Joy in the Journey

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "I think Rebecca has been gone too much to get in trouble. She needs to hang around more so these bathrooms are cleaner."

  "I agree," Polly said. "I am not a fan of everyone being so busy."

  They both looked up when the back door opened.

  "We're home," Cat called out.

  Elijah jumped down from the stool and ran to give her a hug. As soon as he was finished, he rushed to Hayden. "Why are you home so early?"

  "Finished our last mid-terms today and we're starting spring break right now," Hayden said.

  "How did they go?" Polly asked.

  Cat nodded. "I think it was a good week." She turned to her husband. "We were talking about it on the way home. This semester has been crazy busy. It isn't like we have more credit hours, but things are hard and take more time. We're sorry we haven't been around very much the last two weeks."

  "I'd rather you were prepared for your exams," Polly said. "We've slogged along without you. I won't lie. I've missed you a lot, but that's okay."

  "Where is everyone?" Cat asked.

  "They're in the basement," Elijah said.

  "And why are you up here?"

  "I had to get straightened out by Polly." He shot her a grin. "My head got all messed up and she fixed it."

  "How painful was the fix?" Hayden asked.

  "One bathroom painful," Elijah said. "And I'm helping her get snacks ready."

  "If Cat wouldn't mind finishing with me, you can go down and play with your friends," Polly said.

  He spun on Cat and she waved him off. "Go. Tonight, I want to hear the progress you've made on your piano piece. I miss hearing you play."

  He smiled and ran for the back steps.

  "How am I ever going to move out of here?" Cat asked Polly as she picked up the veggies and arranged them on a plate. She went to the cupboard and took out nine small plates. "No extra kids tonight, right?"

  "Right," Polly said. She took down glasses and set them up on the island. The two of them had done this so many times together, they worked easily side by side. "Why don't you want to move?"

  "I don't want to miss out on what happens with those boys and Cassidy. When I thought about all that I'd missed these last couple of weeks because I was so busy, I felt sad. What was Elijah in trouble for today?"

  Polly laughed. "He tried to explain to me that girls and boys were different and shouldn't play together."

  Hayden had just come back in from setting things up in the dining room. "Well, he's dumb. The sooner you figure out that keeping girls happy will score you the best girl on the playground, the better."

  "That's not helpful," Polly said.

  "But it's true. Look at the one I managed to snag."

  "What does he want?" Polly asked Cat.

  "I have no idea, but if he keeps this up, he can have it all."

  The back door opened again and four more voices were heard.

  "We're home," Rebecca called out. She was followed by Cilla, Kayla and Andrew. "Are we in time for snacks?"

  "What are you doing home so early?"

  "It's Thursday," Rebecca said. "Church night. Remember?"

  "Sure. Of course."

  "You're dingy," Rebecca said. "But we don't have to go tonight. Do you remember that?"

  "Uh, no?"

  "Mrs. Moore is on vacation for two weeks. No rehearsal."

  "That's fantastic. So, what are you going to do?"

  "I don't know. Can we go uptown?"

  "To do what?"

  "Hang out. Everyone's going to be there."

  "I'm not," Polly said snidely.

  "Okay, everybody but Polly is going to be there." Rebecca winked at her. "Seriously. Do you care?"

  "Seriously. I don't care."

  "Cool. I'll be home by supper. I promise."

  The four kids left again and she looked at Cat. "And that's why after a few years it won't matter whether you're here or not. No one sticks around long enough for you to watch what they're doing."

  Cat smiled. "I remember being in high school and always having a million things going on. It was the best."

  "I guess I do, too," Polly said. She snagged Cat's arm and pulled her into a hug. "But I've missed you guys. I'm glad you have a week off."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Polly felt calmer than she had all week, even though Heath and Henry were still out on the job. All it took was having a couple of extra adults in the house. Hayden and Cat had taken charge of the boys and were in the process of closing down their evening. Cassidy was already in bed. That had been Polly's job and she didn't mind. They'd read a couple of books and then Polly sat with her while she fell asleep. It was really something to watch that child relax. During the last four months, as Cassidy had grown more comfortable, it showed on her face. She still had a nascent look of concern whenever she faced anything new. Even if she was beside Polly or Henry, she worried. There were very few times when every bit of stress was gone from Cassidy's face, so watching it fall away as she drifted off to sleep was beautiful.

