He rested his hand on the piano. "I had the distinct pleasure of restoring this beautiful instrument with some new friends this summer and am pleased that you have joined us to celebrate its new home. We have a few fun musical pieces to share with you this afternoon and I know you'd rather hear the piano than listen to me natter on. I would like to introduce the team who helped me. Roy Eslick, Brandon Fortney, and Haley Ferguson put in many hours to bring the Steinway back to life. Elijah Sturtz spent a great deal of time with us, learning all he could about the mechanics of a piano. Thank you all. Jean Dykstra, Elijah's piano instructor and a good friend to music in Bellingwood has brought three of her students to play for us. Jeanie, if you would?"
Elijah was nervous. Jeanie had brought her top three students, all high schoolers. Serena Keck played a Beethoven sonata, Mary Sherwood and Colin Nielsen both played pieces by composers Polly had never heard of, but One Summer's Day by Joe Hisaishi had her holding her breath and the delicate right hand of Hermit Thrush at Morn by March Beach was extraordinary.
Len came back to the piano and changed the mood by playing Georgia on My Mind. Polly watched Andy more than she watched him, as the woman was entranced by her husband's performance. He seemed so laid back, though Andy had told her how nervous he was to play in front of an audience. There was quite a bit of improvisation throughout the piece and Polly watched the entire room smile. He finished to thunderous applause and then invited everyone to stand and stretch. Nearly a half hour had already passed.
When he invited the group to be seated again, Polly knew it was time to be nervous. Elijah stood up, the youngest performer in the room. Henry reached over and gripped her hand. She knew her boy had this, but her heart fluttered and she took in a quick breath as he sat at the piano. Before she knew it, he was standing in front of the audience again. Tears filled her eyes as their friends clapped and clapped.
Len gave him a quick nod and Elijah re-took his seat at the piano. Polly looked over at Jeanie, who shrugged. She didn't know what he was doing either. Brandon Fortney stood up and went around to the other side of Elijah and pulled out the second bench. She hitched in a breath when Elijah turned to give her a grin. He looked at Brandon, the two put their hands on the piano keyboard and the whole room let out a collective sigh when they played a four-handed duet of Gershwin's I Got Rhythm.
More applause and Elijah bowed, then gestured for Brandon to join him. The big man gave a quick bow and said, "You all have quite a performer in this house. I look forward to hearing more from him, and from everyone who has performed today. Thank you, Elijah. Now, if my cohort in crime would join me, we have one more Gershwin piece to share with you this afternoon and then it will be time for refreshments. Roy?"
Elijah ran over to Polly and Henry, scooting in between the two of them. "Did I surprise you?" he whispered.
Polly grinned. "You were fantastic. I'm so proud."
"I like playing with Brandon. He's fun."
Roy Eslick had taken Brandon's seat, Brandon moved over to the upper register, then played the opening notes of Rhapsody in Blue. It was a perfect piece to end the recital and when they finished with a flourish, Polly leaped to her feet. This had been a great way to cap a rough two weeks.
~~~
"I had no idea," Mark Ogden said to Polly. "Elijah was terrific."
"Thank you. Where's Sal?"
He pointed toward the back of the foyer. "She went to check on the boys. Thanks for inviting us to come this afternoon. Mrs. Dykstra is quite a piano teacher."
Polly nodded. "There are people in this room who had no idea how good she was. I'm glad we had a chance to show off her kids' talents to more than just their friends and families."
Lydia grabbed Polly's elbow. "Are you as proud of your boy as I am?"
Mark laughed. "Prouder. How are you, Mrs. Merritt?"
"Come on. It's Lydia. You know better than that."
He looked over at Aaron. "I'm always polite when the sheriff's in town."
She laughed. "Good for you. Can I steal Polly for a minute?"
"I'll go gush all over Henry."
Lydia drew Polly aside. "You are an amazing woman. Do you know what you did for Len Specek today?"
"I didn't do anything."
"Look at him." Lydia turned Polly to where Len was standing with Nate Mikkels, Brandon Fortney, JJ Roberts, and Eliseo. Mark Ogden was heading that way. "He hasn't said that many words in public in his entire life. And did you hear him play? That was amazing."
"He was great," Polly said. "I hope he'll keep playing."
"You have to invite him to come back again. This was so much fun. You always host wonderful events."
