“That doesn’t sound dumb to me either,” Stacy said softly.
“I gotta go. See ya in church.”
“Yes, I’ll see you in church.”
Chapter 15
“Where’s Nate?” the man asked Terri. It was Saturday and Widiwick was in full swing, with hundreds of visitors.
“I have no idea.”
“But I need him to carry one of my sculptures to a truck. It weighs about four hundred pounds.”
Terri was stapling the side of a tent that had fallen down. “I don’t know where he is. Go ask Stacy Hartman.”
“What does she have to do with anything?”
“Stacy and Nate are engaged to be married.”
“Married?” The man looked shocked.
“You’ve never heard of it? Marriage has been around for a while.”
“I thought you two were—”
She stepped around the man and started toward her next job.
“Terri, I’m serious,” he called after her. “How am I going to move this thing? It’s a polished tree stump with a piece of glass on the top.”
“How did you get it there in the first place?” When he started to speak, she put up her hand. “Don’t tell me. Nate did it. I don’t know how we ran this place before he showed up. Go find Stacy and ask her. I haven’t seen him.” She picked up her pace and went to her utility truck and got in.
For today, no cars or trucks were allowed on the road that encircled the lake. People had to park on the outside and walk. That caused a lot of grumbling but it saved them from running over each other.
Terri needed a break from the noise and the questions and the general chaos of the fair. They didn’t have a count, but it looked to be the biggest one yet. A vendor said she’d stamped over two hundred tickets as the people tried to get them ready to be put in for the Wish drawing. Summer Hill Residents Only seemed to have been lost along the way.
Mr. Cresnor had been sitting on his throne chair off and on since yesterday morning. Terri hadn’t okayed it but the kids on the staff had started gluing seashells to the big wooden chair. As soon as the children saw it, they added things. One of the girls who worked in the kitchen was in charge of the glue gun. Matchbox cars, diaper pins, hair clips, feathers, and lots and lots of fake jewels were being glued on. Mr. Cresnor sat in his chair and approved or disapproved what could be added. His wife said he was in heaven.
Smiling, Terri waved to people as she entered Elaine’s shop. There were six college girls working today and from the sound of it, they were mostly running the register.
One of them pointed toward the storeroom door. It looked like Elaine was hiding out. Terri went inside, closed the door behind her and leaned on it, her eyes closed.
“Come on,” Elaine called. “Sit down. Have you had anything to eat?”
“Not since 6:00 a.m.” Terri stepped around some open boxes, past shelves that were nearly empty, to get to the little table by the back door. It was set with soft drinks and sandwiches wrapped in plastic. Gratefully, she sat down. “Are you going to run out of stuff to sell?”
“Close. I’ve had eight requests for suits and cover-ups like you wore. I want you to be my model more often.”
“Sure. I’ll get a tattoo on my forehead that says I got it at Elaine’s.”
“No one will see it. Now if you put it on your behind, everyone would see it.”
Laughing, Terri took the drink Elaine held out to her. “Really, how are you doing?”
“Financially, excellent. I actually have sold out of nearly everything. Next week I’ll have to go to New York to buy more.”
“Take Dad with you. Have lots of sex and cheer him up.”
Elaine didn’t smile. “You, Brody and Frank all need cheering up.”