Tomorrow's Promises (Bellingwood Book 7)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "Okay," she nodded. "We've got it from here."

  Two more vehicles pulled up and they watched a flatbed carry the pickup truck away. Henry reached out and shook her hand. "Thank you for everything tonight."

  "It's not an easy thing for family to face. I'm sorry you had to see him that way."

  "Me too," Henry said and took Polly's hand. They followed Lonnie back to the truck. She opened the back door and patted the seat, waiting for the dog to jump in, then climbed in.

  Polly got in and grinned at the sight of Lonnie with her arm draped protectively over the huge dog's shoulders. When Lonnie sat beside Duchess, the dog looked as big as she did.

  "I think you've made a friend," Polly said.

  "Maybe ..." Lonnie started and then stopped.

  "Maybe what?"

  "Maybe this is what I can do for Uncle Loren."

  Henry pulled his belt on and turned around, "Maybe that's a great idea."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Arriving back at Sycamore House, things were quiet. The main lights had been turned off and no one was wandering around. Polly texted Sylvie while standing in the main hallway, "Are you okay?"

  "Everything is fine here. I'm sorry you guys can't leave tomorrow."

  "No worries. It's okay. Did Ben Bowen show up with his wife?"

  "Rachel put them in the downstairs room next to Sarah and Rebecca."

  "Thanks. I'll be up early tomorrow when you bring the boys over."

  "I'm not going to school. I have to take Andrew and Rebecca down to Indianola for their summer camp. Jason will be in the barn with Eliseo."

  Polly had completely forgotten that the kids were going to be gone this week. Everyone thought it was a great idea so that Sylvie wouldn't have to worry about Andrew. Jason could take care of himself.

  "Okay, thanks. I love you."

  "Wait. Did Henry's uncle get killed tonight?"

  "Yeah. It's weird. I'll tell you about it tomorrow?"

  "Okay. Get some sleep. You'll need it. Love you too!"

  Before Polly could say anything to Henry, her phone rang.

  "Hey, Aaron. What can I do for you?"

  "We've got a few more families that need a place to sleep tonight. Were you serious about the hotel?"

  "Absolutely," she said. "I have six rooms available. Since we haven't been cleared to rent, they're empty. Henry and I will grab some sheets and toiletry stuff and be right over."

  "You're a lifesaver, Polly. And even if the inspection papers haven't come through on the hotel, if I say they're ready, they are ready. How's that? The Red Cross is setting up a temporary shelter in the Elementary school, but if I can get some families into a safe place tonight, I'd like to just do that."

  "No problem at all."

  "Polly?" He seemed to hesitate for a moment.

  "Yes?"

  "Two of the families have animals. I don't think they want to be separated from them. Would you mind?"

  "Why would you even ask me that, Aaron? Of course I don't mind. I wouldn't want to be separated from my pets either. If this isn't why I'm here, then I don't know any other reason."

  "Thank you, sweetheart."

  Polly ended the call, her eyes glistening with tears.

  "What was that?" Henry asked.

  "He called me sweetheart."

  "Aaron did?" Henry chuckled. "Do I need to be concerned?"

  She smiled through the tears, swatted his arm and said, "Brat. He's bringing some families to the hotel and I need to take linens and toiletries over. They're in a closet in the addition. Can you help me?"

  "I'll meet you at the side door with the truck."

  They filled the back with pillows, sheets, blankets and towels ... everything that she had been saving for opening the hotel. Two boxes filled with soaps, shampoo, and plastic wrapped cups joined the other items and they drove over to Sycamore Inn. Aaron was standing outside talking to several people when Henry pulled into the lot.

  She hopped out of the truck and Aaron strode over to greet her. He looked exhausted and filthy, but she hugged him anyway. "How are you doing?" she asked.

  "I'll feel better when we get some of these folks settled. They've had a horrible evening."

  "I know. Thanks for letting me do this."

  Aaron just smiled and shook his head. "You're a good girl, Polly."

  "I'll let everyone in tonight and tomorrow Jeff can get things squared away so they all have keys to the rooms." She swiped the first room open and Henry opened the back of the truck.

