An Old Fashioned Southern Romance Novel (7 page)

"I should say so. She is somewhere she has been wanting to go for a long time."

"In a man's bed, I pray."

"Unlike you, Annabella's dreams do not end in a California King. She's in London."

"In London? What on earth for?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"She called me but I was still in Martha's Vineyard. I was distracted by a one Chad..."

"I used to think so highly of him," Hattie quipped.

"So did I. That is until he turned me down for a little fun."

"In that case, I still do."

Carline was getting frustrated with Hattie's put-downs, but she was more concerned with her missing friend.

"What's this all about, Hattie?"

"Annabella finally decided to start living her life. She knows what she wants and we had to let her go."

"When did she leave? I didn't even get to say goodbye."

"The driver should be arriving at the airport any minute now."

"Well, I guess it will be like our boarding school days."

 
As Caroline turned to walk towards the door, they both could hear blaring sirens. Hattie and Caroline wondered what could have happened on their quiet block to warrant such traffic. They both rushed to the door to see an ambulance and a fire truck turn the corner and pull up at Warrenton's house. Hattie told Caroline to go over and offer assistance, but she was met in the street by a frantic Warrenton.

 
"My father collapsed! He is not breathing. I need to go to the hospital with him. Where is Anna?"

Caroline and Hattie looked at each other and then down at the ground.

 "Where is she?" Warrington wanted to know.

"She's on her way to England," Caroline bragged. "There is no reason for her to stay here. She has nothing holding her back."

“Nothing holding her back? Are you kidding? Her whole life is here! Besides, we are in the middle of a lawsuit. She cannot leave me now!"

"Leave you?" Caroline clarified.

"I mean leave
here
now," Warrenton said.

"Right. Well, she did. She should be b
oarding a plane right now." 

"Well then stop her!"
Warrenton demanded.

"We could not stop her if we wanted to. You know she does not have a cellular phone." Caroline took pleasure in Warrington's agony.

"You evil woman! She would want to know my father's condition," Warrenton told her.

With that Warrenton stormed out of the house.
 

"Hattie, you will surely not miss t
he soap opera that is our lives," Caroline assured her. 

Caroline exited as though she had not a care in the world. Hattie stood motionless. She knew Annabelle's leaving would
make her happy, but look what it was doing to everyone else. She went upstairs to take a shower and pack a bag. She planned on spending a long night at the hospital.

 
When Hattie arrived at the hospital, she was not surprised to find the
Who's Who
of their small, elite town. Warrenton's father was the unofficial Mayor of sorts and everyone either respected or adored him. With Annabella's parents away and Annabella on a plane to half a world away, Hattie knew she would be the Devereaux’ s only representative. She had played the role so many times before that it was like second nature to her. For the next few hours, she nodded off in a chair in the waiting area. At some point during the night, she had awakened, but was certain that she was still dreaming because she woke up to Annabella's flushed face in hers.

"Hattie. Hattie, Dear." Annabella awakened her friend and caregiver.

"Anna, my word. What are you doing here?"

"I am here for Warrenton. He came to the airport to retrieve me. Hattie, there has been some
sad news. Mr. Boatwright passed away a little while ago. Warrenton and the family are with the body now."

Hattie reached out to the girl and palmed her tiny skull. She nestled Annabella's head into her
bosom and wept. Annabella held on to her friend for what seemed like hours. Before long, a solemn Warrenton came out to console or be consoled. Hattie convinced the two to come back to the house and get some rest. She knew there was nothing more that could be done - at least until morning. The pair reluctantly agreed. When they arrived back at the house, Hattie left a disheveled Warrenton and a dazed Annabella in the parlor as she went up the spiral staircase to her quarters.

 
"I suppose I shall retire in this ensemble, as my bags are on their way to London. At least they will be starting a new life tomorrow," Annabella joked.

"I am so sorry to keep you from your destiny, Anna. I just didn't know what else to do
. You really are my only friend," Warren tried to make amends.

