Pie Town - Lynne Hinton [56]
Danny laughed. “Bea, now why would you want to go and cause concern for our newest arrival in Pie Town? You trying to run her off?”
“Ain’t my business whether she stays or goes. I’m just trying to tell the truth about the place.” Bea reached for a glass, filled it with ice, then poured some iced tea.
“Small town can shelter a person from a lot of craziness in the world, but it don’t free you up from the meanness,” Bea noted. “Seems to me it makes more sense for a young person to move to a big city where she’s got more opportunities to better herself.” She grabbed some napkins and placed them on the tray next to the drink. “A new person in a small town is always suspect, and the old people never want to change.”
Trina watched her. “I’ve been to big cities,” she commented softly. “Didn’t care for them.” She shrugged. “And I’m not so worried about being suspect because I haven’t done anything wrong. But even if I do, I figure it will take more than a city to better myself.” She smiled at Danny, who blushed.
“That why you’re so chummy with the priest?” Fred had been listening to the conversation. He pushed a plate of food through the serving window and rang the bell even though Bea was still standing right there. “Order up,” he called out.
“I’m not blind,” Bea barked. She reached up and took the plate.
“Who? George?” Trina asked Fred. “You think I hooked up with a priest to ride his coattail to heaven?”
Fred shrugged, holding up his hands. “Wouldn’t be the first time somebody tried to get close to God through one of his servants.”
“Please,” Trina said, shaking her head. “First of all, I don’t need a coattail to find my way to God since he’s pretty easy to get to from just about any hike up a mountain or walk along some creek. And second of all, I’m pretty sure George’s skills are limited in trying to help somebody like me.”
“You saying you beyond redemption, girl?” Fred asked.
Trina shook her head again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just know Father George has a lot to learn about this world.”
“Well, maybe while he’s trying to teach you about the next world, you can teach him about this one.” Fred winked at Danny and headed back to the grill to flip some pieces of bacon.
She rolled her eyes at the cook. “Everybody thinks I have a crush on the priest because we drove into town together,” Trina explained to the deputy.
Danny didn’t respond. He hadn’t heard any of the rumors about the two of them, but he had noticed how troubled the new priest seemed to be around the girl at Alex’s birthday party. At first, he thought he was imagining it, but Malene had mentioned the same thing when she saw how Father George made it a point to move to the far side of the shelter away from Trina.
“And George is so not my type.” She grinned. “I mean, even if he wasn’t a priest, he’s like my older brother or something. Besides, I think it’s kind of cute how he looks so worried every time I’m around. I think I remind him of someone who made him anxious. I sort of enjoy having that power over him.” She said the last sentence quietly, like it was a secret.
Danny thought about her comment and wondered if Christine, the girl he had been chasing for three years, only allowed him to hang around her because she thought the same thing about him.
“Hey,” Trina suddenly exclaimed. “Are you going to Albuquerque anytime to visit Alex? Because if you are, maybe I could catch a ride with you. I don’t have a car,” she added, “but I can help pay for gas.”
Danny thought for a minute. Several things flew across his mind, including what having this new girl in his car might do to his chances of finally landing a date with Christine. Even though the girl of his dreams hadn’t agreed to go anywhere with him, he was pretty sure she was softening toward him, since she let him take her home from the birthday party. She actually seemed interested in him, talked to him most of that night, but he also considered the idea that maybe it was time he looked in another direction. He thought about seeing Trina with Rob the