  "Let us help you get this organized," Aaron said.

  Polly looked around the parking lot at the dazed families standing beside their cars. She wasn't sure any of them were thinking straight, much less able to function to work. "I'll take what help I can get, but if they're too upset, it's okay," she said quietly.

  "Open the doors and this will work itself out. You don't have to do everything."

  Aaron turned to the group gathered there, "Folks, Polly is opening the doors to the rooms, but the beds aren't made yet. She has sheets, towels and pillowcases here, though and if you need her to make up the bed, just say something." He winked at her. "They need to be able to focus on something other than their loss. This will be fine."

  A young couple approached first. He was carrying a sleeping baby in a car seat and his wife held the hands of two small children whose dirty faces were tear-streaked. "Thank you so much," she said to Polly and reached out to hug her. "We can make up the room. I'm just thankful that my kids have a safe place to sleep tonight. Everything is gone." Her eyes were hollow, there was no life in them at all. Polly couldn't imagine the shock she was facing.

  It took about an hour, but when everyone had unloaded the few treasures they'd been able to quickly gather, and families and pets were settled, the back of Henry's truck was empty. Polly pulled the truck door open and hauled herself up into the seat, then dropped her head into her hands. Aaron came up and put his hand on her knee.

  "They'll be okay," he said. "I promise."

  "This isn't enough, though. It's enough for tonight, but they have nothing left. I'm just sick."

  "We all are. But you give this a couple of weeks. Things will start looking brighter. I promise. These next two weeks will be hard. We've got a lot of work ahead of us."

  "How do you see this all the time and not go out of your mind?" she asked.

  "I go home and hold my best friend. She reminds me that life is a circle and nothing ever stays in one place. We move forward no matter what."

  "That makes sense, but it doesn't make it easier right now."

  "I know you've been through a lot this evening," Aaron said and looked across the passenger seat at Henry. "I'm sorry about your uncle." He chuckled wryly. "That man was an old cuss, but he didn't deserve what happened to him. My boys ..." he winked at Polly "... and girls will figure this all out." He patted Polly's knee, "Unless, of course, you figure it out first."

  "Thanks, Aaron," Henry said. "Whatever we can do to help."

  Aaron nodded. "You two go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be another long day. Henry, you're going to get busier than you've ever been, I'm afraid. And Polly, I'm sending my wife over in the morning so I don't feel guilty about calling you when I need more help."

  "I've got the space for whatever you need. We'll kick into full gear tomorrow."

  "Have a good night, you two." Aaron pushed her door shut and walked down the sidewalk in front of the rooms, stopping and listening at each door. When he got in his car and drove away, Henry followed him out of the lot.

  "What time is it?" Polly asked, her head back in her hands.

  "Close to midnight," he said.

  "We've crammed a lot of day into this evening."

  Henry pulled into the garage, turned off the truck and reached across the console for her hand. "We have a dog upstairs who is begging to go out by now."

  She shook herself. "Oh no, poor Obiwan! I'll go get him. Wanna take a walk with us?"
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br />   "Sure." He smiled at her. "A nice, peaceful walk would be a good thing tonight."

  Polly opened the door leading up to her apartment. Obiwan usually heard their trucks come in and was waiting for them. Sure enough, he was at the top of the steps, panting in anticipation.

  "Come on," she said. "You've been awfully good tonight."

  He bounded past her and out the doors to Henry, who reached down and rubbed the dog's ears. Then Obiwan ran for the trees at the back of the property. Polly took Henry's hand and they strolled quietly over to where the dog was sniffing. The three of them walked the edge of the property, around the pasture and up around the other side of the barn. She kicked a couple of small branches out of her way as they walked and the lights on the outside of Sycamore House illuminated just how much had blown into the yard. There were twigs and branches in Eliseo's garden. She hoped that it hadn't been completely destroyed.

  "We're going to have a mess to clean up tomorrow. Debris is everywhere," Henry said quietly. She jumped, not expecting to hear his voice, since they'd been walking in silence. "But I'll get up on the roof of the barn first thing and get a temporary roof built."

