by Unknown
“Would your uncle kiss you like that?” he demanded. Without waiting for an answer, he swung around and exited the apartment.
#
Annie awoke early the next morning to a chilly apartment. She grabbed a blanket from the closet and wrapped it around her, then, headed for the kitchen to make coffee. She was surprised how much better her ankle felt, there was almost no swelling and she did not need the crutches. Still, she planned to stay off of it as much as possible, meaning she would spend the day studying because she wanted to be in tip-top shape when the festival started.
She was so engrossed in her studies that she did not realize it was almost two p.m. until Lillian arrived bearing finger sandwiches and a large shopping bag. “Did I wake you?” Lillian asked, obviously noticing Annie was still in her pajamas.
“No, no, I started reading Accounting 101, The Fundamentals, and lost track of the time.”
“I can see how something like that could steal your entire day. You’ve taken the bandage off your ankle. It must be better.”
“Yes, I am definitely on the mend.”
“I hope you like chicken salad,” Lillian said. “I had to make a tray for the garden club. As usual, I made too many.”
Annie suddenly realized she was starving. She reached for one of the sandwiches and bit into it. “Mmm, this is great.”
“I can’t stay long,” Lillian said, setting the tray on the ottoman and taking a seat on the sofa. “Guess where I’ve been?” she whispered. “The second-hand store,” she said. “I was cleaning out my closet, and I took a load over. Look at the nice things I found in your size.” She offered Annie the bag.
Annie looked inside and saw that it was crammed full of clothes—a pair of skinny jeans that looked almost new, dressy taupe-colored slacks, and a couple of sweaters. “Oh, Lillian, everything is so nice.“
“Look at the very bottom of the bag,” Lillian said excitedly.
“Oh, nice loafers,” Annie said and pulled them out. “It doesn’t look as though they’ve ever been worn.”
“You wear a size seven, right? Try them on.”
Annie put the loafer on her good foot. “Perfect,” she said. “Thank you so much for picking these up. I love everything. How much do I owe you?”
“Don’t be silly. I could buy a potted plant for what that cost me.”
“I don’t want you buying my clothes, Lillian.”
“Okay, then buy me a potted plant. But I wanted to tell you, they have several lovely dresses that you can wear to Darla’s wedding. They are very reasonable. I thought you should go look for yourself. I don’t mind taking you when you’re ready.” She looked around. “Is it my imagination or is it a bit cool in here?”
“I did not want to turn on the heat until I checked with you to see if it needed to be serviced or checked first.”
“It should be fine,” Lillian said. “I bought a new heat pump when my mother moved in. The thermostat is in the hall as you’ve probably noticed. It has two settings, on and off. Easy as pie to operate,” she added. “I’ll get mad if I think you’re trying to save me money by not heating the place.”
“Okay,” Annie said. “By the way, these are absolutely delish sandwiches.”
“Glad you like them.” Lillian was quiet for a moment as she studied Annie. “Well? Aren’t you going to tell me what’s going on with you and Sam?”
Annie blushed. “He’s been very kind to me since I sprained my ankle,” she said.
“And?”
“And that’s all I have to report at this time, Barbara Walters.”
Lillian smiled. “You know, there are a lot of women in this town who would love to sink their claws into that man. Hell, no telling what he is worth,” she added. She paused and rolled her eyes heavenward. “But why am I telling you? You’ve got more money than all of us put together.”
Annie grabbed another finger sandwich. “Correction. My father has a lot of money. He has probably disinherited me after what I did.” Annie shrugged. “I don’t care. Money has never held much importance with me.”
“That’s because you’ve never had to rake and scrape for it, hon.”
“That’s true. But I sort of like knowing I can take care of myself. It’s a little scary, of course. I certainly hope I can go back to work soon.”
“Annie, nobody in this town is going to let you go hungry or homeless. That’s just the way we are.”