"Warrenton, that is the problem. Our friendship is toxic. It is no good for either of us. We don't get along and we make each other's lives miserable, yet we cannot live without each other. That is not healthy.
So, after the services, I shall resume my departure."

"Fine. Y
ou do that. To hell with everything else. You are too weak to stay here and fight."
"Fight for what? If it weren't for you, I would not be getting the pants sued off of me. There is nothing left for which I am willing to fight."

"Did it ever occur to you that me giving you the finest car on earth for a birthday present was my way of saying I care for you?"

 Annabella was silent. She could not believe what she was hearing. It had never occurred to her that Warrenton had bought her a car just for the sake of doing it. She was always suspicious of his motives and she was sure he had ulterior ones by giving her such an extravagant gift. If she had not been so quick to jump to conclusions and hurriedly return it to him, she would have never hit Marigold with the car.

"No, that never occurred to me,
" she admitted.

"Well, I do. And I
never meant anything more by it," Warrenton told the girl.

"Thank you."

"Anna, I need you to stay here. I cannot do this without you. With daddy gone and his millions up for grabs, Marigold with surely amp up her demands. I cannot fight this battle without my best friend," Warrenton admitted.

Anna was silent. She wanted to be there for her friend, but she could not give up her happiness to please Warren. She knew nothing could ever come of their relationship. Once he put the lawsuit behind him, Annabella was sure he would just continue his ways and cast her aside as he always had.

"Do you remember when Donnatella Davenport stood you up at the prom?" she asked her friend.

Warrenton was silent.

"You came over. You sat on my porch swing and cried on my shoulder. You told me I was your best friend and you could not get through the humiliation without me. Sometime during the night, she made her way to your door. She looked like she had been through hell. She stood you up for a college boy who tried to take advantage of her. She got away and came rushing back to you. You left me on the porch that night, Warren. You left me on the porch that night and every other night that you got a better offer. You see, I am not your best friend, I am your hag. I am your fallback girl. I am the one who will be there waiting for your when all the other girls leave you high and dry. Not this time, Warren. You will not leave me on the porch again. I'm taking down that swing. Go find somewhere else to cry your tears. My shoulder is no longer available to you."

Warrenton looked thoughtful. It was like Annabella had finally gotten through to him. He knew she was right
; he just hoped she never noticed that she was his security blanket and he never realized how that made her feel. He thought that because she did not let anyone into her intimate circle that she did not have real feelings or emotions. He somehow thought she was supposed to be his rock, his back-up plan, his social security. But, Annabella had finally come to her senses and refused to let Warrenton inadvertently run her life by making it impossible for her to leave his side. He knew that as long as she lived next door to him, she would somehow always be tied to him. However, Annabella was ready to give it all up for the sake of her happiness. She didn't care if she had a penny to her name. She was ready to step out into the world as her own woman - not someone's daughter or someone's friend.

"You will never make it without me," Warrenton warned her.

"If I need you in order to make it, then I choose failure here and now. Goodbye, Warrenton."

Annabella stood up and waited for Warrenton to do the same.

"You will rue the day you left here, Annabella," he told her as he walked to the door.

"Warrenton, kiss my lily-white ass."

Annabella slammed the French doors behind him. She leaned her back against the doors and looked up at the ceiling. Tears streamed down the sides of face between her cheeks and ears. Annabella knew she was finally growing, but she did not like the growing pangs.

Chapter
Eleven

Annabella awakened to the smell of blueberry waffles. Hattie always knew how to make her Annabella feel better. Annabella knew she would miss Hattie and her cooking. If she thought for one minute Hattie would go with her, she would surely ask her to move to London. But, Annabella recalled Caroline’s words. She knew Hattie was in her life for a season and that she would soon leave her. After all, Hattie had her own daughter and going off to college no less. No, Annabella knew that this was something she was going to have to do on her own. She wasn’t exactly ready, but she was definitely willing. As she made her way down the steps in yesterday’s garb, she recalled the conversation from the night before. She wanted to confide in Hattie, but she knew that Hattie would insist that she was in love with Warrenton and tell her to stay and work things out with him. She decided that she would keep the conversation
light and enjoy her last days at home. But, Hattie had something else in mind.

