Pages of the Past (Bellingwood Book 9) (19 page)

"But he needs to grow up."

"He'll do that with or without you." Lydia took another drink of coffee. "Listen to me. You didn't ask for my advice. Just love him and be who you've always been with him. He'll figure it out."

Polly ran her hand up Rachel's arm. "You've got this. Be confident."

Rachel smiled at them both and stood up. "Thanks. I think I need to be more patient with him."

"That's easier said than done," Lydia said in a mumble.

Sylvie traded places with Rachel and put a platter of bars in front of Polly. "You have choices."

"What's here?"

"Some people call these zebra bars, but I kinda like the idea of Panda bars. More cheesecake than brownie. Here are caramel apple crumb bars and double chocolate chip cookies."

"One of each, thank you," Polly said and reached for a napkin. "Jeff says you're taking a road trip tomorrow?"

"Isn't it great?" Sylvie said. "His friend said it was a busy bakery and her dad was very clean. I was worried when Jeff said that he closed it and walked out, but she didn't mean that. He shut the doors and cleaned it out. But he did quit selling things the day his wife died. They'd been running that place together for thirty years."

"That had to have been hard," Lydia said. "Everything can change just like that." Her eyes filled. "One minute things are going along like they do every day and the next minute you're alone."

She brushed away the tears. "Were you serious about inviting Helen to dinner tonight?"

"Of course," Polly said.

"I'm going home. I have some things I need to take care of."

Before Polly and Sylvie could ask any more questions, Lydia had cleared the kitchen door and was on her way out.

"I'll tell Helen you've gone home," Polly said quietly.

"Who's Helen?"

"Aaron's sister. She's upstairs with the kids right now."

Sylvie creased her brows. "Upstairs? When did she meet the kids?"

"When they walked in the door. She's some kind of pied piper. I watched it happen and still couldn't believe it."

"This is Aaron's sister?"

"Uh huh. She works at a children's shelter in Atlanta."

"Crazy."

"I know. So, you said that they'd had the bakery for thirty years. Is the equipment that old?"

"No. They upgraded five years ago and his wife just died a year and a half ago. Jeff's friend said that when he meets us there, it will be the first time he's set foot in the door since the day he left."

"I'm surprised he's willing to sell."             

"I think that his kids have been pushing him to deal with it."

"Where are you going?"

"A town east of Waterloo. Strawberry Point."

Polly chuckled. Small town names were wonderful. "That's adorable!"

"I know. I'm going to take pictures of that strawberry."

"There's a strawberry?"

"It's supposed to be the world's largest."

Polly laughed. "Who knew?"

Sylvie picked up a cookie and put it on Polly's napkin. "Thank you for letting me dream about the bakery. I'm excited."

"I was worried that I might be pushing you into something you weren't ready for."

"But that didn't stop you," Sylvie said with a laugh. "Did it?"

Polly nodded. "It's the right thing to do, though. Right?"

"Oh Polly," Sylvie said, reaching out to squeeze Polly's hand. "If I hadn't wanted to do it, I would have said so. It's intimidating, but I can't let that stop me."

"Whew," Polly said. "So, will you make lots of pastries for me? There were a couple of bakeries in Boston that made the most amazing brioche and croissants. I miss those. And the fruit tarts? My goodness. Please tell me you're going to try wild and crazy things."

"I guess. I want to try many things, but we have to think about items that will sell."

"Trust me, if you are baking, people will try anything. But I don't think you have to make everything every day. I was only able to get fruit tarts at one of the bakeries on the weekend and they only baked brioche on Wednesdays."

Polly's mouth started to water and she licked her lips. "And sourdough bread. Tell me you can get your hands on a starter and make sourdough. Please, please, please?"

"You make bread. Why don't you do it yourself?"

"Because every time I begin a starter, I am obedient and take care of it for about three days. Then I forget and I forget again and before anyone knows how bad it has gotten, I've tossed the entire thing out and washed the jar. I'm terrible."

Sylvie looked over her shoulder and pointed at the counter. "Rachel? Could you hand that jar to me?"

Rachel brought the large crock over and put it in front of Sylvie, who lifted the lid. A strong smell of yeast wafted to Polly's nostrils.

