Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Molly laughed, the sound like soft, well-tuned bells. Heads turned, and Sonia tried not to sink down in her seat. “That is so true. She loves gossip. She teaches line dancing with her husband at the community center. I’ve gone a couple of times, but it isn’t fun without someone to go with.”
“I thought line dancing was solo.”
“It is. I meant a friend. Male or female. I just can’t work up the enthusiasm,” Molly admitted. “That and Charity is always trying to hook me up with someone.”
Sonia groaned. “Jerry does that to me at the lumberyard. He doesn’t think it’s decent for a woman to be alone, especially considering where I live. He thinks it’s the middle of nowhere. I fell in love with the house, and the location is part of that.”
“I’d love to see it sometime,” Molly said, her voice turning a little shy.
“It’s a mess right now,” Sonia warned. “I spent so much time on the wiring and plumbing and then insulation that actual work on the renovations has been slow. I don’t have tons of money, so I have to choose a room and go from there. I was up on the roof the other day and discovered I’m not going to be able to wait another couple of years. Like everything, it needs work now.”
“I wouldn’t mind helping out,” Molly volunteered. “As a friend. Not a paid one. I don’t know the first thing about carpentry, but I’d love to learn.”
Sonia heard the lonely note in Molly’s voice. She heard it because she felt the same. “I’ve been meaning to ask you to come out to consult about the yards. I’m not working on them yet, but I know if I want them nice, I have to plant now. You’re the best at landscaping. You know so much about plants native to the area and I was going to ask for help, so I’d love for you come out, see the place and give me advice. I’m a fairly decent cook. Maybe a dinner in return for your expertise?”
“I’d love that,” Molly said. “My family was from around here, a long time ago. My grandmother still owned property that no one wanted. I paid the back taxes on the little house and got it. That’s why the house is so run-down. No one had lived in it for years. I also got a piece of the swamp I haven’t looked at yet because the boat that came with it had several holes in it and sank when I tried to take it out. Oh, and I used the last of my money to open the landscaping business. Mostly I sell plants, but several of my most recent jobs have come because Jerry or you recommended me.”
That was true. They tried to keep Molly in business.
Molly wrapped her hands around the hot coffee mug the waitress had brought her. “I don’t want to sound like I’m prying, but your lip is swollen, and you have bruises on your neck and arms. They look like fingermarks, or teeth marks. I just need to know you’re all right.”
Sonia felt the blush start somewhere in her toes and creep up to her neck and face in a long, slow burn. “It looks bad, but it isn’t. I’m perfectly fine, and no one hurt me.”
Molly let out her breath, nodded and changed the subject. “Where are you from?”
Sonia’s heart jumped. This was the reason she didn’t mingle with other people. You had to lie when they asked questions. She shrugged. “I’ve moved around a lot. I like being out of town where it’s peaceful. I think if I could live on an island in the middle of the swamp, I would. I go out at night and sit on the porch and just listen. It isn’t quiet out there, so I can’t say I’m looking for quiet, but it is peaceful. I love the way the frogs call to one another and the insects have this amazing symphony going on. It’s loud and crazy, but it’s soothing at the same time.”
“I like looking up at the stars,” Molly said. “That’s soothing to me. When you’re away from the town and all the lights, you can see all the way to heaven.”
Sonia paused with her cup halfway to her mouth. “That’s beautiful, Molly, and so true. I just never thought of it like that. I love to look up at the stars as well. Is there a house on your grandmother’s land in the swamp? I love the little house in town that was hers, but often there’s a cabin or maybe a camp?”
“She had a house on stilts, or at least it looked that way to me. It was really different, but pretty. When I was a child I loved to go there, but later, when she was ill, she moved into town. None of my relatives wanted to live here, so one by one they left, my parents being the first. My grandmother might have lived longer if she’d had someone to care for her.”