Page 9 of Trevor

She showed up just as they were having a nice chat in the living room.He didn’t want to ask her about the Strong man because he didn’t want to embarrass her.Apparently, his wife had no suchtrouble.

“Are you seeing Trevor?”He watched as her face turned a bright shade of pink and smiled to himself.Even if she said she wasn’t, he could tell that she’d been thinking about him.“He’s a good man, from what I hear.Comes from a good family, too.”

“Are you tired of me and trying to get rid of me?”Anna tsked at her.“No, I’m not seeing him.He considered me his good luck charm or something, and he dragged me from room to room to get the rest of the household goods for the house he just bought.Did you know that the Courtrights are moving into a smaller home?I think that they mentioned that it was closer to their children.Now, there is a nice couple.”

“Don’t fob me off, young lady.Peabody told us that you were holding hands with him.You couldn’t do better with him in your life.”She told them that she wasn’t looking for anyone to be in her life just now.“Still.He must have liked you well enough to have you in his court.Did you happen to know what he paid for the bedroom furnishings?”

“Not as much as I think they would have gone for.Most of the people there weren’t bidding, but I think just having a look around.He got a good deal on the rooms.There isn’t anything that he’s going to have to do to move right in.They even sold the dining room table and chairs that they couldn’t take with them.”

They talked about the house that he had gotten and how perfect it seemed to be.She told them how the kitchen was up to date, a thing that would take the most time in remodeling, and now that he was outfitted with the bedrooms and dining room things, he could move right in like he’d been living there all his life.

“I’ve never been in their home.Not to say I’d not been invited but there was something always taking us away from going.I know that they used to throw the best Christmas parties when their kids were home.I’m glad that they’re going to be moving closer to them.My goodness, they must be in their late seventies by now.”Henry didn’t point out that they were just hitting their mid-seventies this summer.That would put him in the dog house, and he loved being around his wife when she was just a little—a tiny bit—upset.

Dinner was great, but he thought that it was the company.He so loved cold meatloaf sammiches as a dinner and would eat his weight in them if he wasn’t careful.Not really, but he would have the cook make the meatloaf the day before, the smell of it baking making his mouth water, and the next day they’d have their dinner.It was one of the few things that he enjoyed more than his wife.She liked them but not like he did.

After dinner, he watched as Henrie dozed off and on throughout the evening.He wanted to suggest that she just spend the night; there was plenty of room, but she’d leave, and he didn’t want her to do that, being as obviously exhausted as she was.She finally dozed off into a deeper sleep, and lying her down on the sofa, he covered her up, and he and Anna went to their bed.It had been a long day, and he, for one, was ready for the next day.Just as he was lying down, it only being about nine o’clock, his cell phone rang.It was the service that he employed to answer the phone when the business was closed for the day.

“I have a Mr.Trevor Strong on the phone, sir.He wants to talk to you about your granddaughter.”He asked her what he’d said.“He wants you to give her his phone number so that she can call him.Something about a good luck charm.I wouldn’t have bothered you about it, but he’s a Strong, sir, and I, for one, have trouble turning them down for anything.”

“Yes, I know what you mean.All right, Hilda.Give him my house number and tell him that we were just off to bed.Ask him to come have breakfast with us in the morning and he can give it to her himself.She’s staying the night here.”He hoped that she’d be there in the morning and not take off in the middle of the night when she realized where she was.“Tell him that we eat at seven sharp and for him to wear his laze about clothing.I’m going to put him to work with…never mind.Just do that for me, and we’ll be set up.”

When he put the phone down on his dresser, he couldn’t help but dance.He’d been doing thatfor most of the day since he’d heard from Peabody, and he was having a wonderful time with knowing that maybe, just maybe, his wonderful granddaughter was going to be taken care of when he and Anna were no longer around.Christ, he loved his Henrie.She was the best thing that had ever happened to them.

She’d only been an infant when her parents were divorced.For whatever gods were watching over her that day, Henrie had been spared the fights between both her parents.There were times when he loved his daughter-in-law more than his own son.He’d messed up with Sharon, demanding that she hand over Henrie so that he could raise her on his own.He’d only wanted the child support that she’d give him if he won.They’d long since written him out of the will that would have made him millions of dollars.As it was now, Henrie was getting the bulk of their massive estate, and there was even money for Sharon.She had been a good person to all of them.

He couldn’t sleep, not right now, so when Anna turned off her light and rolled to her side, he got up.She wouldn’t have woken if a bomb went off.She was such a heavy sleeper.Going to his office, he turned on his computer and did a search on Trevor Strong and the rest of the family.

My goodness, he thought the things that they’d done in their helping their town was a long list.And they didn’t seem to be stopping anytime too soon.That’s when he found out that Jenson Strong had been elected for their congressman, and he was glad that he’d made it.The boy was going to do good things even if he only did half of what he promised he’d do once he was in office.