"This was my mother's," Sylvie said.

"Have you been holding out on me?"

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I used it at home. But when we moved into the new house and you started talking about a bakery, it occurred to me that I should use it here, too."

"Why haven't I known about this?"

"Because I didn't think it was that big of a deal," Sylvie scolded. "Weren't you listening?"

Polly pushed her lower lip out into a pout. Sylvie shut her eyes, shook her head and stood up, returning the crock to its place. She reached into a drawer and drew out a bag of bread, then picked up a tub of butter and a knife and came back to the table.

"Try this," she said and handed Polly a slice.

Polly took a bite of the bread and moaned. "You really have been holding out on me. I want this every day."

"No butter?"

"Why would I want to alter the flavor? This is amazing."

"You really think so?"

Polly pushed the slice toward Sylvie and said, "Taste it."

"I know what it tastes like. It's my bread."

"No. Taste it like you've never had it before." She kept pushing the slice toward Sylvie's face.

Sylvie obediently took a bite. "It's sourdough bread. That's all."

"You won't be able to keep this in stock. Oh please, please, please make me some bread."

"Take this. I was planning to bake on Thursday."

Polly took the bag of bread and tucked it under her arm. "I'm not telling anyone that I have this. It's all mine."

"You're an odd woman, Polly. It's just bread."

"How am I going to get this through your head? It's not just bread. It's amazing. You need to quit protesting and say, 'Thank you, Polly.'"

"Thank you, Polly."

"That's better." Polly took another bite and rolled her eyes back in her head. "Amazing."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Yipping, yapping, and thunderous noise down the back steps announced the arrival of Andrew and the dogs. Polly wasn't surprised to see Kayla, Rebecca and Helen Oswald with him.

"Mom!" Andrew yelled as he came into the kitchen.

"Dogs," Sylvie said firmly.

Andrew put his hand on Obiwan's collar and Rebecca reached down to pick Han up into her arms.

"Mom, you have to meet Helen. She's the Sheriff's sister!"

Sylvie stood up to shake the woman's hand. "I'm the boy's mother, Sylvie Donovan," she said looking down at her son.

Helen smiled. "I assumed as much. He's told me all about you. You've made your son very proud." She turned back to the kids. "Are you ready to show me around?"

"We can go outside this way," Andrew said, heading for the back door of the kitchen. "This place is great. Did you know that those stairs we just came down were boarded up? I have to show you the office Henry made for me." He opened the door and held it for Rebecca and Helen.

Obiwan dashed outside as Helen turned back to Polly. "I understand I've been fobbed off on you for the evening. I can make my own way if you have other plans. Just point me to a restaurant and I'll take an evening stroll."

"I offered," Polly said. "It will be fun to hear stories of Aaron's childhood without him here to hush you up."

Rebecca stood in the doorway, holding Han. "I wish I could be there, but Mom and I are eating together. She feels really good."

Kayla said nothing and Polly wasn't sure what to do next. She was sure that she could stop in the office and invite Stephanie and Jeff to join them.

"It doesn't matter to me where I cook dinner. I could use this kitchen and we could all eat at the table back here," Polly said, and then she looked at Sylvie. "Can I?"

Sylvie laughed. "Of course you can. It's your kitchen. But I have a better idea. Andrew, would you like to stay for dinner too?"

"Could we? That would be awesome!"

"We'll make a party of it. I'll call Eliseo and invite him to join us."

"Rachel?" Polly asked. "Do you want to ask Doug and Billy? If we're cooking a feast, we might as well feed everyone."

Rachel nodded shyly. "I'll call him."

"It seems we're fixin' to have party," Helen said. "Let's walk these animals. You two have to show me everything you think is special about Sycamore House." She followed the kids outside and pulled the door shut behind her.

"How many are we cooking for now?" Polly asked, trying to count in her head.

"I'll call Eliseo and alert him," Sylvie said. "Do you want to invite Jeff and Stephanie? What about Evelyn and Sarah?"

"Only you could think that it's okay to whip together a dinner for nearly twenty people," Polly said. "I'll see who I can add to the list."

"We'd better plan to eat in the auditorium. We can't put seventeen people at this table."

