“I’ve been waiting on you,” Cash said, greeting him with a handshake and slap on the back. “I had just about decided to give up on you!”
He grinned from ear to ear as he studied him intently. “Where have you been, buddy?”
Mitch shook his head. “That’s the question of the century.”
“I’ve been waiting on you.”
“So you’ve said. Twice.” Mitch paused and considered why Cash might have chosen to come there. Perhaps he had nowhere else to go. “What are you doing here?”
“I had my brother’s driver bring me out here. You told me once you’d put me to work if the two of us ever saw the light of civilization again, so here I am, hoping for a job.”
Mitch chuckled. “As you can see, there’s not much work around here.”
“You have a hell of an opportunity here, Colony. If you don’t make this place work for ya, you’ll never make it in the real world.”
“I hear ya,” Mitch said, pointing to the raised ranch-style home behind him. “Have you been down to the lake house?”
“No, but I made myself at home, as much as I could, in the barn. That loft apartment isn’t much but the electricity is on. I’ll owe you some money for utilities.”
“How long have you been here?”
“A couple of days,” Cash replied. “I figured if I didn’t see you, I’d leave a note and a few twenties. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Some host I am.”
“My thoughts, too.” Cash slapped his back. “It sure is good to see you, friend.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Mitch said, pointing at the trail leading to the water. “Let’s see what we can rummage up to eat. The caretakers were supposed to stock the house and the refrigerator down at the lodge. I hope you found whatever you needed.”
“Nay,” Cash said, waving his hand. “Lance’s driver took me grocery shopping before he provided a lift out here. I had pretty much everything I wanted anyway.”
“Good. Good.” Mitch walked ahead of him.
“Is that woman you told me about meeting you here?”
Mitch stepped onto the front porch of the house, found the brass key he needed, and unlocked the door. He motioned Cash inside and flipped on the overhead track lighting. “No, I don’t think so. She’s out of town and I haven’t talked to her.”
“Hmm,” Cash said, the mischief dancing in his eyes. “Haven’t seen her since you’ve been out?”
“No,” Mitch replied. “I tried. My attempt was met with great opposition.”
“What kind of opposition?” Cash asked, following him to the galley kitchen.
Mitch tossed the keys on the breakfast bar, opened and closed a few cabinets, and checked the refrigerator for snacks and drinks. “Can I fix you something to eat?”
“I’m not hungry.” Cash sat on a barstool. “And you’re avoiding the question. This opposition…did it appear in the form of two men, those fellas you once thought of as your buddies?”
Mitch faced him. “As a matter of fact, it did. Why?”
Cash shrugged. “Just askin’.”
“How long were we cellmates, Cash?”
“Four years.”
“You know me as well as anyone else. Right?”
“Probably so. All a man has when he’s behind bars is great conversation and endless dreams. We talked a lot. I consider you a friend. Figure we know one another pretty well. Why?”
“Do you think I should give up on Trixie?”
Cash stroked his chin. “How come you’d ask me? Only you should know the answer to that one. If you haven’t seen her yet, I wouldn’t make a final call until you do.”
“At the risk of sounding like a stalker, here’s what happened. I stopped by here the day I was released, but couldn’t tell you how I ended up here. I don’t know how long I stayed.
“I must’ve consumed a lot of alcohol. The morning I left for Asheville, I woke up to a wastebasket full of beer cans and a filthy ashtray.”
“Were you drunk when you arrived?”
“No,” Mitch replied. “At least I don’t think so.”
“Go on,” Cash encouraged him.
“Anyway, I didn’t stick around. The memories here were enough to drive me over the edge. So I hired a driver and headed to North Carolina.”
“And you saw the little woman?” Cash scooted to the edge of the stool.
Mitch grabbed two beers from the refrigerator. He passed one can off to Cash and opened the other one. “I saw her but she didn’t see me.”