“No, I came looking for you.”
Ray’s blue eyes twinkled. “A pretty woman’s never said that to me before.”
“Lawd, Ray,” Stella drawled in her best Southern belle imitation. “How you do go on!”
“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled back. “Now, what is it I can do for you? I know you weren’t just hankering for my smile.”
“I’m hankering for your mechanic skills,” she confessed. “There’s a young woman who works at the new gym whose car won’t hit a lick. We can call somebody else if you’re too busy, but I thought I’d start with you.”
Since they’d met, Stella had thrown any kind of business Ray’s way that she thought he could handle, which was pretty much everything. He was always grateful for the work.
His hands gripped his hips and his face grew serious. “Where’s her car?”
“At the gym in Benton.”
Ray glanced at his watch. “I’m supposed to pick Ollie up at five, but, take away the driving time, that gives me a couple of hours. Guess if I don’t know what her car needs by then, I doubt I’d ever know.”
Ray’s old truck wouldn’t give Bree or Gil much confidence in his ability if they saw it. “I can take you,” Stella suggested, and he surprised her by accepting her offer.
“That would keep me from having to dismantle things. Let me get my tools.”
Ray led her through the house, stopping long enough to show her the upgrade project he’d been working on.
Two walls had been knocked out to open up the kitchen to the living room, forming a large great room that would allow Ollie more space. The original oak floors would be leveled next. That would require working under the house on floor joists, which sounded like a cold job.
Ray assured her it wouldn’t take too long, but he also planned to refinish the floor. He showed her the halogen lighting fixtures that would replace the old relics that had been in the house since Ollie’s dad built it eighty years ago. They would brighten dark corners and help eliminate shadowy areas that could cause Ollie problems.
Stella was amazed at the depth of the project...and of Ray’s skill. “I swear, Ray Cyree, you really can do everything.”
“I can fix anything but a broken heart.”
She smiled, remembering his sign from the first day they met.
They stepped into the backyard, and she saw why he’d so readily accepted her offer of a ride to the gym.
The back of his pickup/home was now also serving as a makeshift toolshed with lumber and tools scattered about. A large cord connected at one end to the truck and plugged into the foundation of the house at the other.
Ray saw her looking at it. “Yes, ma’am, I’ve set up camp here on a more permanent basis. Ollie lets me plug into his electricity, so I’m not having to run that loud generator...for which his neighbors are grateful, I’m sure.”
Stella was pleased, too, though she didn’t say so. She’d heard Sue Marsden complaining about the noise a couple of days ago to Mary Jenkins, a member of the town council. Sue wasn’t one of Ollie’s neighbors, but she was complaining on their behalf.
If anybody ever needed a champion to do their complaining for them, Sue was the go-to.
Ray loaded a greasy toolbox into the trunk of Stella’s pristine car, and the two of them headed toward Benton. Ray’s face had become a common sight in Taylor’s Grove, so he was no longer the main focus of talk around town. But a few eyebrows were raised when he appeared in the front seat of Stella’s Cadillac, she was sure.
They passed the time making small talk and catching up on the news since they’d last seen each other.
“You told me once, you wanted to stay around these parts.” Stella cast him a sidelong glance as she drove. “It looks like Ollie’s project will keep you busy for a while.”
“To tell you the truth, I think he likes me being there. He invites me in for supper most every night. And sometimes we play cards afterward.” Ray barked a laugh and held his hands out about a foot apart. “Got the dangdest set of cards I ever seen. Huge boogers, so’s he can see ’em.” Then he sighed, and his voice held a somber note. “Ollie’s a good man. Terrible lonesome for companionship, though.”
Guilt gnawed at Stella’s insides. “I never thought much about how lonely he might be. He’s often out and about town, and he always seems to have something to do.”
She saw the movement of Ray’s shrug out of the corner of her eye. “But going home to an empty house is never easy,” he said.
How well Stella knew that. Sometimes when she left her own home, she would leave the TV or radio on just so there would be some noise when she returned.
She learned years ago that the silence in an empty house could be deafening.
Ray chose to stay outside when they got to the gym, so Stella went in to get the infamous Lanie, curious to meet the young woman who vexed Bree so.
The place was a beehive of activity, and Stella couldn’t keep from thinking how pleased Isaiah would be to have so much going on in this place he’d loved so much. And to think that both of their kids worked here—well, that was just a dream come true. Gil was in the weight room helping a young man doing heavy bench presses. His back was to the window, so he didn’t see her. Through another window, she spotted Bree, teaching what looked to be a yoga class. Bree’s eyes went wide when she saw Stella. She excused herself and came rushing out into the lobby. “Is everything okay? What are you doing here?”
Stella’s heart thumped loudly at the realization their roles were reversing. Her children had started to worry about her. And, while that was a sweet gesture, it also caused a little irritation to flare. She was hardly doddering, yet.
She gave a dismissive wave to Bree’s fears. “Everything’s fine. I brought Ray to fix Lanie’s car. Can you point her out to me?”
Bree looked around. “There she is.” She gestured to a young woman coming out of the employee kitchen in the back. “Lanie,” she called and wiggled a finger, beckoning.
One look at Lanie’s overly colored hair, overly drawn eyes and overly...well, everything...reminded Stella that today was Halloween, and she wondered if perhaps the young woman was made up for the occasion. But she wore no costume. In fact, she was dressed like everyone else—except for the dog collar necklace, which then set Stella to wondering about the girl’s self-image.
“Lanie, this is my mother, Stella Rice. Mom, this is Lanie Fremont.” Bree made the quick introduction, then added her apology. “Sorry. I’ve got to get back to my class.” She left quickly, and just as quickly an awkwardness descended.
“Hi.” Lanie thrust her hands into her pockets, obviously with no intentions of shaking hands.
“Hello, Lanie.” Stella managed to infuse some warmth into her voice. “Bree told me about your car trouble, so I’ve brought someone to take a look at it. But, we’ll need the keys.”
Lanie’s eyes flicked around the room, avoiding eye contact. “I don’t have any money to pay a mechanic.”
“That’s okay. I’ll take care of it.”
“Not necessary.” Lanie turned to walk away.
“Lanie.” Stella pulled out the stern voice and was pleased to see it still worked. Lanie stopped and turned back toward her. “It is necessary,” Stella said. “You need transportation. Now get your keys.”
With the petulant huff most girls perfected around eleven, Lanie sauntered to the snack bar and retrieved her car keys.