Page 64 of Missing Pieces
Chapter Twenty-Six
I hold my phone up to the windshield hoping that if I get it closer to the satellites, the GPS signal will kick back in. It doesn’t. The shaking method doesn’t even work. I am officially lost. Ivy was right, she should have come with me. I was never going to find Summer’s farm in this desolate wasteland of corn and zero cell reception. I figure I can’t be far. She said it was a forty minute drive. It’s been fifty minutes. I knew I should have written down the directions both Ivy and Summer told me. But I’m not one to follow the directions that go, “take a right after the third big tree on the left and then you pass a white picket fence, drive five more minutes.” I am sorry if anyone thinks those directions work, they don’t. Street names people, give me street names.
I jump out of the truck and walk a bit hoping to get any kind of signal. As I am holding my phone up to the sun, a loud noise causes me to jump. I turn to my left and see a tractor, yes, a tractor, pulling over across the road. “Car trouble, ma’am?”
I shake my head. Embarrassment floods my cheeks as I realize I was caught in the act of satellite searching. I will just blame my flush on the damn sun.
“Ahh, the other trouble,” the young man says as he crosses the street. “There ain’t much cell service around here. You need directions?”
I shove my phone into my pocket and nod. “Yeah, I thought my GPS would survive out here. I guess not.”
“Where you headed?”
“The Anderson Ranch.”
“I see. You must be a friend of Summer’s. You look it. One of her city friends. They always seem to be gettin’ lost out here. But I’m always here to help them find their way,” he winks. I just nod because this guy is starting to come off a little creepy or he is hitting on me? I’m not sure which.
“Well just keep headin’ the way you’re headin’ then there’ll be a road on your right, take that right. You’ll pass a farm on your left a ways down with a big ol’ green barn. The second drive on the left after that will lead you right on up to her place.”
I stare at him, trying not to punch him for those fucking directions, then force a smile and a thank you and get back into the truck and drive off.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I mumble to myself as I pull into the gated drive to her property. I can’t believe those fucking directions worked and that I got here without getting turned around once. Maybe I needed to get out of the south because it’s starting to wear off on me.
“You’re here!” I hear Summer screech coming from the front porch of the massive house. I jump out of the cab and walk toward her. She throws her arms around me in a tight hug, mounds of blonde hair attacking my face. She pulls away from me with a huge grin on her face. “Did you have any trouble finding the place?”
“Umm, yeah no. Made it here alright.”
“Ha! I knew you would get lost! It’s because you didn’t write down my directions!”
I roll my eyes at her. “Well, I wasn’t really into counting trees today to find my way.”
She laughs as she pulls me toward the house. “I told you the GPS wouldn’t work. How did you find the ranch?”
“This creepy guy on a tractor helped me.”
“Creepy?” she smirks.
“I’m not joking. I think he was trying to hit on me. Or murder me. I’m not sure which.”
We walk into the front door and I am blown away, I can’t find my footing and just stop in my tracks. The entryway is a bit tight, but a huge curved staircase leads up to the second floor, reminiscent of southern plantations. Off to the left, a huge entertainment area with beautiful vaulted ceilings opens into a huge kitchen. The potential is endless, but I can see what Summer was worried about. The paint in the family room is avocado green and the kitchen is dark wood, giving it a somber look.
“Yeah, I know, it starts out breathtaking and then just shits on itself.” I look over at Summer and laugh.
“I think you summed it up perfectly.”
“I know I told you I wanted it done before the wedding, but I think I’ve concluded it ain’t gonna happen. There is just so much to do. I think I would rather you work on the outside. That way I don’t have anyone in here except the chefs and servers.” A look of worry crosses her features.
I rub my hand over her back. “I know you want the perfect house. Now, I know I haven’t seen the backyard yet, but I bet I could get some contractors to fix the kitchen up in the next month. Then it would be easier for the staff you hire for the wedding to use it.”
Her frown slowly fades, and I hope that I’ve helped ease some of her bridezilla fears. “You think so?”
“Absolutely.”
Her smile lights up the room and she grabs my hand and pulls me toward the back door off the kitchen. “I am so glad to hear that! I have been freaking out. Brett was getting so sick of hearing me complain I thought he was gonna divorce me before we even got married!”
I smile at her as she pulls me outside. “I think that would just be a break up not a divorce.”
She waves her hand in my face and then points to the backyard. I am once again rendered speechless. There is little work to be done here. The back patio needs an update and new landscaping around the edges, but it pales in comparison to the beauty of the rest of the yard. I can see why she and her fiancé bought this place. The yard was huge, the grass a beautiful bright green. But the best part was both sides of the yard were lined with gorgeous magnolia trees that led all the way to the small pond at the end of the yard. Acres of farmland sat on the other side of the pond. An absolutely stunning view. “Wow.”