A round of polite applause agreed with Gloria’s appeal.
She held out a hand. “I would like to take this time to thank the Board for all of their hard work. Let’s also give them a big round of applause.”
The history of the museum would greatly enhance my article, but not once did she mention Doc or Penny for their time and effort given to the museum, and her pointed glare at him drove home my suspicion. This lady obviously had it in for Doc.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Now, everyone, please enjoy the rest of the evening.” Gloria stepped down from the podium. Nodding acknowledgements, she headed straight for our little group. “Well, hello Doc. Penny. I see you’ve brought some guests with you tonight. I don’t remember them on the invitation list.”
“I invited them,” Doc bowed low, his confederate general’s suit made him especially dapper. “Trixie is doing everything she can to help us with publicity for the museum.”
“Yes. I’ve met Trixie.” She spewed my name like it was a disease. “She claims to work for “Georgia by the Way.” And who might these ladies be?” Her gaze lingered on Dee Dee and Nana, raking them over from head to toe.
“I introduced you to my friend Dee Dee this afternoon, and this is my great-aunt Nana.”
“That’s Scarlett to you, Missy.” Oh great, just what I needed in front of the Gloria Hamilton. Nana acting like she believed she was Scarlett. Then I noticed Gloria’s dress. It was very similar to Nana’s except it was purple velvet with a lavender underskirt. The strange color reminded me of grape Kool-Aid. With the magic of the night, maybe all the ladies believed they were Scarlett.
I didn’t exactly picture myself as Scarlett, but I did feel pretty. I wished Beau could see me. Feeling pretty didn’t happen often for me. Low self-esteem is something all women struggle with at times. The models on television and magazines have made it impossible for normal women to meet unreal standards. I try to remember that the fantasy world of television celebrities doesn’t represent normal. God loves what is on the inside much more than what’s on the outside. I stood a bit taller in my period costume.
A handsome young man walked our way. Gloria raced over and grabbed him by the arm to pull him toward us. I suspected he was in his late twenties. Tall and lean, he made a dashing figure in his Rhettlike suit. He possessed a chiseled face and light brown hair, more of an Ashley Wilkes. You could swim in his blue eyes, and he boasted the longest eyelashes of any man I’d ever seen. If this was Gloria’s son, no wonder she was so proud of him.
“Ladies, I’d like you to meet my son, Steven.” Gloria brushed a piece of lint from his jacket, hovering around him like he was a young child.
“I hear you recently graduated.” Dee Dee gave him a dazzling smile.
“Yes, ma’am. I received my Doctorate from the University of Georgia.”
Wow, smart as well as handsome. No wonder Gloria was vying for him to take over Doc’s position. That still didn’t make it right. She had no call to push Doc out of his post. It couldn’t be that long before he retired.
Nana surprised me with her next words. “Sir, would you like to dance?” Oh my goodness. What was she up to?
Steven answered without missing a beat. “Why, I’d love to Scarlett.” Nana grinned from ear to ear as she hooked her hand though his crooked elbow. They made their way to the dance floor.
We sipped on lime punch as we discussed the museum’s history. In a few minutes, Sammy, whom I met earlier at the museum, asked me onto the floor for a lively polka. Why not? I jumped at the chance to pry some information out of him.
“May I call you Trixie?” Sammy bent over in a gentlemanly bow. Once on the floor he was a wonderful dancer.
My knee ached, but I toughed it out. I didn’t want to miss this chance. “Oops, didn’t mean to step on your foot.” Way to go, Trix.
“A little lady like you can’t hurt my foot. Don’t worry about it.” Regardless of his denials, I sensed he pulled back a little.
“Sammy, what keeps you busy when you aren’t attending board meetings?”
“I own a real estate company. Most of the buildings in downtown Marietta are part of my holdings.”
A smug grin appeared. He acted the exact opposite of Gloria’s son Steven. Where Steven appeared humble, Sammy exuded arrogance. I suppose if you owned most of a town the power might go to your head.
As I was pondering the differences between the two men, without warning, the lights went out. Everything happened so fast. Pushed from behind with forceful hands, I fell to my knees. Screams split the air. Then I realized the shrieking was mine. As quick as the lights went out, they came back on. The entire episode lasted only a matter of minutes.
I lay on the floor writhing in pain. I grabbed my knee. Lord, please help me. Someone called for an ambulance, and then everything went black again.
Dee Dee’s round face hovered an inch above me. We both emitted a little screech.
“Well, it’s about time you woke up.” She grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.
“Yeah, you had us worried to death.” Nana pushed Dee Dee aside to peer down at me. They were still dressed in their Scarlett dresses. I didn’t care if I never saw a hoop dress again in my lifetime.
“Somebody knocked me down when the lights went out.” I knew it was no accident. Who wanted to hurt me? Were we getting too close to the killer?
“Guess who your doctor is?” Nana cooed.
“Nana, please. I don’t feel like guessing.” My head throbbed and my knee ached.
“You don’t have to. Here he comes.” Dee Dee moved out of the way. Dr. Rossi loomed over me, his white coat almost as bright as his pearly whites.
“How is our patient feeling?” He leaned over and looked into my eyes.
Well a little better now that you’re here.
“I fell on my bad knee. The pain caused me to black out.” I surveyed the area. The curtained off area and the voices close by tipped me off we were in the emergency room. “Do I have to stay overnight?”
“No, not if you promise to prop up your leg and stay off that knee as much as possible for several days.” He tapped his pencil against the chart. “We’ve taken x-rays, and nothing’s broken. Have you been told you are going to need a knee replacement soon?”
“Yes. I’ve tried to put it off as long as possible. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.” I raised my head to garner a look. Yuck, it was swollen and had already turned blue and purple.
“I promise to keep off it tonight.” Well, that was better than no promise at all.
“Doctor Rossi, you release her into my custody and I’ll promise she won’t go anywhere.” Nana winked at me, then the Doctor. “You make house calls?”
While I wished I could disappear altogether, he seemed unaffected.
“I’m sure you’ll look after her.” Doctor Rossi laid his muscular arm across Nana’s thin shoulder.
“I’ll get the nurse to wrap you, and I want you to go home and ice it. Keep it propped up as much as possible. You need to visit an orthopedic surgeon when you return to your home town.” He drew back the sheet, and gingerly felt around on my sore knee one more time.
I flinched.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you.” His touch reminded me of Beau, and how much I missed him. Even though we’d only been dating a few months, I realized how much I loved how he made me feel safe when I snuggled in his arms. I needed him.