“It’s pretty,” she said to Russell as he pulled into the parking lot of what looked to be a 1950s dinner. “Al’s,” she said and smiled for the first time.
“Kim tell you about the place?”
“She said it could give you a coronary at one plateful.”
Russ smiled. “I’m sure she’s right, but sometimes grease heals wounds.”
“I’m not exactly dressed to be seen,” Sophie began as Russell went around to open her door.
“This is Edilean, not Paris. No one will notice.” As he ushered her inside the little restaurant he realized how wrong he’d been. Sophie’s prettiness caused everyone to look. Even in her frayed attire, she drew attention.
The real reason he’d stopped at the diner was to be able to make some calls before he took Sophie to Kim’s house. As soon as they’d ordered, he excused himself and stepped outside to call his wife, Clarissa. He asked her to please go to the grocery and get enough to fill Kim’s refrigerator.
“But I thought her friend was staying at Mrs. Wingate’s.”
“She was nearly run down by a car.”
“Is she all right?” Clarissa asked, alarmed. “Should she go see Dr. Reede?”
“No!” Russell nearly shouted, then controlled himself. “It’s a long story and I want to tell you about it—and to ask your advice. The gist of it is that Reede is the one who nearly ran over her and she’s to start work for h
im tomorrow. I’m afraid she may take a baseball bat to his head.”
“She’ll have to get in line,” Clarissa said. “Half the women in this town want to murder him. I heard that the last meeting of the Edilean Book Club spent three hours plotting ways to get revenge on him. I think the Lifetime channel is interested.”
Russ didn’t laugh. “I think Sophie has reason to chair the club. My brother—”
“Is going to be his usual scathing self,” Clarissa said.
“He’ll enjoy telling me what I should have done.”
“And you’ll enjoy telling him his faults,” Clarissa said. “I’ll get groceries and flowers and put them in Kim’s house. Come home soon and we’ll talk about what else to do.”
Russell smiled. He’d fallen in love with her the second he saw her and he still marveled at his excellent judgment. “Did I ever tell you that I love you?”
“Not for an hour or so,” she said, her voice soft. “Come home. I miss you.”
“Me too,” he said and clicked off. He could see Sophie through the window of the diner and he lifted his hand to her. As he walked back into the restaurant, he looked upward. “Give me wisdom,” he whispered, then went inside.
Three
The next morning, Sophie felt much better. Yesterday, over thick cheeseburgers and fries, the handsome young pastor had told her funny stories about him and his brother. He’d made her feel so much better that she’d even had a strawberry milk shake. After they ate he drove her to Kim’s house and, at Sophie’s insistence, he’d left her there alone. All she wanted to do was get clean and put on clothes that smelled good. Kim’s pretty house, with its blue and white furniture, supplied her every need. She soaked in a tub of hot water, washed her hair, used a conditioner that smelled of peaches and almonds, put on a clean cotton nightgown, and fell into bed at 9:00 p.m. She was asleep instantly.
She didn’t wake until after seven the next morning, and she was pleased to see that the fridge was full of food. She made herself a big breakfast, raided Kim’s ample closet, then set out to find Dr. Reede’s office. It wouldn’t do to be late on the first day.
But when she opened the front door, she was startled to see a young woman sitting on the porch, waiting for her. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Heather Davis, I work for Dr. Reede, and I’ve come to drive you to the office.”
“Oh,” Sophie said, “I didn’t expect this.”
The woman was looking Sophie up and down, as though she were judging her. “Anything to help our beloved doctor. The poor man is so lonely, so needy, that our hearts cry out for him. We’ve been searching for someone to come along and rescue him.”
For a moment Sophie could only blink at her. “Rescue?” she managed to say.
“Well, you know what I mean. Not literally, of course, because he’s a hero in his own right, but then you must know that. If you were Kim’s roommate, you’ve probably seen a thousand photos of him.”
“Not really,” Sophie said. “Kim was more interested in trying to find—” She cut off, not wanting to betray a confidence. “But no, I’ve never met Kim’s brother. I’m sure I’ve seen photos of him, but that was a long time ago.”
“Great!” Heather said, then caught herself. “I mean it’s good that you’ve had some acquaintance with him. So to speak.” She waited until Sophie got in, then took the driver’s seat.