Sweet Carolina

by Debbie White

  Jack joined her and sat in the second one. “Do you like the color? Because I can stain them darker.”

  “I love them. Did you make these?”

  Jack nodded.

  “You are so talented, Jack. And to think it was all hidden behind a dark suit.”

  Jack rocked with his head leaning back against the frame. “Yeah, I liked driving and working for the family, but when I started building our house with my own hands, something happened. I didn’t realize it myself how much I’d enjoy working with wood and tools.” He gazed over at them.

  “Well, I’m super impressed. And when you can work at something you love and make money at it, that’s just icing, right?”

  “Yep.”

  Annie shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around Ashton. “I think we better go inside. It hasn’t warmed up enough for me or him,” she said, nuzzling his little neck and making him laugh.

  After all the hype of the holidays, spring came, and with it came warmer weather. After hiring a couple more workers, Annie cut her hours back a little more. Peter became the full-time baker, with Betsy only coming in once in a while. Morgan left the state to follow her dream of becoming a marine biologist, and Toby and Keith … well were Toby and Keith.

  Rebecca and Michael’s new restaurant was the talk of the town, and during their last visit, Annie confided in Jack that she thought that maybe Rebecca could be pregnant.

  “Did you see the glow? That’s also known as the early stages of pregnancy,” Annie said, trying to convince him.

  “I don’t know. It seems they’d want to wait. They’ve only been married a little over a year and opened up a new restaurant.”

  “Bet me a dollar,” Annie said, teasing him.

  “I’ll bet you a boat ride,” he said, raising his brows.

  Annie knew what he was hinting at—a boat ride without Ashton.

  It wasn’t too long after that conversation that Rebecca confided in Annie what Annie had known all along. Annie didn’t let on though. “Congratulations, Rebecca,” she said, hugging her.

  “I’ve had a little bit of morning sickness, but nothing too bad. I’m hoping to work right up until the birth.”

  “There’s no reason you can’t. And besides, you’re married to a doctor. Everything should just be great.”

  “Well, you know what they say about doctors being bad patients? Well, they’re bad parents-to-be, too.” They both laughed.

  Annie loved to tease Jack, and she also loved to see him sweat, so when he arrived home after work she set him up good.

  “I saw Rebecca today,” she said, while chopping onions for dinner.

  “And?” he said, bending his ear to hear that he’d won the bet.

  “She’s been a little sick lately.”

  Jack sat up straight and widened his eyes. “Sick? Sick as in the flu?”

  “Hmm, no, I don’t think so.” She continued to chop and now began to hum some song.

  “Okay, Annie, give it to me straight. Is she or isn’t she?” He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head.

  “Well, let’s just say, it’s lovely weather for a boat ride.”

  Jogging around her in a circle, he grabbed her around the waist. “You mean she isn’t pregnant? You mean I won?”

  “Whoa, wait just a minute. I didn’t say anything about you being right.”

  Jack let go and stood back. “But you said boat ride. That was the bet. You said I’d bet you a dollar, and I said I’d bet you a boat ride … alone … without the kid.” He looked over his shoulder at Ashton playing with Cheerios on his high chair tray.

  Annie pursed her lips tightly. “You are already tired of our baby?” she said with a raised brow.

  “No, of course not. I just want to be alone with my other baby,” he said, reaching for her again.

  Annie play slapped his hands away. “Well, for the record, Rebecca is pregnant.”

  Jack gasped. “I don’t get it. Then why would I win?”

  “It just so happens, Jack Powell,” she said moving closer, “that I want to go on that boat ride, too.” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and stared into his eyes.

  “You got me,” he said, moving in closer and meeting her lips with his.

  Still holding on to his neck, she leaned back and smiled. “You can’t outsmart me, Jack.”

  He pulled her in and whispered in her ear, causing the hair on her arms to stand. A deep stirring in the pit of her stomach lurched and pulled. She pulled her in bottom lip and coyly smiled at him. “Love you, Jack,” she said before finding his warm mouth once again.