  "It will be fine," Polly said. "I know you and Eliseo will take care of it. There are going to be a lot of people who need you, though. You just do what you have to do and take care of me when you can."

  He bent over and nuzzled her ear, then said, "I'll take care of you whenever I get the chance."

  She giggled. "I know you will!"

  They had nearly cleared the barn, when she saw a light coming from inside. "That's odd," she said. "I wonder why he didn't turn the light off. Come here, Obiwan. Let's check."

  Obiwan ran ahead of them to the door of the barn and Polly pulled it open. "Is someone in here?" she called out.

  Scuffling in Nan's stall surprised her and she crept forward. "Hello?"

  Eliseo opened the door of the stall and stepped out. "It's just me." He was carrying Hansel in his arms.

  "What are you doing in here?" she asked. "You should be home sleeping."

  "I'm sleeping here. Well, I was asleep until you so rudely woke me up."

  "Are you okay, man?" Henry asked, putting his hand on Eliseo's shoulder.

  Eliseo didn't say anything, but slowly backed away from the two of them. "Do you remember me telling you that I had some rough times every once in a while? Well, storms like this tend to trigger them. It was better for me to stay with the animals tonight."

  Henry took a step back to stand beside Polly and she said, "Okay, I get it. I think. Are you going to be okay?"

  Eliseo nodded. "I'll be fine. I just need some open air and no one around."

  "Is that why you wouldn't go to the basement with us earlier?" she asked.

  Henry put his hand on her arm. "Let's leave the man alone tonight, honey. We all need to get some sleep." He began to guide her back out the door and then, turning to Eliseo. "I'm going to put plywood on the roof in the morning. If you're up to it, I'd like your help. Otherwise, do what you've gotta do."

  He patted his leg for Obiwan to join them and hustled Polly out of the barn, shutting the door behind them.

  "What was that?" she asked.

  "He told you that he needed to not have anyone around. You wanted to jump in and discuss it. He knows how to take care of this for himself and those big horses are just the right therapy."

  "Oh. Thank you. I didn't think. You're sure he'll be fine?"

  "Didn't you tell me that you had a conversation with him about all of this when he started? He knows about his symptoms and has lived with himself for a long time. He's been here for a year and hasn't had a single bad episode. Let him have this one in peace. You don't have to worry, you don't have to fix him. Okay?"

  "He really has done well this last year. I completely forgot about that."

  "I know you did. You just accept everyone for what they give you. I love that about you."

  Polly took his hand again and leaned into him as they walked around the front of the building and inside. Obiwan ran up the first few steps and waited while she pulled the main door shut. The three of them went on upstairs and into the living room. Luke and Leia came running out of the bedroom and jumped up onto the sofa acting as if they really didn't care that their humans had returned. By the time Polly dropped down beside Leia, the cat was cleaning a back foot.

  "I guess I am a little tired," she said. Henry sat down beside her and she nestled into his arms. "I feel like the last few days have been all over the place. I've gone from one thing to the next without paying attention to anyone. I really miss my routine." Tears sprang to her eyes and she brushed them away.

  "What's wrong, Polly?"

  "This has to just be the tired talking, but I miss my friends. I didn't get to spend any time with Sylvie or Lydia or Beryl or Andy and I haven't seen Rebecca or Andrew or Jason at all." Leia shifted and Obiwan jumped up to the sofa and put his head on Polly's knee. "Your family was all here and tonight was the first time I really got to talk to Lonnie. The only good time I've had with you was once we shut our bedroom door at night. I haven't even been able to hang out with the horses and donkeys."

  "Whoa," he said, laughing. Then he said. "Do you see what I did there? Whoa? Horses and donkeys? Did it make you smile at least?"

  "You're a nut. Yes it did."

  "These last days have been busy, but we're not leaving town tomorrow and I bet you're about to have more time than you want with all of your friends. Just think, we'll even be here when Joss and Nate bring their baby home. Now that should give you something to look forward to, right?"

  She reached up and kissed him, then rested her head on his chest. "I want a big generator."

  "You said that earlier."

  "I want a big generator so that if the power goes out again, we can just turn it on and keep going. I didn't like that tonight."

