"See?" Lauren said as they exited the theater. "Wasn't that fun?"
"Yes." Anna nodded then frowned to see that the sky was getting dark. "But I have to call Clark. Let's go to the grocery store and I'll use the payphone."
To Anna's relief, Clark seemed fairly unconcerned. "But I do appreciate your calling," he told her. "I told our guest about your outing and I noticed that she'd helped herself to food. There are plenty of dirty dishes in the sink. So I know she's not starving."
"Oh, good. How about you?"
"I'm enjoying the peace and quiet at the moment."
"So you don't even miss us?"
He chuckled. "Of course I miss you. But while you're in town, why not get yourselves some dinner? I already finished off the leftovers from last night."
So that was what they did. Lauren picked the Burger Shop and they all got hamburgers and milkshakes and continued to talk and laugh about the movie they'd just seen. "This was so much fun," Lauren told them as they got back into the boat. "It was like being with my friends."
"Well, I hope we are your friends." Hazel opened a storage bin and handed out blankets. "It's probably going to be cool out on the water."
"In some ways it was even better than being with my friends." Lauren wrapped the blanket around herself like a shawl. "Sometimes my friends can be a little mean," she admitted.
"That's because your friends are still young," Hazel explained. "Trust me, Lauren, women get better with age."
Anna started the engine and was soon steering the boat out into the center of the dark river. Lights from town reflected on the surface of the water, painting a scene that reminded her of an impressionist painting she'd admired in a library book once. Unless she was wrong, it was Van Gogh's Starry Night.
"Really?" Lauren sounded skeptical. "You honestly believe that women get better when they get older?"
"Well, some women do," Hazel clarified. "Not all of them, mind you."
The river was calm and quiet with no other boats in sight. The incoming tide helped propel the boat so that Anna could run the engine slow and easy. "Look at the moon just coming up." She pointed to the east. "It looks like it's going to be full."
"A hunter's moon," Hazel proclaimed. "Lovely."
"What's a hunter's moon?" Lauren asked.
"It's the full moon that follows the harvest moon. It's also called a beaver moon."
"Yes," Anna said. "I remember Grandma Pearl telling me that. She had a beaver moon story too."
"That's right," Hazel said. "Do you remember it?"
"I think I do."
"Tell us," Lauren urged her.
Anna thought hard, trying to recall exactly how it went.
"Didn't it start with Wolf howling at the moon?" Hazel suggested.
"That's right," Anna told her. "Maybe you should tell it." Then she explained to Lauren about how Hazel was including Grandma Pearl's story in her thesis.
"I'll help you if you like, but I'd like to hear your version, Anna."
Anna nodded. "The story begins with Wolf. Like Hazel said, Wolf was howling at the moon. Every night he'd howl and howl at the moon. But Moon didn't like it because it disturbed Moon's sleep."
Lauren snickered.
"So Moon made a deal with Beaver to make a trap to catch Wolf so that Moon could kill him. But Beaver tricked Moon, so Moon turned Beaver into a stone. Meanwhile Wolf continued howling at the moon. Next Moon told Fox to make a trap for Wolf. And since Fox saw what happened to Beaver, and because he didn't want to become a stone, Fox agreed. But before Fox finished making the trap, Wolf pushed the stone that was Beaver into the river and Beaver became Beaver again."
"Good for Wolf," Lauren said.
"But that night Fox's trap was finished and Wolf was captured. Moon came down and skinned Wolf and stretched his skin out to dry."
"Poor Wolf."
"But that's not the end. While Moon was sleeping, Wolf snuck out and stole his skin from the stretcher and Beaver helped him to sew it back on."
"That must've hurt." Lauren laughed.
"Moon was so mad that he disappeared completely. When he came back, Moon was so small that Wolf quit howling at him. But every time Moon got all big and full, Wolf would howl at him again. I think it was to remind Moon that he hadn't beaten Wolf."
Hazel laughed. "Well, that's not exactly like your grandmother's story, Anna. But I think I like it even better."
