Tomorrow's Promises (Bellingwood Book 7)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  There were a couple of balls in the pasture that the donkeys especially liked to play with. Some days she loved nothing more than watching her big animals enjoy themselves in the summer sun, but today wasn't that day. There was too much to do.

  "Let's go back, buddy," she said. "I have to get all prettied up. The girls will be here soon."

  "I'm back!" she called out when she opened the front door. "Gonna take a shower and be right out."

  When Polly stepped out of the shower to get dressed, she heard more voices in the front room.

  "Crap," she said to herself. "I knew it." She ran into the bedroom and breathed a sigh of relief at her preparedness. Last night, she knew that today would be harried, so she'd laid out clothing to wear. All she had to do was dress. She ran back into the bathroom to put makeup on and blow out her hair. Giving herself a quick grin, she stuck her tongue out at the mirror image and took a deep breath. She was going to have fun.

  She worried they might not really recognize her. These last two years she'd discovered a new independence. Her friends in Bellingwood knew her as Polly Giller, independent business owner and finder of dead bodies. Even though it might be strange to those who had known her before, this was who she was now.

  Drea and Bunny knew her as a very different person. Independent, yes, but so much had changed. Polly felt more certain of herself than ever before. This was her territory, these were her people. This was her life and she desperately wanted these girls to allow her to be the new person that she'd established.

  "You've got this, Giller. You're married. You have your own home. You have friends who love you and animals who adore you. The girls will love it, too. Trust them."

  Taking another deep breath, Polly entered the living room. Sal saw her first and jumped up to run across the room.

  "I love you!" she cried, "and I love what you've done up here. Polly, you make me so proud." Sal grabbed her into a hug and whispered, "Bunny is terrified that you don't like her anymore. Pay no attention to her hysterics."

  Polly pulled back and smiled up at Sal, "I love you too. I'm glad you're here."

  Drea had stood as well and walked toward the two of them. Sal released Polly, who ran into Drea's arms. "I've missed you, my friend," Polly said. "It's so good to see you."

  "You look amazing. Life in Iowa is good for you. I've never seen you so beautiful and happy," Drea responded.

  Bunny was sitting on the cough with her back to the bedroom, glancing surreptitiously over her shoulder as Polly greeted her other two friends. Polly decided to ham it up completely and after letting Drea go, dashed to the sofa, rolled over the back of it and dropped her head into Bunny's lap. "You're here! I've missed you so much!" Polly smiled up at her friend.

  "You silly goose." Bunny was giggling as she reached around Polly and pulled her into a hug. "I forgot how much fun you are."

  Polly sat up and said, "Have you all introduced yourselves?"

  "Yes, but they didn't have time to tell us any stories about your life in Boston," Lydia said. "You came out too soon."

  "How was your trip?" Polly asked. She gave Lydia a glare, then followed it with a smile.

  Sal laughed. "Oh! It's such a small world!"

  Polly raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

  "We brought one of your guests up with us. She was having trouble getting a rental car in Des Moines."

  "Right when you were at the rental counter?"

  "Well, it seemed like she'd been waiting for a while. When I was talking to the rental agent, she overheard and asked if she could get a ride. She seems like a nice young girl. Some photographer from Montana. I asked where she was staying and she told me Sycamore House. I couldn't believe it."

  "That's crazy!" Polly exclaimed. "You flew in from Boston and she came in from Montana and you met at the same car rental counter?"

  "Well, they're all kind of together in the same place. She was sitting on a bench, pretty frustrated."

  "I can't believe she hadn't planned better. Who comes in to a little town in the middle of Iowa without having a car ready?" Bunny asked.

  "Don't you dare get snotty about it, missy," Sal interrupted. "You didn't do the planning for this trip, I did."

  "Whatever," Bunny snipped.

  "And with all of your luggage, we were barely able to fit Polly's guest in the car."

  "I was the one who had to sit in the back with her. You crammed me in there with her suitcases. She was dumping things all over the place."

  "Girls, girls. The trip is over. Miss Wexler has been delivered, we're here and settling in. I think we can let it go," Drea said. "It's time to focus on Polly's marriage, don't you think?"

