The River Rolls On (Bellingwood Book 10)

by Muir, Diane Greenwood

  It was all Polly could do not to laugh out loud, but she maintained her composure.

  "Yes you may. But just ice cream. No candy or chips or anything else. Got it?" Sylvie said.

  "Yeah! Come on, Rebecca. Let's find Kayla and tell her to hurry." They ran out the front door of the kitchen.

  "So?" Sylvie asked.

  "Sal hasn't talked to me yet. But then I've been out of it today. I slept late and we just got back from Boone."

  Sylvie nodded. "You two need to work this out sooner rather than later."

  "We'll be fine. You worry too much," Polly said.

  Rebecca stepped in from the back hallway and said, "We're ready to go."

  "I'll talk to you later, Sylvie, and really... don't worry." Polly ignored the look Sylvie gave her and followed the kids out the back door. It felt odd to not have another vehicle here for her to drive. She wondered how long it would take before she begged Henry to take her out looking for one.

  She watched Rebecca walking along with Kayla and Andrew, then smiled when Kayla started skipping down the driveway. She couldn't hear what the kids were saying, but Rebecca handed Andrew her bag of books and took Kayla's hand. The two girls skipped to the highway, looked both ways, ran across and then started skipping again.

  Andrew slowed down enough for Polly to catch up. "No skipping for you?" she asked, putting her hand out to take Rebecca's bag.

  "That's okay," he said. "I'll carry it." His voice sounded so dejected she put her hand on his shoulder.

  "What's wrong?"

  He heaved a huge sigh and said, "Look at them. They're being girls and I'm not a girl. You won't catch me skipping."

  They waited for a car to go past and then crossed the street. When they got to the sidewalk, Polly said, "You should try it. It's kind of fun." She skipped a few steps and stopped to wait for him.

  "No," he said. "I put up with enough because I have girlfriends. I don't need to give the guys another reason to be dogging me."

  "Is it really bad?" Polly asked.

  He shrugged a shoulder. "Sometimes it can get bad. Mom says that it's because they're jealous."

  "She's probably right, you know. Are there boys you want to hang out with in your class?"

  "Maybe." Andrew crossed his arms in front of him, a bag in either hand. "But I think they only want to be my friend so they can come to the barn. And I don't like those big horses."

  "But you like Tom and Huck. Why don't you invite those boys to come over after school?"

  "Last day tomorrow. Duh," he said, rolling his eyes at her.

  "Okay. Invite them this summer. Eliseo and Jason will show them around."

  Rebecca and Kayla had already run up the front steps of the library and were waiting at the front door for Andrew and Polly.

  He put his foot on the bottom step. "You always have an answer for everything. You just don't know how it is."

  "I don't think it's as hard as you're making it," Polly said. "Race you?" She ran up the steps and stopped in front of the door.

  Andrew looked up at her from the bottom step. "That wasn't fair!" he whined. "I didn't know we were racing."

  "Gotta be prepared, buddy boy. Come on. Get up here. Let's get this show on the road," Polly said.

  Rebecca and Kayla both looked at her as if she'd gone nuts.

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Polly said. "I might be a little loopy. It's been a long week and I'm finally free. Deal with it. I'm paying for the ice cream."

  Andrew handed Rebecca her bag of books when he got to the top of the steps and they went inside.

  Joss was at the main desk and smiled when she saw them. "What are you four doing out and about today?"

  "We're returning books and then we're going to the General Store for ice cream," Rebecca said.

  Joss nodded and said, "I heard from a reliable source that the flavor of the day is mint chocolate chip." She put her hand out to take their bags.

  Polly said, "You guys go look for more books. Don't take too long, though."

  The kids took off and Joss looked her up and down. "You look like you're in pretty good shape after all your excitement last night. It's all over town, you know."

  "How much?"

  "Let's see," Joss lifted her index finger and began ticking off the events. "The fire. Jason took down your old boyfriend with some kind of ninja move and then the serial killer guy was at your house when you got home and the dogs were the big heroes there. Did you get any sleep?"

