She brought her thoughts up short. What was she doing planning jobs for Trent? She doubted he would appreciate her sticking her nose into his business, even if her intentions were good.
She picked up a roll of jewel-toned floral paper and tried to picture it in her kitchen. Too bright? Too busy?
The idle discussion in the other aisle continued. “Weren’t the Garretts related to the McBrides somehow?”
“In a way. Josiah McBride, Sr., married a Garrett. Anna Mae. They had the three boys, Josiah, Jr., Caleb and Jonas. Caleb’s the only one of the three still living, but the rest of the family certainly seem to be thriving.”
“Speaking of which—did you hear Trent McBride’s starting to get out again? I heard he had a date last weekend with Annie Stewart, that pretty little housekeeper who works for April Penny and Martha Godwin. They had dinner at Cora’s. Burt Woodard saw them and tried to get Trent’s attention, but he said Trent wasn’t paying attention to anyone but his date.”
Annie had frozen in her steps, her fingers clenched white-knuckled around a roll of ivy-printed wallpaper. She and Trent had teased each other about the possibility of local gossip, but she hadn’t really believed it would happen. She simply hadn’t imagined that the locals would find her interesting enough to gossip about.
“It’s past time for Trent to start getting out again. When I remember the way he used to chase around this town, making all the girls fall in love with him, so full of spunk and mischief, it just makes me want to cry. I’m sure he and Annie make a pretty couple. She teaches piano, you know. She’s started teaching my neighbor’s little girl. I see her from my front window when she arrives and leaves, and she’s just as cute as a button.”
“I’ve heard that Bobbie’s hoping for a match there. She’s the one who introduced Trent and Annie, you know. She’s been so worried about him ever since he was in that awful accident and had to quit the air force.”
Annie was looking for a hole to crawl into when she was mercifully spared further humiliation by the intervention of the store’s owner, who approached the other women and asked, “Have you ladies found anything you like?”
The talk in the other aisle turned to decorating, and Annie was able to slip unnoticed out of the store. She h
ad seen a couple of patterns she had rather liked and she planned to return for them after she’d taken the necessary measurements. Maybe she would be fortunate enough to be the only customer in the store next time.
She couldn’t help mentally replaying the women’s conversation as she drove home. And she cringed, thinking of how Trent would have reacted if he’d been the one unlucky enough to hear them. He’d have hated it—probably even more than she did.
Things had been going so well between them, she thought wistfully. They had become friends, and she treasured each of the few friends she had made since moving here. She would hate for things to be ruined now by careless gossip that would send Trent bolting for safety again, just when he had started to come out of his unhappy shell—at least a little.
7
IT DIDN’T HELP Annie’s composure to find Trent at her place when she arrived. He came around from the backyard just as she stepped out of her car. “Um, what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice breathless because her pulse was fluttering so hard in her throat.
He looked a bit disconcerted himself. “I didn’t have anything special to do this afternoon, so I came back to finish those broken boards. It took longer than I expected.”
“I see.” She swallowed, wishing that she hadn’t overheard the unsettling conversation in the home-decor shop. “Are you finished now?”
“I think so. Are you through?”
“Yes. I thought I would take it easy for the rest of the day. Someone,” she added with a weak smile, “recently took me to task for working too hard.”
His answering smile was faint, but looked real enough. “I’m glad you were paying attention.”
She slid her hands into the pockets of her khaki slacks, feeling the need to say something else. “Do you, um, want to come in for coffee or something?”
He looked from her to the house, hesitating long enough to make her wonder what he was thinking. When he spoke, his question came right out of left field. “Do you like movies?”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Yes, I like movies. Well, some movies. Why?”
“I was thinking about driving into Carrollton, maybe catch that new Harrison Ford film. I like Harrison Ford. He started out as a cabinetmaker, you know.”
Rather amused by his uncharacteristic awkwardness, she nodded. “Yes, I know. He’s also a wonderful actor. I usually love his films.”
“Great. So, you want to go?”
Was this a date? A follow-up to their dinner at Cora’s? Or—she swallowed—a gesture to please his matchmaking mother?
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans when she didn’t immediately answer. “It’s just…you know…something to do. A way to relax for a couple of hours. It would be good for you.”
He made a movie outing sound like a dose of vitamins. Which probably made it easier for her to say, “Okay, sure. Why not?”
He didn’t exactly look delighted that she had accepted. In fact, he even looked a bit dismayed. But he nodded, forced a smile and said, “Okay, let’s go. If you’re ready, that is.”