Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  Leia was rubbing her head on Polly’s ankle, so she bent over and picked the cat up, nuzzling her neck. “I don’t know what my problem is,” Polly said. “I’ve been confused about what I want from this relationship for a year now and I can’t believe he’s stuck around.” She held the cat out and looked at her in the face. “It seems like circumstances are telling me I should figure it out, don’t you think?” Leia gave a little meow and Polly brought her close again, holding her while she walked to the bedroom.

  She put the cat on the bed, took out her phone and made a call.

  “Hey Joss, what are you doing for lunch today?”

  “Hi Polly. Nothing, I suppose. I’m just sitting here in the nursery wondering if this is ever going to happen for us. I feel like we’ve been waiting a lifetime for this child and it’s really only been a couple of months. What do you want to do?”

  “Are you up for the Diner?”

  Joss laughed, “I’d love that. Eleven thirty?”

  “That sounds great. I’ll meet you there.” Polly hung up and breathed a sigh of relief, then rubbed Leia’s neck.

  She spent time trying to straighten the apartment. Even though Rebecca did her best to be neat and tidy, another person’s things made keeping the place clean all that much more difficult. She did some laundry, put dishes in the dishwasher and rearranged one of the bookshelves to open up space for books that Rebecca was reading. Polly ran her fingers across a worn copy of The Dragonriders of Pern. There wasn’t a single Anne McCaffrey novel she didn’t enjoy, but this book had been her first and she loved it. Maybe she would read it with Rebecca tonight. Even as she looked at the cover, she felt the tug to open the pages and get lost in its words again.

  That was all it took. Polly carried the book into her bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed. She had no resistance to her favorite books, so she sat back and curled her feet under the blanket and began to read. Before long, the animals had all snuggled in around her and she leaned back on a pillow.

  When she turned a page and ended a chapter, Polly thought to check the time. She’d made it through a good portion of the book and it nearly killed her to leave the characters. She picked up her phone and gasped. It was eleven twenty and she needed to get moving. A text from Henry had come in an hour ago, letting her know that they were at the airport. She quickly sent a text, telling him what she was doing for lunch and then jumped off the bed and put her shoes on.

  The parking in front of Joe’s Diner was full and Polly parked down the block. It was a brisk, chilly day and she pulled her jacket close as she walked up the street. Like always, the welcoming warmth, smells and noise greeted her when she opened the door to the restaurant. Joss waved at her from a table in the middle of the room and Polly nodded at Lucy, who was carrying plates of food to one of the booths along the back wall.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” Polly said. “I got caught up in a book and didn’t pay any attention to time.”

  Joss giggled. “I get that. What book are you reading?”

  “I pulled down my copy of Dragonriders of Pern for Rebecca and then it dragged me in. I wish I could tell you it was something more esoteric than that, but nope.”

  Joss moved the condiments to the other side of the table when Polly sat down beside her, rather than across the table. “How are things going with her in your apartment?”

  “It’s not really bad at all. She’s a good kid. Andrew and Jason are there when we get back from the hospital and then we make supper and before you know it, it’s time for bed.”

  “Has she gone down to the barn yet?”

  Polly shook her head. “A few times. I think the girl is overwhelmed with so much new stimulus. She’s never had any pets and it’s always been just her and her mom.”

  Joss pushed the menu in front of Polly. “Do you know what you want or do you need this?”

  “I want everything on the menu today. I’m starving. Rebecca spent the night at Andrew’s house and I didn’t make breakfast.”

  “Would you like some breakfast?” Lucy’s voice cut into their conversation. “Joe was making a good garbage plate this morning. He still has sausage gravy.”

  “That sounds awesome,” Polly said and handed her the menu. “A big pot of coffee too. I don’t think my day is over yet.”

  “What’s a garbage plate?” Joss asked.

  Lucy grinned. “It’s a little bit of everything. Potatoes, sausage, ham, bacon, green peppers, onions, mushrooms. All fried up and topped with an egg and some gravy.”