  "A few hours. I'm hoping that tonight is calmer. Rebecca needs to rest. That poor girl hasn't yet dealt with what has been piled on her these last two days. It's been non-stop. We fell asleep watching movies last night. Henry carried her to bed and then tucked me into the couch."

  "How's he doing?"

  Polly shook her head. "I have no idea. We've barely had time to talk. He was wonderful last night. Smart enough to send Rebecca downstairs to find Jon and then he snuck into the front bedroom and released the dogs when I opened the door. Joss, I thought I was going to have to leave with that awful man just to keep them safe. He'd jammed our cell phones and I didn't think anyone knew what was going on. I was scared to death."

  "And you're here in the library this afternoon with three kids," Joss said. "I don't know how you do it. The craziest things happen to you and you just keep going."

  "What's my other option?" Polly huffed. "Curl up into a ball and cry? Huddle under blankets and make everyone take care of me? Whine around town about how awful my life is?"

  Joss scowled at her. "When you put it that way... But most people I know would do any or all of those rather than just deal with it and move on."

  "I have too many other things to do. That's just a waste of my time." Polly glanced around. "Speaking of other things, are you coming to Sarah's memorial service Saturday morning?"

  "I'll be there with the kids. I'm not sure if Nate will be able to get away from the pharmacy. He'll try."

  "Having you there will be enough. Sylvie's making lunch. It's going to be simple. Sarah wanted us to focus on Rebecca's life. Rebecca is her memorial."

  "Are you spreading her ashes on Saturday?"

  Polly shook her head. "No. Rebecca and I will do that sometime on the spur of the moment. Whenever she's ready, she's just going to tell me and we'll go out and sit on the bank of the creek and talk about Sarah while she lets them go. Until then, I told her that the box could stay in her room."

  "What if it takes a while?"

  "I guess if it takes her a couple of years to let go of that last remnant of her mom, that's fine." Polly smiled. "She's got her own mind, that's for sure. Henry and I don't really need to raise her, we're just going to guide her along while she raises herself. Sarah did a wonderful job. It's pretty amazing."

  "You think it will be that easy?" Joss sounded surprised that Polly was so naive.

  "No I don't," Polly said with a chuckle. "She's going to be a royal pain in the hind end when we won't let her do things her way or when we demand that she listen to our opinions, but she's smart - smarter than anyone realizes. She'll figure it out. And if she doesn't, well then, I guess I'll deal with it."

  "Just like you deal with everything else," Joss said, glancing behind Polly. "Here they come."

  "Would you believe Kayla has never read a Harry Potter book?" Andrew demanded, slapping the book down on the counter. "Can you believe it?"

  "Why's that?" Joss asked.

  "I don't know," Kayla said. "I didn't read much before we came here."

  "Your two friends have checked this book out several times," Joss said. "They need to let you have fun reading it by yourself. Don't you dare spoil any of the mysteries for her, got it?"

  Andrew nodded emphatically and put a stack of paperbacks beside Kayla's book. "What are these about?" he asked.

  Polly picked the top book up and looked at him. "What made you pick this up?"

  "Is it the television show that Mom watches sometimes?"

  She turned the book so Joss c
ould see. "Perry Mason books?"

  "There's a ton of them back there. No one ever reads them anymore. Can I?"

  The two women looked at each other and Joss asked, "Are you done with the young adult books?"

  "Nah, but these look kind of fun. They're just mysteries, right?"

  "Okay," Joss said. "Give 'em a shot. It would be nice to see them in circulation again. Tell your friends if you like 'em. What do you have, Rebecca?"

  "Mom told me about the Black Stallion books. I've never read those. We talked about it when she watched the Percherons. Now that she's gone, maybe it's time for me to read them."

  "I'm sorry for your loss," Joss said, reaching out to touch Rebecca's hand. "She was a wonderful mother and a terrific woman."

  Rebecca pulled her hand back and dropped it to her side. "Thank you," she said quietly.

  "Let me check these out and you can head for the General Store," Joss said. She quickly moved through the books and put them in the bags Andrew and Rebecca had been carrying. When she handed Kayla's book to her, Rebecca opened her bag so that she could drop it in.

