Free Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 05 - Eye Spy by Hope Callaghan Page B

She pointed at the turkey.  “That’s some good stuff.” Gloria looked down.  It was good stuff.  Her favorite and one of her splurges at the grocery store.  She pulled two slices of bread from the wrapper and laid them on a clean paper towel.  She spread a thick layer of mayo on each side of the bread and then placed a slice of cheese on top.
    Puddles and Mally knew it was lunch time.  They wandered into the kitchen and plopped down at her feet. Two furry faces stared straight at her.  Without blinking.  She sighed and grabbed a slice of meat for each.  They sure did have her trained!
    With her sandwich assembled and her blessing whispered, Gloria took a big bite. The food reminded her of Paul’s text.  She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone.  There was a message.  “I’ll pick you up at 6 p.m. sharp.” She texted a smiley face then set the phone down on the table. 
    “Paul’s taking me to dinner,” Gloria announced.  She wasn’t sure that Ruth had heard her.  The earbuds were back in place.
    But Ruth had heard.  She nodded.  Gloria made a mental note that Ruth’s hearing was pretty sharp.
    Ruth kept one eye on the monitor and looked up at Gloria with the other.  “Steve Colby called a little while ago and asked me to dinner.”
    Gloria raised her eyebrows and took a bite of sandwich.  So Slick Steve was interested in Ruth.  Gloria did a mental scolding.  She really needed to stop calling him Slick Steve.  He was a nice guy and the nickname was a bad habit.  “That’s nice. Where’s he taking you?” 
    The other eyeball was off the screen and both were focused on Gloria.  Color crept into Ruth’s cheeks.  “I don’t know.  He said it was a surprise.  He told me he thought I could use a little cheering up.”
    Gloria nodded her approval.  The more she got to know Steve Colby, the more she liked him.  She pushed aside the small voice that told her he wanted to add Ruth as another notch on his belt…
    Gloria spent the rest of the afternoon upstairs sorting through more stuff.  She had finished sorting clothes and was now sifting through boxes of paperback books.  She finished just in time to get ready for her date with Paul.  She nodded her head in approval as she did a final walk-thru of the upstairs bedrooms.  This was a project that had needed to be done years ago.  No - decades ago. 
    She was proud of her accomplishment as she shut off the lights and headed downstairs.  Her heart fluttered as she thought about seeing Paul.  It had been days now.  It seemed even longer. 
    Gloria soaked her sore muscles in the tub.  She’d sprinkled the water with rose scented bath oils.  The smell of lilac was her favorite but roses came in a close second.
    She fussed with her hair and makeup, then headed to her closet to pick out an outfit.  She settled on a pair of black dress slacks and a pink blouse.  She slipped a heart-shaped locket around her neck - the one that had all her children’s birthstones framing the front.  A quick splash of her favorite perfume on her wrists and neck and she was ready to go.
    It was 5:30 now.  She wandered into the kitchen.  Ruth was in the exact same spot, staring at the computer screen.  “You’re going to burn your retina staring at that screen,” Gloria kidded.
    “Huh?”  Ruth’s head craned around. 
    “What time is Steve picking you up?” Gloria asked.
    “Oh, around six,” Ruth answered.
    “It’s already 5:30,” Gloria pointed out.
    Ruth’s eyes shot up to the clock.  “Oh my gosh!” She jumped out of the chair and ran from the room.  Seconds later, Gloria could hear water running in the bathroom. 
    Gloria bent down and stared at the computer screen.  She slipped into Ruth’s chair and scooched it forward.  The post office had been closed for half an hour now.  What could Ruth possibly be looking at?
    A movement in the right hand corner of the screen caught her eye.  Someone was inside the