Yesterday by Fern Michaels Page B

she waited for Bode.
    Like Bode, she took her job seriously. She never missed a day, even when she had a cold or it was raining or the temperature was in the low thirties. When the need arose, she also delivered the papers. She did the same thing after school because she got out a half hour earlier than Bode.
    Bode knew Briana Canfield would have walked through fire for him. The day he kissed her on the cheek right in front of Adeline Brown’s house was the happiest day of her young life. She told him later that for days she washed around what she called the kissing spot. She never told a soul, except him. She said she wrote about it in her diary, the one with the bright blue cover that he’d given her for her birthday.
    All the monies Bode earned went into a large Mason jar in Pearl’s cupboard. He told Pearl he would only take what he needed. Most times he didn’t need much, except at Christmas or if his bike needed repair.
    Judge Avery Summers told everyone in town that Bowdey Malcolm Jessup worked like a tireless old dog.
     
     
    Bode perched on the edge of his chair, the glass of lemonade Miss Nela, the Judge’s wife, handed him trembling in his hand. He knew that whatever the Judge was going to tell him, was going to be bad. He could feel the bad news rumbling in his stomach. He waited, hardly daring to breathe, afraid to sip the tart lemonade in case he dribbled it down his chin.
    “Bode, I think it’s time for you to know the true state of affairs at Parker Manor. I want you to look at this ledger and tell me if you can figure it out. If you can’t, then I’ll explain it. Take your time,” the Judge said kindly.
    Bode set the lemonade on the desk and opened the ledger. His hands, he noticed, were still trembling and were covered with news ink. He tried not to smudge the pages. He was aware of the Judge’s keen gaze, the scent of his cigar, the smell of old leather and good whiskey.
    Bode knew exactly what a ledger was and how to follow it because the Judge had given him one for his own small business. He needed to look at the expenditures and then the bottom line. His tongue felt thick, like he’d swallowed molasses and peanut butter all at the same time. It took him a full thirty minutes before he understood that the money Clemson Parker had left was all gone. There appeared to be a sizable debt. He closed the ledger and wondered if Brie was delivering his papers.
    “Judge, I don’t have any more hours to work. What should I do?”
    “Son, Clemson Parker was one of my best friends. Unfortunately, he was not a good businessman, and his wife’s . . . illness cost him dearly. I have a plan I’d like to propose. You tell me if you think it will work. You don’t have to go along with it, but it’s all I can come up with so other people don’t know our business.”
    “I’d like to hear your plan, sir,” Bode said.
    “I’ll carry the bills and pay the taxes because Clemson appointed me as your guardian. I want you to go to college and then law school. I expect you to work some, but don’t want your studies to suffer. You’ll always be able to count on me. If you feel absolutely that you have to tell someone, that someone should be Briana. No one else. When you finish your schooling you can start to pay me back—whatever you can afford. I’ll never hound you for the money. It’s going to be a huge debt, Bode, but I just don’t see any other way. Well, there is a way, and that’s to sell off the land and Parker Manor, but I don’t think we want to do that. Take all the time you need to think about this.”
    The Judge paused. “You’re a fine boy, Bode. I don’t know another youngster in this town who could have buckled down the way you did. I’m very proud of you. Another time we’ll talk about Callie and her future. Now, you best be drinking that lemonade, or Miss Nela is going to think you don’t like it. I think it tastes like horse piss myself, but I drink it to keep her