After All These Years by Sally John Page A

shutting out the noise and bright lights of the Valley Oaks annual ritual called the Autumn Faire. “Excuse me?”
    â€œI was wondering if you would use my name.” She pulled a compact from her purse and proceeded to apply another layer of bright pink lipstick.
    â€œYes, Mrs. Cassidy. Unless you want to remain anonymous.”
    â€œTony, please! I told you to call me Dot. And my goodness, no, I don’t want to be anonymous in something the whole nation’s going to read!” Although no one was sitting near them, she leaned across the table and lowered her voice. “Now, I don’t like to say anything derogatory about Brady, but the guy is not perfect. Nobody is. Did you know his dad was married to Gina Philips’ mother? We were all in the same high school class.”
    â€œWait a minute. Brady’s
related
to Gina?”
    â€œWell, not exactly. It happened way before Neil married Barb and they had Brady. The Olafssons are rich farmers, so he was a spoiled kid. Had the money and the looks to get away with anything. He sure could play basketball.” Admiration slipped into her voice. “Made the state all-star team his junior
and
senior year. No one’s done that before or since.”
    If I hear that fact one more time—
    â€œWhat I’m saying is, life came easy for him. He got everything he ever wanted.” Dot’s smile bordered a smirk. “Except Nicole Frazell. She hightailed it out of here, leaving him high and dry and out a $10,000 ring.”
    â€œHe was engaged? When was this?” Tony jotted down the name in his small notebook.
    Dot tapped the page with a long, pointed pink fingernail. “That’s one
z
, two
l
s. Let’s see. That would have been about four years ago.”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    She shrugged her hot pink padded shoulders. “Most people thought Nicole was nuts to let Brady slip through her fingers. I, on the other hand, imagine he just didn’t have what it took to keep her happy.”
    A movement caught Tony’s eye beyond Dot. Uh-oh. Izzy was making her way through the picnic shelter. She stopped for a moment to talk to someone, but she kept glancing in his direction. The shelter’s yellow lights cast a muted glow on the subtle deep red tones of her thick hair. The chin in her heart-shaped face appeared more pointed and determined than usual.
    He surreptitiously closed the notebook and slid it into the inside pocket of his lightweight sport coat. “Until this article comes out, Dot, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep the specifics of our talk here confidential.”
    â€œMy lips are sealed.”
    Yeah, right.
He swallowed the laughter that threatened to burst and hid his face by searching his pockets. He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “If you come up with any other,” he dropped his voice, “
inside
information, would you mind calling me? The motel number where I’m staying is written on the back.”
    â€œDon’t you have any more questions for me now?”
    Izzy was only one table away and approaching rapidly. He stood and offered his hand to Dot. “Afraid not. You’ve been a great help. Thank you.”
    She shook his hand. “I’ll be glad to give you a call. We could talk half the night away. It sure doesn’t seem like I told you much.”
    Tony disagreed. Her tidbit was priceless. Nicole Frazell left the Valley Oaks Golden Boy floundering in the dust for
some
reason.

    Isabel was fuming. Dot Cassidy knew her pharmaceuticals like nobody’s business, but she also knew how to twist words into nonsense. Tony Ward had no right to accept that woman’s version of today’s
date
let alone anything she had to say about Brady!
    Having wound her way through the perpendicular rows of picnic tables, Isabel reached where they were seated just as Tony stood. She caught Dot’s voice, demurring something about not