Book 3- Annie Adams-College Years

Book 3-Annie Adams-The College Years

                                                                                        Chapter 1

                                                                                     The Proposal

     Len Summers had planned everything down to the last detail for his proposal that night to Annie Adams, the strawberry haired, green eyed girl of his dreams.  He and Annie had been dating for a year, starting with the night she graduated from Ridgemont Academy for Girls.  In that year Len had introduced Annie to his parents, Richard and Claire Summers, and she had spent time with them at their Victorian home, just outside the Waterbury Connecticut city limits.

     Claire Summers was a friendly, pretty blond lady with snapping brown eyes and a trim figure. Richard Summers had lots of silver gray hair and sparkling blue eyes.  He was a comical guy who had kept Annie laughing with his jokes.  But his wife evidently had heard them all in the last forty years, so when she could take it no more she would say, "Enough Richard."  Then Len's dad would chuckle and whisper to Annie, "She's just jealous that I get more laughs than she does."  And then his wife would raise a brow and shake her head at him.

     But they didn't fool Annie with their bickering.  It would have obvious to anyone that they were devoted to each other.  They still took walks together while holding hands.  Richard still pulled a chair out for his wife whether at home or in a restaurant, and Annie saw them a few times stealing a kiss when they thought no one was looking.

      Len introduced Annie to his best friend George Peterson, also a citizen of Waterbury.  Annie like him right off.  he was a stocky built man with blond hair which curled to the nape of his neck, steely blue eyes that were full of mischief and a good sense of humor.  He was a carpenter by trade and made a good living at it.

     Annie and Len talked much in the last year about their future together.  Annie was going to Waterbury Community College in the fall to study Criminal Justice.  She intended to be a private detective one day.  And to Annie's surprise her bubbly blond headed friend Beth with the amber colored eyes, told her that very day she was going to Waterbury College also and that she had changed her major from Business to Criminology.  Annie had been after her for years to take the Criminal Justice courses with her, but to no avail, so Annie had given up asking.  She was of course thrilled that Beth had changed her mind.

     Len had no plans to change jobs.  He loved being the sheriff of Waterbury.  In fact Beth's boyfriend Eric Crammer, the red headed, freckle face guy that Beth had been dating for a year's time, was taking Law enforcement courses, also at the local college and had approached Len, asking for a position when he graduated.  Len had ruffled his ginger hair and told him he would be glad to have him on board.

     Len had set the time for his very special date with Annie for six o'clock pm.  It was the first week in August and the weather that night was to be a pleasant seventy two degrees, with a full harvest moon.  Dinner was first, then the proposal.  Len was picking up Annie at the brownstone apartment house, where she shared a flat with Beth and Trisha, two of the Mystery Club Detectives that help Annie solve crimes over the past years.

     Len was happy that Beth had a date with Eric that night and that they were doubling with Trisha, and Zack Landrake.  The guys were picking up their dates at five, so Beth and Trisha wouldn't be there to have a "Chat Fest" with Annie, and mess up Len's schedule for the evening.  Len had confided in the guys that he was proposing to Annie that night, but swore them to secrecy because he knew Annie would want to tell the girls.