Chapter 6: Gordon drops out
Paige called at three PM, saying the bus would arrive in about thirty minutes. I was there when the bus pulled in, and watched her appear on the steps, scan the crowd, and smile when she spotted me. Aside from her laptop, she had no luggage.
We hugged and I helped her into the cab of my truck. I filled her in on what had been happening on the way to the house.
"Charlie helped me move everything from the back of the house to the front. He has a cart that attaches to the back of his tractor so it only took a few trips. Nadine stopped by this morning, but she didn't stay long. She did say that she'll be back tomorrow."
"Didn't Gordon or Nancy show up?"
"They must have decided to take the day off."
"You and Charlie had to do all the work?" Paige asked, sounding perplexed. She was wearing a summer dress. She smiled when she saw me looking at the way she had one leg tucked under the other one, showing a bare knee.
"It worked out fine. Nadine helped price some of the stuff before she left. Anyway, I had a visit from the Historical Preservation Society yesterday. She says we have to preserve the barn."
"No way!" Paige gasped.
"I tried to tell her she was being unreasonable. I even told her that some of the beams are rotting, but that didn't faze her. She quoted a town by-law that gives her organization jurisdiction over what we do."
Paige looked a bit skeptic. "That's the first I've heard about rotting beams."
"That was an exaggeration. I wouldn't have let Charlie go into the loft if I'd seen any rot."
"That wasn't an exaggeration. Do you make a habit of lying to make a point?" she asked. Her expression told me that she found my fabrication humorous.
"Just thinking how much it was going to cost to square up the barn was making me desperate. She says it was built in seventeen ninety-eight and must be preserved regardless of the cost."
"I want to read that by-law," Paige said, and I told her that Mrs. Avery had given me a copy along with the name of a contractor she recommended to do the work.
She was amazed at how many yard-sale items were spread out along the driveway. "Will it be safe here?"
"Charlie is going to watch for trespassers. I told him that we're going out for a while."
"I'm sorry to drag you along tonight, Brian. Going to the church supper was the only way I could get him to change his vote, and I certainly wasn't going without you. It steams me that he and Nancy decided to take today off."
I opened the back door and followed her inside. "Actually, they gave me a break. They would have just gotten in the way. Charlie and I work well together."
"I'm going to have a word with them on Monday."
"Surprise!" I said, holding up the key to the locked file cabinet for her to see. "I found it in the game table."
Paige jumped into my arms. "What would have happened if you didn't buy the game table?" she asked.
Her breasts were pressed into my chest, and I felt her hands on my shoulders. "I would have given up finding the key and drilled into the lock."
"Oh," she said, pulling away from me; obviously embarrassed for becoming excited about the key.
I offered her the key to the cabinet, but she preferred to study the town by-law while I took a shower and got ready to go with her and Mr. McMahan to the church supper. All she said was, "We don't have much choice but to abide by their wishes," as we walked out to meet Mr. McMahan.
He introduced us to a lady in the backseat of his car as his mother. Mrs. McMahan's greeting could have turned a bucket of water into a giant ice cube. I held the back door open for Paige, but Mr. McMahan objected, saying that she had promised to go with him, and that she was to sit in the front with him.
I watched a grin cross her face as she got into the front seat. Her good humor immediately canceled what could have caused me to sink into a bad mood. As if Paige's verdict regarding the strength of the by-law was not enough to set me off, Mr. McMahan's demand that she sit in the front seat infuriated me. Her amused acceptance that she was his date for the evening gave me the impression that she would be receptive to having some fun with it.
"You must be very proud of your son, Mrs. McMahan. He's worked hard to represent his church in the distribution of the Peoples' estate."
The lady's expression changed from vinegary to a sugar-coated response. "I've always been proud of Gordon. It's good to hear you commend him for being an upstanding, ethical representative for a cause that he believes in."
"I didn't say that, Mrs. McMahan. He may be upstanding, but do you consider changing his vote for a chance to take Ms. Kindle to a church supper ethical?"
Gordon McMahan's head swiveled to glare at me, and his face turned scarlet, making me wonder if his bow tie was choking him.
"My son wouldn't do that. He's worked hard to make sure the church is not cheated out of its share of the estate," Mrs. McMahan said.
"Where were you today, Gordon?"
"I'm tired of taking orders from you. I've done my part," he said.
"Does that mean you won't be there to help out tomorrow?"
"It depends on how tonight goes," he said, glancing adoringly at Paige.
What did he mean by that? I didn't respond because we had arrived at the church. He was quick to run around the car and open the passenger door. She turned to me and mouthed, 'stop goading him.'
By the time I helped Mrs. McMahan out of the car and we walked ever so slowly down the basement steps, Gordon was introducing Paige to the churchgoers. She kept turning to look my way, shrugging helplessly. When she motioned for me I rushed to her side, leaving the old lady chatting with others her age.
In the next fifteen minutes, I met the core members of the church. They all seemed to have a title, like deacon or pastor or director of an activity. They all spoke highly of Gordon McMahan; commending him for the splendid job he was doing in regard to the Peoples' estate. I would have loved to set them straight, but Paige's hand in mine, or her knee rubbing my leg warned me to let them think what they wanted to believe.
Mrs. McMahan appeared, urging us to get in the serving line before all the food was gone. I reluctantly followed her, and looked back to see Gordon's hands on Paige's hips as if he were steering her through the crowded room.
"I don't mind telling you that I'm opposed to my son becoming involved with that woman," Mrs. McMahan confided in me, just as one of the servers was asking if I wanted my potatoes scalloped or mashed. I spotted the gravy and elected to take the mashed potatoes.
Mrs. McMahan wasn't moving. We were holding up the serving line, but she had more to say. "I suppose you know that her husband was a gangster?"
"I've heard stories," I said.
"I've warned him not to encourage her, but he's an easy mark for a widow with children. My son is too charitable for his own good."
"May I have some gravy on my potatoes?" I asked, and received a grateful nod from the server for making Mrs. McMahan see that she was holding up the line. I followed her to a table where her friends had saved two seats for us.
I watched Paige follow Gordon to a nearby table, and take a seat next to him. After a prayer, I busied myself by remembering the names of Mrs. McMahan's friends. I even tolerated their praise for Gordon until I couldn't take any more. Someone, either Gordon or his mother, had elevated his role in the distribution committee to the lofty position of leader. I choked on the roast beef when I heard one of them say that Gordon gave the directions and the rest of us bowed to his authority.
Paige had warned me to not goad Gordon, and I took that to mean that I was not to burst Mrs. McMahan's bubble regarding her estimation of her son's ability either. I bided my time until dessert was served, and then I offered to take the old ladies' trays to the window where the dishes were being collected for washing.
Dessert was Indian pudding, but I didn't have a chance to finish mine because a constant stream of church officials wanted to shake my hand. They all began the same way.
