Polly stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "And I was going to get pizza for dinner. It's just you and me. Henry is hanging out with Nate all day."
"I'll try to eat a piece," Rebecca said. "Is that okay?"
"I'm teasing you," Polly said with a laugh. "Show me what you bought. Just dump it all out right here."
Rebecca upended the two shopping bags and then shook the items out of the three plastic bags. There were blue jeans and blouses, skirts and t-shirts. They'd bought shoes at Target and Polly smiled to see new underthings. She was glad Rebecca had an opportunity to go shopping with girls.
"I got this for you," Rebecca said and reached into the pile. She came up with a pretty silver pin of a horse.
Polly pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you. It's beautiful."
"I saw things at Goodwill that I wanted to buy for presents, but Stephanie said we were buying school clothes. She said we could go shopping before Christmas if I still wanted to buy them."
"Good for her," Polly said. "There is plenty of time. But this is wonderful. I love it. Thank you."
Rebecca picked up two of the t-shirts, one that someone had tie-dyed and another with wild stripes. "Stephanie called me a hippie. Look at these jeans." She dug in the pile and came up with a pair of jeans that had flowers appliquéd on them.
"You might be," Polly said with a smile. "This looks like an amazing shopping day."
"It was the best." Rebecca hugged Polly again. "Thank you for letting me go with them."
"I tell you what. Let's wash these things while we go outside with Andrew and then tonight, you can do a fashion show for me."
Rebecca looked down at her new clothes and dug into the pile again. "I bought a hat," she said.
"Cool. What does it look like?"
"It's a blue jean hat. Look."
She put on a blue denim beret and Polly chuckled. "You are a hippie girl. We can wash that too. Let's take it all downstairs."
Rebecca stuffed most of the clothes back into a bag and reached for the other one. They took the bags downstairs and sorted clothes into a first load.
"Andrew is going to kill me," Polly whispered to her as they headed for the back door.
"Why?"
"It's been an hour since I told him to set up the wickets."
They found him with Doug and Billy sitting in Adirondacks with glasses of lemonade. Andrew jumped when Obiwan leapt off his lap to greet Polly. Han followed suit and stopped when Andrew held on to the leash.
He turned around in his chair and said, "About time."
Polly saw a book tucked under his leg. "I'm guessing you found plenty to keep you busy. Hi guys," she said to Doug and Billy.
"He was down here looking pathetic and hot, so we brought lemonade." Billy nodded toward a bucket sitting along the back wall of Sycamore House. "We took care of the dogs, too."
"Thanks for taking care of all my boys," she said. "Who's up for croquet?"
"I didn't set it up," Andrew said.
"Why not? I'm ready to play."
"When you didn't show up, I knew you were busy, so I got a book. Then the guys came out and we were talking and now it's this time."
"So, nothing?" she asked. "We have plenty of mallets and balls. We can all play."
"Did you have fun being a girl today?" Andrew asked Rebecca, sarcasm lacing his voice.
Polly waited to see how Rebecca would react. When the girl's face dropped, Polly took a loud, deep breath.
"Come on, Doug," Billy said. "Let's take the dogs upstairs and clean the kitchen before Rachel gets there. She's had a bad day and we have a dirty kitchen."
Doug looked back and forth between his friend and Polly and nodded. He took the empty lemonade glass out of Andrew's hand, bent over and said quietly, yet loud enough for Polly to hear. "You walked into it. Figure out how to walk out before they kick your butt." He and Billy and their dogs went into the garage, leaving a sullen Andrew on his chair.
"They're chickens," Andrew said.
Polly grinned. "I don't blame them. Here's the deal. You have a couple of options. First of all, the two of you can sit here and talk this out. You are both making assumptions about the other person that aren't true." She paused.
Rebecca looked at her. "What's the second option?"
"Yeah. I don't like that one," Andrew said.
Polly laughed out loud. "The second is even worse."
He rolled his eyes. "What does that mean?"
