Gerri Hill: The Cottage

mile radius. He's convinced he has to visit each one personally once a week."

"Wow."

"That impresses you?"

"Seven stores? Yeah, it does. How'd he get started?"

Carrie pointed. "There's Grandma Duck. She's waiting for us." She paused, her eyes still on

the duck. "When we got married, James had every gadget known to man. CDs were just

getting off the ground, computers were still in their infancy and cell phones were about

this big," she said with a laugh, holding her hands apart. "But, if they made it, James had to

have it." She handed Jill some bread then began tossing it to the ducks, making sure

Grandma Duck got her share.

"So that prompted him to open his own store of gadgets?"

"Pretty much. That was before the days of the big chain stores. He made a decent living

but when it became the norm for everyone to have a home computer, that's when his

business really took off. That, and when everything went digital. Phones and cameras. He

was way ahead of the game and he already had a reputation."

"So when the big stores moved in, it didn't cut into his business?"

"Some. But most of his other stores are in smaller towns where the competition is nearly

nonexistent."

"So you don't work then?"

Carrie shook her head. "Not anymore. But it really didn't have anything to do with James. I

was in real estate for years. I had my own money."

When Jill would have asked another question, Carrie turned to her, her blue eyes clear as

they met Jill's.

"You have got to be bored silly hearing about my husband's ascent in the business world.

Tell me what you do."

Again, that sense of familiarity settled over her as she looked into Carrie's eyes. She

smiled before turning back to the ducks.

"I don't even tell my husband about my job, why in the world would you want to hear about

it?"

"Because I'm interested in you."

It was a simple answer said with the casualness of a new friendship. But for some reason,

the words echoed in her brain. Why in the world would Carrie Howell be interested in her?

"I manage an office," Jill finally said. "Tutt Construction. I've been there since I quit

teaching, fifteen years now."

"Oh? You were a teacher? I always think of it as being the worst possible job on the

planet," she said with a laugh. "I don't blame you for quitting. So what does one do to

manage an office?"

"Well, there's the owner, Mr. Tutt's son Johnny who took over about eight years ago.

There's my assistant, who now handles all of the really important things, like making sure

there's coffee in the morning. That leaves me to juggle the accounts and keep them

reconciled, deal with the accountants, deal with the bank and do payroll for the

construction crews."

"You wear quite a few hats," Carrie said.

Jill shook her head. "I've been there so long, I could do it in my sleep," she said. "It's a

relatively stress-free job that brings in more income than my husband's."

"Ouch. That must hurt," Carrie guessed.

"He's a teacher. And a coach," she added. "At Kline High."

"So you were both teachers? What prompted you to quit?"

"I realized I hated teenagers."

Carrie's laughter rang out, startling the ducks as they scurried away from them.

"And now you're living with one. That's priceless."

"Glad you find it amusing," Jill said with a smile.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The inane conversation over dinner was endless and Jill found it hard to keep an interested

look on her face. She'd heard Craig's childhood stories more times than she could count—

they all had—yet his mother continued, droning on and on until Jill felt her eyes rolling to

the back of her head.

"Grandma, tell the one where Dad fell out of the tree," Angie coaxed.

"Oh, I remember when that happened," Craig's uncle chimed in.

Jill looked across the table at Craig, silently begging him to put an end to the storytelling.

He gave her a subtle wink then turned his attention to his mother who had already begun

the story.

Rude or not, Jill simply could not stand it another second. She stood, quietly pointing to the

bathroom. Her mother-in-law never missed a beat.

She closed the door then turned on the water, letting the sound drown out the voices in

the other room. She met her eyes in the mirror, wondering at her irritability this evening.

Of course her in-laws got on her nerves—they always had—but she thought she'd be used

to it by now. The once-a-month dinner party his parents hosted had become so routine, Jill

hardly gave it a thought anymore. But tonight, she simply could not take another second of

it. She sighed, then brushed at the blond hair covering her ears, then fluffed her bangs a

bit. She sighed again.

The restlessness she'd felt all day seemed to escalate as she sat through dinner, growing

with each word her mother-in-law uttered. As she stared into the mirror, she saw the

truth in her hazel eyes and she knew why she felt restless. She didn't understand it, but

she knew why.

It was Saturday.

And as her luck would have it, Monday proved to be a rainy day. She didn't care. She went

to the park anyway.

It was empty.

So she sat in her car, her disappointment nearly choking her as she nibbled at her

sandwich. No, she didn't understand it. How could she become obsessed with a woman

she'd known but a week? What was it about Carrie Howell that drew her?

Lost in thought, she gasped at the urgent knocking on her window. She wiped at the fog on

the glass, her smile matching that of Carrie's as the other woman stared back at her.

Jill quickly unlocked the doors, watching as Carrie hurried around to the passenger's door,

pausing to close her umbrella before getting inside.

"Are you crazy?" Jill asked as the dripping woman got inside her car.

"Apparently. Sorry about your seat here."

"I doubt you could possibly do damage to this old car."

Jill watched as Carrie ran wet hands through her hair, brushing at the drops of water that

clung to her short strands.

"I never told you this before, but I love your hair," Jill said without thinking.

"Thanks. I gave up coloring it about ten years ago. Runs in the family. My mother was

totally gray by forty so I've got her beat. I still have a little pepper mixed in."

"How old are you?"

"Forty-three. You?"

"Still clinging to thirty-nine. For a few more months anyway."

"Well, we'll celebrate. Forty is a great year."

"I think you're the only woman I've ever heard say that." Jill smiled. "And what are you

doing out here in the rain?"

"I could ask you the same question." Carrie's eyes softened as they looked at Jill. "But I

imagine you're doing the same thing I am.

Jill nodded. "I... yes, I suppose I am."

"So, how was your weekend?"

"Endless."

"Funny. That's how I was going to describe mine."

"We had dinner at Craig's parents' house Saturday night. A family thing. Some of his outof-

town relatives showed up."

"You don't get along with the in-laws?"

"We tolerate each other. His mother has not forgiven me for quitting teaching. That's just

one on a long list of shortcomings I have."

"Let me guess. Craig is an only child?"

"Right."

"Mothers-in-law can be brutal."

"Yours?"

Carrie smiled. "No, she's actually a sweetheart. I get along better with her than my own

mother."

"I guess I was lucky in that regard. My mother and I rarely had arguments. And she's my

saving grace now whenever Arlene pisses me off. But I don't get to see her much. She