The Romance Report (16 page)

"Give me a few days. I'll talk to you later,
Mom. Love you," Claire said as she disconnected the call. Claire couldn't
even wrap her brain around the idea of heading to the country. She was a city
girl through and through. She loved the sounds and smells of the city streets. The
bright lights and crowds were part of her. She couldn't even imagine not being
able to get to a Starbucks in less than a few blocks.

Claire decided she needed a second opinion. She
picked up her cell phone to call Isabella. "Isabella's House of Chaos. How
can I be driven insane today?"  Isabella answered. "Claire, I
swear if these kids don't settle down I am going to lose my mind. We definitely
need a spa day."

"Good morning to you, too. So, I'm not going
to be Mrs. Stanislowski. In fact, no one will be Mrs. Stanislowski. It will end
up being Dr. Darrin Stanislowski and Mr. Stanislowski," Claire gave a
grimace as the image of Darrin slipping a diamond ring on another man's hairy
knuckles formed in her mind.

"I don't get it. What the heck are you talking
about?" Isabella demanded.

"Darrin needed to talk to me last night. He
has decided to come out of the closet. I was the first person he came out to by
dumping me for a guy. So I lost my job and my boyfriend to another man all in
one day. This is what I get for cursing the universe. And now my mom wants me
to go live on my Great Aunt Lily's farm and sort out her estate."

"Crap on a cracker!  I knew something
was off about that guy, but even I didn't see that one coming!  I would
love to have been a fly on the wall to see that meltdown. How badly did you
hurt him?" Isabella asked.

"I didn't even raise my voice," Claire
protested. "Well, okay, I did yell just a little, but can you blame me?
 I did not see this coming at all. I was a gay man's beard. I am a
clueless idiot."

"You and the rest of us. Claire, I just
thought he was uptight. I would never have guessed Darrin was gay. And your mom
is crazy if she thinks you would survive in the country. She obviously didn't
see you freak out when a pigeon came too close to you at the park. I thought
you were going to hyperventilate and pass out from fear. A chicken would make
you have a stroke," Isabella chuckled.

"I just don't like pigeons. They are dirty
birds. I could survive in the country if I had to. I just prefer the city.
I haven't even had a day to look for a job. I'm sure I'll find something. If
need be, I'll swing up to Cosner's Creek to make sure the farm is still
standing then head back home," Claire said. She poured herself
another cup of coffee and stirred the last bit of sugar she scraped from the
sugar bowl. She would have to head to the store this morning to get groceries
and some kitten food for Gingersnap.

"If you say so. Don't do anything rash. You've
had a crappy twenty-four hours. I know you, chica, and you are going to do
something crazy that you'll regret later. As your friend, I am telling you
now - don't do it," Isabella warned.

"I'm not going to do anything crazy. Right
now, I am going to head to the store. My kitten needs some food. Call me
later," Claire said.

"Will do. Come by later today and I'll
feed you. I’m making
chile rellenos
and flan just for you. Comfort food
is a must in these trying times. Talk to you later." Isabella hung up. She
knew the way to Claire's heart was through her cooking especially since Claire
didn't cook. She microwaved. She tossed salads and occasionally made
pasta but that was the extent of her kitchen skills. 

Claire hopped in the shower. Once she toweled dry,
she pulled on a sweatshirt she dug out of her messy dresser. She yanked a
pair of yoga pants and socks out of her gym bag, sniffed them and deciding they
could last at least another day, pulled them on. She put laundry on her to-do
list for the day. Grabbing her keys, she walked down to the street and
hopped into her Subaru. She turned the key and the engine roared to life. She
put it into drive and as she pulled out, the car gave a horrible
clunk, the check engine light came on, and it shuddered to a stop. Claire
tried to start it again and nothing happened. Claire climbed out of the
car and called the garage that did her oil changes and tune-ups. Twenty minutes
later, a tow truck pulled up and Iggy hopped out. His dad owned the
garage, but Iggy had taken over the day-to-day operations a year ago after
his dad's heart attack. 

