by Nancy Naigle
Bettie’s blue eyes twinkled.
“Umm. Okay, but only a small piece.” She took one of the little paper wrappers and braced herself as she placed the piece of cake in her mouth just to be polite. Please don’t let me gag.
She pasted a smile on her face, prepared to give it a good show at the very least. As she chewed, the flavors tickled her taste buds. The texture was light and silky. With her hand still at her lips, she slowly made eye contact with Bettie.
“You want another bite, don’t you?” Bettie beamed.
“This can’t be fruitcake.”
“This is Porter’s fruitcake.”
“Wow. That is really good.”
“You’re not telling me anything I didn’t already know. I wouldn’t take a job offering samples of just any old thing. I’m not that good of a liar.” She stepped closer and tucked three more pieces of fruitcake into the top of Vanessa’s purse. “For later,” she said in a hushed voice followed by a wink. “You’ll thank me the next time you see me.” She squeezed Vanessa’s forearm and then swept over to the other side of the store where a couple had just walked inside to offer them a free sample too.
Vanessa licked her lips. Anna was not going to believe this.
Fruitcake in all sorts of containers and sizes was for sale ready-to-ship, but there was a whole counter, more like a bakery, where you could pick out exactly what you wanted in an assortment box.
There were fruitcake cookies, fruitcake pops with sticks, fruitcake muffins in plain or bran and gluten-free too. Even a rack of do-it-yourself kits, and books on how to preserve your fruitcake. A book she didn’t plan to read, because no matter how absolutely delicious that cake tasted, she’d never understood the appeal of fruitcake preserved for one year, much less several.
On the other side of the store there were dozens of branded items. Everything from shirts and koozies to jackets and snow globes. Even handmade scarves, and Christmas ornaments and cards by local artisans.
She picked up one of the ornaments. Fairly priced too.
She didn’t have time for all of this right now, though. Vanessa walked over to the cash register.
“What can I do for you?” the young lady asked.
“Hi.” She glanced at the girl’s name tag. “Misty. I’m supposed to pick up an envelope that Lilene left here for me. My name is—”
“Vanessa Larkin?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got it right here.” The girl lifted the tray in the cash register and withdrew a card.
Vanessa accepted it and flipped it over in her hand to be sure this was indeed addressed to her. “So it is. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Can I pack you up a muffin or tea to go?”
“Umm. No. Thank you, that’s very sweet of you. I think I’m good.” A quick finger wave and Vanessa was back out in the town car. “Whew.”
She handed the directions to the driver, then pulled out one of the samples that Bettie had given to her. “You have to try this.”
He took the cake and hesitated before he put it into his mouth. “Is this fruitcake?”
She patted him on the shoulder from the backseat. “I know. I had the same reaction. Go ahead. Don’t be a wimp.”
He broke the small piece into two and lifted a half piece of cake to his mouth. She was pretty sure he was holding his breath. But once he began to chew, his eyes got wide. “That’s not fruitcake. No way,” the driver said.
“I know. It’s great. Right?”
“It tastes like more.” He popped the rest of the piece into his mouth without hesitation.
“You’re welcome.” She slid her finger beneath the back flap of the bright envelope and took out the card as he pulled away from the curb.
The card had a pretty straw basket filled with flowers and baked goods on the front. WELCOME TO FRASER HILLS was artfully inked around the artwork. Inside it read, Please let us know if we can make your stay more comfortable. You can reach one of us at Porter’s any day of the week. It was signed by Dave, Jenny, Bettie, and Misty. Below that, Welcome Vanessa, My office is upstairs, first door on the right. Next to yours. See you soon, Lilene.
She tucked the card into her purse, patting it. Her mom would have done something like that.
The driver pulled in front of a tired-looking old warehouse on the outskirts of town. “This is the address,” he announced. “You sure this is right?”
“Oh? Well, I’m not quite sure. I’ve never seen it before.”
The hulk of a man twisted in his seat. “Want me to go check it out for you first?”
