Turtle Tribbles by Maggie Toussaint

Author:Maggie Toussaint
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9780996770644
Publisher: Muddle House Publishing
Published: 2017-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

“I need some time,” Ike said when he dropped me off at home. “Stay out of trouble.”

Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded and let myself out of his Jeep. He’d been so quiet all the way back that I didn’t know what to think. “Stay out of trouble” didn’t mean he was dumping me. But still, I’d managed to stun him, and from his immediate withdrawal, I’d hit a nerve.

One day passed without a word from him and then another.

I kept busy so I didn’t obsess about Ike. I filled the newspaper with fresh copy, kept the house clean. The shower grout sparkled, the silver service gleamed. At some point, I should move out of my parents’ house on River Road, but they were divorced and headed in different directions. Mama to seminary, and Daddy on cruises with his lady friend Trish.

Right now, it suited everyone for me to housesit until they decided what to do with this place. But I kept thinking about the property Daddy set aside for me at mid-county. I’d recently paid to have that lot bush hogged and had several pines removed. If I built there, Ike couldn’t easily cruise by my house to see if I was home.

I didn’t like this separation at all. I picked up the phone almost hourly that first day to call him. But he needed time. I loved him enough to give him the time he needed.

~*~

“He’s acting like a jerk,” Cousin Janey said the following Thursday evening. “You should hand Ike his walking papers.”

At Janey’s arrival, I’d stopped trimming, weeding, and edging everything in the yard and offered her a Chardonnay. We sat on the front porch steps. “I don’t own him. His ex-wife tore his heart out and stomped on it.”

“Patsy from the salon has been over at the jail every day since y’all broke up.”

Irritation flashed. “We didn’t breakup. We had a discussion, and he said he needed time.”

“Still. His truck isn’t here in the mornings. His sister spends her evenings with Jimmy at the bar. People know there’s a rift between you.”

“Ike and I will be fine,” I insisted. “I have to believe he misses me as much as I miss him.”

Janie let those words die in the breeze. “Are you going to the bonfire kickoff of the festival tomorrow?”

“No.”

“He’ll be there.”

“So what?” I frowned at my sharp tone. “I’m not chasing after Ike. If that’s what he expects, forget it. Enough about me. What’s this I hear about you and the bail bondsman?”

“Junior Curtis is an interesting man.” Janey smiled and sipped her wine. “I’ve shown him property all over the county, but he hasn’t decided on a location.”

“By my count, y’all have had four lunch dates.”

“Now who’s listening to the county grapevine?”

“I’m delighted for you, but what about his alleged mob ties?”

Her lips quirked. “Not true.”

“But the limos from Florida?”

“That’s a secret, but he isn’t dirty. He’s actually a nice guy.”

“He kissed you yet?”

“Maybe.”

“You like it?”

“Maybe.”

My cousin glowed like the fireflies on the lawn.

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