  “That sounds wonderful, then,” Joss said. “I’ll have it, too.”

  Lucy nodded and left.

  “I can’t believe you’ve heard nothing about a baby yet,” Polly said.

  “I’m not worrying too much. Nate thinks he should stress out about it. There’s going to be another car in the garage if we don’t hear something soon. I keep telling him that we need to just relax. We’re the same people that we were last year. He doesn’t buy it.” She glanced up and nodded at Lucy when the waitress set the coffee pot on the table between them. “I figure we’ve done all we can to prepare and when it happens, we’ll just have to be ready.”

  “It’s going to happen,” Polly said and reached out to touch Joss’s hand. “And when it does, it will be the perfect time.”

  “Even if it isn’t, we’ll make it work. So what’s happening with you? I didn’t get a chance to talk to you when you and Obiwan came up to the library on Tuesday.”

  “If I told you everything that is going on around me, I’m afraid I’d freak out. It seems like there is always one more thing that crops up. I’m really glad I have a lot of people around to help me or I’d be in the garage with Nate.”

  “Like what? I know that having Rebecca in your life is big and you’ve got the renovation over at the hotel. What else?”

  Polly told her about setting up a room in the addition for Rebecca’s mother and her fear of talking to Sarah Heater about it. She was going to have to say something soon. Even though there was finally some financial help for the medical bills, the hospital would send the woman home and since she couldn’t work right now, Polly knew she’d have to move out of their little home.

  “I can’t imagine not having friends or family anywhere around to help me out,” Polly said.

  “You moved out here with no one to cushion your fall,” Joss said. “That was pretty risky.”

  “But I had financial resources and if nothing else, those would get me back to Boston. The Heaters are the second family I’ve met in town who have no one else to help them. Bruce Victor’s wife told me she isn’t getting any support from their families. She has to do everything alone. Because Seth requires so much of her time, she didn’t get a job, so she hasn’t had time to get to know anyone in town. How do you live like that?”

  “Nate and I didn’t have any close friends until we met you and Henry. Whenever we had vacation, we drove back to Indiana to be with family. I knew plenty of people in town, but there wasn’t anyone I could have called if I was in trouble.”

  Polly glanced up when someone nudged the back of her arm. “Oh, hi, J. J.,” she said. “And Ryan. What are you two doing here?”

  “Just here for lunch,” J. J. said. “We’ve been at the vineyard. Wayne Phillips found where Bruce was killed. We were there with the Sheriff.”

  “He wasn’t killed in that brush pile?” Polly asked.

  “No. The Sheriff had people looking everywhere. It was pretty far away, but Wayne found broken vines and even though we’ve had some rain, they still found blood.”

  The two sat at the open table next to Polly and Joss, and J. J. poked Polly with his menu. “I haven’t seen you since last weekend. What did you think of our princess’s little show?”

  Polly laughed, “That was really something. What’s up with her brother? Are they always that weird around each other?”

  “We don’t see him very often,” Ryan said. “Whenever he shows up, though, it’s because he n
eeds money. She insists that Patrick take care of him. If he wanted a job, Patrick would have given him one, but he’s never stuck around long enough to do anything.”

  “It sounds like he wants to run the winery,” Polly said.

  “Fat chance.” Ryan laughed at the thought. “He’s an idiot.”

  Lucy placed dishes in front of Polly and Joss, and J. J. looked them over. “That looks great, Lucy. Will you feed me?”

  She walked over and rapped him on the head with her pencil. “Is that what you want today?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Will you sit on my lap while you take Ryan’s order? I’m sure he’s going to need extra help today.”

  “You need to grow up, young man. That kind of talk will get you nowhere with me. Ryan, what would you like for lunch today?” She rapped J. J. again and sidled up to Ryan, looking over his shoulder at the menu.

  He looked up, “Just my regular, Lucy. Thank you.”

