"Ho, what is this?" He held the bucket to Walter. "Do you know how this works?"
Walter looked at Anne first and she gave him a comforting squeeze; he looked back at Al and gave a solemn nod.
"Want to help me? I'm no good at digging moats."
Walter hesitated for another moment, then accepted the bucket and began to dig while Al shot Anne a conspiratorial wink.
"I think we're going to need some help," Al announced. "Sophy!" He called up the hill. Anne followed the direction of his yell to find a cluster of adults outside the main house. Mary and Charles were apparently arguing over something silly and Rietta and Louisa were laughing beside them. A few steps from them stood Sophy and Rick. Sophy immediately waved and headed down. Anne stiffened, expecting her brother to follow, and frantically tried to come up with possible conversations, but he strode over to Louisa instead. Anne wasn't sure whether that was better or worse.
Refusing to dwell on it, she joined the Crofts and all five of them succeeding in building as much of a grand sandcastle as can be mustered in a small sandbox.
"Looks like we've been abandoned!" Al declared, pointing up to the main house. Sure enough, the group of adults had disappeared. However, the strains of music dabbled the air.
"Louisa and Reitta must be doing a concert is my guess," Anne said.
"A concert?" Al stood up. "Why, we must invade!" He raised his arm like a rallying cry. "Who's with me?"
The boys whooped their readiness for the battle and dashed up the hill, easily outpacing Al.
Anne hurried after them, not sure how to politely inform Al that their invasion might not end very well inside the house. Luckily, Al managed to get them to wait for the adults, an impressive feat, and the boys cheered on Anne and Sophy as they trudged up the hill.
"I hope," Sophy began, "You don't mind my husband's tactics with your children."
Anne's face froze in a polite smile. "Uh, they're not mine. I'm their aunt. But I love kids," she added to explain why she was watching over them instead of their parents.
"You're their aunt?" Sophy asked, her face a picture of complete surprise. Then her eyes narrowed for a quick moment. "Oh, I'm so sorry, you're Anne! That lovely girl that gave us a tour of our house!"
Anne struggled to keep the polite smile up, mortified once again that a third person had failed to recognize her. Apparently, she didn't have a memorable face.
"And is this where you live now?"
"No, I'm only here for a visit. How do you like the house?" she asked, to avoid being asked where, exactly, she lived now.
"It's wonderful! Perfect for our needs. We moved a few things around but we've kept most of the decor the same. Your family has impeccable taste."
"Thank you. My oldest sister would appreciate the compliment."
"Is that the mother of the boys?"
"No, that's Mary, my youngest sister. She's married to Charles who, I believe, your brother is perhaps doing business with."
"Yes, that he is. I do hope it works out. This place is so lovely."
Anne gathered some courage. "Does your brother now live with you?"
"No, no, he has his own life. He's just visiting for the week and then he'll be off, traversing the globe, looking for other finds like this."
"Oh." So, she really would never see him again after this. Not that she was hoping she would. He obviously didn't care if he did.
"No, no," they could hear Al say to the boys. "We have to wait for the ladies first."
"Aunt Anne!" Charlie yelled. "Hurry up!"
Anne couldn't help laughing and the two hurried their steps. Once they reached the front door, Al opened it and unleashed the boys. They tumbled in with excitement, ruining the musical performance. Anne's eyes jumped to Rick before she could stop herself, but it didn't matter. His attention was on Al, not her. Muttering at herself, she focused on the overly excited boys, well aware of the overwhelmed and annoyed looks of their parents.
"Anne!" Louisa called, running toward her. "With you here, now I can sing!"
Anne froze. She did not want to play the piano in Rick's presence. It would ignite too many memories. "But the boys—"
Unfortunately, Al announced they were in his charge and promptly herded them to the craft area to make paper boats. So much for that excuse.
