A Broom With a View by Rebecca Patrick-Howard Read Free Book Online

everyone in the house up in the middle of the night just hollerin’ my head off,” Jessie laughed. “Drove everybody crazy. But my daddy brung me up here to see her. Said she was probably the only one who could help me. She sat down there in a rocking chair in the living room and pulled me up on her lap. I reckon I was four, maybe five. Anyway, Bud lit up a cigarette, brought her head close to mine, and blew smoke right in my ears. They never bothered me again.”
    Liza’s nose began to twitch, a warning that her eyes might start to fill next. “She did that to me once, too. It was the only time I ever saw her smoke. She was a healer. That was one of her biggest strengths. I’m not that good, but I do it as well. I’m actually opening up a business downtown. I’ll be helping people find natural remedies to things and giving massages and spa treatments. Would you like to go sit down in the living room?”
    At first Liza had been a little uncomfortable at the idea of a stranger just showing up on her doorstep without an invitation and inviting themselves inside. But that had worn off soon enough. 
    The two women had spent an enjoyable hour talking about the town and changes it had seen since Liza and her family left. They’d laughed quite a few times, seemed to share similar interests in music and movies (Jessie loved Jason Aldean but her husband called him “crap” and had refused to go his concert with her when he came to Rupp Arena in Lexington so Jessie had gone alone).
    But even throughout the visit, Liza still got the distinct feeling that Jessie wasn’t entirely comfortable. She could sometimes all but feel the other woman’s nervousness and apprehension. Liza watched her as Jessie’s eyes darted around the room, often landing on the bottles and studying them intently, as though just waiting for the moment when one would fly off the shelf and at her head. When Liza offered her a drink, Jessie had jumped up and offered to get it herself, overly eager to be accommodating.
    Liza knew from experience that the apprehension would fade over time, but for some people it was never going to be possible for them to feel relaxed with their guard down when they were sitting in front of a person they thought could curse them for no other reason than they felt like it. 
    Still, Liza liked her new neighbor and hoped they could be friends. God, she needed friends. And she didn’t think Jessie would be leading the rest of the townspeople with pitchforks any time soon, so that was something.
     

***
     
    T here wasn’t much reading material in Liza Jane’s house. Her grandparents’ eyesight had gone bad way before she came along and the only reading material she’d found so far was a whole stack of Jackie Collins’ novels and a TV Guide from 1993. Oddly enough, given how things eventually re-gained popularity, she could still find The Facts of Life, Designing Women , and Dallas on TV even now…the times were a little off, though.
    The county library was contained in a single room that was only slightly bigger than her downstairs area. A block of computers were set up against a wall. There were eight seats in total, filled with men and women of various ages, all pecking quietly away at the keys.
    A sign above the row of computers read:
     
    For official use ONLY. Only job hunting and bill paying. NO games or social media!!!!!!
     
    Liza paused to appreciate the irony that all but one of them were currently scrolling through their Facebook newsfeeds.
    “Hi,” she began in a quiet, but what she hoped was a friendly, voice as she approached the desk. “I need to see about getting a library card.”
    The middle-aged man on the other side of the desk looked up from a Styrofoam container containing what smelled like fried fish. He finished chewing, for which Liza was grateful, and studied Liza Jane with interest. His nametag read: Cotton Hashagen. He was hefty with shockingly red hair, huge front teeth, and a tie-dye