  Bunny reached across and took Polly's left hand to look at the ring. "I can't believe you got married before me," she said. "Your ring is beautiful."

  "Thanks," Polly said, smiling. "It was my mother's. Dad kept it and Henry had it cleaned and adjusted for me."

  "That's total perfection," Bunny said. "I'll never find someone like your Henry."

  Sal leaned over the back of the couch to interrupt. "When are we going to get to spend time with your honey-bunny?"

  Polly took her hand back and looked up. "I thought we could all go out tonight. Is Mark free?"

  "He'd better be. I'm taking all next week off to play hausfrau, so he promised to make sure he had his evenings free."

  "He's a small town veterinarian," Polly said, with a hint of warning in her voice. "You can't be mad if someone needs him."

  Sal grimaced. "I can be mad, but it won't do me any good. Don't worry. I'll be a good little princess." She patted Polly's back. "So, are you taking us to the Diner? I was telling Drea and Bunny that they just couldn't miss this wonderful piece of Americana."

  Before Polly could speak, Sal continued, "And I promise you that I've been good. I told them that you wouldn't put up with any cute remarks about how quaint Bellingwood is. These are normal people and you love them."

  "I wasn't going to say anything," Polly said. "But you're right."

  She looked over at Lydia and Andy, who were trying hard to contain their laughter. Beryl had given up and was snickering as loudly as possible.

  "What?" Polly asked.

  "You keep everyone in line," Beryl said. "Even your friends are a little afraid of you."

  "No one's afraid of me." Polly was chagrined. "You're not, are you?" She looked up at Sal.

  "I'm a little afraid," Sal replied.

  "I'm always afraid, but you give me courage," Bunny said.

  They turned and looked at Drea. She grinned. "I have two brothers. I have no fear."

  "And they're gorgeous." Polly fanned herself. "So gorgeous."

  "Stop it," Bunny scolded. "You're married. Leave some for the rest of us."

  Polly patted her knee. "Your day will come, sweetie. You just have to quit worrying about it so much."

  Bunny didn't respond right away, but when she stood up, she said. "So, you hooked Sal up when she came out to Iowa. Do you have a hot date for me tonight?"

  "Umm. No?" Polly was so shocked she wasn't sure what to say. She looked at Sal and Drea for help, but they both shrugged their shoulders as if to disavow any responsibility for the girl's behavior. It had been so long since Polly had spent time with Bunny, she'd forgotten how self-centered the poor thing was. Neither Sal nor Drea knew her very well. She'd always been Polly's friend and they only knew Bunny peripherally.

  "Why not?" Bunny whined.

  "Sweetie, you are only going to be here for a couple of days and tomorrow night you can dress up in your best dress and dance with all of the single men at the party. I promise."

  "Tonight's not going to be as much fun if you have a date and Sal has a date."

  "That reminds me. I've invited our friends, Joss and Nate Mikkels to go with us, too," Polly said.

  "That figures," Bunny said. "Another couple."

  "You can be my date," Drea said in a deep voice. "I'll put my hair up and look macho. Will that he
lp?"

  "Oh well. It's just another in a long string of lonely nights for me. Whatever. Which room is mine?" she asked dejectedly.

  "You will be in here," Polly said, walking toward the front room. "Drea, you're in the middle room. Lydia decorated them and I don't know which is my favorite. They're both beautiful."

  Bunny stood in front of a pile of suitcases and looked over at everyone. "Could I have a little help, please?"

  Sal let out a loud, dramatic moan. "I had to carry those things up the stairs for her. She was afraid she'd break a nail if she carried anything heavier than her purse."

  "It's not often that you're supplanted as the diva in the group, Sal Kahane. Manual labor, eh? You might as well just give up and move to Iowa!" Polly followed Sal and picked up a suitcase. She wasn't prepared for it to be quite so heavy. "Bunny, you're only here for the weekend. How could you pack so much?"

  "I didn't want to forget anything. The suitcase Sal is carrying has all of my shoes for the weekend."

