“On my way,” Cid said hanging up. He assumed Mia got her new truck stuck in the mud. Last time, he made her promise to call him before spinning the wheels. He drove up the hill and turned right and pulled in beside her truck.
Mia was standing a few yards away with Jesse. She turned and waved him over.
“What’s going on? Did Ted catch the two of you canoodling?”
“What’s canoodling?” Mia asked Jesse.
He bent down and whispered his answer in her ear. She turned bright red.
“Honestly! Jesse, I’m sorry, but I’ve changed my mind.”
“Whoa, little lady, give the big moron a chance. Cid, apologize to Mia.”
“I’m sorry,” Cid said. “Why the covert meeting where half the graveyard can see you?”
“It is an excellent view,” Mia said, looking down the hill. “Susan told me that this corner was going up for auction. I think we can get it cheap. It’s dual zoned, commercial and residential.”
“Mia, you hate the graveyard. Why would you buy the property?”
“You and Jesse are going to buy the property.”
“I have thought about it, but alas, I have no money.”
“You’re going to use my money.”
“I am not!”
“You are too!” Mia said, getting up in Cid’s face as much as a woman a foot shorter could. “I have a buyer for the peninsula house, and I need to invest the money.”
“I’m not taking your money, and I don’t need property, let alone share it with Jesse.”
“Calm down, Cid, and listen,” Jesse insisted. “Go on, Mia.”
“I was taking Jesse to the graveyard to work on getting his new gifts under control. He was telling me that you and he have been having conversations about opening a wood furniture shop someday. Maybe making some cabinets and refurbishing some antiques. I confessed that I put my foot down on your similar dream of doing this in your garage because I didn’t want you bringing antiques near my home. You know, because of the possibility of ghostly attachments.”
“There is that possibility. I wouldn’t know until I started working on the piece,” Cid admitted.
“But I shouldn’t be stopping your creative impulses. How about building a shop here? It’s far enough away to slow any visitations. Maybe put an apartment over it for Jesse. It’s close enough to home for us to keep an eye on it when you two are out of town. Also, it would stop some other yokel from putting up another bait shop. How many bait shops does a town need?”
“You would go further with the town people if you would stop calling them yokels,” Cid scolded.
“Yes, Cid,” Mia said contritely.
“Look at that view! Yes, there is a lot of graveyard, but lots of the town too. I can see the lake in the distance and the start of farmland. There seems to be a lot of sunshine. We could go solar,” Jesse said. “I’ve got money to invest and I would like to give being my own boss…”
“Partner,” Cid corrected.
“Being a partner a chance,” Jesse corrected.
“I don’t know,” Cid said, looking at the ground. He felt he was being pressured. Garretts hated to be pressured.
“Tell you what. I’m going to buy the property with Mia. I know you like to take your time making decisions,” Jesse said. “If you decide to become my partner in this venture, then Mia will arrange to transfer her part to you.”
“If not, it will give me time to decide where to put my money until Jesse can buy me out,” Mia said. “Or he and I will become partners. I’m handy with a hammer.”
“Fair enough. When is the auction?” Cid asked.
“Next Saturday. I’ll have Ted make some cash available, and I’ll pay him back when the house closes,” Mia said.
“Who’s buying the house? Please tell me it’s not Mike.”
“It’s not Mike. Remember that nice lady with the supposed poltergeist problem?”
“Debra Carter?”
“She’s not sure she wants to live there full time, but she made me a very good offer.”
“Mike is going to be pissed,” Cid said smiling.
“Think how pissed he’s going to be with a drop-dead handsome sensitive living so close to PEEPs.”
“Who?”
“Me,” Jesse said. “I’ve been told I’m very photogenic.”
“This is looking better and better. Mia, you need glasses,” Cid said.
~
Cid waited in the lobby. Sally walked in wearing a nice pair of trousers and an open motorcycle jacket over a rich turquoise blue sweater.
“You look beautiful,” Cid said. What he thought was, how am I going to concentrate on the road let alone dinner with you looking like that?
“Thank you. You clean up pretty well too,” Sally said, admiring the black pants, black sweater look under a jean jacket.
Cid blushed. “I was wearing something else, but Mia made me go back and change.”
“Do I want to know what you were wearing?”
“No, that’s a state secret.”
“Speaking of secrets, when do I get to meet your family?”
“You want to go to Kansas?”
“No, the Martins. I want to meet the Martins. Cid, are you ashamed of me or them?”
“Neither. It’s complicated. I want you to myself for a while. I want you to get to know me before they tell you lies.”
“Why are they are going to tell me lies?” Sally asked, taking his arm.
“They will do anything for a laugh. They are jokers. Ted’s one thing but add Mia in and I’m going to look like a baboon.”
“Buffoon,” Sally corrected.
Cid turned and looked down at her with amazement. “You’re pedantic.”
“Yes, and you need to trust us.”
“I’ll think it over. I was going to make you a meal at home, but Jesse waylaid me with a conversation, and I didn’t even start it.”
“It must have
