“Don’t get me started. Getting him to leave the lake to go to a movie takes a week of nagging.”
“That’s an idea. Maybe we should open a—”
“Movie theater here? Absolutely not. You two need to learn that a world away from this lake exists. So you don’t mind your house being overrun?”
“Nate will take care of it. This morning he was saying that he and I would have to do the cooking, but he found a chef. Did you know that Mr. Parnelli used to cook for a five-star restaurant?”
“I didn’t,” Elaine said as she got up. “But I think your Nate knows more about the people here than I do. Everyone has met him.”
“You like him too.”
“Of course I do,” Elaine said. “He carried in all the boxes of clothes you got in Richmond, then helped me unpack them. He liked that blouse you have on.”
Terri quit fiddling with the collar in a way that said If Nate likes it, so do I.
Elaine pulled the curtains open. Outside the sun sparkled off the water. There were many smiling faces of people who were already there, even though it was early afternoon.
As she began gathering the clothes, Elaine saw Terri looking to one side. Nate was by the water, his phone to his ear, and he was frowning. Looked like he was arguing with someone. Hope it’s her, Elaine thought.
With Terri’s back to her, Elaine hung the blouse with the pearl-encrusted sleeves in her closet. She’d already ordered a dress for Terri for the Widiwick dance—and she truly hoped it got torn to shreds in passion.
Chapter 7
When Terri entered the living room, she had the great satisfaction of seeing Nate’s eyes widen at the sight of her. He’d been laughing with three of the retirees, men Uncle Frank called would-be-Players. “They would if they could.” It was a private joke he shared with Terri and her father.
She acted as though she hadn’t seen Nate’s appreciative look and went to the kitchen, her heels tapping on the stone floor. The long counter that her aunt used to fill with her homey desserts and casseroles was now covered with bowls and platters full of beautifully arranged food. Behind the counter was a retiree, Mr. Parnelli, in a white apron. He was flanked by two of the weekend widows, who were busy chopping and mixing, and from the look of the big stove, setting things on fire.
“Looks good, doesn’t it?” Nate said from beside her.
She didn’t turn to look at him. “I had no idea what these people could do.” The three of them were working together as though they’d always done it.
“Mr. Parnelli was a top chef and the ladies worked in various positions in restaurants before they married.”
“Then they married money and now dedicate their lives to whatever their husbands want.” She was smiling as she turned toward him. A couple of kids ran past them and jostled into Nate so that he took a step forward. His nose almost hit Terri’s.
Instantly, he stepped back. “You got taller.”
“It’s the heels. I almost forgot how to walk in them.”
“It’s interesting that you do know how.”
She started to reply, but over his shoulder she saw Della Kissel enter. She was a small, older woman, her face wrinkled from a lifetime of sun. Everyone in town said she had vision an eagle would envy—and at least four eyes so she saw everything.
Terri took Nate’s hand and pulled him around the corner, then stopped and glanced back toward the kitchen. “Della Kissel just arrived and I have to protect you. You’re fresh meat to her. If she sees you, she’ll imprison you and interrogate you throughout the night.”
“Yeah?” His voice was suggestive. “What’s she look like?”
She sniffed his breath. “How much have you had to drink?”
“Two b
eers. Maybe three. Everybody is asking questions about me. I think they want to see my résumé.”
“That’s good. Maybe you can get some clients for your money business.”
He was leaning against the wall. “I thought I had a job cleaning up rubbish from under the lake. Why was that dock taken down and how deep is it there?”
“When Dad and Uncle Jake put in Club Circle, the dock was too far away. It came down in a storm and no one rebuilt it. No one’s measured the depth, but Mr. Kissel said he’d lost a couple of cows down there.”