Secrets of the Night
Brenna turned and put her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers. She padded to the door. She turned and winked at the man temptingly draped over her bed. "You can stay here."
"Is anyone home?" the voice called, and Brenna braced herself for some good old southern charm.
"Why Brenna Malone, bless my soul!" a woman said as soon as she opened the door. "I didn't know you were back in these parts. I haven't seen you since you were a tiny thing. I guess your Granny set you up right leaving you this place. I brought you some muffins."
Brenna blinked trying to recognize the woman through the screen door. The smell of blueberry muffins filled the air and made it hard to think. She was hungrier than she should have been. The woman's foot tapped restlessly, and suddenly Brenna's training kicked in.
"Won't you come in?"
The woman graced her with a smile and crossed the threshold. "Now, you probably don't remember me," the woman spoke over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen. "I was your Grandmamas dearest friend: Annalise."
She held back a snort- "dearest friend" was a stretch since the only "Annalise" Brenna remembered had been the town gossipmonger. The woman covered her mouth when they reached the kitchen which was covered in cobwebs and grime.
"Now I declare Brenna, your Grandmother would right turn over in her grave if she saw this mess. I tell you she would." Annalise held her muffin basket helplessly uncertain of where to set it. "I swanny, this is a mess. You need to call Mary Lynn and Dana. Those girls started up a little maid service over in Hyde County, and they've done mighty nice for themselves. They have a whole crew of maids. They'd have this place clear in a jiffy."
Brenna wiped off the counter sending up a puff of dust. Annalise coughed delicately in response from the other side of the room. Brenna sighed, southern belles could be trying at times. She held out her hand for the muffins and Annalise surrendered them hesitantly.
"Do I smell food?" Brenna had never been so pleased to hear Jason's voice as she was in that moment. She just hoped he had clothes on so that Annalise wouldn't need a hospital trip.
"Why Brenna you didn't tell me you had a guest!" Annalise said, and Brenna could almost hear lust in the woman's voice.
"He's the cleanup crew," Brenna said in a singsong voice as she pulled a muffin from the basket.
"In that?"
Brenna turned and almost choked on a blueberry. Jason was standing in the kitchen of her deceased grandmother's home in his boxers- and nothing else. He smiled at her brightly.
"I'm full service," he confessed in a conspiratory whisper.
"My, my, my" Annalise said fanning her rosy cheeks. "I think I'll leave you two to it thenÂ… I'll see you in town Brenna dear, it's been a pleasure."
Annalise bustled toward the door weaving down the hall at a speed Brenna rarely attributed to older people. When she heard a car door slam she threw her half eaten muffin at Jason.
"Nice!"
"Ah, do you really care what she thinks?"
Brenna thought about it, she didn't care what Annalise thought, but in the next hour everyone in town would be thinking it too. She sighed exasperatedly and began to wipe down the counter replaying Annalise' annoying cough in her head. The dream of the night before had become a distant memory.
"Is anyone home?" the voice called, and Brenna braced herself for some good old southern charm.
"Why Brenna Malone, bless my soul!" a woman said as soon as she opened the door. "I didn't know you were back in these parts. I haven't seen you since you were a tiny thing. I guess your Granny set you up right leaving you this place. I brought you some muffins."
Brenna blinked trying to recognize the woman through the screen door. The smell of blueberry muffins filled the air and made it hard to think. She was hungrier than she should have been. The woman's foot tapped restlessly, and suddenly Brenna's training kicked in.
"Won't you come in?"
The woman graced her with a smile and crossed the threshold. "Now, you probably don't remember me," the woman spoke over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen. "I was your Grandmamas dearest friend: Annalise."
She held back a snort- "dearest friend" was a stretch since the only "Annalise" Brenna remembered had been the town gossipmonger. The woman covered her mouth when they reached the kitchen which was covered in cobwebs and grime.
"Now I declare Brenna, your Grandmother would right turn over in her grave if she saw this mess. I tell you she would." Annalise held her muffin basket helplessly uncertain of where to set it. "I swanny, this is a mess. You need to call Mary Lynn and Dana. Those girls started up a little maid service over in Hyde County, and they've done mighty nice for themselves. They have a whole crew of maids. They'd have this place clear in a jiffy."
Brenna wiped off the counter sending up a puff of dust. Annalise coughed delicately in response from the other side of the room. Brenna sighed, southern belles could be trying at times. She held out her hand for the muffins and Annalise surrendered them hesitantly.
"Do I smell food?" Brenna had never been so pleased to hear Jason's voice as she was in that moment. She just hoped he had clothes on so that Annalise wouldn't need a hospital trip.
"Why Brenna you didn't tell me you had a guest!" Annalise said, and Brenna could almost hear lust in the woman's voice.
"He's the cleanup crew," Brenna said in a singsong voice as she pulled a muffin from the basket.
"In that?"
Brenna turned and almost choked on a blueberry. Jason was standing in the kitchen of her deceased grandmother's home in his boxers- and nothing else. He smiled at her brightly.
"I'm full service," he confessed in a conspiratory whisper.
"My, my, my" Annalise said fanning her rosy cheeks. "I think I'll leave you two to it thenÂ… I'll see you in town Brenna dear, it's been a pleasure."
Annalise bustled toward the door weaving down the hall at a speed Brenna rarely attributed to older people. When she heard a car door slam she threw her half eaten muffin at Jason.
"Nice!"
"Ah, do you really care what she thinks?"
Brenna thought about it, she didn't care what Annalise thought, but in the next hour everyone in town would be thinking it too. She sighed exasperatedly and began to wipe down the counter replaying Annalise' annoying cough in her head. The dream of the night before had become a distant memory.