“You think she’s workin’ for him?”
“Honestly, I have no idea,” I said, feeling close to tears. “This stupid town is making me paranoid.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Sorry you’re stuck in this mess, Care. But maybe she didn’t hear it from him.” Then he added in a smug tone, “Word about my relationship status travels fast.”
I couldn’t help laughing.
What? Are ladies around the county cryin’ themselves to sleep at night because Marco Roland is off the market?” I teased.
He laughed. “More like the outsider snagged herself a Drum man.”
I shrugged even though he couldn’t see me. It could have been either or both. “I think she was more worried I was going to feed whatever she told me to you.”
“Shit,” he grumbled.
“Hey, it makes sense, but I’m not sorry, Marco,” I said defensively. “If people don’t trust me, so be it. If it weren’t because of my connection to you, it would be because I’m an outsider.”
He didn’t say anything.
“I still haven’t talked to Cassie Nabors—Georgia’s daughter—but I don’t know how to contact her yet. I asked Georgia to connect us, but she gave me a look that suggested that was never going to happen. I think I’ll just head back to Drum so I’m not late for Tutoring Club. I can work on finding Cassie tomorrow.”
“Good plan.”
It didn’t feel all that great, but it was the only plan I had at the moment. I caught a glimpse of the clock on my car’s dashboard, and a new idea hit me. I was probably pushing my luck, but I might have time to visit one more person before I needed to be at the tavern.
Chapter Fifteen
After ending the call with Marco, I turned off into a grocery store parking lot and pulled up Lula’s number. She answered but sounded hesitant. “Hello?”
“Hey, Lula. It’s Carly.”
“Oh!” Her voice was full of relief. “I didn’t recognize your number.”
Was she worried I was her mother calling?
“That’s because it’s my cell phone,” I said in a breezy tone. “I’m in Ewing, where it actually works.”
“Maybe we’ll actually get cell service with the resort, like Bart claims,” she said. “Then our phones will be more than cameras and iPods.”
“Say, I found the cutest little bee plushy here in Ewing, and I wondered if I could drop it by for Beatrice before I head into work.” Not really a lie. I had found the stuffed animal in Ewing, just not today. It was in my trunk, and I’d planned to give it to Lula the next time I saw her. It worked as a great excuse now.
When she didn’t respond, I added, “I don’t plan on staying long. I have Tutoring Club.”
“Sure. Of course,” she said. “Bea’s down for her nap, but she might be up by the time you get here.”
“Oh, good! I’d love to give her a hug, but if she’s asleep, I’ll be quiet so I don’t wake her.”
“I know she’d love to see her Aunt Carly. See you soon.”
I hung up and headed toward Drum, ruminating on how to address the topic of her mother. By the time I pulled up to her house about thirty minutes later, I’d decided to just wing it, but I wasn’t opposed to telling her that I’d seen Louise. On the off chance she didn’t know, she needed to be warned.
I got the bag with the stuffed animal out of the trunk, then walked up to the front porch. The door opened as I reached the top porch step, Lula appearing in the opening with Beatrice in her arms.
My heart filled with joy at the sight of her.
“You want to hold her?” Lula asked as she backed up to let me in.
My response was to reach for her, handing off the bag during the exchange.
Lula laughed. “She just woke up. I think she knew you were comin’. Come on in.” She gestured to the living room. “You can sit anywhere.”
I hadn’t seen much of the interior of Bingham’s house before it became Lula’s, but the whole room had the feel of her—bright, airy colors and a new overstuffed sofa and chairs. Every time I came by, she’d added something else. As I lowered onto the sofa, I noticed the white curtains on the front windows with a pattern of bluebirds and yellow flowers.
“Your home just gets more and more beautiful every time I come over,” I said, meaning every word.
She beamed at me, her cheeks flushing. “I always wanted a nice home, and Todd lets me do just about anything I want.”
“Speaking of Todd.” It felt weird to call him by his first name, but I forged ahead. “I accidently clipped his truck last week when I was rushing off to find Marco. I’ve been waiting for him to ask me to pay for the damages, but I haven’t heard a word from him.”
She dismissed my concerns with a wave of her hand. “Shoot, he swapped out the bumper the next day from a truck on the lot. It’s no big deal.”
Maybe not to her, but I wasn’t so sure he planned to let it go.
She stood next to one of the chairs. “Would you like something to drink? I have some fresh-squeezed lemonade.”
My eyes lit up. “Oh. Fancy. Max’s lemonade comes in powder form.”
She laughed. “I remember it well. I made a batch once, but I put in too much powder and it was so strong we had to throw it out. Ruthie was fit to be tied.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I need to pass. I can only stay a few minutes.”
Lula took a seat in the chair, then pulled the stuffed animal out of the bag. “It’s so cute!”
“I saw it and thought of her,” I said, staring down at the wide-eyed baby. I gave her my finger and she held on tight.
“I never thought of decoratin’ with bees when I named her. But I like the books with the rabbits.”
“You named her after Beatrix Potter?” I asked in surprise.
She cringed. “I guess that’s weird, ain’t it?”
“No!” I protested. “I love it. My mother read me Peter Rabbit books when I was little.”
“My mother didn’t ever read to me,” she said, glancing down at the toy in her hands and squeezing. “But I remembered this nice older woman reading the stories to me.” She gave me a sad look. “Some memories of that time have been coming back, and just the other day I realized it was Hank Chalmers’s wife.”
“Mary?”
She nodded. “I think Momma used to clean her house. She’d spend time with me while Momma was working.”
“Someone told me that recently. I think your mother worked for Mary up until your father’s death.” Then, because Lula needed to be prepared more than I needed to be cagey, I said, “Lula, your mom is back in town.”
She kept her gaze on the stuffed bee. “I know. She tried to contact me, and Todd told her that if she ever stepped foot on his property she’d never walk off it.”
I hated that she’d called it his property, but right now her mother was the bigger issue. “So you didn’t talk to her?”
“No.”
“She reached out to me, Lula.”