“So I’ve noticed. It’s so refreshing to live in a small town,” Annie said. “And one day, when my new friends need a good accountant, I hope they’ll come to me, because I’m going to give them a special deal.”
“I know you will. And you’ll have plenty of business, believe me. Earl Burnsed has been my accountant since I moved here. He was old when I first hired him. I have no idea why he keeps working. Folks say he’s so old, he farts graveyard dust.”
Annie laughed so hard that she almost choked on her sandwich. Lillian hurried into the kitchen and grabbed a canned soda from the refrigerator. She popped the top. “Here, drink this. I don’t want to have to call an ambulance.” She waited until Annie had pulled herself together.
“Now, the other reason I stopped by,” Lillian went on. “I thought it would be fun to throw Darla a little bachelorette party. Invite those of us who are real close to her, no more than six or eight gals. What do you think?”
Annie nodded enthusiastically. “What a great idea. But let me have it here, Lillian. After all, Darla has done so much for me.”
Lillian looked around. “I suppose this place is big enough for that many people. Now, I plan to supply the food and drinks, so you needn’t worry about any of that.”
“When are you thinking of having it?”
“We’ve no time to waste. Once the Okra Festival begins, the two of you will be too busy. Is tomorrow night, after the restaurant closes, too soon?”
Annie thought about it. That would give her time to straighten the place. “That’s fine,” she said.
They spent twenty minutes discussing the party. “How am I going to get Darla over here?” Annie asked.
Lillian pondered the problem. “Well, she knows you’re on crutches. You’ll just call her and tell her—” She grinned. “Tell her you’ve fallen and you can’t get up.” They both laughed. “One more thing,” Lillian said, “and you can’t tell anybody. Not even the others.” She leaned close and whispered. “I’ve hired a male stripper.”
Annie’s eyes almost popped out of her head, but she was grinning. “No way!”
Lillian blushed. “Yes. He’s just a kid, but he looks good in blue jeans, so I have to assume he’ll look just as good in a thong.”
Annie shook her head, but she was more than a little amused. “Oh, Lillian, you are so bad.”
The women jumped when someone knocked on the door. “Remember, not a word to anybody,” Lillian said, getting up. “If Darla catches wind of it, it’ll ruin the whole surprise.”
“Cross my heart,” Annie said.
Lillian opened the door. “Oh, hello, Sam. I see you brought lunch.”
Sam stepped inside, looking a little self-conscious with Lillian there. “Hi,” he said, then, noticed the plate of sandwiches. “I see I’m a little late,” he said, obviously disappointed.
“Oh no!” Lillian protested, “I just this minute brought these over. Annie hasn’t had time to eat.” She winked at Annie as she picked up the plate. “I’ll just wrap these and put them in the refrigerator, and you can have them for dinner. How’s that?”
Annie, who’d been stuffing finger sandwiches in her mouth since Lillian arrived, merely nodded.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Sam said.
“The poor girl is starving,” Lillian called from the kitchen.
“I didn’t know what you’d like,” Sam said, “so I bought you a foot-long hot dog, large fries, and a milkshake.”
Lillian rejoined them. “That sounds yummy,” she said, patting Annie on the back and giving her a devilish
smile.
“Why don’t you stay and split it with me?” Annie suggested.
“Oh, I have to be on my way, dear. Besides, you need to eat. You’re a bit on the skinny side, if you ask me.” She turned to Sam. “Don’t you think Annie’s a bit on the skinny side?”
Sam wasn’t sure how to respond. He thought Annie was perfectly proportioned; he especially liked her curves. And he should know because he had seen quite a bit of her. He smiled at Lillian. “She fills out her uniform nicely,” he said. “Some of our male customers can’t take their eyes off of her. Hey, don’t rush off because of me,” he said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not interrupting,” Lillian said. “I’m in the middle of a big project.”
“Let me guess,” Sam said. “You are completely redecorating your house, and Kazue is measuring for new drapes.”
