Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change (23 page)

“This morning I used dripping water. It worked.”

Sylvie laughed. “I’m going to have to try something like that. They were good?”

“They were fine. What are you doing here?”

“I have the day off of school and Rachel has been putting in a lot of hours, so I told her I’d work today. I need to get breakfast going. She said she assembled it last night. All I need to do is cook it. Let me put it in the oven and I’ll be right back.”

Polly went into Jeff’s office and sat down in front of him again.

“What is it this time?” he grumbled. “You never stop in to see me unless you need something or there’s a problem.”

“I got another email last night and it was more threatening than any of the others. I’m going to talk to Sarah. Rebecca said her mom saw someone out back early this morning and might have scared them off with her flashlight.”

He laughed, “Oh, that’s some scary stuff. Unless it’s a mag-lite
, of course. Those could be brutal.”

“Henry’s going to have a friend install security cameras. I can’t do this anymore.”

Jeff’s shoulders relaxed and he nodded. “I’m glad. I know you don’t like it, but we have to be safe.”

“Bellingwood, Iowa. It just shouldn’t be that way. I was used to having the whole world track me when I lived in Boston. You get used to it, but I liked knowing that I could come and go here without it being logged away in some database. It feels like I’m giving into paranoia.”

“We’ll figure out what the best thing to do is. Don’t worry. We won’t let the government have all of your secrets.”

Polly gave him a wan smile. “I hate this, you know.”

“I do know that. And I’m sorry.”

“Did you get an email this time?”

“No, I don’t think so. Let me check my spam folder, though.” He clicked away and then rolled his eyes. “Yes I did.”

“What does it say?”

Tell pretty girl she’ll never win. Her precious building is safe tonight, but I’ll be back.

He looked at her. “I’m glad you’re doing something proactive. This will just keep getting worse.”

“I’m heading down to ask Eliseo to make sure things are buttoned up tight tonight. Let Sylvie know, too, okay?”

“Do you need me to stay tonight?” he asked.

“No, Henry’s moving in. He can’t stand not being close.”

“He’s moving in! Well, good for you. It’s about damned time,” Jeff said. “The whole town
has been waiting and everyone was wondering how long he’d have to live with his parents.”

“Oh, shaddup,” she laughed. “I’ll be back later. I’m heading to the barn.”

Polly walked back into Sycamore House after talking to Eliseo, just as guests were heading to the kitchen. They generally served a hot breakfast around nine o’clock, since most of the artists that stayed with them were night owls. They’d tried different hours, but nothing else worked quite as well. If people were up early, fruit and cold cereal was always on the counter for them, but for the most part, people waited. Sylvie was chatting with a couple who was staying in one of the upper rooms of the addition. Polly waited for them to move on and then said, “Have you taken anything over to Sarah Heater?”

“Not yet,” Sylvie said. “I kind of got caught up.”

“Let me do it. I wanted to talk to her about last night. I think she might have scared off our vandal.”

Sylvie put a tray together and handed it to Polly. She took it to the addition, knocked at Sarah’s door, and was surprised when the woman opened it. Sarah was dressed in a Sycamore House t-shirt and jeans. Her clothing looked like it might now be a couple of sizes too large, but she had a smile on her face.

“What do you think?” she asked Polly, gesturing to her outfit.

“I think you look great. I brought breakfast.”

“I was just about to come get this myself. I feel practically normal today. The doctor told me that I would finally get to this point, but that the chemo would take me down again. I figure I’m going to enjoy all of the good days I can get.”

Polly put the tray on the desk and stepped back, saying. “Go ahead. I made pancakes for the kids. I’m fine. And I wanted to ask you about early this morning. Rebecca said you saw something outside. What time was that?”

Sarah sat down and took a bite. “You know. All of this weight I lost is going to come back with the way you feed me around here.” She took another one. “It was weird. Something woke me up and I saw a figure go past my window. It kind of shook me up because I didn’t know what was going on. I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or if it was real.”

“What time?” Polly asked.

“Around four thirty. I looked at my phone because I turned the flashlight app on to look outside. Of course, that didn’t really help. I didn’t see anything.”

“I don’t understand why the security lights aren’t popping on if someone is back there,” Polly said. “But, by the way, you did help. I think you scared them off. We’ve been having some vandalism here and I’m pretty sure you stopped it this time.”

