Stunner by Niki Danforth Page B

the dining room. There I’m surprised to see Juliana on her knees folding up a corner of an old Oriental carpet. Her fingers gently rub the pile where the shadow of an old stain barely shows.
    “Someone, way back, dropped—oh, what was it?” I walk into the room. “Some kind of sauce?”
    A startled Juliana drops the corner of the carpet. “I didn’t realize you were standing there.” She gets up quickly. “You caught me daydreaming.” Her voice is smooth, not flustered.
    “Sorry. I didn’t mean to surprise you.” I walk over. “Daydreaming about a spot on a carpet?”
    “I love old carpets.” She looks down at this one. “They have so many stories to tell about the people who’ve walked on them.”
    “Well, this one would have a lot of Rutherfurd stories to tell, since my great-grandfather gave it to my grandparents when they bought Meadow Farm.” I look at the old stain and then at her. “And of course lots of stories about family friends and the wonderful people who worked for us over the years.”
    I see a momentary hint of something cross Juliana’s face, and she says, “Well, it’s a most beautiful carpet.”
    “Kind of worn around the edges.” I use the toe of my shoe to rub the stain. “But that’s how we like it here—nothing too shiny and new.” I link arms with Juliana and feel her pull back slightly as I turn her toward the kitchen. “Now how about an iced tea?”
    “Juliana.” It’s Frank, calling from outside.
    “Ronnie, excuse me.” She disengages from my linked arm. “That’s Frank. He’s taking me to meet a friend of his. Don’t mean to rush off.” But Juliana does rush off to go join him outside. I hear laughing between the two and then a car motor rev up and take off down the gravel road.
    ~~~~~
    I walk into the kitchen and place the fresh lettuce in the fridge.
    “Hi, Ronnie!” Meadow Farm’s longtime cook and housekeeper breezes in, a petite bundle of energy with a pencil and pad.
    “How are you, m’dear?” I respond. Rita Hendricks is adored by all our family. In fact, I don’t know how this place would run without her organizational talents and general TLC. “Everything under control over here?” I ask.
    “Yep. I’m heading out to pick up the mail and do some grocery shopping.” She adds an item to her list on the pad. “Frank and his new lady friend are driving to Mantoloking and will be there until this evening.”
    “So, this must be serious,” I say lightly.
    Rita stops writing and looks up.
    I go on, “Frank must be taking Juliana to meet his old Princeton roommate, you know, Dan Gardiner. He’s usually at his shore house this time of year, but I know he’s been doing a lot of rebuilding since Superstorm Sandy. Maybe Frank and Juliana want to take a look at Dan’s place and see what kind of headway he’s making.”
    “Meadow Farm was certainly fortunate compared to the Shore, Ronnie.” Rita closes the pad and lays down the pencil. “Just some downed trees here. No damage at all to the house or any of the farm buildings except that one shed crushed by that pine tree. We do have a lot to be grateful for.”
    I nod my agreement. “Absolutely, Rita. A lot to be grateful for. Anyway, my brother wouldn’t take her to meet Dan if this wasn’t serious.” I think back to the lawyer’s appointment Frank mentioned before the road rage incident and wonder why it involved Juliana. The meeting with his attorney could be an indicator of how serious the two of them are. Things might be moving fast between them…perhaps too fast. It makes me uneasy.
    “Well, it’s easy to understand why your brother would want to show her off. She’s very beautiful.” Rita grabs the pad and heads toward the kitchen door. “Be back in a while.”
    “Bye, Rita.” I walk into the foyer and look upstairs. No one’s around, and my curiosity is killing me. Again.
    I’ve rarely been a nosy person, but I sure have been turning into one ever since Juliana arrived.