He vanished. I drank my coffee. And I pocketed the flask as I paid up and left the Bob Evans, because Eshu was right. The MVA was hell.
And sadly, it wasn’t a hell I’d designed.
Epilogue
“Coming, coming!” Rita called as she ran down the stairs to the front door. Who on earth would come all the way down the lane to her family farmhouse in the middle of the day like this.
She flung open the door and couldn’t help but smile back at the attractive woman with reddish blonde hair and freckles. Another woman stepped into view, and Rita’s smile widened.
“Babylon! What a surprise! Come in. I’ll put on a pot of coffee. Oh, and I made some of my great grandmother’s peach crumble last night. It’s a famous family recipe, you know.”
“We’d love some.” Babylon put her hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “I wanted to introduce you to a distant cousin of mine, as well as to ask a favor. Rita Hoffman, this is Ann Flemming. She just moved here from out of state and I was hoping she could practice her sales pitch and make-over skills on you.”
Rita looked at the pink box that Ann held, gripped tight in a nervous hand. “Oh, Mary Kay! I love their products and would be happy to be your make-over and sales-pitch victim…er practice dummy? I might even buy some moisturizer.”
“Thank you.” Ann smiled nervously, shifting the case to her other hand. “I need the practice. I haven’t done this sort of thing in…well, in a very long time.”
Rita opened the door wide. “Then, come on in. We’ll talk over coffee and peach crumble.” She looked at the other woman, frowning for a second before laughing. “You’re going to think I’m crazy, but it’s almost like I recognize you. You seem so familiar, and it took me a second to realize that you look just like my great grandmother, Mary Ann Hoffman. She went by Maude. I never knew her—she died before I was born. But you look just like pictures of her.”
“Oh I get that all the time.” Ann blushed and lifted a hand to her cheek. “I mean, people thinking I look like someone else, not people telling me I look like your great grandmother.”
Rita led them into the kitchen. “Isn’t it funny how some people bear a striking resemblance, but they’re not related at all? Although my great grandmother’s maiden name was Flemming, so maybe you are distantly related after all. Still, it makes me wonder about reincarnation, you know. Well, have a seat both of you. Ann, you go ahead and get your supplies out and I’ll put on the coffee.”
Funny how she felt as if she knew this woman. It wasn’t just that Ann reminded her of her great grandmother, either. Maybe it was because she was a relative of Babylon’s and they were close friends? Or maybe it was something else. Either way, Rita got the feeling Ann was going to be a good friend, someone she remained close to and loved for the rest of her life.
“Oh, and I’ll get that peach crumble for us,” Rita said as she grabbed the coffee pot. “You’re going to love it.”
Ann smiled. “I’m sure I will. In fact, I’m absolutely positive I’ll think it’s the best peach crumble I’ve ever had.”
* * *