“Not quite that big,” she said. “I’m cleaning out my closets this afternoon. Have to run a bunch of clothes over to the second-hand store before it closes.”
Sam just looked at her; obviously he had no idea what she was talking about. “It’s officially called Second Time Around, and people donate their very gently used clothes which other people buy. The profits go to local charities.”
“I like the sound of it,” Sam said. “Do you think I could donate a gently used waitress?” He motioned toward Annie.
“You might have to wait until her ankle heels,” Lillian replied. She winked at Annie. “Enjoy your lunch,” she said.
When Lillian was gone, Sam shook his head. “I feel like I missed something? What are you and Lillian cooking up?”
Annie gave him her best innocent look. “I don’t know what you mean. We were just discussing what we plan to wear to the big wedding. Why don’t we have lunch at the dining table,” she suggested.
“Do you need help getting there?” Sam asked, then, noticed she wasn’t wearing the bandage. “The ankle must be better.”
“I’m still babying it a bit, but, yes, the swelling is down, and it’s a lot better.”
“That’s good news,” he said. Sam followed her the short distance to the dining room table. He pulled out a chair for her to sit and began unloading the sack. He didn’t notice the dubious look on Annie’s face as he shoved the gigantic hot dog and fries in front of her. “I probably should have called first,” he said, “but I was afraid you wouldn’t have lunch with me after the way I acted yesterday.” He paused. “If that weren’t bad enough, I later showed up and all but manhandled you.”
She met his gaze. “You’re always welcome here, Sam. You’ve been very kind the past couple of days. If it weren’t for you rescuing me after my bicycle accident—”
“I would’ve stopped and helped anyone in that predicament, Annie. But I would not be looking for excuses to show up on their doorsteps. And while I’m spilling my guts, let me say that my customers aren’t the only ones staring at you in that uniform. I thought my head would blow off the first day you showed up in it. I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t help myself.”
“I know, Sam,” she said. “Why do you think I broke so many dishes?”
“Because you’re clumsy?” he asked, amused.
“No. Because I knew you were staring, and I was self-conscious.”
“You would have been even more so had you been able to read my thoughts,” he said. He leaned forward and took her hand, and he was struck by the way that it fit so nicely in his palm. “I don’t know any other way to say it other than to just blurt it out and hope I don’t scare you off, but, I’m crazy about you, Annie Hartford, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”
Chapter Nine
Annie sat very still, her gaze fixed on Sam. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You’re probably thinking it’s too soon, but—”
“It’s not that, Sam.” She was quiet for a moment. “It’s just—” She paused. “My life has been on hold for so many years. I’m finally doing things for myself now. I’m following my dreams.”
“I have no problem with that, Annie,” Sam said, “because I want you to realize all your dreams.”
“It’s not that simple,” she said. “I’m trying to make up for lost time. I want to take as many classes as I can. Between work and school I’m going to be strapped for time. I’m afraid you’ll end up feeling resentful.”
“Then you don’t know me very well.”
Annie did not reply.
“Your lunch is getting cold,” Sam said.
Annie looked down at all the food and thought she might be ill. “I think I’ll eat this later,” she said.
“I’ve upset you.”
“I just need time to think, that’s all. And I still have more studying since I’m trying to get through several chapters in both classes. I’ll feel better once I get caught up.” She couldn’t tell him all she needed to do to get ready for Darla’s party since Lillian had practically sworn her to silence.
“You know, come to think of it, I’m not very hungry either,” he said.
“Please don’t let me stop you from eating,” she said.
He smiled. “To be honest, I had something to eat at the restaurant right before I bought all this food.”
“So, why—”
“I wanted to see you.”
“So you pretended you hadn’t eaten, huh? How did you expect to hold all this food down?”
“I hadn’t thought that far in advance. I was just trying to get through your front door.”
“Pretty sneaky of you, Sam,” she said, figuring one day she would tell him about the finger sandwiches.