  Rebecca was still out with her friends. She'd called to ask if she could eat pizza with everyone. When Polly asked who everyone was, the list started and Polly gave in. She should be home in a while. Tomorrow was the last day of school before spring break and the kids had been working hard. There was no reason to push tonight.

  Polly headed for the office to spend time on things she’d put off for too long. Henry was usually in here at this time of night, and who knew, she might get started and he'd show up, needing access to the computer. Han and Obiwan followed her in, then curled up on the rug in front of the door to the back porch. The sky was clear tonight and stars twinkled above. She clicked into the management software for Sycamore Enterprises and opened the file she'd been working in yesterday.

  They were hosting a reception for members of the new Sycamore Foundation a week from Saturday. After the fire at the B&B last fall, things had moved quickly. This would be the first time everyone came together as a group. The intent was for it to be more celebration than business, but there were things to be discussed and she needed to be prepared.

  Following a long discussion with Henry's family one January evening and another long afternoon with Polly's accountant from Story City, they'd decided to move forward with the foundation. First, with friends who had expressed an interest and after that, other Bellingwood residents who wanted to be part of future renovations in town. She was surprised that so many people were interested; they'd had thirty-five families make inquiries. So far, nineteen had committed funds. It was mind-boggling.

  That influx of cash changed the footprint for the bed and breakfast. They'd pored over floor plans and come up with a house design to fit the available land.

  Porches surrounded the house. Two of the four upstairs bedrooms opened onto decks, and a small redesign on the main floor gave them two more bedrooms. A beautiful apartment over the garage would be home for Reuben and Judy Greene, allowing them privacy. If they discovered there was more demand, another two bedrooms could be added in the attic. The finished basement would be primarily for recreation with a game room, a small library, a space for a theater, and a large gathering area.

  When Polly spent time looking at the floor plan of the new B&B, she thought she wouldn't mind moving in and transforming the Bell House into the B&B. Even as a happy dream, that was crazy. There was no way she was prepared for another move. Her family was happy where it was. Now was not the time to start disrupting things because she loved the layout of the house they’d chosen. Besides, Reuben and Judy were having the time of their lives with the forge and greenhouse.

  Judy's greenhouse had been an immediate priority. Though she insisted that it didn't matter to her when it was rebuilt, it mattered to everyone else. People that she'd shared her cuttings with had come together to finish cleaning the greenhouse and set about rebuilding the interior. By the time the glass was re-installed, the little building was better than it had ever been. They'd attached a shed for suppli
es to the far end, giving her space to store things out of sight. Dick Mercer, Henry's uncle, had been instrumental in the design. There had been so many things he'd wanted to do for her from the beginning, but he'd been limited by the building that was already in place. Since they were starting from scratch, he added gutters to collect rainwater into barrels on each side of the front door and had put together a sprinkler system framework that hung from the ceiling. It wasn't hard to imagine that Judy's greenhouse would become a favorite spot for gardeners in town and she welcomed that.

  Polly jumped when the dogs leaped up and ran out of the office, then smiled when she heard Rebecca's voice.

  "Polly? Where are you?"

  She walked over to the door and headed for the kitchen. "I was in the office. How was your evening?"

  Rebecca strode across the room and pulled Polly into a hug. "That was just the best. Thanks for letting me go."

  "You only have two months until your sophomore year is over," Polly said. "Less than that until you turn sixteen. It’s time for you to be able to make decisions about how to spend your time. Did you have fun? What did you do?"

  On Thursday evenings, most of the downtown shops stayed open until at least eight o'clock. Since so many people were involved in church activities during the evening, it made sense for them to be open when folks came into town.

