Chapter 3 - The Man

The Escape was nearly ten acres, with a pond that Gracie and Ginger would often use to quench the summer heat, a forest of cedars and firs, and plenty of gnarled Arbutus trees that seemed to sprout out of the sheer walls along the south side of the property.

Thomas, the handyman, came by the estate twice a week in the summer to keep the grounds looking good and to make sure everything on the Escape was working well. He was a quiet worker, generally keeping to himself. Aunt Bee would make a list of the things that needed doing each week, and Thomas would take care of them.

Gracie and Ginger would hear his old truck pull up to the gate. Ginger used to hear him first, but this summer, it was usually Gracie who heard him coming before the pup’s ears perked up. Thomas was the only person Gracie had ever seen Ginger avoid. He never raised his voice at Ginger, so she chalked it up to him not being much of a dog person. Over the years, Ginger and Thomas had managed to stay apart from each other, ignoring each other as best they could. Once she became a teenager, Gracie noticed that Thomas’ eyes would never meet hers. Instead, they’d settle on her chest, and then with a scowl, he’d look away. Gracie didn’t consider herself to be as pretty as her friends, but she knew that men were starting to look at her as she got older. The ones that did it were usually creepy goofs, and apparently, Thomas was in that club, too. She didn’t think it was worth mentioning to Aunt Bee – he was only looking, and Gracie could ignore it, usually.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

After feeding the chickens and gathering eggs, cleaning the horse’s stall, weeding the garden and checking the tomatoes, then hanging the laundry out to dry, Gracie headed into the house to clean up and have a late breakfast. When she came into the garage, she saw the hood was up on Aunt Bee’s Mustang. Thomas was working on something in the engine, and since he hadn’t seen her, she quietly snuck into the house.