Read Online Patricia Rockwell - Essie Cobb 03 - Valentined by Patricia Rockwell - Free Book Online
Authors: Patricia Rockwell
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pull, the small silk heart detached from its base and popped into Essie’s
hand. She carefully lifted it up and turned it over. The back of the heart
was sewn with the smallest hand stitches she had ever seen. On top of the
stitches, a layer of glue provided additional protection. Indeed, the bottom
of the heart was rock solid. It was possible to remove the heart from its
base, but it would be virtually impossible to open the heart from behind. It
probably was intended as a sachet , Essie reasoned , even if it didn’t
smell good to her . It was sturdy enough to remain indefinitely in
someone’s drawer without accidentally breaking and spilling its contents out on
one’s clothes.
Essie touched the center of the card where the heart had
been and she felt a sticky substance. It appeared that the heart had been
fastened with a type of glue that would allow it to be reattached, so Essie
carefully placed the little heart in the center of the card and gently pressed
it down. The heart appeared to stay put when Essie held the card up to test to
see if the heart would fall off. It didn’t.
Her nighttime aide, Lorena, stuck her head in the door.
“Miss Essie,” she greeted Essie warmly. “You want to get
ready for bed, or are you plannin’ some late night rendezvous with that secret
admirer of yours?” Lorena came in and closed the door.
“Oh, Lorena,” said Essie, “don’t tell me you heard about the
valentine too?”
“Miss Essie, honey,” said Lorena, busily getting Essie’s
nighttime pills from her kitchen cupboard, “there ain’t nobody at HH who don’t
know about your admirer!”
“Oh, no!” cried Essie. “Can’t a girl have a boyfriend
without it being broadcast to the world?”
“Not here, she can’t!” said Lorena knowingly as she brought
Essie’s pills to her, along with a glass of water. Essie took the pills and
water and swallowed them without a fuss. Lorena smiled broadly. “Good for
you, girl! You usually moan and groan about those big ones!”
“I have other more pressing issues on my mind tonight,
Lorena,” noted Essie, as she handed the glass back to her aide.
“You mean you trying to find that mystery boyfriend of
yours?”
“You haven’t seen one hanging around outside have you?”
asked Essie. She and Lorena always liked to tease each other about their love
lives or lack thereof. Lorena had been married for years and she and her
husband had five children. She had always made it clear that her idea of
romance was when her husband just left her alone.
“It seems Betsy Rollingford got a secret admirer valentine
last year,” said Essie. “It was a lot like mine but she misplaced it.” Essie
was loathe to say it was stolen, because she assumed that Lorena would infer
that she meant one of the staff stole it.
“That’s not good,” said Lorena, still standing beside
Essie’s recliner. “That the card?” she asked, looking down at the valentine in
Essie’s lap.
“The very one,” said Essie.
“Hmmm,” said Lorena, peering at it from her standing
position. “That about the fanciest card I ever seen!”
“Me too!” agreed Essie, picking up the card and handing it
over to Lorena.
“My goodness, Miss Essie,” she said as she opened the card
and read the inside. “This man, he flat out mad about you!”
“I’m not so sure, Lorena,” said Essie, shaking her head.
“If he really cared about me, why be so mysterious? Wouldn’t he want me to
know who he is?”
“He shy,” said Lorena as if that answered all of Essie’s
questions and put the entire mystery to bed. She handed the card back to
Essie. “Shy men, they do weird things. They a lot of shy men at HH.” She
headed into the bedroom.
“Oh, Lorena!” said Essie, laughing and calling out to her.
“I don’t know about that!”
“I do, Miss Essie!” replied her aide, as she returned from
the bedroom with Essie’s
pull, the small silk heart detached from its base and popped into Essie’s
hand. She carefully lifted it up and turned it over. The back of the heart
was sewn with the smallest hand stitches she had ever seen. On top of the
stitches, a layer of glue provided additional protection. Indeed, the bottom
of the heart was rock solid. It was possible to remove the heart from its
base, but it would be virtually impossible to open the heart from behind. It
probably was intended as a sachet , Essie reasoned , even if it didn’t
smell good to her . It was sturdy enough to remain indefinitely in
someone’s drawer without accidentally breaking and spilling its contents out on
one’s clothes.
Essie touched the center of the card where the heart had
been and she felt a sticky substance. It appeared that the heart had been
fastened with a type of glue that would allow it to be reattached, so Essie
carefully placed the little heart in the center of the card and gently pressed
it down. The heart appeared to stay put when Essie held the card up to test to
see if the heart would fall off. It didn’t.
Her nighttime aide, Lorena, stuck her head in the door.
“Miss Essie,” she greeted Essie warmly. “You want to get
ready for bed, or are you plannin’ some late night rendezvous with that secret
admirer of yours?” Lorena came in and closed the door.
“Oh, Lorena,” said Essie, “don’t tell me you heard about the
valentine too?”
“Miss Essie, honey,” said Lorena, busily getting Essie’s
nighttime pills from her kitchen cupboard, “there ain’t nobody at HH who don’t
know about your admirer!”
“Oh, no!” cried Essie. “Can’t a girl have a boyfriend
without it being broadcast to the world?”
“Not here, she can’t!” said Lorena knowingly as she brought
Essie’s pills to her, along with a glass of water. Essie took the pills and
water and swallowed them without a fuss. Lorena smiled broadly. “Good for
you, girl! You usually moan and groan about those big ones!”
“I have other more pressing issues on my mind tonight,
Lorena,” noted Essie, as she handed the glass back to her aide.
“You mean you trying to find that mystery boyfriend of
yours?”
“You haven’t seen one hanging around outside have you?”
asked Essie. She and Lorena always liked to tease each other about their love
lives or lack thereof. Lorena had been married for years and she and her
husband had five children. She had always made it clear that her idea of
romance was when her husband just left her alone.
“It seems Betsy Rollingford got a secret admirer valentine
last year,” said Essie. “It was a lot like mine but she misplaced it.” Essie
was loathe to say it was stolen, because she assumed that Lorena would infer
that she meant one of the staff stole it.
“That’s not good,” said Lorena, still standing beside
Essie’s recliner. “That the card?” she asked, looking down at the valentine in
Essie’s lap.
“The very one,” said Essie.
“Hmmm,” said Lorena, peering at it from her standing
position. “That about the fanciest card I ever seen!”
“Me too!” agreed Essie, picking up the card and handing it
over to Lorena.
“My goodness, Miss Essie,” she said as she opened the card
and read the inside. “This man, he flat out mad about you!”
“I’m not so sure, Lorena,” said Essie, shaking her head.
“If he really cared about me, why be so mysterious? Wouldn’t he want me to
know who he is?”
“He shy,” said Lorena as if that answered all of Essie’s
questions and put the entire mystery to bed. She handed the card back to
Essie. “Shy men, they do weird things. They a lot of shy men at HH.” She
headed into the bedroom.
“Oh, Lorena!” said Essie, laughing and calling out to her.
“I don’t know about that!”
“I do, Miss Essie!” replied her aide, as she returned from
the bedroom with Essie’s
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