  “What do you mean you don’t know where Grandmother or Auntie are? You live with them,” Annie said into the phone.

  “Charles and I went out to dinner and a movie. When we came home they were gone,” Betsy said.

  Annie’s heart began to race when she thought of the possible situations these two women could get themselves into. Annie took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Well, I’ll call the police right now and report them missing.”

  Before they hung up the phone, Betsy and Charles agreed to stay put, while Jack, Annie, and little Ashton went searching. First stop, was to the church.

  “I don’t know. It’s worth checking here. I usually bring them here to visit the grave sites, but just maybe they got a wild hair …”Annie said, trailing off as she slid out of the passenger side. She ducked back in before closing the door. “I’ll be right back.” She pushed the door with her hip, causing it to shut.

  Annie made a beeline to her parents’ graves. She paid special attention not to step anywhere but in between the markers. There were no signs of Grandmother or Auntie. While there, she took a moment to brush off each site, and vowed to be back soon with flowers.

  She dropped down into the passenger seat. “Nope, not there.” She casually looked back at Ashton seated in his car seat, playing with toys.

  “Where to next?”

  Annie drummed her fingers on the dashboard. “Maybe the clubhouse at the golf club? Daddy used to bring them there often, and then after he passed away, they kept going out there. They made friends even though they don’t golf. It’s a long shot, but that’s all I have right now.”

  Annie searched high and low inside the dimly lit bar area. Empty, except for one table of regulars, she ran her hand along the dark shiny mahogany bar top and asked the bartender if he’d seen them. Her hunch was right, he hadn’t. She made her way toward the sunny garden-style restaurant that also had an extended outside eating area. She asked a few of the staff if they’d seen them, but she already knew the answer. She kicked a stone out of her way as she walked along the path that led her back to the car. Her head hanging low, she tried to think where in the heck those two could go and how could they get there? Annie picked her head up and smiled. Mary!

  She jogged back to the car and dropped into the car, breathing heavily. “Mary. I have to call Mary. Maybe she knows.” She punched in her number. “Mary do you have Grandmother and Auntie with you?”

  “No, why would they be with me?”

  “They’re missing, that’s why,” Annie screamed.

  “Missing? What do you mean missing?”

  Annie told her the entire story. Afterwards, Mary said she and Danny would drive around, too.

  “I know I’m never right about anything, but what about Black Eyed Pea?”

  “Black Eyed Pea?” Annie knitted her brows together.

  “It wouldn’t hurt to check. We’ve checked everywhere else,” Jack said, driving toward the restaurant.

  Annie pulled herself out of the car and sighed. “I’ll be back,” she said, walking slowly toward the front of the restaurant. As she got closer, she could see two silver-haired women sitting in a booth near the window. Annie picked up her pace and tore into the restaurant, soon standing front and center of the booth. There, calmly sitting, were her grandmother and auntie, sipping on Bloody Marys and eating shrimp and grits. “Grandmo
ther! Auntie!” Annie said, looking at one and then the other, glaring at them both as she did.

  “Annie,” Patty said.

  “Annie? That’s all you can say? We’ve been looking all over town for you. You scared us.” She sat on the edge of the booth, sharing the seat with her grandmother.

  Rebecca walked up to them and smiled. “Hey, Annie, are you joining your grandmother and auntie for dinner?”

  Annie widened her eyes. “No, I’ve lost my appetite.”

  Rebecca’s jaw dropped. “That’s not very nice to say.”

  Annie banged her hand on the table. “No, not because … it’s just because …” She held her head in her hands and sobbed.

  Rebecca, clearly confused by what was taking place, looked to Grandmother and Auntie for a clue.

  “She’s upset because we didn’t tell anyone where we were going,” Lilly said in a low tone as she patted Annie on the head. “Dear, please don’t be so dramatic. We’re out in public.”

