Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [96]
“I can handle the dogs, Annie. I think I will stay here, though. I need to work with Harry to perfect his checker game. He bit Rosie’s tail the other day when he caught her cheating. I swear, Annie, that’s a true story.”
“I know, Elmo. Harry’s real smart. You need to stop giving them so many treats. Harry gets the splats. I didn’t hear you give me your word where Parker is concerned.”
“You have my word, Annie. What about Jane and Tom?”
“Not a word.”
“Why’d you pick me to spill the beans to about you and Grayson, Annie?”
“Because, Elmo, you’re like my father. If I had a father or a mother, I would have talked to them. Take charge, Elmo.”
The frail old man hugged Annie. “Don’t worry about a thing. We’ll all be here when you get back. By the way, when are you coming back?”
“Not for a long time, Elmo. I’m going to do the circuit in the car. I’ll just go from one place to the next. I’ll check in. It won’t be necessary to tell anyone where I am. Okay?”
“Okay, Annie.”
“Then I guess I’m outta here,” Annie said in a choked voice.
“Guess so.” Elmo waved airily as he poured more coffee into his cup.
The moment Elmo heard the engine of Annie’s car start up, the phone was in his hand. “Tom, there’s a problem here. Sit down, and I’ll tell you.”
“You broke your word to Annie! She’s never going to forgive you, Elmo,” Tom said when the old man wound down.
“She’s only going to find out if you blab, Tom. We need to put our heads together and figure out what to do. Your sister isn’t thinking clearly. This is way too serious for us to ignore. Now, you need to skedaddle down here so we can make a plan. Miss Daisy is leaving for camp today with your daughter, so you just hitch a ride with Mandy. Yes, of course I’m going to tell Jane. She’s a part of it just like Annie and me. We need to go on the attack!”
Parker ripped at the red-and-blue Federal Express envelope. Annie must be sending him some of the pictures she took at the waterfall. He was going to frame all of them, one for every room in the house, so no matter where he was, she would be in his line of vision. He felt like a young teenager as he ripped at the envelope, all the while realizing it wasn’t heavy enough to hold snapshots.
He read the letter, once, twice, then a third time with disbelieving eyes. His fingers flew over the keypad on the telephone. A strange voice said, “Hello.”
“This is Parker Grayson. I’d like to speak to Annie please.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Grayson, Annie isn’t here. She left yesterday to make her rounds of the different Daisy Shops. She does that on an ongoing basis. No, she didn’t tell me which stores she was going to first. I’m Jane Abbott, Annie’s friend. Yes, it is nice to finally talk with you. I wish I could help you. If she checks in, I’ll give her your message.”
There was no doubt in Parker’s mind that Jane Abbott would give Annie the message. There was also no doubt in his mind that Annie wouldn’t return his call. He sat down with a thump. Now what the hell was he supposed to do? He’d heard of men being left at the altar and had always wondered why something like that happened. Didn’t people know when they were in love? Didn’t they realize how precious love was? He needed to think, but his head felt clogged up. Damn, what was this going to do to his real coffee without the caffeine? Maybe a drink would help. Maybe several drinks would help. Maybe a whole lot of drinks would do a whole lot of good. He poured generously into a squat tumbler and took it neat. His throat burned, and his eyes watered.
While he slurped at the next glass, he ran the two-hour-long conversation he’d had with Annie over and over in his mind. They’d said so many things, all of them loving and wonderful. A frown built between his brows. He realized he’d done most of the talking, and Annie had listened. Why was that? And then, according to the letter just hours later, she’d had a change of heart. Why? Was he the only one who said loving, wonderful words? He tried to remember what she