The Country Guesthouse

by Robyn Carr

  “How about something to eat? To drink?” Owen offered.

  “We stopped for snacks for the girls and they’ve been eating nonstop since we left the airport, but I will arm wrestle you for a cold beer.”

  “No need to get physical, Lucas. I’m all stocked up. And, madam?”

  “Any cold and very expensive woody chardonnay will keep me from complaining,” Sheila said.

  “She’s always had expensive taste,” Owen told Hannah.

  “I hope you’re prepared,” Hannah said, looping an arm around his waist.

  “I have a wine cellar!”

  “I hope it’s full!” Sheila said. “I’m on vacation.”

  “Let’s get your stuff,” Owen said. “Work before pleasure.”

  * * *

  It was as though they’d all known each other for years, Hannah thought. Well, in fact they had, except for Hannah and Noah, who were newcomers. Sheila and Lucas put their things in their room and then, while the adults settled on the porch, the kids were all over the place. Noah was keeping up, though he used his crutches. They were inside, outside, they even tried going onto the dock until the adult voices yelled, “Hey! Off the dock!”

  “Noah can’t be on that dock without an adult. With his braces and heavy shoes—he’ll sink like a rock,” Owen said. “And he has. Romeo knocked him in the first day he was here.”

  “Jenny and Amber can swim. A little,” Sheila said.

  “I’ve got plenty of life jackets. And fishing poles. When the weather warms up tomorrow afternoon, we can all fish and get wet,” Owen replied.

  Owen had been thinking ahead and had a spaghetti casserole ready for dinner. Kids always loved spaghetti. By the time that was devoured, all three kids were in need of baths or showers, so dirty and gamey from play. By the time they were in pajamas, the dishes were done and Owen had lit the fire in the yard. The three kids were inside sharing the couch in front of a movie.

  Now the conversation among the adults was quieter. Relaxed.

  “I love this place so much,” Sheila said. “Owen, how do you get any work done?”

  “Living like this is the only way to get anything done. There’s no unnecessary pressure, the weather cooperates more than not, it’s moderate year-round and there aren’t a lot of people to distract me.”

  “And you enjoy your own company,” Sheila reflected.

  “Lately I just put up with my own company. Hannah has been helping me mat pictures and frame and even do some photo editing and I’ve found working with someone is pretty great, too.”

  “But how does Hannah like that?” Sheila asked, looking at Hannah.

  “It’s fun,” she said. “It gives me something to do. I have to think about working again. I’ve been on family leave since March.”

  “And what’s your line of work?” Sheila asked.

  “Sales,” Hannah said, then went on to explain her product and territory. “I like sales and I’m good at it, but I’m a little bored with it after a dozen years. I’m a sales manager now so I’m not in the field as much. I manage sales reps.”

  “What’s that like?”

  “They’re all young men so it’s a little like herding cats. And a whole lot of paperwork,” Hannah said. “The upside is I don’t have to constantly worry about my commissions and sales figures, but the downside is I have to worry about the sales figures of the whole team. I make more money on a salary than I did as a sales rep. But I have to run herd on a bunch of men with a lot of personality.”

  “Are they successful?” Lucas asked.

  “They are,” Hannah said. “And also rambunctious. I feel like a housemother sometimes.”

  Sheila laughed. “Great training for inheriting a son!”

  “I guess so,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  * * *

  They had three days of fun before Victoria’s visit. When the men had the kids in the lake, Hannah and Sheila went into town for a little tour and lunch. Hannah asked Sheila if she was up to company and Sheila said she was, so Hannah called Sierra and Leigh and they all met at the pub. When Sheila explained who she was and the reason for her visit, Sierra and Leigh were fascinated that exes could be so friendly.

  The next day Hannah took Sheila on a hike and they visited Helen at the Crossing. Helen quizzed Sheila more about her work. The kids swam and caught fish, ran and played all day and ended each day with dinner cooked by Lucas and Owen, then a movie for the kids and a fire for the adults.

  “And tomorrow is Victoria,” Hannah said. “Even though the judge promised her visit would have no impact on our custody arrangement, I’m nervous.”

  “And I have some news,” Owen said. “My sister called and when I told her Sheila and family were here, she invoked sister rights. Mary is coming the day after tomorrow. Just for the day, with at least the kids and maybe her husband, too.”

  “That will be wonderful,” Sheila said. “Have you met Owen’s sister yet? She’s fantastic!”

  “This family,” Hannah said. “You are so remarkable! I have two half sisters I can’t even get along with and rarely even talk to. And the reason I have Noah is that Erin and her mother had been estranged for years. Yet you guys—after all you’ve been through...”

  “We’re very lucky to be good friends,” Sheila said. “Maybe it’s because of losing Brayden. We couldn’t waste energy on divorce squabbles. It was like that was the least of our problems. We had more serious concerns. We had no idea what our lives would look like without being together, without Brayden. What will your life look like, Hannah?”

  She closed her eyes to think. “I keep trying to see it and all I see is sunshine on the lake, snow on the mountains, deer in the yard.” She opened her eyes. “I can hear Noah and Owen laughing together so I know they’re part of my new life but I don’t know what work I’ll do or where I’ll find the instincts I’ll need to raise Noah, but he’s there in my future everywhere I look.