"Come on, Anne!" Louisa grabbed her hand and practically dragged her to the piano. Anne forced a calm smile to her lips, well aware of everyone's attention on her, and tried to pretend there was nothing the matter with playing a piano and that she had no painful memories to deal with. She couldn't help sneaking a glance at Rick, hoping against hope he might have his eyes on her, perhaps even remembering the times they had played together. But he had positioned his body to face Louisa only, a look of pleased determination on his face as if eager for Louisa's talent.
Now Anne truly wished she didn't have to play but knew no excuse would get her out of it without causing a huge fuss. With a lonely sigh, Anne began playing, keeping her eyes on the music and ignoring everyone around her. The song was light and airy, perfect for singing, but nothing like the heavy emotions swirling inside her. What she craved was a frantic, dark song to truly express how she felt, not this hypocritical happy song. Still, it felt good to have fingers on a piano again. If she ever owned her own place, the first item she'd buy would be a piano, preferably a grand one. Alas, with her father being jobless, that meant she was out of a job as well and though she had savings, it wasn't going to last very long if she desired to rent an apartment big enough to house a grand piano. Nor did she want to end up like her father and have debts nipping at her heels for the rest of her life. She wanted financial freedom and that meant being money smart and having a good job. Becoming a lawyer would definitely provide good money, as her godmother loved to extol, but she'd have no soul left to enjoy any of it. No, there had to be another career that would provide financial security plus freedom for her soul. Alas, the only career-minded people she knew were either farmers or lawyers. Well, there was also Rick and the Crofts, but she barely knew the latter and doubted the former wanted to re-know her.
Applause erupted as the song finished, but Anne didn't bother to acknowledge it, well aware it was all for Louisa and Rietta, not her. She was just the accompanist. She rifled through the available music instead, hoping to find a song more fitting to her depressed mood and yet enjoyable to the others.
"Louisa!" Rick's voice carried easily over the applause and Anne's mood plummeted. "Fantastic voice. Anne—"
Anne froze in shock. He had said her name!
"Beautiful playing," he continued, but it rattled out as if rehearsed.
She turned, desperate to see his face, but he had moved on to Rietta, praising her as well, then asking her to show him how to play the harp. Anne turned back to the music, disappointed. The praise hadn't been personal. He probably only said it since it would look odd if he ignored her completely.
Anne tidied up the music sheets as Rick walked over to Rietta. Even though she couldn't see him, she was aware of his exact whereabouts and her heart ached with every step. This was getting ridiculous. She should go help Al with the boys. Yes, that was a good plan. It would give her something to do than pine on the piano seat.
Alas, before she could stand up, the front door opened and a handsome young man in his early twenties stepped in with a confident grin—which died when twelve pairs of eyes landed on him. His eyes settled on Rietta and confusion and alarm rose since she was inches away from an older and equally handsome fellow.
Charles, apparently aware of how bad the situation appeared, stood up. "Chase! I see you didn't get my message."
Anne winced. That didn't salvage the incident at all.
Chase, his eyes still on Rietta, held up his phone. "I got it halfway on the trail but thought I'd come over anyway." Apparently, he had hoped to surprise Rietta, not find her nearly in the arms of another man.
Rick, probably sensing the tense situation, strode toward Chase wi
th an extended hand of truce. "Hi, I'm Rick."
Anne smiled, proud of Rick. Chase, on the other hand, grasped Rick's hand but the fiery determination in his eyes belied any sense of friendship and Anne was sure if he could, the boy would challenge Rick to a duel.
Luckily, Charles finally gained some sense and informed Chase who Rick was and why he was here. The instant Chase realized that Rick wasn't a rival, but a possible source of money, the tension dissipated and Chase launched into a series of questions, obviously trying to entice Rick to consider his land as well. Rick gave vague yet polite responses, but the pull of his lips told Anne he had no desire to see Chase's land. He used to look like that whenever he encountered her father and older sister. Chase, however, kept pushing, determined to get a solid yes and Anne feared Rick's politeness would soon fade. She stood up, hoping to somehow intervene, but Sophy beat her to it, declaring she needed to head home.
Anne caught a glance between Sophy and Rick and understood at once it was a ploy to free Rick. Wanting to help, Anne hurried over to the boys to help extract them from their newly adopted grandpa, Al.