Sarah had her mouth full and smiled around it at Polly. “Well, that makes me feel good,” she said after swallowing. “Is Mr. Lyndsay going to have something for me to do today? I’m ready to be back in the real world.”

“There is so much work
, Sarah. You’ll never be bored again.”

“I still can’t get over how much you have helped us, Polly. It’s like a fairy tale.”

“I wish that I had gotten to know you and Rebecca under different circumstances,” Polly said. “She’s such a sweetheart.”

“I believe that there is a God whose plan is bigger than ours. I wasn’t ready to let people into our lives, but when I didn’t have a choice, there you were.” She stopped to take a drink of juice. “And you haven’t made me feel like a loser or a bad mother or a terrible person because I wasn’t prepared for any of this to happen.”

“That’s because you are none of those things,” Polly said. She spread her arms out as if to encompass Sycamore House. “This place has been a gift to me. It’s given me a lot of satisfaction and a sense of purpose. How can I not share that?”

“The timing was perfect. When I needed you, you were here.” Sarah looked Polly in the eyes. “You do know
this is your purpose, don’t you? You’re in this place, at this time for the people who need you. If you hadn’t made Sycamore House what it is, there are a lot of lives who wouldn’t be what they are today. You listened and obeyed the voice inside you. It’s not over for you. It’s just beginning.”

Polly slowly nodded, feeling quite uncomfortable. This
was more philosophical than she wanted to deal with. She believed in God and if push came to shove, she knew that God was in control of everything, but it never occurred to her that He was the one who told her to buy Sycamore House.

“I hope it’s not over,” Polly said, smiling at Sarah. “I don’t know about the listening and obeying thing, but I do know that so far, I’ve met some of the best people because of this place.”

Sarah smiled back and released Polly from the intensity of her stare. “Thank you for everything. I keep saying that because I don’t know what else to say to you.”

“You don’t have to say anything. Just keep taking care of Rebecca and we’ll take care of the rest.”
Polly stood and headed for the door. “I’m glad you’re here.”

She stepped into the hallway and pulled the door closed. That was intense. Polly headed for the office and stuck her head in to see Jeff. “I think Sarah will be here this morning. She’s feeling pretty good.”

He reached over and picked a stack of papers up from the floor. “Good. This is where we start.”

Polly laughed and went into her office and closed the door. She needed to talk to Henry and didn’t want to fall apart on him with everyone watching. This vandal needed to be caught soon so she could make sure everyone who was staying and working at Sycamore House was safe
.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE

Rubbing Henry’s shoulder, Polly smiled to herself. No one seemed to think it strange that Henry finally moved into Sycamore House. Even her animals were comfortable with him. Having another person permanently in her bed was going to take some getting used to, though. She pushed a cat off the pillow and slipped her arm under his head. He turned in his sleep and pulled her close.

“I can’t breathe down here,” she whispered and he backed away, giving her space.

It was dark out, so she knew it was still the middle of the night. Polly nestled into his shoulder and relaxed as his muscles loosened and his breathing evened out. Maybe it wouldn’t take that much to get used to this. The bed was a queen and there wasn’t a great deal of room with two cats and a dog, but as soon as they could get into the room across the hall, there would be a king sized bed for them. She was keeping the furniture that she’d found last year and could hardly wait to move in and fill it with her own things. The other two bedroom sets would probably move over to Sycamore Inn. This bed would be great for the front room - especially if Rebecca became part of her family.

It was strange to think of that possibility since Sarah Heater was feeling better and getting out and about. Maybe everything would be fine and the woman would conquer this battle. Then they could come up with other plans.

“I can hear you thinking. Go back to sleep,” Henry muttered into her hair.

“I love you,” she whispered and forced her shoulders to relax. But, it wasn’t going to work. She was too keyed up. They were meeting Joss and Nate Mikkels in Boone this morning and she wasn’t sure if she would be able to live until then. She knew they were downplaying the whole ceremony, but the truth of the matter was, this afternoon she would be married to the man sleeping beside her. Polly snuggled a little closer and kissed Henry lightly on the lips. Even when he was asleep, he tasted good. Good heavens, she loved those lips.

He pulled her closer, “You aren’t going back to sleep, are you.”

“Not yet. Are you now?” she asked,
snuggling against him.

He put his hand at the back of her neck and pulled her in. “I believe you might have effectively destroyed that notion. Are you ready to be a married woman?”

Polly slid her arm around him and kissed him again, “So far, I really like this part of it.”