"I sit here and embarrass both of you by asking pointed questions and making you talk. Now choose, because this ends today."
Rebecca dropped into an Adirondack across from Andrew. She shrugged. "Whatever."
"Yeah. Whatever," Andrew echoed.
"You two seriously want me to get involved?" Polly asked.
"Well, she won't talk to me. She just shuts me out," Andrew said.
"That's because you just talk and talk and talk and never listen," Rebecca replied. "You say stuff and then it's like it's over."
"I do not."
"Yes you do. It drives me crazy. Who made you the boss of our friendship?"
"Me!" he cried out. "You're the one who's always in charge. You're the one who gets to say yes or no to whatever we do. And most of the time you want to do stuff with Kayla. You never want to do things with me anymore."
Polly patted her thigh to beckon the dogs and backed quietly away from the circle. Even if they were yelling at each other, at least they were talking. The most difficult thing they would have to face was forgiving each other and then letting it go.
~~~
Henry came out of the bathroom, fresh and clean from a shower. When he'd gotten home from Nate's, he was a mess. He'd tried to hug Polly, but she relegated him to the shower with no extra love. Rebecca was already in bed, exhausted from her day.
"How far did you two get today?" Polly asked, putting her book on the bedside table.
He smirked. "I won't even bother to explain it. Your eyes will just glaze over and I'll end up talking to myself."
"Okay," she said. "What percentage of the cars did you finish?"
He sat down on the edge of the bed and pushed Han closer to Polly so he had space to lie down. "I don't know how to measure it," he said. "We spent time working on the frame, blasting rust off and repainting it. It won't be too long until Nate and I are shaping wood panels at my shop."
"See, I understood that," she said. "What was so hard about saying those words?" Polly shifted to her side, doing her best to avoid pushing Leia off the edge of the bed.
"You're right. I'm sorry." He turned inward to face her and pulled Han close so the dog tucked in to him. Han leaned back and gave Henry a sloppy lick on his chin, trying for the mouth, but missing it as Henry dodged. Henry laughed, put his hand on the dog's head and pushed it down.
"Are you going back tomorrow?" Polly asked.
"If that's okay with you. Nate never has time without the twins around. I'd like to take advantage of this."
She nodded. "That makes sense. And you certainly don't have to ask permission."
"I've never done anything like this," he said with a laugh. "It's always been work or you since we got married."
"Then this is a good idea. You should do it more often."
"When the twins are older and don't require so much parental intervention. Maybe," he said. "Nate doesn't want Joss to feel like she's the only caregiver."
"She doesn't," Polly responded. "That's the last thing she'd ever feel. Especially with him. He's a good dad. Can you imagine how insane it will be when they have a bunch of kids?"
Henry stretched and rolled his shoulders. "It's so strange to think about that. What about us? Do you think Rebecca will be the last kid we adopt?"
"I don't think so," Polly said. "But what if she is? I don't want to do what Nate and Joss are doing. I'm not ready to actively seek out babies."
He started laughing and Polly glared at him. "What?" she asked.
"Two things occurred to me in a split se
cond," he replied.
"What?"
"First. You need to quit talking about not wanting to have babies around, because something weird will happen and you'll end up rescuing a family with babies. So be quiet. Don't say those words ever again."
Polly hung her head in mock shame. "You're right. I'll shut up. What was the second thing?
"I will always be happy with whatever our family looks like. If Rebecca is the only child we have, that's okay. If we end up with fifteen more, that's okay too." He reached over and rubbed her arm. "The only thing I ever wanted was you. After that, it's all icing on the cake."
Polly leaned across the dog and kissed him, long and slow. When she lay back on her pillow, she smiled. "That was the right thing to say."
"I have my moments." He propped himself up on his elbow. "Did Rebecca have a good day today?"
"She really did," Polly said. "Shopping and eating out with someone other than me. And she came home with a pile of clothes. She's got great taste. We had a fashion show tonight in her bedroom and she showed me all of the possibilities for combinations based on the wardrobe she'd built. After we went through her clothes, she has a few bags to take back to Goodwill. That girl has grown since she got here."