  Polly gave Joss a gentle smile as they left and when they got to the front door, she held it open for the three kids. She took a deep breath once they were outside.

  "Ice cream now?" she asked.

  They walked down the sidewalk and crossed the street to the General Store, then went inside. A table was open and Andrew ran to sit down in a chair.

  "What do you want?" Polly asked. "I'm having a hot fudge sundae with nuts and whipped cream and a cherry on top."

  "Can I have a banana split?" Andrew asked with a huge grin on his face.

  Polly laughed at him. "What would your mother say?"

  "She'd say I was going to spoil my dinner. Can I?"

  "What if I split it with you?" Rebecca asked him. "Then it wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

  "You're a smart girl, Rebecca," Polly said. "What about you, Kayla?"

  "That sounds good, but I don't have anyone to split it with."

  "Do you really want one?" Polly asked her. "Because I think I know how we can work this out."

  Kayla's eyes lit up. "Yes!"

  "I'll be right back. The three of you sit here and don't move." Polly went up to the counter and when the young girl who was taking orders stopped in front of her to ask what she wanted, Polly leaned in and said. "A hot fudge sundae with nuts, whipped cream and a cherry for me and then I'd like you to make up a double banana split for three kids to share. Make sure there are plenty of cherries and spoons and fun stuff for them. I don't care what it costs."

  The girl smiled and nodded. "I know just what they want. We'll bring it over in a few minutes, okay?"

  "Thanks," Polly said. She pulled napkins out of the dispenser and went back to the table to join the kids. "Banana splits are coming. You had better not get me in trouble, though." These kids weren't going to be able to eat that much ice cream and get through dinner. Sylvie would probably kill her and Stephanie would never let her take Kayla out again, but she just couldn't find it in herself to feel guilty. If three kids were who she was going to celebrate her freedom with, they were doing it in style.

  She watched Rebecca try to laugh and joke with Andrew and Kayla. Something about Joss's comment had changed her demeanor. "Are you okay, Rebecca?" Polly asked.

  Andrew and Kayla stopped talking to watch what was happening.

  "Yeah," Rebecca said. "I think so. It's just weird to have people talk about Mom in the past tense. They're going to do that a lot, aren't they?"

  "Well, she is gone," Polly said.

  "She's not gone. Saying she's gone is like you're saying she's coming back. She's dead. She's never coming back."

  "Right..."

  Rebecca had started to wind up and then immediately she forced herself to calm back down. "It's weird, that's all. They're going to say nice things about her and expect me to do what? Cry for them?"

  Polly glanced at Andrew and Kayla. They were completely at a loss as to what to say.

  "Maybe we should talk about this later tonight," Polly said. She watched Rebecca fold in on herself and knew she'd handled that one badly. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I don't know what to tell you. People have different ideas about how to handle death. You and your mom talked about it and you've thought about it and I'm guessing she answered your questions and when you needed to cry because you knew how much you were going to miss her, she held you and talked to you. Right?"

  Rebecca nodded.

  "I miss my mom, too," Kayla said simply.

  Polly put her hand on Kayla's back, thankful that enough time had passed and they had gotten to know each other well enough that the girl didn't flinch quite as often. "I'll bet you do."

  "I didn't get to tell her goodbye before she died. You were lucky, Rebecca."

  Andrew squirmed uncomfortably in his seat and Rebecca looked across the table at her friend, then blinked as she tried to regain her composure.

  "I'm sorry, Kayla," Rebecca said. "I was being selfish. This is just so weird for me."

  "No one here knew my mom and we didn't even get to have a funeral."

  Polly's heart broke. Why hadn't she thought to do anything for Stephanie and Kayla? It had been such a strange time for them. Stephanie had gone back to Ohio to talk to the prosecutors and when she got back to Sycamore House, life just moved on.

  Rebecca stood up and took Polly's hand, pulling on it, asking Polly to follow her. She drew Polly out the front door and said, "I know we haven't talked about this, but I think we should ask Stephanie and Kayla to be part of the service on Saturday. It won't add any more people, so we don't have to plan for it, but they need to say goodbye to their Mom, too, don't you think?"