“No. I’ll go.” She opened the car door. “Could you wait a minute, though? I’ll need help with my luggage.” She stepped out onto the dirt and gravel parking area.
She looked at the number on the building. It was the right address. She held the key in her hand. Hoping for the best, she walked to the door, which thankfully looked new.
If the apartment was too bad, she’d find a house somewhere nearby to rent instead. That would be a waste of good money, though. She wouldn’t be here that long. Just a matter of weeks, and the chance of a lifetime. Keep your eye on the prize. What was a few weeks in less than desirable conditions when her dream home would be in reach when she got back to Chicago?
Gravel crunched under the tires of a tan compact car as it sped through the lot and slid to a stop by the town car. A slight woman hopped out, wearing an oversize forest-green sweater with a cornucopia appliquéd across the front.
“Welcome!” The woman raced to her side. “You must be Ms. Larkin. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Lilene. Oh, I see you got the card.”
“Lilene? Yes. Nice to meet you. Yes. I got it. That was so thoughtful. Thank you.”
“We wanted you to feel welcome.” She grabbed the key from Vanessa’s hands. “Glad I caught ya. This key can be a little tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing.” She pushed it into the keyhole, then tippy-toed as she lifted the handle, and then twisted the doorknob. Lilene gave the door a little kick with her black all-weather boot and the door swung open. “If you don’t do that little lift before you turn, you’ll never get in.”
“Thank you. I’ll remember that.” Vanessa took the key. At first glance, or maybe it was her energy, Lilene had appeared to be about her age. Now Vanessa could see she was probably older. The old-style haircut didn’t help either.
Lilene hit a panel of switches just inside the door. “It’s dusty down here, but we didn’t get much notice about you coming. We’ll get this cleaned up this week. I promise the apartment upstairs is sparkling clean. I took care of that myself.”
“Okay.” Vanessa followed her to the stairs that led to a second story overlooking the warehouse floor. “This is part of Porter’s?”
“Mm-hmm. Haven’t used it in a long time. We found the warehouse behind the retail shop to be much more convenient, but then found a way to consolidate into the one building. Plus, there’s a good parking lot at the other space. In the winter you can get stuck over here.”
Great.
“We won’t let you get stuck.”
“I’m not driving, so I should be fine.”
“Oh, you won’t have a car?” Her lips puckered.
“I’ll just Uber over.”
Lilene shook her head.
“Or taxi.”
Lilene paled. “I guess I could set up something with Jimmy. He’s our only taxi driver, but he works another job during the day. Oh, but we do have a bicycle you can use.” She gestured to a seafoam-green Schwinn with a basket on the front of it.
“The only bike I’ve ridden lately is the stationary one in the gym. Let’s come up with a schedule for Jimmy, or you could pick me up.”
“I could. Yes!” Lilene exclaimed. “I’d be happy to drive you around. I’m here to do whatever you need. We could do coffee in the mornings together. I’ll be your personal assistant while you’re in town. How long will that be, by the way?”
That was a peculiar question.
“Well, I guess we’ll see how things go.”
“We installed a new code on the apartment door for you.” She stood to the side and demonstrated. “Just push 0729 and enter.”
“That’ll be easy enough to remember. That’s my birthday.” Vanessa laughed at the coincidence.
Lilene’s eyes widened. “Oh, I know. I did that on purpose. I looked you up on Facebook. I wanted it to be super-duper easy for you.”
“Thank you.” I think.
Lilene opened the door to the apartment. “Here you go.”
It was actually quite nice, with great light, and now that she could get a better look at Lilene she realized she was probably in her late fifties. No doubt one of the employees who’d been with the company a lifetime.
A wall of windows overlooked pretty black board fence and pastures for as far as she could see in one direction, and trees in the other. A nice vintage executive desk with hand-carved legs sat right in front of the windows.
“Is there internet?”
