“Yes, exactly. I’m going to try to make her forgive me.”
That news so startled his mother that for a moment she was silent—something that didn’t happen often.
“If I introduce myself to Sophie now,” Reede said, “she’ll run away screaming. But if I have some time maybe I can . . . ” He trailed off.
“Maybe you can what?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I’m sure it’s just a pipe dream, but Mom, I liked her. I told her about Laura.”
“You did what?”
“Last night I talked to her on the phone and I told her about Laura and me. Sophie said that if it had happened as I’d planned, that now I’d be living in Edilean forever and I’d never have been anywhere.”
“True,” Ellen said cautiously. “But then, if I remember correctly, several other people said that same thing to you.”
“Maybe they did, but last night I was full of Sophie’s food, a bottle of wine, and . . . I don’t know, maybe I’ve reached my limit of misery. If I’m to be here for another two and a half years maybe I should try to make the best of it. What do you think?”
“Yes,” Ellen said in a voice with a quiver in it.
“Mom? Are you crying?”
“Of course not!” she said quickly. “But I do admire your spirit. I’ll talk to those silly women in your office and do whatever I can to keep Sophie from finding out the truth for as long as I can.”
“This weekend. If you can give me these three days I’d appreciate it.”
“Don’t forget the big party tomorrow night. Everyone we know will be there. I ordered your costume months ago, and Sara’s almost finished with it.”
“How about if I wear a stethoscope and ask everyone to remove their clothes for an exam?”
His mother didn’t laugh and Reede started to say he had to go, but he stopped. “Why are the women silly?”
“Because they prefer Tristan over my son.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Grinning, he clicked off the phone. But the next minute his mind was full of asking himself what he could do in just three days.
Reede was standing in the big office at Frazier Motors, waiting for a salesman. His hands were in his pockets and he was staring out the floor-to-ceiling glass wall. Below him was the huge showroom full of sparkling cars, salesmen hovering about, ready to destroy any speck of dust that dared touch one of the vehicles.
Behind him the door opened, but he didn’t turn around.
“What is that saying about ‘Physician, heal thyself’?”
Reede turned to see his cousin, Colin Frazier, in the doorway, blocking the light with his big body. He’d recently married and his wife was going to have a baby. “How’s Gemma?” Reede asked. She was going to an OB/GYN in Williamsburg.
“Great. Healthy,” Colin said. “She outeats my little brother. Is that normal?” Colin’s youngest brother was a very large young man.
“Perfectly,” Reede said. “Why are you here?” Colin was the sheriff of Edilean. There’d been some shock in his family and even in the town when Colin decided that he didn’t want to go into the family business of wheels. Anything that had wheels on it and the Fraziers were involved.
“Front end alignment on my truck,” Colin said. “The guys told me you looked bad, so they sent me up here to hold your hand.” He motioned for Reede to take a seat on the chair along the far side. Colin sat down on the couch, and his big body nearly filled it. Leaning forward, he stared at his cousin. They’d grown up together and knew each other well. “Is your gloomy face because of the girl you nearly ran over?”
Reede nodded.
“And I take it you’ve found out that she’s your employee.”
Reede nodded again.
“What are you going to do about it?”
“So far, I’ve turned tail and run away. Mom’s bawled me out. Kim has left me three voice mails and those women who work for me—” Reede threw up his hands in exasperation.