Annie's Answer by Pam Andrews Hanson Read Free Book Online

her car keys out of her
shoulder bag.
    “You wouldn’t
catch me trudging around the mall after working all morning,” the gray-haired
waitress said. “I’ll be doing good just to stock up on groceries before my
daughter brings her kids to the house. I’m babysitting with them
tonight—the baby and the three older ones. Sometimes I dream about a day
with nothing to do but sit in front the television and eat popcorn.”
    “Good luck on
that,” Annie said with a sympathetic laugh. It was a reminder of how much she
didn’t want to be waiting tables when she was Nanette’s age. Was she making a mistake
pinning all her hopes on buying the flower shop?
    “I can make a
success of it,” she said to herself as she teased the old motor into starting.
After all, she’d finished two years of business classes at the area community
college, driving the twenty-two miles in rain, snow, hail, and tornado watches.
She felt confident of her business skills, and her love of growing things made
a flower shop the perfect place to test them.
    The VW
shuddered and threatened to stall, but Annie managed to keep it going.
    Thinking about
her prospects, Annie’s thoughts went to Mattie. Everything depended on keeping
the elderly woman happy. She should ask if there was anything she needed from
the mall. Since nothing was much out of the way in the small town, she decided
to stop by and ask her.
    Was she going
there to help Mattie, or was she hoping to see Nathan? No, that was a silly
thought! She glanced down at her uniform and the sticky streak across the front
where she’d leaned against a table. Sponging the blueberry syrup stain had only
made it worse, and she regretted forgetting her apron that morning.
    The top story
of the Sawyer house was barely visible behind the stately trees in the front
yard, and she was tempted to forget stopping there. Still, she’d taken on the
job of making Mattie’s confinement more pleasant. What could it hurt to run in
for a minute or two? Chances were Nathan was in his own part of the house if he
was home at all.
    The Volkswagen
threatened to stall again when she turned onto the circular drive in front of
the house, but she was used to teasing it along. She down-shifted and slowly
pulled to a stop, only to find herself directly behind Nathan’s big Lincoln.
Worse, he was in the process of washing it.
    Her heart did
a little flip-flop, and her first instinct was to swerve around him and head
for home as fast as the VW would go. But no, it was too late. He was walking
toward her with a puzzled expression.
    Nathan didn’t
look at all like a lawyer this noon. His khaki shorts were wet from the hose
he’d left running, and a tee shirt faded to the shade of a stagnant pond clung
to his torso. His hair went every which way, falling over his forehead in a
cascade of honey brown strands. She hadn’t been wrong about his shoulders.
Muscles rippled under the stretchy cloth, and she couldn’t help but notice the
golden tan on his arms.
    “Hi,” he said,
opening the door on her side of the car. “I’m surprised to see you today.”
    “I’m not
staying,” she was quick to tell him. “I’m going to the mall with my mother, and
I thought maybe your aunt might need something.”
    “That’s nice
of you.” He stood looking down at her and blocking her exit from the car.
    She wanted to
melt into the upholstery. Her uniform was rumpled and stained. Her hair was
going every which way after yanking off her cap, but worst of all, she smelled
like griddle grease after being close to fried pancakes, sausages, and bacon
all morning.
    “I’ll just run
in for minute,” she said, although it was the last thing she wanted to do now.
    “I think
Mattie is in the sunroom,” he said, although he didn’t move out of the way so
she could leave the car.
    “Should I just
walk in?” Did her voice sound squeaky? Did he realize how nervous he made her?
    “Sure.”
    Again he
didn’t move back from the door. She