“Yes. We have you all set up. The passcode is written on a sticker next to the printer in this armoire over here. The bedroom is through that door straight ahead, and the bathroom is off of that. Over this way you have a sitting area with a gas fireplace, and the kitchenette. I think you’ll find it very comfortable.”
“Yes, it’ll do quite nicely.” It would do for now—perfect for a corporate apartment, but a little too small for her and Anna to enjoy the holidays in together.
“I stocked the refrigerator with some basics to get you through a few days while you settle in. Coffee too. Well, you’ll find everything.”
Vanessa walked toward the door hoping Lilene would take the hint and follow. “Yes. I’ll be fine. Thank you for making the trip out here to help me settle in. I’m going to have the driver bring up my luggage, and we’ll get down to work tomorrow.”
“Right. Yes. I’m ready.” Her voice bubbled over.
Vanessa herded Lilene out.
“Nice to meet you.” As soon as Lilene stepped outside, the town car driver came up with Vanessa’s luggage. She pointed him upstairs and she waved goodbye to Lilene from the door.
“You can leave them on the landing there,” she said from the bottom of the stairs.
He walked back downstairs, and headed for the door.
Lilene almost tumbled inside trying to balance a huge basket covered in clear plastic in her arms.
“Whoa.” The driver sidestepped Lilene.
She peered around the basket. “Sorry. I got so anxious when I saw that you beat me here, I forgot this was in my car. I meant to bring this over earlier to surprise you.” She pasted a nervous smile on her face. “Surprise?”
Lilene was already climbing the stairs toward the apartment, rattling on. “… my famous chocolate-dipped fruitcake squares. I’m kind of known for them. It’s not an official Porter’s thing, but people do love them. There’s also some chocolate peanut butter fudge. You’re not allergic to peanuts, are you?” Without even waiting for an answer, she continued, “And a zucchini bread with chocolate chips. Can you tell I like chocolate?”
Vanessa smiled, as she opened the apartment door.
Lilene set the basket down on the kitchenette counter. “Thanksgiving is this Thursday. If you’re not flying back home for the holiday you are welcome to join us. I always make way too much food, and the more the merrier anyway. You don’t have to bring a thing. Just your appetite.”
“I couldn’t. I’ve got a—”
“I’ll let you just think about it, but I already had my grandchildren help me make the place cards and there’s one with your name on it,” she sang out. “Here.” She pushed an envelope toward Vanessa. “I set up the meeting with the employees for tomorrow night.”
“Thank you. That’ll work out nicely. Can you have Jimmy on standby to take me home immediately following?”
“Yes, ma’am. I sure can. The meeting will be at the elementary school in the cafeteria. They have a nice stage there. That’s where we hold all of our town meetings and large business gatherings. We can talk it over tomorrow. I’m sure you’d like some peace and quiet after your trip to town.”
Would I ever!
Lilene ran her fingers across her lips like a zipper. “I’m going to just leave you for now.” Stage-whispering, she said, “You call me and let me know when you need that ride. I can be here in two jifs, or send Jimmy over.”
Vanessa held her breath until she heard Lilene take the last step and the main warehouse door slam. From the window, she watched the car turn onto the road.
She’s enthusiastic. I’ll give her that.
She glanced over the papers that Lilene had left. She seemed very competent, and eager to please, but she’d made a typo. Her five thirty P.M. meeting was communicated as eight thirty. Hopefully, the actual email and posting to the factory workers went out correctly. She’d have to check on that in the morning.
She’d made announcements in some strange places before, but never in an elementary school cafeteria. She thought back to when she was a student at Kempsville Elementary. Rows of tables with teeny chairs. It seemed like a mean joke to have adults hunched up in teensy chairs with their chins on their knees as she discussed the big changes planned for Porter’s.
CHAPTER NINE
The next morning, Vanessa had to admit she’d be way more motivated to get out of bed right now if the Eiffel Tower were outside her window instead of the North Carolina mountains.
