Pages of the Past (Bellingwood Book 9)

by Muir, Diane Greenwood

  Fortunately, the rest of the table had no idea that things weren't normal. Jessie's baby was wide awake, turning and kicking, so she let Rebecca and Kayla touch her belly. Kayla was in awe and for quite some time, kept watching Jessie, hoping for more movement.

  Before they'd gotten through with their appetizers, Lydia placed her hand on Polly's shoulder, bent over and gave her a quick hug.

  "It was good to see you tonight," she said. "I hope you have fun with the rest of your evening." She smiled across the table. "It was nice to see you again, Jessie. Be sure to let me know if you need anything."

  Jessie nodded and smiled as Lydia left with her husband.

  ~~~

  "It's that one," Kayla said, leaning forward to point out the front window.

  Henry pulled into the driveway of an older model trailer.

  "Do you need any help?" Polly asked her, turning the overhead light on in the cab.

  "No, I can do it. I just need pajamas and a shirt for tomorrow."

  "Don't forget fresh undies and socks," Polly said.

  "I would have forgot that."

  "And your toothbrush and hairbrush."

  "Yeah. Okay."

  "And do you have your own shampoo?"

  "No, I use Steph's."

  "Then you can use Rebecca's. Do you need your own pillow or anything?"

  "I don't think so." Kayla sat back. "Maybe you should come in and make sure I don't forget anything. I've never done this before."

  "Can I come too?" Rebecca asked.

  Kayla was startled by the question and Polly understood right away. "Why don't you and Jessie keep Henry company. We won't be very long. I promise."

  The porch light wasn't turned on, so Kayla fumbled with the lock. Once inside, Polly wasn't surprised to see a very spare living room. They had an old sofa with worn spots that someone had attempted to cover with blankets. Two plastic TV trays sat in front of the couch and an old television sat on a rickety stand.

  The carpet was vacuumed and things were clean and neat, but the walls were dingy and the curtains hanging in the windows were thin.

  Kayla went into the kitchen and dug under the sink before coming up with a plastic grocery bag.

  "My room's back here," she said.

  Polly followed her and glanced into what had to be Stephanie's room. It contained just a bed with a few knitted blankets piled on top for warmth and crates stacked neatly that held her clothing. A lamp and clock rounded out her possessions.

  Kayla's room was just as spare. The blankets were bright and cheery and they'd found a set of sheets that were decorated with clouds and flowers. More crates stacked on their sides held the girl's possessions, from clothing and shoes to books, dolls and a few games and puzzles. A lamp sat on a card table in the corner and two chairs were pushed in neatly.

  "I didn't want Rebecca to see my room. Hers is pretty. She has so many nice things," Kayla said as she sat down on her bed.

  "Oh honey, Rebecca wouldn't mind. You should tell her about your room. I suspect she understands more than you realize."

  "Since you're an adult, you have to be nice. My friends aren't very nice when they know how poor I am. But Steph does the best she can and I think she's amazing."

  "She is amazing and you two have done very well here." Polly picked up a teddy bear from Kayla's pillow. "Who's this?"

  "That's Silver," she said.

  "Interesting name."

  "She listens to me when I'm upset. Steph told me to tell her everything, even things that I don't want anyone else to know."

  "Do you talk to Silver every night?"

  "You think it's weird, don't you?" Kayla was trying to decide between a couple of shirts she'd pulled out.

  "No. I was being serious. I think it's a great idea." Polly shrugged her right shoulder. "I tell my cats and dogs much more than I tell any of the people around me. Even my husband. When I'm mad at him, they get to hear about it first."

  "I'll take this one." She chose a pair of pajamas, then put a blue checked shirt into the bottom of the plastic bag, and pulled out a pair of socks and underwear. "Anything else?"

  "You're good with the pants you're wearing?"

  "Yeah. Sometimes I wear them a couple of days before we do laundry."

  "That's cool. Now, what do you need to take from the bathroom?"

  "I'll be right back. My toothbrush and hairbrush, right?"

  "That should just about do it."

