“You sure you’re not staying because you and that son of mine think I can’t take care of myself?”
“Not at all, I need all the hours I can get, I have a sister to put through college. It can be very expensive.” Ton tried to stare her down, but Beth held firm. Twenty-seven years in the military and he caved to a blue-eyed blond. Ton realized there could be worse things than looking at Beth clean his house for a couple of hours.
“Well, I don’t want to deprive anyone of their education.”
“We both would appreciate it.”
“Okay then, what did you have in mind?”
“A little of this and a little of that; go pack in the groceries while I start a load of laundry.”
By the time Beth finished three hours later, she left behind a stupefied Ton standing in his clean living room smelling the sweet scent of the laundry. She completely cleaned his entire home, including fresh sheets and blankets on his bed. His still wet freshly washed hair had not even been spared; she had firmly sat him down at the table, taking scissors and a comb to it until he looked better than he had in several weeks.
Beth returned to town picking up groceries for two other clients, plus the additional ones Mrs. Langley had requested to be purchased before rushing to meet her at the diner next to the beauty salon where she was to have had lunch with a friend until Beth’s return.
Beth had three more clients to see before she could call it a day. Each client had their own set of chores that needed to be completed, plus several that were spur of the moment requests. She always tried to do the additional requests if at all possible, not wrapping-up her day until late. When she finally got home, it was to find Lily doing homework. Eating a quick dinner she headed for bed, already dreading the work that was looming during the coming week.
By the time Friday arrived, Beth was exhausted after putting Lily on the church bus with a caution to be careful and a tearful hug, she watched the bus drive off before going home to take a nap. She woke a couple of hours before Razer was due to pick her up. Beth took a long shower, blowing drying her hair before putting on light make-up. She dressed in jeans and a pretty red top that softly clung to her full breasts.
This time Beth was ready when Razer knocked on time.
“You look great. Ready?”
“Yes.” Beth removed a jacket from the closet.
Razer’s motorcycle was parked outside; this time Beth felt more comfortable getting on and sliding her arms tightly around Razer. Beth was excited to see where Razer lived, but nervous about meeting his friends. She had never put herself in this position. Even in college, what few parties she had attended had been with the few girlfriends she had made who hadn’t minded her straight lace ways. Just once, Beth wanted to be reckless. To live as other women did and not hear her father’s sermons in her mind for what others considered normal. How could she teach Lily freedom if she wasn’t willing to find it for herself?
Beth was shocked at the house Razer drove onto and parked. She got off the bike staring. “You guys are staying at Stolmes’s factory?” The factory had been built four years ago when the economically depressed area had tried desperately to find work for the people in Treepoint. A businessman, Gavin Stolmes, had come to town, buying a huge amount of property that everyone considered useless. It had been over forested, steep, and rocky. It was not even a particularly pretty piece of land. The saving grace about the property was that it was a large acreage and that was the selling point to Stolmes. He and his private investors had put up the money, building the factory in record time. Several of the local businessmen had also invested their money as well. The factory completed, the machinery had been ordered, but never arrived. Stunned, the investors discovered that Stolmes had left town without a word with the two million needed to buy the machines to build the equipment that the plant had been laid out to build. There even had been a bed and breakfast built to house the buyers when they visited. It could hold a group the size of Razer’s.
“Yeah.”
The house was lit up inside and music could be heard. Groups of people were standing around drinking various forms of liquor.
“Let’s go.” Taking her hand, he led her up the steps to the front porch, crammed with even more people than Beth had first thought.
“You didn’t tell me there would be this many people here.”
“It’s busy this weekend. The guys are up from Ohio, we are all headed back next week. A dispute has broken out; Viper wants to send a message."
“What message?”
“A don’t fuck with me message.”
“Oh.”