  “When I think about Noah facing Victoria, I feel a lot of warrior tendencies.”

  Sheila laughed. “That’s a good sign. For you, not necessarily for Victoria.”

  “I can’t fail Noah now,” Hannah said.

  “You won’t. Listen to that quiet inside voice and trust it. If you start to smell an ill wind, wrap your strong mother arms around him and keep him safe. When and if that time comes, you’ll make all the right choices.” She smiled and squeezed Hannah’s hand. “I’m so glad Owen found you. And I can’t wait to meet Victoria,” Sheila said. “Are you sure it’s all right that we’re here? We can take the kids on some outing for a while, just to give you privacy.”

  “We don’t want privacy,” Owen said. “It’s a supervised visit. The lawyer will also be here. We’ll make sure she gets her time with Noah, but not be alone with him. If Noah’s mother didn’t trust her, neither should we.”

  Sheila smiled. “Oh, my. The grandmother has no idea what she’s gotten herself into with you.”

  “And that suits me fine,” Hannah said. “I can be very brave when I have to be but I’ll be the first to admit, I haven’t always been skeptical enough. I’m inclined to be too trusting. Not this time, though.”

  We are all travelers in the wilderness

  of this world, and the best we can find

  in our travels is an honest friend.

  —Robert Louis Stevenson

  11

  Victoria Addison arrived at Owen’s house at ten in the morning, looking fresh for a day at the lake. She wore denim capris, a sleeveless shirt with a sweater over her shoulders and a straw hat on her head. She carried a large canvas beach bag.

  Hannah had been waiting on the porch with her gallery of friends—Owen, Cal, Sheila, Lucas, Jenny and Amber. Cal explained that for the visit to be useful, someone had to be with Noah and Victoria, listening to their conversation and observing their beha
vior. To that end, Hannah went down the porch stairs to meet her as she approached the house.

  “Hello, Mrs. Addison,” Hannah said, sticking out her hand. In her head she was pretending Victoria was a difficult manager from the human resources department—that was the only way she could work it out in her mind. When someone from Human Resources visited you at work, they might be wearing a pleasant expression but something was up—like maybe you were getting fired. Or maybe just disciplined or warned of a complaint directed at one of your staff. On the other hand, they might be coming to tell you about a complimentary letter from a customer that would go in your file. “It’s nice of you to visit. This is Noah.”

  “Oh, Noah!” Victoria said, a little surprise in her voice as she took in the crutches. “I’d know you anywhere,” she said, bending at the waist even though Noah was still on the porch.

  “You would?” Noah asked. “I wouldn’t of knowed you.”

  “Of course,” she said. “Your mother used to send me pictures.”

  “She did? You never came to our house,” he said.

  Hannah thought, I don’t even have to be sneaky. Noah didn’t even realize it but he was astute. Nothing got by him, including the lovely Mrs. Addison.

  “Well, that’s a complicated story,” she said. “But I’m happy to be able to spend time with you now. I’ve brought some things for you.” She looked around with a slight frown. “Where shall we go to have our visit?”

  Right at that moment Romeo loped down the steps to the yard and nosed right up against Victoria. She gasped and retreated, giving the big dog’s head a shove away from her. Romeo sat, looking dejected.

  “This is Romeo, Mrs. Addison,” Hannah said. “He’s very sweet and friendly.”

  “And awfully big!” she said.

  “We don’t ever push him or hit him,” Noah said. “He’s a little clumsy but he doesn’t have a mean bone.”

  “Of course he doesn’t,” she said, stretching out a hand to tentatively pat the big head. “He startled me, that’s all.”

  “Wait till he knocks you in the lake,” Noah said. “Then you’ll be surprised for sure.”

  Victoria laughed uncomfortably. “You have quite a gathering. Am I imposing? I could reschedule our meeting when there aren’t so many people.”

  “You’re not imposing. These are our friends. You’ve already met Mr. Jones. Lucas is going to take the girls inside. The rest of us are going to play a game of cards at the table out here while you and Noah visit on this end of the porch. You have the chairs and the swing. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Soda?”

  “Are we to get acquainted with an entire crowd observing us?” she asked as she came up the steps.

  Cal stood. “Give it five minutes and you won’t feel awkward at all. The whole point is that you and Noah will be observed. I suggested your lawyer join us.”

  “And I suggested he not,” she said. “I wasn’t prepared for this...this...gallery!”

  “It’s a long porch,” Cal said. “We won’t interrupt you.”

  Lucas hustled his girls into the house while Sheila and Owen walked to the table at the far end of the porch.

  “This is the only option,” Hannah said. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like something to drink?”

  Victoria ignored her and just put a hand on Noah’s shoulder. “Let’s go sit on the swing and let me show you some of the things I brought. Can we do that? Is that all right?”

  “I guess so,” he said.

  “Come on, then. I’ve looked forward to this for a long time.”

  Noah said nothing. He crutched his way to the porch swing.