"You have the best boys," Al said before turning to the boys. "Boys, you have the best aunt. Don't let her get away, all right?"
The boys hardly heard his advice since Charlie was already trying to wrap his arms around Al's leg to prevent him from leaving and Walter, not sure what was going on but sure he wasn't going to like it, began to cry. Anne quickly gathered their paper boats, lavished praise on their amazing paper-folding skills, and convinced them to abandon their new grandpa in order to launch their boats in the nearby stream. The boys followed her with enthusiasm and she helped them get their boats in the water. As she watched them sail away, she mentally put her love of Rick on them and imagined them bursting into flame as a dying tribute. Now if only her feelings would die as easily.
Chapter 12
Anne stood in the kitchen, once again making breakfast for the boys and their mother. Their father had already eaten and departed an hour earlier, eager to get his chores done before tackling the tasks on the farmhouse renovation. For Charles' sake, she hoped the deal would be a success. He needed a victory for all the work he did and it would be a great supplement to his parents' pensions, which helped fund nearly everything. While one could never have enough money, it would ease a lot of Charles' stress. For her sake, however, Anne wished the deal had been settled yesterday. Then she wouldn't have to worry if Rick would barge into the place. If she was going to succeed at killing that undying hope for Rick, it would help if she never saw him again.
As if the universe disagreed, a knock rapped on the front door. Anne resisted the urge to scamper to her bedroom like a frightened rabbit. Gathering her courage instead, she wiped her hands on her apron and moved to the door, but the door opened itself and Louisa popped in.
"I knew I'd find you awake!"
Anne couldn't help sighing in relief. "Is there something you needed?" The Musgroves sometimes ran out of ingredients and would send a daughter down to the cottage for supplies. It was something Mary hated, despite the fact she did the exact same thing in return.
Louisa hopped onto a stool. "I need advice."
Anne raised an eyebrow. Louisa wasn't the type that asked for advice. She did whatever came to her head, then worried about it later, not the other way around.
"You were in love once, right?" Louisa asked. "At least, that's what Charles said you said."
Anne donned a polite smile and busied her hands with making breakfast. "It was a long time ago—"
"So, you no longer love that guy?"
The image of Rick with his adorable, mischievous grin burned in her mind. Was she ever going to get over him? "Why are you asking about this?"
"Rietta can't decide if she's in love with Chase or not."
Anne frowned. "Well—"
"I say she's too young. I mean, she hasn't even graduated from high school yet! And she's known Chase since grade school. How could she possibly settle on him when there's still so much to see and do! And she's forgetting about the loads of cute boys in college! And what about her career? Will she give that up for him? Why would she give up her freedom for one boy she's known since forever?"
Anne's hands shook as she cracked some eggs. These were the same arguments her godmother had given when Anne had sought to follow Rick. At the time, they had seemed so rational. Now, she wasn't so sure. There were a lot more factors to consider than just a girl's career.
"What do your parents say?"
"They're of no help, at all. They'll support her no matter what she decides. Mom married Dad when they were both really young so they don't see a problem with it and they like Chase. They think he's a good guy, which I do, too, don't get me wrong, but he'll want to live here and he has no interest in traveling. Rietta will be stuck!"
Anne smiled. "Rietta may not object to being stuck here."
"Well, I would. Marriage ruins your life."
Anne turned in surprise. "What makes you think that?"
"You can't make your own decisions. You constantly have to think about the other who may not even like what you want. And once you have kids, you can't do anything fun. Kids ruin your life."
At that moment, a sleepy Walter toddled out. Anne couldn't help wrapping her arms around him and giving him a big squeeze. Louisa may only see the bad side of kids, but Anne saw all the joy. Yes, they were hard work, but anything worth having in life was hard.
Alas, Walter squirmed out of her grasp so she released him and watched him wander to a pile of books. "So, you're saying you ruined your mother's life?"
"What? No. No, my mother loves being a mom. But she didn't get to go anywhere or see the world. She’s been stuck here for her whole life!”
