could get back to the counter Floyd and his chief deputy, Hal Lewis, came in and sat at a table by the door. Floyd waved at her with a big smile on his face.
She hurried over to their table and placed her left hand on Floyd’s shoulder. “Good morning Floyd.” Then she turned to Hal. “It’s good to see you Hal. Is Betty doing okay?”
Hal grinned up at her. “She’s the same as usual. She still keeps me posted on everything that happens down at the church.” He looked at her hand on Floyd’s shoulder. “It sure is good to see the two of you together. Betty said everybody in town could see it long before the two of you ever did.”
She laughed and said, “I don’t think I’ll comment on that Hal. What’ll you have?”
A Better Solution (Crowley County Series Book 2) Page 16