Absolute Zero (8 page)

“Alright then. You go back to your, umm…”

“Potluck day.” Ryan supplied before clamping his mouth shut.

“Right. Yes.” His eyes wandered from Ryan’s face to the rest of the men and women still staring at him with wary expressions.
Am I that scary? What the Hell?

“Did you, umm, maybe want a…brownie? Or…?” Ryan trailed off.

His eyes snapped back to the man in front of him causing him to sort of shrink back. Silence reigned for a few moments before he finally responded with a “Sure” and a small shrug.

A woman close to the table jumped into action a second later, grabbing a napkin and placing a brown chunk on it before taking a few tentative steps toward him and holding it out at a full arms’ length. It was like she was holding a dead fish out for a killer whale at Sea World or something. Her hand was actually shaking. He looked at the offering and immediately smiled and took it from her gently.

“Thank you. Carry on…” His eyes gave one more scan over the group and he could almost guess that a collective sigh escaped each one of them as he exited the room.

It was the weirdest thing.

Moments later, he walked into his office suite, the uneaten brownie still held in his hand before he dropped it on the desk before his office door. Rand’s assistant Andrea looked up and then down to the brownie setting atop a small napkin before looking up again.

“It’s a brownie,” he explained unnecessarily. “It’s Potluck day. Who knew, eh?” he stated before wandering into the office and closing the door behind him.

The movers had come and gone, dropping off the few boxes she couldn’t possibly have fit in the Porsche: mostly kitchen gadgets and clothes, boxes of shoes, and only one box of personal effects. Twenty minutes in and she had placed what few items she had left away.  She was working on the very last box of kitchen items when she heard it.

The distinct sound of keys engaging the lock on the front door caused her head to snap up and her hands to cease movement.  She listened for a second more, doubting then realizing that someone truly
was
coming in the front door. Her hand grabbed a large knife from the block she just shoved toward the back of the granite countertop as she crept around the kitchen island and padded toward the opening to the living room. The front door slammed shut and footsteps could be heard walking through the front room, becoming louder and more pronounced. They were headed straight for the kitchen. Anne backed up, eyes darting from side to side; completely unsure of what to do when a small, weathered-looking woman rounded the corner and stopped short. Their eyes connected; Anne’s were huge; the older woman’s were narrowed.

“What are you doing here?” the woman asked with a frown on her wrinkled face.

“I…what are
you
doing here?” Anne stated forcefully.

“I clean this place. Put the knife down.” The woman’s eyes traveled to the knife in Anne’s hand before meeting her eyes once again.

“I don’t need…that won’t be necessary.” Anne stated as she complied and placed the knife on the counter next to her.

“Doesn’t matter what you want. You don’t own this place. Company does,” she said gruffly. “I’m Irene, not that it matters, we won’t be seeing much of each other,” she stated in a serious tone. “I clean two days a week, not always the same days, just whenever I can fit it in. Sometimes Saturday, never on Sunday. I don’t care if you’re here, just don’t get in my way,” she stated in a stern voice. “I won’t do your dirty dishes or your laundry. I’m not your personal maid. I just clean the house, that’s all. If you’re here and I’m working? Don’t talk to me. Unlike every other person in this town, I don’t gossip, I keep my nose out of everyone’s business, I just clean the house. You got that?” she took a break, placing her small hands on her hips and cocking her head at Anne.

Anne’s mouth opened and closed. Nothing came out.

“Good. Now go make yourself scarce.”  She flicked her wrist toward Anne dismissing her as she walked by and opened a closet near the back of the kitchen. Anne stood open mouthed watching as the woman grabbed a tote full of cleaning supplies from the closet and closed it. She turned and fixed her with a glare.

“Are you hearing impaired?” Irene asked, looking the petite woman standing in the kitchen up and down before settling her eyes on her face.

“N…no? I’m…Anne,” she stated completely dumbfounded by the brashness of this tiny being in front of her.

“Fabulous. I don’t really care. You’re not a slob, are you,
Anne
?”

“
No!
” she stated as her eyes narrowed.

“We’ll see. How long are you going to be here?” Irene asked.

