Scarlet Nights (Edilean 3)

“How would I know? I don’t know him and I haven’t seen her in years.”

“Oh! She’s just beautiful! Long red hair and dark blue eyes. And of course she’s smart. But then she always was. And Mike is quite handsome.”

“Yeah, if you like men from a police lineup.”

Ellie looked at her daughter with wide eyes. “I think all that sewing Greg makes you do has damaged your eyesight.”

“So help me, if you say one more thing against Greg, I’ll—”

Ellie walked to the door. “I told you last time we had a discussion about him that I’d keep my nose out of it. Everyone has to make his or her own mistakes. Sorry. I didn’t mean that as it sounded. I’m going. But Sara, my dear child, I do think you could cut Mike a little slack. His apartment and everything he owned burned and the only relative he has is his sister. And …”

“And what?”

“My mother used to tell me about Mike and Tess’s grandmother. After their parents died, she raised them, and my mother said Prudence Farlane was the most angry person she’d ever met in her life, that it was like a volcano of hatred was inside her. That Mike can retire so early means he joined the force when he was still a teenager. A child, really. Sara, I truly think you should have some compassion for the man.”

Sara waited a moment before answering. “Good try, Mom, but I’m still going to marry Greg.”

Ellie laughed. “I did my best. Let me know what he does with that cavolo. I might put his recipe in the store bulletin.” She paused at the door. “And you don’t think he’s handsome?”

“I think he’s gay,” Sara said, even though she was lying.

Again, Ellie laughed. “I wonder if I was ever as young as you are? Keep me up-to-date with any news. See ya.” With that, she left the apartment, and Sara leaned back against the door in relief.

4

BY LATE AFTERNOON, Sara had calmed herself somewhat. She knew that most of her nervousness was caused by not having heard from Greg for days now. And too, she was sick of trying to make the people of Edilean like the man she loved. If Greg would just allow her to tell people the truth about his very difficult life, she knew they’d understand. His childhood had been so harrowing that it was true that he was sometimes awkward in public situations. He’d even admitted that he was jealous of the love the people of Edilean gave Sara. “I’ve tried,” he said as he shed tears that made Sara’s heart nearly break. “I’ve tried hard to make them like me. I didn’t understand about the grocery store. I thought that since your mother owned the place that she would share what she had with her daughter.”

Sara didn’t know what to say. The food was free to her, but not to him. “It has to do with accounting,” Sara said. “And inventory. I’ll talk to her and see what—”

“No!” Greg said. “I don’t want her to do anything special for me. If your mother doesn’t want me to eat her food, so be it. We’ll go to a grocery in Williamsburg.”

“If you’d just let me explain to her about your past …” Sara said, but Greg always forbid it, and she understood why. He said he wanted the people of Edilean to like him on his own merits—as the people outside the town did. Sometimes he said, “Afterward, you and I will leave here.”

“After what?” she’d asked, but he would never answer her.

“Am I disturbing you?”

She looked up to see Mike Newland standing by the table, two glasses of iced tea in his hands.

“I saw yours was empty so I … Is that all right?”

“Sure,” she said and tried to smooth her forehead. If he stayed much longer she was going to get wrinkles from frowning so much.

He set the glasses down and said, “Do you mind?” as he nodded toward the empty chair.

She kept on sewing while he sat down.

“Look,” he said in his raspy voice, “I think you and I got off on the wrong foot yesterday.” For a moment he didn’t seem to know what else to say. “Did you have a nice day?”

“You seem to have been busy. Helped about a thousand people, didn’t you?” There was hostility in her voice.

“I, uh …” He took a deep drink of his tea. “Miss Shaw, I know I offended you last night, but I thought I was entering an empty apartment. I can assure you that you were as much a surprise to me as I was to you.”

Sara put her sewing on the table. “You’re right. I’m being rude. It’s just that—” She waved her hand in dismissal. “It doesn’t matter.”

“No, tell me. I’m a good listener.” When Sara silently drank her tea and looked out over the garden, Mike said, “Does it have anything to do with your missing boyfriend?”

“Fiancé.”