CHAPTER SIX. That Howell? The electronics store? Jill asked a few days later as they walked to feed the ducks.

" That Howell? The electronics store? " Jill asked a few days later as they walked to feed the ducks.

" Yes, that Howell, but it's not that big a deal, " Carrie said.

" Is that really your husband in the commercials? "

" That's really him."

" Wow. He's attractive."

Carrie shrugged. " He's getting the middle-age spread."

" How long have you been married? "

" Twenty-two years. We seldom see each other, though. I'm certain that's a requirement for a good marriage. You're never around each other enough to argue. But he's a workaholic. He has seven stores now. Two in town here and the rest within a two-hundred-mile radius. He's convinced he has to visit each one personally once a week."

" Wow."

" That impresses you? "

" Seven stores? Yeah, it does. How'd he get started? "

Carrie pointed. " There's Grandma Duck. She's waiting for us." She paused, her eyes still on the duck. " When we got married, James had every gadget known to man. CDs were just getting off the ground, computers were still in their infancy and cell phones were about this big, " she said with a laugh, holding her hands apart. " But, if they made it, James had to have it." She handed Jill some bread then began tossing it to the ducks, making sure Grandma Duck got her share.

" So that prompted him to open his own store of gadgets? "

" Pretty much. That was before the days of the big chain stores. He made a decent living but when it became the norm for everyone to have a home computer, that's when his business really took off. That, and when everything went digital. Phones and cameras. He was way ahead of the game and he already had a reputation."

" So when the big stores moved in, it didn't cut into his business? "

" Some. But most of his other stores are in smaller towns where the competition is nearly nonexistent."

" So you don't work then? "

Carrie shook her head. " Not anymore. But it really didn't have anything to do with James. I was in real estate for years. I had my own money."

When Jill would have asked another question, Carrie turned to her, her blue eyes clear as they met Jill's.

" You have got to be bored silly hearing about my husband's ascent in the business world. Tell me what you do."

Again, that sense of familiarity settled over her as she looked into Carrie's eyes. She smiled before turning back to the ducks.

" I don't even tell my husband about my job, why in the world would you want to hear about it? "

" Because I'm interested in you."

It was a simple answer said with the casualness of a new friendship. But for some reason, the words echoed in her brain. Why in the world would Carrie Howell be interested in her?

" I manage an office, " Jill finally said. " Tutt Construction. I've been there since I quit teaching, fifteen years now."

" Oh? You were a teacher? I always think of it as being the worst possible job on the planet, " she said with a laugh. " I don't blame you for quitting. So what does one do to manage an office? "

" Well, there's the owner, Mr. Tutt's son Johnny who took over about eight years ago. There's my assistant, who now handles all of the really important things, like making sure there's coffee in the morning. That leaves me to juggle the accounts and keep them reconciled, deal with the accountants, deal with the bank and do payroll for the construction crews."

" You wear quite a few hats, " Carrie said.

Jill shook her head. " I've been there so long, I could do it in my sleep, " she said. " It's a relatively stress-free job that brings in more income than my husband's."

" Ouch. That must hurt, " Carrie guessed.

" He's a teacher. And a coach, " she added. " At Kline High."

" So you were both teachers? What prompted you to quit? "

" I realized I hated teenagers."

Carrie's laughter rang out, startling the ducks as they scurried away from them.

" And now you're living with one. That's priceless."

" Glad you find it amusing, " Jill said with a smile.