Read Online Simple Riches by Mary Campisi - Free Book Online

to know about living in a small town.” She lowered her voice, “And everything you want to know about this town.” She set her coffee cup down, smoothed both hands over her yellow kerchief. “Been here thirty-nine years in September. Moved to Restalline right after Chuck and I got married.”
    Alex nodded. Now this was someone who could give her the background information she needed to find out who the powerhouses were behind the community, and who could be persuaded to sell. “You must know everyone.”
    “Sure do.” A quick smile spread over Edna’s long face. “Everybody and everything.”
    “Edna! Edna!” It was a man’s voice, booming from another part of the house.
    Edna Lubovich shook her head. “That’s Chuck.” Then she raised her voice several decibels to match his. “What?!”
    “Where’d you put my slippers?”
    “Check behind the bathroom door! And don’t come down in your underwear. We’ve got company!”
    “Who?”
    She turned to Alex, “He’s as bad as our Tracy used to be, yelling from all over the house.”
    “Who?” Chuck Lubovich shouted again.
    “Never you mind,” Edna yelled back. “You’ll see when you get down here.”
    “I hope your husband doesn’t mind my staying here,” Alex said, wondering if the next two months would be a barrage of shouting matches between her landlords.
    “Nah, Chuck don’t care.” Edna took out another cup from the cupboard, set it next to the coffee pot. “It’s just his way sometimes, that’s all.” Her voice softened, dipped. “We been together a long time, been through a lot.” She paused, spooned a teaspoon of sugar into the empty cup. “You married, Alex?”
    “No.” Not anymore .
    She poured a generous amount of milk over the sugar and began stirring. “Hmm. Marriage teaches you a lot about a person, teaches you a lot about yourself, too. Chuck always puts his milk and sugar in first before he pours his coffee. Been doing that for as long as I can remember.”
    Alex sipped her own coffee, thinking about how nice it was that Edna Lubovich fixed her husband’s coffee for him. No one did things like that for Alex, mostly because she wouldn’t let them, but watching Edna stir sugar and milk for her husband made her think that once in a while it might be nice to share something like that with someone.
    She was still thinking about Edna and Chuck’s coffee when the door separating the kitchen and the living room opened and Chuck Lubovich walked in. He must have taken Edna’s words to heart because he was wearing a tan short-sleeved shirt, tucked in, with a brown belt and brown pants. There was a pair of brown corduroy slippers on his feet, probably the ones behind the bathroom door. For all the noise he’d made yelling to Edna, Chuck was a small man, standing no more than an inch or two taller than his wife. His build was medium to slight, maybe leaning a little more on the slight side and his coloring was pale like he hadn’t seen the sun in a long time. His gray hair was slicked back, thinning on top, and he wore thick black glasses that distorted his eyes, making it difficult to tell what color they were.
    “So, you’re the visitor,” he said to Alex, looking her up and down.
    “Nice to meet you Mr. Lubovich,” Alex said, walking toward him, hand extended.
    “Mr. Lubovich was my father,” he said, his voice deep, “and he’s been dead over twenty years.” He held out a hand, grasped Alex’s. “I’m Chuck.”
    Alex smiled. “Chuck. Pleased to meet you.”
    He ignored the pleasantry. “What brings you to Restalline?”
    Edna interrupted. “She’s writing a story on small towns. It might be on TV.”
    “Oh?”
    Alex worked her lips into a smile, the same one she used every time she gave this pitch. Make them believe, make them believe. It’s for their own good . Nobody wants to be stuck in a town that doesn’t even have a mall . And I need this project. I really, really need it . “Yes, that’s