  Annie’s eyes popped wide open. “Dramatic? Don’t be dramatic? I thought something bad had happened to my grandmother and auntie. My seventy-eight-year-old grandmother and auntie, I might add.”

  “Well, we don’t have one foot in the grave, you know. Although, you’d like for us to feel that way. Having caretakers and time limits and bedtimes, too,” Lilly said, scowling at Annie.

  “Okay, you guys, quiet down. You’re going to scare off my customers. This is a family thing. So, why don’t you finish your dinner and drinks, while I talk to Annie,” Rebecca said, pulling Annie up by the arm. She mouthed the words, “Follow me.”

  Annie hung her head low and followed Rebecca to the hostess station. “Listen, Annie, I know what they did is not right. You have to set some boundaries, I suppose. But, you know my grandmother is a little spitfire, too,” Rebecca leaned in and whispered. “She’s in the kitchen right now, telling them what to do.” She pulled her head back and laughed.

  Soon Annie laughed along with her. “I know, I get it. This has been such an ordeal. But they were totally on board with Charles and Betsy moving in. I don’t know what happened.”

  “Well, ask them. If I know anything, I know they’ll tell you the truth.”

  Annie nodded. “Thanks, Rebecca.” She pulled her in for a hug.

  “Listen, dinner and drinks are on the house. Now, scoot, and go get your house in order,” she said, playfully swatting Annie on the rear.

  Annie slowly made her way over to the table where she’d left them. Auntie slurped the rest of her cocktail. Pushing her glass aside, she sat back and sighed.

  “Ready?” Annie asked, making a sweeping motion for them to exit the booth.

  “What about our bill?” Lilly said as she scooted to the end of the bench.

  “All taken care of.” She opened her arms to them, and with Grandmother on one side, and Auntie on the other, they walked out, holding their heads high, just as they’d always done, and how they always insisted Annie to do.

  When Jack saw them coming, he shot out of the car and ran around to the passenger side car door and opened it.

  “Hello, Jack,” Patty said with a wide grin.

  Jack’s eyes darted from Annie to Lilly and then back to Auntie. “Howdy, Auntie Patty.” He helped her take a seat.

  Jack held out his hand to Grandmother. “Take my hand, Lilly.” He walked her around to the other side and helped her slide in. Now, little Ashton had one of them on each side.

  Annie lowered herself into the seat and buckled up. She leaned her head back on the headrest and sighed. Jack started the engine and drove. The only sounds came out of the back seat. Grandmother and Auntie played peekaboo, sang songs, and never once stopped making noise until they drove up to their house.

  Jack cut the engine and looked over at Annie. “Want some help getting them inside?”

  “I need to be in there for a bit. Why don’t you go visit your folks for a while and come back for me in about an hour?”

  Jack tipped his head. “Well, at least let me help you get them out of the car.” He flew out, and before Annie could erase the fuzzy thoughts from her brain, he had them both waiting for her out on the sidewalk. She took them both by the hand, and soon they laced their hands in her arms. They made their way to the front stoop and entered the house. Charles and Betsy met them at the door.

  “I’m so happy you found them,” Betsy said.

  “I don’t know what all the fuss was about. We’re perfectly able to go out and have dinner by ourselves.”

  Betsy began to reject that comment, but Annie held up her hand. Betsy backed away, allowing them to pass her.

  “Can you please leave us alone for a moment?” Annie sat the two women down, and then went into the kitchen. “Tea or coffee?”

  “Bloody Mary,” they both called out.

  Annie put her hands on her hips. She shook her head, and then mumbling to herself, “Why not?” proceeded to make not only them a Bloody Mary, but one for herself. She wasn’t driving, after all.

  “Okay, here are your drinks. Maybe now we can talk candidly.” Annie sat down on the sofa across from them.

  “Ooh, this is good, Annie. You make good Bloody Marys,” Patty said, giggling.

  Annie sighed. “Okay, the business at hand is not how well I make cocktails, but why you think you can just walk out of this house without so much as leaving a note.”

  “We did leave a note,” Lilly said, puffing out her chest.

