Chapter 13

Fifteen minutes later, they were walking across the property with Saya’s wooden wagon trailing behind her with food and ice-cold lemonade to take to the men for lunch. Victoria figured she and Ann Bell came to some kind of truce because she didn’t feel the hostility from earlier that morning aimed at her. She could tell the old lady was still skeptical but was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt because she trusted Garrison’s decision. Victoria wanted friendship but would accept a cordial relationship at the moment. She felt like she should say something because the silence was extremely thick between the two of them.

“Bell, your home is beautiful. It reminds me of my mother’s home. She would respect how orderly you keep it. She complains all the time about her staff and then goes behind them and recleans and organizes everything. I keep telling her she might as well just do it herself the first time instead of paying people. So, we are surprising the men with lunch?”