"And you really wrote these stories all down?" Lauren asked Hazel.
"Yes. And they may even be published in a book someday."
"My great-grandmother's stories?" Lauren sounded slightly impressed.
"Yes, her stories and lots of other things."
"That's nice," Lauren said. "I'd like to read some of the other stories someday."
Anna felt an unexpected rush of joy as she clutched the wheel of the boat. This whole day, and Lauren's words just now, felt like more than she'd dared to hope for. It seemed as if Lauren was finally growing up. Anna felt so elated that she could almost relate to Wolf's ecstasy and, for a moment, she considered howling at the moon too. But she kept her gaze forward as she navigated along, watching the black glossy surface of the river for any stray logs. Howling at the moon as she sunk the boat would be the wrong kind of ending for such a perfect day.
9
It wasn't until the next morning that Anna consciously thought about Lauren's "delicate condition." They'd had such an unexpected day yesterday, plus she'd finally connected to Lauren in a significant way. Consequently, she'd simply blotted the pregnancy from her mind. But as she made coffee, it was all she could think about. It had been so pleasant seeing Lauren having fun, letting her guard down, and just being a girl. Almost as if she too had forgotten about the unborn child growing within her.
For the fourth day in a row, Lauren hadn't woken with morning sickness. When Anna had peeked in on her, she was sleeping peacefully. That in itself was something to celebrate. However, the fact remained—Lauren was going to have a baby. Decisions would eventually need to be made, and Lauren would have to accept that she had a responsibility to her child. Anna knew that adoption was a valid option. Yet she longed for a grandchild. If she could have her way, she would encourage Lauren to keep the baby, to remain here, and to let she and Clark help in raising it. However, Anna knew it was not her decision to make. Lauren would have to decide what was best for her . . . and the child.
"Is that coffee ready?" Clark landed a kiss on her forehead then reached for a blueberry muffin.
"Almost."
He broke it in half and took a bite. "I noticed Eunice was up and at 'em already."
"Really? She's up?"
"She was out there walking, not too fast, but she made it to the dock and back." He grabbed a dishcloth and wiped some spilled coffee grounds into the sink, then popped the rest of the muffin in his mouth.
"Do you think she's getting ready to leave?" Anna asked hopefully.
Before he could answer, they heard the front door open and close. "Good morning," Eunice called out in a surprisingly cheerful tone.
"Good morning, Eunice." Anna wiped her hands on a towel then turned, making a stiff smile for her guest.
"I see you decided to come back." Eunice frowned as she joined them in the kitchen. "Did you bring Lauren back with you?"
"Of course." Anna removed an egg carton from the fridge. "She's still sleeping."
"Well, the way you and Hazel whisked her away did give me cause to wonder."
Anna cracked an egg into the ceramic bowl. "I don't see why. We simply went fishing and exploring the river a bit. Then we stopped in town and Lauren insisted we needed to see a film."
"You might've informed me of your activities."
"I asked Clark . . ." Anna glanced over to see him filling a coffee mug.
"I told you what was going on," Clark firmly said to Eunice. "Don't you remember?" With a creased brow, he took a sip of coffee.
She sniffed. "Well, all I can say about that is if thi
s is how you plan to treat your guests, I can't imagine how your inn will be much of a success."
Anna pressed her lips together as she cracked another egg, whacking it so hard that shell fragments fell into the bowl.
Clark cleared his throat. "You mentioned your visit was going to be brief, Eunice. Do you need us to call Henry for transportation?"
"That won't be necessary."
Anna exchanged glances with Clark. He shook his head and excused himself to go check on something outside. She knew he was simply trying to escape Eunice. He probably was concerned he might say something regrettable, or maybe his tongue was sore again. "Would you care for some coffee, Eunice?"
"If it's not too much trouble." Eunice sat at the kitchen table, holding her head as if she thought she was queen. Perhaps she did think that. Anna filled a coffee cup, put it on a saucer, added the cream and sugar just like she knew Eunice preferred, and set it in front of her.
