"No David, she's not here," answered Edith into the phone then yelled to her husband, "Edward, did Sara say she was going straight home?"
"She didn't say one way or the other," replied Edward as he got up from the dinning room table, "why, is something wrong?"
Edith shrugged her shoulders and held her hand up while she said into the phone, "She didn't mention anything to Edward. She'll probably come in the door any minute ... OK, but have her call me when she does. OK, David ... good-bye." Edith hung up the phone and joined the rest of her family in the dinning room.
"What's up, Mom?" asked Joey.
"Oh, it's nothing I'm sure, but Sara isn't home yet so David was just checking if maybe she was here or if your father was keeping her working late. He sounded a little concerned ..."
"Aw, I'm sure she's fine. She probably stopped at the grocery store and started talking with someone. You know how she is."
"Yes, but it is almost seven thirty. She should be home by now."
"Now don't get yourself all worked up, Edith. The girl has a good head on her shoulders. She certainly has made quite a difference at the store. And don't you say a word to her, but I don't know how I ever got along without that damned machine she insisted I invest in. She's even got me using the blasted thing." He chuckled, thinking how Sara had cajoled him into buying the computer, and he had to admit it did help in keeping track of his inventory, as well as the accounts.
Joey pushed back his chair. "Well, if you will excuse me, I have some paperwork to do." He kissed his mother on the cheek. "Don't worry, Mom. What could happen to her in Saxon Mills? She's used to living in the city, she can take care of herself."
"I know you're right, dear." She patted her son's hand then got up to clear the table. She refused her husband's offer to help wash dishes and shoved him off to read the paper in the parlor.
Some time later, the doorbell rang, distracting Joey from the papers he had spread out around him. He'd been working on the Anderson subdivision project and had reached a snag, so to get away from it for a while he went downstairs to see who was arriving at this hour. At first he was surprised to see David, until he remembered the earlier phone call, and realized that Sara was not with him.