  “You’re a good boy. Never could figure out why you hooked up with the likes of this one.” She left with their order and J. J. chuckled. “She was my babysitter when I was little,” he explained. “I used to torture her. Do you remember when we saran-wrapped her car?” he asked Ryan. “I thought it was funny, but she was late getting to a rehearsal in Boone and she nearly killed us.”

  “It was all your idea,” Ryan said. “It’s always your idea.”

  Polly was shocked when J. J.‘s fork showed up in her plate. “What are you doing?”

  “I just wanted to see if it was any good.” He chuckled and winked at her, then put the bite in his mouth. “Yep, it’s good.”

  “Are you really a brat or is it all a show?” Polly asked.

  Ryan answered, “No one has ever figured that out and since he gets so much attention by being a brat, it’s part of his nature now. “No one has ever been able to tame him.”

  Joss looked up from her plate and said,“So, if I’m not stretching things too far, don’t you think it’s weird that Bruce Victor was killed the same way as Lydia’s victim at the party?” Joss asked.

  The two men sat there, stunned. “He was,” Ryan finally said. “Does that narrow the list of suspects to us?”

  “I didn’t kill him,” J. J. protested. “I plan on making money with this winery. The last thing I’m going to do is kill the guy who knows what he’s doing.”

  “Well, me too,” Ryan agreed. “But what about Annalise? She could have had that brother of hers help.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Polly said. “Why would she kill him?” She stopped and thought about it. “Oh. I suppose because she wanted the job for her brother.” She grimaced and looked around the two tables. “No, it still doesn’t make sense. Her brother couldn’t do what Bruce did and there are other places he could work. Why would she kill him?”

  J. J. leaned in conspiratorially, “You didn’t hear it from me, but Annalise and Bruce’s wife have some strange relationship. They got into a lot of arguments back when we were all in California.”

  “About what?” Polly asked.

  Ryan swatted his friend’s hand across the table. “That was a long time ago. And besides, it doesn’t explain why Annalise would kill Bruce.”

  “It would if she was trying to punish Lori. What better way to do that than to make the woman raise their little boy by herself with no income?”

  Ryan sat back in his chair and seemed to process on J. J.‘s words, then shook his head. “I just don’t see it. She got Patrick in the end and Lori moved on.”

  “What happened?” Polly asked again.

  “Lori and Patrick dated while we were in college and stayed friends after they broke up,” Ryan said.

  “Annalise was the reason they broke up,” J. J. said.

  Lucy returned with their meals and patted him on the back as she put his food on the table. She glanced at Polly and Joss, checked their coffee pot, then walked away.

  “Isn’t she the best?” J. J. said. “She always seems to know when she doesn’t need to interrupt, but you never have to ask for anything because it’s there before you realize you need it.”

  “What do you mean Annalise was the reason that Lori and Patrick broke up?” Polly pressed.

  “I heard that she showed up at some party and wouldn’t leave until our Paddy-boy took her home, then she seduced him.”

  “She seems like someone who would do that,” Joss said.

  “Doesn’t she?” J. J. laughed. “She scared the crap out of all of us. We told Patrick that we wouldn’t work with him if she had any part of the business and when we talked about coming back to Bellingwood, we told him the same thing about Secret Woods.”

  “Then what was she doing with her brother?” Polly asked.

  “We have no idea,” Ryan said.

  “I think she was high. Did you see her?” J. J. responded. He lifted a fork filled with food toward Polly, “This is really good. Why haven’t I ever had it before?”

  She shook her head and smiled at him. “Choices and consequences. Choices and consequences.”

  “So when are you and Henry getting married?” J. J. asked, “Or are you available for me?”

  “You moron,” Polly said. “The guy is building your lodge and you’re trying to encroach on his territory?”

  “So you’re a thing?”

  “The entire community of Bellingwood and three counties around us know they’re a thing,” Ryan said.

  “It never hurts to keep your options open,” J. J. said. “Keep your options open, Polly. I have great cars.”