“Three months,” Anne answered.

“No. I meant
tonight
. I really don’t like people around when I’m trying to clean. I’d prefer if you left,” she stated haughtily as she walked by.

“Where should I go?” Anne asked before she could catch the words.

“Hell if I know. Go drive around the town, go shopping, get your nails done, I don’t care. Just be gone for two hours. I’ll try to get here while you’re working, but I’m busy as hell right now,” she commented from the other room.

Anne stood rooted to the same spot, completely unsure as to this woman, the situation. She was so damn
rude
.

“Well, Ok.” She
did
need to go grocery shopping. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t planned on that
anyway
, regardless of what ‘Irene the Rude’ commanded.

“You still here?” she heard from the living room causing her eyes to narrow before a small smirk overtook her features.

Her hands immediately grabbed for her purse and the keys situated next to it. Her feet carried her to the front door before she turned and regarded the woman dusting the mantle.

“I’m just…going to the grocery store…” she felt the need to tell her.

“Whatever,” was the only response she received as Irene continued to dust.

Anne closed the door behind her. Her face broke into a wide grin as she shook her head before stepping from the porch. Anyone that might consider
her
rude or too direct, they obviously hadn’t met
Irene
…

*****

She followed the soothing voice commands of her navigation system through the downtown area to a large strip mall near what she assumed must be the outskirts of the small town. Parking her car a few spaces beyond the furthest car from the store, she unfolded her small frame and stepped from the low slung vehicle as she adjusted her purse on her shoulder.

She watched as several people wandered toward the store, some alone, some with children, an older couple was holding hands as they wandered toward the entrance.

The store was relatively new, not huge like she was used to, but not small either. There were only two that showed up in her navigation system for the town of Pernell. In San Diego, there were six within walking distance. She continued to the front sliding doors, briefly debating on a cart or a handbasket before choosing the cart. ‘Mean Irene’
did
state she was to be gone for two hours and she wouldn’t come back a minute before.

*****

“Well, this is a coincidence.”

She continued to stare at the cucumbers, fairly certain that the woman’s voice that seemed so close, was not actually addressing her.

“Hi, I’m Shay,” she heard before a dark skinned hand with perfectly shaped nails filled her line of vision.

Apparently she was mistaken. An involuntary wave of apprehension coursed through Anne.

She stared at the hand for a moment before reaching up and grasping it with a softly spoken “Hi” back. She hadn’t even made it out of the produce section and into the main body of the store yet and already she was being accosted by a stranger.

“You work at Dunmed, right? My husband runs the facility. Rand? Have you met Rand?” The woman asked as Anne’s eyes continued to gaze at the vegetables in front of her.

“Ah, no…”

“Yeah, he’s in
Iowa
right now,” she enunciated Iowa as if it were some inside joke that only she was privy to. “Don’t eat that,” she threw out in a stern voice which caused Anne’s head to turn and look at the woman next to her.

She was very beautiful, very tall and slender with dark skin, long black hair and almond shaped, caramel colored eyes. She was stunning except for the scowl that was firmly engraved on her face at the moment.

“Uh, uh. What did I tell you? Put that down,” she continued, causing Anne to follow her eyes somewhere beyond her right shoulder to two children standing next to a bin of strawberries. They both looked to be about 4 or 5. They were adorable, both holding strawberries and looking slightly guilty with their wide eyes and opened mouths.

“That’s Clara and Rand Jr. or we call him Pooch. Don’t ask,” she added quickly before settling her backside against the vegetable display and leaning on it. “So I was at Connelly’s last night and you came in to get a carry out. I wanted to introduce myself but you took off too fast for me. I love your car by the way,” she added quickly. “Ian says you just moved to town, says you came from San Diego?”

Ian?

“What did I say?” Her voice boomed suddenly as her eyes were now firmly attached beyond Anne once again. “Come here,” she commanded.

“Sorry. Grocery shopping with these two is like some ultimate test of patience. I fail every time,” she confided quietly. “Clara, Pooch? This is…I’m sorry, what is your name again?” her eyes shifted to Anne’s once more.

“Anne.” She stated quietly as her eyes drifted down to the small children in front of her.

