Gertie pulled into the drive of a pleasant two-story house with light gray siding and bright white shutters. No other vehicles were parked in the driveway or on the street near the house, so it looked like we were in the clear. We made our way up the driveway and Ida Belle rang the doorbell.
A minute later, a somewhat harried-looking Peaches opened the door and peered out. When she saw the three of us, she looked a little surprised, then smiled. “Good morning, you guys,” she said and pushed open the screen door. “Come on in. This is a nice surprise.”
“I hope we’re not intruding,” Gertie said. “We’re on our way to the Bishop house to take over for Marie but I had this shawl I made for your daughter and thought we’d drop it off on the way.”
“Are you all right?” Ida Belle asked. “You look a little out of sorts.”
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” Peaches said. “I just got done watching Barclay Monroe. If it wasn’t so early in the day, I might toss back a shot of whiskey.”
“He’s a bit of a stinker,” Gertie said.
“That’s putting it nicely,” Peaches said. “I tried to tell Brandi that everything she thinks is cute when he’s three isn’t going to be so amusing when he’s fifteen, but you can’t tell that girl anything.”
“Never could,” Gertie agreed.
Peaches grinned. “You had your hands full trying to corral all us youngsters, didn’t you? I’ve only got the one and she’s a really good baby, but when I think about the job teachers have, it makes me itch just a little.”
“Me too,” Gertie said.
“You guys come in and have a seat,” Peaches said. “You’ve got time for a short visit, don’t you? Ever since I had the baby, I don’t get to chat with people as often as I’d like. And with Brandon working so much, I start to crave conversation that includes two-syllable words.”
Peaches shoved a set of plastic toys off the couch and grabbed a box of Cheerios from a chair. “Does anyone want coffee or tea? I can make up a pot.”
“I would love some water,” Gertie said. “Tap is fine. I’ve had this scratchy throat. Probably allergies.”
Ida Belle and I declined a drink, and Peaches went down the hall and returned with the baby and a bottled water. She handed the water to Gertie and stuck the baby in a swing set in the corner.
“That thing is a lifesaver,” Peaches said as she flopped onto the love seat, then reached underneath her rear and pulled out a rag doll and tossed it to the side. “Unless she’s hungry or wet, she’s always happy in the swing. Gives me a bit of a break, if there is such a thing when you’re trying to keep up a house and take care of a baby.”
“She seems to like it,” Gertie said. “Does she sleep in it too?”
“Only if she’s dead tired,” Peaches said. “She can’t stand light when she’s sleeping. It took us forever to figure it out, but if even a sliver of light gets into her room at night, she pops right up and starts crying.”
“You said Brandon has been working a lot?” Gertie asked, then chugged back some of the water.
Peaches nodded. “Jumbo shrimp have been running strong this summer. Not everywhere, but Brandon’s been finding good patches of them almost every day. The extra money comes in handy, but it sure is tough being here alone all the time. Makes for long days and even longer nights.”
“I guess you gotta make it while it’s there to be made,” Ida Belle said.
“That’s what Brandon always says,” Peaches agreed. “You said you were going to relieve Marie? How is Nolan doing? Have you heard anything?”
Ida Belle nodded. “We stayed with him some yesterday as well. He’s shocked and overwhelmed, but is managing about as well as one could expect.”
“It’s so sad,” Peaches said, “and so wrong. I don’t know how anyone could do that to Gail, especially with it leaving Nolan in the situation he’s in. I know I complain about having to do everything alone, but then I think about Nolan and figure I should shut up. I have a whole lot to be grateful for.”
“We all do,” Ida Belle agreed, “but sometimes it takes a thing like this to remind us.”
“Did you hear anything?” Gertie asked. “I mean, that night?”
“Nothing at all,” Peaches said, “but then, I sleep like the dead, especially since I don’t get as much as I used to. Unless the baby cries. Then I pop out of bed like I’m spring-loaded, but otherwise, a bomb could go off in here and I probably wouldn’t even stir.”
“Quite normal, I would think,” Ida Belle said.
Gertie downed more of the water, then squirmed a bit. “I wonder if I could use your restroom,” she said, and got up from the couch. “The downside of all that water for my throat is the constant trips to the ladies’ room.”
“Of course,” Peaches said. “It’s down the hall. First door on the left.”