head on his shoulders.”
Kate arched her eyebrows. “Carol. Are you shopping around?”
Her friend caught her tone. “Oh, you. Behave. John's just an old friend. His
wife passed away just a few years ago.”
“Oh.” She hadn't seen that in any of the Nitrovex materials. She'd liked Mrs. Wells, despite what happened at the Scholarship Fair. “You have any…
other friends?” she probed. “Does Wally the mailman still deliver here?”
“If you mean male friends, then yes, of course, I'm acquainted with some of
the men around here.” Carol fussed with a button on her sleeve. “And, yes, Wally is still around and no, he's not my type. I hope you didn't come here just to grill me about my love life.”
“Really?” Kate said, ignoring her. She crossed her arms, enjoying this little
teasing session. “So, who is your type these days? Jock? Policeman? Painter?
Scientist?”
“Let's talk about you,” Carol said quickly. “Boyfriend?”
Kate interlaced her fingers across her knee. “Nope. I'm as free as you are, apparently.”
“Good. I mean, that's nice.” Carol seemed to be distracted by something outside the side window. Then she stood. “Here. Let's get your bag upstairs. I figured you'd want your old room?”
Oh, geez, her old room. Kate could still picture the dopey sunflower curtains
she'd begged her parents for and the “My Little Pony” mural she'd plastered on
the slanted ceiling. Lovely. She picked up her bag. “I guess so.”
“I painted it last fall. Hope that's okay?”
Kate shrugged. Starlight Pony gone? Good riddance. “It's your house.
Besides, everything changes sometime, right?”
Carol was already heading for the stairs near the front door. “Oh, I think you'll find a few things in the neighborhood you still like. Why don't we go for a stroll after you settle in?”
* * *
“So, why the walk all over downtown?” Peter asked. “A new exercise program
for your knee?”
Lucius looked up from his watch. “Hmm? Oh, just need to get some screws
from the hardware store.”
Peter tilted his head. “Uh…the hardware store is the other way. And it's closed. Sunday, remember?”
Lucius took in a deep breath of air and slapped his chest like a lumberjack.
“But it's such a beautiful day. Let's take in the sights.”
The sights? In Golden Grove? The only sight around this weekend was the
herd of crazy bearded guys roaming the streets.
Lucius was looking at his watch again. He was walking at a snail's pace, looking up and down the block.
“You okay? Your knee hurting?” Peter finally asked.
Lucius rubbed his right knee. “Now that you mention it, it is a little sore.
Mind if we sit on a bench for a while?”
His older friend headed for a glossy green bench under one of the trees that
lined Broadway, one of the four streets on the town square. A man sat on one end
of the bench, legs crossed, calmly reading a paper, apparently unaware that his
absurd beard appeared to be attacking his face.
“Okay…” Peter said. It wasn't like he was in a rush. The only other thing on
