The following morning, she was still wrestling with uncertainty. Should she, or should she not, notify Dr. Kincaid, whom she had promised to send for at the least sign of discomfort from Mr. Rainwater. She was on the verge of making the call when he joined the Dunne sisters at the dining table.
“What’s for breakfast this morning, ladies?”
“Pancakes,” Miss Violet informed him.
“My favorite.”
“Mine, too.”
Not to be outdone by her sister, Miss Pearl said, “And the most delicious honeydew melon we’ve had all season.”
“That must be it then.”
“Must be what, Mr. Rainwater?”
“The source of that special glow you two have this morning,” he said, teasing them with a wink. “Honeydew melon!”
They tittered, and Miss Pearl accused him of being a naughty flirt. He met Ella’s eyes as she poured coffee into his cup. “Good morning, Mrs. Barron.”
“I hope you had a restful night, Mr. Rainwater.”
“Slept like a baby.”
But the deep shadows beneath his eyes made her wonder if he were, in fact, a better liar than she. He did justice to his breakfast, reassuring her somewhat. After the meal, he took a box of dominoes, a deck of cards, and Solly out onto the front porch. They stayed an hour. When he brought Solly back to her, he smiled down at the boy. “Good job, Solly.”
“Did he do something special?”
“Everything he does is special, Mrs. Barron.”
“Yes, it is.” After a beat, she said, “What I asked you last night wasn’t just a ruse to check on you. I’d like your opinion.”
“About the special schools?”
“Should I write to them and ask about their curriculums?”
“What would it hurt?”
“Nothing, I suppose, although I don’t think I could ever bring myself to send Solly away.”
“Until you know more, you can’t make an informed decision. By his own admission Murdy knows very little about children like Solly. But these schools may be able to provide answers and guidance.”
Making up her mind, she said, “I’ll send out some inquiries.”
“Good.” Looking happy about her decision, he excused himself and continued down the central hallway toward the staircase. When he was about halfway up, she called after him, “Can I get you anything, Mr. Rainwater?”
He stopped, turned. “Like what?”
“A glass of iced tea?”
“No thank you.”
“It was awfully hot out on the porch.”
“I’m not thirsty.”
He took the next few steps, a bit slower, she thought.
“Are you sure you’re feeling all right? You look—”
He spun around. “I’m fine.”
It was the first time she’d ever heard him raise his voice, the first time he’d ever displayed a temper, and it came as such a shock that for a moment she couldn’t think of what to say or do. So she took Solly by the hand and led him into the kitchen, letting the door swing closed behind them.
After lunch, she decided that she and Solly would walk to town. As much as they needed the exercise, she believed that time away from the house would do them both good.
The heat was unrelenting, however. Her dress was damp with perspiration by the time they reached the store. Its comparably cool interior felt good, and Solly was content to watch the circulating ceiling fan, so she dawdled among the shelves as she checked items off her shopping list. Too soon she was done.
“Is that it for today, Mrs. Barron?”
“Yes, thank you, Mr. Randall. Oh, wait, two cold Dr Peppers, please.”
The grocer glanced at Solly, who was standing at her side, bobbing his head. “Sure thing. Want me to uncap them for you?”
“Please.”
A large hand came into view from her right side and slapped two nickels onto the counter. “My treat.” When Ella turned, she was looking into Conrad Ellis’s face. His leer was more disfiguring than the unfortunate birthmark.
“Long time no see, Ella.”
“Hello, Conrad.”
He assessed her appearance in a way that was insulting and made her skin crawl. “You’re lookin’ good. Staying trim.” She didn’t say anything to that. His grin only widened over her apparent embarrassment. Turning to Mr. Randall, he said, “The Dr Peppers are on me.”
“Thank you, Conrad,” she said crisply, “but Mr. Randall will add them to my account.”
Conrad reached across the counter and socked the grocer on the arm. “Mr. Randall will let me buy you a soda water, won’t you, Mr. Randall?”
The grocer gave Ella a weak smile. “I’ve already closed out your tab, Mrs. Barron.” He hadn’t, but he obviously didn’t want to haggle with Conrad. He swept the nickels off the counter, then quickly turned and took two of the soft drinks from the metal chest. He shook ice chips off the bottles and hastily uncapped them, then set them on the counter. “Thanks for your business. I’ll have your purchases boxed and sent right over by Margaret’s boy.”
“Thank you.”
After looking askance at Conrad, he disappeared into his storeroom.