  Kayla ran out of the room and in a flash, was back with the necessary items. She put them in the bag on top of her clothes and grabbed the handles. "I'm ready."

  "Do you want to take Silver tonight? It would be okay."

  "Can I?"

  "Sure. I'll drop Silver and your bag of clothes at Stephanie's work before she picks you up at the library tomorrow."

  "I had fun today. Thank you for letting me come over."

  "Honey, you can visit any time. Work it out with Stephanie and Rebecca and you're always welcome."

  Kayla hesitated as she stepped forward and then stopped. "Thank you."

  "Can I hug you?" Polly asked.

  The girl rushed in to Polly's open arms, hugged her tight, then held on for a few extra moments."

  "Shall we?" Polly gestured to the door when Kayla stepped back. She let the girl walk through and flipped the light off in the room, then followed her to the front of the trailer.

  "I want to turn the outside light on for Steph," Kayla said. "I always do that when she comes home late and it's dark."

  "That sounds like a good idea. Which one?"

  Kayla flipped the living room light off and the outside light on and they pulled the door shut behind them. Polly waited for Kayla to climb up into the back seat, stepped up on the running board and into her own seat.

  "Who's that?" Jessie asked, pointing at the teddy bear.

  "That's Silver."

  "I think Silver should meet my Durango."

  "You have a teddy bear?"

  "No, Durango is a purple horse. But he sleeps with me every night."

  "Really?"

  "Oh yeah. I'd be lost without him."

  When they got back to Sycamore House, Rebecca took Kayla upstairs to drop her things off and then they ran down to spend time with Sarah.

  "I'm totally worn out. I just want to get into sweats and die," Jessie said, once she'd puffed her way up the steps.

  "You get comfortable," Polly said. "Henry and I will take care of the animals. If you need anything, just holler."

  Polly sat at the top of the steps snuggling with the cats while Henry took the leftovers to the refrigerator. Obiwan and Han had followed him, hoping they might be rewarded for simply being dogs. He came back with Han's leash.

  "I don't know why I'm so tired," he said. "But this has been a long day."

  Polly nodded. "That was weird at the restaurant tonight with Aaron and Lydia."

  "Yeah. What's going on?"

  "I have no idea." She shook her head. "But I can't imagine Lydia is going to let this go on much longer."

  "Maybe it has to do with the guy who was killed the other night."

  Polly wrinkled her forehead and looked back at him as they went out the back door. Henry put Han down on the ground. He tried to surge ahead to follow Obiwan, but had quickly been learning that the leash was stronger than his desire.

  "Makes sense to me." Polly mused.

  Obiwan had stopped to smell a clump of grass and Han ran over to help him make sure that it was safe.

  "How far are you planning to go to rescue Stephanie and Kayla Armstrong?" Henry asked.

  "I have no idea what you mean." Polly walked away from him and nudged Obiwan to keep moving. This conversation could only go badly for her.

  "I mean... what's the next step in making their life better?"

  "We do need more employees. I don't know what Stephanie can do or what she'd want to do, but surely we pay better than the convenience store and our hours are more stable."

  "Uh hu
h."

  Polly spun around to see Henry grinning at her.

  "You're the one who set Jessie up to work at your business," she said. "Don't you be giving me trouble about this."

  "I just tell everyone that I'm in training. You're the master."

  "I'm not going to do anything right away, but if something comes up..."

  "That'll take about a week, maybe two, I'm guessing."

  Polly gave a low whistle and Obiwan ran to her side. "Come with me, big dog. We're going back inside and leave the man and his little dog out here in the cold."

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Polly startled awake at Han's yip. Then she heard a knock at the bedroom door.

  "Polly?" Rebecca called quietly.

  "Come in, honey," Polly said.

  Rebecca opened the door and came in to the bedroom and walked over to Polly's side of the bed.

  "What's up?"

  "Kayla's upset. She had a bad dream and now she won't stop crying."

