Snowbird Season

by B J Phillips

“Are you okay, Andi?”

  “Sure, I’m fine. I’ll talk to Aunt Elise and get back to you later.”

  “Um…Andi, you can call me back if you want. It’s okay. I assumed it’d be faster for you to text me.”

  “Thanks, I might do that.” Andi’s voice sounded almost normal again. “Catch you later.”

  Ten minutes later, a text message showed up on Kelly’s phone.

  8 pm tom at Perkins? Aunt Elise happy 2 b included. C u then.

  She texted back, Sounds great. See ya there.

  That was strange, Kelly thought. She texted back Andi? Are you ok?

  Sure, I’m fine. See ya tom nite.

  Why was Kelly getting the feeling something wasn’t right? Andi obviously didn’t want to talk to her about it, whatever it was. Couldn’t be anything with Elise or Andi would’ve told her. Something was wrong.

  Whatever it was, it happened right in the middle of their conversation. The little wheels in Kelly’s brain churned even faster. Maybe Andi’s ex texted her and said she wants to get back together. Maybe she said she’s sorry and please come back home. That would explain Andi acting weird. Or it could be that she…never mind. She was sounding like a plot in one of Shawn’s romance novels. She decided to let it go for now. If Andi wanted to tell her what was wrong, she would.

  Chapter Eleven

  WHILE TALKING WITH KELLY about meeting up the next evening, Andi’s phone had showed another incoming call. It was a familiar number she hadn’t seen for a while—Jo’s. Andi decided to let it go to voicemail. She looked for a voicemail. Instead, she found a text from Jo. You don’t want to talk to me? That’s fine. Filing for divorce. Hope that makes you happy. Andi felt herself breathe in sharply.

  “Anything wrong?” Elise asked her.

  “Oh, no, nothing. Guess I’m just tired. Think I’ll go lie down for a while and read.” She gave Elise a hug. “You know I love you very much, right?”

  Elise hugged her back and kissed her forehead. “Yes, I do. And I love you very much right back. You go read and relax.”

  Andi made a point to walk to her room at a normal pace and closed the door calmly. Safely alone, she flopped onto her bed and let the tears fall. Her body began to shake. She pulled her knees up into the fetal position as she let it out, her arms wrapped around a second pillow. All the frustration and anger she’d held in. All the hurt. Tears flooded down her cheeks as she sobbed into the pillow on her bed.

  As the tears finally ran out, she wondered why she was so upset. She didn’t think Jo was going to change and want to be the partner she should be. She wasn’t going to suddenly realize she loved Andi and apologize for all the hurt she’d caused.

  Andi sat up in the middle of the bed, the tissue box at hand. The answer came as an epiphany. It was the word divorce that caught her off guard. I know I didn’t want to go back to Jo, but until that text message I hadn’t even considered the finality of a divorce. Now there’s no going back. It’s really over and I have to face this down and deal with it.

  Aunt Elise didn’t even know about their marriage. Andi had never told her, and since the ceremony had been a simple courthouse thing, with wedding rings that didn’t look like wedding rings, she’d been able to hide it from her. She knew Elise didn’t approve of Jo and wouldn’t have wanted to see her married to her.

  Even though the wedding hadn’t been what she would’ve liked, Andi had been in love. Everyone on the outside except Elise thought they were a great match. They ran in the same social circle, they were both well to do and loved art. Unfortunately, Jo was not romantic and although they usually slept in the same bed, they stopped having any kind of physical contact shortly after they married.

  Andi knew she had to go back to New York and get a lawyer to represent her interests, since Jo was going to have one for hers. Crap. I don’t think I can explain this to Kelly without telling Aunt Elise as well, so I’ve got to come up with some story about why I must go back now. At least for Aunt Elise. I have no idea what to say to Kelly. It’s time to make those plane reservations and get this thing moving.

  Chapter Twelve

  KELLY PICKED UP HER phone. “Hey, Shawn. What’s up?”

  “Well, Carrie and I are wondering if you were planning to bring your new friend over to visit. Carrie says she’ll make a chocolate pie…how about bringing her to supper?”

