“You think they will?” Branna didn’t like the sound of that.
His smile flashed a stunning row of white teeth, and she wasn’t sure if they were real or not.
“Count on it, but from what I hear about you, little girl, you’re more than up to the challenge. Those biddies know it’s time for new blood, Branna, especially if it comes with youth.”
“Okay, and thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“Anytime, girl, now you get on inside and make sure to save me a piece of that cake. I’m heading out for a few hours of peace at the Howling with some friends.”
The door opened behind her as she watched Walt Heath drive off slowly down the street.
“Don’t loiter, girl. We don’t do that kind of thing in this neighborhood.”
Branna turned to find Henrietta Roberts-Haigh on the doorstep glaring at her.
Mother of God, this woman had terrified her in high school. She used to sweep through the halls of school, like a battleship with a small flotilla in her wake, usually the headmaster and some hapless members who were on her board. The students used to say, “Run, HRH is on the move!”
“Good evening, Mrs. Roberts-Haigh.”
She was big and rawboned with short steel gray curls and eyes that matched.
“Henry will do fine,” the woman said, holding out a hand to Branna as she approached. “And I’m glad to have you here, Branna O’Donnell.”
“H-Henry.” Branna took the hand, reeling from the knowledge that HRH was now Henry to her. She couldn’t wait to tell Jake that one.
They entered the house, where everything was as neat as she’d expected it to be, right down to the signs telling people to take off their shoes and place them here, an arrow indicated the spot.
Slippingoff her sandals lowered Branna a few inches, which put her at a disadvantage to the woman leading her into the room.
She had glimpses of cream walls and neatly arranged vases, and then they approached a dining room table, around which sat five women, all looking at her… some friendly, others wary, and one openly hostile. Surprisingly, Ellen Todd was there, Mikey’s teacher. They’d not exactly hit it off well, but the woman was giving her a smile, nonetheless.
“I’ll tell you right off, I’m not happy to have you here, girl! You’re an outsider to Howling, and Georgie should have nominated a local.”
“Oh, shut up, Millie Lawrence, nobody wants to hear your opinion!” Henry followed those words up with a slash of her right hand through the air. “You leave this girl alone. I, for one, am glad we have someone young to liven things up. We may finally get that trip away organized.”
Trip?
“Just letting her know where I stand.”
Millie Lawrence wasn’t familiar to Branna. She had cropped red hair, sharp features, and eyes that were shooting angry barbs at her.
“Millie, you were an outsider ten years ago and we took you in, so you leave Branna alone.” Dr. Nancy McBride got to her feet with these words and glided across the floor. She was a seriously beautiful woman. Blonde hair was pulled back from her face, and she wore a crisp white shirt and black Capri pants, belted at the waist with a twist of red leather.
“Hi, Dr. McBride.” Branna was hugged and then kissed on the cheek by the woman whose son had stolen her heart.
“Hello, Branna, now you come and sit between Ellen and me. We’re the only ones who don’t bite.”
Three hours later, Branna waved good-bye to Lizzy, as Mrs. Heath was known by everyone in the Book Club and got into her van. Her head was spinning with what she had learned tonight. She now knew that the town of Howling wasn’t run by the council; it was run by the Book Club. The meeting had started out by talking about the book they’d all read, and Branna had been shocked rigid when Henry had mentioned the word penis and then Lizzie had started discussing orgasms as if she was exchanging recipes.
“It takes a while, but you get used to it.” These words had come from Ellen Todd, who had told her that she’d read up on Mikey and was sorry she hadn’t done so before, but was now making sure he had enough challenging work to occupy his mind.
After the book discussion came the general business discussion, where they talked about extending the library and, heaven forbid, putting a skate ramp in at the park. Henry wanted to lower the speed limit on the main street, but Nancy had been against that.
Branna had sat and listened as they talked. These women were intelligent, strong, and all were intent on making Howling a city that moved with the times, but it was also important to each that it retain the heritage and roots that had formed it and had made it what it was today.
Pulling out onto the main street, Branna lowered her windows to let the cool breeze waft through. Mindful of Henry’s wishes, she dropped her speed and crawled past the shops. The last item on the Book Club’s agenda tonight had been her. She’d had to tell them about herself and what she’d done with her life, and surprisingly, she had told them… not everything, but most, finishing with her writing name. Everyone but Milly knew who she was and Branna had promised signed copies of her latest release.
“I’ll be reading them, girl, and I’ll let you know what I think,” Milly Lawrence had declared, to which Branna had replied she was looking forward to the feedback.