"I didn't even think about it," Henry said.
"Didn't think about what?"
His eyes grew misty and he said. "We should have a place here to mark her height. What if she's already as tall as she is going to be? We never did that for her. Don't you remember your wall?"
"Mine was the bathroom door sill upstairs," Polly said. "I remember doing that with Dad. We always measured me on Saturday mornings before we went downstairs for breakfast." She looked at Henry. "Where was yours?"
"It still is," he said. "If you go upstairs, there's a small corner between my bedroom and the bathroom. Lonnie's was on one side of the corner and mine was on the other. Mom painted the hallway several times, but that corner has never changed color. Can we figure out someplace to do this for Rebecca and keep it up for any other kids that come into our lives?"
Polly smiled at him. "What about the little hallway leading to our bathroom? We don't ever have to paint that wall again. No one will see it. There's plenty of wall for as many kids as we want to have."
"What was the deal with all the craziness here today?" Henry asked. "Did you ever get lunch?"
"Nope," Polly said. "It was one thing after another. I hope Evelyn can manage Leslie Sutworth. She had to ask for my help today. The woman was just plain crazy. She wouldn't leave and with all that wailing and crying..." Polly pursed her lips. "I don't want to be rude, but no wonder that kid has emotional and mental problems. She's a nut. And if his dad was tough to live with, he didn't have a chance. Especially if there was even a hint of a chemical imbalance. He's never had a moment of freedom or peace. If nothing else, I hope we can help him find that here. And maybe give him enough courage to find a way to move out and live on his own."
"How did things work out with Grey?"
"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "He apologized for his behavior last night, but I'm not going to check up on him. I can't imagine that if he's an alcoholic, he can just make a decision to quit drinking and really do it. We'll see, though. I'm not giving up on him."
"Of course you aren't," Henry replied. "You haven't had a good rescue in a long time."
"Hey!" she said, loud enough to cause Han and Obiwan to both look up at her. "Sorry."
"You know Aunt Betty is an alcoholic," he said quietly.
"What? I had no idea."
"She hasn't had a drink in years, but when I was young, something happened and she started drinking. She'll talk to you about the alcoholism, but she still won't talk about what happened."
"Do you think she lost a baby?"
"No, that's not it," he said. "They did have a couple of miscarriages and she was open about those. Dad and Mom probably know, but no one talks about it. She was a mess up until I went to high school. One night Uncle Dick called Dad in a panic. She'd passed out and he couldn't get her up. They took her to the hospital and Dick finally told Dad what had been going on. Dad cried. When Aunt Betty saw that, I think she realized she was at the bottom and got help. But she'll still tell you it isn't easy."
"I didn't know any alcoholics when I was growing up," Polly said. "There wasn't much alcohol in the house. Is that weird?"
He gave a slight nod. "There were probably more than you realized. I worried about some of my college friends. They wouldn't stop drinking. As soon as they got back from class in the afternoon, they had to have a beer, then another and another. Weekends were ridiculous. It was all the time with some of them."
"Well, I hope it doesn't take Grey too long to figure it out," she said.
"What will you do if he doesn't?"
"That's the question, isn't it?" Polly put her head on the pillow. "They say it's a disease. I wouldn't fire someone for being sick."
"But you don't want him to screw things up at the inn," Henry said. "You don't owe him anything."
"I suppose. Except for the fact that he's a good guy and deserves as many chances as I can give him. He didn't hurt anything last night."
"But he was incommunicado. What if a guest had needed something? If it's his job, shouldn't we expect him to be there?"
"Not twenty-four seven," Polly said. "I don't know. I just have a good feeling about him. Even if it takes a while to get there."
"It might." Henry took her hand. "But it's why I love you. You see things in people that I miss. I trust you in that, even if I protest."