Stretching, she reluctantly got up and went over to the window, lifting the shades in one quick tug. Thick clouds hung low across the mountains like a mystical storyland, making the reason these mountains were called the Blue Ridge Mountains make complete sense. The range truly appeared blue and somehow silent. Could a massive structure of cast iron and steel really be more impressive than nature’s architecture?
Invigorated, she took in a deep breath and stretched her arms over her head.
It really is majestic.
The downside of not staying at a hotel was there was no gym to get the day started. She’d been on the track team in high school and back then they ran rain or shine all year round. The whole team would run for miles, pounding the pavement around the football field until her legs were like gelatin.
She’d probably burn more calories in this cold weather, and that wouldn’t hurt, based on the looks of those goodies Lilene had left.
She changed into her workout gear, then took the stairs at a quick clip. A calypso of clangs echoed through the empty building.
Outside, the air was crisp, but the sun shimmered on the dew that still moistened the leaves and grass. She stretched, then started an easy jog around the building, careful not to twist an ankle on the uneven gravel lot.
She wished now that she’d paid more attention on the drive over yesterday. If memory served her, turning left would take her back to town. She reset her fitness tracker.
Out of habit, she looked both ways down the empty, quiet road before taking off to the right.
The air seemed so fresh. The incline tested her muscles. The gentle roll of the land was more demanding than it appeared. Finding a comfortable pace, she let her mind clear, getting lost in the rhythm.
A bright red cardinal darted across the road and tried to disappear into a tumble of vines and reeds, quickly followed by a muted tan colored bird. Probably his mate. The male looked like a Christmas ornament against the winter-bare vegetation that had given in to dormancy until spring.
Black fence lined this stretch of road for as far as she could see.
Her fitness tracker chirped. She stopped, pivoted, and started heading back.
A thunderlike reverberation overlaid the sound of her shoes against the pavement. Through the trees, on the other side of that black board fence, three huge horses ran by. Their manes loose and flowing, they looked as if they could run forever if not contained.
She surrendered her breath to their beauty. Slowing to a stop, as the horses passed—mig
hty and beautiful.
Wow.
In a moment they were out of sight, as if they’d been nothing but a figment of her imagination. She jogged in place, hoping they’d return, but they didn’t. She ran back, glad that she recognized the curve in the road as the warehouse came into view.
A car that looked like Lilene’s was parked near the door. She slowed to a walk as she got closer. Lilene sat messing with her phone in the driver’s seat.
Vanessa tapped on the car window. “Hello. Good morning.”
Lilene screamed, pulling both fists to her chest. “Oh, I didn’t want to bother you.” She lowered her window. “You scared me to death.” She panted, still holding her heart. “Mercy. I forgot to ask if you were an early bird. Which apparently you are.”
“I am.” Vanessa caught the enticing aroma of something savory coming from the car. In that instant her plan for a smoothie went right out the window.
“I’m your ride to the office. I wanted to be sure I was available when you were ready, but I didn’t want to text or call if you were sleeping.”
“I won’t be long. Do you want to come up and wait? I’m sure I have something to offer you.” She laughed, since Lilene knew better than she did what was in the apartment.
“I can do ya one better,” Lilene said. “I made something for you. Fresh from the oven.”
Lilene scooched out from behind the wheel balancing a casserole dish wrapped in a festive burgundy and gold towel with a stressed-out turkey on it, leaving her purse sitting on the seat of the car.
“Come on. Let’s enjoy it while it’s hot.”
“You didn’t have to do that. But it does smell good.”
“It is. It’s a family recipe.”
If this is what they mean by Southern hospitality, I could get used to it. “Can I carry that for you?”
“No. I’ve got it. Did you have a good run?”
“Yes. It’s beautiful here.”
“Mmm. The natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains is always changing.” Lilene paused in front of the warehouse, a serene smile on her face as she glanced over her shoulder toward the mountains. “It’s like redecorating your house just by leaving the curtains open. You really have to experience Fraser Hills to appreciate it. I know we don’t have all the fancy stuff you’re probably used to, but it’s full of good people with a real sense of community. It works.”