Free Circle of Shadows by Edna Curry Page A

lake.
    “They’re beautiful, but they must
be a lot of work to keep up, aren’t they ? ”
    “Yes, but they’re worth it.”
Along the side of the house, Lili spied a spot of yellow in a clearing between
the trees. She walked towards it. “Oh, look, the Lady’s Slippers are out
already.”
    Ken followed, walking carefully
on the rain-softened ground. Old pine needles protected their shoes from the
rich brown soil, but made the hillside slippery.
    Lili bent to touch the yellow
petals. “Aren’t they lovely ? ”
    “Yes, and well named. They really
are shaped like a Lady’s Slipper.”
    She nodded. “They’re wild
orchids. They’ve probably been growing here for hundreds of years. There should
be some of the smaller pink ones, too; at least, there always were.” She looked
around, stepping carefully lest she should inadvertently crush them and smiled
happily when she discovered one.
    “Aunt Agnes loved these,” she
said. “She used to photograph them, and kept all the pictures in a scrapbook.”
    “You love them, too.” His voice
felt like a soft caress.
    “Yes. And the tulips and
daffodils. Each spring I watched for the little purple crocus my mother planted
on the hill just outside her kitchen window. They were the first ones to bloom.
Seeing them appear after a long and dreary winter year after year, was
like...like magic, or a miracle.”
    She glanced at him shyly and
caught her breath when she saw him staring at her in an odd way. Embarrassed at
having voiced her fantasies, she stood up quickly and headed back around the
house to the car. “You must think that’s silly.”
    “No, I think it’s beautiful. And
very true,” he said quietly. He unlocked the car door and seated her. “Not many
women I’ve met would know what a wildflower looked like, let alone how to find
one, or know anything about planting tulip and crocus bulbs. My mother always
talked about flowers like that, too.”
    His mother! Honestly, no man had
ever compared her to his mother before. Should she be insulted or did he mean
it as a compliment? Would she ever figure this man out?
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    They drove around the lake, back
to the Lakeview Lounge where they’d gone the first night, and sat at the same
table overlooking the water. Lili was beginning to think of it as their table.
    As they ate, Ken told her about
the other store managers in his group.
    “Harry is the oldest, and has
also been with me the longest. He’ll show you his grandchildren’s pictures at
the drop of a hat. He’s steady and sensible, and knows my way of doing things
pretty well. He’s also the best one to call if you have a problem and need
advice when I’m not available.”
    “I’ll remember that,” Lili said,
trying to quell the resentment she felt at his words. What about my way of
doing things, she thought rebelliously, but pushed the thought away as Ken
went on.
    “Rudy’s young and a bit shy. He’s
a confirmed bachelor. John isn’t very talkative. But he’s a good guy to have on
your side, very honest and dependable.”
    Lili listened as he continued
describing the other managers. “They sound like a fairly congenial group.”
    “They are, for the most part. But
there’s some jealousy and competition between them, too. I’ve been working with
most of them quite a while, in one capacity or another.” Grinning, he teased,
“Since you’re new, you’ll be seeing a lot of me for a while. Later, I’ll be
harder to find, but you can always leave a message with Renee.”
    Flustered, she attempted to get
the conversation back to business. In a hopeful tone she asked, “But each store
is essentially on its own? I mean, the managers of the other stores will have
nothing to do with my store or vice versa ? ”
    “Exactly. Except for social
events, and attending warehouse business meetings, they rarely get together. We
have a company picnic in June, and a Christmas party early in December, before
the last-minute rush.”
    “Am