"Have you been able to convince Lauren that she should go home with me?" Eunice asked as she lifted her cup.
"No, I don't believe it's my place to convince Lauren of anything." Anna checked the bacon and returned to cracking eggs in a bowl.
"As her mother, you don't feel a responsibility to direct Lauren?"
"I can share my opinions with her, but, no, I don't think I should be directing her."
"Well, that's perfect nonsense." Eunice made a tsk-tsk noise. "Lauren is a child, Anna. She needs the adults in her life to guide her."
"I think she needs to listen to own her heart," Anna said quietly, "and figure out what is it that she really wants. Then I will support her in that decision."
"Really?" Eunice sounded doubtful. "You would support her in the decision to go to a doctor and have a procedure to get rid—"
"No," Anna said quickly. "I already made my position clear about that. And I think Lauren respects that."
"But you would support her in the decision to give the baby up?"
Anna came over to the kitchen table and looked into Eunice's eyes. "It wouldn't be my first choice for her or the baby, but, yes, I would back Lauren's decision if she decided that the baby would be better off with different parents." Anna felt a lump in her throat. "In fact, I think that would be a very selfless decision on Lauren's part . . . to allow her child the opportunity to be raised by a healthy, happy couple that wanted a child."
"Oh, pish-posh." Eunice set her cup down so firmly that Anna blinked. "That isn't being selfless, that's being a coward. And who's to say it would be best for the child?"
Anna studied Eunice with curiosity. "So, tell me, what is it you really believe that Lauren should do about this? Do you really want her to come home with you, to live under your roof as an unwed mother? You would proudly parade your granddaughter and her fatherless child around town, Eunice? Is that what you're suggesting?"
"No, of course not. I would insist that Donald and Lauren marry, as quickly and quietly as possible."
"Really?" Anna lowered her voice, worried that Lauren might awaken and hear them discussing her future so casually, although she usually slept later than this. "I'm very curious as to how you would accomplish this impossible feat?"
Eunice laughed, or was it a cackle, but then just shook her head. "Oh, don't you worry about that, my dear. Where there's a will, there's a way."
Anna returned to fixing breakfast. She knew that Eunice was without scruples when it came to manipulating others to get her way. And, most likely, she would use her wealth and her influence in this matter. The sooner Lauren decided what she truly wanted, the happier Anna would be. Still, she didn't want to push or rush Lauren.
To Anna's relief, Lauren slept in during breakfast. And Hazel's cheerful chatter helped to keep their conversation from going down the wrong paths. Anna suspected that Clark had given Hazel a head's up about the friction building up between Eunice and herself.
"So, when are you going home?" Hazel asked Eunice as Anna cleared the table. "I heard the weather is going to get a little stormy this weekend."
"Oh, I'm not afraid of a little weather," Eunice said in a falsely cheerful tone.
"I hadn't heard that about the weather." Anna rinsed a plate and set it aside.
"Yes, I overheard someone in town saying that yesterday," Hazel said.
"You might want to consider that, Eunice," Anna told her. "If the weather turns nasty, it can be rather unpleasant traveling to town on the river or by road."
"I'm not worried about that."
Anna wanted to demand to know why Eunice was suddenly digging her heels in to remaining here, but knew that was too rude. "So am I to take it that you've decided you like Shining Waters Inn?" she asked.
Eunice laughed. "Your inn seems to be rather missing something, Anna. I mean guests—well, besides members of your family that is. Still, I don't see how you can call it an inn, or how you expect it to turn a profit."
"I happen to be a paying guest," Hazel told her.
"Oh no, you're not," Anna said. "You are our guest, Hazel."
"No, I most certainly am not," Hazel insisted. "If you think I plan to stay here and freeload off of you, I will have to pack my things and go home."
"But, Hazel—"
"No buts, Anna." Hazel firmly shook her head.
Anna didn't know what to say. "Well, I expect I will have to let Clark settle this matter with you."
