Henry took the car away; doubtless he had been told when to return, and like all good servants he knew when to depart. That left Mr. Braxton and Mrs. Slocum-Lofton alone together.
“Hard to believe it has been so long – even 68 years feels like only yesterday,” Mr. Braxton said.
“Mm hmm,” Mrs. Slocum-Lofton answered.
All right … she was not yet ready to revisit that. It was too soon – he would destroy everything by hurrying. One thing about Queen Selene: she would give you sufficient cues, and was soft-spoken until she wasn't. It was like the difference between carefully holding a sea urchin and stepping on one – the jewels of a queen made for sharp spines.
Ah well. There was time. She was 90 minutes ahead of the VIP gathering at his house. The sun had not yet set. Time for a little sight-seeing … let her be impressed with all his benevolence had done in North Eagletop out of doors before going indoors to his home for early refreshments and conversation.
Yes, she was impressed … they drove all around Eagletop in total for 45 minutes, looking at things he had made the very best they could be, and then they returned to his home and looked through the “scrapbook” of his achievements for the local community, all the way back to the event they shared a portion of … the burned orphanage, and how he had evacuated the place, lickety split, while she had corralled and then calmed a dozen of the frightened children.
She shivered … it had been a terrifying memory, and she had just a few months ago run for her life from the Ridgeline Fire – the two memories were hard to handle together. She chided him for not remembering not to put her through the pair of thoughts. He did not apologize, but had this to say:
“I wish I had been there, Selene. I never would have allowed a situation in which you or any woman had to conduct an evacuation.”
“Oh, I know, Bob,” she answered, “but all the same I am very glad to know that you were nowhere near and had nothing to do with that.”
“Of course not. I must say your neighborhood has some sloppy thinkers – or had them, anyway. Who hires a hitman and insults him to his face?”
“Variations of madness in rich old men differ, Bob.”
He laughed uproariously at that before taking her by the arm and leading her over to Seneca Hall to see the preparations there.
Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/Myriam-Cornali-2875763/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1504417" class="keychainify-checked">Myriam-Cornali</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=1504417" class="keychainify-checked">Pixabay</a>
hiveblocks