Lavender Morning (Edilean 1)

“Virginia,” David said. “You’re from Virginia. ’Ol TJ’s country. That’s—”

“I know who TJ is,” she said. “Thomas Jefferson.”

“You teach school?”

“No, I barbecue New York cabdrivers in the back garden.” She was sneering at him.

“Had a bad day, have you?”

“Not until I met you, I didn’t.”

“Me? So you’re one of those snooty Virginians, are you? Overly proud to be from the land of our Founding Fathers, that sort of thing? Well, I don’t blame you for being proud of your home state, but I don’t think you should look down your nose at us poor Yankees. We—”

“Being from Virginia has nothing to do with my dislike of you. You are the worst driver I have ever seen.”

“Bad driver?” he asked incredulously. “I’ve never had a wreck. A few dented fenders and maybe a smashed radiator or two, but nothing that I’d call a real wreck.”

In the back of the jeep, General Austin put the folder down and started watching his secretary and his new driver as though he were at a drive-in movie theater.

“You nearly ran over a man on crutches, nearly hit a truck, nearly smashed into a car carrying four British officers, and nearly caused two trucks full of soldiers to crash into one another,” she said, showing her anger.

“You sure use the word nearly a lot, don’t you? You do know, don’t you, that a miss is as good as a mile? So you are from Virginia. I was right!”

“Where I come from is none of your business. Your job is to watch the road!”

“I’d sure rather look at you. You have a boyfriend?”

“Yes!” she snapped. “I’m married and have two children.”

“I may be a bit quick in my driving, but you don’t tell the truth. They told me about you when they said General Austin wanted me. Want to know what they said?”

Edi held on to the jeep, looked straight ahead, and said nothing.

David leaned so far toward her that his face was inches from hers. Even so, he maneuvered the jeep between two trucks and a motorcycle with a sidecar. “They said that a dozen roses and a big box of chocolates would get anything a man wanted from you.”

Such rage ran though Edi that she drew back her hand to slap him.

David held on to the wheel with his left hand, grabbed her hand with his right, and kissed her palm.

She jerked her hand away and looked like she wanted to shoot him.

“Naw,” he said, “they didn’t say that. But it doesn’t feel good to be lied to, does it? Lies can hurt.”

Edi turned her head from him for a moment, then looked back at the road. “Yes, I’m from Virginia and I have no boyfriend.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, then glanced in the mirror at the general. He wasn’t sure, but David thought maybe the old bulldog was smiling.

13

WELL,” JOCELYN SAID as she cut Luke’s sandwich diagonally, the way he liked it. She’d pulled the last batch of lavender cookies out of the oven, it was one o’clock in the morning, and she was jittery with fatigue, but she couldn’t sit down. She knew without being told that Luke was hungry, so she made him a ham and cheese sandwich, put blue corn chips on the plate, and got him a beer.

He mumbled thanks as she put the plate in front of him. “So much for my grandfather being a monster. She was in love with David Clare.”

“She couldn’t stand him.”

“Yeah, right,” Luke said, his mouth full. “You make a mean sandwich, you know that?”

“At this time of the morning, anything I do is mean.”