  “As a matter of fact, I was telling Andi about Carrie’s famous pie the other day and I know she’d love to have some. I doubt she’ll say no when I ask her, unless she has something else planned.”

  “Great. You invite Andi and we can all enjoy an evening together. How’s that?” Shawn sounded like she was stifling a laugh.

  “Sounds like fun. But seriously, you must promise me you two won’t start grilling her like you’re my parents or something. You guys wouldn’t do that, right?”

  “Got it. Friends. No grilling.” Shawn chuckled. “Okay, then, how about you ask her over for Thursday night? Carrie’s dying to meet her.”

  “Okay, I will. You know I love Carrie’s cooking. And one of her famous chocolate pies…well, I can’t turn that down. If Andi can’t come, I can still come without her, can’t I?”

  “I’m sure Carrie will be all right if you show up alone, but you make sure Andi gets invited and we’ll make sure she doesn’t feel grilled. Deal?”

  “Deal. The usual, six p.m.?”

  “Yep. By the way, did you finish that bannister you were working on?”

  “Not yet. I’ve been spending most of my time on that project for Elise.”

  “So, it’s Elise now, not Ms. Wainwright? Traveling in high society these days, are you?” Kelly could hear Shawn chuckling for sure, now.

  “That’s me. Seriously, of course not. She insisted I call her Elise. She’s very nice, by the way.”

  “And the niece? Is she a lot like her aunt?”

  “Well, in the beginning I wasn’t sure about her. The day I first met her, she seemed rather cold and standoffish. After I got to know her a bit better, I realized that wasn’t her at all. She was just trying to protect herself after being hurt. Now that I’m getting to know her, she seems very nice. I think she needs a friend right now, so I’m being friendly. Eventually she’ll go back to New York, and I’ll be someone who let her cry on her shoulder.”

  “Maybe not. You never know. So…you like her?”

  “Yeah. I do. Not that I’m dating material for someone like her.”

  “What do you mean by someone like her?”

  “You know. Rich. Lives in New York City.”

  “So?”

  “So? Not even going there. She’s not the piemaking-enjoy-evenings-at-home kind of woman, I’m guessing. She probably goes out all the time, has her picture in the society pages, that kind of thing. Not my kind of life. Definitely not living in New York. Never.”

  “What if she wanted to move here?”

  “I doubt that would happen. This is a nice area of Florida and all, but compared to New York City, it’s a backwater town.”

  “So, you’ve written her off already?”

  “I pretty much have, at least for a potential relationship. Hey, I’ll be her friend and all that, but I can’t let those eyes of hers draw me in farther than friendship.”

  “Aha! You admit you’re attracted to her.”

  Kelly could almost hear the huge grin from the other end. “Well, yeah. Wait till you see her. But I’m not letting myself get involved with her, no sir. As I said, she’ll be out of here soon and I doubt I’ll ever see her again.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  “I don’t know about you, but I need to get back to work. Don’t you have a character to kill off or a love scene to write or something?”

  “Yeah, I guess I’d better get back to work, too. We’ll see you Thursday evening at six, and if you can bring Andi with you, all the better. If not, we’ll be happy to settle for your presence.”

  A few minutes later, Kelly called Andi. “Hey, there. I
have an invitation for you.”

  “Hi yourself. I was going to call you in a minute. We need to cancel on the get together tonight. Unexpected company. But now you have my curiosity about the invitation.”

  “That’s okay. We can do that another time. The invitation is from my friends Shawn and Carrie. They’d like me to bring you to dinner on Thursday night. Carrie’s a fantastic cook and they’d like to meet my new friend…meaning you. Are you game for that?”

  “Sure. Sounds like fun.”

  “It’s not a date,” Kelly quickly added.

  “Nope, not a date. Friends having dinner with friends, right?”

  “Yep, that’s it. We’re supposed to get there about six o’clock. As you know, everything down here’s pretty much casual, so don’t dress up or anything.”

  “Okay, I can manage that.”

