Read The Beginning (Whispering Pines Book 1) Page 8
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At 3:49 pm, Chuck steered his Jeep into the driveway at the address typed into his GPS unit. The backdrop view of her house had King’s Mountain in the distance. It was a beautiful looking scene but from this far away, the mountain appeared not much taller than the back yard trees. He cut the engine and got out, half expecting no one to be home with maybe a note on the door that read, “Sorry Chuck but I can't go. Have safe trip and see you Monday at work.”
From the distance, he did not see any notes or paper taped to the door and before he could get out and start walking toward the porch, the door swung open and Gail stood there, dressed in a neat soft green pants suit and holding a small suitcase in her left hand. He waved and she waved back, motioning one finger in the air and mouthing the word “one minute.” Then she vanished back into the doorway.
Glancing about, he noted the neat yards and wondered if she hired the landscaping and lawn care or maybe had a boyfriend who took care of everything. That thought, turned sour in his mind and lingered until she was half way to the car before he realized it.
He made a fast dash toward her with intentions of carrying her luggage and laptop bag but by the time he reached her, she was less than ten feet from the car and still in full motion.
Chuck took her things, led her to the passenger side door of the car and helped her inside. Then he opened the back door and placed her suitcase on the open seat. She said, “I better keep the laptop up front with us. It has cell services for the open road.”
He shook his head and said, “Turn it off. We don't want the office bothering us now do we?”
She laughed. “I do hope that was a joke.”
“Well Gail, if Marty calls us to come back to work then it’s your fault entirely.”
He closed the rear door and climbed in. Backing out of the driveway he asked, “Are you hungry? We could stop and grab a bite to eat before we do any serious road time.”
“I’m fine. I ate a salad when I first got home but if you want something, we can stop. It’s your call.”
“A salad is hardly anything to eat so how about a fat steak?” There is a good place near Charlotte. It’s about two hours down the road so we can wait and decide when we get closer.”
Once on the interstate, they made general chit chat for the first ten or so miles talking about matters at work. Then Chuck remembered that his cell phone battery was weak and needed recharging. He reached for the auto charger plug and tried to find the insert socket on the phone while stealing glances at the traffic ahead. Gail, seeing his struggle, took the phone, the plug, and said, “I’ll get it. I hope I remembered to bring the wall charger for mine.”
What she may have failed to notice was the effect it had on Chuck when her soft hands had touched his and how many skipped heartbeats it caused, but what he never realized was the effect it had on Gail touching his phone. She suddenly saw Chuck sitting in his apartment a few weeks back, talking over the cell with Matt. His brother was telling him something about their family history and how, if he could find a way to prove it, that he and Chuck would be the rightful owners of Whispering Pines Estate.
When it passed, she finished plugging in the cell charger and set the unit down in the cup holder between the two front seats. “Thanks” he said, not noticing how pale she had suddenly become. A few moments later, Gail felt calm enough to ask, “So what else can you tell me about your brother? What if we drive up in his yard and he’s out back mowing the lawn or something?”
“Here it comes," Chuck thought. "She is going to listen to “the rest of the story” and then demand that you turn around and take her home. Heck she might even demand you pull over right here and let her out of the car.”
He took a deep breath. “I hope that happens. I hope that he is out cutting grass or something simple or logical. I guess there is a lot more I had better explain to you before we get too far out of town. I just don't know where to start.”
“Is he an axe murderer on the run from the law?”
Chuck laughed. “Worse, he’s a timber baron wiping out every spotted owl in the state.”
Gail pointed at the road ahead and said, “So let’s hear it and remember that every journey of a thousand miles starts with the first gallon of gas.” They laughed.
Chuck eased the Jeep into the left lane and passed a couple of cars that were moving at less than the 75 mph Jeep. Cops will usually let you get away with a few miles an hour over the limit.
As they cleared the cars, Chuck hit the right blinker and said “The last time I talked to Matt he was excited about some new information on the family research he has been doing for a while. He told me he was about to break open an old unresolved family matter but did not want to tell me too much over the phone.”
“Oh, a mystery,” Gail said teasingly. “I love intrigue and mystery. So a relative in your family is an axe murderer?”
“No, mainly horse thieves and moonshiner, anyway, the intrigue of his not talking over the phone was my feeling as well. I tried to push him into saying more but he refused. I’d planned to get down there soon out of curiosity alone but we’ve been so busy at work lately and all.”
“Boy that’s a fact” she replied. “Do you think this new information he found has anything to do with why he’s not answering the phones?”
“I’m not sure about anything right now. Who knows? My hometown is pretty weird and loaded with intrigue. One can find just about anything down there if you look deep enough under the surface. Everything from crooked cops to rich self-centered rich brats, you know the sort of people who own just about everything in sight and have everyone important in their back pockets.”
Gail nodded. “I know the type of place you mean. I grew up on the outskirts of Charlotte and that city is not much different from most small towns. The Mayor washes the dirty dishes of those who pay them under the table while members of the city council mow the lawns outside. Same thing as small towns only there are more people and greater money involved.”
“Sounds like an HBO movie or something” Chuck said.
“The only person that washes my dishes is made in China and my grass gets cut by my boyfriend.”
Chuck almost choked. What else did he expect; that a beautiful girl such as Gail did not have a boyfriend? “Your boyfriend lets you run off for a weekend with your boss?”
“He doesn’t know because I’m sneaking away. However, yes, I have a boyfriend who cuts my lawn. He says we are going to be married one day, just as soon as he gets his license to drive.”
“Oh, you like them young do you?”
“Only the ones who charge me thirty- five dollars to cut the grass then go home to their mother. Sammy is a sweet boy but he has a crush on me. Did you see the condition of my yards? He’s constantly working on them but refuses real pay.”
“Well I bet your real boyfriend is jealous.”
“We broke up several months ago, so what about the women in your life? Do you have problems remembering which ones you’ve asked out on what night?”
“Right, well, my last girlfriend left me for some cute fourteen year old boy that cuts grass for pretty ladies who live alone.”
They both laughed and continued the light hearted prattle back and forth both during the food stop and then for another two hours further down the interstate until Gail had gone quiet and fallen asleep. That is when Chuck realized he was in awe of the figure seated beside him in the car.