Veronica's Wills

by Bonnie Stanard

About the Author: Bonnie Stanard has published four novels with a fifth due out in November. In addition to editing periodicals, she has written poems and stories published in journals such as Harpur Palate, Slipstream, Eclipse, and North Atlantic Review. Her novels are available at various online venues. She is active in the Columbia II Writing Workshop in South Carolina. Her website is http://www.bonniestanard.com.

Excerpt

Jimmy Beaufort’s windshield wipers shave off water in perfect rhythm as he drives through the open gate to Veronica’s house. The tires of his rebuilt Monte Carlo pummel the stenciled concrete where glints spit into his headlights as if he’s coasting through crushed glass. Veronica is just the sort of person to embed glitter in concrete.

“What the hell am I doing here?” he asks himself. If there’s a score to settle, his ex-wife owes him. Her gypsy voice on the phone must have cast a spell on him, but the mansion he sees at the end of the driveway is bringing him out of it. Instead of putting her off two days he should have made it two weeks. He whistles with surprise. A white BMW sportster just off the assembly line is parked in front of the four-door garage.

From the looks of things, his ex has tapped into an affluent spirit. Which makes his presence even more puzzling. What could she possibly want with him after all these years? He considers gunning the motor and fishtailing out the big gate in a cloud of pollution and noise.

He looks at his watch. He’s an hour late for the appointment. The thought of her waiting inside satisfies some need to punish her. He sucks it up, gets out of the car, shuts the door, and stands in the drizzle looking up at a house with more grandeur than style.

Beaufort mounts wide steps to reach the covered piazza. Obviously Veronica’s claim about being down on her luck was her way of negotiating his price. He should have asked five hundred bucks just for showing up to listen to whatever she has to say.

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