  “By the way, Carrie’s specialty is that luscious chocolate pie I was telling you about the other night at Perkins. Seriously, as I told you, it’s amazing and she’s making one for dessert Thursday, so we rank.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting your friends, Kelly. Sounds like a fun evening.”

  “It will be. They’re great people and I know you’ll enjoy them. How about I pick you up about twenty to six?”

  There was a little pause.

  “I’m sensing hesitation. No problem. Would you rather meet at my house and we can go from here?”

  “That sounds better. Not that I care if Aunt Elise knows we’re going somewhere together, but…I’m thinking it seems less like a date that way. Especially to Aunt Elise.”

  “No worries. I’ll text you my address and if you want to come over earlier it’s okay with me. Call or text me that you’re on your way.”

  “Sure. Actually, I’d love to see where you live.”

  “Honestly, there isn’t a whole lot to see right now. I’m renovating the house I live in, so there’s a bit of construction going on. I’d be happy to show some of it to you. And you can meet my little girl.”

  “You have a daughter?”

  Kelly laughed. “She thinks she is. She’s the four-legged variety. I’ve no idea what all she is, but according to the vet she’s part Chihuahua, part Jack Russell, and who knows what else. She’s all sweetheart. You don’t have a problem with dogs, do you?”

  “Oh, no. In fact, I love dogs. I’m looking forward to meeting your little one. What’s her name?”

  “Piper. That was her name when I got her and it seems to fit. As I said before, you can come over early if you like.”

  “Great. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  THURSDAY AFTERNOON ABOUT FOUR thirty, Kelly’s phone rang. “Is it okay if I come over early? I thought since I was going to get a house tour, it would be a good idea to have some extra time.”

  “Sure. I’m ready to go anyway. Come on over and I’ll give you the grand tour of what’s finished. We should even have some time for a glass of iced tea or something else if you like, before we go.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Andi pulled up in front of Kelly’s house. Piper ran to the door to greet whoever was coming. After Kelly let her in, the first thing Andi did was bend down to say hi to Piper, who was turning in fast circles like a whirling dervish. She stopped once Andi put her hand out for Piper to smell. Having passed the smell test, Andi could pick her up and became the object of Piper kisses on her face.

  “Piper, now that’s enough!” Kelly reached for the little dog. “Not everyone likes that many kisses.”

  “I love dog kisses. She’s adorable,” Andi said as she handed Piper over.

  Andi looked around the small living room and sighed. “Very cozy. Your house looks larger than most of the New York City apartments I’m used to. Bigger but still comfortable. I like it. I’ve always dreamed of owning a house like this. I will…one of these days.”

  “I’m glad you like it. This one’s a work in progress.” Kelly held Piper in her arms. “I’m sure you noticed the missing stair bannister. I had to rebuild it and I’ll probably reinstall it tomorrow. Meantime, I don’t travel the stairs much if I can avoid it.”

  “Since I’ve seen what you’re capable of, I’m sure that bannister will be something great, not purely something to hold onto up and down the stairs.”

  “Yeah, I wanted to make it special, since it’ll be used a lot…especially by the next owner.”

  “The next owner? Don’t you plan to live here?”

  “It’s what I do. I buy houses, live in them while I fix them up, sell them, and move on to the next one.”

  “I’d hate to have to move out of this house. It already feels like home to me.”

  Kelly smiled. “That’s the idea…to make them feel like someone would want to live in them. It’s my specialty.”

  “Well, you do a great job. This house is lovely now and you said you’re not finished with it. I could live in a place like this, easily.”

  “Too bad it’s not in New York, right?” Kelly said.

  “Yeah, I guess so.” Andi let out a little sigh again. “Never know, though. I might want a place here like Aunt Elise has.”

  “How about some of that tea I promised you. Or I have other beverages if you’d prefer, but I give you my word I make pretty darn good iced tea.”

  “Then I’ll have some tea and you tell me about your friends that I’m going to meet over dinner.”

  “Come on back to the kitchen and I’ll do just that.” Kelly put Piper down and led the way to the kitchen in the rear of the house, with windows facing the back yard. She motioned for Andi to sit at a small built-in dinette beneath one of the yard-facing windows. The late afternoon sun’s rays dancing on the wood tabletop made the undulating sections of different colored woods seem to flow like creeks across the table.

