Page 86 of Dear Henry, Love Edith
As they made their way back to the bakery, the conversation never stalling, Edith felt lighter than she’d felt in years. Just as she knew it was the right decision to board the plane to South Africa, she knew with equal certainty she’d made a lifelong friend in Illinois.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“I’ll have my assistant write up the contract and give you a call.” Charles Henderson rose from his chair. “We can set up another meeting next week, sign the papers, finalize the arrangements. I’d like to get up and running on this as soon as possible. No later than September, preferably.”
“Sounds perfect.” Henry shook hands with Henderson, his mind scrambling with the implications of what he’d just agreed to. “We’ll wait to hear from you.”
Henderson nodded. Though not a large man, the strong authority radiating out of his brown eyes was as plain to see as the gray fedora he wore on his head. He put Henry a little in mind of Humphrey Bogart.
“You know, son,” Henderson said, taking Henry in with one more keen gaze, “I walked away with a few black eyesmyself throughout the years. Some of them I deserved; some of them I didn’t. But either way, it was always worth it.” Turning and nodding his head at Peg, Henderson let himself out the door. His gray fedora disappeared down the steps and past the window.
Neither Peg nor Henry said a word until the sound of his car starting up and driving away had completely faded. Peg spoke first, her voice a reverent whisper. “Well, can you believe that?”
Still standing behind his desk, Henry slowly shook his head side to side. A grin spread across his face. Then laughter. Deep from the gut laughter.
“Oh, Henry,” Peg said, getting up from her desk and joining in. “This is... this is...” She grabbed her sides and bent forward, tears leaking down her cheeks. She never caught her breath long enough to say whatthiswas. She didn’t need to. Henry knew.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A chance for something bigger than himself. A future that was anything but boring. “I need to find Edith.”
“Definitely.” Peg wiped her eyes with a tissue. “She’ll want to hear this.”
Henry bent down, opened a drawer to fish out his truck keys.
“Maybe it’ll help her forget about this morning,” Peg added.
Henry’s head snapped up.
“Oh, that’s right.” Peg threw her tissue into the trash and grimaced. “You haven’t seen it yet.”
The interview.How could he have forgotten? Listeningto Charles Henderson spend an hour telling stories, another hour questioning Henry about his work and life experiences, a forty-minute lunch filled with more stories, followed by an afternoon touring the land in question, topped off with the entire last hour gathering information for the plans Henderson wanted Henry to be a part of. That was how he had forgotten.
“It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
Peg’s silence spoke volumes.
Henry blew out a breath and tossed his keys back and forth between his hands. “Right. Okay. Well, thanks for the heads-up. Maybe I’ll—I don’t know—pick up some flowers or something. Try to take the edge off.” Henry nodded to himself. “Yeah, that might help.”
Because now that he had the next several years figured out, not only with his career but a new purpose for his life, the last thing he needed was for Edith to walk out of it. He couldn’t let her go to South Africa. Why did he ever think she should go to South Africa? Nobody should go to South Africa. Not when there were dreams to be made here. Adventures to be had. People to help. Each other to love.
“We’re getting married, Peg. I’m doing it. Tonight.”
“You’re getting married tonight?”
“No. I’m asking her—you know what? We’ll straighten everything out later. I need to go.”
“Henry,” Peg shouted after him as he raced to his truck. “If you’re really serious about whatever it is you’re asking that young woman, you might need more than flowers.” She cupped her hands together over her mouth. “You might need pie!”
Henry was worried. He’d been driving around for hours. The last time anybody had seen Edith was at Julie’s bakery. When he’d gone by, the Open sign had already been flipped to Closed. He checked Kat’s house—dark and empty. No signs of her at the crisis nursery home. No signs Edith had been back to his house either.
No messages on his phone. No notes on the table. Nothing. She was gone. Where to, Henry hadn’t a clue.
“I’m on patrol tonight, so I’ll keep my eye out,” James promised when Henry called him. “But she’s probably just lying low. You know, after the interview and all.”
“Right.” The interview Henry hadn’t been able to work up the courage to watch. The more people talked about it, the less he wanted to.
Henry ended the call. A crescent-shaped moon dangled in the night sky. Only the brightest of stars were visible above the pale glow of streetlights running along Kat’s street.
Not knowing where else to go or what else to do, he’d come back to his niece’s house. With peach pie.
