He nodded and walked over to a window, "I used to do stained glass work a long time ago," he said quietly.
"Really? Have you thought about doing something like that now?"
"Oh, I gave all of my tools away. It would be too much trouble to start again."
"I think there's a cool studio in Ames. Have you ever been down there?" Doug interrupted.
"No."
"You should check it out. They have classes and everything. I'll bet you could start slow and get back into it." Doug continued enthusiastically. "I thought about doing it, but haven't had time to start. I don't know where I'd work on it. My Dad's shop takes up the garage and my mom's junk takes up the basement. Dude," he said to Billy. "We have got to get out of our parent's homes. I need a place to be me!"
Polly giggled, "Have you heard from Henry?" she asked.
"He said he was going to be here about eleven," Jerry Allen said, coming in the door.
"Thanks. I'll see you later," she said. "Mr. Storey?"
He followed her back outside and broke off as they approached his back yard. "Miss Giller?" he said and she turned around.
"Yes?"
"Tell Ms. Watson that it wasn't that bad. All I need is a new window. I'll take care of it."
"She'd want you to give her the bill for it," Polly said. "When you get it finished, let her know."
"It's not a problem. Thanks for showing me the studio."
Polly went back inside the studio and strode over to Doug. "You are wonderful sometimes, you know that?" she said.
"Sure! I'm wonderful. What did I do this time?" He stood up from where he was pulling cord and ran the back of his forearm across his face.
"Well, you deflected Mr. Storey and gave him something to think about. That was pretty cool, but I also want to thank you and Billy for letting Jason and his brother play games with you."
"Oh, that was nothing. They're good kids and they might as well be downstairs with us rather than up in your apartment bothering you."
Billy interjected, "We were once little dudes. I would have loved to have older dudes let me play with them."
"They thought you were a dweeb," Doug laughed, poking his friend's arm. "And you were. But hey, they don't have a dad around right now and since our dads are pretty okay, it's good to pass that on. Besides, their mom feeds us good food."
"She does that?" Polly asked. "I'm so glad!"
"Yeah. She came in Friday night with tons of cupcakes. They were like those Ding Dong things, only better, because they were homemade."
Polly huffed, "She's never made those for me."
"Well, you should ask her, ‘cause they were awesome. She told me that whenever we had a game night, she'd come up with something fun for dessert if she's around. Now, how cool is that?"
"That's pretty cool. I know she appreciates you hanging out with her boys."
"The new dude you have helping out is okay, too. Some of the kids were a little weirded out by his face, but when he started showing them the horses, he got all relaxed and it got cool," Billy interjected. "You should totally keep him around."
"I'm trying,” Polly said. “I'm trying. Well, thanks for everything."
They went back to work and she headed to Henry's shop. As she approached the front door, she heard the buzz of a saw. When she walked in, there were several people working. Henry looked up from the table saw and waved. She stood in place and watched the activity. Leroy was working with Sam Terhune, assembling boxes for base cabinets. Jimmy Rio was working with a man she didn't recognize and Ben Bowen was running some wood through a planer.
Henry finished what he was doing and came over to greet her. He gave her a quick hug. "What 'cha up to?" he asked.
"I came from the studio and spent a few intimate moments with Larry Storey, Beryl's neighbor."
"Was he complaining?"
Polly laughed. "Huh. How did you know?"
"It's what he does."
"Well, I showed him the inside of the studio, and Doug and Billy chatted him up a little bit. I think he left in a better mood than he arrived. He'll be fine."
"That's my girl. You keep fixing people around here, don't you! Do you know Len Specek?" he asked pointing at the man working with Jimmy.
"That's who it is!" she said. "I remember him from the dance, but I haven't seen him since then."
"He's going to help with the installation at the studio. Would you like to meet him?"
"Sure! But, I have a quick question first."
"What's up?"
"Sal Kahane is coming in to town tonight. What do you say about going out on Friday night? I thought I'd be a little evil and set her up on a blind date with Mark Ogden if he's available. That way it's just for fun since she's leaving on Saturday. No one has to make any long term commitment."
"Oh, I can't wait to see that," Henry said. "You're not just satisfied fixing people in town, you now have to start fixing people up?"
"Whatever. I thought it would be fun to take her out for dinner so she can meet you and what better way to go out than with a date for her, too?"
"That's cool. It makes me laugh. Come on, let me introduce you to Len."
They walked over and Henry introduced the two to each other.
"It's nice to meet you again, Polly," he said, shaking her hand. "I hear a lot about you."
"From Andy?" she asked. It was an innocent question, but then she realized that she wasn't supposed to know about the two of them.
"Oh, from her, but these guys talk about you, too."
"Well, I hope it is all good."
"So far it is. You've made quite a name for yourself here in Bellingwood."
Polly opened her mouth to speak and Henry interrupted, "He's seen the chart at the Elevator."
She backhanded Henry's arm, "I'm not going to ever live this down, am I?"
Jimmy snickered and continued to work.
Len said, "It’s a friendly enough pool. No one is hoping for more dead bodies and we're sure sorry to hear about your custodian."