Hazel grinned at her. "I expect you will."
Eunice was getting up now. "If you will excuse me."
"Yes, of course. But please, Eunice, you might want to consider how long you really want to stay here. Bad weather can really make a person feel trapped out here. I'd feel badly if you got cabin fever and were forced to travel during the middle of a storm."
"Do not concern yourself with me."
Anna sighed.
"Although I do have a suggestion for you, Anna."
"What is that?"
"If you really intend on running this, this place, as a business, you should put televisions in the rooms. Even the cheapest hotels have TV these days."
Anna grimaced. "Even if I had televisions in the rooms, there would be no reception out here, Eunice. Besides, that is not the purpose of this inn."
"The purpose?" Eunice frowned.
"My goal here is to create a peaceful environment where guests can participate in nature and experience the healing elements of the river and the sky and the trees, not sit around watching TV."
Eunice laughed loudly at this. "Well, now I have heard everything, Anna."
Anna watched Eunice go out the door, still chuckling to herself as if her clueless former daughter-in-law was very entertaining.
"Oh, Anna." Hazel let out a loud sigh. "How you put up with that woman is a complete mystery to me. I am controlling myself for your sake, but I'm telling you it is not easy. I'm not a violent person, but I find myself wishing I could wring her scrawny turkey neck."
Anna couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Is Grandmother gone?" Lauren asked cautiously as she emerged from her room. She was still in her bathrobe, and her blond curls resembled a rag mop.
"The coast is clear," Hazel called out.
"And I saved some breakfast for you," Anna told her.
Hazel stayed and visited for a bit then, excusing herself, explained she had work to do. With just Anna and Lauren left, the room seemed quiet.
"It's nice you've gotten your appetite back," Anna said as she refilled her coffee cup and sat down with Lauren.
"Yeah, I'll probably get fat as a pig now."
"Not if you eat sensibly and get a little exercise."
"I guess." Lauren frowned as she spread apple butter on her toast. "I wonder why Grandmother is still here."
"I was wondering the same thing myself."
"I mean, she's always made it clear that she hates this place. She complains about everything. I don't see why she doesn't just go home."
"I think it might be because she's still hoping to convince you to leave wi
th her, Lauren."
Lauren wrinkled her nose. "Fat chance of that."
"I wonder if it would help if you communicated that to her."
"I thought I already did." Lauren reached for another piece of bacon.
"I know, but your grandmother is a stubborn woman. She thinks she'll talk you into it."
"I don't see how. I mean, if I have to go through this pregnancy, and it seems I don't really have much choice about that, then I certainly don't want to go back to Pine Ridge and have everyone staring at me as I get bigger and bigger. I can just imagine the old gossips talking behind my back and making fun of me. I just couldn't take that, Mom."
"Well, we are rather isolated out here," Anna admitted. "You used to dislike that part, but maybe now you can see there are some benefits to it as well."
Lauren nodded. "That's exactly what I'm thinking. In fact, I hope I can keep my whole pregnancy a big secret."
"A secret?"
"Yes." She nodded eagerly. "I've been making a plan. I'll stay out here with you. I'll tell my friends that I've got tuberculosis."
"Tuberculosis?" Anna stared at her daughter.
"Or something serious like that. I'll tell them that I have to be isolated until I get well. Then, after the baby is born next summer, I'll return to my old life. I might even go back to school."
"And . . . what about the baby?"
Lauren waved her hand. "I'll give it up, of course."
"Adoption."
"Yes. Maybe the doctor knows a family that would like it."
Anna nodded, trying to maintain a pleasant expression. "Yes, maybe so." She looked down into her empty coffee cup and told herself to keep quiet. This was Lauren's life . . . Lauren's decision . . . Anna had no right to question it.
10
For the rest of the day, Anna managed to conceal her real feelings about Lauren's decision to give the baby up for adoption. But after dinner, Clark invited her out for an evening stroll, and as they walked alongside the dark blue river, she let it all come pouring out.
River's Call Page 7