“Disney Princess,” the small girl stated as she looked at Anne.

“Pardon me?”

“That means she thinks you’re pretty. It’s like the ultimate compliment.” Shay stated before pulling the girl over and hugging her to her side.

“Umm. Thank you?” Anne’s face broke into a tentative smile at the small girl. Her body seemed to relax as she gazed down. Children were so guileless, so pure…

“You’re short,” The little boy piped up.

And so damn honest
…she thought as her eyes moved over to the little boy.

“Pooch! Geez, kid.” Shay shook her head in embarrassment before she looked up at Anne. “I’m sorry. Anyone looks short when they’re standing next to me. He keeps asking why I don’t play for the Sixers and I’m like, for real? So I’m not self-conscious about my height at all until this one comes around. Sorry about that,” she added once more. “Anyway, I just thought I would introduce myself. I’m assuming you moved here alone?”

Anne was still looking at the two children staring up at her.

“Anne?”

“Huh? I mean, what?” she asked as she looked up.

“You moved here alone?”

“Oh. Ah…yes?” Her nerves were staging a comeback within her body.

“Well, we all go to Zumba on Monday nights. We have a Book Club that meets once a month. Oh! This Saturday is the ACS Gala at the Country Club. If you want to meet people? That’s a great event…”

Yeah…no thank you.

“…
and of course it’s Spring.  We’ll be having Barbeques and pool parties and what-not. We’ll keep you busy,” she stated with a warm smile. “You know, I’ve lived here my entire life, if you want to know anything about this town, I’m your girl.”

“That’s…Ok,” Anne responded, completely unsure of the woman before her. Her lungs decided to constrict as she took a small step to the side. “I should really…I need to…”

“Oh! Right. Yeah, you probably want to get settled in. You should give me your number. Hey! Hands off, Mister!” She grabbed the young boy’s hand and shook it until the cucumber fell back on the pile.  When she looked up, Anne had already backed away several steps.

“Thanks, Ok…so…yeah,” she stammered.

“Well…” Shay started then stopped as Anne turned quickly and began walking out of the produce section. “Nice to meet you!” Shay yelled after her, to which Anne gave a slight wave with her hand and continued her quick pace.

Her eyes followed the smaller woman’s retreating back until she turned the corner. She then fastened her gaze on the empty cart Anne had obviously left next to the vegetable display case. A look of confusion settled on her features as she looked at the down and back up before a tug on her pants could be felt.

“Mommy?”

She shook her head slightly before settling her eyes on her daughter.

*****

They should name the town Shelby Collins.

No fooling. She drove around for twenty minutes after her failed attempt to procure some groceries and to be honest; she needed the time to calm her nerves. Time to herself without the possibility of running into yet another person who either knew about her or
wanted
to know about her…

Of course the chances of them
truly
knowing anything about her were slim; she
was
on the other side of the country now. She was a new person, living a different life. The tragic events of the past served no purpose now than to cause her withdrawal from normal society. It made no sense. Those things didn’t shape her, they held no bonds over her and yet her body reacted on its own each and every time someone came too close. No matter what she told herself, that invisible chain wrapped around her heart, mind and body. It coiled around and squeezed the sense from her regardless of what she wanted to believe.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she concentrated on the scenery around her as she drove aimlessly.

The town itself was small but there were outlying areas before the farmer’s fields started. There was a rather large park with a trail that would be perfect for running.
Shelby Collins Memorial Park
was boldly emblazoned on the large wooden sign near the entrance. It was bordered on one side by the
Shelby Collins Memorial Field
containing soccer goal posts peppered throughout lush green fields. Neither of these wouldn’t be so noticeable except for the fact that she had already passed the
Shelby Collins Memorial
Library
during her travels. It was one of the more architecturally impressive buildings lining the main street through the downtown area.  The rest of the buildings were lovingly maintained, most of them had to be at least one hundred years old if not older.  Awnings proclaimed the businesses and seemed to match one another except for the colors and some of the fonts. Pear trees lined the street on either side, looking as if they would start blooming at any moment.  The town would be even more charming than it already was once the small white flowers made an appearance.