"What's up, Miss O'Connor?  Car won't
start?"  Iggy chomped away at a piece of gum. His greasy black hair
was styled into unbecoming spikes which gave him the look of a slightly crazed
hedgehog. His face was pock-marked, and he had an unfortunately large beaked
nose. His arms were covered with tattoos. If Claire hadn't known him for years,
she would have crossed the street to avoid him, but he was actually a decent
guy.

"I started to pull out and it gave a loud
kerplunk. Then it died and wouldn't start back up," Claire shrugged her
shoulders. "I don't know what's wrong with her.” She handed Iggy her keys.
He slid into the driver's seat and tried to start the car. Nothing happened. He
hopped out and opened the hood. He fiddled with some wires and gave an occasional
grunt. "How bad is it?"

"Well, it ain't good. I'm going to have to
tow her to the shop. It looks like the timing belt and that is bad. It could be
the death of this old girl." Iggy patted the hood of the car like it was
an old horse.

"I can't afford a new car!" Claire
wailed. "Heck, I can't afford this car if it's an expensive
repair!" 

"I'll see what I can do. I can't make you any
promises. I'll call you later today and tell you the damage," Iggy said.
"I won't charge you for the tow. It's just down the block anyway."

"Thanks, Iggy. Just do your best."
Claire's shoulders slumped as she realized that her bad luck wasn't over. She
headed down the street to walk to the market. It was only five blocks and the
walk would clear her head. Obviously, someone was trying to tell her
something. She had no job, no man, no money and now, no car. Her grandma said
bad luck came in threes, so she was due some good luck. Maybe she should buy a
lottery ticket. She kicked at a soda can in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Ma'am, there's no littering," A voice
said from behind her. Startled, Claire turned and saw a policeman. He
pulled out a book and a pen from his back pocket. "I'm going to have to
write you a ticket."

"But...but...I...oh, never mind." Claire
gave a dejected sigh and gave him her name and address. She snatched the
ticket from his hand the second he reached out to hand it to her.

Claire walked the remaining few blocks
to the market, picked up some kitten food and a few other essentials and headed
home. When she opened her apartment door, Gingersnap ran up to greet her. "You
know what, Ginger? I think the universe has been beating me over the head
the past two days and telling me it is time to make a change. How about you and
I take a little trip to the country?"  Ginger meowed her
agreement. 

Claire turned her car turned down the
lane marked with a large wooden sign that read "Lilly Belle Farm.” She
had used the last of her savings to repair her car. Isabella had helped her
pack her apartment and Claire's dad had hauled all of her furniture and dishes
to a storage unit. Claire had brought her laptop, her clothes and a cat carrier
with Ginger inside to Aunt Lily's farm. She wasn't planning on staying for more
than two or three months, so she figured she wouldn't need too many things. She
was doing what her mom suggested. Reevaluating her life and deciding what
direction to go with her defunct career. She hadn't really liked writing ads. Her
true passion was American history. Claire thought about returning to grad
school and finishing her thesis. She could teach history at a local community
college or get a job at a museum. Her mind was wandering and she wasn't paying
attention to the road in front of her. It wasn't until she heard a loud
honk did she startle out of her reverie and realize that she had stopped her
car. An old truck was behind her waiting for her to move. Pressing on the gas,
Claire continued up the lane until she spotted Aunt Lily's farmhouse. It was
much larger than she remembered. Pulling up to the house, she parked and
stepped out to stretch her legs after the long drive. The driver of the old
truck followed her into the driveway and pulled to a stop behind her
car. A tall man stepped out and walked towards her.

"Can I help you?"  The man asked as
he squinted at Claire from under the brim of his battered cowboy hat. He wore a
dusty pair of jeans with beat-up cowboy boots and his blue t-shirt stretched
across his broad chest. Claire couldn't really see his face since it was hidden
by the hat, but she didn't like the proprietary tone he took with her. This was
her family's home and she had no clue who he was.

"I don't know. Can you?"  Claire
responded saucily. "This is my Great Aunt Lily's house. Well, it was her
house. It's my mom's now. I'm Claire O'Connor. So the question is, who are you
and how can I help you?" 

