Chapter 17
“Tell me you’re joking?” Carol said. She usually did not talk on her cell phone when she was driving, but this news was so stunning, she had made an exception to her own rule. “Why in the world would you keep this a secret?”
Carol Bishop and Maxine Hammond had been best friends for the past few years. Both widows, and both having had careers in the field of music, they’d hit it off instantly when they’d met at an association meeting right after they’d bought their homes at The Upside.
“I wanted it to be a surprise, but if her father isn’t going to allow her to sing, what’s the point?” Maxine asked. “Paul is doing this as a personal favor, you know?”
Carol rolled her eyes. Every male in the world either owed Maxine a favor or wanted a favor. “Of course, and it will be worth his time, we both know that,” Carol said. “I think she’s much better than Jackie Evancho, don’t you?”
“Absolutely. And a nice girl, to boot. I would hate to see her become a success and have it ruin her as it has so many young people. Elvis, for one. I still can’t believe he’s gone. Every time I visit Graceland, I expect him to be lurking around a corner.”
Carol chuckled into the phone. “I’d advise you to keep those thoughts to yourself before someone thinks you’re a candidate for the loony bin.”
“You know what a fan I am. I saw him three times in concert. To this day, I have never heard anyone who can top him,” Maxine crooned, her love for the dead icon more than obvious.
“There is always someone better out there. It’s not like it used to be. There are a lot of opportunities for singers now. America’s Got Talent. The Voice. I bet if Elvis had a chance like that, we would have heard him belting his songs out a lot sooner. I’m driving now, so I need to pay attention. I’ll make a few phone calls when I get home. Do not cancel Paul . . . just yet.”
“I won’t, but work fast—will you?—as you know how busy he is,” Maxine added. “I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Carol ended the call and focused on her driving. She wasn’t all that fond of driving, let alone talking on the phone while she did so. Too dangerous, especially in the mountains, but fortunately, she was not on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Ten minutes later, she drove through the gatehouse and waved at the attendant. She weaved around three roundabouts before turning onto her street. As soon as she parked her car, she hurried inside. She had to find out exactly why Daniel was not going to let Holly participate in the musical this year. She had thought something was off yesterday when Holly showed up, warmed up, then seemed in such a hurry to leave. While she could not force Daniel to let his daughter perform, she could at least give it a try.
In the kitchen, she found her address book and looked up his phone number. She dialed his number and crossed her fingers. After the sixth ring, she hung up. It was Saturday. Maybe he and Holly were running errands. Whatever the case, she would continue to try to get him on the phone. To her way of thinking, this business with Holly was too important just to ignore. The girl had a phenomenal talent, one that had to be nurtured. And Holly simply loved to sing. To take away her singing would be like cutting off an arm or a leg.
If asked, Carol would guess that Daniel thought Holly was too young to expose her talent just yet. Maybe he wanted to wait until she was older. What a talent the world would miss if he did not allow Holly to use and develop her gift.
But he was her father, and Carol respected that. If he felt Holly was not ready, then maybe next year or the year after. However, having Paul Larson in the audience was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Maxine was right. He wouldn’t bother if it were a waste of time. Carol suspected Maxine and Paul had been an item back in the day, and this was the main reason he was traveling all the way from New York City. Maybe there was a rekindling romance in the air? Maxine usually told her these things. Maxine was still quite a looker, with her shiny red hair and green eyes. She still had the figure of a forty-year-old, too. Possibly Helen or Barbara would know. Quickly she dialed Helen’s number.
Helen picked up on the first ring.
“It’s me, listen. I have a question and do not interrupt me.” Carol did not bother with a hello. They were way past that now.
“All right,” Helen said. “Shoot.”
“Has Maxine mentioned anything about a boyfriend? We all know she’s always on the hunt, but she usually tells us.”
“Not one word. Why?” Helen asked. “Do you have someone in mind? Remember, she is not the only one available.”
Carol laughed into the phone. In their seventies, and all widowed, they were still looking for the perfect man. In fact, all four of them—herself, Maxine, Helen, and Barbara—were known throughout their gated community as The Matchmakers. They just had not found the perfect men for themselves.
“How could I possibly forget? It’s all we’ve talked about lately,” Carol said. “She’s invited a friend from New York to the Christmas musical. I was just curious, given that it is a male friend.”
“Not a word to me, but if she even hints at the possibility, I’ll let you know. After that, we can grill her over lunch. I think it’s my turn to host this week,” Helen said.
* * *
Every week, they had lunch on Wednesday. For the first year after they’d met, they’d gone to all the local eateries, usually one of the three restaurants at The Upside, but sometimes they would all travel to Asheville, but none of them cared for the drive. When Helen suggested they take turns hosting their luncheons, they’d all jumped at the idea. And they’d made it fun. Each week, they would pick a theme out of the box they used to collect suggestions in, and whoever’s turn it was that week would draw a suggestion from the box and start working. And they went the full Monty, too. Not only were their luncheons’ food themed, they were also decorated to fit the theme, and at the end of each month, they would vote on who did the best job, and that lucky person got to skip a week if they chose to do so. So far, none of them had ever skipped her turn. It was fun, and it gave them all something to look forward to in the middle of the week, when a lot of the planned activities at The Upside were ones they chose not to participate in. There were many to choose from: rumba classes, aerobics, and yoga. They’d tried the aroma-therapy class, and all agreed it gave them a headache. There was also Latin dancing the first Saturday of the month, which they all attended because The Silver Foxes, a group of single men, also attended, and all were excellent dancers. They were all friends, but nothing had happened in the romance department.
Carol had even tried a glassblowing class once. But after walking away with several burns, she had decided that was not her thing, either. There were several dozen other activities planned by The Upside, and Carol loved living here, but she did not want to spend every single day booked with an activity that required a commitment. After all, she was retired. Her biggest activity was planning the annual Christmas musical, and she adored doing it. It was quite the undertaking, and add in the music part, Carol was in heaven. After Houston had died, she had not known what to do with her life. Deciding to move to The Upside had been the best decision of her life.
* * *
“We’ll pick her apart then,” Carol said, before saying her good-byes.
Boy, would she ever.