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hinted that if the job was too much for her to handle alone, perhaps he should send someone to assist her.
She recognized the intimidating bluff for what it was, but knew that she couldn't stall him forever. The annex was an enticing prospect, one that she wanted to be an integral part of . . . but all in good time. Unfortunately, once Mr. Stein conceived an idea, he wanted to see work in progress immediately.
The morning following Dillon's return, Jade decided to approach Otis Parker again. As unobtrusively as possible, she had had his farm appraised, along with several other tracts of land in and around Palmetto.
She arrived at the farm early, just as Otis was climbing onto his tractor, about to leave for the fields. "I won't take but a minute of your time, Mr. Parker, " she said as she approached him.
"If you come about me selling the place, you're wasting your time."
"Please hear me out." She waited while he reluctantly stepped to the ground. After a moment, she continued. "I find it hard to believe that you and Mrs. Parker wouldn't like living the rest of your lives in luxury. You could buy a beautiful place in town and retire. You wouldn't have to work another day of your life unless you wanted to. Think of all you could do for your children and grandchildren. "
He looked at her resentfully. "That all sounds real attractive, all right. But if I ever did decide to sell, it wouldn't be to you.-
"What do you mean?"
He whipped a faded, red shop towel from the hip pocket of his overalls and pretended to tinker with the tractor. "I don't owe you any explanations.-
"Mr. Parker, I asked you not to discuss my interest in your land with anyone."
"I didn't. But you, better'n most, ought to know how things is in a small town. Word gets out. That appraiser feller you hired was out here for two days straight. He made some other folks curious."
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Hastily, she zipped open her attach6. "Here is what GSS is offering for your property, including the house."
She handed him the legally prepared contract and pointed to the sum at the bottom of the page. He blinked his poor eyesight into focus, then his narrow jaw went slack.
"Five hun'erd thousand dollars? Are you shittin' me?" "No, Mr. Parker, I'm not. All you have to do is meet me at the title office this afternoon and sign the contract." "I dunno," he said, shaking his head.
"I can assure you that no one else will offer this much on the property, Mr. Parker. It's far above the appraisal." He regarded her suspiciously for a moment, then shook
his head. "Well, I ain't going to do nothing rash. Like I told you, I ain't even decided on selling."'
Turning his back on her, he climbed onto the tractor again and started the motor. After clapping a straw hat on his head, he steered the tractor out of the yard. Jade laid the contract on the porch and anchored it down with a rock. As she turned to leave, she heard the screen door open and looked up to see Mrs. Parker.
"Good morning."
"I've heard folks say that you've got a boy." Mrs. Parker said the words in a rush, as though it was very difficult for her to say them.
"That's right. His name is Graham."
I I I's just wondering if, you know, he might be my Gary's child?"
Sorrow settled over Jade like a shroud. The desperate hope she saw in the tired, homely face was heartbreaking. She was tempted to lie and claim that Gary had been Graham's father, but ultimately that would only be doing a disservice to the Parkers; and to Graham.
"No, he isn't, Mrs. Parker," she said sadly. "But I've wished from the day I learned I was pregnant that he was. " Without another word the gaunt woman slipped back into the house. The screen door slapped closed.
In a matter of minutes Jade reached the intersection with the highway. Just as she did, a candy-apple-red El Dorado sped passed.
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Headed toward the construction site, she was so lost in thought about the Parkers that she didn't notice the El Dorado again until it was almost even with her. Apparently it had made a U-turn and was following her. Neal Patchett was at the wheel.
Smiling, he signaled for her to pull over. "Go to hell."
Still smiling, he speeded up enough to give his car the advantage of a few yards before cutting his wheels sharply, almost swerving into Jade's Cherokee. Reflexively she stomped on the brake pedal. Neal parked sideways in front of her, so that the two cars formed a T on the narrow highway.
Jade flung open her door and got out. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I asked you nice to pull over." His tone, his swagger, his ingratiating grin were all too familiar as he moved toward her.
Ironically, they were almost at the same spot where he had kidnapped her from Donna Dee's car fifteen years earlier. "And as usual, if you don't get your way, you impose it. "
He made a courtly bow from his waist. "Guilty."
"If you wanted to see me, you should have made an appointment. "
"Well now, I've tried, haven't I? Didn't you get any of those messages I left on your answering machine?"