  "We just walked around for a while." Rebecca looped her arm through Polly's and walked with her back to the office. "We went to the general store first for ice cream. Barrett had never done that. Can you believe it?"

  Barrett Evans was a conundrum for Polly. She didn't know who he really was to Rebecca. The son of Marnie Evans, who worked for Mark Ogden at the veterinarian's office, and the brother to Ella, who was dating Heath, he'd taken Rebecca to Homecoming. After that, though they spent time together with their friends, they'd never really dated again.

  "That is hard to believe. He's lived here all his life."

  "I know. So we did that, then we just kind of stopped in here and there. Next week I want to go to Mina's and get a manicure. Would you do that with me?"

  "We'll talk about it."

  "Then maybe we could go to the coffee shop together?" Rebecca waggled her eyebrows as she sat down in the comfortable chair across from the desk. "It was weird being in the salon after that murder at her new place. Everybody's talking about it. Would you believe there was some old lady in there tonight asking if Mina thought that poor guy would haunt her? As if. I wanted to tell her that you found bodies so they'd rest in peace, but I kept my mouth shut. Andrew and Barrett and Joel and Justin all went over to Mr. Gardner's antique shop while we were in the salon. Can you believe they like antiques? He has these cool model cars that Justin likes. Oh, and Justin told Andrew that he'd help him fix up a beater car, but I told Justin that Andrew wouldn’t be much help. He doesn't know anything about cars."

  "He'll have to figure something out," Polly said.

  Rebecca slumped. "I have to get a job."

  "When will you have time?"

  "I don't know, but I have to do something. I'm going to need a car, too. You know Stephanie can't afford anything. At least Kayla gets to make a little money working part-time at the hotel. Maybe I could do that. Or I could help Rachel with catering and stuff on the weekends." Rebecca looked across the desk at Polly. "I hope you don't have a problem hiring me. There aren’t any rules there about nepotism, are there?"

  Polly laughed. "I don't think so. Remember, I married my contractor."

  "Oh yeah." Rebecca yawned. "This has been a long day. But it's been awesome. We don't have a basketball game or wrestling meet or anything at the high school tomorrow night. Would you care if I invited Cilla and Kayla to spend the night with me?"

  "What about Beryl on Saturday morning?"

  Rebecca slumped. "I forgot and I really want to go, too. She got in these cool new markers and I can't wait to try them."

  "Can the three of you get up by nine thirty? I don't think Beryl would mind if you showed up with bed head and sloppy clothes."

  "She doesn't care what I look like," Rebecca said. "She's seen me at my worst. Yeah, we can get up on time. So, it would be okay?"

  "It's fine with me."

  Taking out her phone, Rebecca looked sheepishly at Polly. "I'll go put it up as soon as I text them. I promise."

  "It's okay."

  "Where is everyone?" Rebecca asked, her fingers flying over the keyboard on her screen.

  "Cat and Hayden are upstairs with the boys. Cassidy is asleep, and I haven't heard anything from Henry and Heath since they called to tell me they wouldn't be home for supper."

  "It's like eight thirty," Rebecca said. "They never get home this late."

  "Things are busy."

  "Barrett says that Ella can't wait for spring break. The only time she gets to see Heath is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between their classes. He's busy every night and their classes are at opposite times the other days."

  "That's good for them," Polly said.

  "I don't understand that statement. How is it good for them to not spend time together? Aren't they supposed to be using this time to get to know each other and figure out whether or not they fit together?"

  "No fitting together," Polly said, putting a hand up to block her face from Rebecca's. "I don't want to think about those things with my kids."

  "You're funny. Heath is the last person you have to worry about."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "He's so polite to Ella and I think he's terrified of her parents. Not her dad, but her mom scares him to death. I don't know what Mrs. Evans said to him, but he's got a lot of respect for her."

  "That's a good thing."