"Whoa. A little prickly, aren't you. I'm Wade
Daniels. I've been taking care of your aunt's place since she passed away. I
live right down the road at Hidden Acres Farm. I saw a strange car pulling up
here and figured I'd better check it out. We don't get much crime in Cosner's
Corner, but you never be too careful.” Wade took off the cowboy hat and Claire
could see he had the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. In fact, he was
absolutely gorgeous. Curly black hair with tanned skin and a hint of an
afternoon shadow on his chin. The chin even had a small cleft in the
middle. He could have stepped out of GQ magazine. Claire gulped. Country
life was already making her feel better.

"Sorry. I just drove four hours, got lost
twice and haven't eaten since dawn. I'm a little on edge," Claire patted
at her ponytail tucking the stray pieces behind her ear. She probably looked
like a second-hand store reject after driving in the car with the windows
rolled down. "It's nice to meet you. I appreciate you taking care of the
farm until one of us could come up here."

"Not a problem. Did you already pick up keys
to the place?  The attorney said someone was coming up this week, so I put
some milk in the fridge and there's a loaf of homemade bread in the breadbox. I
cleaned out the refrigerator when Rose died, but the pantry is fully stocked
with canned goods from last summer. You might need to light the stove though. It's
kind of touchy, so if you'd like I can show you how to do it,"  Wade
offered.

"That would be great. I'm not much of a cook,
so I'll probably just microwave something. Let me get my kitten out of the
car." Claire reached in the car and grabbed Gingersnap's carrier out.

"You won’t be microwaving anything. This
house hasn't been updated very much since the 1920's. It still has the old knob
and tube wiring in place. There is no way a microwave would work in this old
house. Haven't you ever been here before?"  Wade grabbed the
carrier from Claire as she fumbled with the set of keys the attorney had given
her.

"I came here once as a child. My mom would
come by herself to visit Aunt Lily. She said it was her break from her children
to come to the country.” Claire finally got the key to turn in the lock of the
front door and it swung inward. "I'm not much of a country person. I've
lived in the city my entire life. I had a chance to help my mom out by coming
up here for a few months, so here I am.” She walked into the front entry
of the house. Claire saw the floors were wide oak plank floors that were
worn but had a warm glow from years of waxing. There was a large sitting
room off to the left. Claire took the cat carrier from Wade and set it on the
floor. When she opened the latch, a bright orange ball of fluff streaked out of
the cage and darted under an armchair in the corner. Green eyes glared up at
Claire. "Somebody's not happy riding in a car."

"Cute kitten. Your aunt had a cat. I took her
back to my house since it didn't seem right to leave her here alone. Her name
is Cream. She takes off and heads back here every chance she can slip out of
the door. If you don't mind, I'll bring her back here later today. Here, let me
show you where everything is.” Wade walked out of the sitting room and back
into the hallway. There was a stairway to the upstairs to the right of the
front door, but Wade headed down the hallway. The hall opened up into a
large dining room with a large oak table with four sturdy chairs
around it. Heavy drapes hung over the windows shutting out the spring sun.
Claire decided that she would have to let some light into the dark rooms. She
had noticed that the sitting room had heavy drapes as well. Off of the dining
room was a large country kitchen. The cupboards had glass fronts and Claire
spotted an eclectic mix of dishes. The counters were made of marble and wood
which surprised Claire. 

"The counters are beautiful!  Is that
really marble?" Claire trailed her fingers across the top of the cool
surface. 

"Yes. It's called a breadboard. This house
was built in the twenties and was pretty modern for the time from what Rose
said. The cook that used to live here with your aunt when she was young used to
make pies and breads on that marble top. You're lucky that your aunt at
least modernized the stove from coal to gas within the past fifty years. The
old stove is out on the summer porch and Rose still used it for canning in the
summer."

"I guess I'm going to have to learn to cook
since I guess take-out isn't really an option around here," Claire joked. Her
gaze took in the old refrigerator that looked like it had been here since the
1950's. A large sink with a hand pump caught her eye and she suddenly had a
sinking thought. "Please tell me I have running water and an inside
bathroom."

Wade laughed. "You do. There is a small
bathroom right behind that door over there and there is a full bathroom
upstairs. The house has been updated some, but it still needs some work to
bring it into the modern age."