  Polly laughed out loud. “That’s exactly what I’m looking for in a man.” Lucy had long since cleared their table and brought the receipt. She nodded at Joss, picked up the receipt, stood and said, “I’ll see you guys later. It was fun.”

  They paid for lunch and walked outside. “I’m sorry about that,” Polly said. “I wanted to spend lunch with you, not an insufferable brat.”

  “He’s fine. I don’t think they’ve been able to re-establish their place in Bellingwood yet. They don’t have a lot of friends.”

  “Well, I really wanted to whine at you for a while and they interrupted that.”

  “Whine at me? About what?”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just trying to figure out what to do with Henry, and I wanted to talk to someone about it.” Polly checked the time. “But I have to get back to Sycamore House. Lori Victor and her son are coming over to see the horses.”

  “I’m not doing anything. Can I come with you?”

  “That’s okay. It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “Don’t you have extra work boots? Our feet are about the same size. The rest of what I’m wearing will wash. Take me with you.”

  Polly gave her friend a quick hug. “You’ll laugh at me when I tell you what’s going on in my head.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Polly was hardly out of the parking space when Joss said, “Now dish. What’s up?”

  “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Tell me anyway.”

  Everything came out. Her fears about having someone live with her, her worries about destroying a relationship by getting too close to someone, the practicality of having Henry move in and then Polly said, “You know, the other strange thing is this random vandalism at Sycamore House. Now I think this person might be threatening me because of Henry. What if it’s an old girlfriend and she’s mad because we’re dating. Will it send her over the edge if he moves in?”

  She pulled up in front of her garage. Most of the spray paint was gone, but the door was still a mess. At least the words weren’t screaming at her in bright red paint every time she drove in.

  Joss turned in the truck seat to face her. “Do you love him, Polly?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Do you see yourself getting old with him?”

  Polly chuckled. “I guess so. Who else would stick around my craziness that long?”

  “I’m serious, Polly. In all of your dreams for the future
, is Henry there?”

  “It’s always been just me,” Polly said, opening the door to her truck. “We’ve got a few minutes, let’s go upstairs and at least get a sweatshirt to cover your clothes.”

  She opened the door to go inside, “I really hadn’t ever thought about whether Henry figured into my future.” Polly stopped at the door to her apartment and looked at Joss. “I’ve never had anyone who stuck around that long. Sure, I have friends, but they’ve all got their own lives. The people who were the closest to me are all gone.”

  “Henry isn’t going anywhere,” Joss said, placing her hand on top of Polly’s. “He’s pretty stable.”

  “In my head I know that’s true, but my heart is obviously still confused.” Polly led Joss up the back steps and into her bedroom. She pointed at the bed and Joss sat while Polly pulled out a sweatshirt and tossed it to her.

  “Think about your life in ten years,” Joss said. “Is Henry there?”

  “I guess so. We bought that hotel together and I can’t imagine doing any of the other things in town I want to do without him.”

  “What about here at Sycamore House. Do you see him walking around the halls? Do you see him sleeping in your bed and making breakfast in the morning? Do you see him with your animals? What about kids?”

  Polly shuddered. “Don’t even talk about kids. I can barely consider having a man in my life, much less children. I’m not ready to be a mommy. Not even in ten years!”

  Joss laughed and pulled the sweatshirt over her head. “Okay, no babies.”

  “Yeah. You have all of the babies you want. When they get to be about eight or nine years old, I’ll step in and take them.” As soon as the words were out of Polly’s mouth, she slammed her hand across her mouth. “I’m sorry, Joss. I’m so sorry. That was so insensitive of me.”

  “It’s okay. I know what you were saying. And as long as I can adopt babies, I’m going to keep bringing them into my life. I want a big family and I’m glad Nate doesn’t have some strange hangup about having his seed out there in the world.” She chuckled. “His dad isn’t too happy. He tried to impress on us the importance of carrying on the Mikkels line, but Nate and I talked. He thinks his dad is nuts.”