  "I know. It's kind of funny." Rebecca cackled. "Kind of like Andrew used to be. He was so scared of you and Henry. It's better now that we aren't going together. He doesn't worry all the time that you'll think we're doing something we shouldn't be doing." Her shoulders sagged.

  "You okay?"

  "I just miss him sometimes."

  "You still spend time with him."

  "Not like when we were best friends. Now he's in the same passel of people that I always hang out with. We never just talk anymore. I miss that." Rebecca looked up. "I mean, I love that I'm best friends with Cilla and Kayla. I talk to them all the time, but Cilla is so involved in all her stuff. Kayla doesn't care about the same kind of books and big things that I like to talk about. Andrew always talked about those things with me. He doesn't act like it, but he has really good opinions about really big ideas and he was always willing to listen to mine, even when I was just exploring how I thought about things. Now all we talk about is school stuff and what we're doing and who we're doing things with. You know, just normal everyday stuff."

  "You don't ever talk about those kinds of things with Cilla? What about Dierdre?" Polly asked.

  Rebecca held up her index finger. "I always have interesting conversations with Dierdre. It’s not the same as with Andrew, but she is fun to talk to. However, she's all into social unrest and learning about that kind of history. I think she wants to go into journalism and maybe politics." Rebecca laughed. "Sometimes it's hard talking to her. She wants me to get all worked up about the same things she's worked up about and I just can't get there. Sure, I feel passionate about it, but life's too short to be mad all the time. I keep telling her that she needs to channel all of that into something productive. Then she threatens to organize a protest."

  "College will be good for her."

  "That's what her mom says, too. Oh, I saw Sal and Mark at Pizzazz. Their boys are so freakin' gorgeous. Little Alexander is just a heartthrob with those big eyes like Sal's and his father's cheekbones. Theodore is such a cutie pie."

  "I don't know how you see that," Polly said.

  "What?"

  "I know that Alexander is a beautiful child, but I couldn't tell you what features came from Sal and which ones came from Mark."

  "I just see it," Rebecca said with a shrug. "
But anyway, she told me to tell you that she really misses you and you should call her."

  "She used those words?"

  "Yeah. You’re supposed to call her and make a date."

  "I'll see her Saturday night at Joss's house."

  Rebecca scowled. "That's a date with Sal? I think she wants to spend time with you."

  Polly smiled. "I know. You're right. I haven't had much time lately." She chuckled. "One of these days I'll feel okay about getting a babysitter for Cassidy, but not yet."

  "You can't leave her with Marie?"

  "Not every day. Marie already does a lot for me."

  "But it's only a couple of months until school is out and then won't Cassidy be in kindergarten next fall?"

  "I hope so. You're right. I just need to be patient. Even though I feel all sorts of pressure right now, before I know it, I'll be complaining about her growing up too fast, too. I need you all to stay exactly where you are."

  "That would be boring." Rebecca grinned. "You just want me to be at that place where I clean bathrooms all the time."

  "I have Elijah for that now. Speaking of which, your bathroom is clean."

  "He didn't," Rebecca said with a laugh. "The poor kid."

  "He misses you and your smart mouth. He said so to me tonight."

  "That's awesome." She tilted her head. "Did you hear that?"

  "No?"

  "I think someone else is home."

  "Nice ears. Let me shut this down. I'm not getting any work done."

  "I'm sorry. Was I bothering you?"

  "I'd rather listen to you tell me about your life any day."

  Rebecca stood up and walked over to the door. "Cat and Hayden are in the kitchen."

  "Go on. I'll be right there."

  After Rebecca left, Polly sent a text to Henry. "Everything going okay?"

  "We're home. Just unloading a few things into the garage. We'll be right in."

  "I love you."

  She laid her phone on the desk and headed out to the kitchen.

  "What are you two doing?" she asked Hayden and Cat.

  "Making a breakfast casserole for tomorrow morning," Hayden said. "I asked the boys what they wanted and all I heard was that they didn't want toast and cereal."