  Polly's feet were already finding their way out from under the pile of animals on her bed and she put them down on the floor, then swiped open her phone to check the time. It was only eleven fifteen. The girls had gone to bed at eight thirty. She'd heard chattering and laughter until after nine, but after taking the dogs out for one last walk, she checked the room at ten thirty and they were sound asleep.

  "Do you need me to do anything?" Henry asked.

  "I've got this. No worries." Polly pulled her robe on and went into Rebecca's bedroom.

  Kayla was curled into a ball on one side of the bed. She didn't make any noise, but it was obvious that she was upset. Polly flipped the light on and sat down beside the girl. She started to reach out and touch her, but hesitated.

  "Honey? Kayla? It's me. Polly. Can you tell me what has you so upset?"

  The girl gulped back a sob. "No-o-o-o." she said.

  "Will you let me put my arms around you?" Polly took her silence as acquiescence and bent over to hold her. Kayla didn't relax, she held herself tightly as she cried.

  "Sweetie, did you get frightened when you woke up in a strange bed?"

  "Uh huh."

  "Did you have a horrible dream, too?"

  "Ye-e-e-es." Kayla's voice hitched as she tried to speak through her tears.

  "Do you want to talk about it?"

  "No-o-o-o."

  "Okay then. We'll be quiet for a while until you realize that you're safe and it's all going to be okay." Polly turned to look at a very freaked out Rebecca. "Honey, would you get a small glass of water from the kitchen? And bring tissues back with you, too."

  Rebecca seemed thankful to be able to leave the room.

  Polly saw the teddy bear lying on the floor and scooped it up with her foot, tossing it behind them onto the bed. With one hand, she stretched to grab it and then pressed it into Kayla's hands, hoping the girl would unclench long enough to be distracted by something she recognized.

  The girl clutched the bear, but didn't relax a single muscle and Polly began stroking her back. Then she realized what time it was. Stephanie was still at work.

  "Kayla? Honey? Would you like me to call your sister and have her pick you up so that you can sleep in your own bed for the rest of the night?"

  That got her attention. The sobbing stopped and Kayla went limp, then sat up beside Polly. "Would you?"

  "Of course I would, if that's what you'd like. You don't have to stay here."

  Rebecca walked in with a glass of water and tissues. Seeing that Kayla was sitting up, she came around the side of the bed and handed her friend the water first.

  Kayla took a sip and said, "Thank you."

  "You were scared," Rebecca said. "You had a really bad dream. Did you know you talk in your sleep? I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't."

  "What did I say?" Kayla asked.

  "You kept saying 'No. You're hurting her.' That must have been a really bad dream."

  The look of shock on Kayla's face startled both Rebecca and Polly. Her hand trembled and water sloshed out on to her pajamas. Polly took the glass from her and brought the teddy bear back up so Kayla could focus on it.

  "Give her a tissue, Rebecca," Polly said. "I'm going to call Stephanie. You two relax as much as you can. I'll be right back."

  Polly went back into her own bedroom and shut the door.

  "Is everything okay?" Henry asked.

  "No. That poor thing is scared to death. I'm calling her sister. She should just be getting off work. There's no reason for Kayla to go through any more trauma tonight."

  He sat up and reached for a pair of sweatpants to pull over his shorts. "Anything I can do?"

  "No, just a second." Polly swiped the call and waited.

  "Hello?" She recognized Stephanie's voice.

  "Hi, Stephanie. This is Polly Giller."

  "Is everything okay?"

  "Yes and no. Kayla hasn't hurt herself, but she just woke up from a nightmare and Rebecca came to get me because she was huddled in on herself sobbing. The poor girl is pretty scared and I suspect that she might feel safer if she was in her own bed and at home with you."

  "I'm so sorry she did this to you."

  "She hasn't done anything to me. I'm sorry that she's frightened. Rebecca is with her right now and we'll get her things packed up. I'm not going to have her change, just put a coat on."

  "Tell her I'll be there in ten minutes. I need to close down a few things before I leave. Will that work for you?"

  "Sure. Do you know how to get to our back garage door?"

  "Yeah. I've seen it."

