Helen felt her face heat. She knew that the yard was getting a little… unkempt now that Paul had cancelled the lawn service. And since Donna had mentioned it, others must have noticed it, too. During the summer, some local boys had come over and cut the grass, but once school started, they weren’t available. Knowing her tenant had gone to great lengths just so he could get to his apartment was downright embarrassing.
“I guess I’ve been neglectful on the upkeep around here. I had some junior high kids cutting the grass over the summer, but they’re back in school now. My son Jonathan cut it a few weeks ago, but I see it needs to be cut again. I never even thought about the hedges.” She looked sadly at the shrubbery surrounding the house. “Joe would be appalled if he saw this yard looking like this. He took such pride in it, especially the plants. That was his business, and it wouldn’t look good if the nursery owner had rotten looking plants around his house.”
“Do you still run the business?”
“No. Thankfully, Joe sold it a few years before he died. Neither of the boys wanted it. That’s when we started our list of places to visit.”
“I’d love to hear about your trips sometime. The places you went and what you thought about them. Writing about travel destinations is what I do for a living, and I always need material for articles.”
She brightened. “Really? I’d love to hear about some of your travels, too.”
“Sounds like a deal. We’ll talk about trips and traveling over a cup of imported coffee.”
She laughed, enjoying the banter. How long had it been since she’d had a casual conversation with a man?
Careful, lady. A handsome young man like that is just being kind to his landlady. Don’t make anything of it. Her sensible side shook a finger at her.
But it sure couldn’t hurt to look, her playful side answered.
“I’m going to be gone for a few days later this week,” she told him. “I’m leaving on Thursday for Mackinac Island, so if you need anything, let me know before then.”
He frowned. “Isn’t it a little late in the year to visit the island?”
“It’s a special event — a Murder Mystery weekend at the Grand Hotel. A friend of mine had signed up but had to cancel at the last minute, so I’m taking her place.”
“Really? That sounds like fun. Are you going with a tour group?”
“Yes. The bus is picking us up at the Zutphen High School in the morning and dropping us off on Saturday evening.”
“Sounds like a great time. I was just thinking about doing a feature article on Mackinac Island. What’s the name of the tour group?”
“I’m not sure. I have the flyer inside. I’ll get it.” She hurried into the house. Where did I put that paper? She dug around the notes and papers on her desk. Where had she put it? She might need that information while she was traveling—
Ah. She’d already put it in her tote bag. Picking up the bag, she found the paper and headed toward the door.
The shrubbery already looked so much better. Briefly she wondered if Mike would consider doing some of her yard work in exchange for part of his rent.
“Here’s the information about the tour group.” She handed the flyer over to him, and he set the pruning shears down before taking it. He scanned the paper then took his phone out of his pocket. Was he going to sign up right now? But instead of calling, he held the paper out behind the phone and took a picture of it. Then he handed the flyer back.
“Thanks,” he told her. “It sounds like a great tour. I’ll check to see what’s happening with my family, and if it works out, I’ll call to see if they have any seats left.” He picked up the shears and went back to work. Helen went inside to finish packing.
Please, please let there be at least one empty seat on that bus.
~~~~
Helen listened to the familiar sound of the garden shears working their way through the hedges, and before she knew it, her old lawn mower was starting up. Did he really mean to cut her grass? She got up to look. Sure enough, he’d brought the ancient push mower out of the garage and was cutting the grass along the fence toward the front yard. Briefly she thought about stopping him, but for some reason, she seemed unable to do so. She just stood in her front window, watching him go back and forth across her front yard. And then he went to the back. She checked her cupboards and refrigerator to see what she could make for dinner. After all that effort, the least she could do was to cook him dinner.
By the time the motor shut off, she had spaghetti cooking, a salad put together, and the table set. Maybe that was a bit presumptuous. What if he already had plans?
She opened the back door as he came out of the garage.
“Thank you so much for doing the yard work. I’d really planned to call someone to help with that soon.”
“It’s no problem. It was kind of nice to be outdoors, enjoying the warm weather.”
“It looks wonderful. But you must be tired. Do you have plans for dinner?”
His brows shot up and she felt her face heat, but she pushed on. “I have spaghetti and a salad if you’d care to join me.”
His smile made her heart stop. And his words were music to her ears.
“That sounds great. Let me go inside and wash up first, and I’ll be right over.”
Her good day just got better.
Chapter Twelve
Helen opened her can of soup and dumped it into the saucepan. While it heated she went off to search for the crackers she’d bought a week or so ago. Since she’d be gone for three days, she didn’t want to have a bunch of leftovers in her refrigerator. Besides, she was tired from all the arrangements she’d made for her trip.
While waiting for the soup to heat, she went through her checklist again. Clothing for three days, a sweater, a light jacket, medications…
Her cell phone rang, its sound muffled from inside her purse. Well, at least I know where it is for a change. She pulled it out and answered.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Mom. This is Nancy. Are you free tomorrow afternoon?”
“Actually, I’m going to be out of town until Saturday.”