"Let me make sure." Polly took off and headed for the addition and Sarah Heater's room. She tapped lightly at the door and heard a quiet, "Come in."

"Sarah?" she asked, opening the door.

"Hi Polly." Sarah stood up and crossed the room to greet her. "Look at me," she said, sweeping her hands up and down. "I'm in great shape today. I feel good, I'm dressed and walking." She sat down at the desk near the door, breathing heavily. "But it's not without its effort."

"You look wonderful." Polly bent over to give her a small hug. "Rebecca is ecstatic that you are doing so well."

"We were supposed to go shopping for a dress this afternoon, but after the doctor's appointment today, I'm exhausted. I know she was disappointed."

"There's always tomorrow."

"I feel silly buying a dress at this point in my life."

Polly sat down in a chair across from her. "Oh no, Sarah. You should enjoy every minute you have with Rebecca and with us. If a dress helps make it more fun, that's what you should do."

"I try to tell myself that, but spending money on me is not something I've ever done."

"Then that's the wrong way to look at it. You are spending money on something that will bring joy to Rebecca. She wants desperately to be with you and the Valentine's party on Saturday night will be fun for both of you."

Sarah smiled. "You do have the best parties here. I wish I'd known about them back when I was healthy. It would have been great fun to swing around on the dance floor with a gorgeous young man."

"Speaking of parties, the Sheriff's sister is staying here this week and we're hosting her for dinner tonight. She spent time this afternoon with Andrew and Rebecca and if you'd like to join us, we're serving dinner in the auditorium. Are you up to it?"

"If I go slowly."

Polly looked around the room. "I can push you down in the wheelchair. Save your energy for dinner."

"That's a good idea. Maybe Rebecca would do that."

"I'm sure she'd love to. Is Evelyn here?"

"She's next door." Polly had insisted that Evelyn have the room next door to Sarah's even though she had an apartment in town. That way the two women could have privacy whenever possible. It had become a communal room for the nurses who cared for Sarah, but generally, Evelyn could be found there.

"I'll invite her too."

"That would be nice. She's a wonderful woman."

"It seems that way."

"No, she's really something. She allows me to talk through my fears. I'm not worried about Rebecca anymore. I know that you and Henry love her and she'll find happiness with you when I'm gone, but Evelyn and I talked about those ugly realities. She just isn't scared of anything and she lets me ask the strangest questions."

It broke Polly's heart that anyone had to face their own imminent death. She wanted to fall asleep one night about eighty years in the future and not wake up. She didn't want to know it was coming, her life on earth would just be finished. Hearing Sarah talk about Rebecca in the future without her mother also destroyed Polly. Yes, she loved the girl like her own, but given a choice, she'd rather see these two in their own home, living a big life with a future stretching out for decades.

"I'm glad she's here for that. I don't mind answering questions, but some of that stuff is way over my head."

Sarah leaned forward. "I don't want a big dramatic sendoff, but I would like you there to take care of Rebecca when it finally happens. Do you mind?"

"Of course I don't mind," Polly replied. They'd approached this question off and on throughout the last months, but this was the first time Sarah had just put it out there. She really was getting more comfortable with the thought of actually dying.

"That's enough of that," Sarah said. "Ask Rebecca to come get me when it's time for dinner, if you would. Tonight will be fun."

Polly stood, bent over to hug Sarah once more and said, "I'm so glad you two are here. It's been wonderful getting to know you."

"Thank you, Polly." Sarah took Polly's arm to steady herself as she stood and then walked back to her bed. "I'm going to rest before we eat."

Polly left the room and knocked on the next door, "Evelyn? It's me. Polly."

The door was quickly opened, "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine. We're serving dinner to a crowd of friends in the auditorium tonight and would like to invite you to join us. I just left Sarah and she's planning to be there. Will you?"

"I'd be honored. Thank you. I'll make sure Sarah is there."

"She asked that I send Rebecca. Maybe the wheelchair?"

Evelyn nodded approvingly. "Very good idea. We'll be ready."

"Thank you." Polly left the addition and headed for the office. Two down, three more to go.

Jeff was bent over Stephanie's desk and they were looking at the computer screen. He glanced up, "Hey, Polly."