  Polly turned around and looked at Lydia, Beryl and Andy. They were close to tears from holding back laughter.

  Beryl was done in. "Shoes! She has a suitcase for shoes! Two days and she has a suitcase for shoes."

  Drea snapped the wheels down on a small black suitcase and flung a satchel over her shoulder. "In here?" she asked, heading for the door to the middle bedroom.

  "I'll be right there," Polly said.

  "Oh, take your time," Drea said drolly. "I think I can handle this on my own. Is that the bathroom?"

  "It is, but I think I'll show you to a different one." It suddenly occurred to Polly that she couldn't imagine Bunny and Drea sharing a bathroom. Fortunately, the one off her old bedroom was available and she knew Drea would be fine with a few extra steps.

  Polly and Sal dropped Bunny's luggage inside the door, and Sal leaned against Polly. "How ya doing?"

  "I'm fine," Polly said. "At this point, I'm just ready for the party to get started."

  "Bunny," Sal said. "Are you changing for lunch?" She winked down at Polly.

  "Of course! I feel like I've been dragged behind a four-horse team for hours," the girl said blithely. "This is casual, right?"

  "Right," Polly said. "Very casual. Jeans and a t-shirt casual."

  Bunny fluttered her hand, effectively dismissing them. "I'll be out in a few minutes. I just want to freshen up. It's absolutely lovely that you have a sink in here, Polly."

  They backed out and Polly pulled the door shut. She and Sal fell into each other in a fit of giggles.

  "I'd forgotten about all of that," Polly whispered.

  "Girls," Lydia scolded. "Be good."

  "Oh, this is us being good. We could be so much worse," Sal said.

  Polly knocked on Drea's door.

  "Come in," Drea called.

  "Bunny is changing her clothes. You have a few moments if you want to do the same," Polly said.

  "Is this okay?" Drea gestured at the clothes she was wearing - a sharply pressed pair of black jeans and a red, floral blouse.

  "It's perfect. I just wanted you to know you have time."

  "I'll bet I do," Drea laughed. "She's a piece of work. No amount of Dramamine could relax me enough to put up with her chatter. If it had been later in the day, I'd have just gotten drunk." She stepped forward and gathered Polly in her arms. "I'm glad to see you so happy. My family all sends their love. In fact ...," she released Polly and went to her satchel. "Mama wanted you to have this."

  Drea handed Polly a wrapped package. "Go ahead. Open it. It isn't new. It's been part of our family since they were in Italy. Mama wanted me to tell you how much she loves you and how happy she is that you have found a wonderful man."

  She shook her head. "I'm almost certain there might have been a sideswipe at me since I'm not married yet, but this is for you."

  Polly carefully separated the tape from the paper and set it aside. "Oh my," she gasped as she opened the box. "I remember this. It's from her table!" She unfolded a white lace table runner that had been in Drea's home. Her eyes filled. "This is beautiful. Thank you."

  "Mama always thought of you as her adopted daughter," Drea said. "I have a few other gifts in here for you, but those can wait. I wanted to do this one while we were alone."

  "Thank you and give your mother this for me." Polly kissed Drea on both cheeks and pulled her into a hug.

  "Okay, enough emotion. Let's go out and see how long Bunny keeps us waiting. Your friends probably think that she's the most ridiculous person they've ever met."

  "They know their share of crazy," Polly said. "I'm just excited that all of you finally have an opportunity to meet each other."

  The two girls re-entered the living room to gales of laughter.

  "What are you telling them?" Polly asked Sal.

  "We were just talking about the flight out from Boston. There was a little old man who insisted that he was going to sit with me. He kept trying to hold my hand, telling me that he'd never flown before. Fortunately, we left him in Chicago."

  Polly and Drea sat back down on the sofa, waiting for Bunny to emerge.

  "I'm getting kind of hungry." Beryl tapped her watch impatiently. "How long is this going to take?"

  "I don't know," Polly said, sighing. "I'll check." She got up and walked toward Bunny's room, hoping the girl would just open the door and come out. When she got there, she rapped twice. "Bunny, sweetie? We're starving. Can you hurry it up?"