Conrad was a bulky presence she tried to ignore as she took Solly’s hand and headed for the door. There was no one else in the store, which she was glad of, because she didn’t want any witnesses to this encounter. At the same time, since Mr. Randall’s retreat, she was alone with Conrad, which made her distinctly uncomfortable and even a little afraid.
As she stepped past him, he said, “Hey, you forgot your drinks.”
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Aw, now. Don’t be like that, Ella.” He hooked her arm, which she yanked back immediately. He laughed. “What’s the matter? No time to chat with an old friend?”
“Not today. I need to get home.”
“You still cooking and cleaning for other people?”
“I’m running a business.”
“Is that what they call making beds and mopping floors these days? Running a business?” He snorted with derision. “You’re too good for that, Ella. Don’t you ever get a hankering for something better?”
“No.”
“Bet you do,” he drawled.
She tried to go around him, but he executed a quick sidestep and blocked her. “Let me by, Conrad.”
“You ever hear from that sorry husband of yours?”
Again she tried to go around him, but he was too quick for her, especially since she had Solly in tow.
“He just up and ran off, didn’t he? On account of your boy here. I guess he couldn’t take his kid being the town idiot.”
Ella seethed as he bent at the waist and put himself on an eye level with Solly, who stared through him.
“What’s the matter with him, anyway?” He waved his hand in front of Solly’s face and said in a falsetto, “Yoo-hoo! Anybody home?”
“Stop that!” Ella tried to push Conrad aside, but it was like trying to shove a railroad car. He pressed his hand over hers, trapping it against his chest. She struggled to pull it free, but he mashed it beneath his. “Let me go!”
Chuckling over her futile efforts, he said, “You always did have sass, Ella. I liked that about you. Even your husband running off hasn’t got the best of you, has it? Shame about your kid, though. Now that I’ve seen him up close, it just goes to show you can’t believe everything you hear. What I heard was that he duh … duh … drools, and is all the time sh … sh … shittin’ his p … p … pants.”
“You really should try to correct that stutter, Mr. Ellis.”
Mr. Rainwater pulled open the store’s screened door and strolled in. Ella almost cried out in relief upon seeing him. Conrad released her hand and spun around to see who’d interrupted his bullying.
“Afternoon, Mrs. Barron.” Mr. Rainwater doffed the brim of his hat as he approached, deftly maneuvering himself between her and Conrad.
Their eyes locked. With effort she brought her breathing under control. “Mr. Rainwater.”
“Margaret told me you’d come to town. I had an errand to run, so I thought I’d intercept you and offer you and Solly a ride home.”
“That’s very kind of you. Thank you.”
He swept his arm wide, motioning her toward the door and away from Conrad.
But Conrad wasn’t going to be ignored. He placed his hand on Mr. Rainwater’s shoulder and brought him around to face him. “Hey, I’ve heard of you.”
“I’ve heard of you, too.”
“What I’ve heard, I don’t particularly like.”
Mr. Rainwater smiled pleasantly. “Then we also have that in common.”
It took Conrad several seconds to process his meaning, and when he did, his eyes narrowed to slits of malice, and his birthmark darkened with anger. “You’re Ella’s new boarder.”
“I’m leasing a room in her house, yes.”
Conrad snickered and asked slyly, “What else are you doing there?”
Mr. Rainwater remained stonily silent, although Ella recognized the familiar tightening of his jaw. Conrad outweighed him fifty pounds or more, but Mr. Rainwater didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by him. “Please stand aside, Mr. Ellis. We’re ready to leave now.”
Conrad raised both hands in surrender. “Sure, sure. All I was doing was trying to buy Ella and her idiot kid a soda water. Just trying to do something nice for her.” He divided an insinuating look between them. “What I think? I think it’s you who’s doing something nice for her. Every night? When the lights go out in that big ol’ house of hers?” He gave Ella an obscene wink.
Mr. Rainwater gave the small of her back a gentle push toward the door. She could feel the tension in his touch and was comforted by how strong it felt. Placing Solly in front of her, she propelled him toward the door. They had almost reached it when Conrad again clamped his hand on Mr. Rainwater’s shoulder.
“You think ’cause you’re kin to Doc Kincaid you can go poking your nose into business where it doesn’t belong? Well, you can’t. Around here we don’t like meddlesome outsiders. You hear me? You want to be a busybody, making trouble, getting the niggers and riffraff all stirred up, you go someplace else to do it, and spare me the trouble of having to whip your ass.”