Page 19 of A Spot of Tea
He could feel Eliza staring at him, but he couldn’t stop talking. “My mom loves sightseeing. I can take her up in the plane, but if she wanted to get around town for a few hours, I’d like to have a wheelchair.”
Grace raised a hand to her forehead, wiping away beads of sweat. “I’ve got one right there. It’s a little beat up, but it does the job. You’re welcome to it.”
She nodded to the corner of the porch where a folded-up wheelchair stood, its silver wheels shining in the sunlight.
Duh. How had he missed that? Surely Eliza hadn’t.
“That’s so nice of you,” Eliza said.
Joey was afraid to open his mouth again, so instead he walked toward the wheelchair and, after wrestling with the levers and pulls, got it to open.
He gave it a push and his eyes fell onto the left armrest, the cushion cracked and twisted. He looked up and saw Eliza staring at it.
“Do you have a reservation sheet or something?” Joey asked. “So I can make sure it’s available?”
Grace put her hands on her hips and chuckled. “It’s not usually in high demand.”
“How often do people borrow it?”
The woman shrugged. “Oh, you know, now and then. I usually leave it out here on the deck in case anyone needs to use it. It always turns back up.”
Joey gave it a push. “Thanks! Hopefully I can get it when my mom comes.”
“When is she coming, dear?”
“Uh. I don’t know.” He looked at Eliza.
She sucked in a breath. “Two weeks from Tuesday.”
“Right.” He nodded. “If she didn’t keep track, I think my head would fall off.”
That wasn’t the phrase, was it? Was it if his head wasn’t attached to his body? But how would that work?
Eliza picked up a tea towel with an orca floating in the middle. “This is lovely. I’d like to get another if you have one?”
“Oh yes, inside!” Grace led the way and Eliza followed.
Joey stayed outside, once again wrestling with the wheelchair, trying to fold it back up. The stickers were there, too, just as Eliza had described.
She was incredible. Really incredible. Like an encyclopedia of facts and sassy jokes.
He tucked the wheelchair back into the corner as she emerged from the shop.
“We need to talk,” she muttered as she passed.
He pushed the wheelchair aside with a clank and went after her. He couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say.
Eight
Eliza couldn’t get back to the car fast enough, her heart pounding in her chest, her mind whirring and pinging with ideas.
“I think I have something,” she said as they shut themselves inside.
“I know!” Joey’s eyes were bright, his smile wide. “That was the wheelchair, right? It had all the stickers you told me about.”
Eliza frowned and waved a hand. “Yeah, it was, but there are no security cameras over there. Anyone could’ve taken that wheelchair. It’s a dead end.”
“Oh.” His smile fell.