  "I'm almost there. I want to be perfect. You never know who I'll meet."

  "It's a diner, sweetie. Just hurry."

  Bunny flung the door open and danced around Polly. "Am I casual enough?" she asked. She was wearing stilettos, a pair of pale yellow capris and a layered, flouncy yellow top. Her hair had been teased into submission and she wore a pair of hoop earrings that were at least three inches in diameter.

  "You'll do," Polly said, trying not to look too shocked. "Let's get something to eat. I want to hear everything that has been happening in your life." She took Bunny's arm and propelled her to the front door. "Sal, will you drive? We won't fit in my truck."

  "Absolutely," Sal said. "Let's head out." She turned to Lydia, Andy and Beryl. "Thanks for being so patient."

  "As long as I get food, I won't get murderous," Beryl said. "And I'd better get food soon."

  "Beryl," Lydia warned, in her best mother voice.

  "What? I'm starving!"

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Polly paced back and forth late that night while Henry lay back on the pillow with his hands behind his head. "Just come to bed," he said. "You can't fix anything by worrying about it."

  "Were you even there? I wanted to smack the twit," Polly said. "What is her problem? I do not remember it being this bad."

  "You dealt with her, Polly. She settled down."

  "But, everyone was uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to get out of there. The one weekend I want to enjoy my friends and little Miss Twit-face has to come into town and make it all about her."

  "Polly, you have to let this go. No one else was as exasperated by her behavior as you were. Even Mark and Sal ignored her."

  "But, she was practically in his damned lap. She knows they are a thing, but did she care?" Polly turned on him. "No. As the only unmarried man at the table, he was going to damned well pay attention to her. Damn it, Henry. I want to drive her little ass down to Des Moines tomorrow and put her on a plane back to Boston. I don't want her ruining any more of this weekend."

  "I'll bet that after the public scolding you gave her, she'll be on her best behavior."

  Polly flopped belly-down on the bed beside him. "I'm so embarrassed. I was just so mad. When she ran her hand through Mark's hair, I was done."

  "You know. Sal probably could have taken care of it herself and since Mark wasn't encouraging anything, she wasn't worried. Even I saw that."

  "But, I'm her friend. Or at least I'm supposed to be. I've seen Bunny play these games before. She doesn't play them to participate. She play
s to win and isn't satisfied until the object of her attention has dropped everything else to be hers. Then she finds some reason to hate him and moves on."

  Henry turned onto his side and ran his hand up and down Polly's back. "You know, I was reading an article a few weeks ago about people who were toxic friends. You might want to decide that Bunny isn't worth your effort. You are a better friend to her than she is to you."

  "No kidding," Polly said and rolled her shoulders under his hand. "This afternoon we had to hear all about her life. We had to hear about how much she hates her job and how she is never going to find a husband and will never have babies of her own. Not once did she ask about you and me. If Drea or Sal asked a question, it was all I could do to get a sentence or two out before she latched on to something that related to some other thing going on in her life and change the subject back to her. It didn't matter at all that we are celebrating our marriage this weekend. Everything was about me not finding her a date for dinner tonight. Can you even believe it? She can't freakin' be happy for me without making me feel guilty for not taking better care of her."

  Polly felt angry tears leak out of her eyes. "I'm so damned mad. I just want her gone. Why did I have to invite her?"

  "Because you are much too kind-hearted and she's been a close friend." Henry gave a small chuckle. "I was going to say that you were much too nice, but after that tongue-lashing you gave her at dinner, nice isn't a word any of us will use to describe you."

  "I wasn't that bad, was I?" Polly whimpered, feeling chagrined at what she had done.

  "Those times you took me out?" Henry said. "Those were gentle love-taps compared to what you did tonight."

  Polly flopped her head on the bed. "I'm a terrible person." She looked up at him. "Did I upset everyone?"

  "No honey." Henry stroked her back again. "You said exactly what we were all thinking. None of us had the courage to speak up and when it was over, we were pretty much relieved that her antics stopped. Nobody thinks less of you. I promise."