  "Then come around back and we'll be watching for you."

  "Thank you so much, Mrs. ..."

  "It's just Polly. And I'm glad this happened while you are still at work and can come get her. I'll tell her you're on the way. That will help a bunch."

  "Thank you, Polly."

  "Thanks for coming over. We'll see you."

  "She's coming here to get Kayla," Polly said to Henry. "Would you want to turn lights on in the media room and kitchen?"

  "Finally. Something to do," he said. "I was feeling really inadequate."

  Polly went back into Rebecca's room and picked up the bag that had held Kayla's clothes. "Stephanie will be here in ten minutes. Your timing was perfect. She hadn't left work yet."

  "I'm sorry," Kayla said. "I didn't mean to be a baby."

  "You're not a baby," Rebecca insisted. "It's okay to be scared. Right, Polly?"

  "Absolutely. The first slumber party I ever went to was when I was in sixth grade and my friend's mom had to call my dad to come get me because I threw up. I wasn't sick. I was just scared."

  "Really?" Kayla's eyes brightened and she relaxed her death grip on the bear.

  "Really. Dad didn't say anything at all. He just gave me a hug and two weeks later, told me that I could invite my friends AJ and Dev to spend a night at the farm. He took us out to dinner and gave us a ride on the tractor and told us we could stay up all night if we wanted."

  "You stayed up all night?" Rebecca asked.

  "No. We were asleep by ten thirty. He knew that all we needed to do was get exhausted. But those two girls lived in town and they had sisters and had done sleepovers before. He wanted me to find out that they were fun so I'd get comfortable."

  Rebecca patted Kayla's arm and said, "Maybe we can try again sometime,"

  "Maybe you can spend the night at Kayla's house one of these days," Polly offered, ignoring the look that Kayla gave her. "Friends figure out how to spend time with each other."

  "I've done a lot of sleepovers," Rebecca said. "But most of the time they're at Andrew's house."

  Kayla looked at Rebecca in surprise. "You had a sleepover with a boy?"

  "I get my own room, but we stay up late making up stories and stuff. It's only on the weekends, though."

  "Okay girls, we need to pack Kayla's things. Make sure you get all her school clothes in there and then be sure that everything is in her backpack, too."

  Kay
la held out her pants. Should I put these on?"

  "If they'll go over your pajama pants, you can. Otherwise, you can just wear your pajamas. But put your shoes and socks on. You'd best hurry," Polly said. "Come into the media room when you're ready. Stephanie is coming to the back door."

  She left the room and strode across the living room. Henry was in the kitchen. "How do I pack Kayla's leftovers up with more food so Stephanie doesn't think we're just being charitable?" he asked.

  "Good heavens, I love you. Let's not worry about that tonight. I have a feeling we might see more of Kayla." Polly hugged him. "I'm glad that Rebecca has a new friend, but it's going to make Andrew jealous. He liked having all of her attention."

  "That boy just needs to learn that having two girls pay attention to him is much better than one. All he needs to do is redirect it so that he's in the middle rather than on the outside."

  She patted his right pectoral muscle and winked at him. "If I have trouble explaining that to him, I'll send the boy in to learn from the master."

  "I ain't no master. I had enough trouble getting one girl to pay attention to me."

  "Oh baby, I was paying attention."

  "Maybe I wasn't talking about you."

  Polly chuckled. He was so much fun. She started to respond when Rebecca and Kayla came into the room. "Are you ready?" she asked, checking the time on her phone. Stephanie was probably already downstairs.

  "I have everything and Rebecca said she'd bring me anything else I forgot."

  "Then let's go downstairs and see if your sister is here. Rebecca, if you want to head back to your room, I'll be in before I go to bed."

  "Okay, but I'm wide awake."

  "What does that mean?"

  "I don't know."

  "I've got this," Henry said.

  "Okay. I'll be back."

  The dogs were confused with the whole situation, especially when Polly headed for the back door. As Kayla and Polly headed down the steps, the two animals stood at the top, hoping to be called down. Polly looked up and shook her head just before closing the door on them.