Cedar Woman (183 page)

M
a
y
b
e
h
e
’s
j
u
st
emb
a
rr
a
ssed
a
n
d
will
c
a
ll
in
sick
s
o
o
n
,
s
h
e
m
u
sed.
Lena
s
h
o
v
e
d
t
h
e
tho
u
g
h
t
as
i
d
e
a
n
d
c
on
tin
u
e
d
.

“
Nickie,
I have an
idea
for
a
new resta
u
r
a
nt.
I
have
a
n
a
pp
o
int
m
ent t
h
is
W
e
d
n
e
s
d
a
y
with
a
real
estate
agent
to
look
at
an
av
ailable
site
in Wester
v
ille,
n
o
t
far
fr
o
m
my
h
o
u
se,
in
fact.
It’s
a
g
reat
bu
i
l
d
i
n
g
–
mid
to

late 1
8
0
0
s
is
m
y gu
e
ss,
an
d r
o
om
eno
ug
h f
o
r all t
h
at I
’
ve
en
visi
o
n
e
d
.

Lena
an
d
N
ic
k
i
e
c
o
nc
e
n
t
ra
t
ed
on
t
h
e
p
la
n
s
f
o
r
t
h
e n
e
w
s
to
re, discuss
i
ng
start
up
c
o
sts,
staffing,
m
enus
an
d décor.
B
o
th were
a
w
a
re
of the clock’s hour
han
d
’s slow
decent as
t
h
e
hours ticked by.

By 5:
0
0
P
.
M
., bo
t
h
L
e
na
an
d Nickie
were
fr
antic.

“
Nickie,
I
’m a
f
raid
so
m
et
h
i
n
g
has
h
a
pp
e
n
e
d
to
S
o
nn
y
,
an
d
I
t
h
i
n
k
it
ma
y
b
e
m
y fa
ult
.”

“
W
ha
t
?
” Nick
i
e
an
s
w
er
e
d
.
“
What
co
uld
yo
u
h
a
ve
d
one
t
o S
o
nny
t
o cause
him
to disappea
r
?
”

Lo
ok
i
n
g
i
n
te
n
t
ly
i
n
to
h
e
r fr
i
e
n
d
’
s
eye
s
,
s
e
arch
i
n
g
for
an
an
s
wer,
u
n
d
e
rstan
d
ing
d
aw
n
e
d
.
Nic
k
i
e’s
face
r
e
g
istered
h
e
r
th
o
ught
p
r
o
cess,
and