Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [48]
“I should have known that,” Parker muttered.
“Yes, you should have,” Lela said.
“Will you stay?” Parker asked.
“Yes, Parker, we’ll stay,” Kiki said. “I’m going to take you up on your offer to work at the plantation. I have some great ideas.”
“I’d like to hear them. First, though, I have something I have to do. If you like, you can watch. Meet me outside by the front door.”
The sisters looked at one another and shrugged as they trekked through the house to the front foyer and then out the door. They squealed in horror when they saw Parker swing the ax at the base of the old banyan tree. “Why are you doing this?” they shouted.
“Because it’s a symbol of everything that went wrong with us. No one lives forever. If there were seven right in a row, I’d leave them be. One is no good. George can grind out the stump, and we’ll decide what kind of welcoming plant we want by our front door.”
When the giant tree toppled to the ground there were shouts of approval. George and Mattie clapped their hands. “One more thing,” Parker said. “Last one up the monkeypod tree is a horse’s patoot!”
High-heeled shoes sailed through the air as the Grayson siblings ran around the house to the side yard. “You remembered!” they shouted in glee.
They were slick and they were fast as they shinnied up the old knurled tree. Parker was the last to straddle the long, twisted branch.
“Merry Christmas!” Parker gasped.
“Merry Christmas!” his sisters shouted.
Annie tore the cellophane from the new calendar. She crossed her fingers that 1982 would be as good a year as the previous one. She sipped at the wine in her glass, her right hand tickling Rosie behind her ears. The shepherd stared at her with adoring eyes. “It’s just you and me, girl. I thought he would at least send a Christmas card. I think the hardest thing was going to lunch with Daniel before Christmas and not asking about Parker. I wanted him to say something so bad, and he didn’t. So much for destiny and love and all that garbage. When you’re right, you’re right. When you’re wrong, you’re wrong. I’m not some dumb female that needs a man in her life. It would be nice, but it’s not necessary. I really liked him, Rosie. He’s a great kisser, too. The best so far,” she clarified. “He even named a rainbow after me. Then, bam, it was all over. Come on, get your leash and let’s go for a long walk along the battery. I’m going to buy a house there someday. I’m going to get us one of those big old houses with a walled-in courtyard where you can romp and play to your heart’s content. I’m going to get you a playmate, too.”
The shepherd pranced over to the coatrack and daintily removed her leash.
“You’re so beautiful you belong on a calendar. Maybe I’ll look into that. After I open the next six stores. That’s going to make sixteen stores in total. When we come back after our walk, you and I are going to talk about that money because Mr. Peter Newman is still sniffing around. I’ve reconciled myself to the fact the man is never going to go away.” Annie snapped the leash onto Rosie’s harness and left by the back door.
When they turned the corner leading to their street at three o’clock, Rosie strained at her leash. She growled and bared her teeth when she saw the man sitting on the stoop waiting for them. “Easy girl. We can deal with him.”
“I thought I told you to call before you came here. I’m much too busy to talk to you today, and I have nothing new to say to you. What that means is, get off my property or I’m calling the police. I’ll get a restraining order if I have to.”
“I have something new to report to you. We finished up our investigation before Christmas. We have successfully eliminated every car owner but you, Miss Abbott, and Elmo Richardson. We’re satisfied that there was no third party. We became satisfied when we offered a deal to the young man in jail. He couldn’t take advantage of it to cut down on his prison time, because there was no third party. That brought us back to the cars