“Really? Sounds like fun. You haven’t gone anywhere in a long time. Where are you going?”
“I’m going to Mackinac Island with a senior bus tour. It’s a Murder Mystery weekend at the Grand Hotel. Donna VanDoorn invited me because her friend had to cancel.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! Well, I was going to see if you could pick Cameron up from soccer practice, but I can make other arrangements. You deserve to have some fun.”
Well, at least Nancy is happy for me. She’s not going to worry about the cost. “Thanks, Nancy. I’m excited. I haven’t been to the island since Paul was in junior high.”
She hung up, feeling better about her decision to go. The soup was steaming in the pot, so she took it off the stove, poured some into her favorite soup mug, and took it to the kitchen table. In front of her was the trip itinerary, and even though she’d read it several times before, she went through it again, getting more excited with every word. The Grand Hotel was the most famous landmark on the island, the site for the movie Somewhere in Time and This Time for Keeps, an Esther Williams movie. The prices at the hotel were high, and this weekend was a true splurge, but doggone it, she wanted to go. Howard insisted it would cause her no hardship at all. In fact, he’d seemed downright bothered at the fact that she worried about it. He kept saying there should be enough in her regular draws that she should be able to go on trips often. It would be interesting to see what he found as far as her spending habits. She honestly didn’t feel she was wasting money, but maybe Howard would disagree. Maybe he’d sympathize with Paul and tell her she needed to pack up and move to a smaller, more affordable place. Howard had been impressed that she’d rented out the apartment.
Her cell phone rang again. This time it was Paul. She mentally braced herself and answered.
“Hello, dear.”
“What’s this I hear about you tak
ing off for Mackinac Island?”
She took a deep, calming breath, hoping her impatience wasn’t loud enough for him to hear. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning. It’s going to be great.”
“Tomorrow? Why didn’t we know about this earlier?”
“I didn’t know until today.”
“The Grand Hotel is expensive. How did you manage to pay for the trip?”
“I cashed in my loose change. You’ve been bugging me to get rid of stuff, so when I started boxing up all my ‘silly trinkets’ as you put it, I found all sorts of money stashed away in the house.”
There was silence for a few moments. “Mom, I know how much you have to live on—”
“Yes, you do. Maybe you know too much. Anyway, I knew you were out of town today, so I called Howard to ask how much it would affect me if I withdrew the money for this trip. He promised me it wouldn’t be a problem at all.”
More silence. A very subdued Paul continued. “You… you called Howard?”
“Of course. You know how you never believed anything I said unless someone else told you the same thing? Well, I decided to take a page from your book. I wanted to find out if the world would come to an end if I treated myself once. And he assured me it wouldn’t.”
“Okay, Mom. I guess I’ve been hard on you. I’m sorry. Have a good time. Do you need spending money?”
“No. Mike gave me his first month’s rent, so I have plenty.”
“Mike? Rent?”
“Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you. Pastor Sikkema’s brother Michael is renting the apartment behind the garage for a few months. He moved in the day before yesterday, and today he trimmed the shrubs on the side of the house so the walkway is easier to access, and he cut the grass, since none of those high school boys you contacted has been here yet.”
“High school boys — right.” He cleared his throat. “I guess I forgot to take care of that. Sorry.”
“You’ve got a lot on your mind, dear. Now that I have some extra money coming in I could take care of that myself.”
“True. I’m glad you figured out a way to go, Mom. But just be careful not to make extra withdrawals too often.”
“I know. I told Howard that you and Jonathan and your wives are helping me get organized to move to a smaller place so that my expenses won’t be so high.”
“You told him that?”
“Yes. He sounded surprised that I can’t afford to keep the house.”
“It’s not that you can’t afford it, Mom. But you’d be more comfortable in a smaller place.”
“Possibly. I’ll be more comfortable if I don’t have to penny pinch so much.”
“Do you really feel like you’re on too tight of a budget?”
“Well, it would be nice to be able to go out for lunch with my friends now and then. My friends are starting to think I’m anti-social.”
“That’s not you,” he muttered.
“Anyway, I’m sorry I can’t pick Cam up from his soccer practice, but Nancy assured me she could make other plans.”
“Yeah, I think she’s already got that covered. Let me know how the trip goes. When do you get back?”
“We get back late Saturday afternoon, so I won’t have to miss church on Sunday. I wouldn’t go if I had to miss the pageant rehearsal.”
“Right. Well, I’ll see you on Sunday morning, then.”
She hung up, feeling better. She’d expected Paul to berate her for spending money on the trip, but oddly he’d been fairly supportive.
Especially after she told him she’d talked to Howard.
She’d have to think about this more… after she got home.
Chapter Thirteen
The late October morning dawned crisp and cool as Helen, Donna, and a dozen others waited for the bus to Mackinaw City. She pulled her sweater around her and stood with her friend. It had been a long time since she’d been out of southwest Michigan. She and Joe used to travel often. After the boys had grown and Joe had sold the business, they had even gone overseas. But since Joe had passed, her world seemed to shrink.
