“NO!”
“What do you mean no? I gave that woman my word that you would let her borrow one of your farm trucks.”
Lady Elsmere said, “I don’t know her. She could get into a wreck and then sue me for a million dollars.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“It is really?” June sneered. “Then you are not as worldly as you proclaim.”
“This is a sweet woman who works as a secretary at the University of Kentucky making thirty-five thousand a year. By the time taxes are taken out, the woman barely has enough money to buy food for her cat and some chocolate bars for herself. You have so much. Why can’t you help a sister in need?”
“You are always over here wanting things. Always yapping at my heels like some wayward mutt.”
“June!” I gasped. I couldn’t believe what she was saying to me. “You are not yourself.” I stood up almost knocking over my teacup. “Is this your final word?”
“Yes.”
I threw down my napkin. “I’ll see myself out.” I couldn’t believe what had happened. June had never been in such a foul mood.
Charles was waiting near the kitchen door. “You look frightful.”
I must have been more distressed than I realized because when telling Charles of my run-in with June I became incoherent.
Charles nodded sympathetically as he listened. Holding up his hand, he said, “Stop Josiah. I get the gist of your conversation. June’s doctor put her on a new heart medication, and she’s been an evil old bat since then. June’s been so awful that Amelia threatened to quit as her caretaker, and you know Amelia loves June. This last incident with you proves the medication is causing a change in June’s personality. I’m going to call her doctor immediately.”
“Sounds like a plan, but I need an answer immediately, too.”
“Tell me your issue again.”
I related my need for a borrowed truck.
When I finished my tale of woe, Charles said, “You came at the right time. We have two trucks that we are going to trade in for newer models. Miss Veritas can borrow one and return it when she’s finished, but she’ll have to sign some papers first.”
“What kind of papers?”
“June is not wrong about being sued. No good deed goes unpunished. I’ll have June’s lawyer draw up an agreement. Your friend can have the truck tomorrow, and it is an automatic transmission.”
“It might be months before my friend can return it.”
“That’s okay. We’ve got plenty of vehicles. It’s just cost-effective for us to trade work vehicles in after five years. I’ll make sure our mechanic goes over the truck before we give it to your friend.”
“Thank you so much, Charles. You don’t know what this means.”
“Things will get back to normal when June’s medication is straightened out. Don’t fret, Jo. This is only a temporary bump in the road.”
“She upset me so.”
“I could tell.”
“I’ve never seen June so unreasonable. What am I going to do if that old witch goes senile?” It then struck me how much I love and depend upon June. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.
Charles smiled. “You need a distraction. How’s the investigation regarding Mr. Carpenter going?”
“Slow. No new leads as far as I know. The police are being awfully tight-lipped.”
“It doesn’t do any good for our fair city to have an unsolved murder of a tourist.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I sighed, thoroughly worn out after my tussle with June. “Enough about me. What’s going on with you, Charles?”
Delighted that he was asked about himself, Charles spouted, “I was asked to join Ferrina Landau’s board to save retired Thoroughbreds. My first advice to the board was to partner with the Lexington Humane Society so we wouldn’t be going after the same donors, but I don’t think my suggestion was welcomed.”
“There needs to be legislation on this issue.”
“We need to educate the public first about this and illegal doping before we go after our legislators.”
“You know best in these matters, Charles. Keep at it. Better yet, let Ferrina think your suggestions were her ideas. Butter her up. She wants to be the queen bee, so let her. If the ideas fail, she’ll take the fall and not you.”
Charles grinned. “And here I thought you were such a nice lady.”
“You should have known better.”
“One more thing before you take your leave. Ferrina is looking for a part-time secretary to help with this new venture. Mostly computer work at Ferrina’s home. We don’t want to spend money on an office when Ferrina has a space for office work. It will be for about ten hours a week that are pretty flexible but there will be weekend work. If you know of anyone reliable, let me know.”
I just love it when gifts like this drop into my lap. “I know the perfect person for you, Charles. There absolutely couldn’t be a better fit for this position.”
Charles hesitated, but said, “If you say so, Josiah.”
“Oh, I do, Charles. I do.”