"I'd love to. I wasn't sure if people would enjoy an hour of piano music, but they didn't play anything I expected. It was a perfect program. Not too long and really fun music."
"All I know is that Andy might be even prouder than you this afternoon. That's a pretty great gift you gave her."
Tab hesitantly approached them, and Polly stepped forward to her. "How did you get JJ here? I thought he was busy with the grape harvest."
"Things are slowing down," Tab said. "I'm glad he came. It's good for him to be around people. Sometimes he gets all caught up in the business and forgets that he has friends."
"Beryl looks lost," Lydia said. "I'm going to help her get found. Thank you again for this."
As she walked away, Tab frowned. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
"It's fine," Polly said. "How are you?"
"Glad to be here and not at work. You really landed a big one on us this week. Unraveling all that Lillybeth Anderson was involved with is going to be a huge task. I'm glad we aren't the only ones working on it."
"It was all her?"
"All her." Tab tilted her head. "Her mother, too, but Lillybeth did the honorable thing and took responsibility for everything, hoping to keep her mother out of prison. I don't think that will work, though. Elaine Borden was a big part of her daughter's world."
Polly glanced at Simon Gardner, who was sitting at the table with Rebecca, Andrew, Cassidy, and Agnes. He'd called her earlier, but his reason for not coming was lame and she'd insisted. He needed to be with people, especially now that he knew for certain that what Elaine had told him about her family was a lie. Polly was going to do her best to keep him active and part of her busy family for a while.
"He's going to have a rough time of it, isn't he?" Tab said, following Polly's gaze.
"I feel awful. I'd slam that woman in prison just for what she did to him. What's happening to Jane Anderson?"
"She'll be a witness, as much as we can use her, but it's all hearsay. Lawyers won't let her do much. We found the block where her brother hid the documentation. It's all there. The Secret Service is shutting down several of the company's transportation businesses now. Anderson didn't move fast enough."
"Brad's sister said that Lillybeth and her mother thought they were safe because they were upper-class white women who lived in the middle of Iowa."
"She figured she had time to make her escape. She knew that we would look at her after her husband was killed, but since they had such a strong alibi, she'd be safe. When she realized that he had told his sister everything, she started to fall apart. Her mother ended the relationship with Mr. Gardner so they could leave town without any questions. She'd already shipped her jewelry and a bunch of paintings and heirlooms to a storage facility in Texas. They'd purchased cheap knockoffs so that when we were in their home, nothing looked out of place."
"For a couple of smart women, they were really idiots. Apply all of those brains to doing the right thing and they could have ruled the world. Elaine’s husband's company was on the up and up, right?"
Tab nodded. "As far as we can tell. Those two women didn't have a decent bone in their bodies. They didn't want to play by the rules. It was easier for them to lie and cheat."
"Makes no sense to me," Polly said. "Rebecca was lamenting the other day that people like that are nev
er exposed. I pointed out that they had been and they'd done it to themselves."
Elijah slid his hand into Polly's. "Come talk to Brandon and Roy. Please?"
Tab smiled. "Go on. I'm going to check on JJ."
Polly started across the room with Elijah as Noah caught up to them. He took her other arm. "Jah's kind of a big deal today, isn't he?"
"Are you proud of him?"
Noah nodded. "I knew he'd be famous someday."
"You will be, too," Elijah said. "You have to be. I don't want to be famous by myself."
Brandon Fortney stepped away from the group of Jeanie Dykstra's students and their parents. "Ms. Giller. Thank you for hosting this today. It has been a true pleasure to be part of your son's life this summer."
"Thank you for all you've done for him," Polly said. "He's had a great time. And thanks for the surprise this afternoon. That was fun."
He put his hand on Elijah's back. "We had fun preparing it. We didn't know when we'd get to perform it, but we've been playing all summer, haven't we, bud."
Elijah smiled.
"We're going to have to find some more duets," Brandon said. "Or maybe one day you'll write some great duets for us to perform."
Elijah's eyes grew wide. "Really? I could do that?"
"Of course you can, man. Looks like I have more to teach you. Good thing Mr. Specek is hiring me full-time. You'll have to come over and visit."
~~~
The sun had set and the cool of the evening wrapped around them as the family sat around the firepit in the back yard. Cassidy was on a blanket in front of Agnes and the boys held sticks with marshmallows over the fire. Cat had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, but she was feeling much better. Andrew and Rebecca were huddled together in another quilt. He kept watching her to make sure she was doing okay.
