Tales from the Goose Creek B&B 5-in-1 by Virginia Smith

Author:Virginia Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736984829
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

Chapter Ten

A knock sounded on Jerry’s office door. He folded up the softball chart and slid it beneath a book on the edge of his desk. Just last night Cindie had accused him of being obsessed with this ballgame, and in a remote corner of his mind he feared she may be right. But every time he tried to tell himself It’s just a game, Theo’s smirk loomed large in his mind. If only he could wipe that arrogant expression off the man’s face just one time.

Pride goeth before a fall.

Jerry squirmed in his desk chair. His grandmother used to quote that scripture. But it wasn’t pride behind his desire to beat the pants off of Theo Fitzgerald. Was it?

“Come on in.”

The door opened and two women marched into his office. Betty and Frieda. Sally followed the pair, wincing. I tried to stop them, she mouthed.

Nodding in her direction, he smiled at the women. These were, after all, his constituents.

“Good morning, ladies. Have a seat.” He gestured to indicate the chairs opposite his desk. “What can I do for you?”

They settled themselves, Betty tucking her skirt demurely around her knees and Frieda blatantly hiking hers up to display more thigh than Jerry cared to see. He’d decided years ago that Frieda, a widow who lost her husband nearly two decades ago, didn’t intentionally adopt a come-hither attitude. She was lonely, that was all.

Cindie disagreed, and strongly disapproved of the woman.

In the interest of marital harmony, he saw no need to mention today’s meeting.

“We’re not disturbing you, are we?” Frieda tilted her head to eye him sideways.

“Not at all.” He flashed a quick smile in her direction, and then focused his attention on Betty. “What can I do for you ladies?”

“Well, we don’t want to meddle.” The older lady brushed at her skirt. “But we did wonder what all the secrecy was about.”

“And we hope,” added Frieda, “that we weren’t the cause of any discomfort, since we were only offering constructive feedback.”

His mind cast about for an explanation on which to anchor their comments. Coming up with none, he folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “I’m sorry. What are you talking about?”

Betty’s eyebrows arched. “Why, the canopy, of course.”

He blinked. “The canopy?”

Frieda leaned toward him. “At the water tower.”

The tower again. Was this duo determined to stir up trouble? If he remembered correctly, they’d both been in favor of awarding the water tower painting job to Sandra Barnes.

After a moment of awkward silence during which Jerry felt that he should have been able to come up with a reasonable response, he flashed a quick smile at the ladies. “Why don’t we take a walk?”

Betty dipped her head regally. “Yes, let’s.”

Clouds blocked the sun today, and they battled a fairly strong wind as they paraded up Main Street. Jerry looked upward and chided himself for not noticing the skeletal wooden structure circling the water tower earlier. When had it been erected? Two figures stood on the narrow platform, hammering.

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