Sam nodded. “Oh, before I forget—” He reached into his back pocket and brought out a small sack. “I stopped by the drugstore and got you this. It’s an ankle sock. See, it’s made out of an Ace bandage, only it fits over your heel and ankle. It gives you the same amount of support; it’s just less bulky.”
Annie was touched. “Thank you, Sam. How kind of you to think of that,” she said.
“I figured it would better my chances of being invited in. If that didn’t work I was going to give you a used car.”
Annie laughed. “You certainly are determined.”
He leaned close and kissed her lightly on the lips. “So what do you think?”
“About the car?”
“About us, pretty lady. Do I stand a chance?”
Annie could see that he was sincere. She was tempted to confess she felt the same, but she didn’t want to rush into anything. “Yes,” she said softly. “You definitely stand a chance.”
“Then, how about a picnic tomorrow at my place?” he suggested. “We can even go fishing if you like.”
“Picnic?” The thought of sharing an afternoon with Sam almost made her giddy. Then she remembered the party. “What time were you thinking of having it?”
“I have clients. The last one doesn’t leave until two o’clock. I’ll get Martha to pack a basket for us if that’s not too late for you.”
“I’d love to,” Annie said. “I just can’t stay long because I’ve made plans for later.” She was thinking of all she had to do for Darla’s party.
Sam wanted to know what plans she’d made, but he knew it was none of his business. “Hey, if you have to study I could help you,” he said, giving her a suggestive wink.
She laughed. “Forget it. Besides, if you knew that much about accounting, you wouldn’t be complaining all the time about having to do it.”
“I shouldn’t have to do it,” he said. “But the CPA I was using is so old that—”
“I’ve already heard,” Annie said, laughing at the thought. “Perhaps it’s time Pinckney had a young, attractive female CPA.”
“Yeah, but where are we ever going to find someone like that?”
Annie smacked his arm playfully. “Watch it, Ballard. There may come a time when you need me to do your books. I’d hate to have to charge you more than my other friends.”
“Perhaps by then we’ll
be more than friends.” It sounded good, he told himself, but he knew he’d already crossed the friendship line and wanted more. He was falling for Annie Hartford fast and hard.
“You’re being presumptuous, Mr. Ballard,” Annie said. “I have not checked out all the other handsome eligible bachelors in town.”
“They’re all spoken for,” he said quickly. “All of them are happily married. I’m all that’s left.”
“Oh?” she said. “How sad that nobody wanted you.” She clucked her tongue.
There was a wicked gleam in his blue eyes. “Oh, they wanted me,” he said. “But I run pretty fast.”
“So do I,” Annie said and they both laughed.
He picked up her hand and kissed her open palm. He checked his wrist-watch. “I have to go. I’m meeting with a client to discuss a real estate deal; then, some guy is bringing his daughter by to test drive that little Nissan Cube on the lot. And the ice machine is down at the restaurant. I’ve been meaning to replace it for a couple of years.” He sighed heavily. “I’m hoping I can get a new one before the festival.”
“Sam, you’re too busy to have a girlfriend,” Annie said laughingly.
“I’m never too busy for you.” He kissed her, started for the door, then backtracked and kissed her again.
This time the kiss was slow and thorough, his tongue tracing her full bottom lip and sending Annie’s stomach into a wild swirl. She kissed him back, sliding her fingers through that sexy head of hair that had beckoned her touch from the beginning.
When Sam raised his head, he was smiling. “I could get used to kissing you,” he said before heading out.
Annie spent the remainder of the day studying and washing the clothes Lillian had purchased for her. Although she was determined to get through chapter three of the accounting textbook, her concentration was shot; she could not get her mind off of Sam’s kisses. She thought about closing her books and cleaning, then, decided it was in her best interest to stay off her ankle for at least one more day. She planned to be ready and able when the tourists hit town. She could clean the next day after the picnic; in the meantime she would pull herself together and concentrate on schoolwork.