Stars filled the night sky and the moon hung low on the horizon.
They'd been chattering away, but quiet settled over the group. It had been a long day.
Polly leaned into Henry. He chuckled and sang, "When the night has come, and the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we'll see."
Cat looked across the fire at him, confused. He'd never sung out like that before, but she joined him. "No, I won't be afraid. No, I won't be afraid."
"Just as long as you stand, stand by me."
By the chorus, even the boys were singing along.
"Where did that come from?" Polly asked, when the singing stopped.
"Feeling musical today." Henry sat forward. "Elijah, we're very proud of you."
Elijah sat up a little straighter. "I had fun. Thanks."
"We should have more concerts," Noah said.
Agnes patted Cassidy's head. "You should do family concerts."
"That's enough of that talk," Polly said with a laugh. "But yes, with that wonderful piano and our talented musicians, we'll do this again." She looked around. "As fun as it was, this might be my favorite part of today. I love my family."
Cat and Henry looked at each other. "And darling, darling, Stand by Me."
She couldn't help herself. Tears filled Polly's eyes as she joined in with the rest of her family.
~~~
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am a planner. I love lists and schedules and planning. There is nothing more fulfilling than having time to sit down with my journal (it's more than just a journal - it's my life) and write out my thoughts, my hopes, my big dreams, my schedules, my task lists, outline and ideas for books and short stories … everything. While my journal will mark 2019 and I try to fill its pages, I also use digital calendars and note programs (Evernote). My ultimate goal is to scan every page from my journals into the digital program so I lose nothing. I need an assistant, though I'm nowhere near to affording one or being able to find time to look for one.
What I really need is a keeper. Someone who will take care of everything in my life while I focus on writing. It would be embarrassing to ask them to spoon feed me, wouldn't it? Yeah, probably. There are days when I don't want to do anything but focus on the stories in my head. I don't want to clean my house, make a meal, wash my clothes, buy groceries, clean cat litter, or pick up the mail; much less, manage marketing, promotions, pay bills, etc. Seriously, a keeper. Where are these beautiful people? See, I dream big dreams.
The one thing I will never give over to anyone, no matter what happens in the future is the connection I have with the community you have all created. No one gets to answer my emails but me. No one will respond to comments and posts on Facebook but me. The relationships you allow me to have with you are so important and make this journey more than a solitary writing process. As much as I love my solitude, it isn't worth it without getting to know those of you who have found me. I am grateful for each of you.
The team that helps proofread and edit my books is filled with incredible and brilliant people. I am grateful for them. Thank you to: Carol Greenwood, Alice Stewart, Eileen Adickes, Fran Neff, Max Muir, Tracy Simpson, Linda Watson, Nancy Quist, Rebecca Bauman, and Judy Tew.
Spend time with us at facebook.com/pollygiller.
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Don’t miss any books in Diane Greenwood Muir’s
Bellingwood Series
Diane publishes a new book in this series
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Short stories are published in between those dates. Vignettes are written and published each month in the newsletter.
The first nine books, plus short stories, are published
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Bellingwood Boxed Set: Books 1-3
Bellingwood Boxed Set: Books 4-6
Bellingwood Boxed Set: Books 7-9
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You can find a list of all published works at nammynools.com
Mage’s Odyssey
Book 1 – Mage Reborn – Releases October 25, 2019
Journals
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Find Joy — A Gratitude Journal
Books are Life — A Reading Journal
Capture Your Memories — A Journal
One Line a Day – Five Year Memory Book (October, 2019)
Abide With Me
(Kindle only)
Abiding Love - the story of Ruth
Abiding Grace - the story of the Prodigal Son
Abiding Hope – the story of the Good Samaritan
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THANK YOU!
I’m so glad you enjoy these stories about Polly Giller and her friends. There are many ways to stay in touch with Diane and the Bellingwood community.
You can find more details about Sycamore House and Bellingwood at the website: http://nammynools.com/
Join the Bellingwood Facebook page:
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Diane Greenwood Muir’s Amazon Author Page is a great place to watch for new releases.
Follow Diane on Twitter at twitter.com/nammynools for regular updates and notifications.
Recipes and decorating ideas found in the books can often be found on Pinterest at: http://pinterest.com/nammynools/
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Finis
The Sounds of Home Page 28
