Annie's Answer by Pam Andrews Hanson Page B

door, but Nathan still didn’t feel ready to end the
evening. He put his hand on Annie’s shoulder as they walked out to his car,
surprised by how fragile she felt under his touch.
    She was quiet
on the drive to her house, perhaps overcome by fatigue, given her long day. He
wanted to make life easier for her but was at a loss to sort out the
complicated feelings whirling around in his head.
    He walked
Annie to her front door, still reluctant to let her go.
    “Thank you for
the meal. I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she said.
    “I hope Aunt
Mattie didn’t try to feed you leftover egg salad for lunch.”
    “No,” she said
giggling. “She told me you loathe it, but she thinks it’s good for you.”
    “That would be
Mattie. Thank you, Annie,” he said impulsively, looking down on her mass of
soft brown curls.
    “What for?”
    “For being so
nice to Mattie.”
    He wanted to
say more, but first he had to be sure of his feelings. Certainly he was
attracted to her, but was it only because she was so refreshingly different
from any woman he’d ever dated? Was it fair to her to pursue a friendship when
he had no intention of committing to a long-term relationship?
    She shrugged
off his compliment and opened the door. “See you tomorrow—well, maybe.
Have a nice day in court.”
    Walking back
to his car, he replayed their meal together in his head. Had he started
something he might regret, or was this the beginning of something so special it
could change his life forever?

Chapter 10
    “Did you have
car trouble last night, dear?” Annie’s mother asked at the breakfast table.
    “No,” Annie
said, knowing this was her mother’s indirect way of asking why she’d been late
getting home.
    “Oh, I just
wondered. I thought I heard you come in, but maybe I was dreaming. Anyway, I
worry about your VW. You know you’re welcome to drive my car. I always walk to
work in the summer.”
    “If I rains, I
can drive you,” Gramps reminded her, dishing up scrambled eggs on both their
plates.
    “Don’t worry,
Mom. When I buy the flower shop, I’ll have the delivery van to get around.”
    “How’s it going
at the Sawyers’?” her grandfather asked, sitting down to join them.
    “Okay, I
guess. Mattie keeps me busy. She’s having me clean all the cupboards and
drawers in the kitchen. I guess it entertains her to find jobs I can do.”
    “Understandable,”
Gramps said. “She’s frustrated because she can’t do everything herself. Maybe
I’ll make a call and challenge her to a game of checkers.”
    “She might put
you to work scrubbing the checker pieces with a toothbrush,” Annie said making
a feeble attempt at a joke.
    “Now don’t be
critical,” he said. “Getting old is not for sissies, and Mrs. Hayward has had
it harder than some, losing her house and all.”
    Her
grandfather rarely rebuked her, and Annie was quick to explain herself. “I know
how much she misses her home and  friends,” she said. “I’m only sorry I
can’t do more to help.”
    “I know how
hard you work,” her grandfather was quick to say. “The woman is probably at
loose ends, not knowing how to fill her days. Boredom is old folks’ enemy. I
see it every time I call at the nursing home.”
    “Of course you
do,” her mother said, always quick to smooth over the slightest hint of discord
in her small family. “Now I’d better get going.”
    “Sure you
don’t want a ride to work, Mom? It’s hot outside already.”
    “No, I enjoy
walking. You’d be surprised how many people are out this time of day. It’s like
one big club of walkers and runners.”
    How would her
mother fare if she moved to a strange town where she didn’t know anyone? That
was Mattie’s situation, and Annie wanted to do all she could to make her happy.
    She left the
house soon after her mother did, hoping she was early enough to run into
Nathan. Although she wasn’t kidding herself about the possibility of a
relationship, her day was still