  While Kelly got the glasses from the cupboard and the pitcher from the fridge, Andi ran her hands over the tabletop. “This is gorgeous, Kelly. You did this, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, I enjoyed making that. Taking different kinds of wood and combining them into a design is kind of my specialty.” She sat down across from Andi. “I had a great time with this one.” She ran her hand over it as well in an almost caressing gesture and smiled.

  “You’re very good at what you do. No wonder the construction company recommended you for my aunt’s bookcases.”

  Kelly grinned. “Thanks. You’re going to meet my closest friends this evening. Carrie’s the office manager for that construction company your aunt uses and she’s the one that recommended me to Elise. She also knows I don’t take on many jobs like that.” Kelly poured them both some iced tea as Piper jumped up on the bench next to her and laid down.

  “I can imagine you don’t have much time for other jobs, do you?” Andi took a sip of her tea, then held up the glass in a salute. “Nice.”

  “Thanks. You’re right, I don’t have a lot of time for extra jobs. Besides that, I’m quite particular about how something’s made. If I hadn’t had some design leeway on those bookcases, I wouldn’t have agreed to the project. I don’t throw something together, as you can see. Everything I make has to be something worth spending my time on and something worth having for a long time.”

  “I can see that. This house is unique. I’d bet you don’t have any trouble selling them after you’re finished, do you?”

  “Not to brag, but no I really don’t and what’s more, I enjoy what I do. I’m sure you enjoy what you do, too, right?”

  Andi looked down at her glass as if contemplating the ice cubes, then back up at Kelly. “I’d say I enjoy it most of the time. So back to Shawn and Carrie. Tell me about them.”

  “Shawn’s a writer. She writes romance novels and other stuff. Carrie, as you already know, works at the construction company. They were married last year and I was Shawn’s ‘best woman’ I guess you would say.” She took a deep breath and looked away, gazing out the window. “They have a great relationship…something I’d like to have one of these
days.”

  “That good, huh?” Andi sighed. “That sounds wonderful.”

  Kelly looked back at Andi. “That good. Honestly. Somehow, they mesh perfectly. They adore each other. Oh, and Carrie’s a wonderful cook. I don’t know what she’s making for supper, but just you wait. Whatever it is, it’ll be something wonderful. You can bet on that.”

  “Now I’m really looking forward to meeting them and getting a chance to sample her cooking.”

  “That’s not the half of it. Wait till you taste some of that dessert I told you about. Seriously, it’s to die for.”

  “I think you mentioned something like that before and I also happened to mention that I love chocolate pie, didn’t I?” Andi was grinning again.

  “I believe you did, as a matter of fact.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  SHAWN WAS AT THE door, opening it as soon as Kelly and Andi were on the porch. “Come on in, you two. Carrie will be out in a second.” Shawn greeted Kelly with a hug before turning to Andi. “And you must be Andi. Nice to meet you.” She stuck out her hand to shake hands, which Andi took.

  Carrie came into the living room wiping her hands on a dish towel, smiling. Carrie tossed the dish towel onto a side table before she hugged Kelly. “Thanks for coming. I know it hasn’t been that long since we’ve seen you, but I still missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you guys, too. I’ve been busy lately.”

  “I know, it happens. You must eat and you know you’re always welcome for supper. All you have to do is show up. There’s always more than enough. Well, you’re supposed to bring Piper with you, of course. Tonight, I’ll send home some food for your poor, starving little girl.” Carrie patted Kelly on the cheek and released her.

  As Shawn put her arm around Carrie’s waist, Carrie reached one of her now dried hands out to Andi, “Hi, I’m Carrie. I’m so glad you could come to dinner.”

  Andi grinned and shook Carrie's hand. “And I’ve heard a lot about you and your cooking from Kelly. She’s been raving about your wonderful chocolate pie, as well.”

  “It’s one of Shawn’s and Kelly’s favorites and we’re having one for dessert. Hope you like it, too.”