  Annie raised her left brow. “Oh? And where is this note at?”

  “We pinned it to the front door.”

  “The wind must have blown it off,” Auntie Patty said, her eyes darting back and forth from Lilly to Annie. Then she slurped her drink.

  “Okay, so at least you did do that. But in the future … wait.” Annie drew in a long drink through her straw, while she leaned back onto the sofa. She then moved forward and put her drink down on the table. “Okay, let’s make a deal. If you want to go out, you leave a note, but you also call Mary and me to let us know. That way, if the note isn’t found, we’ll be able to tell Betsy and Charles. Agreed?”

  Grandmother and Auntie nodded.

  “Is there anything else we need to talk about?” Annie looked at them both for a reply.

  “We want more freedom,” Auntie blurted.

  “Yes, we feel that although we do enjoy their company, we’d like to be able to do some things on our own, just like they do. They went off to dinner and a movie and left us here to twiddle our thumbs,” Lilly said, twisting her shoulders back and forth and lifting her chin in the air.

  “So were you jealous that they didn’t include you? Don’t you think they deserve any time alone?”

  “Well, yes, I do think they deserve time alone, but so do we. We’d like to start going to the golf club again, maybe join the bridge club again, or go out to lunch once in a while with old ladies our age. We met Rebecca’s grandmother tonight. She had us grabbing our sides, she’s so funny,” Patty said, laughing.

  “Okay, so it seems that maybe you both have gotten your second wind in life. You want to get out and about. Are you both feeling well? No issues with mobility, right?”

  “We get tired easily, we won’t deny that. And we like to use someone’s arm for security, and a cane now and then. But we’re breathing, and our brain is still working, so yes, we want to get out more.”

  “I thought they were getting you out a lot. I’m sorry. When did that change?”

  “They’re good people, Annie. This is not about them doing anything wrong. And when we go to the plays with them, we always have a good time. But you can only go to plays so often.”

  “So, do you want to continue with this living arrangement with Betsy and Charles living here?”

  Lilly looked over to Auntie and nodded. Auntie nodded back.

  “Okay, so I’ll let them know that this is more about you all wanting to get out more, and not about them,” Annie said, standing.

  “Yes, dear, that’s
exactly right.”

  “Maybe if they took you to more places, you’d be okay with that as well?” Annie said, hinting that maybe this was more about being left out and not really as much about their independence.

  “Well, maybe,” Lilly said.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Annie walked up the stairs and rapped on Betsy and Charles’s door. She’d not been up to the tiny apartment since they’d moved in. Betsy opened the door wide, a look of concern written all over her face. “Come in,” she said, opening the door wider.

  Annie stepped inside. She looked around the small space and smiled. “You really did a nice job with the apartment.”

  “I suppose now we have to move?” Betsy plopped down on the small sofa and cupped her face.

  “No, no one is moving. This is the deal. They’re feeling a bit left out. I understand you and Charles have a right to go out by yourself and I would never ask you not to. They’re just feeling maybe a bit more housebound, and to tell you the truth, they’ve gotten their second wind, and just want to enjoy life. So, I’ve agreed to allow them to catch a cab and go into town, as long as they let me, Mary, and you, all know. They said they left a note, but it must have blown off the front door. Also, they want to start playing bridge in the clubhouse. They both told me they wouldn’t mind going out a bit more with you too, as well.” Annie gathered in her lips and cocked her head.

  “Okay, we’d love to take them out more, but when we were taking them out a lot, your grandmother started wheezing and coughing. We were worried it was too much. And Patty sometimes wanders off a bit, so we were worried she might be getting confused,” Charles said.

  Annie widened her eyes. “Well, the last time they went to the doctor, they got a pretty good bill of health. Grandmother is on medication for her heart, but Patty seemed fine. I’ll make another appointment just to be sure, but I think everything is just fine. They’re just not used to being told what to do and how to do it. I’m sure you can understand,” Annie said, crossing her arms over her chest.