  Polly felt tears squirt out of her eyes as she reached out and pulled Rebecca close. "You are an amazing little girl. I am awfully proud of you. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, though. No one else is even going to think of it, so there's no pressure."

  "I want to. It's the right thing. Kayla's right. They didn't get a funeral and they should have one."

  "You wreck my heart sometimes, Rebecca. I think the world of you."

  "Mom would want me to do this."

  "Yes she would." Polly gave her another squeeze and said. "I think I see the ice cream coming. Are you ready for this?"

  "Thanks, Polly," Rebecca said.

  "I love you, sweetie."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Dancing in anticipation, Rebecca stood at the main doors into the auditorium between Henry and Polly.

  "People are going to think I'm strange," she said.

  Henry put his hand on her back. "You're in good company. Since the day Polly got here, she's stirred the community up. They never know what to think when she's around."

  "You guys are okay with this, right?" Rebecca asked.

  "Honey, this is awesome. Your mom would love it."

  "I let everybody do the sad funeral thing, but now it's time to party. Is that really okay? Mom didn't want us to be sad."

  "It's just fine," Polly assured her.

  They'd had a rather somber memorial service at the Methodist church. Stephanie and Kayla tried to refuse to be part of it, but after spending time with Reverend Boehm on Friday afternoon, they'd agreed that it might be good to celebrate their own mother's death. The service had been fairly standard, as memorial services go. Hymns, a message of hope and each of the girls took a few moments to talk about how much their mothers had meant to them. There had been very few dry eyes in the church and Polly had been pleased with the number of her friends that had attended. Many of them had grown to know Sarah and Rebecca over the last year and a half and they were there to celebrate the life of a woman who had loved her daughter more than anything.

  Rev. Boehm had agreed to hold the congregation for an extra ten minutes so Rebecca, Henry and Polly could get back to Sycamore House first. Rebecca had checked the auditorium one last time and pronounced it ready to go. Sylvie, Rachel, Han
nah and Stephanie were in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the meal.

  The front door of Sycamore House opened and Polly wasn't at all surprised to see Lydia and Aaron come in, followed by Andy and Len Specek and Beryl Watson.

  "That was a beautiful service, Rebecca," Lydia said, hugging the girl. "You are very lucky to have spent so many years with your mother."

  "Yes I was," Rebecca said. "She was great."

  Aaron put his hand on the crash bar to open the door, and Rebecca stopped him. "Just a few more minutes," she said.

  He looked at her and then at Polly, confusion creasing his forehead.

  "Just wait," Polly echoed, winking at him.

  The foyer began to fill with people and Rebecca slipped away. Polly waited and chatted with her friends until Rebecca flung open the doors and Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" blasted over the speakers in the auditorium.

  "What is this?" Lydia asked.

  Beryl started to laugh and grabbed her friend's arm. "It's a discotheque! I don't think I've ever been to a funeral luncheon quite like this one."

  Murmuring and surprised laughter accompanied the guests entering the auditorium.

  They'd spent all day Friday decorating the room. Jon and Ray had stayed through mid-afternoon, catching an early evening flight out. Before he left, Ray handed Polly a flash drive and told her that was every bit of information he'd collected on the people that surrounded her. There was nothing in there that was a threat to her or her friends and family. He hinted that there were things she might want to know in the future, but for now, it was unimportant. Polly didn't know what to do with the drive, so she tucked it away behind the junk in a drawer in her desk. Now all she needed to do was forget that it even existed. It had been good to see them and Polly appreciated everything they had done. When she tried to talk to Ray about payment, he took her aside, his grip on her arm tight.

  Ray was angry that she'd asked again. He'd done this because they were family and he thought she understood that. Polly nodded and then in a moment of seriousness, he asked if she would consider helping him out sometimes when he needed to have a quiet place for his employees to run away to. That had surprised her. Why would he want to send people to the middle of Iowa? There was nothing here for them to do ... no ocean beaches or mountains or resorts. He'd smiled ... a bit patronizingly and told her that she didn't know what she had here. But, if she would make Sycamore Inn available when he needed it, he'd consider the debt fully paid. Polly agreed. It was a simple enough request and she would be glad to do that for him.