Her visit to the financial planner’s office earlier in the week had opened up her eyes about a lot of things she’d previously not bothered with. They’d pointed to one fact: she was, compared to what she’d thought, a wealthy woman. She didn’t need to save every scrap of paper or bite of food or penny.
The question was, why was Paul so determined to not let her spend money? Did he really feel she was incapable of budgeting? Had she done something to make him think she would waste her money frivolously? She’d have to ask him about it sometime. Later, after she’d enjoyed herself on this trip.
She’d looked around, hoping Mike would join them, but he didn’t. The group wasn’t large so maybe he hadn’t gotten around to calling the woman in charge. Well, that probably was a good thing. If he had been part of the group, she’d probably spend the whole trip staring at him and pining away. This way, she’d enjoy the trip itself. She had a friend to sit with and talk to, and she had money in her pocket to spend. She had her tote bag with essentials and her suitcase all packed and she was ready to go on her first adventure since becoming a widow.
The bus rolled into the high school parking lot right on time, picking up the dozen or so travelers. When she got on the bus, Helen realized why Mike was not among them — it seemed every seat was full. The trip must have been sold out.
Donna leaned back and was asleep within minutes. Gentle snores filled the air; the result of the early morning departure. Helen took her knitting out of her tote bag and started to work. Long ago, when she was a busy mom, she’d learned to have something to work on whenever she had unexpected wait time. For this trip she’d come prepared with a paperback book and enough yarn for a couple of small projects. She decided to work on a scarf and hat set for herself. The yarn had been stashed away in her closet, purchased at a time when money hadn’t been such a concern. Her needles clicked as the miles passed, and she settled in for the ride. As her hands moved, creating the familiar pattern, her mind went to the pageant.
Last night’s rehearsal had gone badly. Two of the lead characters hadn’t come and hadn’t called to check in or explain. Those who had come didn’t know their lines. Even the characters who didn’t speak didn’t seem to know where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to do. At this rate, there wouldn’t be a Christmas pageant this year. It was a good thing they still had five weeks to go.
Was it her fault? Had she lost her touch? Or was it simply a lack of conviction on her part? It truly was time for younger people to start taking over. Joanie and her sister Sophie seemed to have a real handle on the younger ones, and normally that was the age group that had the problems. Maybe it was time to change things up and feature only the little ones.
About halfway to their destination the bus made a stop so that people could stretch their legs, use the facilities, and purchase coffee from a diner located right off the highway. Donna stayed on the bus, but Helen got off to walk around a bit. When she got back on the bus she felt better.
Her fingers kept working, and her scarf got longer. And while she worked, she dreamed. In her dream, all her troubles were gone.
Well, maybe not gone. She’d never want to be a fairytale princess. But it would be nice if they would just… ease up for a while. Her life wasn’t hard, by any standards. She had a roof over her head and food to eat. She had two sons and two daughters-in-law who looked out for her. She had friends. What more did she need?
Someone to share my burdens. Someone to talk to after the sun goes down, after the fun is over.
The bus pulled off the highway into Mackinaw City, and soon she saw the pier where they would board the ferry to the island. Gathering her things, she helped her seat mate disembark. Donna walked with a cane, so Helen carried both purses and her tote bag over one arm and took her friend’s elbow with the other. Their luggage would be loaded onto the ferry for them, so the tour guide led the entire group to board. They’d almos
t reached the ramp to the boat when she heard a familiar voice, one that made her toes curl.
“Let me help you.”
She acknowledged him with a smile and a nod then lowered her face, not wanting her friend to see her excitement. With her on one side and Mike on the other, Donna made it up the ramp and into a seat on the lower level of the ferry boat. Others made their way to the open top level, but Helen was happy to stay below where the windows protected them from the breeze and occasional spray from passing watercraft.
Once the boat cast off, Donna started peppering Mike with questions. “You’re Pastor Sikkema’s brother, aren’t you? Are you joining us on the tour? Did you miss the bus this morning?”
Mike answered in good humor. “Yes, I’m Mike. The tour bus was full, but I called the hotel and was able to book myself into the Murder Mystery weekend. I’ll be able to join you for all the activities.”
“That’s wonderful. Too bad you had to drive all this way on your own.”
“I don’t mind. It works out well, because now I’ll be able to stop on my way home and check out some other tourist destinations, like Traverse City and Pentwater. I haven’t been in Michigan for quite a while.”
“Mike writes for a travel magazine,” Helen explained.
“Really?” The woman brightened. “Write an article about Zutphen. If people see what a great town we have, maybe more people will move in instead of moving out.”
“But, Donna, there aren’t many jobs for younger families or places for seniors to live in Zutphen.”
“So let’s build a seniors’ complex. I’d move in right away. And that would provide jobs for the younger people.”
“That sounds like a great idea. How can we get something like that to happen?”
Their discussion continued until the ferry landed at the island.
Chapter Fourteen
“What would you like to see first?” Mike asked.
The Patricia Kiyono Christmas Collection Page 20