AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Dad tried.” Mabel smiled sadly. When he’d shown up after her parents had died, Gladys had been handling things just fine with the tall man at her elbow, and to his disappointment, he knew he wouldn’t be needed. Still, he heard that the family hadn’t been very close, and he’d also heard that the girls had been left in some financial difficulties after the parents passed away.
He funneled some money to them, through various means, making sure that it wouldn’t be tracked. He didn’t want Mabel to want him for his money. He’d been born into a wealthy family, and all of his life, people had wanted to be his friends based on his wealth. He knew how fickle friendships built on money could be.
If Mabel didn’t love him for who he was, as hard as it was to face, he would rather not have her.
A ringtone burst into the stillness of the midmorning air. Mabel jumped and then said, “That’s mine. Excuse me. It could be an emergency.”
She shifted the box under her arm, careful not to get it dirty, and pulled her phone out of her pocket, finding a clean spot on her shirt to wipe it before she answered.
“Hello,” she said, turning her shoulder toward them and looking partially away. “Oh. Yeah.” There was a small pause, and then she said, “I’ll be right there.”
She swiped off her phone and shoved it back in her pocket, turning back to Aunt Carol and him.
“I’m sorry. I have to leave. I...” She fumbled a little with the box, handing it toward Aunt Carol. “I really want to see what’s in this, but I want to do it sometime when I have a little bit more time.”
“That’s just fine,” Aunt Carol said, taking the box from Mabel and holding it carefully, gently, like there was something valuable in it. “If you get back in time tonight, we can sit in the living room and look at it. I imagine James will be here, although he hasn’t told me how long he is staying this time.”
“Is my living here going to be a problem?” Mabel asked, looking at him with concern.
Not at all.
“Of course not. My aunt wanted to keep the house for me, but she didn’t want to stay here by herself. I’m glad she found a roommate.”
He didn’t mention that he was considering moving back on a permanent basis, and not necessarily just because of Aunt Carol, although he would have considered it anyway, even without Mabel. Aunt Carol was childless, and he had taken upon himself the responsibility of caring for her. She might not realize it, but she was getting up in years, and he really did think she shouldn’t be living by herself.
Still, it was an excuse to come back to Sweet Water.
Mabel hurried off, and he knew he shouldn’t, but he watched her go. She used the towel Aunt Carol had brought to wipe herself off the best she could, but then she pulled a sheet out of the back of her car and threw it over her seat, like it was something that she’d done multiple times before.
Probably, as a veterinarian, she had left more than one place covered in the same stuff she was covered in now. So it would stand to reason that she was prepared.
Of course, she probably hadn’t expected to have that happen today.
“What’s up with the box?” He finally turned to Aunt Carol as the back of Mabel’s car disappeared down the road.
Aunt Carol smiled with a little bit of smugness, James would have said. “I got this from someone when I lived in Oklahoma. It’s supposed to be...not magical, but...there’s something about it. Something different.”
“Something different. Okay. What is it?” James tamped down his impatience. Aunt Carol’s eyes shone, and she looked excited, but she hadn’t even told him what was in the box.
“It’s something that used to belong to Annie Oakley, from what I understand. It’s...helped others. And I thought maybe it would help you.”
“But you’re giving it to Mabel.” He didn’t understand. Maybe he had misunderstood. Maybe Aunt Carol hadn’t been giving it to Mabel but just showing it to her.
He felt confused.
“I was. Giving it to Mabel.”
“But it’s supposed to help me?”
“We’ll see,” Aunt Carol said enigmatically.
James pressed his lips together, holding in the other questions that wanted to tumble out. There was no point in asking Aunt Carol for answers if she was determined not to give them. He supposed things would just have to play out, but... It almost sounded like she was on his side. His side being the side that got Mabel and him together.
Maybe that was too far of a stretch.
He needed to let go of that idea.
“James, tell me how your trip was,” Aunt Carol said as she slipped her arm in the crook of his elbow, and they turned and started walking toward the house.