"You two. Dinner in the auditorium. It's a plan," she said determinedly.

"Tonight?" he asked.

"Yes. Don't tell me you have plans. You never eat with us when we do spontaneous meals."

"Wow. Direct orders and guilt. All in one breath. That's impressive."

"Come on. Please?"

He chuckled and said to Stephanie, "Shall we?"

"I don't know."

"Kayla has been having a wonderful time with Helen Oswald. She's the reason we're doing this. She loves the kids and they love her. Please?" Polly asked again.

"You'd better say yes," Jeff said. "Once she starts pleading, there's no stopping her."

Stephanie looked at Polly, concern on her face.

"Jessie will be there. You know her from working at the convenience store, don't you? And Rachel. Doug and Billy are about your age, too. It will be fun," Polly said. "Say yes. You'll have fun, meet a few people, and Kayla will have a good time, too."

"Okay. But we can't stay too late."

"You come and eat, then you can leave whenever you like."

"Okay," she said tentatively.

Polly smiled and left the office, but hadn't gotten all the way out when she heard Stephanie say to Jeff, "I'm never going to lose weight if you keep feeding me." Yes, Jeff was the perfect person to be in Stephanie's life right now. She just needed to know that she was okay, no matter what size she was. He'd do that easily. The poor girl needed to learn how to dress for her size and he'd take care of that, too, slowly but surely. Polly hesitated, waiting to hear Jeff's response.

"You're a beautiful girl, Stephanie Armstrong and don't you forget it. However, I suspect that eating regular healthy meals will be better for both you and Kayla. You can't tell me that you weren't living off hot dogs and other things from the convenience store."

"I know. You're right. Thanks."

Polly nodded and smiled to herself. Sometimes she was more fortunate than smart when it came to the people who had dropped into her life.

~~~

"That was too much food," Henry said, leaning back in his chair and draping his arm across Polly's.

"Sylvie is amazing."

"I still can't believe she did that with no notice," Evelyn said. "When I lived next door to her, she used to bring food over sometimes, usually sweet treats. She's really come into herself, hasn't she?"

Polly nodded. Between her kitchen and the Sycamore House kitchen, they'd come up with enough ingredients to make up three pans of lasagna. Sylvie had made a pan of incredible vegetable lasagna using frozen slices of eggplant from Eliseo's garden last fall. Polly had the hamburger and ricotta to make a regular pan and they'd come up with a chicken lasagna with white sauce. Sylvie had cranked out sourdough rolls with garlic butter and a quick run to the grocery store gave them ingredients for a tossed salad. Rachel and Sylvie's baking experiments provided sweet treats and everyone was enjoying dinner together.

Jason and Eliseo had pulled together two of the circular tables, making it possible for the entire group to eat together.

"Eliseo asked me to join him for a ride tomorrow morning," Helen said across the table to Polly. "Those are some mighty fine horses you have down there. They won't be intimidated by my size... not a one of them. However, those purty little donkeys saw me comin' and scampered out to the field."

"They did?"

Helen laughed. "No, they were as friendly as could be. Even when they discovered I wasn't carrying treats." She leaned forward to catch Stephanie's eye. "Your Kayla here should ask Eliseo for riding lessons. She's a natural around those animals. Just like her friend, Rebecca." Helen looked pointedly at Andrew. "You like to act as if you're scared of those big horses, but I think that's all made up." She spoke in a stage whisper. "He just doesn't want to show up his big brother."

"I don't like Nan," Andrew said. "She
does
scare me."

Jason said, "You just need to spend more time with her. She's not scary."

Polly was so thankful that Jason had finally settled in at school. He had gotten involved with FFA and had also found a kindred spirit in the school's shop teacher. She was waiting for him to find a girlfriend. He had rid himself of the gang he'd started the school year with and become more comfortable in his own skin. Now he was back to the loving boy she knew so well. He laughed easily and oh my goodness, he was turning into a good looking young man. He continued to fill out, but it was all muscle from working at the barn. Sylvie tried to keep his hair cut short, but those dark waves grew out before she could manage it. Polly had to admit it, if she was in high school, every time he brushed the hair back from his face, she'd have swooned. What in the world were the girls thinking? Why weren't they throwing themselves at him?