THE BLUE STALKER (35 page)

             
“How about we order pizza in this evening?”  Ella suggested to Maria.

             
“That would be so nice. I’m really tired from the shopping and putting away the groceries.

             
“I’ll make the call and place an order.  What’s yours and Juan’s favorite pizza?”  Ella asked as she looked up the number in the yellow pages.

             
“We love pizza any kind is fine Ms. Ella.  We rarely had pizza back in Mexico.”

             
Ella dialed the number and ordered a large combination and a pepperoni. Within a half hour the door bell rang and it was the same young man that delivered the pizza to the hotel.  As Ella scrambled for the money Juan carried the pizzas to the cloth covered table.  Where Maria had set the plates and drinks.  It was family style with two boxes in the middle of the table.  Everyone served themselves.

             
Ella looked through the large plate glass window in the dining room.

             
“Looks like a storm coming in tonight. Juan do we have enough firewood for the evening?”  Ella asked. Knowing Juan would bring a nice stack of firewood in for the evening.

             
“I’ll get some wood in before the rain starts.”

             
Juan loaded his arms with firewood just as the storm hit.  The wind and rain whipped through the breezeway.  Before Juan could get in the back door the rain was slapping at his back.

             
“My my, that storm sure set in fast.”  Juan commented as he set the wood in the wood box.

             
Maria got the popper out and loaded it with popcorn and carried it to the fireplace.

             
“The popper is ready when we are ready for popcorn.  Maria said.

             
Jose was having fun crawling around the house.  Pulling up to everything.  He would soon be walking.

             
“Maria,” Ella asked.”  When’s Jose’s next appointment
             
wit Dr. Burnett?”

             
“It’s pretty soon.  Let me check.”  Maria took the appointment card from her purse.

             
“It’s in a week. Hope he gets a good report.”  Maria said as she put the appointment card away.

             
The evening was filled with good conversation.  Earlier Ella found a boxed jigsaw puzzle in the game closet and placed it on a card table in the corner of the dining room.  The three of them worked at putting the pieces together.  Laughing and talking about life and its experiences. 

             
“Life is a jigsaw puzzle if you persevere all the pieces will fit together.”

             
After a nice evening with the family Ella excused herself retiring for the night.

             
Again she wondered if that was Phil Young she saw at the coffee house.  She should have walked around to get a good look but she didn’t and that’s hind sight.  The man will probably never be in the coffee house again when she’s there.  Since he was with Larry maybe he lives here or maybe his one of Larry’s good friends.  She could ask Larry about him.  She was sure it was Phil Young. Why didn’t she walk over to Larry and say hello?  Maybe because she was such a mess or maybe because she didn’t want to know it was Phil Young.  Maybe her love lies with Frank Smith. Over and over she asked her self…  Why?

             
Ella ran a bubble bath.  She stepped out of her jeans.  Tossed them in the hamper and continued to strip.  She whirled around like a stripper in need of a few bucks as she undressed and laughed at her silliness.  Stopping to look at her body in the mirror. This body looks damn good. She made her way to the bubbling tub. Almost thirty eight years old or is that young? With a hand towel she wiped the steam from the mirror, threw the towel over her shoulder and sashayed to the waiting tub.

             
She turned the radio on to ‘old pop tunes’.  ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ by the Schrilles was playing.  Ella remembered that was their song. Her and Phil’s song?  Childhood thoughts moved through her head like sheep jumping the fence. One memory after another filled her mind as she laid back on the towel she rolled up for a pillow.

             
Ella put on warm comfy pajamas and curled up in her empty bed. She fell asleep clutching her pillow to her chest in wonder of what tomorrow would bring.

             
After the flower shop settled down from Amy’s funeral Alicia and Susan got on their orders for the supplies and materials they will need to decorate the shop.

             
“Ella, will you call the order in?  Alicia asked.  We need it soon.

“How about I call it in and you and Susan make a trip down to Baker to pick up your order.  You might see other items you would like to have.”

             
“Can you and Ron handle the shop while we are gone?”  Alicia said with a grin.

             
“You bet we can and if we have deliveries we will deliver in my sports car.”  Ella said with a big grin.

             
“We are outta here.”  Alicia yelled back as the door just about hit her on the rear. Susan and Alicia were out the door heading for the big town. They took the delivery van knowing Alicia’s sedan would not hold all they were purchasing.

             
The ladies no more than got out the backdoor when Mark Brandon walked through the shop door.

“Hello Mark.”  Ella said in a quiet voice.

             
“Just stopping in to tell you, you did a damn good job on the flowers for Grandma Amy. She would have approved.”  Mark leaned on the front counter eyeing Ella with his striking deep blue eyes.

             
“Well, thank you we appreciate you stopping by.”

             
Mark fiddled with a pen on the counter and finally he came out with it.