"Not everyone wants to travel, Louisa."
"Do you want to travel?"
"Yes, I would. But I'd want to travel with someone. Make memories with someone."
"Well, duh. I'd make sure I had a boyfriend. I just don't want to be stuck with one." She suddenly leaned forward. "Hey, what do you think about Rick?"
Anne hoped her voice sounded far calmer than she felt. "What about him?"
"He loves to travel, he's smart, super independent, definitely has money, and have you not noticed those shoulders of his?"
"Isn't he gone?" was all Anne dared to say.
"Charles said we should be seeing more of him if the deal goes through." She plopped her elbows onto the counter with a dreamy sigh. "I hope it goes through. He's so more mature than the guys in college."
"He's also a lot older." And he's mine, she wanted to add like a grumpy two-year-old but held her tongue. If Rick and Louisa got together, Anne didn't think she could ever come back to this place. She'd have to move to the other side of the country or something.
"Yeah, I know, but I've always liked older guys. Especially when—"
Whatever Louisa was about to say was ruined by Charles bursting through the door as if a forest fire was at his heels. "Mary! Mar—" He stopped as his eyes fell on Anne and Louisa as if stunned to find them in his cottage.
"Charles!" Louisa hopped off her stool. "What is the matter—"
"We got it! Or, we almost got it. Rick's boss, Emma Woodhouse, said she liked it. She liked it! But she needs more pictures of the whole area so Rick's coming again—"
"He's coming?" Louisa shrieked. "I have to change!" She darted for the door.
"He won't be here for over an hour," Charles called after her before shaking his head with a laugh. "There she goes, falling for another guy." He plopped onto the stool his sister had vacated. "Do you think Rick likes her back, Anne?"
Anne froze, unsure of what to say, but Charles kept talking. "He's better than some of the other guys Louisa's dated, so it would be nice if he liked her back. She can pick some terrible guys. But I like Rick. He's a good guy. He'd treat her right. Do you think she could catch him?"
Anne wished Walter would start crying or an earthquake would occur so she wou
ldn't have to answer that question.
For once, the fates delivered.
"What is all this noise?" Mary grumbled, plodding into the kitchen, a robe wrapped around her body. "Doesn't anyone understand how important sleep—"
"Mary! Rick's boss liked our place!"
She glanced at him as if he'd announced a new haircut. "Does that mean I get my trip?"
Charles hesitated. Apparently, that was not the outcome he had expected. "Well, he would need to bring papers—"
"So, he's not bringing papers."
"He has to take more pictures—"
"Excuses," Mary muttered. "Always excuses." She grabbed a banana and headed for the computer.
Charles threw a look at Anne as if hoping she'd give the praise he sought. She gave an encouraging smile. "I think it's great news."
"It will come to nothing," Mary muttered from her computer.
Charles ignored his wife. "I'll be up at the main house. Rick will want to look over the maps. Thanks, Anne, for listening." He gave Anne a wave, and though Mary looked up, Charles didn't acknowledge her but headed straight out of the house. Anger flushed Mary's cheeks and she stabbed at her keyboard, the screen flashing search results. Anne sighed. She was on Charles' side on this argument and wished Mary could have at least pretended to be happy for her husband. But Mary's life centered around one idea: she must be happy before anyone else.
Little Charlie dashed out of the hallway, completely dressed, apparently hoping to go with his father. He was not happy to discover he was too late and a temper tantrum soon erupted which then ignited his already grumpy mother into an angry tirade. Walter, as if realizing he was missing out, decided to melt into a wail, too. With a sigh, Anne busied herself trying to soothe all three. At least it diverted her attention from the fact that Rick was coming again. Why couldn't Charles take the pictures and send them to Rick? There was a thing called email. Then again, Rick's boss could be very particular about the pictures and Charles may have feared he'd mess up. He was good at many things, but artsy stuff like photography was not his thing.
Persuading Him: A Modern Persuasion Retelling (Pemberley Estates Book 1) Page 10
