Valise in the Attic Read Free Page B

socks, a sweatshirt representing his favorite college basketball team, and even a special golf glove LeeAnn had once suggested. Each gift was greeted with the same polite smile and thanks.
    Annie peered into the window of the hardware store and wondered if Herb would like some kind of tool. LeeAnn told her that he was trying to be a little handier around the house.
    The thought made Annie smile. Her own dear husband, Wayne, had loved the idea of being handy as well, even though he never advanced much beyond shelf-building and even those weren’t always exactly level. But he never gave up trying, and he never stopped buying tools. A quick glance at their garage in Texas would have made anyone think Wayne was a master woodworker with all the tools he had, each neatly in its own spot.
    But would Herb have the same fascination with random tools?
    “Now, what could the hardware store possibly have done to bring on that frown?” asked a deep voice said from behind her.
    Annie turned to smile up at Ian Butler. With Wayne so fresh in her mind, Annie once again thought of the two men as if they were side by side. Both were tall, but Wayne had always kept the solid build that hinted at his football-playing days in college. Ian was slighter, but still a strong man with an easy self-confidence. Like Wayne, Ian could make her feel safe whenever he was around. He was a good friend that way; she could count on him.
    She noticed the mayor had chosen to dress for warmth over formality today. The cold wind always made her earlobes ache, so she couldn’t blame anyone for piling on the layers. The thick fisherman knit sweater that peeked out from under Ian’s peacoat looked cozy warm.
    “I’m just trying to decide on a present for my son-in-law,” Annie said.
    “At a hardware store?” Ian said.
    “I’m a desperate woman.” She told him about the weak success of all of her past gifts.
    “Not even a grin for the golf glove?”
    Annie shook her head.
    “That is a tough case,” Ian agreed. “What kinds of things does he like?”
    “Work, my daughter, the kids,” Annie said, ticking them off on her fingers. Then she paused, and finally added, “He seems fond of his car.”
    “I sense you two haven’t truly bonded.”
    “No, that’s not it. He’s a really lovely person and a great husband. He’s just kind of quiet and thoughtful.”
    Ian was quiet for a moment, his face pensive. “Does he read? Maybe he would like a book?” Ian asked. “I spend a lot of evenings sharing a chair with Tartan while I read a good book.”
    “Actually, I think he does like to read. That’s something he has in common with LeeAnn,” Annie said. “But books are so personal. I’d have no idea how to choose.” She turned to look into the hardware store window again, and then turned away. There were clearly no answers there.
    She smiled up at Ian as an idea struck her. “Are you really going to be in the movie they’re filming here?”
    “Not in any noticeable way,” Ian said, “but if I’m asking my constituents to consider standing out in the cold for the sake of promoting the town, I thought I should too. I’ll be some background extra shivering in the icy cold like everyone else. Then when the movie comes out, I’ll be able to say, ‘See that elbow shaking in the far corner of the screen? That’s me!’”
    Annie smiled. “Glad to hear you’re not going Hollywood on us.”
    “Not me. I will, of course, need my own dressing room. And I’ll have to insist they shoot only my good side,” he said with mock seriousness. “So, which do you think is my good side?” He turned to show her each profile.
    Annie smiled. “I think you’re safe either way, Mr. Mayor.”
    “Do the questions mean you’re going to be an extra too?” he asked.
    “Well, maybe,” she said. “It’s become a minor obsession with some of the Hook and Needle Club. Still, I can’t imagine that they’ll need everyone, so maybe they’ll skip me, and I’ll