  "You really want to talk about this now?"

  "I want a generator here and another one out at Sycamore Inn."

  "Okay, I'll look into it."

  "Good." She felt her eyes close and reached to put her hand on Obiwan's head. "It is easier."

  "What's easier?" he asked.

  "You."

  "Polly?"

  She was too exhausted to say anything.

  "Polly!" Henry pushed her upright and she moaned.

  "Why did you do that?"

  "Because you're falling asleep on me. Let's go to bed. You are done."

  "I told you I was tired."

  She heaved herself up off the coach and moaned again. "It's been a long day."

  "You go to bed and I'll check the house."

  Polly barely had the energy to wonder why he was checking the house. He had the same app that she did and could lock the doors and shut off lights. She went into the bedroom, stripped off her clothes and crawled between the sheets. It felt wonderful.

  Henry joined her in a minute and then she felt something warm and moist on her forehead. "What's this?"

  "Mom used to do this for me when I was sick and exhausted." He gently wiped her face with the warm washcloth and kissed her lips. "Roll over," he ordered.

  Polly rolled onto her stomach and he rubbed her shoulders and down her back with the cloth. She thought that she ought to thank him ...

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  "No more. I'm done. Please no more." Polly dropped into the chair in front of Jeff's desk late afternoon on Thursday. She was exhausted. He didn't look any better.

  "What do you know?" she asked.

  He grunted, "Not much. I think the groups who are staying in the classrooms and the auditorium are leaving tomorrow night. But there will be another influx Monday morning."

  Several large groups of volunteers from around the state had come into Bellingwood to help with cleanup. She was impressed with their stamina. They helped unearth treasures from homes that had been destroyed, cleared mud and debris from other houses that were badly damaged, cleaned up yards and most of all, walked fields picki
ng up things that had been deposited by the storm. Every evening they went to the elementary school for showers and then came over to Sycamore House to eat something and drop to sleep. There had never been this much continuous activity in the building, and much as she was glad to help, Polly was ready for a break. She thought that everyone in town might be ready for a short break.

  Three of the families who had been staying at the hotel had already found more permanent housing and another was leaving tomorrow morning.

  "What about you?" Jeff asked. "And Henry? I haven't seen him around at all this week."

  "Everything he was working on has been put on hold. He's spent all week dealing with temporary construction, trying to get people's homes and farms solid enough to keep out weather. We're supposed to get more rain this weekend."

  "Last year it was dry as a bone. This year we can't seem to catch a break," Jeff lamented.

  "Have you seen our photographer guest around? That Lois Wexler?"

  "Yes, she said this was a perfect opportunity for her to do some photojournalism. I haven't seen any of her work, but even a rank amateur should be able to get some good stuff after this storm."

  "I guess she was in the right place at the right time. I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to talk to her. It's just been nuts. Every time I had a free moment, something else came up."

  Polly leaned back in the chair, stretching her legs out in front of her. "I didn't want to travel this week. But I certainly didn't think this was what I'd be doing." She looked over her shoulder when she caught movement in the outer office, then sat up straight and turned to see Kelly Locke and her son standing there.

  "I'm sorry to bother you again," Kelly said. "Could I please speak with you?"

  "Sure, come on in." Polly had actually grown quite tired of the woman this week. She understood that Kelly was worried about her husband and daughter, but she'd pushed Polly too far several times. She sniped at her son constantly about every action he took or didn't take. She was in Jeff's office or the kitchen or wherever she could find Polly, complaining about noise or the behavior of the people who were staying there. She wasn't necessarily unpleasant, but she never seemed to be content or satisfied with the moment. She told Polly once that she knew she was a perfectionist, but when she'd informed both Jeff and Polly that she wouldn't have put so many Sycamore trees on the property because they were going to create a lot of leaves in the fall, Polly just gave up. Kelly was forever adjusting things - rearranging condiments on tables, shuffling chairs around to some pattern that Polly couldn't see. She criticized food choices and followed Rachel into the public bathrooms to instruct her on proper cleaning techniques. There would never be any pleasing Kelly Locke.