Polly leaned over and whispered. "Andrew and Rebecca had their first fight. He thinks they should be boyfriend and girlfriend and go to the dance together. She wants to be more casual."
Henry's eyes grew big and he looked at her in shock. "They should be casual! What's this about being boyfriend and girlfriend? They haven't even started seventh grade yet. She isn't dating until she's at least sixteen. No way, Jose! That's not happening. Not in my house."
Polly started laughing and couldn't stop.
"What?" he demanded.
"You, you big old papa bear, you. This is Andrew and Rebecca. They've been best friends since we've known her."
"Well, they aren't going to be dating," he sputtered.
"That's right. That was what they had the fight about. I think they're both afraid of all the new kids that come into school this year and all of the new experiences. They're growing up. This was Andrew's way of making sure that things would stay the same. But Rebecca is looking forward to changes. She feels the freedom of not worrying about her mom and wants to try new things."
"They aren't dating," Henry said under his breath. "I'll take that kid out behind the woodshed and show him why."
Polly burst into laughter again. "I love you, Henry Sturtz."
"I love you too, but you can't upset me like this. I'll never sleep now."
"I didn't mean to upset you. Rebecca handled it okay. I had to talk to Andrew this morning about giving her some freedom..."
"Freedom? He's not dating her. Not until they're eighteen."
"I thought you said sixteen."
"It's going to be twenty-one pretty soon," he said.
"Got it." Polly wiggled closer to him and pushed Han down and away from Henry.
"What are you doing?" Henry asked.
"I'm going to help you go to sleep. Do you have a problem with that?"
He turned and shut off the light on his table, allowing the moon to bathe the room in its glow. "I'm still upset, but if you kiss me on the lips again, I'm sure I'll relax."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Every muscle in Polly’s body twitched when the phone on her desk rang. It never did that. Her friends called her cell and if something came into the main number, Stephanie let her know the call was for her before sending it through. She looked at it and then at Stephanie who was in the doorway.
"It's not from me," Stephanie said.
It rang one more time
and Polly snatched it up. "Sycamore House, may I help you?"
"Is this Abby?" The young girl's voice on the other end of the phone wasn't familiar, but she sounded upset.
"No, I'm sorry you must have a wrong number. This is Sycamore House," Polly said. "Can I help you?"
"This has to be Abby. I need Abby. Where is she?"
"You need to try to call Abby again. You punched in a wrong number."
"This is Abby's number. She put it into the phone so I could call if I needed her. I need her." The girl was growing more upset.
"Tell me what your name is," Polly said. "Mine is Polly. Is your mom there? Can I talk to her?"
"I'm Gina and Mom is at work. Abby is supposed to come over if I need her. Bean fell down and hurt his head. He's bleeding all over and I need Abby!"
Polly took a piece of paper out of her desk and wrote on it. Get Kayla and Rebecca from upstairs? I need them. She handed it to Stephanie, who ran out of the office.
"Gina, what's your last name," Polly asked. "Can you tell me where you live?"
"Bean is dying. Where's Abby?" The call ended and Polly looked at the phone in her hand. She replaced it in its cradle and realized her hand was shaking.
Rebecca and Kayla ran into the office and Rebecca said, "What do you need? Stephanie said it was urgent."
"I don't know who else to ask," Polly said. "Do you know anybody in the elementary school named Gina? She has a brother that she calls Bean."
The two girls looked at each other.
"There's a Gina Landry," Rebecca said. "She's a second grader and I think she has a brother named Brennan. He's in fourth grade."
"Do they live here in town?"
Kayla looked up at her sister. "They live out by us in a trailer."
"Come with me. We're taking a ride," Polly said.
The girls followed her through the auditorium to the back door and her truck.
"Is something wrong with Gina?" Rebecca asked, once they were settled into the back seat.
Polly backed out of the garage and turned to head for the street. "I don't know. But she just called my office number looking for Abby. She said her brother was hurt."
Look Always Forward (Bellingwood Book 11) Page 17
