An Old Fashioned Southern Romance Novel by Annalise Arrington Page B

but that was the point. Annabella always felt out of place at home. Maybe things would be different in London. She could only hope that was the case.
    Annabella had signed the last document and she gently placed the pen on the counter. Mary Jane looked at her with satisfaction. She was not a loquacious woman and she felt everything had been said and done to her satisfaction. Annabella prepared to exit the office, but took a moment to reflect on what was next. She knew that once she left that office, there was no turning back. There was nothing left in her southern hometown holding her back. She had settled all her affairs. She got into the waiting car and signaled to the driver to depart. Annabella was on her way to the airport and she had no regrets about the decisions she made.

 
    Chapter Ten
    Hattie turned up her nose as she looked out the window and saw Caroline switching up the driveway. Soon, Caroline was beating on the door like a crazy woman and Hattie was becoming increasingly frustrated with the entitled menace.
    "What took you so long, Hattie?" Caroline inquired.
    "I'm not as young as you pretend to be, Ms. Caroline."
    "A bit snippy, aren't we? Where is Anna? Perhaps she is in a better mood than you."
    "I should say so. She is somewhere she has been wanting to go for a long time."
    "In a man's bed, I pray."
    "Unlike you, Annabella's dreams do not end in a California King. She's in London."
    "In London? What on earth for?"
    "She didn't tell you?"
    "She called me but I was still in Martha's Vineyard. I was distracted by a one Chad..."
    "I used to think so highly of him," Hattie quipped.
    "So did I. That is until he turned me down for a little fun."
    "In that case, I still do."
    Carline was getting frustrated with Hattie's put-downs, but she was more concerned with her missing friend.
    "What's this all about, Hattie?"
    "Annabella finally decided to start living her life. She knows what she wants and we had to let her go."
    "When did she leave? I didn't even get to say goodbye."
    "The driver should be arriving at the airport any minute now."
    "Well, I guess it will be like our boarding school days."
      As Caroline turned to walk towards the door, they both could hear blaring sirens. Hattie and Caroline wondered what could have happened on their quiet block to warrant such traffic. They both rushed to the door to see an ambulance and a fire truck turn the corner and pull up at Warrenton's house. Hattie told Caroline to go over and offer assistance, but she was met in the street by a frantic Warrenton.
      "My father collapsed! He is not breathing. I need to go to the hospital with him. Where is Anna?"
    Caroline and Hattie looked at each other and then down at the ground.
     "Where is she?" Warrington wanted to know.
    "She's on her way to England," Caroline bragged. "There is no reason for her to stay here. She has nothing holding her back."
    “Nothing holding her back? Are you kidding? Her whole life is here! Besides, we are in the middle of a lawsuit. She cannot leave me now!"
    "Leave you?" Caroline clarified.
    "I mean leave here now," Warrenton said.
    "Right. Well, she did. She should be b oarding a plane right now." 
    "Well then stop her!" Warrenton demanded.
    "We could not stop her if we wanted to. You know she does not have a cellular phone." Caroline took pleasure in Warrington's agony.
    "You evil woman! She would want to know my father's condition," Warrenton told her.
    With that Warrenton stormed out of the house.  
    "Hattie, you will surely not miss t he soap opera that is our lives," Caroline assured her. 
    Caroline exited as though she had not a care in the world. Hattie stood motionless. She knew Annabelle's leaving would make her happy, but look what it was doing to everyone else. She went upstairs to take a shower and pack a bag. She planned on spending a long night at the hospital.
      When Hattie arrived at the hospital, she was not surprised to find the Who's Who of their small, elite town.