Page 11 of Yours, Always
“I think he’s going to come home for a visit,” Prudence confided in Annabelle. “He doesn’t sound happy, even with all the praise he’s been getting. I think he’s burned out.” She noticed she’d chipped the reminder of the polish off her nail while she’d been thinking.
“He didn’t mention that, but it’s great to hear.” Annabelle’s face lit up, obviously trying to keep the mood light even though she could tell her friend was worried. “Did he say when?”
Prudence shook her head. “You called just as we were starting to talk about it.” She paused as Devlin walked over.
“Here you go ladies. Something to soak up any last remnants of alcohol.” Devlin set two muffins on the table. “Let me know if you need anything else. I’ve got some scones to start for tomorrow’s breakfast menu.”
“Thank you!” Prudence and Annabelle said in unison.
Prudence took a sip of her coffee, closing her eyes and making a sound of delight. “This is one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had.”
Annabelle grimaced while sipping her black house blend. “I don’t know how you can drink that stuff. Black is the only way to go. Once you start adding in—”
Prudence cut her off with a wave of her hand. “I know, I know. You don’t get the full aroma from the beans, blah blah blah. If it were up to you, creamer would be a crime.”
“Well, us true coffee aficionados—”
“Snobs.” Prudence coughed the word loudly under her breath.
“Hey! I heard that.” Annabelle held her hand to her chest, feigning indignation.
“You were supposed to, my dear.”
Annabelle swatted Prudence across the table, letting out a bubble of laughter. “Back to Mr. Atwood. Did he really seem like he wanted to come home? It’s been ages since he’s been back.”
“I do think he was serious this time. He has a while before the Passel nominations are announced and no other projects in the works. Well, he did mention a script he needs to read, but I can’t imagine that would go into production before the Passel’s, if he’s nominated. I really can’t think of a better time for him to visit.” Prudence picked up her muffin and peeled off the paper wrapper.
“It would be the perfect time. With the Fall Festival coming up, he’d have no shortage of things to do. I’ve got plenty of projects for him.”
“Are you working on the parade float for the Bee again this year?”
“No, I thought I’d focus more on the hay bale maze. Really try to make it something special.” Annabelle reached over and pulled a piece from Prudence’s muffin. “I like the pistachio. I never think to order one.”
“That’s a great idea. The maze always seems to be forgotten. Throw a few bales together and hope a path leads to the exit.”
“I have a lot of ideas for it this year. Get people to stay out in the country for a while. Other than my usual newspaper duties it’s pretty much just that. Oh! By the way, Devlin agreed to do a hot apple cider stand. Are you working on anything in particular?”
“Chuck asked me to help with the car dealership’s float.” Prudence tried to hide the reluctance from her face. She obviously failed.
“Woah. That sure isn’t an ‘I’m happy to help my boyfriend’ look.”
Prudence blew out a breath and moved her coffee mug around on the table. “I mean, I’m happy to help, but Chuck doesn’t ever really seem to have a vision, and his dad has nothingbutvision, so being the go-between can get exhausting.” She took another sip of her coffee, trying to come up with the right words to explain how she saw things between father and son. “Charles Senior is such a force of nature that anyone in his path seems to get bowled over. That’s not a bad thing, by any means. He usually ends up getting the best out of people because they want to try so hard when they’re around him. But”—she hesitated—“when you’re his son and have grown up in the shadow of this great man, it can get a little overwhelming, I think.”
Annabelle stole another piece of the pistachio muffin, popping it in her mouth. “How long have you and Chuck been going out now, a few months?” she asked, clearly trying to be casual.
Ah, there it is. She’d been wondering when Annabelle would bring this up again. “Almost a year, believe it or not.” Prudence swatted Annabelle’s hand as she tried to grab another piece of her muffin, then pushed the whole thing over.It’s not like I need any more carbs. Her jeans were getting a little tight as it was.
“I hadn’t realized it was that long. I guess you’ve seen a lot of interactions between the two of them to know a bit about their relationship.” Annabelle finished the rest of her coffee. “And speaking of relationships, what does Greyson think about your romance with Chuck?”
Prudence started studying the painting behind Annabelle’s head.
“Pru?”
It was a very unusual painting.
“Prudence.”
The way the artist gets the light to reflect off the—