“Of course you do,” he chuckled. No one was going back to sleep yet.

When Henry’s alarm woke them later, Polly sat straight up. “What?”

“You finally went to sleep,” he said. “We’re going to have to talk about all of this activity in the middle of the night. I need my beauty sleep.”

She grinned, then reached over and patted his chest. There wasn’t going to be any kissing now. If her breath tasted like her mouth felt, it was horrible, so she picked Leia up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

“Hey! Where are you going?” he whined. “It’s my turn to wake you up.”

“I taste terrible and we have a big day today.”

He grabbed her waist and pulled her back to him. “You can’t taste that bad.”

“You goofball. Yes I can.” She pulled away and caressed his cheek. “Besides, you might have worn me out last night.”

“Oh, say it’s not true!” He clutched his heart in mock consternation.

“It’s not true, but we really do need to get moving. Rebecca will be here soon. I need a shower and since it’s a big day, maybe I’ll make us all a nice breakfast.”

“I’d rather stay here than eat breakfast,” he grumped.

“When we’re married, you and I get to do this all the time.” Polly patted his chest and jumped out of bed. “Look what you’ve done to me,” she laughed. “I feel great!”

“I’d feel great, too, if you stayed in bed a little while longer.”

“Stop whining.” She sashayed into the bathroom and turned around to wink at him. “Or, you could join me and we could save time in the shower.”

He was up and moving in a flash, startling the rest of the animals on the bed. “I had no idea you were this saucy, Polly Giller.” He gave her a little push into the bathroom.

“I’ve never had the opportunity. And just think what tomorrow might bring.”

Polly was in the kitchen when Henry finally came out. He was wearing a pair of dark grey slacks with no shirt and no socks. His sandy hair hadn’t been combed and was still damp. Her heart leaped into her throat. It wouldn’t be at all difficult to get used to having that around in the mornings.

“How do you get ready so quickly?” he asked, crossing the room to kiss her.

She dropped the whisk into the bowl of eggs and relaxed into his arms. “I’m not finished, but I wanted to get breakfast started before Rebecca arrived.”

“What are you making?” he asked, looking at the stovetop.

“Scrambled eggs, homemade biscuits and sausage gravy. What do you think about this for your pre-wedding morning breakfast?”

“I think you’re amazing. Why did I wait so long?”

“Because the timing had to be right. It is now.” She pushed him back and handed him a stack of plates and silverware. “Would you set the table and get a couple of small glasses for Rebecca? She likes milk and juice.”

“What time does she usually come up?” he asked.

“About seven thirty. We have a couple of minutes.”

“Do you want me to take the dog out for a quick walk?”

“It will be a little chilly in that getup,” she laughed. “But, I really like it.” She stopped him when he tried to go past her for the glasses and ran her finger down his chest. “Any time you want to walk around in this getup, I’ll just enjoy the view.”

“You’re objectifying me,” he protested weakly. “I like it.” He set the glasses on the table and called for Obiwan to follow him. “Come on, big boy. This has to be fast. I’m not missing breakfast.”

Polly heard the downstairs door shut as she pulled the biscuits out of the oven. She put them on a plate and stirred the eggs in the pan. The gravy was thickening and if everyone walked back into the apartment at just the right time, breakfast would be perfect. Otherwise, it would just be very good. She took butter and a couple of jars of jelly out of the refrigerator and put them on the table and pulled down two coffee mugs. She filled one and inhaled the scent. This was a perfect morning so far. Every single part of her felt relaxed, down to the deepest parts of her soul. It was surprising that she’d ever had doubts about Henry.

Luke rubbed against her ankle and she laughed. “Oh, I nearly forgot about you.” Polly stirred the eggs and then the gravy before opening the cupboard to fill the animal’s dishes. The cats sauntered past her to their breakfast and promptly ignored her. She chuckled as both of them spread kibble far and wide while eating. It was a never ending battle trying to keep things clean around their bowls.

A knock at the front door beckoned her and she heard Rebecca say, “Polly?”

“Come on in, Rebecca. I’m almost ready. Henry is taking Obiwan out for a walk.”

Rebecca came in with her backpack and set it down beside the couch before coming over to the dining room. “Is he going to live here now?” she asked.

“Yes he is,” Polly smiled.

“He’s nice.” Rebecca looked up at her with her big, violet eyes. “Mom says he’s quite a catch. She told me that the girls at work talked about how lucky you were to have snagged him.”