  Hannah felt as if her heart was being torn from her chest. She could feel the ache penetrating deep; her throat hurt from fighting the urge to cry. She was probably going to spend a long afternoon talking with Noah, trying to sort things out with him.

  “This is a very beautiful place, Noah. I can see why Hannah wanted to bring you here for a vacation,” Victoria said.

  “We might stay,” Noah said.

  Hannah stifled a gasp. She had tried not to give him false hopes about staying; that decision was between her and Owen. She had been honest about needing to go back to work but that was as far as the discussions had gone.

  Sheila put on a cheerful smile and sat down at the table. She shuffled the cards, dealt and made a little quiet small talk. She asked Hannah if she’d been to her friend Sully’s garden lately, asked what he was growing, asked how long she’d known him. Owen and Cal were stoically quiet. Hannah was just nervous, trying to hear what was being said between Noah and Victoria.

  She picked up little things. It’s all right if you want to call me Grandma, Victoria said. I’ll just call you Mrs. Addison, Noah replied. Maybe when we know each other better, Victoria said. Look here, I brought you an iPad that you can play games and watch movies on. I already have one, he said. Maybe you can give it to some poor kid.

  It took about twenty minutes to realize Sheila and Cal weren’t missing a word and they were purposely keeping their small talk quiet and superficial, not naming any full names, not giving away any information, talking about their cards, the weather, the lake, possible fishing later.

  “Tell me things about my mom,” Noah said.

  “Well, when she was little, like your age, she had blond pigtails and liked to climb trees. She didn’t want to wear dresses or fancy clothes. She was very smart in school.” On and on she went. Hannah frowned. Victoria could have been talking about any pretty little child. Then Victoria began pulling things out of the beach bag—she had brought him clothes, a couple of baseball hats, some books, a few games and shirts emblazoned with the logos for the Minnesota Vikings and Twins, football and baseball teams.

  “Tell me some things about my mom when she was older. Like, before she was my mom,” Noah said.

  “Well, she loved cookies and candy. She loved to bake pies, cakes and bread. Since she worked all the time, she wasn’t able to do it too often, but when she felt like it, she baked up a storm. She loved to go to the state fair—she loved the rides, especially the scariest ones. She used to love all the food at the fair—corn dogs, cotton candy, barbecue and popcorn. She liked to stay up late and watch scary movies, and I remember she used to love to dress up for Halloween—a witch or a wizard or Alice in Wonderland.”

  “Did she have pets? Like Romeo?” he asked.

  “She had a little dog when she was in high school but when she went off to college, she left him behind. She didn’t have a pet after him, at least not that she ever told me about. She was independent. She liked being alone. Until you came along, that is. She loved being a mom.”

  “She did?”

  “Oh, she did!” Victoria said. “She used to brag about you all the time! But, Noah, tell me more about you. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

  “I’m planning to be a photographer,” he said. “Or a doctor. Or I’d like to be a firefighter like Connie.”

  “Connie?” she asked.

  “He’s our friend,” Noah said. “He’s a mountain climber and a rescuer. He’s the coolest guy.”

  Victoria was quiet for a moment. “Would you like me to read to you for a while? I brought some books.”

  “What was my mom’s favorite color?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. When she was a little girl she liked pink and then blue later. She loved puzzles and music. You know, rock music, like all teenagers do. Let’s read, okay?”

  “Sure,” he said. “Go ahead.”

  He settled back to listen and Victoria pulled out a pile of large picture books and asked him to pick one, which he did. Victoria began reading a picture book that might have been sold to her as appropriate for a five-year-old, but Victoria had no idea Noah was reading much of Treasure Island on his own, very seldom stumbling on words.

  Ha
nnah lost five games of hearts in a row because she just couldn’t pay attention. Owen and Cal tried to engage her in conversation but she just couldn’t focus. Her ear was turned to Noah. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Noah said, “Thank you. Hannah, can we be done now?”

  Hannah looked at her watch. It had barely been an hour. She turned her questioning eyes to Cal, who gave a slight nod. “Okay.” She got up and walked to the other end of the porch. “Thank you for coming, Mrs. Addison. And thank you for bringing all these nice things for Noah.”

  “Our time can’t be over already!” she said.

  “I guess our little guy is worn-out,” Hannah said. “Maybe next time will last a little longer.”

  “Is there going to be an entire congregation for our next visit? Because that would make anyone uncomfortable, and I don’t know how I’m expected to make a good impression with everyone staring at me.”

  “That’s all right, Mrs. Addison. You were very nice to all of us and we didn’t have any expectations. I guess we’ll see you at your next scheduled visit. Thank you for everything. You were so generous.”

  Victoria merely grunted. She stood, leaned over to put a gentle kiss on Noah’s head and briefly patted his hair. “I’ll see you next week.”

  Romeo stood and stared at her. He didn’t growl or snarl—he was not imposing—he just stood and stared as if making certain Noah was safe.

  Victoria departed without another word of goodbye to the adults present. She got in her car, backed out and drove away.

  “Can I go see if they’re having snacks in there?” Noah said, referring to the girls and Lucas in the house.

  “Of course,” Hannah said. “Try not to stuff yourself with snacks. I’m planning some gourmet peanut butter and jelly for lunch.”