             
“Ella, would you like to go out to dinner in Baker with me Friday evening?”  Mark’s eyes traced the grooves on the wood floor.

             
“I think that would be nice.”

             
“You do? I mean good, that’s good. Is six okay?” Marked looked up surprised with the words coming from Ella’s mouth. 

             
“Six will be fine.” Ella smiled reassuring Mark.

             
“See you at your place at six on Friday.”  He awkwardly made his way out the door stumbling over his big feet.

             
Ella and Ron did a lot of talking during the time the ladies were off shopping in San Francisco. Ron showed Ella the plans for the renovation to her house. He suggested she not put too much into the place. He felt it needed painting inside and out, new carpeting and the kitchen totally renovated.  New cabinets and appliances. All the bathrooms should be gutted. A pantry could be added to the oversized wash room.

“This all sounds good. Send me a bill for all your hard work.”

             
“Oh Ella I couldn’t charge you for drawing this up.  You’ve done so much for Susan and I.”  Ron rolled up the plans and slides them in a cylinder. Tapping the end he handed the plans to Ella.

             
“Yes, I will pay you.  This is your business and you should be paid. Ella pulled her check book form her over stuffed purse. 

             
“If you insist but it’s not necessary.”

             
Ron gave her a very reasonable amount and Ella wrote the check for double the amount.

             
Ella folded the check and put it in Ron‘s hand.

             
“Don’t look at the check until you leave and don’t mention it to me. It’s pay for a good job.”

             
The ladies made it back before closing. Everyone helped with unloading all the merchandise and materials.  It was time to head home another day they would put everything away and get on with the designing and decorating the shop for Christmas.

             
Maria had a pot roast dinner almost ready when Ella arrived home.

             
“Oh, my goodness if I didn’t know better I would think my mother was in the kitchen.”  Ella put her purse on the floor making her way to the stove. 

             
“This smells absolu
a
tely wonderful.  Ella’s nose was about to meet the pot roast as she took a good whiff.

‘Ms. Ella I used your mom’s recipe for the pot roast. I’m glad it smells like good to you. That means I must have done it right.”

             
After dinner Ella helped clear the table and pulled the renovation plans from the cylinder.

             
“What do you have there Ms. Ella.”  Juan asked.

             
“It’s the plans for the renovation.”  Ella said as she rolled them out on the table anchoring them wit the salt and pepper shakers.

             
“This looks great; Ron’s really good at drawing blue prints.”

             
Ella and Juan went over everything making a few minor changes. Ella decided the place didn’t want to do much structural change.  She would have all the necessary things taken care of but as far as changing there would be very little done.

             
Juan made a materials list and told Ella he would get on it.

             
“First I want the living and dining room painted and new carpet laid in the living room. After Christmas we will get on the renovation.”  Ella said.

             
“I’m planning on giving a New Year’s Eve party.”  Ella told Maria and Juan.  We will use the same caterer’s we used for the Grand Opening. It’ll be fun meeting the people of Coopersville. I’ll put a notice in the local paper a few days before the end of the year.  This will give the people in town without a party to attend somewhere to be on New Year’s Eve.

             
“That sounds really nice Ms. Ella.” Juan said as he scratched his head thinking this woman keeps busy.

             
The next day Ella made a call to the caterer and ordered the same food they served at the Grand Opening.  It would be an open bar for two hours and the caterer would furnish the bartender.  Probably from eight to ten o’clock.  This way everyone would be sober by the time midnight chimed in the New Year.

             
Ella also called the party store and ordered hats and whistles.

             
“Ms. Ella you sure know how to live.” Maria said.

TWENTY-SEVEN

             
Mark and Ella drove down to Baker to a nice dinner house.  The restaurant had a small band and the music was soft and slow.  Just right for having a good conversation.

             
Ella asked Mark about his parents and he told her they were dead. Grandma Amy was the family matriarch and she kept the reigns on everything, so she thought. Dad let her think she was in charge. I’m next in line so I will take over everything. Although, I have taken care of the estate since my parents died. Grandma Amy just thought she was in control. It made the ole’ lady feel good. Good enough to live to be 93 years old.”

             
“May I ask how your parents died?”  Ella said quietly not wanting to bring up old memories.  Memories that might hurt too much to talk about.

             
“Mom and Dad were driving through the canyon going to Baker shopping. It was late afternoon and we think the sun was in dad’s eyes. A witness said a deer ran in front of the car causing dad to over react sending the car over the cliff. The car bounced from boulder to boulder resting at the bottom of the swift flowing river.  The story is, dad was able to unbuckle his seat belt.  He tried to unbuckle mom apparently her buckle was jammed and he couldn’t release it. Dad stayed with Mom and they drowned together. When the recovery team pulled the car up they said dad and mom were embraced in each others arms.”  Mark’s chin quivered his eyes filled with tears.