“Really?” Polly wrinkled her forehead. “Where did your mom work?”

“That was at Bell-Co,” Rebecca said. “Last fall she picked grapes, too. I didn’t see her very much.”

Bell-Co was a telemarketing firm in town. They had quite a few employees, but also had a bad reputation of hiring part-time workers to avoid any responsibility. No wonder Sarah had no insurance. The vineyard had hired quite a few townspeople for the last three years during the fall, since they generally picked in the evenings after the heat of the day had passed. Sarah had done everything possible to make a life for her daughter.

“So they talked about me, huh?” Polly remarked.

“I guess,” Rebecca said and turned around in her chair when Obiwan came dashing through. He stopped to sniff at her and made her giggle, then rushed to his food dish.

“He should be good to go,” Henry said, coming in from the bedroom. He’d pulled a sweatshirt on over his pants and was wearing loafers on his bare feet. “Good morning, Rebecca. Polly made a great breakfast. I hope you’re hungry.”

“She always makes a good breakfast. Mom says she’s spoiling me.”

He patted her back as he walked by. “I think you’re pretty easy to spoil.” He took the plate of biscuits to the table. “What else can I help you with, Polly?”

She handed him a platter of scrambled eggs and poured the gravy into a bowl. “I think that’s it. Rebecca, you can have biscuits and gravy or a biscuit with butter and jelly. Whatever you’d like.”

“I wish Andrew were here,” Rebecca commented.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because he’d like this. His mom makes him eat cereal and toast. Since she went back to school he says they never get a real breakfast. He loves your pancakes.” Rebecca grinned at the two of them. “I like to tease him about what you make for me.”

“Rebecca, would you mind if I drove you to school so Polly could get ready for the day?” Henry asked.

The little girl’s eyes grew big and she practically swooned in her seat. “Really? That would be cool. Ashley Sackler thinks you’re …” she looked at Polly. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Are your friends talking about me and Henry too?” Polly laughed.

“Everybody knows he asked you to marry him. London Drewer says her aunt thinks you guys will break up before you have children.” Rebecca looked at the floor. “I told her that wasn’t very nice.”

Polly looked at Henry. “I had no idea we were such a topic of conversation.”

“It’s a small town, Polly,” he said. “Come on, Rebecca. Let’s get going.” He picked up her backpack. “I’ll meet you at my truck.”

Rebecca gave Polly a hug. “I think you two will be together forever.”

“Me too, sweetie. Don’t worry about what other people say. Okay?”

“Okay.” With that, Rebecca ran to catch up with Henry, and Polly sat back down at the table. She picked up a biscuit and nibbled an edge. Why were people so interested in her relationship with Henry? Would it be that difficult for them to worry about their own business and leave hers alone? She put the food away, set the dishes in the sink and went back into her bedroom.

One more person’s things in her space. Henry had only brought a couple of suitcases and some clothes to hang in her closet. He’d assured her that he could live out of his suitcases until they moved across the hall. There just wasn’t room in her dresser. Polly stood in front of the closet, trying to figure out what she wanted to wear. The weather wasn’t helpful. It would be chilly this morning and then warm up in the afternoon. She put her hand on a green dress she hadn’t worn since moving to Iowa. She wondered if it would still fit, so she slipped out of her sweats and t-shirt and pulled it over her head.

It still fit, but it felt different now. Her body had gotten more muscular and trim in the last year and the sleeves and shoulders were loose. She tied the sash at her waist more tightly than before, but the full skirt made her smile. This would do and she could wear a black sweater while it was cool. Polly went into the bathroom, spent time putting makeup on, and fluffed her hair so that it bounced. “You be good,” she said to the mirror. “No getting all droopy and weird on me today. I need you on your best behavior.”

“Who are you talking to?” Polly jumped when she heard Henry’s voice.

“Scared the crap out of me,” she said, laughing. “I was just telling my hair to be good today.”

He stopped in the doorway of the bathroom and looked her up and down. “You are beautiful. I still can’t believe you said yes and that you aren’t insisting we have a big wedding. How lucky can one man get?”

“Damned lucky, I’d say.” She patted his chest and slipped past him into the bedroom. “Was Rebecca okay when you dropped her off?”

“I asked her who that London Drewer’s aunt was. She didn’t know. I wish I could figure out who is messing with us,” he said.