"So was I," Polly said. "I hope the next one is around for a while, though. I'm tired of this reputation!"
Henry guided her back to the front door. "Was there anything else?"
"Nope. I'm going to go to the grocery store and then I'm heading over to Story City. I have to sign some papers. Things are quiet at Sycamore House today, so I won't be around much. I'll pick Sal up at eight o'clock tonight and we will probably find dinner in Des Moines."
"Drive safely," he said. "Will you text me today and let me know where you are?"
"Because you miss me or because you're worried I'll be dead in a ditch somewhere?"
"If I say that it's both of those things will that keep me out of trouble?"
"Maybe. Will you come outside for a minute?"
"Sure." He followed her outside.
"I have a weird question for you because I was thinking about this a lot yesterday."
"Am I going to hate this question?"
"I don't know," she said. She took a breath and proceeded to ask, "So, yesterday, the ladies were talking about babies and all that and it hit me that I don't want little babies. Is that weird?"
"For you? I don't think it's weird. It’s about right."
"Does that freak you out?"
"No. Should it?"
"I don't know. Alright, then. I should get going."
She turned toward the truck, but he caught her by her arm.
"Polly. What's this about?"
"Nothing much. I was thinking all these strange thoughts yesterday and," she shrugged out of his grasp and said, "Oh hell, I don't know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."
"I think this is a conversation we should be having in a quiet place with dinner and wine. Not here in the middle of my parking lot."
"You're right. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Honestly, it's good to know that you're thinking about these things. Kinda makes me feel like there's something for us out there in the future
."
Polly reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "You're such a good guy, Henry. I didn't realize I was such an insane person about this stuff. I always figured I was going to be alone for a very long time. It never occurred to me to think there would be anything more than that. I'm not sure what to do with it."
"You don't have to do anything right now. You know that, don't you?"
"I suppose I do. But, it's nice to hear. I'll talk to you later?"
He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. She felt herself swoon a little. Every time his lips touched hers, all she could think was that he had amazing lips and he tasted so good. She pressed against him and he wrapped his arms around her.
He finally broke away and said, "This is a little public."
"Yeah. Public. You have to stop doing that to me."
"No way. I’m never going to stop doing that to you. If my kisses make you get this stupid, I'm going to kiss you as often as possible. I like having that kind of power over you."
She laughed and walked to her truck. "I'll text you when I'm not driving. Have a good day today, alright?"
Her first stop was the little grocery store downtown. There were a few things she needed for the next couple of days. She made her purchases and then took them home and spent some time straightening her bedroom. It hadn't gotten completely out of control, but if she and Sal were going to be spending any amount of time in the place, she wanted to make sure it looked fairly decent.
When she'd lived in Boston, she'd learned a lot about drinking wine from both Drea and Sal. When Sal first took her out to nice restaurants and had actual conversations with the waiter about the wines which were available, Polly had truly felt like a hick from the Midwest, but before long, her friends taught her that all she needed was a little information and a few preferences. It was okay for her to like a wine and ask for it. So, she checked her bottles of wine to ensure there were a couple of Sal's favorites. Since she'd learned from the girl, she'd learned to like the same things. Everything was set and as she stood in her entryway, she nodded in approval.
"See you later!" she called out to the animals and closed the door behind her.
Before she left for Story City, she checked the front room across the hall. It was perfect. Eliseo had gotten everything cleaned up and put back together after their guest left on Sunday. The bed was re-made and there was even a small vase with flowers on the bedside table. As nice as it was, Polly still considered this room to be unfinished. She had thrown things together in here in order to have a room available and hadn't yet invested time and effort in finishing it. Maybe when everything was in place in the middle room, she'd finally finish this one.
It was time to head to Story City. It was strange to think that she had lived most of her life there and even though it was still familiar to her, it was no longer home. The last time she'd driven past her house, waves of sadness had nearly overwhelmed her. She knew every single inch of that place. The fourth step creaked on the outside, so the nights she snuck in late, she knew to skip that one. The closet in her Dad's bedroom had a strange little cubbyhole way up high. She'd found his lock box there when she was fifteen. He caught her snooping through it and brought it out for her. They sat on his bed as he went through its treasures. There were letters that he had written to her mom when they were dating and one letter in particular was well-worn. It had been read and re-read many times. Her mom had written to him after he'd asked her to marry him. She had told him all of the things she loved most about him, everything from the curl that tucked behind his right ear, to the way he held her hand in the car. He had pulled out a jewelry box and in it were her mom's wedding and engagement rings.
"Whenever you want these, they are yours, Polly. But, why don't we wait until you get a little older," he had said.
There was another, larger, jewelry case. In it was a beautiful necklace and earring set of opals and diamonds. It had been his wedding gift to his new bride. That one he had handed to Polly. "I think you would look beautiful in these right now. I want you to enjoy them at all of the dances and concerts and fancy affairs while you're in high school and college."
