blame me . I’m the one who spied on them, no one else. And I don’t care what you think of me. You don’t live here.”
Meg crossed her arms over her chest. “We also didn’t tell Valerie’s husband she was here. You know it was only a matter of time until he found out his wife is a . . . what her husband called her.”
He couldn’t believe they were rationalizing the situation.
“Paul would’ve killed Harry if we hadn’t been standing here to witness the murder,” Roxie added. “Not that I would have testified against him if he did kill him.”
“See, our being here was a good thing!” Meg said. “We kept Paul from killing Harry.”
“Good Samaritans, huh?” Luke shook his head. They all knew things had gotten out of hand, even if they didn’t want to admit it. He pointed to Andi. “Like I said—trouble.”
SIX
Andi had no sooner placed her belongings on the dining room table than there was a loud knock on the door.
Peering through the peephole, she saw Luke standing on her welcome mat. Embarrassment over the scene at Harry’s flooded over her. “What could he possibly want now?”
Taking a moment to gain her composure, she stood with her fingers on the knob, simply breathing. Finally ready to face him, she stiffened her spine and tugged the door open.
“We need to talk.” His stoic face revealed nothing congenial. Long strides took him through her dining area and into the living room, which was more presentable than the last time he’d been inside her home. Between interviewing the reverend and spying on the board, she’d still managed to find time to unpack a few boxes and toss them into the corners.
Luke sat on the new red accent chair next to the white linen sofa. He leaned forward, his elbow resting on his thighs, his hands clasped together. She remembered that look. He was contemplating his next words. She lowered herself onto the sofa and waited. This could take a while.
“Andi . . .”
“If you came over here to lecture me about the anti-board spying and how somehow this is all my fault—”
“No lecture.”
She waited for him to continue, certain whatever he had to say would turn into a lecture despite his assurances. In her defense, she hadn’t intended to spy. Meg called her over to the tree before she knew what Roxie was doing.
Okay, I had some clue what Roxie was doing, but still . . .
“I’m not one to gossip.” He stood and walked over to the sliding-glass door where she had left the blinds pulled back. Agitated, he faced her back porch while running a hand through his thick hair. “But I think you deserve to know why Harry tries to control the property as strictly as he does. I’m not asking you to feel sorry for him, just to understand.”
Oh, great! A lecture in disguise.
“I grant you he has gone off the deep end,” Luke said as he glanced in her direction. “But when I first met him he had a soft side. I saw it only a few times, but it was there. I’m hoping he might find it again now that Valerie is free to be with him.”
Andi stifled a string of sarcastic comments.
“Harry’s wife died of cancer a few years ago. That was when I first met him. I wasn’t the property manager back then, but I was helping an associate at the board meetings. Six months after that, the company he worked for merged with another, and he was forced into early retirement to make room for younger, less expensive employees. He became an angry man struggling to maintain some degree of control over his life. His biggest mistake was running for the board. Bernice was president when he joined, and unfortunately, a role model for those who don’t want to win friends and influence people in a positive way.”
Andi felt a twinge of guilt. Then her line of vision fell on the violation letters piling up on her table, and she snubbed out that guilt like an ugly cigarette butt. “I’m sorry he lost his wife, but he has no right to make the rest of the world miserable
Meg crossed her arms over her chest. “We also didn’t tell Valerie’s husband she was here. You know it was only a matter of time until he found out his wife is a . . . what her husband called her.”
He couldn’t believe they were rationalizing the situation.
“Paul would’ve killed Harry if we hadn’t been standing here to witness the murder,” Roxie added. “Not that I would have testified against him if he did kill him.”
“See, our being here was a good thing!” Meg said. “We kept Paul from killing Harry.”
“Good Samaritans, huh?” Luke shook his head. They all knew things had gotten out of hand, even if they didn’t want to admit it. He pointed to Andi. “Like I said—trouble.”
SIX
Andi had no sooner placed her belongings on the dining room table than there was a loud knock on the door.
Peering through the peephole, she saw Luke standing on her welcome mat. Embarrassment over the scene at Harry’s flooded over her. “What could he possibly want now?”
Taking a moment to gain her composure, she stood with her fingers on the knob, simply breathing. Finally ready to face him, she stiffened her spine and tugged the door open.
“We need to talk.” His stoic face revealed nothing congenial. Long strides took him through her dining area and into the living room, which was more presentable than the last time he’d been inside her home. Between interviewing the reverend and spying on the board, she’d still managed to find time to unpack a few boxes and toss them into the corners.
Luke sat on the new red accent chair next to the white linen sofa. He leaned forward, his elbow resting on his thighs, his hands clasped together. She remembered that look. He was contemplating his next words. She lowered herself onto the sofa and waited. This could take a while.
“Andi . . .”
“If you came over here to lecture me about the anti-board spying and how somehow this is all my fault—”
“No lecture.”
She waited for him to continue, certain whatever he had to say would turn into a lecture despite his assurances. In her defense, she hadn’t intended to spy. Meg called her over to the tree before she knew what Roxie was doing.
Okay, I had some clue what Roxie was doing, but still . . .
“I’m not one to gossip.” He stood and walked over to the sliding-glass door where she had left the blinds pulled back. Agitated, he faced her back porch while running a hand through his thick hair. “But I think you deserve to know why Harry tries to control the property as strictly as he does. I’m not asking you to feel sorry for him, just to understand.”
Oh, great! A lecture in disguise.
“I grant you he has gone off the deep end,” Luke said as he glanced in her direction. “But when I first met him he had a soft side. I saw it only a few times, but it was there. I’m hoping he might find it again now that Valerie is free to be with him.”
Andi stifled a string of sarcastic comments.
“Harry’s wife died of cancer a few years ago. That was when I first met him. I wasn’t the property manager back then, but I was helping an associate at the board meetings. Six months after that, the company he worked for merged with another, and he was forced into early retirement to make room for younger, less expensive employees. He became an angry man struggling to maintain some degree of control over his life. His biggest mistake was running for the board. Bernice was president when he joined, and unfortunately, a role model for those who don’t want to win friends and influence people in a positive way.”
Andi felt a twinge of guilt. Then her line of vision fell on the violation letters piling up on her table, and she snubbed out that guilt like an ugly cigarette butt. “I’m sorry he lost his wife, but he has no right to make the rest of the world miserable
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