Free A Younger Man (Mount Faith Series: Book 7) by Brenda Barrett

that issue was and lay it to rest once and for all, if it was the last thing he did.
     

    Chapter Six
     
    "So, they actually did a seminar on courtship?" Carol asked over a loud sneeze that shook Anita from head to toe. Carol was reading from the singles retreat schedule and was poking fun at some of the sessions.
    Anita was curled up in the settee with a blanket wrapped snugly around her and a whole pack of tissues strewn on the floor. She had woken up on Sunday, at the singles retreat, with a sharp pain in her head and gritty eyes. By the evening, she felt so bad that she slept through the journey back to Mount Faith.
    For the first time in recent memory, she woke up on a Monday listless and feeling feverish and out of sorts. She had tried to put on her work clothes but she just didn't have the energy to do so. She felt positively awful now. She was alternately hot then cold and every time she sneezed her head throbbed.
    Her last stop on the way to work was her living room sofa. Carol had seen her condition and was currently playing nursemaid and quizzing her about the retreat.
    "So were there any old rich dudes there?" Carol asked, "or did you only have eyes for your pastor friend?"
    Anita whimpered. Her nostrils were burning. "Go away."
    "Nope, you need me," Carol said triumphantly. "I have gallons of orange juice just waiting to pour down your throat. Besides, somebody has to feed your dog."
    Anita closed her eyes. They felt too weighted down to keep open. She didn't know how much time elapsed, but she heard when Carol greeted someone at the door. She was not curious to see who it was; her eyes were not cooperating to move even a bit so she snuggled further under her blanket and hugged the settee cushion close to her.
     
    *****
     
    Vanley knocked on Anita's door. He was concerned about her. They had not gotten any time to sit and chat, besides that first day. She said she was coming down with something, and on Sunday she looked wan and out of it. When he checked her skin, it had been clammy to the touch. He was at her house because, according to Davia, she was out for the day, sick.
    He was about to knock again when the door was dragged open by a colorfully dressed lady in bright purple harem pants and a turquoise belly baring blouse.
    "Is Anita in?" he asked her. She was staring at him open mouthed.
    "You are Vanley?" She shook her head and then grinned. "Anita was holding out. You are fine... in a young sort of way. Is your father single?"
    Vanley raised his brows. "No, he is dead…and you are?"
    "Carol," she said brightly. "Come on in. You know, I was picturing you with a small potbelly and graying sideburns. That's how I normally see pastors in my mind's eye. You can probably tell that I am not a churchgoer."
    Vanley followed her into the house. The floors were all done in hardwood with various colorful rugs scattered throughout the open concept designed space.
    He could see Anita sleeping in a settee. Lying on top of her was a dog that looked up at him balefully then put his head back down on Anita.
    "That's Chudney," Carol said brightly.
    Vanley nodded. He didn't know that Anita had a dog.
    "Anita's sleeping?" he whispered.
    "Yes, she's been sleeping since she got in from your singles retreat. Looks like she has the flu pretty badly, which is not necessarily a bad thing. At least, now she can slow down a bit and rest."
    Carol looked at him slyly. "Want to have a cup of juice with me on the patio? I have a whole lot of freshly squeezed orange juice."
    Vanley looked over at Anita. She was snoring and clutching the pillow close to her. She was out like a light. He looked at Carol, who was watching him, her eyes lighting up in anticipation. He shrugged. "Why not?"
    "I didn't know Anita had a friend staying here," Vanley said, sitting down on a plump cushioned chair. The back patio overlooked a mini orange grove; he could see that some of the fruits were turning brown. Obviously, Anita was rarely around to enjoy her