Trevor was a good man.He had invested well with his brothers’ help and had managed to save millions of dollars on his own.The family as a whole was worth billions and he decided right then and there he was going to have Maverick help him with some of his money.It was never too late to invest so that Henrie would have a better life than they’d had when they started out.

It was nearly three in the morning when he thought that he should go to bed.It didn’t matter what time he would go to bed.He’d be up at six-thirty every day.He thought that was one of the things that he disliked about getting old.Your body just seemed to have a mind of its own.Setting his alarm, just in case he did sleep over, he smiled to himself, thinking about the things that he’d been able to find out.While he’d been in his office, Henrie had awoken and he sent her off to be so that she’d not have to drive.He was surprised and pleased that she did just what he wanted.He didn’t, however, mention that they’d be having company for breakfast in the morning.She’d leave for sure.

His alarm went off while he was reading the news on his phone.He was glad to see that Bradon Wallace had gotten life in prison plus one day.The judge must have been old school he’d not heard that saying in some time.Usually, it was life without parole.But it was good too for the Strong family to have the man in prison.He’d caused enough trouble for Gracie Strong, and a man didn’t deserve it any better than he did.He told Anna about it when she got up.

“I read about him just the other day.Can you imagine stealing millions of dollars from his own niece?He wasn’t even the person who should have been in charge of her, either.I just hope when we’re gone, a long time from now, that no one takes advantage of Henrie.Not that I’d think she’d let them, but you never know about slick people.”He told her that he thought that Henrie had a good head on her shoulders and be damned the man that tried anything with her.“True.I have so much to do today, Henry.I just don’t know where to start.I think I’ll start with having a good breakfast.”

“We’re having company.I nearly forgot.”He told her about the phone call that he’d gotten last night and how he’d invited the young man to have breakfast with them.“I know that Henrie is still here.She got up about midnight, and I sent her to her room.She looked exhausted even after taking a nap on the sofa.”

“She’s working too hard.There is no reason for her to keep driving.Even though Sharon has finally retired, Henrie still works.I wish she’d just become a—well, she’d never be a woman of leisure, but it was a nice thought anyway.I so love that girl.”He said that he did as well.

When they got to the kitchen, not only was Henrie there but Trevor had shown up as well.He could tell that she was irritated, which he didn’t blame her.They’d gone behind her back and set the two of them up.Trevor was talking about his house and how he was going to be able to move into itwithin the next couple of weeks.

“Why are you here again?”Anna told her that he was a guest of theirs and for her not to be rude.“I wasn’t being rude.I think that’s a good question.There is a rumor going around town that you’ve met your future wife and that you’d be off the market soon.What are you, a slab of meat?What kind of saying is that?Off the market?I don’t have any desire to become a housewife, especially to a house that flipping big.”

“I didn’t ask you to be.I’d hire a lot of staff if it came to that.”He laughed, and Henry couldn’t help but join him.That got him a glare from both Anna and Henrie.“It is a large house.I thought when I started looking into having my own place that I wanted smaller.But I got the two mutts out there, and now I want them to have a big back yard.”

There were two of the cutest puppies in the back yard when he got up to look.One was all black, and the other was a shade or two lighter.They were having a good time, chasing sticks that his butler was tossing for them, and Alan looked as if he was having a good time, too.He’d never seen such a big smile on his face before.

“They were abandoned, and my sister-in-law brought them to the vet.Ten of them falling all over each other like they couldn’t get close enough to her.She was going to keep them all, but I convinced her to let me have two of them, and the rest of the family took a pair of them as well.”Anna asked him if he’d gotten a good deal on the house.“Yes, better than I thought I would being that it was only on the market for a few days.It also saved me a bit of money because they were in a hurry to sell so they could move closer to their daughter.She’s going to keep an eye on them from now on, I guess.”

They talked about everything under the sun while they ate.The cook, Sue, had gone all out when she realized that she was going to be cooking for more than the two of them.There was so much food that he despaired of having a lot of leftovers, but Trevor seemed to understand the assignment and ate whatever was left when the rest of them were full.Henrie didn’t back off either when it came to filling her belly.He thought that she was too thin anyway.

~*~

Trevor knew that Henrie was upset with him.He had sort of blindsided her into spending the day with him.He didn’t know why she seemed to intrigue him but when she was spitting mad, as she was right now, he thought her to be the most beautiful woman in the world.Of course, he didn’t say that to her.He wasn’t that stupid.

“Why couldn’t you have come here yourself then called later to get someone to move this crap for you?”He didn’t have an answer to that but did tell her that she was his good luck charm.“You won’t think that when I bash your head in for dragging me out here today.”

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