“Anna, normally I would pretend that everything is okay and let you do what you want to do. But, in this case I have to say something. I understand you want to leave this place. You have every right to do as you wish. But, I just think the timing is all wrong. It’s like you are running away. If you are setting out to prove that you are strong and independent, then you should leave after this lawsuit has been settled. If you leave now, you are just giving up.”

“Hattie, if I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to get me to stay around to console Warrenton.”

Hattie looked glum.

“Warrenton will be fine, Hattie. He has his many, many, women to keep him distracted from his grief. I, on the other hand, am sitting here as pitiful as I please waiting for some imaginary prince to come and sweep me off my feet. If I want a prince, well then, I will just have to go find him.”

“Maybe your prince is closer than you think.”

“If you are referring to a one Mr. Warrenton Bingham Boatwright, well then you, Hattie, are sorely mistaken. Warrenton may very well be a toad of a man, but he is certainly no prince.”

“How would you know? You’ve never kissed him.”

“Touché, Hattie. Touché.”

“Anna, how do you know Warrenton is not ‘The One’ if you have never given him a chance? You’re ready to pick up your whole life and whisk it away to some distant land when what you really want and need may be right here the whole time. One date, Anna. That is all I am asking you to give
Warrenton one date. If you end up hating his guts, then at least you gave it a chance. You don’t want to be thousands of miles away wondering, ‘What if?’”.

Hattie was right. Annabella had never really given Warrenton a chance romantically. They had always been friends and grown up around each other. Annabella just assumed if there was a spark, it would have ignited by now. But, they had always seen each other the way siblings or cousins see each other – at their worst. Annabel
la never made much effort to impress Warrenton – she just assumed that her very presence was impressive. But, a man with means attracts women from all walks of life and Annabella was, well, predictable.

“Suppose I did want to go on a date with Warrenton, Hattie. How do I get him to ask me out?”

“You don’t. You ask him out. Anna, it’s late in the game, Dear. Warren knows how you feel about him. He would not dare put himself out there to be rejected by you. You have to ask him out. He will be pleasantly surprised.”

“But Hattie
-”

“But Hattie nothing, Anna! The man just lost his father. For once, stop being selfish, prissy, and pig-headed and ask the damned boy out on a date!”

Annabella was stunned. Hattie had never so much as raised her voice at Annabella – let alone told her off. Annabella could not believe that she was being chastised for being the kind of young lady she was reared to be. She began to cry and got up abruptly from the table. She stormed up the steps and slammed the door. Hattie was positively beside herself, but she did not know what to do. She did not want Annabella to throw away an opportunity to find happiness right at home only to run off to Europe and find that happiness no more reside there than in her small, southern town. Hattie was a firm believer in making one’s own happiness and Annabella’s incessant whining about finding some obscure love that may or may not exist was finally taking its toll on the woman. She thought about trying to console Annabella, but after thinking better of it, she resisted. She knew Annabella would come around. Hattie had plenty to keep her occupied until she did. As Hattie went about her day, she lost track of time as she did chores and prepared lists and plans for the week. So, she was later floored to see a transformed Annabella sashay down the spiral staircase. She donned a conservative, yet provocative red dress trimmed in gold. She was stunning in the bare-armed frock that hit just above Annabella’s boney, pink knees. She had her flaxen blond strands coiled and upswept in a neat style that gave Annabella’s innocent face all the attention it deserved. She stepped lightly in her strappy, kitten heels that diverted the curious eye to her petite feet. Annabella looked amazing and Hattie wondered just what had come over the girl. What’s more, Hattie wondered where she scored such an outfit.