She pushed away from the table. “Whenever you are.”
“I gave Aunt Josephine a call, so she’s expecting us. Excited to have company, I think. I didn’t tell her about the letter. We’ll do that when we get there.” Gil took a quick glance around the store. “Okay, let me grab my jacket. This way. We’ll go out through the storeroom. My truck is out back.”
Madeline placed her soda bottle in the recycling bin next to the soda machine and followed Gil towards the back of the store. He pushed open a door and they entered a crowded storeroom. The room was full of boxes, all neatly organized with signs in front of them stating what was in them. The man was no slacker for organization, that was for sure.
Gil grabbed a jeans jacket from a hook on the wall and tugged open the door. Sunlight spilled into the dark storage room. She followed him out into the sunshine and over to a very well maintained, but obviously quite old, red truck. He pulled the passenger door open for her and she struggled to hoist herself into the tall truck. Lovely impression she must be making with her rear end wiggling in his face while she fought her way into the truck. There must be an easier way.
“Sorry ‘bout that. I really need to get a running board so it’s easier to get in. But ever since my sister called running boards sissy bars, I just haven’t been able to bring myself to get one.”
Madeline smiled. “Well, I’m no sissy. I got in okay.” Only making a supreme fool of herself in the process.
Gil crossed in front of the truck and easily swung up into the vehicle. Of course. She reminded herself he was a good head taller than she was. It had to be easier for him.
The truck sprang to life with a bit of a shudder and Gil steered out of the parking lot. “We’ll take the back roads. Almost faster than doubling back to the highway.”
He flipped on the radio and a don’t-do-me-wrong song floated around the cab of the truck. She didn’t really know what to say to him. He was a virtual stranger who had offered to drive her to meet his aunt. Maybe she should have let Rebecca and Larry know where she was going? But they knew Gil, so it wasn’t like she was going on a road trip with a serial killer or something.
“What are you thinking about? You look so serious.”
She wasn’t going to tell him that she was debating whether he was or wasn’t a serial killer. He must already think she was crazy to be on this quest to find the reason this letter was hidden in the desk. So, she decided to lie—no, fabricate—a bit. “I was thinking about the letter, and if your Aunt Josephine will remember it. You think it was hers?”
“Don’t know of another Josephine Amaud in Comfort Crossing. I’m thinking it has to be her. Don’t know who the sender was though. I mean with just that letter O.”
“I wonder who he was.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
They drove on in companionable silence. She watched the scenery out the window as they drove down the back country road. Green fields. Lots of pine trees and cedars lining the roads. No nasty, gray, melting snow in sight. She sighed in contentment.
After a while she felt the need to at least keep up some kind of conversation. He was going out of his way to help her, after all. “So, you own the Feed and Seed?”
“Yes. It was my daddy’s.”
Amazing how a grown man could call his father “daddy,” and it sounded perfectly natural spoken in his slight southern drawl.
“I grew up working in the store. Helping out. I wasn’t really planning on taking it over, but my daddy hurt his back when I was in high school, and the whole thing just kind of played out with me taking over after I graduated school. There was no one else. We needed the income from the store. I couldn’t leave my folks without money, so…”
“Do you like it?”
He glanced at her. “Most of the time. I like helping the people. I hate the bookwork though. The taxes. Keeping the records. But, it’s just part of the job. Has to be done.”
“Where’s your dad now?”
“Both he and my momma are gone. Been gone over five years now.” Gil paused and she could see a sadness she recognized in his eyes. “How ‘bout you, Madeline. Where’s your family?”
The words caught in her throat. It was so hard for her to say it. The pain swelled over her again, surprising her in the intensity. Would she ever be able to just say her mother had passed away?
Gill was looking at her expectantly.
“They. My mom.” She took a deep breath. “My mother just passed away a few weeks ago. Dad’s been gone for years.”
“I’m so sorry.” His voice held such warmth and his words sounded so sincere, even though he barely knew her. He reached over and quickly squeezed her hand, his warm palm covering her much smaller fingers and, just as quickly, the warmth was gone and his hand was back on the steering wheel. “It’s hard, isn’t it? Getting used to having your momma gone.”