She had kept those in the case. She didn't wear them as often anymore, but every once in a while, she pulled them back out of the same lockbox and smiled at the memories. Whenever she had felt lonely for her mother, she pulled down the lockbox and sat on the bed, looking through the letters and even a few photographs that had been special to her dad. Their marriage certificate and all of their birth certificates were kept in the box. She'd never asked him about his passport. There were stamps for England and France. How had she missed asking all of those questions? She had always thought they had forever together. How would she ever know everything about her parents now that they were gone?
Polly pulled into a parking space and texted Henry, "I'm in Story City. I'll let you know when I land in Des Moines."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
She goosed her speed because she hadn't been thinking when she finally hit the road. The airport was on the south side of Des Moines and it was going to take her an additional fifteen minutes. Polly and Sal had already spoken on the telephone, so they both knew where they were meeting, but she hated making her friend wait.
"Get out of my way! Get into the middle lane, you slowpoke," Polly yelled at the car she was tailgating. He was in no hurry and didn't mind having her run up close behind him. Finally, traffic broke open enough for her to scoot around him and move forward. She finally saw the airport and drove up to the front of the terminal. Sal was waiting for her, bags on the ground beside her.
"I'm so sorry!" Polly said as she jumped out of her truck. "I totally messed up the timing on this."
Sal hugged her and said, "Don't worry about it. I've only been here a couple of minutes. I took the time to call home and see how things were going and then waited for you. But, I'm starving. You promised to feed me! Where are we going?"
Polly put Sal's bags behind the front seat and waited while she got into the truck, then jogged around to the driver's side and got in. "Do you want fancy and a bar or something a little more casual?"
"Casual sounds great. I can hardly wait to see your house and all of your animals."
"Cool. I think we can make it to this fun Philly steak restaurant before they close. If nothing else, we can take it with us and eat it at home. How was your conference?"
"It was alright. Being in Iowa is different, though. There are a lot of fields between Des Moines and Iowa City and an awful lot of hills!"
"I'd never thought about it," Polly replied, "but, you're right and there are even more fields between Des Moines and Bellingwood. They haven't started planting this year because it's been wet and cold, but maybe you'll get to see some of the big farm equipment. It's pretty amazing stuff."
"Polly, I had no idea that you still loved this life. I thought you were happy in Boston."
"I was happy. I was really happy. But, I think I forgot what it was like to be happy and content and peaceful and calm and quiet all at the same time."
"You can truly have all that at once?" Sal laughed. "How do you ever think without all of the sounds and excitement?"
"I think the thing that surprised me the most is how easily those feelings returned once I got here. Sal, there are nights when I hear absolutely nothing. There are no sirens or cars honking. I don't hear people yelling at each other in the upstairs apartment or footsteps on the steps. I hear nothing."
"Girl, that would drive me stir crazy."
"You'd think so, but my mind works again. I don't have distractions when I want to think, I sleep through the night and I feel like I found a part of me that had been hiding."
"I'm glad for you, Polly, but I can't imagine not having Boston's excitement available whenever I want it."
"I keep making my own excitement. In the year since I've been back in Iowa, I can honestly say there hasn't been a single day when I've been bored.
"Oh, honey, I'm bored all the time."<
br />
"Then, I'm glad you're here for a few days. There are so many things I want you to see and friends I want you to meet."
"Are you going to let me meet this Henry fellow? I can't believe you're falling for a carpenter. Tell me he reads a book every once in a while."
Polly laughed. "I'm sure he does, it hasn't ever come up."
"Did he at least graduate from high school or is he still living at home working for his dad?"
"Sal! Don't be like that."
"What do you mean?" Sal sounded shocked.
"You can't bring that east coast snobbery with you. Every one of my friends, Henry included, is a college graduate. Iowa isn't some poverty-ridden, second rate state. You have to leave that attitude at home!"
"Whoa. Sorry, Polly. I didn't know that was such a sore spot." Now, it was Sal's turn to sound offended.
"I'm sorry, too, and while this might not be everything you are used to, these people are brilliant, loving and pretty wonderful. There isn't a person here who wouldn't do anything for you, even if you are a stranger. You know, you don't have to live on one of the coasts in order to be successful."
Sal put her hands up in defeat. "Okay. You're right. Differing worldviews don't mean one is better than the other. I'll give you that. Forgive me?"
Polly took a breath to calm down. "Of course. I will never apologize for Iowa, but I will always defend it. It may not be what you are used to, but in many ways it is better than anything you will ever experience."
"I'll look for the good. I promise."
Polly smiled, "Thanks. I think you'll find it takes very little effort to like it here."
They stopped and picked up food before heading north to Bellingwood. They had considered sitting in the restaurant, but it was apparent they were closing down for the evening and Sal assured her that she wouldn't actually starve to death before they got home. They exchanged what little information they had about the bombing in Boston and it hit Polly again that there were so many people she knew who were frightened, not knowing what might be coming next.
Drea had finally emailed her and assured Polly that her family was all safe. Her brothers had been part of the team pulling people out and getting them to safety, which didn't surprise Polly at all. Drea had finished the race before the bombings occurred and had taken off with some friends to celebrate, so she'd watched everything happen from a distance.
Treasure Uncovered (Bellingwood #3) Page 16
